OT- Freezer meals/break

Tenyearwait

Just to take my mind off of IF for a day, I went to a freezer meal party. We made 16 meals in one day! What have you done for yourself lately when you just need a break?

sunflowermama42212

I've never heard of a freezer meal party. how did it go? What did you cook?

twistsandturnsto2

I love having meals in the freezer ready to go but most of the recipies I've tried have been lack luster. I'd love to hear how your meals faired!

Tenyearwait

It was surprisingly easy as I am NOT a cook. We made fajitas, blue cheese and cherry meatloaf, cheesy meatloaf, lasagna, stuffed pork chops, sweet and sour lemonade chicken, taco soup, tex mex chili, beef and broccoli- can't remember the others right now. It was so fun to talk about something other than IF! (and we were mostly all IF ladies) You don't cook it then. You put all your ingredients in zip locks, freeze, and then thaw when ready and cook (most) in the crock pot.

Viasatalyte

That sounds soooo cool!

sunflowermama42212

That sounds like fun!

FishyMom

I wish I had friends who did thins like that! I think it would be fun to do that or a girls night.

amcastord

I want to go to one so bad!!! I'm a horrible cook and do so much better with assistance, technically and emotional support! lol I'm the only dietitian in the world that can't cook!

 

socialwkrsweetie

That sounds awesome! I subscribe to once a month mom and they have tons of freezer meals! I'm making chili right now and then I plan on freezing individual portions for lunches since DH refuses to eat chili.

sunflowermama42212

@Socialwkrsweetie MH won't eat chili ether I never even thought to freeze it

MrsC430

That sounds fun and yummy! I'd love to go to one of those. First time hearing about it!

FutureMrsW9

That sounds like a fun and productive way to get your mind off IF!  Were any of the meals non-crockpot meals?  Don't be me wrong, my crock is great here and there, but I find that most things I make in it tend to get soupy regardless of what I've tried.  I'd prefer something that I could just dump in a pan and throw in the over for a bit.  Fun!!

poohniki

I have a pumpkin chili in the crock now for dinner after my transfer. Whenever it looks watery I just leave the lid off for an hour.
Such a great idea. I feel like I never know what to make in the crock pot.

Viasatalyte

@poohniki recipe for pumpkin chili please!!!

thebeefamily

I've never heard of a freezer party and that definitely sounds like fun!

I decided last December to go back to school after TTC for 2.5 years. I'm currently in my second semester and to say this is a breath of fresh air is an understatement! I feel young again (I'm only 25, haha).

Not focusing on IF is relaxing.

Tenyearwait

I think all the meals could be cooked in a regular pot. The meat loaf, lasagna, and pork chop meals all go in the oven.

amcastord

@poohniki...I love pumpkin chili! I also have had sweet potato black bean chili...it was one of the best things I've ever made (and yep, I had back up there with me while I assembled the ingredients). In fact, I may make that this weekend! Thanks for the reminder!

poohniki

Ok- DH has perfected the recipe and changed it up a bit. I'll ask him tonight and post it later on.

Tenyearwait

I was supposed to get the recipes, but haven't gotten them yet. I will post them when I get them. A lot of the recipes came from  Six Sisters, or pintrest.

poohniki

Ok.. Here is the recipe.. DH said it is called Baby-Making Pumpkin Chili  (He took way too much pride in typing this out)  

PUMPKIN CHILI RECIPE

This recipe calls for a 6 qt. crock pot.  You can scale down if you do not have a 6 qt. crock pot.

This recipe is largely to taste, so don’t be afraid to play around with the spices. 

Prep Time:  20 – 25 min            Cook Time:  6-8 hours

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

2 lbs. Ground Turkey
2 bags of frozen sliced peppers (or 4 peppers, assorted colors) cut into ¼” wide strips

1 – 1.5 large onions (Vidalia, Spanish or Sweet).  You can use red too, if you like

2 cans dark red kidney beans

2 cans cannelloni beans

1 bag frozen corn

1 large can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes

1 small can (14 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 large can (28 oz) pure pumpkin (Libby’s)

Spices:  Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Cocoa Chili Powder (if available), Adobo, Nutmeg, Ground Cinnamon, Cinnamon stick (1) and Cumin

Directions:  Place crushed and diced tomatoes, pumpkin, peppers, corn, onions (sliced into ¼” x 2” strips), beans (drain out the fluid in the bean cans except for one of the red kidney bean cans and add all to crock pot) and set crock pot to HIGH.  While that begins to heat up, place a large frying pan on the stovetop on medium high heat.  Once hot, add ground turkey and begin breaking up in pan as it browns.  As the turkey cooks, add 1 TBSP of salt (iodized sea salt is what we use), 8 turns of a pepper grinder (about 1 – 2 tsp) and one tsp of each of the other spices (except red pepper flakes).  Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the meat.  Stir all together as you continue to cook the turkey.  Once the turkey is browned (drain any water that may have accumulated in the pan and cook another 30 seconds if necessary), add to crock pot.  Add 1 – 2 tsp of all the spices again (including salt and pepper) to the crock pot.  Stir the chili, put on the lid and let it go on HIGH for the first 4 hours, then set to LOW for the last 4 hours.  If, during the cooking process, the chili starts to look very thick, add half a cup of water to thin it back out.  Conversely, if it looks watery during the cooking process, stir and take off lid for 1 hour to allow for evaporation.  Then return lid and continue to cook.  Serve over rice, potatoes, pasta, with sour cream or on a burrito, potato or any other thing you can think of!