A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity Our Favorite Recipes Need your easy to freeze dinners!!

I'm starting to make a list of easy to freeze dinners so that I can make them ahead of time and freeze them so that we don't end up eating out every night while we are remodeling the kitchen. We will have an upright freezer at the new house so I'll have plenty of room to freeze casseroles and such. So, load me up on recipes and ideas....ok? The more the better!

meatloaf, mashedpotatoes and corn yummy.

spaghetti or chilli

Jenn,
I do this a lot.... I use a food saver but you don't have to - just wrap really well... I make up my fav meatloaf receipe- place in a zipper bag.. make as flat as possible and then in the food saver bag- that way I can reuse the foodsaver bag easier... also make up a lot of chicken breasts in my fav marinades- freeze in the marinade and then bake in oven when ready- some of the marinades don't freeze solid so don't worry if it doesn't, I also precook my hamburgher- ground meat- add my spices and what have you for spaghetti and chili, or taco meat- and pkgs in meal sizes for us- I also cook up the big family size pacs of chicken legs and thighs in different sauces or oven fry it... then pkg it up in meal size pkgs .... nuke and eat is my favorite on the nights I don't have the energy to cook...
Nana

Breakfast sandwiches can be frozen too. I'm not much for eggs in them I think they get rubbery but biscuits, pre-cooked sausage, and cheese is good microwaved for a quick snack.

Breaded over baked pork chops with stuffing and peas and carrots are a good frozen dinner.

Also Salmon with green beans done with dill and bacon and potatoes au gratin is good for a frozen meal.

Turkey with stuffing and gravy with glazed carrots are also good. A can of cranberry sauce on the side doesn't hurt either lol. I love to make them into sandwiches.

Chicken Fried Steak with peas and rice with gravy is also good.

I hope some of these are useful.

I too cook teh ground beef & freeze it in a ziploc bag--take out what I want & then make spaghetti, hamburger stroganoff, any hamburger helper---all of these things are put in a pan bring to a boil & then simmer for awhile--you can just come & check every once in awhile.

buy 5 pounds of potatoes, cook & mash--then put in individual freezer zip lock or if you have a foodsaver of seal a meal---it is great. Instant rice is a great quick thing too. Buy frozen veggies--you just take out what you want to eat that night, place in a microwave safe bowl & cover--MW for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes---done.
I close up my bags (any of them) with the pinch type wooden clothes pins--works great. if you use plastic they do not work so well in the freezer.

you can also make up B B Q or sloppy joes and freeze enough for each meal in individual containers. you could use a slow cooker & put a beef roast, carrots, & peeled potaotes in--then take the leftover meat shred it add manwich & presto--that and some of your frozen mashed potatoes & corn--your done (I like corn with BBQ)
PS buy a roast 2 times as big as you would need for 1 meal---2 meals for 1 cooking. you could also have cold roast beef sanwiches & salad the next night.
that and some cookies or fruit & everyone is full.

I also like making soups & freezing. for example--: make a chicken soup. when meat is done--strain all the solids out.--return all but meat back into the broth.--take meat off the bone, shread or cut up into soup size bits & return to broth. discard bones.--now put enough soup into freezable containers (I use butter containers & such) for eitehr individual meals or enough for the whole family at one time.---take frozen soup out of container, put in pan or in large MW safe bowl & heat to desired temp. add crackers and or noodles & you are done.

Good luck--

I'm getting hungry---

lol, hey June, All really great suggestions. I'll have to remember to look up your post when I get moved. That will fill up my half freezer quick-time.