Freezer meal people

[glitzy07]

I'm doing a big grocery shop this afternoon using an extra discount card that will give me 25% off of my total bill. In the next couple weeks I'm hoping to make at least a few freezer meals in anticipation of baby.

I already have stuff for...

2 batches of chili
1 batch of salsa chicken
Pancakes/waffles

What are some other easy meals that I can throw together, or even just easy freezer basics?

I'm going to buy 10 lbs of ground beef today, four of which will go in the chili. Does browned beef freeze well if I just brown all of it and separate out to save that step later?

How about easy breakfast items?

[glitzy07]

@tokenhoser Stupid question - if you brown a bunch of beef at once and separate it out, do you just guestimate/eyeball on the quantities? As in, if you start out with 3lbs do you just sort of split the finished product into thirds and assume it's close enough to a pound when you freeze?

[Deleted]

Yes, close enough is good enough. It weighs less cooked than raw.

[cincodemayo]

I liked having muffins frozen on maternity leave. I think I made banana and pumpkin muffins. Enchiladas are good frozen in a pan!

[ladygrey]

I love having breakfast stuff in the freezer, especially muffins (banana nut, pumpkin, and blueberry are favorites).

Also these breakfast sandwiches are great: damndelicious.net/2014/09/20/freezer-breakfast-sandwiches/?m

[h]

I did enchiladas, stuffed shells, lasagna roll ups, Indian butter chicken (freeze without the cream then add it in when you cook it), baked potato soup, and chicken tortilla soup, and then froze cooked shredded chicken breast and homemade marinara and pesto.

Also, when DS2 was born, someone brought us two frozen pans of these sandwiches, and they were awesome. You slice a whole aluminum pan of frozen dinner rolls length-wise and layer with ham (or turkey or both) and cheese, then top with a buttery sauce and re-freeze. Then you can cut off a few at a time and heat them in the oven, and you have yummy, melty little sandwiches for an easy lunch or dinner:

kitchen-ette.blogspot.com/2011/03/ham-swiss-party-sandwiches.html?m=1

[humpforfree]

I did enchiladas, lasagana (x2), stuffed shells, Mac & cheese, a pork tenderloin that I shredded and kept in a few bags for bbq sandwiches/burritos/taco bowls, quiches...

[swest]

I just did chicken pot pie. What about some stocks for soup? I love homemade soup especially this time of year.

[CloudBee]

Lately I've been buying boneless chicken breasts in bulk, and marinating them in 1 lb portions in ziplock bags. Raw. I freeze them flat so I can soften them (not fully thaw) under hot water for a minute, before "breaking" the frozen marinated chicken and tossing it into a baking dish.

I then place it into the oven at 350 for about an hour. Usually a little longer. I cover with foil or a glass cover.

Marinades I've done recently and have been a hit:

- Thai chili sauce with garlic and soy (served over brown rice with broccoli)
- buffalo sauce (served over white rice with a green veg)
- Italian chicken served with rice or noodles and a veg
- teriyaki chicken served with rice (usually purple) and a veg
- tikka masala sersved with white rice, naan, and peas
- bbq chicken served over rice with a veg

[6fsn]

I like to make a loaf of bread into French toast and out it back in the bag frozen. Pop in the toaster.

I tend to make parts of casseroles instead of tying up my freezer with the whole thing.
Cook a whole chicken and shred. Use the carcass to make broth. You can use the chicken in a casserole or with the broth to make soup.
I also like to make cheese sauce and freeze it. Cook a box of pasta, dump in the cheese chicken and frozen broccoli/peas/carrots whatever you have.

[mlt]

Taco meat is one we do a lot. Easy to make quick tacos during the week.

[nextbigthing]

I make soups, chili, and I do ground beef and chicken and freeze cooked. I use quart size zip lock to freeze in.