Freezer Meals

I've gotten a few comments and emails asking how and what I made to get 2 weeks worth of dinners in the freezer for after Baby 2 finally eventually someday makes his appearance.

Keep in mind our family is fairly small. Wes really doesn't eat much so a half portion of most recipes takes care of us very nicely and will usually even yield some leftovers. I bought a bunch of those 8x8 aluminum pans at the grocery store (they'll comfortably hold a half recipe of most things), filled them with whatever, covered them in a double layer of foil and then, after freezing them solid, put them in gallon Ziplock freezer bags with cooking instructions. You want to make sure they're good and protected so they don't pick up any weird flavors or odors from the rest of your freezer (sick). Once they're frozen solid you can turn them and store them vertically, which for my freezer is much more space efficient.

An idea that someone shared with me too late was that a lot of these recipes can be scooped into a gallon Ziplock freezer back, mashed flat and frozen. You could fit a LOT more in your freezer that way. When you're ready to use it just thaw it in the fridge, dump the contents into a baking dish, top with cheese or whatever your final step is, and bake. This doesn't work for stuff like enchiladas, obviously, but pastas and casseroles that are all just jumbled together anyway? Brilliant.

As for my recipes:

Super easy ziti lasagna (3 meals)

-I love this one because it's cheap and embarrassingly easy. I doubled the recipe which fed us for dinner that night and gave me three freezer meals. Thaw in the fridge then follow regular cooking instructions.


Chicken Tortellini Bake (2 meals)

-I did this recipe plus a half which fed us that night and gave me two freezer meals. We don't like mushrooms so I made it with broccoli (Wes's fav!) instead. It's a little more time consuming than the ziti but not too bad. Thaw in the fridge then follow regular cooking instructions.


Baked Chicken Taquitos (1 meal)

-I made a double batch while Aaron's family was here and the leftovers were just the right amount for a meal for Aaron, Wes and I. I wrapped them individually in foil, put them in a freezer Ziplock and stashed them away. I have a couple boxes of Rice-a-Roni mexican rice in the pantry to use as sides for these taquitos and the following enchiladas.


Honey Lime Enchiladas (2 meals)

-Decently easy meal that makes two dinners for us. And she even includes freezing and reheating instructions.


Gyoza (4ish meals)

-These are way more time consuming than anything else on my list but they're probably the thing Aaron will enjoy the most. Plus it makes a TON and it's so nice to be able to just pull as many out of the bag as you need. I calculated getting about 4 dinners from the batch I made but odds are good that Aaron will eat a bunch of them for lunches AND he will end up eating more than I expect. When I made them I used a pound of ground turkey and bought two packages of wrappers and ended up with like 90. Flash freeze them and then throw them all in a freezer Ziplock. You can cook them straight from frozen. We always keep rice and frozen edamame on hand to serve with these.


Chicken Pot Pie (1 meal)

-This is ridiculously simple. Pie crust + 1 can chicken + 1 can potatoes + 1 can veggies +1 can cream of chicken soup. Add milk to reach desired consistency, top with another crust and freeze. 


Ranch Mac & Cheese (1 meal)

-We had half for dinner and I froze half and I know neither of us is really looking forward to eating the frozen one. A word to the wise: whole wheat pasta doesn't work in everything. This is probably a halfway decent meal if you're not like me and constantly trying to inject a little wholesomeness into everything you eat.


Manicotti (1 meal)

-Another more time consuming one. But since I was making it for dinner that night anyway might as well just freeze half.


Chicken and noodle casserole (1 meal)

-I actually haven't made this one yet but it's on the menu for this week so, assuming I can find room in the freezer, it's going in. Super easy.


Stouffer's Lasagna (1 meal)

-They were buy one get one last week so I grabbed one for dinner that night and one for the freezer. We are unabashed in our love for Stouffer's lasagna.


So, in theory, I actually have 17 days worth of dinners in my freezer (depends on how the gyoza lasts). I also made and froze a batch of bran muffins and probably just over a month's worth of bread (I think there's 5 loaves in there). There are some frozen Rhodes rolls in there too that I'll use as sides for several of these meals. We're definitely hurting for freezer space these days but the peace of mind that comes with knowing we'll eat decently whether or not I feel like cooking is priceless to me. And it really wasn't much extra work to divide dishes in half and put one in the freezer. I'll be doing freezer meals a lot more often after the baby is born too now that I know how little effort it actually takes and how much time it saves me later. I LOVE just pulling dinner out of the freezer and knowing my job is done.


If you're looking for even more freezer meal recipes- a girl on one of the Babycenter boards shared all of the following recipes and I made sure to email them to myself for future reference. I haven't tried any and can't vouch for them, but the more the merrier, right?

Macaroni Ham Casserole – Freeze in BAG

3 C Cooked Macaroni

2 c Cooked Ham

1 Can Mushroom Soup

1 c Water

2 tbsp Minced Onion - I use one small fresh one

1 C Grated Cheese - I've used diff types

Mix and freeze - thaw when ready and cook in a casserole at 350 for 30 min.

Chicken and Rice Wraps - Freeze in BAG
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 c. water
1 c. mild salsa
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
8 - 12 flour tortillas

In skillet or saucepan, combine chicken, water, salsa and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add rice, simmer on low for 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into center of tortillas and wrap. You can add cheese to mixture before wrapping, if desired.
To FREEZE: Simply wrap each folded tortilla in tin foil and place in 1 gallon freezer bag. I like to have 8 to a bag (for our swaps).
To SERVE: Reheat and eat! Another “instant” meal! This makes a LOT! We found it to be very filling, and kind to our diets!

Chicken and Rice Bake - Freeze in BAG
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup water
¾ cup uncooked regular white rice
¼ tsp. Paprika
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

To freeze: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.
To cook: Thaw in refrigerator. Place all ingredients in a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.
Christy’s notes: I also like this one made with cream of chicken and cream of asparagus soup. Add cut up asparagus to the latter for a summer treat!

CHEESY Chicken and Rice Bake - Freeze in BAG
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup uncooked regular white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

To freeze: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.
To cook: Thaw in refrigerator. Place all ingredients in a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.
Christy’s notes: This one is a FAVORITE with my picky eaters (namely the kids, 4 and 2). Try it with a can of cheddar broccoli soup and add broccoli florets for added color and nutrition.

Chicken Tetrazzini - Freeze in BAG
10 oz. dry spaghetti -- (10 to 12)
3 cups grated cheese - Jack or Cheddar
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 (10 3/4 oz) soup can milk
3 cups cooked diced chicken
salt & pepper

To freeze: Cook spaghetti as directed until al dente; drain. Sauté onions in margarine. Mix onions and remaining ingredients with spaghetti in a large bowl. Put mixture in containers and freeze.
To serve: thaw tetrazzini and put in a baking dish. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350* oven until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. For 2 people makes 5 casseroles.

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie - BAG
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 pkg. Frozen mixed vegetables
2 c. cubed cooked chicken

To freeze: combine above ingredients. Pour mix into bag and lay flat to freeze. To serve: When thawed, pour into a 2 ½ quart casserole dish.
Mix together:
½ c. milk
1 egg
1 c. biscuit mix
Pour dough over chicken mixture. Bake at 400º for 35 minutes or until golden.

KG notes:  I made this and used 24 oz of mixed veggies, doubled the topping recipe and put in a 9x13 casserole dish.  It worked out perfectly!

Barbecue Chicken (You're gonna LOVE this one! ) – Freeze in BAG
Chicken
Barbecue sauce

To freeze: Wash and dry chicken pieces. Place in freezer bag. Add BBQ sauce. Lay flat to freeze.
To serve: After thawing in the refrigerator, cook as you normally would. I use my Foreman Grill (Merry Christmas!) or bake it in the oven. The chicken comes out very juicy and tender from the long marinating process.

CHICKEN ROLLS – Freeze in BAG

·         1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)

·         1 pkg crescent rolls (8 ct)

·         shredded cooked chicken (about 1 breast)

·         grated chedder cheese (about 3-4 cups)

·         bread crumbs

·         melted butter

·         seasonings

Combine the cheeses and the chicken. Spoon some mixture into a flattened roll. pull all the edges around it, and seal it. Make sure there are no holes in the dough! Roll each one in the butter and then the bread crumbs. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350degs F.

TO FREEZE: Make completely and place on a baking tray.  Let freeze, then place them all in a ziplock bag.  Defrost before cooking.

Here's my Mexican chicken "lasagna" - Freeze in BAG

1 pkg (10) fajita-size tortillas

1 lb COOKED chicken, cut up (bite-size)

1 can each: cream of chicken and tomato soup

1 can each: pinto and/or black beans, corn, and tomatoes

2 c. shredded colby-jack or mexican style cheese

Oregano (I use 1 tsp but I love oregano!)

Garlic powder, onion powder, cumin (I use 1/2 tsp each)

OPTIONAL: 1 can "El Pato" spicy tomato sauce, 1 can chopped olives, 3 green onions (sliced thin), 1 green pepper (diced small), red pepper flakes, frozen chopped spinach (if you chop it small after defrosting, it just slips right in and you don't even notice it.  sneaky, huh?)

Cut tortillas in quarters.  Mix HALF the shredded cheese with the chicken, spices, canned and optional ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Layer 1/2 of tortillas on bottom of SPRAYED 9 x 12 pan, making sure corners are covered and there are no thin spots.  Spread 1/2 of filling.  Sprinkle 1/2 of remaining cheese.  Repeat.

Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly (20 mins in my oven).  Makes 12 medium size servings (we eat this with salad or veggies on the side).

To Freeze:  Cool.  Cut 3x4 for 12 servings.  Freeze on wax paper (I use 2 cookie sheets).  Keep 1" apart as it likes to collapse a little.  When frozen solid, wrap in wax paper and store in heavy duty freezer bags.  DH loves to grab a hunk for lunch at work, it defrosts in 1-1 1/2 minutes on high.