Monday, March 22, 2010

Great foods to keep in the freezer

I have a list of foods that I like to keep in the freezer for quick meals. They help when we have busy schedules with different work schedules, ball practice or games, or just whatever comes up. I thought I would share some of the items.

For breakfast:
  1. French toast- bake in the oven. Flash freeze, then put in bags. To heat put in toaster.
  2. Pancakes
  3. Muffins
  4. Precooked sausage rounds
  5. Precooked sausage to add to burritos, frittatas, etc.
  6. Cream cheese french toast- put cream cheese between bread and make a sandwich. Dip in egg mixture then bake or cook on a griddle. Freeze.
  7. Biscuits- Make your favorite recipe and cut out. Flash freeze on cookie sheet then put in bag. You can then bake as many as you need at 400 degrees until done.

For Supper and side dishes:

  1. BBQ grilled chicken- grill and freeze.
  2. Greek chicken- grill or bake boneless breasts with Greek seasoning. Use in any dish that calls for cooked chicken. Quick meals of chicken tetrizinni, chicken tortilla roll ups, fried rice, chicken salad sandwiches, salad with chopped meat.
  3. Breaded tenders are also good to have to use on a salad, in rollups with ranch dressing, with noodles and a white sauce, etc.
  4. Cooked ground beef
  5. Twice baked potatoes- flash freeze and then put in ziploc bags. Microwave a couple of minutes until warmed through. Eat plain or top with vegetables, chili, or taco mix. A great side dish or quick between meal snack for teens that eat you out of house and home.
  6. Cooked brown rice- I cook the whole package at one time since it takes 45 minutes and freeze one cup portions.
  7. Cooked beans- I cook a package of dry beans and freeze 2 cup portions to add to soups or other dishes. I add beans to my chili and tacos to extend the meat.
  8. Dales Pork chops or steak- marinade chops or steak in Dales sauce for at least 30 minutes. Grill. Freeze. Defost in microwave or in refrigerator. Tastes just like it is fresh off the grill. You can also add pineapple or lemon juice to the marinade for more of a teriyaki sweet taste.
  9. Cooked chicken- either boiled or done in the oven and chopped into pieces to put in any dish that needs cooked chicken. You can also roast in a crock pot and pick off the bones.
  10. Cooked ham. I keep pieces as large as possible because it seems to dry out if you chop it into small pieces. Add to quiches, beans, casseroles, noodles and sauce, fried rice.
  11. Broth- cook your rice in chicken broth instead of plain water for added flavor. I also like to cook my dried beans in broth if I have extra. I also keep the beef and chicken bouillon cubes in the pantry so I always can have broth.
  12. Cooked roast and seperate container of the au jus (juices from the roast)
  13. Cooked pork loin in the crock pot with bbq sauce. Use in BBQ sandwiches.
  14. Pizza rolls- make a pizza dough and roll out. I don't add the sauce b/c it seems to make the dough mushy. I add cheese and pepperoni or sausage and any other topping desired. Roll up like you are making cinnamon rolls and cut like cinnamon rolls. Bake and freeze. When you serve them serve with pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

With the above items I can get supper on the table in 30 minutes or less at any time. I can just pop open some canned green beans, make broccoli, corn, rice or potatoes and we are ready to eat.

Biscuits can be served for breakfast or for supper with a creamed chicken over the top, or with a bbq roast or sloppy joe mixture in them, or as a pot pie topping. You can also roll them out and make dumplings. You can also flatten them out in a muffin cup and bake them for about 10 minutes then add bbq hamburger meat or a chicken pot pie type mixture then contiue baking.

I have many other recipes I freeze, but these are the basic meals that are very versitile. It is much more worth my time to have items that can be used multiple ways and in multiple dishes.

3 comments:

Dawn said...

Holly, I loved sharing ideas with you today both here and on FB! And the "to decorate or not decorate" post made me laugh. I wish we were neighbors!

Tracy Bentley said...

thanks for sharing. this gave me some great ideas.

Sherri said...

Thanks for sharing! Lots of good ideas.