Help! Need recipes that I can freeze and eat all week....

deanna86

I recently started back at the gym with a personal trainer and she is trying to teach me how to make meals that I can freeze and eat all week. I am a nurse and I work 12 hr shifts 3 nights a week, so this is the best option for me to keep eating healthy. Any ideas out there?? Thanks!

JeanHaynes

I made this white bean chili recipe. It is easy to make, delicious, super filling, keeps well, and is portable easily in a thermos. The best part is that it is only 320 calories for a cup and a half.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/white-chili-recipe/index.html

deanna86

Sounds yummy, I will have to try it! Thank you

ant17r

I just looked up that recipe and that sounds really good. I'm gonna put those items on my next shopping list and give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

Anthony

mltdown

I also work over nights 12 hours and I freeze meals one of my favorites is chicken stir fry you can make alot at one and it's a great meal!!

morganadk2_deleted

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

My family loves it when I cook this! There are 3 servings because I eat it on its own as a meal, but if you have it with rice, or pilau bulgur as I occasionally do, you can half the portion size. This is so incredibly low calorie for a huge portion and one of the meals I tend to make in bulk and keep in the freezer for a while. It really is delicious! Don't be daunted by all the herbs and spices, they are all great for using with other things.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Serves: 3
240g chick peas, canned, drained weight (basically one tin)
400g tomatoes, canned
100g spinach
8 mushrooms
1 onion
2g yellow mustard seeds
5g paprika
5g cumin
2g ginger
2g garam masala
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1g pepper
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
2 small yellow pepper

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large pan.
Add the mustard seeds on low temperature
When the mustard seeds start to pop add in the sliced onions garlic and ginger with a little water.
When the onions soften add in the mushrooms and peppers.
Add in the spices and herbs and cover for 5 mins until all the veg is soft.
Add in the chickpeas and cover for 5 more mins.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir well.
After 5 or so mins add the spinach (about 6/7 lumps frozen).
Mix the spinach in so its covered by the sauce.
Cover it up but keep stirring every few mins.
It can be served as soon as the spinach is cooked (i.e. not frozen in big lumps, but flavour intensifies the longer you simmer it for.
It may need simmering without the lid to reduce the wateriness of the sauce.

240 calories per serving, 7.4g F, 0.9g SF, 38.2 C, 8g S, 9.5 Fb, 9.8g P


Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole

Ok, this is one of my absolute favourites. It has a great balance of protein to carbs, and is low in fat and - even better - low in calories. I should add that I lost weight through a combination of educating myself about nutrition and the phenomenon of calorie counting. The way our body works is far too complicated to ignorantly assume that even accurate calorie counting is a sure-fire method of ensuring that we lose weight, but it is a fantastic guideline to ensure you are eating at a defecit.

I found this recipe on CC and it sounded crazy! Butternut squash, garlic and cranberries!? But I was curious so I had to try it. Sure enough, with a little tweaking, it was a taste-bud sensation!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole
Serves: 6
500g Butternut Squash
1 1/2 cups green lentils
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves garlic
3g thyme
400g tomatoes, tinned
100g dried cranberries
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion
1 chicken stock cube
400 ml water

Boil the lentils in the chicken stock cube and water for 1 hour.
Roast the squash in chunks in the oven for 30 mins.
Warm the oil and add finely chopped garlic and coarsley chopped onion.
Add the squash and any fluids which may have come off during roasting.
Drain the lentils, reserving the stock and adding it to the pan.
When the squash begings to break up a little, add the lentils and tin of tomatoes.
Simmer for 20 mins then add cinnamon,nutmeg, thyme & cranberries.
Mix well and leave to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the squash has almost completely broken down and the sauce has thickened.

227 calories per serving, 0.2g F, 0.0g SF, 44.2g C, 6.9g S, 10.1g Fb, 11.9g P

This freezes well and refridgerates for up to 3 days. I know the combination of flavours sounds crazy, I was skeptical too, but it really tastes delicious! I eat it on its own, its quite a large portion. Would perhaps go well with a small green salad, and maybe some bulgur wheat or brown rice if you fancy some starchy carbs/grains.

http://heavling.blogspot.com/

Dra57

I make 4 or 8 portions of soups in a pressure cooker - takes just 10 mins to cook then blitz with hand blender - smooth and thick. I freeze most of them then always have ready hot nourishing and delish lunch available. e.g. Curried sweet potato and lentil, spicy butternut squash, parsnip and orange, etc.

Any casserole you could make 4 portions and freeze 3 for other days. beef stew, curries, chillies (with chicken or beef or just veg), tagines (nice warming spicy stews) - there are thousands of recipes. I can add some if you need but any recipe book you have lying around will have some suitable examples.

Sandra

heathersmilez

I also work over nights 12 hours and I freeze meals one of my favorites is chicken stir fry you can make alot at one and it's a great meal!!

Really? Wouldn't the veggies go all mushy? My mom used to freeze red peppers before winter BUT they could only be used in sauce b/c they go mushy once they thaw. They were never intended for a stir-fry or a salad.

rmkorama

It's true that vegetables will have a different texture once they are frozen and thawed, so it depends on what you're comfortable with. For me, it was just a matter of adjusting my thinking. I had gotten to a place where I could eat frozen entrees and such, so making and freezing my own wasn't much of a stretch.

Pasta and rice both freeze well, as well as beans, so many things that involve those ingredients will be great. I make chili, a vegetarian version of "red beans and rice," a "southwestern" chicken with pilaf that I came up with because I really enjoyed the Kashi brand frozen entree (I looked at the ingredients and just started experimenting). I'll post recipes later on because they're at home. Another thing I've done is make meat pasta sauce with ground turkey and vegetables, and then freeze into portions. Cook up a bunch of pasta (I use wheat) and freeze into portions, then you just have to grab a thing of pasta and sauce and you're set.

mltdown

I also work over nights 12 hours and I freeze meals one of my favorites is chicken stir fry you can make alot at one and it's a great meal!!

Really? Wouldn't the veggies go all mushy? My mom used to freeze red peppers before winter BUT they could only be used in sauce b/c they go mushy once they thaw. They were never intended for a stir-fry or a salad.
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I guess for me I don't mind the mushy veggies as I do low carb and put it on top of lettuce. Generally my recipe is:

a bag of broccoli frozen
onion
red and green peppers
snow peas
and 2 lbs of chicken breast
I will cook all of that untill chicken is done then add a tad of low sodium teriaki sauce and a small can of pineapple
I will wait for it to cool then put into containers for freezing
when I warm it I think it's great but I agree with the above it is a differant texture but better than getting over hungry and eating a cheeseburger lol! And is between 150 and 180 calories per serving

Another recipe I enjoy is:

Chickapeas
low sodium broth
can of diced tomatoes
bone in ham diced
small onion
( sometimes I will add two sliced of turkey bacon)
Italian seasoning
bay leafs

you add all everything in a pot and cook like a soup you don't want it very think and just cook till warm make sure you take the bay leafs out!!!

mltdown

Btw the second one is higher in calories and sodium but I find it very filling I think it averages 250 calories and 600 mg of sodium hope this helps!!

CarlydogsMom

I've made a really nice quinoa-based meal that I break into four portions for lunches. It freezes well too. Make the equivalent of 4 cups cooked quinoa (one cup dry); cook according to directions. In the meantime, roast winter veggies in the oven at 400 degrees, I've used carrots and parsnips. Then, also meanwhile, saute other veggies and chicken, I saute celery, chicken, garlic, onion--whatever you have. You could throw in some spinach at the last minute. Anyway, toss all that together and dress with lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, and some other seasonings like salt-free Mrs. Dash.

I've also made quinoa, and added shrimp, cilantro, scallions, and dress with lime juice. Sprinkle with a dash of red pepper.

Both freeze well or will last in the fridge for the week.

I've also made "lasagna muffins" the recipe I found here, so you could search for it. Basically, you use egg-roll wrappers in place of the noodles, in a muffin pan. Make a mix of meat/tomato and a separate mix of low-fat ricotta and spinach, and layer egg roll wrapper, ricotta mix, meat/tomato mix, bit of mozerella cheese, repeat. These also freeze well. They're about 200 calories each.

Soup is also a good idea, as many have mentioned above. I add barley to my chicken/vegetable soup.

deanna86

Thanks for all of the ideas!! I will have to try them!