Freezable Meal Ideas?

[Tohru]

We're expecting a baby end of Sept/early Oct. When my last little one was born, we ate terribly with an exclusive diet of fast food and processed stuff.

 

We have an extra freezer that I can stock for those first few baby-weeks. This time I'm motivated to plan ahead and would love to hear ideas and/or tips for freezable meals that can be reheated without a microwave...breakfasts, lunches, dinners.

 

Or even a good cookbook for ideas?

 

Thanks!

[DarcyB]

Your best bet is to start out with meals you already love, and freeze those. Lasagna can be frozen quite easily, taco meat can be frozen and just reheated before serving, etc. Pick out a good list of meals you love, double up on a few of them in the coming weeks and freeze the extras.

 

There are tons of freezer cooking sites on the web just google freezer cooking or once a month cooking and you'll get a ton of ideas.

[Dawn in OH]

Lasagna

Stuffed Shells

Chilli

Shepherd's pie

meatballs

 

 

I remember someone saying you could freeze macaroni and cheese. I've never tried it.

[SailorMom]

Tuna casseroles (well, most casseroles)

pot pies

chili

taco meat

breakfast sandwiches and burritos

meat - portioned out, and frozen in a marinade (just thaw and pop on the grill)

[Guest]

I bought this cookbook recently and we have loved everything I've made out of it:

 

Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer

[i.love.lucy]

First, you could use crock pot to cook a bunch of chicken. Then dice or shred it. Now think of the dishes you already love chicken in. Make those and freeze them... fried rice, tortilla soup, chicken chili, add taco seasonings for shredded meat for tacos, chicken spaghetti, chicken and broccoli rice casserole, etc.

 

Now repeat with ground beef: chili, taco soup, home-made mac and cheese with hamburger and RoTel tastes like queso and is fabulous, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce. I'd also make meatballs that are generic in seasonings so you can use them in a brown gravy and noodles, or in spaghetti sauce, or in a terriaki sauce.

 

Closer to your time, make a bunch of rice and pasta and freeze. These will heat fine in boiling water in the bags you freeze them in. But I also freeze pasta and rice in casseroles or with the sauces over them all the time and they heat great in the oven. You can reheat your soups or saucy things in your crock pot.

 

Have lots of frozen veggies on hand. OH! I'd also make up big batches of muffins and pancakes that you can freeze with wax paper in between them so they are easy to pull out at the last minute. They can make a good dinner too!

 

I get overwhelmed with big freezer cooking days, so I just plan to have leftovers to freeze about twice a week. After a while it builds a nice collection of meals in the freezer.

[MeaganS]

meatballs, meatloaf, soups, smoothie "kits"

[annlaura]

Thanks for this recommendation. I can get the sequel on nook & may just try it.

 

I bought this cookbook recently and we have loved everything I've made out of it:

 

Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer

 

I have cooked meat, such as sliced flank steak, slightly less than I would normally, then frozen it. That gives a little room for reheating without overcooking. Also, if you use freezer ziploc bags, you can store soups in a variety of serving sizes & in very little space.