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January 2017 Moms
TinaBelcher
member
Freezer Meals:
TinaBelcher
member
@ladysaceb I saw that you asked about freezer meals and I think they deserve their own thread. There was one a couple months ago but the title was ambiguous enough that I we should start a big one.
So, what are you guys making and freezing? Have you gotten started? Any tips or tricks you care to share?
So, what are you guys making and freezing? Have you gotten started? Any tips or tricks you care to share?
Re: Freezer Meals:
1. Breaded chicken breasts.
2. Lasagna
3. Shredded beef. Chuck roast in crockpot on low for 7-10 hours with some beef broth. I used to seer it first. I don't anymore and I don't notice a difference. Freeze in small portions.
4. Chicken and wild rice soup- my toddler calls it "shtoop". Super filling and delicious. Oh and she eats it. I add noodles when I reheat it.
BFP#5 5/22/17 EDD:1/27/17 It's a GIRL!!!!
Eta: I also make sure it's fully FULLY cooled (like spent some time in the fridge first) before I freeze. Room temp can make it freeze funny.
-chicken enchiladas
-slow cooker chili
-spaghetti sauce (homemade)
-Swiss chicken (Pinterest it, does require a bag of stove top stuffing and a stick of butter but oh so good and my son loves it)
-marinated chicken breasts (not a meal per se but just to have on hand to use as quick starters)
-beef noodle casserole (ground turkey or ground chuck if you prefer browned/drained, 1 can golden cream of mushroom soup, 1 can mushrooms, 1 C shredded cheddar cheese, some milk, mix all together until cheese is melted, add in 1/2 pkg cooked egg noodles put in casserole dish cover with more cheddar cheese--again, toddler approved)--this is a comfort food one!
And now I want to eat...again. Dollar store is where I pick up foil pans with lids.
So far I've been making use of the ridiculous amount of zucchini my garden is producing and making/freezing zucchini breads.
I know I'm going to make a freeze chicken fingers and pulled pork in 1lb packages. I'm going to ask my mom to make and freeze soup because hers is, of course, much better than mine.
I need new crock pot freezer meals this time. We only loved 1 of the ones I did last time. Will check back for ideas and post more if I find anything good.
RE freezing: I put sauces and chili in gallon ziplock bags when cool, squeeze the air out and lay flat to freeze. For casserole-type containers, I put seran wrap then foil. You can write the re-heat directions directly on the foil too. I can get 4-6 months out of them. Anything I put in a container I wait until cool and then make sure I fill the container to almost full so there is minimal air but so that it doesn't push the lid off when it expands. This takes some familiarity with what you're freezing.
-lasagna and pasta shells - any baked pasta usually freezes pretty well
-enchiladas or all the prepped parts so assembly is easy
-marinated pork loin and pork chops
-shredded chicken (I usually make a big batch in the crockpot and then freeze it)
-spaghetti sauce
-meatballs in sauce
-pot pie filling and crust (separately)
-chicken noodle soup
Tastefully simple just had a sale on beer bread so I bought the big box, and there are a couple of soup mixes (Frontier Soups, specifically the corn chowder- I die for that stuff) that I'll have on hand. Definitely interested in any other quasi-healthy, tried and true mixes/ pre-made stuff you guys might know of?
We just tried lasagna rollups with zucchini and LOVED them. My mom sent me a recipe for summer squash and corn chowder that I'm going to try too. I've never had so much squash and zucchini before, but I like that it's forcing me to be creative and try new things
DS2: 11/5/14
I do often freeze soups, stews, and chili in the fall and winter. I prefer to freeze them in mason jars - the wide mouth pint-sized jars are perfect for individual servings. The jars should not be more than 3/4 full, and everything should be fully cooled before going in the freezer. Then I take them out to defrost the night before or first thing in the morning, and as long as they are mostly thawed they can be reheated directly in the jars in the microwave.
Will definitely be making and freezing lots of soup this fall, as it will be handy to have on hand for lunch/snacking.
I usually use foil pans for casseroles and plastic containers for soups, but lately the plastic has been cracking so that sucks...I sometimes use ziploc bags too and they work the best I think.
I do "big cooks" every couple months and fill my freezer. I usually do it with a friend to make the time pass by fast and to fill their freezers as well. You can usually make 20+ meals for $100-150. I run a carehome so I need quick and easy meals for a large group and I plan on doing at least two more big cooks before baby because I know I won't be able to meal plan efficiently.
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Our deep freeze died a year ago (with 1000 ounces of frozen breastmilk in it
). We were thinking we would wait until we move to replace so we had room in our garage for it instead of having to move it to the basement. However we aren't going to be moving for at least a year and being able to stock up on food and have a place to store frozen breastmilk is great so we are looking for a chest freezer that takes up minimal space in the garage.
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
ETA because I wrote milk instead of ice cream. Pretty sure you don't put gallons of milk in the freezer (except breast milk).