Seeking Ideas on How to Freeze Meals for Family

I do this all the time! Before our daughter was born I made a bunch of extra stuff up ahead of time and put it in our deep freeze..it has been a sanity and life saver! Usually, I just make double batches of things that freeze well when I cook them, so I can restock my fridge. A few months before my daughter was born, I intentionally planned meals every day that would freeze well. I either doubled the recipe or split it in half. It was a bit of work, but sooooo worth it. I had enough meals that I didn't have to "really cook" for almost three weeks after she was born! And now she is three months old, I still have a few things in the freezer for those nights I just don't want to cook!

Like others have said, getting them packaged right is key. I have a vacuum sealer, but for many of the items I freeze, the sealer won't work. It's not good for larger items or liquids. And you can freeze something like a soup and then vacuum seal it, I don't recommend it...I have had bad outcomes. Before freezing anything, make sure it it is completely cool, this helps prevent ice crystals from forming.

Many soups freeze well. I made up a chicken cheese corn chowder, chicken noodle and spinach sausage. Chili also does well in the freezer. I put them in ziplock bags. I placed the bags in 2 qt juice pitchers and fill them with the soup. I put the pitchers in the freezer and when they were frozen solid, I removed the bags from the pitchers and stored them in the freezer. Putting them in the pitcher helped me with portions and they stored well in my deep freeze.

Baked ziti and lasagna, both do well in the freezer. The recipes I have make large batches, so I split them and got two meals out of each one.(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Ziti-I/Detail.aspx) (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/Detail.a.... I store these in disposable pans.I wrap in saran wrap (really wrap...all the way around) and then put tin foil over the top. The night I cook it, I reuse the tinfoil...putting tinfoil over the top will help it heat through without browning the cheese. And often I do wash the toss away pan to reuse for another time (but I did NOT do this when we brought our baby home)

Pot pies freeze well. I find these are easy to make in large batches. I make these a dozen or so at a time. They are my go to food when I don't feel like cooking.

I bought a variety of frozen veggies at Sam's to have on hand as side dishes. I also bought some frozen blackened Salmon from Sam's as well. It is surprisingly good for a packaged food.

I had my husband grill up a variety of meats one afternoon. Then I vacuum sealed them and froze them, but a ziplock bag would have worked. They are definitely better fresh, but with this much chaos, who notices the difference really? These are easy to microwave or reheat on the stove top. I have noticed that pouring a little broth over the meat helps them reheat better, they don't get overly dried out.

Lumpia and egg rolls can also be made ahead of time and frozen. It helps to wrap them in wax paper before putting them in baggies. Fried rice, which can be served as a side or main dish, does well too. Red beans and rice does well, but make sure to add a little water when you go to reheat it. I store all of these in ziplock bags (vacuum bag have a tendency to rip the egg rolls apart a little bit)

Meatballs for spaghetti and sandwiches can be frozen too. We make our own spaghetti sauce and I have that in our freezer as well.

I tried to freeze a spinach quiche, but it didn't do well in the freezer, it got a bit grainy.

I also make up dinner rolls, garlic bread and bread bowls and froze them. You just want to bake them for about half the time, let them cool completely and then freeze. They store well in ziplock bags. When it comes time to heat them up, you can throw them in the oven frozen and cook for the remaining time.

Hope this helps! Congrats on the new baby!!!

Depending on how long you want the food to last in the freezer, it might be worthwhile to look into one of those vacuum sealers. No matter what, the less air in your containers, the less likely they will to experience freezer burn. If you aren't going to invest in a vacuum sealer, be sure to cover all of your dishes with a layer or two of plastic wrap, THEN a layer or two of foil for the best seal. Also, you might search websites like allrecipes.com and look for things that can be made up in advance, frozen, and then the final cooking process is done when you're ready to eat it.

S.,
I also cook double and then freeze to avoid cooking on other nights.

Some cookware can be frozen, so check out what you have to see if it is freezable. Crate and Barrel carries some great ones with plastic lids.

You can also put your meal in a tin...like the throw away cake pans you buy in the grocery. Let the food cool, then cover it tightly with foil. Put it in a freezer plastic bag and seal it. Label the bag with what is in it and date.

If friends offer to cook be sure to let them. It will make them feel helpful.
Congratulations!

i always freeze meals, just about anything freezes. i always cook for a week or two and make double & take half and freeze it. then the next week or two weeks i dont have to cook.
these are some things that i freeze
spaghetti
lasagna
chili or any soups
chicken and noodles
extra grilled meats then just make a veggie & a pasta/rice pack with it
pancakes
chicken pot pie (i make one in a pie pan and then freeze it)
meatloaf
stroganoff
the thing is that when i freeze i always make sure to dethaw completely before i reheat otherwise things can come out different like mushy spaghetti noodles and such. i dethaw in the fridge for 2days then reheat

I love my foodsaver vacuum sealer. You can tell the difference in the food when it comes out of the freezer. I know they can be expensive, but I think it is worth every penny. Also, you food last longer. Kohls usually has the vacuum sealers on sale. What I also like about it, is you make the size bag you want. I try to buy all my meats in bulk at Sam's Club and then use the foodsaver. I'm pretty sure I saved more money that I spent on it. I know Ziploc makes a handheld version of a vacuum sealer that comes with its speciality bags. I don't know how well it works. Either way you go, what I do sometimes in the summer, is put the meat in the bag with some marinade, and then seal it and freeze it. This way, when the meat defrosts you are ready to go and you elimiate a step in the prep process.

Here is what I do b/c I hate to cook!

IMO, casseroles or pasta dishes cooked in the oven work and freeze great and taste fine when they are warmed up. I would, however, use fresh meat (not frozen) to make them since I'm not sure how re-frozen meat would taste.

- Find a recipe you like and double or triple it, since you are already going to the trouble.
- Use the throw-away type metal pans so you don't have to wash dishes if you don't want to.
- Be sure to spray the pan w/ cooking spray so it is easier to get out of the pan.
- I like the cake-size pans b/c they can stack on top of each other in the freezer. Cover them with foil and write what it is and cooking instructions on it. Stick it in a gallon freezer bag. Done!

Good luck! You are smart to think ahead! :)

If you don't have the time to do this at home have you checked out Super Suppers in Richardson? www.ssrichardson.com