Favourite freezer/frozen meals.

[Mrs-M]

Float On suggested this thread in another forum yesterday, and what a great idea it was! P.S. My apologies Float On for taking so long to start it. I just can't seem to get it together, i.e. the whole school thing. I haven't stopped scrambling since Tuesday.

Anyhow, what are your favourite frozen freezer meals? Here is a short list of mine.

Cabbage rolls. (#1)!
Cabbage hash.
My very own homemade hamburger helper recipe.

[Float On]

*meatloaf
*manicotti
*layer cakes (I love frozen cake - lots of layers with a raspberry or coconut filling)
*meatballs
*personal size pizzas
*chicken strips that I make
*chili (red beef and white chicken)
*lasagna
*shredded beef
*shredded chicken

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Float On.
layer cakes (I love frozen cake - lots of layers with a raspberry or coconut filling)You just had to mention that didn't you! :laff: I'm craving something sweet and delicious right now, so bad!!!

[Mrs. Hermit]

Meatballs, taco beans and meat, beef or venison stew, bean soup, hummus, beef and veggie soup, pasties, chili. We reheat the meatballs for meatball subs, pita sandwiches, or to put with a sauce over rice. Makes a quickie dinner the kids can grab for themselves.

[Float On]

I never thought about freezing hummus Mrs. Hermit. That would be so nice to have several varieties frozen to pull out for quick snacks. I think I'll add that to a weekend prep list - Thanks.
I should probably do up a bunch of cookie dough. Cookies never last very long between 2 sons and 1 husband.

[Marianne]

Chicken and noodle soup, all kinds of soup except potato (doesn't come out too good after it's thawed). Taco meat, leftover lasagna, breads, mexican cornbread...I'm kind of a carb addict and most freeze really well! Pretty much anything and everything. Except hummus. I hate that stuff, and after my oldest son made some really strong garlic hummus, it was banned from the house.

I mix up batches of dry cake mix, self rising flour, baking mix, etc and keep them in the freezer as long as I have room.

[puglogic]

Anyhow, what are your favourite frozen freezer meals? Here is a short list of mine.

Cabbage rolls. (#1)!
Cabbage hash.
My very own homemade hamburger helper recipe.


Mrs M, how do you make your cabbage hash? That sounds wonderful.

[Mrs-M]

Oh you guys, so delicious your choices are!

Puglogic. Oh, it is wonderful (yummy/delicious), and it's so easy, although it does take a while to prepare.

Add ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal (I like using all three, as the flavour is so divine) to a large stock pot, add freshly ground black pepper, seasoning salt, and brown. Add in finely diced celery, onions, and fresh garlic. (If you're like me, lots of garlic)! And (to taste), Worcestershire sauce. The trick to cooking the cabbage (in this recipe), is to remove the meat and vegetable mixture early, so there's still lots of juices (flavour) in the pot. Slice cabbage thinly and add to pot. (Sometimes I'll add a little real butter to the pot to provide a little extra moisture and flavour to the cabbage while cooking). P.S. Don't try and cook the cabbage too fast. Slow and steady is the name of the game here. Once prepared, combine meat and cabbage mixture together and set off to the side.

Now the sauce. Fresh is always best/better. (For this recipe I use nothing but my very own homemade tomato garlic sauce recipe). Whole canned tomatoes (lightly blended with my stick-blender), fresh garlic, and olive oil. Add olive oil to pot along with diced/sliced garlic. Bring to medium temp and allow garlic to lightly brown (lightly), then add in tomatoes. Bring to slow boil and remove from heat. (For additional flavour you can add a couple of bay leaves to the sauce). Combine with meat/veggie mixture, Bon Appétit!

[Rosemary]

If I bake something, I usually freeze most of it, so that there is no need to eat it quickly. I do the same thing when I make DD's favorite buckwheat-almond pancakes - the recipe makes a large batch, which freezes very well, so she can have pancakes any morning of the week.

But generally, I tend to freeze ingredients more than meals, with the exception of leftovers (soup, chili, lasagna, stew, frittata... they all freeze well). Such as:
- poached chicken for using on salads or in other dishes
- shredded chicken or turkey for adding to taco/burrito filling
- lightly steamed kale or green beans from the farmers' market, to use all winter long
- ginger root, minced and pureed with water in the blender, frozen in an ice cube tray, for great flavor
- turkey "sausage" (made from ground turkey and herbs), cooked in patties
- turkey meatballs
- cooked legumes

[Mrs-M]

Great list Rosemary! Excellent idea on freezing ingredients rather than full/complete meals. Love that idea!

[Bastelmutti]

I have also mostly frozen things like cooked dried beans (use for a meal and then freeze the rest) and blueberries we picked over the summer or some vegetable or fruit that's about to go bad (brown bananas for smoothies). I have also frozen chili because I usually make a huge pot at once. Oh, and homemade veg or chicken broth.

PS Cabbage hash sounds good! I saw a recipe on the Internet I wanted to try that was cabbage baked with cream. Sounded really yummy - for cabbage lovers.

[kally]

ristorante pizza for 2 grownups.

[Wildflower]

I often makes big batches of Italian style meatballs and then freeze. Always so easy to heat up in my slow cooker with spaghetti sauce, and then later add cooked pasta when ready to eat. Quick and filling dinner on a cold winter evening, DH's favorite, along with garlic bread.

[cdttmm]

Corn Chowder
Vegetarian Chili
Winter Soup
Zucchini and Split Pea Soup
Mushroom Soup
Tomato Soup

We really like soup at our house. :)

[domestic goddess]

Excellent ideas here! I like to have frozen ingredients ready, too, as I can then put together a meal nearly as quickly as I can reheat a casserole, though I like to have a couple of those for the occasional impossible evening. But we have only the top of the fridge, and dd keeps it filled with ice cream treats for the girls. I think there are altogether too many treats eaten around here, and not enough "real food".Not always my decision, though. I think frozen ingredients will take up less room in the freezer, so plan to start doing more of that. Thanks for the ideas, and keep them coming!

[catherine]

I got really worried a few years back when I thought Stouffer's had discontinued its Welsh Rarebit--I couldn't find it in several supermarkets. But, not to worry! Welsh Rarebit is alive and well! Mmmm! It's so great on toasted English muffin with bacon (for those who eat bacon) or tomato (for those that don't) with a side of asparagus.

[Mrs-M]

Love all the additional favourites!!!

[domestic goddess]

Tomorrow I plan to make some cookie dough, and freeze the dough in balls for baking later. Maybe make some spaghetti sauce, too. There isn't really much room in the freezer, but these things needn't take up a lot of room, and you have to start somewhere. Every little bit will help, I guess, so I will just jump in.

[Mrs-M]

Love the sounds of your idea DG!!! Cooking/preparing multiple things is my very favourite, as it makes the house smell delectable!

[Stella]

Wow! There are some great ideas here! I think I'm going to print this thread and put it on my bulletin board.

[Mrs-M]

Stella. Love the sounds of your bulletin board idea! Please tell me more.