Healthy Freezer MealsPOPSUGAR Food Recipes Freezer Meals. FreezerFriendly Meals That Will Make Your Life Easier. Freezer Cooking The Pioneer Woman. Tomorrows Food Network episode is one of my favorites so far, for a couple of reasons. One, it chronicles the last day of a week of freezer cooking cooking and freezing meals and ingredients for laterand I happen to love freezer cooking. Two, it chronicles an epic supermarket trip my boys and I took, and they really made me laugh that day. They were nutso. Therell be recipes and ideas on the show, but I thought Id list some of my favorite freezer friendly recipes for you, as well as give little freezer tips here and there. This is by no means comprehensiveI could go on all dayMY APPROACHFirst, my overall approach to freezer cooking Generally speaking, I do a mix of one dish mealsthings like casseroles, soups, stews, and chilisbut I also like to prepare ingredients up to a certain stage and freeze them so I can grab them and start cooking some of my favorite meals. One of the things that some folks dont love about freezer cooking is that there are sooooo many casseroles, which can get to be a little old after awhilebut if I have a bunch of individual ingredients prepped and ready to go, not everything has to wind up being in casserole form. Ill give you some examples in a minute. Also note When you have a freezer full of food, you can then fill your fridge with salad greens, spinach, and other veggies so you can make a big, healthy salad on the side. Perfect MY CONTAINERSWhen I do freezer cooking, I almost never freeze things in nice baking dishes or Pyrex pansprimarily because I dont want to tie them up for such a long time. Im an ardent fan of foil baking pans of various sizes You can buy them in bulk at warehouse clubs, and in most cases you can wash and reuse them a time or twoor, if youre not in the mood to wash anything, you can just toss them once the food is gone. Plastic freezer bags of various sizes are another favorite freezer vessel of mine, and my general approach is filling the bag, then totally flattening it as I seal it. So whether its taco meat or soup, they freeze flat and allows me to stack them as high as theyll go. This is much better than filling em in an upright position, which makes em more bulky. I also love these food storage containers for stews, soups, sauces, etc. Good Freezer Meals To Make' title='Good Freezer Meals To Make' />Freeze and Reheat 10 Makeahead Meals. Whip up these easy makeahead freezer meal recipes now during your pregnancy and save time later once baby arrives. Whip up any of these healthy freezer meals today. Chicken Penne Casserole with Corn and Zucchini RecipeThis is a healthy casserole recipe that will always be good. They are totally handy and can easily be reused. More rarely, Ill whip out my trusty vacuum sealerbut sometimes it can be a pain. I usually just use it when want to cut up a large piece of meat into smaller steaks or freeze pieces of raw chicken. Usually, Ziplocs are good enough for me. LABELING Labeling is very important from two angles First, its always a good idea to know how many centuries ago something was cooked. Second, in the case of foil covered pans or storage containers, you generally cant see clearly whats inside. Labeling keeps you from having to break the seal and peel the foil back or open a container. When the work week gets crazy, meals made in advance are a real life saver Use our freezing and thawing guide to keep your premade foods tasting fresh. Freezer meals are super handy whether youre looking for convenience, trying to eat healthy, or planning ahead. Here are our favorite main dishes you can freeze for. Instead of braving the supermarket crowds, try shopping for dinner in your freezer with these makeahead meals. Batch cooking recipes. Recipes. Pack your freezer full of homemade midweek meals. Share Facebook Pinterest. Were all about good recipes. Freezer Meals for People With Zero Time During the Week Just because the freezer aisle at the grocery store is full of heavily processed foods doesnt mean your. Explore Erica Goss is the Happy Hermits board Freezer Meals on Pinterest. See more ideas about Freezer cooking, Freezer recipes and Freezer meals. A Sharpie is my favorite tool, as it writes as clearly on foil as it does on plastic. One helpful thing you can do is to write, along with what the dish is and the date, bakingwarming instructions on each package, i. Of course, youll need to add the thawing time to that or adjust the baking time accordingly. FREEZER FRIENDLY INGREDIENTSWhile I have a zillion one dish recipes casseroles, etc. I love to cook and freeze, one of my favorite freezer cooking tricks is making ready to go ingredients in bulk. Here are some things I doand why Grilled chicken breasts. I love grilling up a whole bunch of marinated chicken breasts, then freezing them whole in packages of 2 or 4. I dont want to put a whole bunch in one large bag because then Id have to open and close it, which would affect the quality over time. If you have frozen grilled chicken breasts, you can thaw them out and Slice them and put them on top of a Caesar SaladDice them and put them on top of a Cobb Salad or Chefs SaladChop them, quickly saute in a little oil and taco seasoning, and put them on tacos or inside quesadillas. Dice them and stir them into Tortilla Soup. Leave them whole and put them inside panini. Shred them and put them in chilis, soups, or pastas. Or cut em in half, melt cheese on top, throw on some bacon, and make these sliders Thats a whole lot of dinner options right there, and you dont have to worry about stocking your fridge with raw chicken all the time its cooked up, all ready to goYou just have to remember to remove it from the freeze and thaw it out. Browned Hamburger. Oh, the possibilities. I freeze it in smaller bags and larger bags so Ill have the right quantity for what I need. Here are the worlds that are opened up Tacos. Throw it into a skillet with tomato sauce and taco seasoning and heat it up real quick, and you can have regular tacos, taco salads, nachos, even Taco Pizza with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes on top The recipe I linked to doesnt have meat on it, but youd just put it on top of the cheese layer. Make a quick Spaghetti SauceMake chili and sloppy joes see below Uncooked hamburger patties. Spinach Cakes here. Flash freeze them on a sheet pan for 3. I love just forming a slew of patties all at once, then not having to worry about it. All the better to make Patty Melts with, my dear BREADS AND BREAKFASTS Pie Crust. Formed into disks and stored in ziplocs. To use, just remove, let thaw for 3. Pizza Dough. Unrisen, stored in ziplocs. Muffins of all varieties I love these muffins from my mom Sweet rolls of all shapes and sizes. These Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are divine, and you can freeze them, unrisen and unabakedthen thaw and bake them later. Or you can freeze them all ready to go and warm them when youre ready. Baked French Toast. I make full batches, and freeze them in smaller foil containers either round or square before the baking stage. Then I just pop em in the oven straight from the freezer. Yummy breakfastYou can also do a savory version using crumbled sausage, onion, cheese, etc. Cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage for things like these breakfast burritos. SOUPS, STEWS, AND SAUCESFreeze these flattened in Ziploc bags, or in storage containers. Then just thaw them out and heat them up Spaghetti Sauce. Fabulous Sunday Night Stew. I swear, it gets better the longer it freezes. Sloppy Joes. Crowd pleasing Thick, hearty Chili, of course Serve it on its own piled high with onions, cheese, and cilantroor make Frito pies, pile it on baked potatoesor on nachos. Yum. CASSEROLESEither thaw them completely before baking, or bake, covered in foil, at a lower temperature for 3. Lasagna, of course. Chicken Spaghettinaturally. Chicken Pot Pie. I make this on the show tomorrow. I love using these round foil cake pans for pot pie. The perfect size Sour Cream Noodle Bake. Luscious and ooey gooey. Turkey Tetrazzini. Feeds a crowd. OTHER STUFF Then theres other stuff, like Hot Ham Roast Beef Sandwiches. Make a ton, then just toss em in the oven as you need em. And Calzones Flash freeze them after you assemble them but before baking them. Then just bake them straight from the freezer when you need them and serve with marinara sauce. Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork makes a ton and can be frozen in smaller batches to serve as is, or as a topping for tacos, nachos, etc Or for sandwiches like this. Ill stop thereI dont want to overload you Hope this gives you some great ideas for the fall when school starts. And remember to serve big salads with all this stuff load it with raw veggies so you have a nice balance. Hope you love the show tomorrow, guys. Ill post more freezer ideas in the coming weeks Love,P Widdle Diddle. Make Ahead Meals A Real Time Saver. When the work week gets a little crazy, meals made in advance are a real life saver Save It for Later. Making meals in advance can be as simple as doubling a casserole recipe or tossing an extra meatloaf into the oven. Before You Freeze. Before freezing hot food, its important to let it cool down. Heat will raise the temperature of the freezer and the food will not freeze uniformly. The outer edges of the hot dish will freeze hard quickly while the inside might not cool in time to prevent spoilage. There are just a few things to keep in mind Cool precooked dishes as quickly as possible before they are placed in the freezer. For fastest cooling, place the pan of hot food in a sink filled with ice water or in a larger pan of ice water. If youre cooling a soup, stew, or sauce, stir occasionally to help it cool evenly. Once the dish is cooled, portion it into meal sized containers or packages. Label and date the containers. Place them in a single layer in the coldest area of your freezer until completely frozen. Rearrange as necessary. Tips for Freezing Foods. Poorly wrapped foods run the risk of developing freezer burn and unpleasant odors from other foods in the freezer. Follow these simple wrapping and container tips to ensure the quality and safety of your food Use only specialty freezer wrappings they should be both moisture proof and vapor proof. Leave as little air as possible in the packages and containers. When freezing liquids in containers, allow a small amount of head room for expansion. When using freezer bags, be sure to remove as much air as possible before closing. Wrap solids foods like meats and baked goods tightly in foil before you bag them. Use rigid containers with an air tight lid and keep the sealing edge free from moisture or food to ensure proper closure. Secure wrapped packages and containers with freezer tape, and write the dish and the date on the tape with a marker. In many cases, meats and fish wrapped by the grocer or butcher need no extra attention before freezing. However, meat wrapped on Styrofoam trays with plastic wrap will not hold up well to freezing. If the food you want to freeze was not specially wrapped, then re wrap them at home. Freeze in small containers with no more than a 1 quart capacity to ensure that freezing takes place in a timely manner i. Food that is two inches thick will take about two hours to freeze completely. Thawing Frozen Foods. With the exception of muffins, breads, and other baked goods, do not thaw foods at room temperature. Bacteria can grow in the thawed portion of prepared foods, releasing toxins that are unsafe to eat even after cooking. To ensure that your food is safe to eat, follow one of these proper ways to thaw In the refrigerator This is the slowest but safest thawing technique. Small frozen items might thaw in a few hours, while larger items will take significantly longerovernight and then some. In cold water Place the frozen food in a leak proof bag and place in a large container of cold water. In a microwave on the defrost setting Plan to cook the food immediately after it has thawed in a microwave, because some areas of the food might have begun cooking during the defrost cycle. Best if Used By Although freezing keeps food safe for an indefinite amount of time, eventually the flavor will be affected. If the food is obviously damaged shriveled, with white or frosty spots it should be discarded. This chart lists recommended storage times for popular precooked foodscasseroles, soups, lasagnato ensure high quality results Type of Food. Tomatovegetable sauces 6 months. Meatloaf any type of meat 6 months. Soups and stews 2 3 months. Poultry and Meat Casseroles 6 months. Poultry cooked, no gravy 3 months. Poultry with gravysauce 5 6 months. Meatballs in sauce 6 months. Pizza dough raw, homemade 3 4 weeks. Muffinsquick breads baked 2 3 months. Dont Crowd the Freezer. A temperature of 0 degrees F 1. C is best for maintaining food quality. Proper air circulation is key to keeping your freezer operating at maximum efficiency. Freezing does not kill bacteria, yeast, and molds that might be in your foodsit merely holds them at bay by keeping them inactive. If the freezers temperature is disturbed often or altered for an extended period of time such as a door left ajar or power outages these microbes can compromise your foods safety.