Freezer Cooking Round 8

Are you sick of these posts yet?  I have received a lot less input and feedback on them lately so perhaps you are all off and running with your own freezer recipes!  If so share with me!  I'm always looking for new good ideas!  Here are my last freezer meals.

We had a little cooler weather the last week so you know what that means...SOUP!  Oh how I love soup!  Not the creepy, nasty canned stuff but the real deal homemade soup!  I can't wait to try a few new recipes this winter!  

Basil, Chicken, & Orzo soup from Gimme Some Oven

I prepared this all the way but didn't add the orzo or basil until we had it for dinner.  I cooked the orzo in a separate pot of water and it still absorbed a ton of the broth.  Next time I will make it more soupy or let the orzo absorb more water.  If you forget the basil this is a tasty chicken noodle soup :)  I made 2 dinners worth and froze in bags.

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

This stuff is delish...like super delish.  I do not add the gnocchi until the day we eat it and I cook them in a pot of water and add them to the soup when they are done.  I double the spinach and still think more could be added.  Also made 2 bags of this.

Salisbury Steak from Mommy's Kitchen

If you like salisbury steak this is delish.  It won't make the regular rotation at our house because the husband thought it was too much like Navy food ;)  I made the patties and froze them.  When it was time to cook them I forgot to brown them first.  They turned out tasty still but I am sure there was far more fat in the gravy than if I would have cooked some out ahead of time.

The Best Burger Ever from Little Miss Momma

This made an appearance on our meal plan for the second time.  These burgers are delish!  I prepare the patties ahead so when we are having them for dinner I just have to let them thaw and toss them on the grill!  If you haven't tried these yet you are missing out.  

Crock pot Teriyaki Chicken from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

This is the first time I have tried this recipe as a freezer meal!  We haven't tried it yet so I'll keep you posted but see no reason why it won't come out perfectly.  I have had and enjoyed this made as a regular meal though.  I mixed all the ingredients and poured it along with the chicken into a bag.  

Italian Lasagna from Amanda's Cookin

This is on our menu again for it's second appearance.  I do add a container of cottage cheese but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.  I know cottage cheese is a cardinal sin in this case but we like it!  It adds a little extra nutrition and keeps everything a little more moist.  I prepare these all the way and freeze before baking.  I made 2 of them.

Pepperoncini Sandwiches from Our Best Bites

Yes, again!  My husband loves these things and so do the kids!  It's a rarity that I find a dish everyone will eat.  I dump the jar of pepperoncinis in the bag and freeze.  It really isn't necessary to do so but since I buy a 2 pack of roast I have to freeze them in bags anyways I thought I'd try and it works so hey why not.  I do not brown the meat ahead of time and think it tastes great.  We shred the meat and have shredded beef tacos the next night.  One crock pot freezer meal that equals 2 no cook dinners?? WINNER in my book!  

Alfredo Chicken Roll Ups by MMM Cafe

I hadn't planned to make these but had a little left over shredded chicken that was too much to toss and not enough to do a whole lot with.  We haven't eaten these yet but the alfredo sauce was delish the day I made it.  It wouldn't be super regular at our house because heller it's super fattening but if it's tasty it's a good way to use up a little chicken.  I'll keep you posted on the results.

Lemon Garlic Chicken from Six Sisters Stuff

Haven't tried this one but I'll keep ya posted.  It does have you brown the chicken ahead of time and for once I did as it directed.  That extra step for me means more work and dishes so it better be good or it won't make the cut as a freezer meal ;)

and lastly 

Apple Dump Chicken from When the Dinner Bell Rings

They don't have a picture for me to steal borrow and I haven't cooked this one yet.  I'll update once I do!

Spicy Sausage Pasta from Kevin & Amanda

I didn't make this as a freezer meal but it was too tasty not to share!  Oh so delish!  It doesn't take very long to make and only uses one pan.  Of course my lazy side is going to try to make this a freezer meal soon :)  If you are looking for a quick and easy meal this one is worth trying!

There you have it 14 freezer meals in my freezer!  Happy momma here!  I also picked up a pack of chicken for pot pies but haven't gotten to it yet.  That should make at least 3 and maybe once other meal...I am thinking soup or enchiladas ;)

To see all previous freezer meal posts go here.

All recipes that have been deemed "tried and true" by myself are pinned here in case you are wanting to pin them quickly or are on your phone!

*all pictures property of the blogs they are linked to.  Thank you to the fabulous cooks out there sharing these for people like me that can't think up recipes from scratch! 

Freezer Cooking Round 7

Freezer Cooking Round SEVEN!

I made these 3 weeks ago and have learned that I should blog them earlier because I forget a few things in that much time....like I may have forgotten one of the recipes I made because I swear I made more than this haha!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

We've had these a few times and really enjoy them.  This was my first time freezing them and additionally instead of the jumbo shells I used a large shell pasta so it was more of a casserole or pasta dish.  I am not wild about stuffing the jumbo shells with the filling and I thought it would freeze better as a dish instead of the stuffed shells alone.  It was tasty but I think the pasta to filling ratio was a little off.  I'll up my sauce next time.  I also am curious how this will do with lasagna noodles instead.  Either way, it was tasty as usual I'll just tweak it a little next time.  I made 2 servings of these each dinner frozen in a ziploc bag (remember to undercook your noodles!).  Defrost, dump in 8x8 pan and bake until hot. 

No Peek Beef Tips

I am on the fence with these.  They were really, really tasty BUT they do use a can of cream of soup, and 2 packages of envelope mix.  That's a lot of mystery ingredients that I prefer to stay away from.  I am hoping I can recreate this healthier because it was really good.  When I question these types of recipes I do remind myself that my family also consumes restaurant and fast food from time to time and really I am pretty sure those are just as bad as the creepy envelope cream of foods. Sooooo if you are ok with less than clean ingredients from time to time make this!  If not, keep scrolling or feel free to clean it up and tell me how it goes so I can too :)  I cubed the roast, mixed all ingredients and froze in a ziploc.  Thaw and cook as directed.

Best Burger Ever (from Little Miss Momma)

Seriously this is the best burger ever.  I am not sure if it was because it was my first fatty food after super strict dieting or if it really is THE BEST but everyone LOVED this burger so I'm going with option 2.  I premade the patties and froze with wax paper in between them.  I sort of flash froze them in a single layer first and then stacked them and froze in a ziploc.  I completely thawed and we made ours on the bbq.  Do not skip the sauce.  It totally seals the deal!  So tasty.  These are going on the next meal plan as well.  

Spinach & Artichoke Baked Pasta

Mixed everything up only cooking the noodles about halfway.  Put it in a ziploc flat to freeze.  We haven't eaten this one yet but I promise to come back and update when we do!  

That's it for new recipes this round!  I also made 2 dinners of the cilantro lime pesto chicken tacos, pepperoncini dip sandwiches and shredded beef tacos.  For those recipes and all previous freezer posts click here.

Freezer Cooking Round 6

To see all of my past freezer cooking posts and recipes click HERE

Freezer cooking has really become a part of my normal life at this point, along with meal planning now! For some reason meal planning has always been something that I built up in my head as this amazing thing that was way too hard for me to not only figure out but stick to.  I am blaming that mentality 5% on my own freaky if I can't do it perfect than I shouldn't do it at all attitude and 95% on the perfectly organized and beautiful meal plan boards, frames, and forms that I see all over Pinterest.  Every week I'd tell myself that I'll start meal planning next grocery trip because of course I first needed to make a lovely frame to post the daily meals and of course to make that I'd need an antique frame and a Silhouette to cut the vinyl letters for said frame, well you get the idea.  Then money got tighter than we had been used to in years and the need to cut our grocery bill significantly forced me to figure something out.  I sat down and picked out 10 dinners for the next 2 weeks.  We shop every 2 weeks when my husband gets paid.  I usually get the 10 meals plus some meat left over for another meal or 2, we may eat out one night, have left overs, etc...  10 meals may not work for you but you'll figure out what does.  I do not plan breakfasts, snacks, lunches, etc...  curse me, I know those beautiful pins have their meals planned down to the morsel.  I am not one of those pins.  We usually have cereal, eggs, bagels, english muffins, etc... around for breakfast.  Lunches my husband usually takes left overs or a salad or sandwich if there were no leftovers.  The girl eats a sandwich, chips, snack, etc.. and the boys get what I give them!  Ok so they usually have pb&j, grilled cheese, bagel or english muffin pizzas, frozen nuggets and fries if I am being really nice.  The only meals I plan are dinner and I don't plan them for any particular day.  I just have the list of my 10 meals on the fridge and we pick and choose knowing we have at least those meals plus others from previous freezer weeks.  

When picking out your meals for the 2 weeks I try to plan 2 meals using chicken breasts (4-5 if I am buying 2 packs), 2 meals using boneless skinless thighs, 3-4 meals using ground beef and then the rest are whatever I feel like.  Once you know what you can get out of your packs of meat it's easier.  This week I bought a pack of breasts, a pack of ground beef, a pork loin, and ended up having to get my thighs from the regular store which pissed me off and made me a meal short :(  I also picked up a chuck roast at the store because I didn't want to pay for two at Sam's even though it was a better deal buying it in bulk the dollars weren't there for it.   

I prefer to shop one day and then cook/prepare the next.  This week I did some the night that I shopped because my mom was here to help with the boys and I did the rest the next morning.  

Here is what I made with...

chicken breasts (2 dinners plus 2 extra breasts):

photo credit to linked recipe

Grilled Pineapple Chicken breast sandwiches- This picture was my inspiration.  I don't really use a recipe, it's kind of a no brainer.  I put the chicken breasts and pineapple rings in the ziploc and dump the marinade (whatever flavor you like)  in the bag reserving some for basting later.  Lay flat and freeze.  When ready to use just thaw the bag and bbq the chicken and pineapple!  

photo credit given to the linked recipe

Cilantro Lime Pesto Chicken:  I sliced up a few breasts and made the marinade for this recipe.  Dumped it all in the bag again reserving some of the marinade (froze this as well) to use on the tacos.  My only concern for this one is that I have heard lime can actually cook the meat?  Their recipe has you cook the chicken and freeze after maybe that is why?  I prefer to not cook meat ahead when I don't have to.  I'll let you know how this one works freezing it raw.

I had 2 breasts left this week so I just cooked them up to use in salads.  I usually buy 2 packs of breast so the extra 2 from each pack makes a meal when I do that.

Chicken Thighs (1 dinner):  

I usually buy the big pack at Sam's.  They were out so I was a thigh meal short :(

picture credit given to the linked recipe

Spicy Honey Chicken:  For this recipe I put the rub on the thighs and froze.  This may seem sort of pointless since mixing some spices together and putting it on the chicken really isn't that hard to do but it makes a big difference for me.  Those nights that I have no desire to cook (most nights) or don't know what to cook this one step helps me.  I already know what the chicken will be and just have to thaw it and put it on the bbq.  I also usually buy my meat at Sam's so I'd have to split it up and freeze it in smaller portions anyways so I figure this step is not much more than I am already going to have to do.  you hear me? ;)  

This recipe was planned for my other thigh meal :(  Maybe next time!

Ground Beef (4 planned meals plus 1lb frozen plain):

photo credit given to the linked recipe

Italian Lasagna:  I made 2 of these.  We ate one that night and froze the other.  This was really, really tasty.  Even my husband loved it and he's not a lasagna fan.  The recipe does call for Italian sausage but I had a pack in the freezer.  I also added a 16 oz container of cottage cheese and and extra egg to the ricotta cheese step.  Prepare to the point that you would bake it and freeze instead. 

photo credit given to the linked recipe

Shepherd's Pie:  I have never tried this but it seemed frugal enough and I had a HUGE sack of potatoes that needed to be used.  I made and froze 2 of these.  I prepared it all the way to the point that I would have baked it and just froze it instead.  It looks tasty enough but I'll come back with a follow up later.  It is from Once A Month Mom and that site is pretty much the guru of freezer cooking so I trust it'll be good.

I also had enough mashed potatoes left so I made a twice baked casserole of sorts and froze for a side dish.  There are plenty of recipes out there for this.  I just threw it together on a whim.

I froze the remaining 1 pound of ground beef to use for spaghetti, hamburgers, or something later.

chuck roast (2 dinners):

photo credit given to the linked recipe

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches:  This was the only thing I didn't do any pre prepping.  It's just that easy.  Dump the roast in the crock pot, pour the jar of pepperoncinis on top and that's it.  Their recipe does have you sear it and such but I didn't and it was delish.  Searing is just one more dirty dish so it wasn't going down.  The perk of this was not only a delicious super easy dinner but we had plenty of leftover meat for tonight's dinner, Shredded beef tacos!  If you didn't want the same meat 2 nights in a row you could just put the meat and the juices from the crock pot in a bag and freeze it.  Shredded meat is one of the easiest things to make in big amounts for freezing.  

Pork Loin (2 dinners):

I cut the pork loin in half knowing we had a few nights planned with extra people to feed.  I may have cut some chops off had I not needed larger servings stretching it to 3 meals easily.  Maybe I'll try it some time!

photo credit given to linked recipe

Sweet Pork Tacos:  Since I had to cut the pork loin down anyways I went ahead and put the spice rub on it and then froze.  Hey one less step later!  This is a family favorite of ours and has been for a long time.  The leftover meat freezes great as well!  Just shred, put some juices in the bag with it and freeze.

photo credit given to linked recipe

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin:  again I just did the rub on this one and froze it.  I've had this a few times and it's really good.  Freezer and a crock pot meal?  Count me in.

So there you have it!  Twelve meals for about $60 in meat.  Not too shabby if you ask me!  Those meals that I make doubles of (lasagna, shepherds pie) we rarely eat both in the 2 week frame but instead will use a freezer meal that is in the freezer from previous weeks.  Most of these meals will have left overs for my husband's lunch and possibly a little extra.  The pork loins usually have a ton extra and aren't something we buy every grocery trip because they are higher priced.  Same with the roast, I typically would have bought a second pack of chicken for the same cost but sometimes it's nice to mix things up and still I got 2 dinners out of a $10 roast.  The thighs I should have gotten a second meal out of but the cost was double buying it at the grocery store!  One other thing I like to keep on hand is a bag of tilapia or other fish.  They thaw out really quickly and are great for a quick dinner if you forget to pull a meal from the freezer.  This week we had fish tacos for that exact reason.  Took 10 minutes to make and saved us a million calories and $30 for fast food!  Overall I am pleased.  I was only $15 over my $200 budget and have dinners all ready to go for the next 2 weeks.  

I am in no way the guru of freezer cooking.  I am barely a guru at my day to day life but am learning what works best for us.  If you are just getting started and are intimidated start small!  Make a double batch of your dinner and freeze the extra.  Pick 2 recipes that use the same meat and make those one afternoon or nap time.   You'll learn what works best for you after your first time or two I promise!

If you have any questions please let me know!

Freezer Cooking Round 5

You can see all of my freezer cooking posts HERE.

I recently posted my most recent freezer cooking on my Inner Hooker facebook page.  

A lot of you had questions, wanted more info, and requested links to recipes....so this is for you!

This round was more prepping than cooking but will still save me lots of time later and money!  I can buy bulk meat and not just split it up into smaller portions but take one more step to prep it for that dinner.  This is also a great way to get started freezer cooking because it isn't too overwhelming.  

I started by purchasing my meat at Sam's Club (we don't have Costco :( sad!  and local meat is just not in my budget right now...double sad) .  I bought 2 packs of boneless skinless breasts (total about 11-12 lbs) , 1 pack of boneless skinless thighs (6 lbs), and a pack of ground beef (5-6 lbs).  From that I made 9 meals for the freezer, 1 for dinner that night, and froze 1 lb of ground beef and 1.5 C plain shredded chicken so that's really 11 meals...not too shabby for about $50 in meat and a few hours of my time.  It could have went much faster if I didn't have the boys running wild.  

Recipes I used: 

Meatloaf (x2):  my recipe:  I have been cutting back on the sugar and ketchup topping and it's still good.

Fajitas (x2):  I just slice the breasts into strips, add onions to the bag. One I poured in marinade, one I left plain.

Enchilada filling: used this recipe and had it for dinner but wasn't in love with it.  You can freeze the enchiladas all rolled up but I prefer them fresh.  Just thaw your filling and then make the enchiladas as normal.

Chicken soft taco filling:  this recipe looks delish but I have a hard time with cream of soups so I just did 2 C shredded chicken and salsa mixed up and frozen.  I do love the way the original recipe looks so I may try it one of these times.

Man Pleasing Chicken: put chicken thighs in bag, add ingredients and freeze.

Russian Chicken :  put thighs in freezer bag, dump in the ingredients and freeze.

Chicken Sandwiches:  put chicken breast and pineapple rings in the bag, dump marinade in.  I keep a little marinade in the bottle to baste with when bbq'ing later.

This is a pretty brief rundown but I promise there isn't much to these!  The are pretty simple (inexpensive/not too many ingredients) recipes.  If you have any questions just let me know!

Freezer Cooking Round 4

After a little hiatus I am back in the saddle again.  Did you miss me??  I missed my freezer meals that's for sure!  I have shared my love of freezer cooking along with some recipes and my feedback on them; you can find all previous freezer cooking posts here if you are interested.  

Freezer Cooking Posts

I haven't been doing big days, it's just not my thing.  I prefer to make dinner and just triple it and freeze the 2 extras.  Some meal groups I don't mind making a few meals at once (soups, items with shredded chicken, etc...)  but I don't usually go that route...plus it's a little more expensive (up front) than my budget allows these days.

ok, onto what you came here for

First up....

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
{recipe and picture from The Kitchn}

I used a different cut of meat than the recipe called for but it still worked well.  I loved that she recommends cooking it for a few hours and then switching it to warm overnight.  It shreds super easily this way. The flavor was still not quite what I wanted.  I like a spicier, more mexican vibe.  The cloves in this just didn't do it for me.  Being fair, cloves aren't really my favorite.  I debated not putting it in but decided in order to properly share my opinion I should do the recipe as stated.  My husband thought it was good and my in-laws ate it so I guess it must have tasted ok, or they were just being polite!  This meat like all shredded meat I've ever made freezes and reheats well.  We usually eat it for dinner and another meal or 2 then freeze the rest.  When we are ready to eat it again I just pull it out of the fridge that morning and warm it up for dinner.  

Next....

Crockpot Italian Turkey Meatballs
{recipe and picture from skinnytaste.com}

These went over well!  The 13 and 2 year old didn't eat them but they don't eat anything.  Husband, myself and 1 year old thought they were delish!  I did switch them up a little.  I did half turkey and half pork sausage.  {I may try straight turkey next time but I do think the pork keeps them from being dry plus it has a little kick to it that I dig}  I also subbed almond flour for the breadcrumbs.  I froze the meatballs on a plate not touching until they were pretty solid.  Then I transferred them to a ziploc and poured in the sauce and other ingredients.  Pull the bag out the night before or the morning you want them to thaw a little and toss them in the crock pot!

and last for today

Craaazy Good Crock Pot Carnitas
{recipe and pic from Kait's Primal Kitchen}

This was delish!  My family has a favorite crock pot pork recipe and this may just replace that.
{The other one has brown sugar and a can of soda so really how can it not taste good.  We are cutting out as many processed foods and sugar as possible so that one is no longer welcome in my crock pot :)  It is on Freezer cooking Round 1 post if you are interested}

It's savory, not too sweet, not spicy...just...well, good!  I made paleo tortillas to go with it and they were not so good so I just ate the meat and some guacamole.  Yum!  Like all of our shredded meats we eat it for a few meals and then I put the rest in bags to freeze.  Pull out and thaw in the fridge and then rewarm when you are ready.  I tossed this one in the oven again (as recipe states) to reheat and it was perfect.

Love all these recipes but want to come back later?  Pin it so you don't forget :)

Pin It

Freezer Cooking Round 3

Freezer Cooking Round 3

First up Steak Chili from Buns In My Oven.  When I made this it was tasty.  It was SPICY!  I love, love hot, it was good for me but way too hot for the kids.  I also think simmering for 3 hours was too much or perhaps I just stirred it too much because mine looks more like shredded meat and not cube chunks.  Gross looking?  yes.  Tasty?  yes.  Day 2 in the fridge this resembled dog food.  I really think I just cooked it longer than needed.  Perhaps my meat was more tender.  Anyways.  I will make this again but won't cook as long.

click here for picture credit

Also from Buns In My Oven, Corn and Chicken Chowder.

picture credit

Confession:  I am not a fan of corn.  Gasp!  I know it's so anti American.  Yeah I can eat it but it's not my favorite.  This soup was pretty good though!  Chris loves corn so I made this more for him but how can you go wrong with bacon on top of almost anything?  This soup is a great freezer meal.  I added a little more milk when reheating but Chris said it was just as good if not better so thumbs up!

Next up,  Buffalo Chicken Rolls from Can You Stay for Dinner.

picture credit

I thought these were pretty tasty.  I hate bleu cheese so I left it out but I do think next time maybe I'll add some feta or something.  They freeze well and do the trick when it comes to wanting a quick snack or lunch.  I froze these uncooked and just baked as I wanted them.

Next....Chicken and Gnocchi soup from My Favorite Recipes.  This recipe was recommended from someone on my Inner Hooker page.  {Thanks Donna!}

picture credit

This is supposed to be an Olive Garden replica.  I have never tested OG's before so I am not sure but I thought this soup was amazing!  Creamy and garlic-y, truly just perfect.  It does use a lot of half and half (fatty, fat, fat...seriously, someone stopped me the other day to tell me Dex was a fat boy!  Then proceeded with "fatty, fat, fat!  Man I love me a fat boy"...ok, so I was at Walmart and maybe shouldn't be surprised but I really didn't know what to say!  PS he isn't even fat!  Now fatty, fat, fat is a joke in my house) (back to the half and half is fattening justification here) but I tried to remember that one of the recipes made 2 dinners worth for my family of 5 so I guess if I broke it down it's not totally terrible.  Better than a happy meal right?  Truly this was my favorite recipe of this group.  This soup freezes well but I thought the gnocchi got too soggy so in the future I'll either cook less or I'll freeze without them in it and just cook them and add when we reheat the soup.  They don't take long to cook at all.  

Recipe #5, Alfredo Sauce from Utah Deal Diva.

pic credit

I just made the alfredo, not the recipe that is after and uses the alfredo.  That may be key here.  I just thought this was ok.  It was very cream cheesy.  If you have tried those new Philadelphia Cooking Cream Cheeses, it tastes like that...in alfredo flavor (do they even have that?)  I mixed half with penne pasta (cooked the noodles about half way so they wouldn't be soggy) and froze the other half.

Last up... another recipe that was just ehh to me but could be my fault...stick with me.

Sausage Breakfast Muffins from Love From Texas.  

picture credit

I love the idea of these but they just didn't work for me.  I greased my pan and they still stuck like crazy!!!  Like I couldn't get them out of the pan in one piece stuck.  I may have thrown out the pan but don't tell my husband!  I may try them again in maybe a silicone pan or freeze them in the pan and try to pop them out that way.  The boys love eggs for breakfast so this would be a nice break for me some days.  For now I'll stick to scrambling but am not writing these little guys off just yet.

Enjoy!

Freezer Cooking Take 2

Freezer Cooking Round 2!!

Back again with a few more tried and true freezer meals!  I am really enjoying this style of cooking and know I appreciate when someone has actually frozen and then cooked and eaten the recipe.  Some things just don't save as well as others.  Luckily, so far I have had great success with the recipes I have chosen.  Here's my last batch.  They've been frozen for a few weeks, prepared, and enjoyed!

First up, Chicken Pot Pie.  

This is actually my recipe.  I was freezer cooking before I even knew there was such a thing!  My family LOVES this meal.  I use pre-made pie crusts but you could make it from scratch if that floats your boat.  I prepare the filling, I get 3-4 pies depending on how closely I follow the recipe vs. doing it from memory.  I make one that night and freeze the other fillings in a ziploc.  Put the ziploc in the fridge the day you will use it, I warm it up in a pot and usually need to add a little milk (it gets thicker in the freezer).  While thats warming I cook the bottom pie crust a little to keep from getting soggy, dump in the filling, second crust and cook!  Yum, yum, yum.  

Next up, Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper Pork.  

click pic for credit

This was also delish.  The meat was a little fattier than I thought but once it cooled I just scraped it off and tossed it.  We ate this with tortillas, guacamole and salsa.

Third....I used the PW Dr. Pepper Pork for filling for tamales.  

click pic for credit

This was only the second time I have made tamales.  They are pretty time consuming but really tasty.  I love that when I make them myself I can control the amount of meat vs. masa.  Not like those parking lots tamalas that are mostly masa with a tiny it of meat!  I use this recipe/tutorial for tamales.  These are also something I have frozen many times and they keep great.

and lastly I also made breakfast burritos.  I didn't snap a picture but they were a huge hit.  

I hope this inspires you to give freezer cooking a try!  So far so good here!  I made more today, I'll be back in a few weeks with a follow up on them!

Freezer Cooking Take 1

“What’s for dinner” 

oh lawdy do I hate this question!! It makes me feel like a crazy ready to rage woman. Enter freezer cooking. In an effort to avoid this internal meltdown and have better odds of my children surviving into adulthood I thought I would give this notion a go. There are some seriously hard core people out there that literally cook once a month and make/prep most of their meals. Well, I’ll never be that girl but I wouldn’t mind having 2 dozen or so meals prepped in the freezer.

There are countless websites, blogs, and cookbooks dedicated to this. I just want to share a few recipes that are tried and true. It’s a little nerve wracking making things that you don’t know how they’ll save and taste later! I knew I should start small just in case it wasn’t my thing we hadn’t invested too much time or money into it! I chose to make 2-3 meals of 3 different dinners. At this point I have used these frozen meals and they all passed the test! Well, one wasn’t a favorite here only because Chris hates tomatoes….oops {I knew he hated them but thought they were small enough he wouldn’t mind. Next time I will throw them in the food processor along with the onion and bell peppers I hid in this dish}

My meatloaf recipe. Do not cook ahead or mix the sauce. Do that as you would when cooking. I prepped it all and put it in a disposable pan to freeze. Eventually I think I’d like pyrex for them all. I also saw something were they lined the pan with saran wrap, froze it solid and then took it out and put it in a bag. Takes up much less space in the freezer and budget friendly. Maybe I’ll try this next time!

Baked Ziti from Annie’s Eats. I did cook the turkey ahead and I also cooked the noodles a little more than half done. This one I prepped all the way to the cooking stage and froze (again in disposable pans) instead of baked. This one is awesome!  

Creole Jambalaya from Keeping Life Creative. Cooked the chicken and the sausage. Cooked the rice about halfway. I also put the veggies in the food processor in hopes of hiding it from the kids. This dish turned out to be a little too spicy for them anyways. I thought it was delish but considering I was the only one that ate it , it won’t make it into rotation. I do have another frozen bag of it I guess I’ll be eating alone. I poured this into 2 large Ziploc freezer bags and layed perfectly flat to freeze. Once they were frozen solid I could stand them up and they took up next to no room. Loved it.

I also put one large pack of chicken in the crock pot and shredded that into separate bags to freeze. Sliced another one into fajita strips, poured in the marinade and froze. We typically have shredded meat in the freeze.  When I make it for dinner I am sure to make enough extra for another meal...we love shredded meats! They are so easy to cook and tasty! Plus you can use them for lots of things! My go to recipe is this one from Make It and Love It. 

 We’ve made it dozens and dozens of times always perfect!

That's about it!  Wish I had tons more to share but like I said, these are ones that I have not only frozen but already tasted after the big freeze.  I'll keep you posted on more.  If you are feeling even a teensy bit tempted I really recommend trying a few meals!  It has made a few of my evenings much easier not to mention saving time and money!