Freezer and Post Partum Meals - Page 2

[fazer6]

Mandy What's a cinnamon roll? Is it closer to a cake or bread bun? Ah just googled it, it's like a danish pastry/chelsea bun. How does the yeast cope with being frozen and unfrozen?

Nina follow the link flapjack put up to anytime cookies, you freeze a log and then when you've oven space cut off some slices, put on some sweets like m&ms and bake. As far as I can remember she baked from frozen. Also what is a perogie?

Banana bread is my main thing at the moment. I get strange looks when I buy all the old brown bananas going cheap.

We've started on the freezer with a massive beef stew (I love my slow cooker) and quiche.

[justmandy]

Cinnamon rolls are wonderful and I had no idea they were "American". It's bread dough rolled jelly-roll style with butter cinnamon and sugar, baked and topped with icing. For us, it's a very special occasion breakfast dish. Here's the link to the recipe.

Yeast does very well in the freezer, it goes dormant and reactivates when thawed. I keep my bulk yeast in the freezer so it will last longer. I'll freeze them after they start to rise and let tehm rise the rest of the way as they thaw a bit on my counter before I bake them...or I'll be impatient and throw them right in and hope they rise as they bake...in my experience, they won't rise as much as if I let them thaw but taste just as good.

Perogies are also quite delicious, I usually buy them frozen even though making them is not hard. Around here, it's basicly mashed potatoes wrapped in dough, then boiled and that's when I'd freeze them. When it's time to cook, I put them in a pan (frozen) with butter, onions and sometimes cabbage until it's all toasty brown and smelling great. And if I really want to kick it up, I'll add sour cream to the pan and pretend I'm not eating so much fat . I'm not sure if that's waht Nina's making I've heard of perogies that have meat in them as well.

[cloudbutterfly]

Originally Posted by justmandy

Yeast does very well in the freezer, it goes dormant and reactivates when thawed. I keep my bulk yeast in the freezer so it will last longer. I'll freeze them after they start to rise and let tehm rise the rest of the way as they thaw a bit on my counter before I bake them...or I'll be impatient and throw them right in and hope they rise as they bake...in my experience, they won't rise as much as if I let them thaw but taste just as good.

That's a good point about freezing yeast doughs unbaked. When I was working in the restaurant, we didn't have the equipment to make croissants, so we bought them frozen in huge boxes. The night before a brunch service, we'd put them out on sheet pans, let them thaw/proof (rise) overnight, and then bake them fresh in the morning...worked great!

If you like being lazy at the other end of the freezing time, you can always parbake them--take them out of the oven before they start to turn golden brown--and then freeze them and let them finish browning when they thaw and bake in the oven. But they're probably fresher/better if they rise after freezing.

We had the best cinnamon rolls ever at the restaurant. The baker I worked under made them with brioche dough, and then we put both icing and caramel sauce on top of them. With the leftovers, we'd freeze them until the next week and make bread pudding out of them, and then put more caramel sauce on top of that at the end. Sooooo good.

[doclegs]

Originally Posted by flapjack

Don't tease, mandy, share the recipe

What she said!!

[Carson]

Was thinking about this and remembered my Mega Menu Mailer from Saving Dinner. A party has left me with a big batch of chicken breasts, so I'm testing out some of those recipes. Don't know if I'll keep them in the freezer until January, but it will help on busy nights I come home from work in the 3rd tri.

Something else I thought of is a few years ago, I had an at home 'dinner prep' party with my SILs & mom. Basically I worked out the menus for 4 different stations and the costs, gathered all the ingredients, and everyone came and assembled. I'm debating doing that with a twist where they make not only a batch for themselves to take home, but one for me to keep in my freezer.

[ChristSavesAll]

Not sure just yet what else I'll be adding to the freezer for pp meals but for now I know I'll be freezing up an enchilada casserole, a lasagna casserole and some chicken noodle soup. Though I've been thinking about learning to can so I can jar my own soups at least and leave more room in the freezer for other stuff. Anyone here know how to can or jar foods?

I still need to get a chest freezer though as right now my freezer is stuffed to the max all through the month with veggies, meats, breads, leftovers and anything else that might go bad before we can use it. I love the idea of making crock pot baggies, I think that's a great idea and one I'll definitely be doing! I also like the frozen bread dough and the cinnamon rolls for gifts... though I'm not sure if I can fit that into my schedule to have done... we'll see.

[Marlet]

Anyone canning? I don't have tons of freezer space and that time is going to be odd anyhow. I'm going to be making up a ton of soups (DH can't even begin to replicate my soups ) and canning so that all DH has to do is open a bottle and heat it up if need be.

For crock pot meals, due to lack of freezer space and a smaller crock pot, I'm going to freeze baggies of food (I hate reheating frozen soup/stews...I don't think they hold up well) and then number them based off what goes with what. That way I or DH or whoever wants to cook can open the freezer and grab all the #1 bags and toss them in.

I found an awesome bread recipe ( cick here ) that I will make up batches of. The recipe says 2 loaves but mine rose so well I have 4 loaves. The crust is awesome on it. The flavor is nice and mellow too so it can be used for anything. I think I'll freeze some pre-cooked loaves, some dough loaves, and then a couple batches of rolls.

Despite what it sounds like I won't be freezing much. I will do some Thanksgiving cooking so I don't want to take up freezer space with foods not meant for then if I don't have to. Though, I guess it doesn't matter. I don't do much cooking for it before hand so very little gets frozen, if anything.

Anyone making extras for Thanksgiving on purpose to use for freezer meals?

[justmandy]

I've canned, but never soups, just pickles and whole veggies (tomatoes, corn etc) I'm not sure how to do that but sure google does!

Here's the cinnamon roll recipe

It's a blog that has other recipes, I haven't checked it out yet to see if there's anything else I'll make.

I love teh idea of having baggies of stuff ready for crock pot meals!

[fazer6]

Before veg goes off I chop it for 'magical freezer veg'. I also always grate a touch extra cheese sometimes too. That way I've always got omlette ingredients. Here we frequently have stew with freezer veg, or freezer veg soup.

I made the anytime cookies and they work great. Smashed up some fake m&m's (lidl,taste the same) on top. Sliced off from the frozen log, put them on a baking tray (they defrosted a bit) then in the oven. I will now always have a cookie log in the freezer.

[flapjack]

I made chocolate anytime cookies, because I'm a rebel like that

I also bulk boil potatoes, parsnips and carrots for roasted veggies, and freeze caramelised onions because it's cheaper than buying Delia's poncy tins of them

[MyLittleWarrior]

Today I put 4 single servings of Mulligatawny soup in the freezer (DH hates curry, so these are for me) and a dinner sized batch of bean and bacon soup in the freezer. I'm also planning on a couple batches of turkey chili, and beef and barley stew. I may put up a lasagna too, since that's DH's favorite.

[SilvanaRose]

Originally Posted by MyLittleWarrior

Today I put 4 single servings of Mulligatawny soup in the freezer (DH hates curry, so these are for me) and a dinner sized batch of bean and bacon soup in the freezer. I'm also planning on a couple batches of turkey chili, and beef and barley stew. I may put up a lasagna too, since that's DH's favorite.

I'm really interested in this Mulligatawny soup of yours! Can you tell me what it is and how you make it? I don't believe I have ever heard of it.

Also, does anyone have a reeeaaaalllly good banana bread recipe they are willing to share? I like mine moist and dense, not dry and fluffy lol. I have yet to make a perfect loaf ha!

We just got a big load of groceries yesterday and I packaged and froze all the meat and today I will be cutting up mixed veggies and making soup and freezing. I'm really enjoying this homemaking stuff lol.

[Tattooed Hand]

MY DH decided now would be a good time to buy 7 lbs of expensive pre-ground coffee and store it in the fridge. HELLO?! We can't eat coffee after the baby comes! I think I will just evict the bags one by one as I fill up the freezer with food. I only have half a cup in the am anyway.

I put my first batch of food in - a Persian dish called qaymeh, which is tomato based curry with yellow split peas, red meat, green beans and sundried tomatoes (sauce is flavored with cinamon, dried lemon powder and sumaq). Good protein and iron food.

[SilvanaRose]

Originally Posted by Tattooed Hand

I put my first batch of food in - a Persian dish called qaymeh, which is tomato based curry with yellow split peas, red meat, green beans and sundried tomatoes (sauce is flavored with cinamon, dried lemon powder and sumaq). Good protein and iron food.

Omg that sounds good! Isn't sumaq a bush of some sort? I can't remember what it is exactly lol. I would love to try and make that too.

[Iamhappy2BAmom]

Checking In

I finally got a chance to read all the posts and have a few questions.

Freezing raw vs partially cooked meat- I was thinking at first of tenderizing some meat and throwing some marinade in and sticking it in the freezer. I did notice that most of you are cooking your meats and freezing it or someone suggested partially cooking it. Is there pros and cons between the two or is it just a personal preference type of thing.

Containers- What are you using to freeze your dishes in and are there do's and don'ts. I believe glass is in general a no-no b/c it might micro break. Are you guys sticking to ziplocks- I don't really have that vacuum seal device- is that necessary?

Is there a "rule" book of things that should NOT be frozen?

Is there really anything such as healthy baked goods?

I think I will start prepping things T minus 6 (aka 31 weeks)- but till then I really want to put a good plan together. I LOVE the idea of a prep party. I also love the idea of freezing components for a dish to throw together in a crockpot for meals.

Realistically speaking if I aim for 4 complete cooked dishes (lasagna or stews, or curry) then aim to freeze components for the creation of different dishes later on- equipped with index cards on the freezer for easy reference of what I have I should be good to go- I think.

I will say though that I do wonder the cost/effort trade off. I guess it depends on the dish. Trader Joes frozen grilled teriyaki chicken is great and less than $5 and it fed my husband, myself and my daughter last night. So sometimes I wonder- if there are some good healthy frozen options where should I be focusing my energy.

Just thinking out loud.

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

I finally got a chance to read all the posts and have a few questions.

Freezing raw vs partially cooked meat- I was thinking at first of tenderizing some meat and throwing some marinade in and sticking it in the freezer. I did notice that most of you are cooking your meats and freezing it or someone suggested partially cooking it. Is there pros and cons between the two or is it just a personal preference type of thing.

I freeze both raw and cooked meat, you just want to avoid refreezing thawed meat.

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

Containers- What are you using to freeze your dishes in and are there do's and don'ts. I believe glass is in general a no-no b/c it might micro break. Are you guys sticking to ziplocks- I don't really have that vacuum seal device- is that necessary?

I answered this question on this thread which I found helpful as well.

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

Is there a "rule" book of things that should NOT be frozen?

I'm sure there is, I would google "how to freeze food" or something like that to get started.

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

Is there really anything such as healthy baked goods?

I think so but what you and I consider healthy may be different. If you eat a raw diet, then, notsomuch. I make healthy changes to recipes (whole wheat instead of white flour, oilive oil and apple sause instead of other fats, add fruits, veggies, oats, flax, seeds etc. to muffins, breads and the like) and freeze them so we're not tempted to fill our house with processed convenience foods.

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

I think I will start prepping things T minus 6 (aka 31 weeks)- but till then I really want to put a good plan together. I LOVE the idea of a prep party. I also love the idea of freezing components for a dish to throw together in a crockpot for meals.

Realistically speaking if I aim for 4 complete cooked dishes (lasagna or stews, or curry) then aim to freeze components for the creation of different dishes later on- equipped with index cards on the freezer for easy reference of what I have I should be good to go- I think.

I will say though that I do wonder the cost/effort trade off. I guess it depends on the dish. Trader Joes frozen grilled teriyaki chicken is great and less than $5 and it fed my husband, myself and my daughter last night. So sometimes I wonder- if there are some good healthy frozen options where should I be focusing my energy.

Just thinking out loud.

It's very cost effective to make food from scratch rather then buy it premade. The effort Q is a personal desision. I plan on doing a combonation of both home made adn premade...if I get off bed rest, that is. Otherwise it's all premade and take out for us!

[cloudbutterfly]

Originally Posted by Iamhappy2BAmom

Containers- What are you using to freeze your dishes in and are there do's and don'ts. I believe glass is in general a no-no b/c it might micro break. Are you guys sticking to ziplocks- I don't really have that vacuum seal device- is that necessary?

We have a vacuum sealer, but mostly we just use Ziplocs, sometimes double bagging for soups/sauces that might spill. Some people use a straw to suck extra air out of the Ziplocs.

Is there a "rule" book of things that should NOT be frozen?

Here's a good list from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Is there really anything such as healthy baked goods?

Haha, well, the answer to that probably depends on your personal food philosophy. :-) I've been eating whole wheat bagels lately...lots of calories, sure, but the ones I get have 10g of protein and lots of fiber as well. I'd consider my banana bread recipe relatively healthy, since I replaced ingredients in my mom's recipe...whole wheat for white flour, applesauce for half the oil, adding oat bran for extra fiber, etc. But I was a pastry chef, so I've long since abandoned any effort to avoid carbs.

I will say though that I do wonder the cost/effort trade off. I guess it depends on the dish. Trader Joes frozen grilled teriyaki chicken is great and less than $5 and it fed my husband, myself and my daughter last night. So sometimes I wonder- if there are some good healthy frozen options where should I be focusing my energy.

Just thinking out loud.

I think about this, too. We'll probably be going with some TJ's/Costco frozen stuff as well as some homemade stuff. And, to be honest, most likely we'll end up not freezing as much as I'd like to in fantasy land and end up cooking or grabbing what we can. Fortunately for me, DH cooks, so that won't be soooo bad if and when it happens.

[MyLittleWarrior]

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

I'm really interested in this Mulligatawny soup of yours! Can you tell me what it is and how you make it? I don't believe I have ever heard of it.

Also, does anyone have a reeeaaaalllly good banana bread recipe they are willing to share? I like mine moist and dense, not dry and fluffy lol. I have yet to make a perfect loaf ha!

We just got a big load of groceries yesterday and I packaged and froze all the meat and today I will be cutting up mixed veggies and making soup and freezing. I'm really enjoying this homemaking stuff lol.

It's a (kindof) Indian chicken soup. I use my mom's recipe (who is in no way Indian) but I just looked it up on recipezaar to see what they had also. Apparently, there are several ways to make it, some very chunky, some pureed. My mom's recipe is fairly simple in ingredients and method, and I like it that way. It's pretty similar to this one here but my mom didn't use any apples. I bet the apples would be really good though. I also use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato paste, and puree the whole thing in the blender before adding the chicken and rice. Cream gets added at the very end. When I make it for the freezer I leave out the rice and the cream. I froze the rice seperatly but kept the baggies together, and I'll add the cream after it's been heated.

I've been freezing in Ziploc bags. I fill them up, get as much air out as possible, and then lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Then they stack really well in the freezer, and defrost much more quickly than stuff frozen in a Ziploc container. I just picked up two bottom round roast today (buy 1 get 1 free!) and they will become potroast, with leftovers being beef and barley soup and stew for the freezer. One of my friends was talking about chicken pot pie today, so I may have to make a double batch of that soon to and pop one in the freezer and have one for dinner. I'm pretty much trying to double anything I make now so I can feed the freezer for after the baby.

[ithappened]

I think we're going with the "semi-homemade" option.

We will probably buy some frozen stuff thats premade (like the 2 pizzas for 2$) simply because its easier and probably not much cheaper if we did all the work ourselves.. For me, making a pizza and having it cost me .75 vs buying one for 1$.. Id rather just buy one and save myself the time of making dough etc..

I do have quiet a list and plan on starting in a week or so (at about 31-32 weeks) but we have to go buy a freezer first.. ugh.

[Marlet]

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

Also, does anyone have a reeeaaaalllly good banana bread recipe they are willing to share? I like mine moist and dense, not dry and fluffy lol. I have yet to make a perfect loaf ha!

Let me find the recipe I just used. It was insanely perfect. I left it on my counter, cut (so exposed ends), with nothing but a towel over the top for a WEEK before I moved it to my fridge. It never got hard or dry. I think it was my bananas but it could have been the recipe as well. Bananas will ripen faster if they are put near tomatoes (and vice versa) and these happened to be in my produce drawer (I normally seperate them from the bnunch [they don't ripen as fast] and stick them on my counter for easy access) next to my tomatoes and orange (I think it's citrus that does it but tomatoes are a big culprit). I then left town and by the time I got back home and around to using them it'd been 2ish weeks I think. SUPER soft and ripe. Not sure if that helped or not but I can't imagine it didn't.

I'm headed to the store but when I get back I'll find the recipe for you.