[Contrary Housewife]

Apologies if you've seen this blog from last year: A Turtle's Life for Me: Freezer Meals on the Cheap

I'm thinking I really need to do something like this. I'm finding myself less and less enthused with cooking from scratch every... single...night....

No way I'd ever be able to match her meat deals though.

And I wish she had shared more recipes for the marinades.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I would think it would be easy to find freezable marinade recipes.

Thanks for the linky. I need to do some more OAMC meals myself. It was sure nice last night to be able to pull out fried rice for supper without having to actually cook anything, when it got to be supper time and I wasn't enthused about cooking either.

 

[frugalfranny]

I'm thinking I really need to do something like this. I'm finding myself less and less enthused with cooking from scratch every... single...night....

No way I'd ever be able to match her meat deals though.

.

Thanks for the link CH........always like exploring any site that talks about food!!! :laugh:

Although, like you, I seem to be 'in a slump' right now with cooking....nothing sounds good when it comes time to eat----and I don't want to cook..........and mine has been going on for months........think I need to get the crock pot and bread machine out and fire them up.................once I get 'something' in the freezer it usually puts me back on track.

I happened to be looking at her hamburger.........and saw that it was only 4 ounces..........YEOW!!! Fat content, for me, becomes moot when I am paying $4 a lb. for hamburger...............though I could see even my 'cheap stuff' getting there..........would have to move to pork which still seems to be around $2.......for most cuts...............so far............

 

[Hamada]

I usually have some a couple frozen meals in the freezer for those days I do not feel like cooking. Right now I have been chopping up mixed fresh veggies and cooking them. Then eating throughout the week. If I make to much will freeze some. Then I just need to cook up a protein. Also I do not mind eating the same thing the next day. So lots of times I make two servings of meat one day and eat the other serving the next day. Less cooking just reheating for me.

 

[Nadders11]

Ok I need to do this someday...for real. Grocery day in Monday...maybe I'll try to figure out some stuff I can make then. It would make my life sooooo much easier to make meals ahead of time.

 

[pinetree]

Thanks for the link, maybe I can get meals in the freezer for this winter. I am getting tired of cooking all the time.

 

[Spirit Deer]

Nadders, you don't need to do a marathon cooking session. Start out small. For example, last time I made lasagna, I made two batches, then cut one and the leftovers of the other into single serving sizes and packaged them separately for the freezer. It's not much more work to make up two of something like that than one, so it's pretty painless, and then you have a whole meal or more just ready and waiting.

It's easy to double up stuff like chili or soups, too, on days when you're making that meal anyway. Doing it that way, before long you have a a nice variety of stuff without a lot of extra work or mess.

 

[mama2James]

I will be having a baby in late May, so I'd like to do something like this in April or so. It would be so nice to not have to cook much at all when the baby comes, and also to have the food already in the house means less to spend on groceries when our income goes down. I also plan to stock up on non-perishables through the winter using the money from each week's grocery budget, to lessen the burden in the spring. Thanks so much for the link!

 

[Contrary Housewife]

I happened to be looking at her hamburger.........and saw that it was only 4 ounces..........YEOW!!! Fat content, for me, becomes moot when I am paying $4 a lb. for hamburger...............

No, those were 1lb packages for $1. The labels says "serving size 4oz", and there are "4 servings per container", which would make it 16oz, or a full lb.

I've been trawling Pinterest for recipes that look easy... dare I say "casserole"? I can't do it this weekend or next, but maybe sometime in the middle of the week I can thaw some of my ground beef and get it browned and seasoned for later.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Here are links to some of the recipes I found, I have not tried any yet, but they all looked good (and easy)

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich « Baking Bites

Saucy Chicken

The Test Kitchen of Melissa Fallis: Freezer Cooking- Slow Cooker Meals!

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Stew Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans | Real Simple Recipes

Freezer Cooking | Ring Around the Rosies

Winter Minestrone Soup | The Urban Spork

Get Crocked Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana (Copycat) - Get Crocked

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Recipe - Allrecipes.com

 

[Nadders11]

Thanks SD. I have a question, how would you package the lasagna to freeze properly?

I'm gonna try to make more of my meals to freeze. I love that baked potatoe idea on her website.

 

[calimomx2]

Thanks for all these links!

 

[Spirit Deer]

I put a lot of stuff in those square Tupperware containers. Lasagna is one of those things. For some things that don't have a lot of liquid, I might use pint jars. I use stuff like cottage cheese cartons for broths and soups.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

To freeze lasagna the traditional method is to put layers of foil in the bottom of your casserole, make the layers, then freeze it. Pull it out, foil and all and wrap it up well. When you are ready to bake, just plop it into the pan, peel the foil back, and bake.

I've identified a dozen dishes I can prep and freeze. Now I have to work out an ingredient list, a shopping list, and a time table. I'm thinking by the end of the month I'll be ready to start this.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I freeze lasagna in single servings, so that's why I put it in Tupperware. I don't have good luck with foil It seems like it ends up stuck in the food.

I tried using plastic wrap between layers of strata I froze, and that didn't work too well. The plastic wrap didn't want to separate from the frozen food.

 

[savvy_sniper]

I doubt I could ever do OAMC, but I do cook in large quantities and freeze. The other day I made a HUGE crockpot of stew. We ate off of it once, I put a serving for us in the fridge (we will eat for dinner tomorrow) and I froze two servings. I have pretty much been at the point where I cooked in large quantities one day and reheated from the freezer or fridge the next.

I always cook at least double of most things. So there is always something in the fridge or freezer to put together for a quick home cooked meal. I also keep all leftovers in clear containers on one shelf in the fridge and rotate them so that the oldest is in the front and the newest in the back. That way nothing goes to waste.

I am now up to the point where I cook in large quantities every three or four days. I also keep all the ingredients for something quick and easy around in case I don't want to spend a lot of time cooking, don't feel good, etc.

It just takes some planning and forethought. It has freed up some time for me in the evenings. I also enjoy being able to put a good meal on the table with very little effort!

 

[Spirit Deer]

We eat a lot of "planned-overs" too. Very handy.

 

[pop goes the weasel]

I just had lasagna last night that I froze from last month. I used my food sealer. It tasted like fresh and took minutes to heat up

 

[frugalfranny]

No, those were 1lb packages for $1. The labels says "serving size 4oz", and there are "4 servings per container", which would make it 16oz, or a full lb.

I see that now CH..........thanks, my heart fluttered at that price. Didn't look far enough down on the package. DUH!! Now, I, too, can say that I would never find that good of price.......even for hamburger.

That lemon green bean/chicken recipe sounds interesting and I haven't spent much time at that site..........will have to check it out. I DO like 'all recipes' and use if often!

Good luck with getting this done and in your freezer................I should be so organized and disciplined!! Yeah,......right!!

 

[Sophiasmama]

Thanks for the links...stating to get into freezer cooking myself...it really saves time.