Make ahead freezer meals?

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 separate 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 temperatures 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.

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.

I had several requests for my lesson plan...so here it is...it is VERY long, so I apologize for the book...

OAMC –Lesson Plan

First things first…let’s talk equipment. You will need measuring cups, spoons, storage and of course a freezer. Other things you may find helpful are cutting boards, knives, a wide-mouthed funnel, thermometer, pots and pans and a garbage can.
Next…there are three different types of OAMC
• Double/Triple Batching –cooking a larger quantity of whatever you are making for dinner and freezing some for later use.
• True OAMC –creating a menu for the month and cooking all the dinners and freezing for the month.
• Ingredients Style –breaking recipes into basic parts and cooking like items at the same time, freezing for future use.

Let’s talk about double or triple batching. While you have the cutting board, knives, etc, out, it’s just as easy to prep twice as much as it is to prep for one meal. This will save time on future prep work, and washing up the equipment. It’s also very cost effective, and time-saving. Two pans of chicken will cook in the same amount of time as one, for example. This is particularly easy to do with casseroles, chili, stews and soups.

Some tips:
• Ensure product reaches a minimum of 165F before beginning the cooling process.
• Ensure product reaches 70F in 2 hours before putting it in the fridge. Ensure product reaches 40F in 2 additional hours before putting it in the freezer. This keeps you and your family safe from foodbourne illness. You can help cool food faster by putting the pot in a sink filled with ice water and stirring occasionally. You can also put the food into smaller containers to cool it faster. You can also drop freezer bags filled with frozen water into the container.
• If you are using freezer bags, freeze them flat until they are solid enough to stack on their edges like records. They will take less space that way. Double wrap product by putting the food in a cheaper zipper bag, then into a better, branded one. You can also use plastic wrap, freezer paper, and heavy duty foil.

True OAMC requires some good planning and really good shoes! When I do this, I make a menu on Friday afternoon and try to double up meals so I am not making an original meal for each day of the month. I go grocery shopping on Fridays nights and get a good night sleep! Saturday morning, I will lay out my pans and get started. First I put anything in the oven that requires longer cooking times, like roasts. Next I start prepping vegetables and start two pots of water boiling for blanching. Once the roasts are done, I cool them and then slice into portions and put them in those small foil disposable trays and wrap them well. Next, things like chicken breasts go into the oven. And then I assemble casseroles and lasagnas, while my Crockpot's with stews and chili are going. This continues onto Sunday til about noon.

Like I’ve said before, ingredients style is my favorite. I start three large pots of water boiling and drop in 20 pounds of ground turkey in one, 20 pounds of chicken in another and use the last for blanching veggies. Start three crockpots with beans, chili and vegetable soup. If you stir the ground meats, they will break up on their own. Strain out the ground turkey, but save the water. Shred the chicken, and save the water. Package and freeze the veggies and save the water…. Toss in scraps of veggies into each pot, add roasted chicken bones, roasted beef bones to their respective pots and simmer for several hours with a splash of vinegar. Divide meats into three bowls…season one Mexican style, another Italian style and the last with just salt and pepper. Package into meal sized portions and freeze. Make 5 pounds of rice and package into meal sized portions. Package veggies. Par bake pizza, quiche crusts and package. Wrap bread dough and freeze. Let stock simmer til reduced by half, cool, scrape off any fat and freeze.

What I end up with after all that is usually something like this:
• 20 packages shredded/sliced chicken (Mexican, Italian, plain)
• 20 packages ground turkey (Mexican, Italian, plain)
• 10 packages sliced onions & peppers
• 30 packages mire poix (onion, carrots, celery)
• 5 packages Trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers)
• 15 packages concasse tomatoes (tomatoes peeled, seeded and diced)
• 10 packages broccoli florets
• 15 packages cooked assorted beans
• 5 packages chili
• 5 packages vegetable soup
• 10 packages raw seasoned steak or beef strips
• 10 packages raw seasoned fish and/or raw prepped shrimp
• Several ice cube trays with pureed herbs, wine and lemon juice
• 10 packages rice
• 10 packages sliced cooked sweet potatoes
• Dough for 5 loaves sourdough, 5 whole wheat, 5 batches of wheat dinner rolls, 5 batches of biscuits, 5 batches of garlic bread, 5 loaves of oatmeal bread, 10 pizzas and 5 quiches/pies

In the end, what you choose to make is based off the things you and your family like and enjoy, with the recipes tailored to meet your nutritional goals. I freeze the things I feel are most time consuming and in the stages that work best for me (which is why I freeze some things as “raw seasoned” or “raw prepped”). My family is okay with casseroles, but not really their thing, so I don’t make many of them. My vegetable soup is basic in seasonings, so I can add a bag of Trinity, file, some shrimp and some okra and get a pretty good knock off gumbo. Or I can add shredded chicken, salsa, some black beans and call it tortilla soup. I try to keep things that I can mix and match.

Now, I realize it looks like a LOT of work, but I am a firm believer in delegation (which is why I am known as the Meanest Mom In The Entire World). My husband is usually on dish & trash duty. My kids have been helping me since they were 18 months old. Even the very youngest kids can snap beans, peel garlic, count out peppercorns, or just run things to the trash for you. My 14 year old has helped out often enough that he can do this with just my ten year old for an assistant. They both understand what equipment is needed, what ingredients need to be prepped and how to cool and package the product. Put on some good music and then reward yourself with a glass of wine when its done!

*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.