No more making dinner for the next...2 months!

There is an hour (or two) known and dreaded by mothers everywhere. Right about when school children get home, babies get fussy, everyone is hungry and mom is trying to make dinner. You'd like to think the few hours you have with all of your children each day would be filled with harmony, but the reality is usually starving kids, pitiful tears, and lots of television to keep it under control. At least at our house. We're trying something that will hopefully help me be able to give attention to the kids during this difficult time: freezer meals. Defrost, pop it in the oven or crockpot and you're done.

 

 
On Friday I did a 1.5 hr shopping trip with the three youngest, which was an adventure all it's own. We had a shopping list that would cover 11 meals with the recipes quadrupled for a total of 44 meals. I spent 464 dollars, so it comes out to about 10.50 a dinner or $1.75 a person per meal. And as you'll see we are using a lot of fresh veggies so that is a little more costly than just using cans and premade mixes. Allergy info: All the meals are dairy and soy free (substitute df&sf cheeses/milk/butter). Only the pot pie recipe & pizza dough have gluten. We plan on using these M-F and then doing our omega aka fish dinner on Saturday and whatever on Sundays.

 
We bought a 7cu ft freezer and stuck it in the garage. It easily fits all the meals and could probably fit a good portion of a deer or whatever else our Southern living might rustle up. :-)
Tip: double bag EVERYTHING. We learned this the hard way. Even if everything is completely cooled and you think you check every bag...just trust me and double bag everything. We used the 2.5 gallon ziplocs for several of the recipes and those are so spacious they work great.
Jim watched the kids while I did the baking. I found it takes about an hour to do most of the recipes in a 4x size, some a little less (like the pizza dough). I also decided next time I'll do 8 or 9 recipes at a time since that was about when I didn't think I could cut yet another potato! (I would have died without a food processor). Once I had hit about 32 meals I begged some help from Jim while the kids watched a movie. We were all exhausted by the end of it, but I think it's worth it.
 

 
Chicken Cacciatore (4x recipe for four meals)
Ingredients:

2 lb chicken breasts (I use about 3 chicken breasts)

2 (26 oz) jar of chunky vegetable-style spaghetti sauce

2 zucchini, chopped

2 green pepper, chopped

2 sweet onion, chopped

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.

Garnish: chopped black olives, shredded Parm cheese

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Crockpot on LOW for 6-8 hours. Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and garnish with olives and cheese. Also would be delicious with Cheesy Garlic Sticks.

 

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans (4x makes generous 4 meals)

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken breasts (I use about 3 chicken breasts)
Juice from 4 limes
2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
4 minced garlic cloves
1 red onion, chopped
2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours). Serve with tortillas and toppings such as with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.

 

Pizza Dough (4 x recipe for four meals)
Ingredients:

2 ¼ C hot water    
2 ¼ tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar     

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 ½ tsp active dry yeast      

6 C all-purpose flour

Mix water, sugar and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes so yeast develops. Add salt and olive oil. Add flour gradually until dough comes together and all liquid has been absorbed. Knead dough for 10 minutes by hand or mixer. Coat ball with thin layer of olive oil and set in large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise until double (1-1 ½ hrs). Remove dough and split in half. Each half is enough for one 12-inch pizza. Dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for several weeks by covering ball with thin layer of olive oil and placing in well-oiled ziploc bag.

 

Chicken Pot Pie (2x recipe for four meals)

Yield: 2 pot pies (6 to 8 servings each) 

4 cups cubed cooked chicken (ham, shredded beef or turkey)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced2 cups sliced carrots

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup flour

2 1/2  teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth

1½ cups milk

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

pastry for two double-crust 9-inch pies, or use biscuit/baking mix to make crust

Boil potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot. In another pot, boil cubed chicken for 8 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain vegetables and chicken and set aside. In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes, and carrots. Remove from heat. Crust option 1: Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and style the edges. Bake one pot pie at 425ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Crust option 2: Mix together 2 cups biscuit/baking mix, 1¼ cups milk, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoons celery seed. (Mixture will be thin.) Sprinkle over top of chicken pot pie. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze remaining pot pie for up to 4 months. To serve frozen pie: Cover edges of frozen piecrust with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 70 to 80 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.

 

 

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Veggies (4x recipe for four servings)

8 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemon, juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crushed in your palm
1 pound trimmed green beans
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1 sweet potato, large diced pieces/zucchini/squash (when doing 4x, do 2 sweet potatoes, 1 zucchini, 1 squash)
15 baby yellow carrot, cut in half
2.5 lb chicken breasts (about 3-4 chicken breasts), diced*

 In a large bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Add the green beans and other veggies to marinade and toss to coat in Ziploc, double bag and freeze. To bake, defrost and using a slotted spoon (or your hands), remove and place on bottom of a baking dish.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees when chicken is done defrosting. Place the chicken on top of the veggies in the baking dish.  Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken. Roast for 30-40 minutes uncovered (until chicken is no long pink).  Note:  You may have to remove the chicken from the dish or skillet and place the veggies back in oven for 5-10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. 

 

 

 TexMex Chicken (4x makes 4 meals)

Ingredients:

2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips (I use about 3 chicken breasts) 4 tablespoons taco seasoning mix 4 tablespoons flour  3 cups chunky salsa 2 cup frozen corn 2 green pepper, cut into 1-in strips 2 red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips 2 cup KRAFT Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

Directions:

1.	Toss all except cheese in Ziploc. Freeze. To cook, stick in slow cooker.
2.	Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).
3.	Stir before serving. Top with shredded cheese

Taco Seasoning (used in several recipes here)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, mix all. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

Italian Turkey Soup (4x recipe for four meals)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 small onion (about 3/4 C) diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Dry Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1 can (15oz) canned diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) white beans (Cannelini, Great Northern, etc) drained and rinsed
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
1t dry oregano
1/4 t dry basil
1 T dried parsley (or about 1/4 C fresh)
4-6 C fresh spinach
fresh Parmesan cheese

Pour a couple swigs of extra virgin olive oil (1-2 T) into a large stock pot. Turn burner to med-high heat. When oil is nice and hot, add diced onions, minced garlic, and ground turkey. Stir to combine and add the 1T dry Italian seasoning, along with about 1/2 t salt and several turns of black pepper. Cook until turkey is completely cooked through. When you’re browning ground beef or turkey for soup it’s important to cook it all the way through before adding the liquid or it will end up mushy. Add in canned tomatoes (including all the juice), the drained beans, and the chicken broth. Add oregano and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for at least 10 minutes, and up to 20. While soup is simmering chop spinach. I chop it up really small so my kiddo doesn’t notice it’s something healthy. Add in spinach and parsley and stir until wilted. Also, additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Italian Meatballs (4x recipe for 4 meals)

2 lb hamburger        
2/3 C parmesan cheese
3 eggs     
2/3 C parsley flakes

2/3 C bread crumbs (use progresso if no allergy worries)
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all, do not overwork or meatballs get tough. Use ice cream scoop for size, fry in large pan lightly covered with olive oil and with 4 sliced garlic cloves. Brown meatballs on all sides. Drain fat and put in single layer on greased baking sheet in freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer to Ziploc and freeze. To bake, put in crockpot with spaghetti sauce for 5-6 hrs on low. Add spices such as 1 Tbsp basil & red pepper flakes & ¼ C parmesan cheese.

 

Chili Sweet, Savory and Spicy-NC State Fair 2008 Chili Cookoff Winner (2x recipe for 4 meals)

2 lbs ground beef  
1 C tomato juice

¼ C onion 

1 C water¼ C diced green pepper       

1 15oz can pumpkin

1 Tbsp red pepper, crushed     

3 Tbsp brown sugar1 ½  Tbsp hot sauce    

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

2 cans diced tomatoes (zesty chili style)

1 ½ Tbsp chili powder

20 oz kidney beans (light red)

Dash of pepper

1 small can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt

Brown ground beef with onions and peppers. Drain and place in crock pot. Combine all ingredients except cheese and pour in crock pot. Stir to blend. Divide into 2 portions (each portion should last 2 meals). To serve, defrost and cook on low 6-8 hrs. Stir in 2 C cheese 20 minutes before serving. Makes crock pot full.

 

Black Bean Taco Soup (4x recipe for four meals)

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey tastes so good in this recipe too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can corn (undrained)
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can diced green chilis
tortilla chips
Other taco toppings you like (cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc)

Brown meat and onion, drain. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and green chilis. Simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings.

This makes an easy freezer meal too! After cooking, let soup cool down and then dump into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or other freezer container. When you want to eat it, let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and then simmer on the stove until heated all the way through or microwave until heated all the way through. You could also put it in your crock pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours to re-heat it.

Not pictured:

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers (4x recipe for four meals)
4 very large or 6 medium sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C white rice (or  brown if you want to take the time to cook it), quinoa also works
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3oz can mild green chilies
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder (you can start with 1/2 and add more to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 1/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides.  Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.   Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain. Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes.  Drain thoroughly. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add corn, beans, green onions, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Place peppers in a baking dish.  Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro.  Stir to combine well and give it a taste.  Add additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to your liking.  Then evenly divide mixture between peppers. To freeze: You can use saran wrap to wrap up your stuffed green peppers. After you've wrapped them up in saran wrap, place each stuffed pepper into plastic freezer storage bags.
To bake: Defrost and top peppers with 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you can fit it on there :) and crushed tortilla chips. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

 

On weekdays the kids will get to pick the night before what they'll have for dinner the next day and we'll take it out to defrost if necessary. Once we go through the whole list, I'll print out another one so we're not repeating any meals within the same two weeks. I'm going to let the kids and parents score the recipes and if we get a positive enough overall score it will go into one of the next batches of freezer meals. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get more recipes!