I'd love to help you out with this one! I have worked on this idea for over four years while having my kids and my neighbor's kids in my home day after day. I have several recipes like this on my site, but I will copy and paste a few here for you now.
Fast Food Mini Burgers
Buy lean ground beef or turkey, about 3 lbs (do this when it is on sale at $2/lb or better) Give it a quick spin in the processor (this helps it stick together, it's not necessary). Lay the meat out flat on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Allow to cool. Cut with a pizza cutter into 16 squares. Flash freeze the squares in the freezer then move to a freezer bag. Microwave for 30 seconds serve as you would a cheeseburger.
Spaghetti Bird's Nests
Make a large batch of spaghetti how your kids like it. Flash freeze individual portions in a muffin tin, lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Once frozen pop them out and into a freezer bag. This works best with a silicone muffin tin, but dipping the bottoms of the frozen muffin tin in some water will allow for easy pop-out.
To Re-heat: ZAP for 30 seconds!
Bean Dip
Let's get them eating beans and veggies!
I always tricked the kids with this one...
Processed Beans
2-3 lbs Pinto Beans (soaked overnight)
Onion
1 Pound Carrots
Pepper
2 T Olive Oil (optional)
2 tsp Chili Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Sage
Soak Beans overnight in a fair amount of water.
In the morning, rinse Soaked Beans. Add all ingredients to large crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or until beans are soft.
Add beans to processor in batches and process for two pulses. Beans will be blended but not pureed.
Any additional Beans can be frozen and re-heated in the microwave. This is wonderfully easy with salsa and chips for a nachos night.
Do your kids like to dip tortilla chips?
I've also got make your own fish sticks, quesadillas, Easy meatballs using a cookie scoop, muffin tin meatloaf, breakfast sandwiches, taquitos, Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura (easier to make than you think, but better to re-heat in the oven/toaster oven), and chicken on a stick. You can find them here:
http://www.cooktosave.com/assemblylines.html
Jennifer
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benji'sMom  I have looked over the long feed the freezer thread but I wanted to post a new thread because I have some specific requirements. I have time to do once a month cooking, but here's the problem, when the kids are hungry they are hungry NOW. I'd like to be able to see first if they ate a big lunch or a late lunch or if they're not feeling well, or any of those things, before I decide what to eat for dinner. So I'm really looking for things that can be quickly reheated from frozen that don't have to be thawed in the fridge. Something frozen I can just zap in the microwave or reheat on the stove, instead of waiting for the oven to preheat. I have done it with spaghetti or lo mein noodles, but do any of you freeze anything else that would work? Maybe individual burritos? But what fillings would work? The kids are going through a picky phase, they like more finger food and are less likely to eat soup or rice dishes that require forks or spoons. It's frustrating because I love soup!!! Anything I can call mac and cheese (even if it's not really mac and cheese) would also be a hit. Also, we don't have dietary restrictions, and they do okay with veggies. Okay, please help!!  |
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