Who does freezer/OAM cooking?

kem717

I've been reading moneysavingmom and lifeasmom and they are doing freezer cooking.  It sounds really nice to be able to have most of the work for several weeks worth of meals done in one day.  However, I'm on a pretty strict budget and I'm a big couponer.  Wouldn't beef, pork, and chicken all have to be on sale the week you'll be doing all the cooking?  Right now, I have nothing stocked up in my freezer as far as meat goes.  It sounds like a lot of money to get started.  Also, I only think I'd be able to do maybe 10 meals because I only have the freezer that's part of the fridge, there'd be no room!! 

 Any tips?  I know someone posted recipes before.

KimberJEB

I've never done it, but I've been thinking about doing ~8-10 meals worth.  That way I would have something to pull out 2-3 times per week, then I could do easy crockpot stuff the rest of the week and never ever have to last minute cook.  Or something.  But I don't really know much about it yet.

JAM2000

I dabble in it. I am not hard-core like some of the books out there- they have strict monthly menus and honestly, some of the ingrediants can be pricy IMO and when you add up the ziploc bags, aluminum pans, etc and the whole day cooking- basically you really gotta be sure you are saving money or else its not worth it IMO.

 So what I do is I have some go-to freezer meals that I have picked up from some of the books I've read.

The easiest is the 'assembly-style' meals- you don't have to cook them yet- just put them together and freeze. When chicken is on sale I do these  (I put those at the bottom of this post)

Anyway here is what I have done with OAMC:

Chicken Scampi
1/4 cup chopped green onion (I used an onion I had on hand)
3 tsp chopped garlic (or garlic powder)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts- cut into 1/2 in strips
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
fettuccine, other pasta or rice for day you serve
1 chopped tomato for day you serve

In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in butter and oil. Add the lemon juice, chicken, parsley and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until no longer pink inside. Cook. Pour into a labeled 1- gallon freezer bag and freeze.
To serve, thaw the mixture. Cook pasta or rice according to directions. In a large skillet, cook the chicken mixture over medium heat for 6-10 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through. Spoon over pasta or rice and garnish with tomato.

Upside down fettuccine & sausage bake
8 ounces fettuccine noodles, freshly cooked
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown sausage in a medium skillet. Add onion during the last few minutes,. Drain off excess fat. Cook the fettuccine according to directions. Add entire can of tomatoes (including liquid) to the sausage mixture. Add the oregano and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese over tomato mixture.
Mix the eggs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley and garlic powder together in a separate bowl. Toss the noodles with the mixture. Spread noodle mixture in a 10-inch quiche or cake pan. Pour the sausage mixture over the top. Cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and freeze
To serve, thaw & bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired. Cut into wedges, serve.

Spinach Ricotta Sauce
This is great to make if you have some leftover ricotta after making a lasagna or baked ziti.
10 oz frozen spinach- thawed and well drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion- chopped
4 garlic cloves- minced (I do that Rachael Ray thing and grate the garlic- so easy)
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of nutmeg
1 lb short pasta (like a bowtie) for day you serve

Thaw and drain spinach. Pat dry with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop onion. Mince garlic.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is softened. Add 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.
To serve- thaw. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reheat sauce over low heat until through and recombined, stirring frequently. Spoon over pasta.
I like to add a chopped tomato and toasted pinoli nuts to this when I serve it.

Chicken Dijon
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts- cut in half
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half & half
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tomatoes - cut into wedges *
2 tablespoons parsley flakes *

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook the chicken breast pieces in the butter over medium heat until cooked through and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside to cool.
Stir flour into drippings in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and half & half. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Stir in the mustard. Cook the sauce. Pour the chicken and cooled sauce into a la bled 1- gallon freezer bag and freeze.
To serve, the the chicken. Place the chicken and sauce in a skillet, cover and heat for 10 minutes. Garnish with tomatoes and parsley flakes.
Note- I split this recipe into 2 freezer bags for 2 servings

Pork Chops with Mushroom Dijon Sauce
I just freeze this recipe that I made a few times. I found it on the Campbells website page. It reheated fine. I just reheated on a low heat on the stove top until it was recombined.
https://www.campbellkitchen.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=24866

Chicken Tetrazzini
This is the most involved recipe that I freeze. I have tried the shorter, easier recipes that use cream of mushroom soup and jarred alfredo sauce- but I like this one better.
https://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-tetrazzini

Assembly Freezer Meals

Sour Cream Chicken
2 cups (16oz) Sour Cream
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp chopped garlic (I grated it- ala Rachael Ray tip)
2 tsp pepper
6 boneless. skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs *
2 tblsp parsley *
1/4 cup melted butter*

Mix the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, paprika, celery salt, garlic and pepper. Pout into 1- gallon freezer bag and add chicken. Completely covering the chicken with the sauce. Label and freeze
To serve, pour thawed chicken into baking pan treated with non-stick spray. Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs, parsley and drizzle with melted butter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Goes well with egg noodles.

Note- I cubed the chicken and split this recipe into two freezer bags for two separate dinners

Chicken Durango
1/2 cup melted butter
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts
Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a small bowl. Put the chicken into a labeled 1-gallon freezer bag, pour other ingredients over it, and freeze.
To serve, thaw the ingredients. Place in a baking dish treated with non-stick spray. Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

Goes really well with rice- the butter with the chicken is all you need on the rice- its really good.

ariel06

I don't have the energy to do that much cooking in one day.  But I do usually make double batches when I make lasagna, manicotti, enchaladas, or any of the soups I make.  We have a deep freeze in our garage which helps with the storage issue. 

jen5-03

I've only dabbled in it before DS was born.

You don't have to buy all the meat in one week, you could buy something on sale this week and freeze it and buy something next week and freeze it and then cook the 3rd week after buying more meat on sale.

Also, if you're just trying to get some frozen meals in the freezer and not truly do OAMC, then you can just do a plan that has only one type of meat and do another type of meat later when it goes on sale.

I love this. They explain ALL the details and how to do it. I made the Chicken Little Plan.

 Another easy way to get started is to just make large portions of food this week and freeze half of it.  Freeze it in ziploc bags and make sure it's laying flat when you freeze it and you can pack a ton of stuff in a regular freezer.

tmrtink

SFL

ezralite0

Wow! This was a really helpful post! I really dislike cooking, so doing it once a month (or once a week) would be amazing. Thanks everyone for the great info!