Once the school year starts I'll need to be at our dance studio 4 out of 7 days a week with two of my daughters. We just purchased a freezer chest to keep in our basement as a time saver. We're planning to make three meals a week for the month ahead of time and freeze them to help. This way less dishes during the week, we'll eat healthier and hopefully not feel so rushed :)! I've never prepared meals just to freeze, looking for tips, suggestions on meals, things to avoid... whatever advice you have. So far these are the meals we are thinking: lasagna, tortellini in sauce, beef stroganoff, chicken paprika, mac & cheese, chicken and rice bake, cheese and broccoli bake... other ideas would be great (that freeze well).
My middle child is also a fussy eater so we're worried she's not going to want these "meals" as usual....
Thanks!
Go to the library, there are some really great books on the subject. Johnny McCoy has cook for a day, eat for a month, but there are many others also. If you take them out of the library you can pick which ones you like best to buy. Very, helpful, and most come with grocery lists as well as menus and recipes.
Check out the Food Network site - Rachael Ray makes meatloaf muffins - a great way to sneak veggies into a picky eater. I grind up a variety of veggies in the food processor (peppers, celery, carrots and onions always, sometimes bok choy). They could definitely be frozen in a muffin tin and then put in a zip bag for storage in the freezer. She uses ground beef but her recipe works very well with ground turkey. Good luck.
Shepard's Pie is a good one. We make it with the left over turkey from thanksgiving (not the ground stuff). Use the gravy and corn and potatoes you have left over from the holiday to make it. Also, sign up to get free emails from Kraft, Campbell's, Swanson chicken broth and Betty Crocker. I get dinner recipes emailed to me about once a week. And you can search their sites for great meals. Also, kraft sends you a magazine about 6 times a yr full of easy fast recipes. Someone mentioned a crock pot. You can use that daily. I have one with a removable tube. I can make up my meals before I go to bed and in the morning all I have to do is put it in and turn it on, and by the time I get home dinner is ready and hot. You can also add 4-6 hrs to each recipe if you use frozen meat when it starts. So on low that means some meals can take 12 hrs to cook.
Invest in a food saver or some type of vacuum sealer, the investment will be worth it and food will taste much better. Looks like you already have some good ideas. I would also add meatloaf (which I make with ground turkey) or turkey meatballs, which can be used in Swedish meatballs. Veggie lasagnas freeze very well too. Frozen veggies are a huge time saver too and can be hested in about 5 minutes. Good luck.
Almost all soups, chilis and stews freeze very well. Since you have the extra freezer, you can either freeze large family-sized portions, or freeze leftovers in individual bowls (use ones that can go straight from freezer to microwave). If you do the individual method, you can have "soup night" and everyone can choose their favorite leftover soup. Add a loaf of bread and a salad and you have a full meal. Also, if the picky eater likes hamburgers, you can freeze individual patties, these you can even cook while still frozen. Or you can just insist she try whatever the family meal is, and then supplement with cereal - just not one of the sugary, technicolor ones :). The lasagna you can either make without baking it and freeze that way or you can freeze it after it is cooked.
As for advice, I don't have much luck thawing things in my refrigerator. Either plan for several hours at room temperature or move it to the fridge at least 24-hours before you want to cook it - more or less depending on the size of the dish.
Meatloaf is always a good one...and you can modify to be turkey loaf or salmon loaf (although I haven't tried freezing salmon loaf). I have also frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce so you can use it at any time. We have done it with sausage as well to give some variety. That way you only have to defrost the sauce and you can put pasta on at the last minute.
I hope that helps!
Ground beef freezes well after it's cooked, and thaws very quickly. I used to cook 5lbs at once, and seperate into individual pounds. It was easy to throw together spagetti with canned sauce after that. BBQ chicken freezes very well, and you can cook a lot at one time. I cook it in the oven, covered, for 3 hours, and it falls apart when it's done. You are only limited by the size of pans you have. You can also google "once a month cooking" or OAMC and you will find groups and websites dedicated to only that. Good luck. Oh, and I have found that noodles don't freeze very well. So you might want to save those for cooking right before you plan to eat them. Consider cooking up a huge batch of hamburger patties, and freezing them seperatly for a quick meal as well.
S.
your ideas so far sound great and yummy. I like to make tons of meatballs and freeze them for later. They can be used for spagetti, or to make sandwiches later. Also, crockpot stews are great b/c they are easy to make and reheat and there are so many recipes for them (check out allrecipes.com). As far as freezing goes, i have 2 tips: allow your meals to cool a little before freezing them. Also, I would double seal all your meals and get rid of as much air as you can. This will help with that freezer burn taste. Good luck
Hi S.-
I have lots of recipes for chicken, pork and beef using the "4 Meals in 4 Minutes" concept, that you can prepare with only 3-4 ingredients and store in the freezer in freezer bags. Email me at ____@____.com for instructions on accessing my website and preparing the meals. I can also email a recipe book to you.
K. Culver
Meal Planning Consultant
www.homemadegourmet.com/kgourmet
When I make tacos I try to make a double batch and freeze half for a quick meal later in the month. (then all you need to do is chop lettuce, tomato, etc.) They defrost and heat easily in the microwave. Just add a bit of water so it doesn't get too dry and don't overheat.
I've taken the same make-ahead-and-freeze approach before, which works well saving money and time. The trick is to allow enough time for proper defrosting depending on the type (and density) of the food--sometimes nuking too much can backfire and make it less appetizing.
I'll be eager to see your other responses for fresh ideas for my own freezer supply! :)
Hi S.-
For me, the key is LABELING!! Get yourself some good sharpies and write down what is in the container and at least the date so you can cycle the older meals (or ingrediants) out first. Some stuff, I even tape actual directions on the container so my husband can take it out of the freezer and make the meal before I get home.
The other thing I like doing is freezing the meals in foil pans from the Dollar Store or Party Store. This makes cleanup really easy - defrost, reheat and toss!
Last but not least, take a look at a group called "Homemade Gourmet". They have spices and stuff that allow you to make a variety of freezer meals at a fraction of the costs. Right now I attend a once a month group that meets and puts freezer bags together with the HG spices. It is only $5.00 per meal and I've been making them in anticipation of my second child arriving. I have to supply the meats, but each meal can be grilled, crockpot or roasted in the oven. I figure if I add a frozen veggie, it will be easy for me in my post partum state. The spices can be purchased seperately from the group I meet with and there are other recipes that each spice can make. So far I have about 8 meals in the freezer.
Good luck!
~C.
meatballs... stuffed cabbage... almost anything with tomato sauce..
Meat loaf, baked ziti, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken already marinated, steaks, pork chops. All these things freeze well. Just remember to take the out.lol
