Make ahead frozen meals

lynn2064
lynn2064 Posts: 12 Member
in Recipes
My fiancé and I travel a lot for work and often when we return from a trip there are no groceries in the house and zero motivation to go to the store after a full day of traveling. Does anyone have recommendations for healthy make ahead meals that can be frozen and easily reheated?

Replies

  • chloeelizabethm
    chloeelizabethm Posts: 184 Member
    I would normally make anything mince based to go in the freezer, chilli or bolognese - you can eat these by themselves or cook some pasta/rice to go with it depending what you have the time/motivation for :)
  • Hell_Flower
    Hell_Flower Posts: 348 Member
    Seconded with the chilli and bolognese.

    Also, currys (tomato based freezes better than coconut/cream based), stews and soups.

    I love this website for the tastys and it figures out the calories/fat content of the dishes too. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/freezable
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
    I freeze almost everything lol! I make my meals on Sundays and freeze them for the week :) I do stirfrys a lot with lots of veggies some protien and then a little marinade. They heat up well. I also bake some marinated chicken breasts to have some frozen veggies with and I do lots of homeade broth type soups :) I use recipe sites to find healthy recipes :)
  • AshleighCowie88
    AshleighCowie88 Posts: 100 Member
    Im always really wary of doing this as I buy my chicken fresh and freeze it as soon as I buy it so it keeps longer (buy 50 at a time).

    Is it ok to defrost the fresh chicken, cook and then refreeze?
  • lynn2064
    lynn2064 Posts: 12 Member
    I have before, the texture might change a bit.
  • geneva042
    geneva042 Posts: 51
    Im always really wary of doing this as I buy my chicken fresh and freeze it as soon as I buy it so it keeps longer (buy 50 at a time).

    Is it ok to defrost the fresh chicken, cook and then refreeze?

    as long as its well cooked, other than a funky texture you should be ok i think.
  • verleinmck
    verleinmck Posts: 5
    Frozen burritos are great! http://www.thekitchn.com/how-i-make-burritos-to-freeze-freezer-friendly-from-jessica-fisher-198682 You can make lots of them at once, and then defrost as you like.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Everything! They key is to freeze everything in already portioned out meals in separate containers.

    If you freeze a big container of meat sauce or chilli, you have to defrost the whole thing to portion it out. Once it's defrosted once, it's not technically safe to refreeze it, whether you reheat it or not (though I must admit I risk it once in a while depending what it is).

    Meat loaf, chicken breast, fish, veggies, curries, chillis, satays, stews... all of them can be made ahead, portioned out and frozen for later.

    I do find that pasta does not freeze well. It gets pretty icky. And rice gets chewy. But I just bought quick cook rice so I can have a fresh batch when I want it. I freeze bread and stuff all the time.
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
    If anyone has specific recipes for a particularly delicious burrito with its approximate calorie range, please post! Come fall, I think this will be a good idea and easy for shopping and preparation. Thanks!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Im always really wary of doing this as I buy my chicken fresh and freeze it as soon as I buy it so it keeps longer (buy 50 at a time).

    Is it ok to defrost the fresh chicken, cook and then refreeze?

    Yes, that's exactly safe. But it's not recommended to then thaw that cooked chicken, reheat, and refreeze the remainder of that previously frozen cooked chicken.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    I got this cook book http://www.amazon.com/Fix-Freeze-Feast-Delicious-Money-Saving/dp/1603427260 on the recommendation of another poster here. It's specifically designed for families and bulk buying at warehouse clubs (and not all the recipes are brilliant), but the basic principles can be adapted.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    If you get a chance,look thru a grocery frozen food Dept.They have a lot of different type frozen casseroles etc.
    Most of what you see can be frozen at home,lasagna, chicken & noodles,chicken & rice,stuffed peppers,cabbage rolls,
    Broth based soups.Don't freeze creamy sops.Use disposable foil containers,wrap well with foil. Soup can be put in zip lock bags,push air out & freeze flat. You can then stack the bags. Buy or make meat balls.Use in spaghetti,subs etc. Lots of ideas out there.Google for more.
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
    I got this cook book http://www.amazon.com/Fix-Freeze-Feast-Delicious-Money-Saving/dp/1603427260 on the recommendation of another poster here. It's specifically designed for families and bulk buying at warehouse clubs (and not all the recipes are brilliant), but the basic principles can be adapted.

    I'm going to take a look. Thanks!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I got this cook book http://www.amazon.com/Fix-Freeze-Feast-Delicious-Money-Saving/dp/1603427260 on the recommendation of another poster here. It's specifically designed for families and bulk buying at warehouse clubs (and not all the recipes are brilliant), but the basic principles can be adapted.

    I started off with this one. Like Richard says, the principles are pretty basic and easily adapted to your favorite recipes.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    You can pre-make and freeze just about anything. As someone said earlier, it's important to portion things out before freezing.

    Some thing to make:
    - casseroles, soups, chili, quesadillas, meat pies, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, meatloaf, tv-type dinners from left-overs.

    Once you get into the habit, it's easier to think about doing.
  • deb54
    deb54 Posts: 270 Member
    bump for later !

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