Making your own frozen sandwiches and treats

**themartins903** · 05-26-2007, 04:52 PM

While I was at Wal-Mart today I passed by the frozen section of pizzas, pockets, taquitos, etc and they are just so expensive! I thought to myself, there has GOT to be a cheaper and more nutritional way to make my own.

Pillsbury makes their own crescent stuff, etc but going out on a limb here... is there a dough that I can make, stuff the pocket, cook and freeze?

I'm new to the frugal thing and I am really in the "baby learning stages". Have you made your own things like that?

We live in an apt and our freezer doesn't hold much; but I am thinking about purchasing a used small freezer and "IF" it ends up being more economical to make/bake/freeze these, it's well worth it.

Also, have any freezing ideas on vegetables? I find that when I buy canned vegetables I'm not really getting the full product. Even though frozen is better and it "IS" a little more expensive... what about freezing my own vegetables from the produce section. Can that be done?

Thank you for all of your input/suggestions.

I'm a virgin at this stuff so be patient with me

Melissa

**Radish4ever** · 05-26-2007, 07:12 PM

Yes, yes, yes! You can make and freeze ALL of that - I HIGHLY reccomend the Budget Cooking/OAMC forum on www.recipezaar.com - There are wonderful ideas there!!

What veggies and meal items were you hoping to make and freeze? I can dig up some recipes/directions for you!

**themartins903** · 05-27-2007, 09:05 AM

Hey, that site really helped me answer my questions.

I am looking to make/bake/freeze small portion meals since the twins are gone for the summer and my husband and I can eat when I get home from work and spend the rest of the day outside, etc.

Can you freeze fruit????

**pita1213** · 05-27-2007, 02:07 PM

you can freeze fruit. something will freeze better than others, though i have only frozen strawberries and blueberries. anything you see in teh freezer section of the store, you can freeze yourself. somethings you will need to flash freeze, then put in freezer bags or containers.

**momto6** · 05-28-2007, 09:39 AM

Check out any websites that do oamc and they have great ideas. I'm sure the one on this website does too! I make frozen pizzas every month and I use the homemade pizza dough to make frozen pizza pockets too. I have made frozen egg and sausage muffins and they are a great hit. I can get the english muffins at my bread thrift store for .50 a package sometimes and I can make those up for pretty cheap. Burrito shells freeze great so you can make regular burritos and breakfast burritos ahead for the freezer. I usually go thru the frozen section at the store and whatever they are selling as conveince foods I make my own!!!
Amy

**themartins903** · 05-28-2007, 09:45 AM

Thank you for the bread thrift idea... never really thought of that (english muffins).

**zakity** · 05-28-2007, 12:54 PM

We have used pizza dough to make calzones and homemade "hot pockets" (using some leftover chicken stew). The kids loved them!!

**Little Birdie** · 05-29-2007, 02:48 PM

Vegetables:
I stock up on frozen veggies when they are on sale. I think they taste better and are more nutritious than canned--and with the can being full of water, I'm not sure canned is a better price. You can freeze the veggies from the produce section, but I have never found fresh veggies cheaper than frozen.

But if you come across a good loss leader, a deal from the farmer's market, or bounty from your garden, the one thing to remember is blanching. In order to have tender delicious veggies when you take them out of the freezer, briefly cook them first. Trim and cut them, then add them to boiling water (do a little at a time so the water stays boiling). Boil them just long enough that they tender and firm. Immediately plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain and transfer to freezer bags or containers.

Frozen grab-n-go meals:
My favorite is frozen breakfast burritos. When eggs and ham go on sale, I set up an assembly line... I dice and fry the ham, maybe some onions. I add eggs and scramble. I slice cheddar and/or montery jack super thin. I microwave a stack of tortillas so they are flexible. I get out the salt and pepper. Then I scoop the eggs and ham into the center of the tortilla, add salt/pepper and cheese, and roll it up. I wrap it in a square of freezer or parchment paper (just to keep it from freezing to it's neighbor) and stick it in a gallon size freezer bag. Repeat. Then just take one or more out and heat in the microwave for a quick meal.

I'm going to check out the suggestions on this thread for more ideas! The thing I miss most from my non-frugal lifestyle might just be having a freezer full of convenience food.

**Radish4ever** · 05-29-2007, 03:08 PM

Fruits do freeze well! We like to eat frozen fruits - cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes

I like them still-frozen, myself! yumm!
I've also frozen strawberries and blueberries with no problems

oooh and bananas! Just peel before popping in the freezer

**she who can not cook** · 05-29-2007, 03:22 PM

I have been using a pizza dough recipe for making calzones and ham and cheese pockets and when i dont fancy a sandwich for work i take them (we have a microwave at work) i pick up somewhere on the net about freezing sandwiches as well also pizzas (home made ) TASTE NICE once cooked and frozen imo

**joyofsix** · 05-29-2007, 03:31 PM

I love having a freezer. I make 'hot pockets' with bread dough. I also make ham and cheese biscuits (Ham and cheese in the biscuit dough), frozen breakfast burritos and muffins. In a hectic summer having something quick can mean the difference between eating out or in. There are lots of sites on OAMC with ideas, the same goes for freezing fruits and veg, you just need some basic instructions. I have also made frozen ice cream sandwiches and pudding pops. If you have kids this can be a big savings too.

**Raven** · 05-31-2007, 09:13 PM

A great way to make up hot pocket like sandwiches is with a sandwich maker like this.

Edit* Oops it won't let me post a link, just do a search for 'sandwich maker' and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I always see them on sale as well as second hand. I got mine from a thrift store for a couple of bucks. (which has paid for itself many times over!) It's one of the best things I ever bought! You use regular bread add cheese and what ever fillings you want and toast them up. It takes only a few minutes to toast and they cook two sandwiches at a time. I usually make up a bunch and freeze them. You can even cook omelets among either things with it! When my nephews come over they like them better than Hot Pockets because they can decide what ingredients they want in theirs.

**themartins903** · 05-31-2007, 11:34 PM

Ohhhhhhhhhhh I remember those things on the infomercials. That lady made all kinds of stuff with those sandwich makers. It forms like triangle sandwiches. I forgot about that!!! Thank you hon for posting that.

Googling sandwich maker now!!

**peanut** · 06-01-2007, 03:54 PM

I freeze fruit too. I freeze peeled, pitted mangos for mango lassi. And I peel bananas, brush with lemon juice, freeze on a tray and bag to use for smoothies. I also freeze homemade apple pie/crisp filling, and blueberry juice. Then there's rhubarb, which is free around here. And saskatoons. Yep, it can all be frozen, depending what you're planning on using it for.

**mikandmari** · 06-03-2007, 02:57 PM

My family loves those convenience pies... like Hostess & Tastykake. They are sooo expensive, and full of preservatives & trans fats. So I made some pie crusts, and pie filling (extra thick so it isn't messy) and folded over little pies shaped like the one Hostess makes. They were easy cheap and froze well, and tasted better than the packaged ones. I was one cool mom that week