ideas for some quick, easy freezer meals?

godblessourhome

i am having abdominal surgery on april 4th and i would like to freeze a few meals beforehand. any suggestions?

mektnf04

Lean Cuisine...around 300 calories and most of them are excellent!

godblessourhome

thanks, those might work in a pinch. i think i'd really prefer something i make myself and freeze ahead of time though.

i was planning on making a chicken pot pie and a lasagna (both of which we'll get two meals out of). not sure if goulash or tatortot casserole freeze well. maybe sloppy joes?

i need some help brainstorming ideas. i'm kind of braindead at the moment. lol.

aljernon

How about some chili ?? I made huge batches of it and portion it out in freezer bags all the time. It freezes well and can be used in a variety of ways when you thaw it out.

jsmjboertlein

Turkey chili

jsmjboertlein

HAHA Chili on the brain!

north35

Here are some ideas

Chili
Beef Stew
Soups
Spaghetti sauce
Goulash
Meatloaf
I make a lot of meals in my crockpot and freeze them.
I wish you a speedy recovery!

Pandorian

goulash does indeed freeze well for short-term storage, most I've left it is a month I believe.
mac and cheese freezes just as well, if lean cuisine can freeze it and it be good for 2 years I can freeze mine and have it be good up to a month.
I enjoy my hamburger casserole, though some tell me it's shepherds pie so I dunno I just call it casserole since it's about the only thing I use my casserole dish for. Bottom layer is a can of vegetable soup, layered with browned ground meat (take your pick) and then topped with mashed potatoes. Cook until the vegetable soup bubbles up through the potatoes, since everything is cooked before you assemble it that's plenty of time, I've frozen this for up to 6 months
Just cook a bunch of chicken breasts so they're ready to go in a pinch and freeze them, again I've done frozen them for about a month.
Pancakes freeze very well, I'll double or triple a batch when I'm making them and freeze them in serving sizes of 2 or 4 to a bag they reheat just fine in the toaster just like eggo's do.

Those are just some quick ideas from me that I use myself regularly.

godblessourhome

chili is a great idea! and super easy to make too.

keep them coming. my recovery time is 4 weeks so i'd like to have 2 weeks worth of meals in the freezer.

Blondie1984

My favorite to freeze and re-heat would be fajitas. Very easy just fry up chicken and green pepper and red pepper and onions. Add in fajita sauce package then freeze. You just need to put in the freezer then pull them out when u are hungry

godblessourhome

goulash does indeed freeze well for short-term storage, most I've left it is a month I believe.
mac and cheese freezes just as well, if lean cuisine can freeze it and it be good for 2 years I can freeze mine and have it be good up to a month.
I enjoy my hamburger casserole, though some tell me it's shepherds pie so I dunno I just call it casserole since it's about the only thing I use my casserole dish for. Bottom layer is a can of vegetable soup, layered with browned ground meat (take your pick) and then topped with mashed potatoes. Cook until the vegetable soup bubbles up through the potatoes, since everything is cooked before you assemble it that's plenty of time, I've frozen this for up to 6 months
Just cook a bunch of chicken breasts so they're ready to go in a pinch and freeze them, again I've done frozen them for about a month.
Pancakes freeze very well, I'll double or triple a batch when I'm making them and freeze them in serving sizes of 2 or 4 to a bag they reheat just fine in the toaster just like eggo's do.

Those are just some quick ideas from me that I use myself regularly.

pancakes! my mom used to do this; i had completely forgotten about it. thanks for reminding me and for all the other ideas too.

godblessourhome

My favorite to freeze and re-heat would be fajitas. Very easy just fry up chicken and green pepper and red pepper and onions. Add in fajita sauce package then freeze. You just need to put in the freezer then pull them out when u are hungry

great idea!

godblessourhome

Here are some ideas

Chili
Beef Stew
Soups
Spaghetti sauce
Goulash
Meatloaf
I make a lot of meals in my crockpot and freeze them.
I wish you a speedy recovery!

i totally forgot about meatloaf. my family complains that i never make it enough so they'd be very happy.

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melodyg

Chicken spaghetti (let me know if you want a recipe!) or any kind of pasta dish usually freezes well. Soups, though it may be getting warm for those.

Not a freezer meal, but some other easy meals which involve very little cooking are taco salad (cook chicken in taco seasoning and dice up the vegetables -- or get someone else to!), turkey burgers (an idea I got from someone else on this site -- mix together 20 oz ground turkey, 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, 1 small can chili peppers and grill. Serve with avocado/tomato/pepperjack cheese), or baked potato bar.

You also might want to check out onceamonthmom.com -- lots of freezer cooking ideas and links to freezer-friendly recipes.

taletreader

Soups and stews work very well.

You could also freeze pasta sauce, which is very versatile -- not just for pasta, but also for casserole dishes with chicken, fish prepared in a deep pan on top of the sauce, in wraps...

red01angel

Turkey meatballs in spaghetti sauce.

Thaw them for meatball sandwiches or spaghetti and meatballs

eggplantlover

here are some I have used when getting ready to have a baby

taco meat
meatballs
soups
homemade mac n cheese with sausage
salisbury steak
chicken/tureky pot pie
manicotti
muffins/breads and quiches

Hope these help!
Good luck:)

theatremack

I always make Chicken Divan for friends that need meals that can freeze. Just take a few chicken breast and boil them and then cut them up. Cool some broccoli florets and put with the chicken. Then you take one can of cream of chicken soup (can be fat free), 1 cup of mayo (again fat free if you want) and then add about a Tablespoon of curry powder and a squirt of lemon juice and mix up and pour over the chicken mixture and put cheese on top and cook for 30 minutes at 350 if frozen cook 45 - 60 minutes. Good luck.

tristalin

I actually do a freezer co-op once a month. This is our blog & it is filled w/freezable recipes. Of course, you will need to tweek your recipes to make them as healthy as you want, but there are a ton of recipes to choose from! HTH & good luck!

http://mealsmadeahead.blogspot.com/

(To search for recipes, scroll down to the drop down menu that says "select a category"...this will allow you to search for recipes by ingredient, time of day, etc.)

godblessourhome

okay, i am planning:

WEEK ONE
chicken pot pie
lasagna
chili
fajitas
gouda burgers
pancakes/waffles
goulash

WEEK TWO
chicken enchiladas
spaghetti
potato bar (broccoli cheese soup)
chicken taco salad
meatloaf
homemade breakfast 'hot pockets'
sloppy joes

thanks for all the help!!! (and if anyone wants to continue to add ideas, please do, i may need them.)

MOMvsFOOD

Lean Cuisine...around 300 calories and most of them are excellent!

I stay away from those, way too much sodium in them. I think you have some great ideas there, and love the meatballs in sauce.

MOMvsFOOD

Lean Cuisine...around 300 calories and most of them are excellent!

I stay away from those, way too much sodium in them. I think you have some great ideas there, and love the meatballs in sauce.