Make ahead freezer meals?

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.

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.

*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.

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.