HELP! I Need Quick Cheap Meals to Make and Freeze

HI! I've been using two on-line websites to help with meal preparation: www.thescramble.com (Six O'Clock Scramble) and www.relishrelish.com (Relish). Both have been a complete life saver as far as coming up with meals and shopping. Relish has a section specifically for freezing meals. I think both allow a free trial period. My kids have now been eating a wider variety of foods which are healthier and I'm saving $ at the store because I only buy what I need. Good luck!

Krystine

Try the website The Six o'clock Scramble. It is an online recipe website that sends you five recipes each week plus a grocery list. Most of the meals are kid friendly, easy, healthy, and ready in 30 minutes or less.Since I have been using it I have been so much less stressed about grocery shopping and preparing meals for my family. I can't live without it, now!

There is a new cooking show on Food Network "Ten Dollar Dinners" in my area it is on Sundays at 12:30pm. I am hoping to get some good ones from there that I can freeze.

I found that if I let them start eating parts of their dinner while I am cooking it is easier to keep an eye on them. Like baby carrots and dip, yogurt pop (home made), Etc.

Try a cassorole cookbook. Mothers Clubs often sell a cookbook that should have kid friendly dishes. If you make lasanya, make two or three instead and freeze in smaller portions. You can make lasanya with tortillas instead of noodles which is much faster.

Lately we are making a lot of soft tacos with left over meats. The kids assemble their own then I don't have to listen to anyone complain.

You may also want to try a crockpot. There are several kid friendly meals that take minutes to assemble and several nights of eating. Well, if it is large enough. If you don't own a crock pot be sure to buy one that the inside pot comes out for easier cleaning.

Good luck to you and share if you come across some good ones.
:-)W.

The Trader Joe's enchilada sauce bottle has a good recipe for enchiladas. Very easy and only a few ingredients. The only change I make is I sautee the onions first and not put them in raw.

One of the things I do is freeze leftovers in individual baggies or microwavable dishes. That way if I am in a hurry I can just reheat most things in the microwave. I do this with soups and stews and any pasta dishes. Just remember that with some pasta and rice dishes to add a little water to them and cover them before heating in the microwave. Anything that saves me is my crockpot. There is a book out that I got at Target that has a ton of recipies that only require like 6 ingredients. I can't remember the name, sorry. I'll have to look for it when I get home. Anyway you just add whatever you want in the crockpot, set it on low and come home to a hot already cooked meal.

Try www.SavingDinner.com

Sure worked for me when I prepped for after baby so hubby could just defrost dinners and be done!

Good Luck!

I hear you! How about slow cooker chili? It's easy and quick (browned ground beef, onions, can of stewed tomatoes, can of corn, a few spices. You can add other things. Rachel Ray online hasa good recipe. You can serve it with pre-made rolls.) Spaghetti w/meat sauce (pre-made & frozen), grilled chicken made on Sunday and frozen, macaroni and cheese w/hotdogs, sloppy Joes (pre-made & frozen). The slow cooker has been my saving grace. Good luck!

Hi J., some things that I've found to be cheap and easy to freeze and reheat are chili, spaghetti sauce, mexican bake, and enchiladas. For chili, I just combine kidney beans, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, cooked ground beef (you could also do turkey or chicken), garlic, and some chili powder. After reheating you can top with shredded cheese, sour cream, saltine crackers, and/or goldfish crackers. For spaghetti sauce I combine cooked ground beef and jarred spaghetti sauce (sometimes I add cooked chopped zuchinni too). If you make a big batch, some can be eaten and some frozen for later. For mexican bake I combine cooked rice, cooked ground beef or turkey, garlic, canned corn, canned kidney beans (or black beans), shredded cheese, and salsa, then sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips on the top and bake in the oven. I usually do a large batch of this, then bake only part of it, and freeze the rest. For enchiladas, cook some ground beef, turkey, or chicken, then fill tortillas with the meat, shredded cheese, and some canned enchilada sauce (or salsa), wrap and place face down in a baking dish. After filling the dish with the enchiladas, I add some more enchilada sauce over the tops and sprinkle shredded cheese. Again, a large batch can be made and some baked right away and some frozen for later. Hope this helps some!

We've been saved by Dream Dinners. I go every 6 weeks and make 12 meals of 3 servings that are freezer ready. All the ingredients are laid out in stations with the recipe standing above the food. Meals are placed in ziploc freezer bags and a label is attached with cooking instructions. I also received a "menu" with check boxes next to my meals (so I can keep track of what I've used), preparation time (so I can grab a quicker meal if I'm in a hurry), and suggested side dishes for each meal so I can plan my shopping list. At the beginning of the week, I pull out 3 dinners and place in the rfrigerator to thaw so they're ready to go.

3 servings doesn't sound like a lot, but the servings are generous and my two girls share a serving. We often have enough left for a 2nd meal, or make "potluck" one night a week. By preparing myself, I can leave out ingredients that the girls don't like (like ginger). I have plenty of variety so we're not eating the same food all the time. Meals run roughly $12-25 each with very high quality meats and ingredients. Best of all, the instructions are easy enough that my husband will even cook if I'm working late.

The two outlets at Cambrian Plaza and Cottle Road are owned by a lovely family who are very friendly and accommodating.

Dream Dinners also has a self-titled cookbook out should you want to stay home to prepare your meals. (But take a girlfriend and have a couple hours out without the kids).

Just about anything you already make can be doubled and frozen (I wouldn't bother with Top Ramen, it's already quick). If you aren't big on using leftovers right away, you can also freeze those in individual portions to make your own tv dinners. Frozen veggies are a staple for me, their quick to pull out and microwave for a side dish or throw in a casserole and you can control the portion you are cooking easier than canned without the spoilage from fresh.

I've found that it speeds up cooking dinner to also consider freezing the side dishes, like mashed potatoes or mexican rice. Veggies are quick to steam and you can grill just about any meat in 15 minutes or so, but whipping up a batch of home made mashed potatoes is tedious work! We eat a lot of mexican as well, so whenever I make mashed potatoes or mexican rice I make a HUGE pot and then freeze some in ziplocks with portions to fit future family meals.
My menu this week:
Salsburry Steak: Leftover, pregrilled hamburger patties that were frozen after no one at them, baked in the oven in a can of beef gravy, over pre-made and frozen mashed potatoes, with some sort of veggie on the side - quick steam in 10 minutes.
Chicken soft tacos: When I buy the boneless skinless chicken breast I cedice what it's going to go towards and season or marinade and chop before freezing. So I have a bag of pre-diced and seasoned fajita meat ready to go now. I also have mexican rice prefrozen. Toss a salad, and call it a night. sauteing the chicken, especially since it's diced up, will take 10 minutes tops.
Meatloaf: Using up more of those premade mashed tatoes... I also premix meatloaf and season, then freeze, whenever I buy large quantities of ground beef for the freezer. Ground beef is on sale for $1.77 a lb at Safeway right now. If you make a short, wide meatloaf on a cookie sheet, rather than in a loaf pan, it cooks super quick. Steam some green beans (in the microwave) and we're good!
Enchiladas: I make the meat filling in the slow cooker in large quantities and freeze ahead. Sometimes I even pre-roll them, although i don't put them in a pan with sauce before freezing because I find this makes them too mushy. The one's I'll be using this week are prerolled and frozen. I just have to defrost, ptu some canned sauce in a pan, put in the enchiladas, top with more sauce and cheeze, and bake. Mexican rice is premade, and I love those "fiesta" style ready made salads with dressing already included.
Even if you use the oven when you get home at night, if you put your dish in as soon as you get home, by the time you change your clothes and sit and relax for a bit, dinners done!

We make a large pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze it in different containers to use on spaghetti or frozen raviolis.