I'm on a mission to do more freezer cooking and getting ahead in the kitchen with meal prep by doing things ahead and freezing them.
This week I did this …
My husband made a big pot of okra soup earlier in the week and we had 2 meals out of it with enough left for another meal. Neither one of us wanted to have it again any time soon so, I bagged up and froze the last of it. We serve this dish over rice so all I have to do when we're ready to have it again is cook some rice. (I'm planning to cook up a big pot of rice in the near future and freeze it into meal size portions. When I get that done, all we'll have to do is thaw, heat and eat!)
When hubby made the pot of okra soup, he had to brown ground beef and onions to go in it so he did it in bulk. I packaged up what was left after he made the soup and froze it into meal size portions for future meal preparation. The next time either of us are cooking something that calls for browned ground beef/onions, we'll be ahead in the meal preparation!
What are some ways you get ahead in the kitchen when it comes to meal preparation?
patsi
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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I do the same thing with other meats! Chicken breast, pork loin, beef roast- I cook up in crockpot and then put the cooked meats (can do this with cooked ground beef too) into my kitchenaid mixer using the batter paddle and mix it up for about 1- 2 minutes. It shreds it up evenly so that I have it ready for any recipe that uses shredded chicken, beef or pork! I then package it in meal size portions. With the cooked ground beef, it breaks it into more uniform crumbles without turning it into mush! Saves me the time and effort of using the 2 fork shredding by hand method!
ReplyDeleteWhen ground pork is on sale, I buy several pounds and add homemade breakfast sausage seasoning mix and let it chill overnight in the fridge with the seasoning. Then I cook it up, crumble it in Kitchenaid and package it into 2 cup portions and freeze. When tortillas are on sale, I buy 10 packages and use the sausage, scramble some eggs, add cheese and make into a big batch of breakfast burritos and flash freeze then on cookie sheets for an hour, then package in 2s into sandwich size ziplocs, pie several into a gallon ziploc and freeze.
Muffins, I make a big batch, we eat some, freeze some(again individual sandwich ziplocs into gallon ziploc, and any extra batter goes into a labeled container to the freezer to bake another day. That way, I can serve a variety of muffins without the effort!
My yogurt I make up 1/2 gallon at a time in my Instant Pot, my daughter does hers in crockpot. Then I divide it into 3 batches that I add different flavors to. Right now in my fridge I have caramel apple, strawberry, raspberry and mixed berry varieties in 24 oz containers and no one gets tired of having just 1 variety day after day!
I make mixes a lot- seasonings, baking, etc. Anything I can do ahead- it’s my investment prepping/cooking and it saves so much time and money!
Great topic, Patsy!! Sorry I rambled on! A subject I am passionate about!
gardenpat, I love your 'ramblings,' I learn so much from them so please, ramble on! I had not thought about using my kitchenaid mixer to 'shred' cooked meats. So many good ideas in your post … thanks for rambling a.k.a sharing!
Deletegardenpat, thanks for sharing all your ideas! Nancy
DeleteThough we haven't done this lately, after we have a big turkey dinner for a holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter), we sometimes make up several turkey pot pies (unbaked) from the leftovers and freeze them for future meals. You can make a large pie or individual size ones, depending on what is easier for your family. We have also made beef pot pies from leftover beef stew in the past.
ReplyDeleteIn the fall, we buy a bushel of apples and make up unbaked apple pies, and unbaked apple crisp for the freezer (along with applesauce, which I can). We pull these and bake them as needed for every day dessert or holiday's throughout the year. You can make any type of pie and freeze it unbaked. Because you bake them when you are ready to have them, they taste like a freshly made pie.
Rhonda, pot pies, apple pies and apple crisp, I'm going to add those to my list of things to add to my freezer. Great comment!
DeleteRhonda,
DeleteDo you bake from frozen, or thaw before you cook? About how long does it take to cook one of these pies?
Preference is to bake the pies thawed, but we have baked them from frozen. We just bake them until they look done. If baking from frozen, it will take longer for the bake time. Remember, if you are making turkey or beef pies, the meat and veggie filling is already cooked, so you are just cooking it long enough to brown the crust and warm the filling through!
DeleteOh, and 1 more thing I do...I make 2 trays of lasagne up at one time and freeze the second tray for future meal. Lasagna is fussy to prepare. Making 2 at once saves a lot of prep time!
ReplyDeleteLasagna is fussy and time consuming to prepare, good idea to do two at a time and freeze one.
DeleteWhen I make soup or chili I always make a double batch. It's usually enough for 4 meals. Half goes into the freezer.
ReplyDeleteChili is another good make ahead meal!
DeleteI do the same and with chicken too and double batches of casseroles and soups with sale things. Keeps us from eating out or grabbing something less healthier.
ReplyDeleteJan, that is my motivation too!
DeleteI love to cook brown rice ahead and freeze it. It is something that takes more time than I usually have during a busy day, so it's great to have some to eat quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on making up a batch of bean and rice burritos soon, and freeze them. I have one son that I think would like that for part of his Christmas gift. It would make his life easier when he comes home from work.
I love putting the freezer to work to make my life easier, just like the rest of you:)
Becky, make ahead freezer meals would be a great Christmas gift!!!!
DeleteSame as you! We both love the rotisserie chicken at Sam's so when we go, we buy one for dinner. We separate the rest into baggies & freeze. My husband loves the parts in his work lunches & I love the breast as a basis for another meal like White Enchiladas or some type of casserole.
ReplyDeleteI regularly double most crockpot meals for freezing.
Debbie, rotisserie chicken is good and the leftovers make a delicious chicken salad!
DeleteWe made a big pot of chili on Friday for the snowy weekend and ate it Sat and Sun and then we were tired of it. Two containers of chili went into the freezer yesterday so that we can finish it later when we will enjoy it much more. Yesterday I made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. I baked 84 cookies. I made up three pkg of 16 cookies each for the freezer and the rest we kept out to eat, I also froze 4 two cup containers of cookie dough for later. Earlier in the week we had a roast and I froze a container of gravy and chopped roast beef to make beef and noodles later. My meat sauce recipe feeds us 8 times so when I make that we put 7 meals in the freezer and we are all set for pasta for several months. Lidl has whole chickens for an amazing 45 cents a pound starting Wed so I am planning to buy 3 and cook them right way for meat in the freezer. I nave one freezer that is only freezer meals and precooked foods and it has made all the difference on how often we eat out.
ReplyDeleteWe are not crazy about rice that has been frozen. Do you have a secret that keeps it from tasting mushy?
Lana, $.45/lb for chicken is a great price! Love your ideas but the one that I love the most is having a freezer solely for freezer meals. We have two freezers and this would be easily doable for us. Going to work towards that in the new year! About the rice, We use balsamic rice and I've never noticed it being mushy, what kind of rice do you use?
DeleteI have only frozen white rice and it was so mushy that I never tried it again. I will try the basmati and see if we like that. I also really should give brown rice a try.
DeleteWhen I cook hamburger and freeze it in packs I try to not put it too thick in the pack.l Many time I do't need the whole pack and if you bend the bag it will break in half or in parts to get only so much out. When I cook rice I do at least part barley as it is better for diabetics that way. No one notices that it is part barley and some even like it better. I am with you. I use frozen rice but only if frozen a short time and then in soup usually. Thanks for all the tips and recipes and ideas and and and.. ... you give us! :-) Sarah
ReplyDeleteSarah, good point about not over filling your packs. Unless I'm freezing things in individual snack baggies and then placing them into bigger packages, I always fill in meal size portions for us for the very reason you gave. I'll have to try adding barley to my rice, I did not know that … thank you!
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