sevenchicks: freezing meals . . . a few more details

by photochick~ Several people asked for more info about freezing meals, so I thought I'd pass on a little info here.

Let me preface this with a couple of things: 1) I'm not an expert, I haven't even tasted my meals yet! 2) You will NOT loose weight with these meals. I'm just sayin. After a newborn you're just trying to survive the first couple of weeks. I'm sure you can come up with more healthy options, but this will give you some ideas to get started.

First up . . . How to actually freeze the meals.

I googled a bit and asked a few friends with experience, and decided to go with the disposable metal pans for freezing casseroles. There are cheaper methods, but the lack of clean-up is as important with a newborn as the lack of prep. The trick is to cover in platic wrap frist, then aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn. Too, the aluminum foil is great for writing baking instructions with a Sharpie (and writing the date so you use the oldest ones first).

If you're not going to be in sleep deprived newborn mode, I read a great suggestion to spray your casserole dish with non-stick spray, put in your casserole, and freeze. After it is well frozen, you can take it out (maybe sit in a little warm water to loosen the bottom), and remove it from the casserole dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. That way you save the money and some space in your freezer. Be sure to write on the bag which dish you used so you can find it again when you are ready to cook. Simply unwrap, replace in it's original dish and cook.

For my stew, I didn't find any great ideas for freezing except for the good old plastic containers. Luckily, I had enough containers on hand to freeze two individual servings and one large bowl.

For items like waffles, meatballs or homeade popcicles, place on a cookie sheet to freeze (well, maybe not the popcicles, but you get the idea). Once frozen, simply remove the items and throw together in a freezer bag. They are already frozen, so they won't stick together. You can pull out just the right number to cook each time.

Second . . . Foods to freeze that will speed up cooking.

It's not all about freezing a whole meal, I read a great idea to pre-cook and freeze small freezer bags filled hamburger meet or cubed chicken. Just think about how much this would speed up your evening? In a hurry, grab some pre-cooked beef and make sloppy joes. This is also a great way to save those "extras" that you never know what to do with like a little leftover ham or turkey from a holiday meal, broth after boiling a chicken, etc.

Third . . . You don't have to put together lots of meals in one day like I did.

Another great idea is to double or triple your recipe for dinner a couple of nights a week. That way you are constatly replinishing your supply without the need to spend a whole day in the kitchen or breaking the bank in one large shopping trip. Plan your menu around a great deal you find on a meat and do it up double, one for dinner . . . one for freezing. And if you have any extra, feel free to send to my house!

Fourth . . . One more cool thing.

Another really cool thing about freezing meals is that when you'd like to provide a meal for someone in need, a death in their family, a new baby (hint, hint! LOL) or just to show them you care, you already have it ready. I really do love this, because inevitably you're life is swamped at the exact time you would really like to be a better neighbor or friend.

Fifth . . . A few of the recipes I used. Click to download the pdf file.

Stew

Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Meatloaf

Last . . . a few blogs to check out with more info.

Why, How to, and Recipes for Freezer Cooking- scroll down to the bottom of the post fora seriously all inclusive list of info!

Freezing Meals for After the Baby- where to get good cookbook recipes

What Foods Don't Freeze- self explanatory

Your Turn Now!

Feel free to share any recipes you have for freezer cooking, or link us to any you come across in your searching!

Comments

i so wish my husband liked casseroles! this would make my life so much easier!

Posted by: babychick | June 24, 2009 at 08:29 AM

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us! I can't wait to try it! :)

Posted by: Malyn | June 24, 2009 at 09:15 AM

Wish I were close enough to help you cook your meals for the freezer!

My dear hubby is not a huge casserole fan...occasionally is fine but I freeze meats in the marinade for grilling or bbaking later. I have marinade recipes for lots of things...herbed london broil, flank steak, lots of chicken marinades and salmon too.

A couple of our faves:
You can slice up steak or chicken then put it in a quart ziploc bag, add the marinade for fajitas to the bag: 1/4 c each oil and lime juice then add cumin and chili powder mayed a tsp of each but we usually add extra of the chili powder. The chop some cilantro and add...this gives it such a fresh taste! Mix it in the bag, squeeze out air and seal. Slice your peppers and onions and put in another bag along with minced garlic. Place some shredded cheese in another bag and put all bags into a gallon bag and freeze. You have everything you need other than tortillas and you can freeze those too.

We also like chicken stuffed manicotti. Slice about 3 chicken breasts into thin strips. Season with salt, pepper and garlic and stuff into uncooked manicotti shells. Use your fave pasta sauce and spread a little in the bottom of a foil pan. Place stuffed manicotti over the sauce and cover with remaining sauce. Top with whatever you like...we use black olives, peppers, onions and muchrooms. Then cover with mozzarella. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze. When you cook this I can't remember exactly how long...I think if you partially thaw for a day or two in the fridge bake at 350 for an hour or frozen for an hour and a half. Bake covered until about the last 20 min.

Posted by: Holli | June 24, 2009 at 10:08 AM