After-Baby Freezer Meal Ideas - Page 2

[Charmie981]

Catherine, when I do homemade pizza, I always bake the dough at 400* for about 10 minutes, then top it and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. I think freezing it after the first 10 minute bake would yeild the results you're looking for...you could pull it out of the freezer, defrost for an hour or so, top and bake.

[Quaniliaz]

Originally Posted by Charmie981

Sherry Chicken Casserole

Can you post the recipe for this one??

Originally Posted by Charmie981

Breakfast Casserole #1

At what point do you freeze this?? I wonder if it will end up being watery??

[Charmie981]

At what point do you freeze this?? I wonder if it will end up being watery??

I think I'm going to bake them all the way, then freeze them. I just can't see that frozen raw eggs would go over well.

I'll post the chicken casserole recipe tomorrow .

[spiderdust]

We've got potato allergies in this household. Has anyone tried to sub out the potatoes in those breakfast casseroles (or similar ones)?

[Charmie981]

I imagine cooked rice would be a pretty easy sub. for potatoes, but I haven't actually tried any of the breakfast casserole recipes, so I'm not sure.

Sherry Chicken Casserole:
Sauce:
3T butter
1/2 c sliced celery
3/4 c chopped onion
2 c quartered mushrooms
3T flour
1/4 c dry sherry
3c chicken stock
"Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg" (I sub a dash of dried here)
Few drops of hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a 2qt pan over medium high heat. When hot, add celery, onion, and mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until combined. Slowly add the sherry and stock to the pan and stir mixture constantly until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the nutmeg, pepper sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to large mixing bowl and add:
2c corn kernels (canned-drained, frozen-thawed or fresh)
1c tiny frozen peas, thawed
3oz egg noodles, cooked and drained
3c cubed cooked chicken

Spread into greased 10-quart casserole (10 quarts? That sounds really big...I've made thie before and it's not THAT big!).

Combine 1c fresh breadcrumbs, 1/2 c grated parm cheese and 1T butter, melted. Sprinkle evenly over the surface of the casserole.

(at this point, cover and freeze. Defrost in fridge prior to cooking)

Bake at 350*, uncovered, until the casserole is hot and the top golden brown, about 40-50 mins (longer if chilled). Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Yields 6-8 servings.

[spanica]

(This is my first post on this DDC. I am a first time mama due in September too!)

I just started making my list of what I'd like to freeze. Here are some things that have made it to my list. They're all vegetarian.

Gazpacho (recipe follows) (can easily be vegan)
Spinach Dhal (recipe follows) (vegan)
Veggie burgers
Cauliflower soup (recipe follows) (vegan)
Pasta/pizza sauce
Pinto beans, spinach and rice (recipe follows) (vegan)
Freeze and pack burritos (I haven't tried this recipe yet.)
Zucchini Cheddar bread


Tortellini Gazpacho

from Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich



1/2 pound ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups V-8 juice

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 medium green or red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 small inner celery ribs, finely chopped

2-3 T red wine vinegar

2 T lemon juice

juice of 1/2 lime

2 T olive oil

1-2 T chopped fresh basil

1-2 T chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2-3 T finely chopped pickled jalapeño pepper (optional)

10 oz cheese tortellini



Mr. Haedrich says to put it together like this: peel, core and seed the tomato and then mix it in with everything else, minus the tortellini. Stick it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Add the cooked tortellini a half hour before serving. Instead of all that chopping, I like to put it all (minus the tortellini) in the blender and let 'er rip.

Spinach Dhal

from Curried Favors by Maya Kaimal MacMillan

1 cup green or yellow split peas

2.5 cups water


1/3 of a 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and partially drained
OR
2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water or as needed


1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 dried red peppers

10 curry leaves OR 2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon vegetable oil



In a 3-quart saucepan, bring the split peas and the water (2.5 cups) to a boil. Turn down the heat and cover. Let it simmer 45 minutes, watching for spilling.



When the peas are cooked and completely tender, mash with potato masher or back of spoon 6 to 8 times, to break up roughly. Add chopped spinach. As mixture begins to simmer again, add coconut, garlic, cumin, cayenne and salt and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water or more if necessary to maintain consistency of moderately thick soup. Remove from heat.



In a small covered frying pan, heat mustard seeds, dried red peppers and curry leave sin oil over medium-high heat until mustard seeds begin to pop. Pour contents of skillet over cooked peas and stir. Taste for salt. Serve over rice!

Cauliflower Soup

1/4 c olive oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
pinch of hot red pepper flakes
4 cups veg. broth (original recipe calls for chicken broth)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup orzo

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high head. Add florets and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes

Add onion, garlic, bay leaves and pepper flakes. Cook 5 more minutes.

Add stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add enough water to bring liquid back to original level. [THIS IS WHERE I WOULD FREEZE IT.] Add orzo and cook according to package directions.

Taste for salt and pepper. Consistency should be close to porridge.

Pinto Beans, Spinach, and Rice
 (I've never frozen this.)
From Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich



1/2 cup dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
(or you can use a 19-oz can of beans. don't forget to rinse 'em!)

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice

3 cups water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 unsalted bouillon cube (or equivalent)

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed



If using dried beans: Using your preferred method, cook the beans. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.



Combine the rice, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Crumble up half of the bouillon cube and add it to the rice along with the carrot. Bring to a boil, then cover the saucepan and cook over very low heat for about 35 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.



Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy non-reactive skillet. Stir in the onion and sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the garlic and chili powder, sauté
for 30 seconds more, then stir in the spinach. Crumble the remaining half of the bouillon cube into the reserved bean water, whisking well to dissolve. Add the water to
the pan with an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt and gently simmer the spinach for 5 minutes, until much of the excess water has evaporated.



Stir the cooked rice and beans into the spinach and heat the dish, stirring, for 5 minutes until hot.

This is good for burrito fillings with avocados and salsa. Yum! :

[VeganCupcake]

Wheee, my first freezer contribution! I made pizza tonight and doubled the crust recipe so I have two extra semi-baked crusts to stash in the freezer (thanks Charmie!).

[winginit]

Charmie..I like your ideas for making things "compact" to fit in the freezer. However, I seriously doubt we'll have room for all of our frozen goods (my friends are being so kind as to host a "freezer food pary" for me). Anyhow, any advice on what would be small and energy efficient for freezing. I'm imagining these huge deep freezers (which I really don't have room for), and really hoping there is something else to put it in. We don't really normally freeze much (we're vegetarian and I'm horrible about stocking up), so it seems a waste to buy something expensive. Any ideas??

[Charmie981]

Inexpensive chest freezer that measures 22.0 x 24.88 x 32.88[


(I know, it's at Wal-Mart, but I knew I'd seen one in a store somewhere)

[VeganCupcake]

Yep, Erica, we have one of those small freezers, too. It was about that same price. We bought ours at Sears. Without it, there's no way we'd have room even for our regular shopping.

[lcaitlin]

not a helpful reply from me but...

am I the only one here planning to rely on dh to continue his amazing cooking and... takeout, takeout, takeout??!!!

my freezer is always chock full of the raw meat/bones we feed our dogs and the all-holy ice cream stash, so there's no room even if I was inclined to cook/bake in advance!

[emski4379]

Last time around, we did a lot of take-out. This time we can't really afford it.

So far, I'm stealing some of Charmies meals, plus making some of my own:

Spinach, Black Bean and Yellow Rice
Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder
Shephards Pie
Zucchini beef Bake
Chicken Enchiladas
Zuchini Patties
Lasagna
Baked Zitti
Chicken Soup
Portuguese Kale soup

Plus some pumpkin bread, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and we always have frozen fish

[winginit]

Thanks guys...I'm hoping I can find that one up here in the great white north...without having to go to Wal-Mart!!

[cellarstella]

This thread is great... so far I have three meal-starters frozen: ginger lime chicken (to be put with coconut rice), chicken enchilada filling, and cubed beef in a marinade to be put on skewers. I also have some baked potatoes frozen. I just made these things when I had extra from buying just a little more than I needed the last grocery trip. I plan to make one chicken meal for dinner and two for the freezer each time I roast a chicken. Hopefully my sister will help me whip up some other dishes while she's here for the next week and a half! I really like fresh vegetables so I prefer to freeze as little of that portion of the meal as possible. We just have the freezer in the top of the fridge so not a ton of room, but it is a pretty roomy freezer so I think I can get up to 15 meals in there if I stack them right, and still have room for the ice cream! Someday I'd really like to get a deep freezer, especially as the kids get older and more time/food consuming.

I've also made a lot of chicken broth and vegetable broth that I will drink straight while I'm in labor and afterwards. It helped me to have broth last time but I ran out quick, so that won't happen again!

[spiderdust]

Originally Posted by cellarstella

I've also made a lot of chicken broth and vegetable broth that I will drink straight while I'm in labor and afterwards. It helped me to have broth last time but I ran out quick, so that won't happen again!

That's a great idea!!

[ryansma]

So I saw on the feeding your freezer thread that someone mentioned meatloaf. I have a great meatloaf recipe but wonder how to adjust the cooking instructions for making it from frozen. Should I prepare and freeze or prepare then cook and freeze the cook meatloaf?

Thanks!

[cellarstella]

I would prepare and freeze... I think meatloaf is best fresh baked. Unless you like to slice and fry... then maybe you could bake it and then freeze, so later you could just defrost, slice and fry. I like to just do the last step when taking something from the freezer.

[ryansma]

Originally Posted by cellarstella

I would prepare and freeze... I think meatloaf is best fresh baked. Unless you like to slice and fry... then maybe you could bake it and then freeze, so later you could just defrost, slice and fry. I like to just do the last step when taking something from the freezer.

So if it normally bakes for an hour what would that mean for baking it from frozen? About how much time would I add and would I do it at the same temperature and all?



Thanks

[spiderdust]

Originally Posted by ryansma

So if it normally bakes for an hour what would that mean for baking it from frozen? About how much time would I add and would I do it at the same temperature and all?



Thanks

Hmm. I'm not sure you'd want to bake it from frozen. You'd want to pull it out of the fridge the night before or defrost it in the microwave before cooking it.

Another option would be to make several meatloaf patties, like burgers, but with the meatloaf mixture. Those you could probably cook from frozen fairly quickly, but trying to cook a frozen solid meatloaf might mean you have it burned on the outside while still raw in the middle.

[ryansma]

Originally Posted by spiderdust

Hmm. I'm not sure you'd want to bake it from frozen. You'd want to pull it out of the fridge the night before or defrost it in the microwave before cooking it.

Good point. I would probably go the defrosting route. Even though every time I defrost in the microwave instead of thawing the meat gets cooked around the edges. I guess its worth a try.