Freezer meals aka OAMC I wanted to create a thread that allow freezer meal people to post recipes/ share ideas and even ask questions.

What have you been freezing as of late? It can be even an piece of say Lasagna or cup of soup things your putting into your freezer to eat later

 

We don't do a lot of cooking specifically for the freezer .. it's usually make a double portion and freeze part.

That said, there are some turkey meatballs in my freezer, as well as several lunch-size containers of lentil soup.

With the weather warming up, I am cooking beef, chicken & pork roasts then shredding/slicing and packaging in meal-size portions for the freezer. On hot days it is a quick and easy to grab a bag of shredded chicken or pork for a meal-can be reheated in the microwave or put on  buns and wrapped in foil on the grill.

When the weather is cool, I will make up pot pies, baked ziti, lasanga & chilli and put pans in the freezer. These would be heated in the oven.

I also bake bread and muffins when it is convenient for me (or when it is cooler) and then thaw for  use without heating up the kitchen on hot days.

SS

Thanks for sharing your list Stranger...Feel free to share what you freeze as you go along..:O) Right now I am mostly cooking for one dd is staying at grandma's house ( post surgery recovery) so it's hard to cook for one plus I like being able to go outside (yes my freezer is outside long story) and grab individual servings containers for my lunch for work ( Meatloaf/Baked Beans/Veggies) 3 container frozen into my lunch box stays nice and cold..

I usually cook 6 pounds of boneless chicken breasts at one time in two crockpot shredded the meat (freezer in quart baggies for meals later) then use the broth created in the crockpots to make homemade chicken noodle soup the same day for dinner YUMMY and freeze the leftover soups in invidual servings..This past week since it's just me I cooked 3 huge chicken breasts (plan to grab another package today since the breasts are on sale $1.88 pound) it yielded me 2 quarts size bags full of meat plus 2 chicken wraps for my lunches.

I recently made Veggie Turkey Meatloaf( Carrots/zucchini/spinach/onions/ground turkey/spices) in an 8 x 8 pan baked it then slices it and froze the individual servings in containers for my lunches

 

OK - made 3 dozen turkey burgers this morning for the freezer. I packaged them 12 to a bag (which is what I cook at one time for a meal plus leftovers).

Also made 2 crockpots full of rice which I packaged at 6 cups (cooked) to a bag. These are great for reheating in the microwave for a quick side dish on a hot day.

DS 11 also made some pancakes and french toast for the freezer. These are great when the guys have a busy day planned and want something more substantial than a muffin & fruit.

Jaya - I like the idea of freezing slices of the meatloaf - perfect for lunches/late-night snacks!

SS

hey SS can you share the recipe for the crockpot rice? and Where is BB he always has something going into the freezer?

I don't really freeze casseroles anymore, but I freeze shortcuts to make meal prep faster, not to mention cheaper by stretching items that might just go to waste. I roast chicken, debone and freeze into recipe size portions. I make and freeze chicken stock or turkey during the holidays. I'll cook up a ham during the holidays and portion out into a few ham steaks, then chop up the rest for recipes. I have homemade meatballs in the freezer. I make a big batches of red sauce and freeze in quart containers. We make large batches of pancakes and freeze, as well as muffins when I have over ripe bananas. I have a batch of biscuits in the freezer too, but I need to find a different freezer recipe as these bake up pretty flat! We pick berries in the summer (strawberry, blackberry, blueberry) and freeze for the winter when they aren't available. If I have peppers or tomatoes that are getting past their prime, those will get thrown in the freezer too. We purée our abundance of garden basil with a bit of olive oil and freeze in bags for wonderful pesto in the winter. I have some big eaters in the house so we generally don't have much in the way of leftovers, but if something won't get eaten soon enough it will get thrown in the freezer for a future meal/lunch. That's all I can think of right now. We got 2 chest freezers from Craigslist and they have been the best investment/purchase yet!

Jaya - 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Season to taste -you can use broth if you like. Butter crockpot really well. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Stir 2 or 3 times during cooking. I have a large crockpot and cook up to 10 cups (cooked) at a time. If you cook a smaller amount in a smaller crock, you might want to check it at 1.5 hours.

Freeze in meal-size packages, defrost overnight or in microwave. When reheating, put in dish and cover with wet paper towel, then plastic wrap and heat in microwave.

SS

SFTS- Thanks for the recipe :O) I have a 4 quart and a 6 quart so no issues with size here I also have a rice cooker but wanted to try it via the crockpot see how the texture differs?! My only concern is I have a CRACK pot not a Crockpot it loves to BOIL things so I will have to watch the 6 quart very close :O) or use my older crockpo. This would be great for people who want to do a potluck at work just dump the rice in and add water at work turn on and have lunch on time :O)

Freezing Homemade Yogurt Smoothie Kits :O) 10 in freezer view my blog to see all about it...