Make ahead freezer meals?

ticiaelizabeth

Bump, for some great ideas!!

Magdaloonie

I like to take muffin tins, spray with Pam, put about 1/2 full of spinach (that has been rinsed, drained and dried), mushrooms on that, a pinch of low fat mozz. chz and then I mix egg beaters in a bowl with some skim milk and pour in each tin to the top. 350 about 17 min. When you insert a knife in middle and it comes out clean - then it's done. Let cool off, put 2 in a ziplock freezer bag and stick in freezer. When I take to work, I take out a pack, put in container - frozen, add about 2-4 tablespoons of salsa and heat up later when I am ready to eat. The salsa just does something amazing to it. This is super yummy, low in calories and high in vitamins.

I read this yesterday, made them last night and ate the first two just now. Fantastic! Yes, the salsa makes it. Thanks!

CleanEats4AppleCheeks

I prep all my food for the week on Sundays. I am weird about just putting things in the fridge so I freeze everything. This week I did a stew in my crock pot, seperated it and froze it. For breakfast I am having plain old fashion oats, with protein powder, and Strawberries. The Stawberries are seperated into individual portions and frozen. I also do breakfast burritos pretty often. Make my own whole wheat tortillas add the filling, egg whites, turkey sausage, veggies, wrap and freeze. Another good one to try that I do often is protein muffins. This time of year a protein pumpkin muffin is great and they freeze well. Unless I bake my own the only bread I eat is Ezekiel and that should be frozen ( no preservatives). For dinner I am having turkey sandwiches. I don't eat any type of sandwich meat from the market ( I know there may be good ones out there) So I baked a turkey breast in the oven Sunday for dinner this week. Also seperated and frozen into individual portions. I almost always have quinoa or brown rice cooked ahead of time for a quick meal and I freeze them also (in individual portions). My freezer is always packed but the prep is well worth it. I am usually pretty exhausted during the week after the work and the gym. Hope this helps get your ideas flowing!

kbolton322

Hi, Jessica...I teach classes in Once A Month Cooking (OAMC). The easiest way to start is to simply make a double batch of whatever it is you are making. Most anything you find in the freezer section at the supermarket can be frozen at home. A few tips to make things easier and ensure your product is consistent:

*Freeze things on a sheet tray whenever possible, then pour into a container or freezer bag. This allows you to take out what you need later, without having to thaw the whole thing.
*Most veggies need to be blanched. Just dip the veggies into boiling water for 30-60 seconds to preserve texture and color when you reheat it.
*Containers and freezer bags are essential. You don't need to have a seperate deep freezer to accomplish this. i've stored a months worth of meals in a regular freezer above my fridge in freezer bags, stacked upright, like records. I buy good freezer bags...seal product in a cheaper zipper bag and then put them into the good freezer bag. You can reuse freezer bags this way. Double wrapping items keeps them fresher longer.
*Label and date your products. Most items in a home freezer will last 1-6 months in the freezer. I try to keep it down to 1-3 months. THe defrost cycle on residential freezers can age food a little faster because the temperautres don't stay as consistent. Keep in mind, First In, First Out. Use older product first.

Aside from double or triple batching recipes, you can also shoot for a smaller goal...try cooking for the week first and see how it goes. Lastly, and my favorite way to bulk cook, is "ingredient style". This means I cook 20 pounds of ground beef at a time and package it in meal sized portions. I spend a weekend cooking and /or seasoning veggies, ground beef, chicken breasts, turkey and fish, then package it away for future use. I prefer it because I can mix and match my meals, rather than be stuck with 5 lasagnas at the end of the month.

My favorite story regarding the ingredients style method: I was really, really sick when I was pregnant with my daughter. My husband had to open a bag of rice, open a bag of prepped peppers and onions and open a bag of sliced beef, add a cup of water and cover it. Dinner was done with very little fuss, muss and cleanup.

If you like, I can dig out my lesson plan and can send it to you, if you would like more information.

I would love more info... I'm going to pm you with my email addy...

grentea

I freeze foods occasionally. I have frozen casseroles and various meat products. I think you can freeze most things, if you package them correctly. I usually portion them into 1-2 servings in containers. When I want to eat something, I just take it out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge to thaw. I will usually jazz them up with extra sauce or cheese or veggies if freezing them has changed the texture some.

teresamwhite

*Freeze things on a sheet tray whenever possible, then pour into a container or freezer bag. This allows you to take out what you need later, without having to thaw the whole thing.

?? How can you pour something that is frozen? I don't get it.

An example is freezing berries...freezing them individually and then tip them into a freezer bag or container. Later when you just want a cup, a pint, a tablespoon or a few frozen berries, you don't have to whack the container on the counter, or thaw it out, to get the amount you need. I freeze biscuits, bread dough, vegetables, fruit and other things this way. In the industry its called Individually Quick Frozen or IQF.

sofaking6

The tastiest thing I ever froze was some shepherd's pie, it reheated great in the microwave.

I see a ton of great information here about how to freeze things, but I'm wondering, does anyone have a good list of tips for defrosting? I'm never sure of the best way to reheat different things or how to tell how long it will take if not nuking it.

lisa799

In addition, some things don't need to be frozen...particularly when you are starting with cooking for the week. I love mason jars. They come in a variety of sizes, the lids only come in two sizes (replacements are easily found on their own in the store, you know...for when they mysteriously go missing).

I packaged up chicken and dumplings for the kidlets this week...the 10 year old has hers in a half pint jar (no dumplings), the 14 year old has his in a 12 oz jar (extra dumplings), and the hubby has his in a pint jar (hot sauce added). All jars are sitting in the bottom of the fridge just waiting to be added to their lunch boxes. (The kiddoes will nuke them before putting them in a thermos...they don't have access to a microwave at school.) Also in pre portioned in 4 oz jars: pineapple chunks, applesauce, chopped egg whites, granola, salsa, and baby carrots. The wide mouthed ones are awesome for baking...so there are some jars of banana bread, pumpkin bread and zucchini/carrot bread, too.

These are NOT "canned"...just stored in jars in the fridge.

These are great ideas - my DH is going to start packing lunch more and I love your tips.

teresamwhite

The tastiest thing I ever froze was some shepherd's pie, it reheated great in the microwave.

I see a ton of great information here about how to freeze things, but I'm wondering, does anyone have a good list of tips for defrosting? I'm never sure of the best way to reheat different things or how to tell how long it will take if not nuking it.

Keeping in mind that thinner packages thaw out more quickly than thicker ones, no matter what kind of method you use to defrost:

The best method for thawing is under refrigeration...I usually take things down from the freezer two days ahead of time to thaw completely before I need to use it. 30 minutes per pound is the rule of thumb for frozen foods to thaw out under refrigeration...so calculate that depending on what it is you are trying to thaw out.

The next method is under cold running water...keep it wrapped up, in the package, put it in a large bowl or pot and weigh it down with a plate or something and run cold water into the pot. THe water needs to be cold and it needs to run...you put yourself at risk of foodborne illness by using warm water, or by letting it sit in still water.

Next is in the microwave, but only if you are going to cook it immediately. Microwaves heat unevenly, so you can create a happy environment for illness very quickly. Check your microwave manual...they all vary, so what works for me in my kitchen is different than what works for me in my commercial kitchen and will be different from what works in your home.

Lastly, defrost it by cooking it...some things can just go from freezer to oven, just reduce the heat and count on it taking longer.

Your best friend in the ktichen should always be a properly calibrated thermometer. They are about a buck, are easy to use and calibrate. They go all the way up to middle of the road models at $10-15 and as high as $80...but they will keep your food safe. Any food that has been cooked once, regardless of what it is, should ALWAYS be reheated to a minimum of 165F. (I wouldn't go any higher than that if I could help it...!)

ETA: When I take a frozen single serve portion to work, I leave it in the fridge til lunch time, then nuke it for 3-5 minutes...just like a frozen TV dinner. It usually works out just fine.

valheid

bump

sofaking6

<quote>Your best friend in the ktichen should always be a properly calibrated thermometer. They are about a buck, are easy to use and calibrate. They go all the way up to middle of the road models at $10-15 and as high as $80...but they will keep your food safe. Any food that has been cooked once, regardless of what it is, should ALWAYS be reheated to a minimum of 165F. (I wouldn't go any higher than that if I could help it...!) </quote>

Thank you!

nyboer

Bump

gabbygirl78

bump for ideas

youngn1

Keep the ideas coming. Thanks everyone.:happy:

karabasik

Bump for inspiration

sandira21

Bump!

WDEvy

Southwest Chiken "chili ( Slow cooker)
- 2 Chicken breast
-1 small jar of salsa
- 1 can blavck beans
-1 can corn ( no salt)
-1 can red beans
- 1 tbls chili powder
-.5 tbsp cumin
-2 garlic cloves ( grated)
-1/4 cup water.

On low for 8 hrs. Freezes really well. Serve over rice or in a taco shell or in a tortilla.

hananah89

I've froze bagel breakfast sandwiches before but had problems with the eggs giving off too much water when I reheat (probably because I'm impatient and don't let them cool all the way before freezing).

I'm a big fan of making crock pot meals and freezing individual portions. I have a roommate though so I only have room in our little freezer for a couple portions at a time.

I made a great pot roast on Sunday with potatoes and carrots. I've also done a healthier crock pot sesame chicken recipe before. I just froze the chicken portions (with broccoli and carrots) and just reheat it along with cooking a serving of rice. I've done lasagna in the crock pot too.

emlee01

Bump for all the great ideas!

imncontrolofme

All sounds great!