Ideas for meals that can be frozen

[disny_luvr]

Me and a friend are planning on getting together one of these upcoming Saturdays and making/preparing meals that can be frozen and reheated later. With school starting (I am a teacher and we both have children in school), sports activities, work schedules, etc. we really want to have quick, go-to meals that we can reheat and eat. We hope this will help us save money too, since eating out can really add up. Does anyone have any good meals that can be frozen and reheated easily or a website/blog they can point me to to help us? I really appreciate any and all advice. I love to cook, but have never, ever prepared a meal, froze it and reheated it at a later time.

Thanks!

 

[frank430316]

Google for "once a month cooking" and you'll get tons of information, also search on this board - there are several threads about this. And Amazon sells several good books on the subject. We like "Don't Panic - Dinner is in the Freezer", "Fix, Freeze, Feast", and "Taste of Home: Freezer Pleasers". We've been doing this off and on for a couple of years & it works out great for us. We have a friend come over and spend all day Saturday cooking tons of food, which we then freeze. Last time we made over 70 different dishes (luckily not all went into our freezer). Makes for a very exhausting day, but it pays off throughout the next month or so. If you like I can dig up the plan and recipes for that day. It also helps if you have a program that can combine recipes and generate a shopping list - organization & planning is essential

 

[ChrisinNJ]

Some of these are probably obvious, but:

Meatballs in tomato sauce
meat sauce
Meatballs without sauce to serve with brown gravy (Swedish Meatballs)
meatloaf can be prepped, formed & frozen then baked when you need it
BBQ pulled pork
Chili
chicken soup,
pea soup
black bean soup (wegmans.com has a great carribean black bean soup recipe)
Breaded & baked or fried chicken breast for quick chicken parm, same can be done with eggplant

I have never tried this personally, but my step mother makes chicken picatta & freezes it. She says it is fine re-heated.

Some other things I do to save time, buy flank steak, package it with marinade & freeze. As it thaws in your fridge it marinates & is ready to throw on the grill when you get home.

I also buy boneless skinless chicken breast in bulk, clean & cut it all at once, then freeze it. Once I am ready to use it, it is ready to just add a marinade or cook once defrosted.

 

[bettymae1121]

No suggestions, but I'm interested in freezer meals, as I'm pregnant and want to make stuff to freeze for when after the baby comes home!

 

[happymommy]

One dish I make double of, and freeze half (in a casserole dish - so not something you could do many of) is chicken enchiladas. It's super easy - I think Campbells soup may have the recipe. It's just chicken, cooked (I boil it) and diced with salsa, cheese, campbells cream of chicken soup, sour cream, then fill tortillas, top with more sauce mix (the above minus chicken) and cheese. I cover with foil then freeze, then once frozen, I use my foodsaver vacuum sealer.

I have to say that my foodsaver (got it at Costco) has saved me a fortune and tons of time! I precook bulk ground beef, then cool it. Then I freeze it in one pound units, once frozen I vacuum seal it. Then we always have a pound of ground beef for chili, tacos, and pasta sauce dishes. I also precook boneless skinless chicken breasts and do the same. Definitely I recommend looking into one. The large bags fit over a casserole dish. I love mine so much that when my first one finally gave out, I got another one.

 

[WeLoveM1CKEY]

Taco Soup is a good, quick and easy meal to prepare and freeze. It makes a lot so depending on how many you are cooking for you may even be able to break it up for a couple of meals.

Recipe:
1 lb cooked hamburger meat
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can rotel
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 pack of ranch dressing seasoning
onion (optional)
add water to desired consistency

Mix all ingredients and heat up.
Serve with fritos or other corn chips (we use scoops).
Top with shredded cheese and/or sour cream.

 

[clh2]

As a previous poster mentioned - "Fix, Freeze, Feast" is an awesome cookbook. Not that I'm biased or anything....my comments are on their website

Fix, Freeze, Feast

I tried the Once-a-Month cookbook - and did that exactly 1 time. I was so darned exhausted that I didn't appreciate any of the meals.

Fix Freeze Feast was the perfect solution for our needs!

 

[cindydare]

I make homemade gnocchi (little pasta dumplings) all the time and freeze them. They are so easy and taste so much better than the ones you can buy frozen or vacuum packaged in the store. You can cook them when they're fresh, or freeze them on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag once they're frozen. The kids love them!

Boil potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until they are fork tender. Put hot potatoes through a potato ricer (does the peeling for you!). Let riced potatoes cool to room temperature. My proportions are roughly: 2 cups of riced potatoes to 1 egg (let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using) and around 1 cup of all purpose flour. I mix the potatoes, the egg, and some of the flour together using my hands to knead the dough, and keep adding flour and mixing with my hands until the dough begins to lose it's "stickiness", and forms a nice ball. The more flour you use, the heavier they will be, so I try to get it to where I can just work with it.

I prepare a couple of cookie sheets ahead of time, by lining them with parchment paper and dusting with flour. Usually a double batch equals 2 + cookies sheets full of gnocchi.

I use a cutting board that has been dusted with flour and put my dough ball in the corner. Then I cut off a small chunk of dough and roll out into a "rope" with my hands (about the thickness of a finger or a little bigger) and then cut that into 1 inch or so pieces. You can put a little dimple into each one with your finger tip if you want to. Dust the pieces with flour and transfer to your cookie sheet, making sure they aren't touching each other, so they don't stick to each other! Transfer your cookie sheets to the freezer and once frozen, transfer the gnocchi to a freezer bag.

If you want to cook them fresh or frozen, heat a pot of water to boiling and drop them in. When they float, they're done. Serve with your favorite spaghetti sauce...I usually stir a few spoonfuls of sauce into the hot gnocchi to keep them from sticking to each other, then you can add more sauce to the individuals taste as you serve them. Add a salad and some bread, and you've got a great, homemade Italian meal!

 

[queenofthehive]

I like to prepare stuffed shells. Use any recipe stuffed shell recipe. Stuff the shells and line on a baking sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours. Take shells off baking sheet and store in freezer bags. When ready to bake-put in pan (whatever size -8x8 or 9x13 depending how much or how little you want to make). Pour over spagetti sauce and bake until bubbly.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I like to freeze meals in individual portions. Gladware-type containers work well. Before I had each of my kids, I froze things like lasagna, beef stew, sweet and sour chicken over rice and split pea soup. Whoever was hungry could easily heat up their own meal. Plus, everyone didn't necessarily have to eat the same thing. We'd often just choose whatever we felt like eating. If my mom or my sister was over helping with the baby or housework, I would tell them to grab a container and heat it up whenever they got hungry. My supply lasted for a few weeks and was invaluable when I could barely move, let alone cook!

 

[SarahandPaul]

I do quarterly freezer cooking with a group and while the day is exhausting, a full freezer is awesome! Making burritos and individually freezing them in foil is great. Much healthier than ones found in the freezer aisle at the store. Taco soup works great as well. We also make a lasagna in small 9x9 disposable aluminum pans. Pop into oven directly from freezer and dinner is served! Feel free to PM me if you want recipes as I have quite a few.

 

[grafxgirl]

We like to make pizza, lasagna, soups, chili, and pancakes that we can freeze.

 

[pjlla]

In addition to meals that you make ahead, try to come up with some easy healthy meals that require very little prep. Here are a few things that I prepare regularly.....

Ocean Beauty salmon patties..... seasoned and herb crusted. Fairly expensive, but VERY healthy and easy! Can cook in the skillet, oven, grill, or toaster oven. Serve as a burger on a whole wheat roll, on top of a green salad, or as a main dish with some roasted broccoli and quinoa!

Hormel all-natural pork tenderloin.... comes in several marinades such as maple bourbon, teriyaki, lemon pepper, parmesean herb. Takes about 45 minutes to cook (on grill or in oven), but requires NO prep. Again, serve with veggies and maybe brown rice. The rice I make also takes 45 minutes to cook, so it is done at the same time as the pork.

"cold plate" night..... everyone gets bits and blobs of different stuff (depending on their likes/dislikes, diet, allergies, etc) like hummus, cheese, veggies (raw or cooked), boiled eggs, pretzels, whole grain crackers, sardines, cold salads like quinoa salad or couscous salad, couscous salad, bean salad, etc., sliced fruit.... great for hot summer nights.

yogurt parfait night..... I was afraid I would have a hard time convincing my family to embrace this for dinner instead of breakfast, but they seemed to really enjoy it! Make a "buffet" with containers of yogurt (plain, vanilla, greek, soy.... whatever type your family likes), granola or other "crunchies" (I like FiberOne cereal), and fruit.... blueberries, diced strawberries, mango, peaches, cherries, pineapple.... whatever!

And remember, the crockpot is your friend! I make a very easy "chicken cacciatore" in my crockpot.... skinless chicken thighs or leg quarters work well for this (I dislike breast)... put meat in the crockpot, dump on some sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms (if you are really pressed for time you could cut these the night before or even bought them pre-sliced at the salad bar).... cover with your spaghetti sauce of choice, cook all day on low (8 hours) and serve over or next to plain pasta!

I'll give this some more thought and try to come up with some more ideas for you...........................P

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

I saw some good recipes here
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Simple---Delicious-Magazine/Fabulous-Freezer-Meals

 

[LilyWDW]

I'm also very interested in doing this. With my class schedule, it is very tempting to eat TV dinners or fast food on some nights. However, if I can put homecooked meals in the freezer, we can still eat at home! When mom gets home from work, she can get things started for when I get home from class on one night and, on the other night, I can have dinner before I leave and she can eat when she gets home.

I REALLY like the individual burrito idea! You could grab it and bake it for a simple lunch/dinner and you wouldn't be wasting any other food. That is great!

In a couple weeks we will be doing a big freezer cooking one Saturday. What we are going to do is:
Lasagna (going to make it for that night and freeze half)
Meatballs (great for a quick spaghetti or subs)
Split Pea Soup
Another soup (I have no decided yet which one)
Pancakes and/or waffles

We do not have a huge freezer, but I think that many items will fit. We will do another cooking when we need to (depending on what and how much we eat each week/month). I figure we will only have to do most of it every other month, with one or two items monthly.

 

[tasha99]

I'm freezing homemade potstickers this weekend. It's a couple hours of work, but a bag of homemade potstickers tastes sooo much better than the store ones (which taste odd and artificial to me). I make them, freeze them on a cookie sheet, and then put into big ziplock bags.

Overall, there are two approaches to prefreezing meals--making cooked items to be reheated, and putting together raw items that can be cooked at a later date. While I do make the first kind (spaghetti, soups, casseroles etc), I think assembling raw foods helps to keep your frozen food stash from getting too mundane.

 

[sherry7]

I work full time too, so I know the aggravation of trying to get dinner on the table when I get home. Plus I have a 16 month old toddler, who doesn't have much patience if dinner involves a wait.

I have never done "once a month cooking", but I frequently make larger quantities of soup, stew, etc. Some to eat right away, and most to freeze for later. I do this for regular chili, white chicken chili, taco soup, split pea soup, etc. I usually use my 18 quart electric turkey roaster, so it really makes a lot at one time.

I also brown ground beef up, several lbs at a time. I usually buy the 10 lb rolls of ground sirloin at Sam's Club. (Not usually out to buy, you have to ask for them. It's about 50 cents a lb cheaper than buying the regular packages.) Sometimes I add in onion and peppers, and sometimes I cook it plain. Let cool, and package about 1 lb each in freezer bags. I always try to use these up within 4 or 5 weeks. It's a fast start to any meal that uses browned ground beef.

Another tip is to buy the smaller portions of boneless chicken breasts that can be cooked from a frozen state. I get them at Sam's Club. They're 5 oz each, unlike the massive chicken breasts that some stores sell. I can't remember exactly, but I think they bake in 30 minutes straight from the freezer. These are the ones I buy: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=156837&navAction=#desc I also buy frozen Tilapia fillets that can be cooked from frozen. Both are handy to have when I haven't set anything out to thaw.

I use my crockpot quite a bit too. I prep everything the evening before, and put the removable crock in the fridge. In the morning, I just have to remember to set it in the base on the crockpot and set the timer. I have a computer file with a lot of easy recipes that just take a few minute to throw together.