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Freezer Meal Preps

xXAntonXx
xXAntonXx Posts: 3 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I want to streamline my diet. My idea is to have a set amount of calories for my evening meal after I get home from work at 8PM. I want to create freezer preps in such a way that they can be frozen and reheated in a microwave thus allowing me to bulk shop for vegetables and such then cook and store them. I'm planning on making vegetarian meals and I want the calories to sit around 1,000Kal. Any ideas to make my shopping and cooking more streamlined?

These are the containers I'm planning on purchasing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077Y2THNJ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A17F351TFE7HJJ&psc=1

Thanks for reading,



Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,335 Member
    These days, I mostly just freeze different kinds of cooked legumes**, and my favorite seasonally-available heritage Winter squash ;) , but I used to freeze more completed dishes when I was working (retired now). I'm vegetarian. Some good things to freeze, IMO:

    Enchiladas or burritos
    Lasagna or other pasta dishes (chickpea or pea pasta for more protein, undercook the pasta for best results)
    Fried rice (or quinoa), though the texture's not perfect
    Quiche (if you eat eggs/cheese)
    Veggie stews or soups
    Bean soups or chili (maybe with a side of cornbread or corn muffin?)
    Veggie tamales (really time-consuming to make, but yum)
    Cabbage rolls (you can make them in layers like lasagna instead of rolling, to make it easier). Undercook the cabbage.

    If you don't need to freeze a whole meal in one container, it can be worth it to make a batch of cornmeal muffins, regular muffins, or dinner rolls, and freezing them in a big container to take out and thaw when needed, as a side).

    Things that don't freeze well, IMO:

    Potatoes (tend to get water-y)
    Cream soups or sauces (tend to separate; can make with rice flour instead of wheat flour for better freezing results)

    Personally, I prefer Pyrex or Anchor tempered glass containers with snap-on plastic lids, because they last practically forever, and I don't like microwaving things in plastic. The glass is very versatile. I get it out of the freezer, pop the lid off, and put the dish right in the oven or microwave (I put a plate on top in the microwave to minimize splatters). There are lots of sizes/shapes available, including some multicompartment ones if you like that. I mostly use 1 & 2 cup round ones, but my calorie goal falls well short of 1000 per meal most of the time, and I have a big chest freezer so I don't need them to be square. They cost more than the plastic containers, but last much longer.

    ** I like to freeze the legumes, then decide how to use/flavor them at mealtime. It sounds like you want to be more fully prepped than that. I've also frozen some cooked grains - ones that take a while from dry, cooked stovetop - as a time-saver. Some grains are not ideal texture (rice) after freezing for something like a fresh stir fry, but are fine in more cooked-up dishes like soups or casseroles. With grains, I sometimes put them in a big shallow dish or on a cookie sheet, score channels to make separable segments, freeze until solid, then put in a bigger box or bag in the freezer to use a chunk at a time. They aren't exactly even portions, because they crumble some, but that's OK with me.
  • Unicorn_Bacon
    Unicorn_Bacon Posts: 491 Member
    I'm sure pinterest has a ton of recipes to check out, if you type in vegetarian freezer meals
  • xXAntonXx
    xXAntonXx Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you.
  • xXAntonXx
    xXAntonXx Posts: 3 Member
    I need recipes for 6-700kal meals that can be frozen and easily thawed/heating in a microwave. So say 2-5min heating in a microwave.
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