Freezer Friendly Meals

[sweetsinger912]

So, my schedule is crazier than usual (leaving the house at 7am and getting home at about 11 pm) so I'm looking to do some freeze ahead meals for hubby to take care of. He did well with making meatloaf this week....granted, I put together the meat mixture and all he had to do was add cheese and bake....but that was a milestone so I'm proud of him. This weekend I'm making giant batches of Chicken Noodle soup and Chili...and making the inside part of shepherd's pie (have heard mashed pots don't freeze well). While I'm trying to cook ahead, does anyone have any favorite make-ahead freezer friendly meals? Has to be really easy to re-heat/bake as my hubby has set the oven on fire by forgetting to take the plastic wrap off of frozen pizza.....more than once.....

[MaryCarney]

How about sloppy joes? Freeze in ziplocks.
I also will buy a whole pork loin on sale, crock pot all day, then shred and add BBQ sauce - freeze portions in ziplocks.
Pasta sauce (I'm assuming he can boil water )

[sunshine]

Par bake pizza crust, add toppings and freeze - then just take out an bake.

Spaghetti, lasagna both freeze well.

Chicken and noodles (don't over cook the noodles to start)

[Brat]

Oven fry a bunch of chicken and quick freeze. After frozen put in plastic bage and you can warm up as many pieces as you need per meal..

[TigerGirl1226]

Assemble a lasagna and freeze. He can just bake it.

[Contrary Housewife]

Things like kielbasa and ham steaks are also easy. They thaw quickly and only need to be warmed a few minutes before serving. Add a frozen vegetable and some rice or noodles from a box and you have dinner in about 20 minutes.

[sunshine]

If you have George Foreman type grill, you can make up various meats in marinades, and freeze. Then he just defrosts, cooks on the grill

[mndtrp]

Burritos freeze well.
Taco meat.
Sloppy Joes.
Fajitas and Stir Frys are good, but lose any crispness.
Enchiladas.
Lasagnas.

If you have a rice cooker/steamer, you could cook up some chicken, dice and then freeze with some vegetables. Put the frozen chicken/veggies on the steamer tray, and then make the rice as normal below.

[Paws]

Here's a few things I do to simplify dinner on those days when it's -really- needed:

When I decide to have Chicken Tetrazzini, I make several. One to cook for that evening's dinner, and 2 - 3 to freeze. Before baking, mix everything together in a large bowl, and divide it out between the baking dish you're gonna use and the freezer bags you're gonna freeze your future dinners in. TIP: Only halfway cook the noodles.

I do the same thing for my Country casseroles and Chicken pot pie fillings. TIP: Country casserole-cook the shell pasta and frozen mixed veggies together - (halfway done), and drain together.

Today we had chicken and dressing...so I mixed up everything and divided it between the baking dish, and a freezer bag...So now, I've got another fantastic dinner without all the mess and hassle...

Soups usually freeze very well, although the potatoes can sometimes become a little mushy.

Make a huge pot of chili and enjoy it for a night's dinner. Use some of the left overs to make Cincinnati style chili, then use it another night for chili mac. Freeze the remaining for another night's easy dinner.

Meatloaves freeze well also. Enjoy it for dinner and either slice it up or freeze it whole for another night.

Lasagna has already been mentioned, but it a great freezer meal! So is Ziti, with meat or without.

Casseroles... stuffed peppers...hamburger steaks...salisbury steaks...Just make sure to label, date and include directions on all dishes.

Another versatile option...cook up several pounds of burger meat, with or without onion, s and p, and/or garlic...drain then divide into freezer bags.

[sweetsinger912]

Thank you so much for all of these suggestions. I've tried a few this week. The George Foreman grill was an especially good idea...although he keeps calling it a "baby grill" he's surprisingly successful at cooking on it. Thanks for the help!