My freezer meals process
Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:33 am
Several people asked when I posted my thread about the freezer meals I make before school starts, so I thought I would share my process:
1st: Make a list of recipes divided into categories of Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, etc. I only freeze main dishes, because side dishes are pretty easy to throw together and my freezer will only hold so much.
2nd: Figure out grocery shopping list, taking stock of what's in the cupboard already. I usually buy fresh meats, though, since they will be getting frozen. The only exception is I buy frozen chicken breasts. Don't forget to include quart or gallon freezer bags. Quarts work for 2 people, gallons for families.
3rd: Plan a day (at least 4 hours) for preparing the meals.
4th: Start by browning the ground beef (I have an electric skillet. If you do it in a pan on the stove, you might have to split it up into 1/2 or quarters) and boiling (for 30 minutes) enough chicken breasts for the meals where you will use cooked chicken (figure 1 per person, unless you have little ones and they can probably each count as a 1/2). For example, I marinate raw chicken and freeze it for fajitas. I don't cook it until I thaw it for dinner.
5th: Label your bags with the date, the meal, and any specific instructions such as "thaw before cooking." Some things don't have to be thawed and others do, so they can mix with the rest of the ingredients.
6th: After beef is browned, drain it, and rinse it off in a colander! This is healthier, plus it freezes better without the extra fat. Begin portioning out the beef into the bags, using a 1 cup measuring cup. I generally have 1 cup per person in most recipes. If you are going to mix the beef with other ingredients before freezing, then mix them up in a bowl and pour into the bags. I personally find it easier to just freeze the ground beef separately and then mix it with the other ingredients when I am fixing dinner.
7th: Put cooled chicken breasts into the food processor or I suppose a blender would work to grind them. Then, place them in bags just like the beef. Save a couple chicken breast to cut up for casseroles, or recipes calling for cubed, cooked chicken, or shred them with forks for shredded chicken recipes.
8th: Put together any casseroles, lasagna, etc. Line your baking dish with foil, covering the sides, and fill it with the recipe. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. The next day, you can lift the frozen casserole out of the dish, wrap in foil and then in plastic wrap and label it. When it comes time for dinner, unwrap, pop it into the same dish and bake. This helps them stack well and you don't have your dish tied up in the freezer when you want it for something else.
9th: Thaw frozen chicken and cut up and marinate any chicken you need for recipes calling for marinated chicken. After about 30 minutes, bag these, as well.
10th: Make a menu for the month, using all the recipes you have, so you will know what extra ingredients to get at the grocery each week, and you will instantly know "What's for dinner?!"
Helpful hints:
Making freezer meals is all about getting out the air. If you have a vacuum packer machine, use it! If not, use a drinking straw and insert it into the corner of the mostly zipped bag and suck out the air, pulling the straw and finishing zipping quickly at the end.
Lay your freezer bags on a cookie sheet to help transfer them to the freezer and stack them flat. Makes it very easy to fit them in the space.
You might want to label the recipe book and page number on the bag for ease of finding it later.
When I make my menu, I alternate freezer meals and crockpot meals, because it stretches them further and provides variety. Sometimes, I switch the menu around, and if I don't make what I wrote down, I circle it, so I know I can plug it in later.
Why you want to do all this work:
Saves money, you can buy stuff on special and prepare it, so none is wasted.
Only have to wash your pans once.
Saves time each night when it is time to cook dinner.
Helps you shop efficiently, too.
You will eat healthier (less trips to fast food joints because you are busy).
1st: Make a list of recipes divided into categories of Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, etc. I only freeze main dishes, because side dishes are pretty easy to throw together and my freezer will only hold so much.
2nd: Figure out grocery shopping list, taking stock of what's in the cupboard already. I usually buy fresh meats, though, since they will be getting frozen. The only exception is I buy frozen chicken breasts. Don't forget to include quart or gallon freezer bags. Quarts work for 2 people, gallons for families.
3rd: Plan a day (at least 4 hours) for preparing the meals.
4th: Start by browning the ground beef (I have an electric skillet. If you do it in a pan on the stove, you might have to split it up into 1/2 or quarters) and boiling (for 30 minutes) enough chicken breasts for the meals where you will use cooked chicken (figure 1 per person, unless you have little ones and they can probably each count as a 1/2). For example, I marinate raw chicken and freeze it for fajitas. I don't cook it until I thaw it for dinner.
5th: Label your bags with the date, the meal, and any specific instructions such as "thaw before cooking." Some things don't have to be thawed and others do, so they can mix with the rest of the ingredients.
6th: After beef is browned, drain it, and rinse it off in a colander! This is healthier, plus it freezes better without the extra fat. Begin portioning out the beef into the bags, using a 1 cup measuring cup. I generally have 1 cup per person in most recipes. If you are going to mix the beef with other ingredients before freezing, then mix them up in a bowl and pour into the bags. I personally find it easier to just freeze the ground beef separately and then mix it with the other ingredients when I am fixing dinner.
7th: Put cooled chicken breasts into the food processor or I suppose a blender would work to grind them. Then, place them in bags just like the beef. Save a couple chicken breast to cut up for casseroles, or recipes calling for cubed, cooked chicken, or shred them with forks for shredded chicken recipes.
8th: Put together any casseroles, lasagna, etc. Line your baking dish with foil, covering the sides, and fill it with the recipe. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. The next day, you can lift the frozen casserole out of the dish, wrap in foil and then in plastic wrap and label it. When it comes time for dinner, unwrap, pop it into the same dish and bake. This helps them stack well and you don't have your dish tied up in the freezer when you want it for something else.
9th: Thaw frozen chicken and cut up and marinate any chicken you need for recipes calling for marinated chicken. After about 30 minutes, bag these, as well.
10th: Make a menu for the month, using all the recipes you have, so you will know what extra ingredients to get at the grocery each week, and you will instantly know "What's for dinner?!"
Helpful hints:
Making freezer meals is all about getting out the air. If you have a vacuum packer machine, use it! If not, use a drinking straw and insert it into the corner of the mostly zipped bag and suck out the air, pulling the straw and finishing zipping quickly at the end.
Lay your freezer bags on a cookie sheet to help transfer them to the freezer and stack them flat. Makes it very easy to fit them in the space.
You might want to label the recipe book and page number on the bag for ease of finding it later.
When I make my menu, I alternate freezer meals and crockpot meals, because it stretches them further and provides variety. Sometimes, I switch the menu around, and if I don't make what I wrote down, I circle it, so I know I can plug it in later.
Why you want to do all this work:
Saves money, you can buy stuff on special and prepare it, so none is wasted.
Only have to wash your pans once.
Saves time each night when it is time to cook dinner.
Helps you shop efficiently, too.
You will eat healthier (less trips to fast food joints because you are busy).
