Freezer Meal Ideas

zellagrrl

So, October - February is going to be brutal for me-- mostly Oct - Dec. Although I could live off eggs in the evenings or just IF and skip dinner or go back to my Skittles/Cheetos/Diet Coke diet (seriously-- lost 5 lbs last summer, but yeah... not healthy) I'd like to have some healthy freezer meal options. Especially since my husband will still be on a normal schedule and generally won't eat unless he's reminded to do so (nausea 24/7 = no appetite).

Any good freezer ideas that are low carb? Anything freeze well contrary to common sense? There is a local place that makes paleo freezer food, but they're pricey and I have a budget to work within. I can cope at work with the salad bar and the likelihood of me getting up any earlier to put something in the slow cooker is pretty unlikely.

Thanks!

*Chili and meatballs already live in my freezer along with steam in a bag vegetables. We also get a weekly produce box. I'd give the list of things I don't eat, but it's really long

digitalalchemy

I will generally make "lasagna" with egg plant instead of noodles. Just portion it out and freeze individually. I'll sometimes just put all the stuff in the slow cooker dish at at night, put it in the fridge over night, and then pop it in the heater when I get out of bed in the morning. I know you're not supposed to do that, but I've never had a problem with it. I work 8 hours anyway...I think it's only a problem because it takes so long to heat up the dish, but everything is cooked by the time I get home.

I'll make a breakfast casserole on Sundays filled with tons of veggies, 8-12 eggs, and throw some cooked sausage on top. I'll just eat that through the week, even if it isn't breakfast time.

I'll cook a huge roast, ham, or turkey and then portion it out into freezer bags and pull them out for a quick stir fry. Unfortunately, when you're paleo it takes a little more time, effort and planning than the SAD.

KittyMarie13

I got some good ideas from here: http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html . There is actually one of the savory chicken batches in my freezer for this weekend. Best part is you don't have to get up any earlier.. everything is in the bag and can be dumped straight into a crock pot as you walk out the door. I spent one day just prepping and bagging and freezing, and then another day cooking up some of my other favorite recipes and freezing individual portions. One of my favorites came from the free recipe book on marksdailyapple.com. It's a chicken and shrimp soup, and made as written it makes about 10 servings. It freezes well and reheats great. I've also found that buying bulk meats and then freezing individual servings with seasonings already added makes things a little easier. I can pull one out of the fridge in the morning and when I get home after work it's ready for my george foreman grill.

KittyMarie13

Oh, one more thing for breakfasts... I've been favoring really simple grab and go options like putting a slice of bacon around the edge of a muffin tin cup and then cracking an egg inside. A little seasoning and bake it up; makes nice little nuke and go breakfast option. I end up eating mine in the car on the way to work because I'm always running late.

zellagrrl

Thanks! Does the egg casserole freeze well? I make frittatas pretty frequently with whatever veg/meat are lying around, but I haven't tried to freeze them, and I'm a little leery of doing so.

I do fine cooking paleo from fresh stuff when I get home at a reasonable hour, it's just that freezing things doesn't always turn out well and get weird/mushy once reheated.

Kitty-- thanks, might have to send the egg cups with the husband for work.

Chem-- been thinking about trying that with zucchini (neither of us are eggplant fans). On my to-cook list