Friday, September 21, 2012

Recent Freezer Meals


I shared this picture on my facebook page last weekend, I had just finished up the casseroles and was feeling pretty good about what I was able to add to my freezer that week. By doing a little bit here and there when I have extra time really helps and I don't feel overwhelmed by trying to prepare 10 meals all at once.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy pulling out one of my already made up meals and knowing that the hard part is already done. All I have to do is reheat. I honestly love cooking, but you know how it goes; there are days when you just don't have much time to think about dinner. This is where freezer cooking comes in.

I had a couple of new recipes I tried out this time. I asked for help from my facebook readers on what to do with turkey leftovers. We had a 15 lb. turkey in our freezer that I'd been wanting to cook and wasn't sure what to make with all the extra meat. I made up 2 new casseroles we had never tried before and then bagged 3 quart sized Ziploc bags of shredded turkey to use in other meals.

Here's a list of the items I was able to add to my freezer stash last week:

Zucchini Bread
Slow Cooker Applesauce
Pear Sauce (Made just like applesauce, you'll need quite a few pears (20+) and I added a little bit more cinnamon and sugar)


Pear Crisp
Ingredients:
12 med-large pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 c water
Lemon juice
2 c old fashioned oats
2 c flour
2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 1/2 sticks melted butter

Directions:
Mix up oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter in a large bowl, will be a crumbly mixture. Lightly grease 2 8x8 inch baking pans, add half of sliced pears, water and a little bit of lemon juice to each pan. Divide crumb mixture and spread over fruit in each pan. If freezing immediately, cover each pan with foil, label and stick in freezer. When ready to serve, let thaw and then bake at 350 for 20-25 mins or until done. Makes 2  8x8 inch pans.


These are really good, especially with bbq sauce! I wasn't able to get a complete picture as I was trying to quickly get the children fed, you know how that goes, right?!

Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c milk
1 c quick cooking oats
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together well. If freezing, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a med sized cookie scoop, place meatballs onto lined cookie sheet. Place in freezer for a couple hours or until frozen and then transfer to a ziploc freezer bag. Label and store in freezer until ready to serve. When ready to cook, thaw meatballs on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-18 mins. You can bake while still frozen, you'll just need to bake longer. Serve with bbq sauce if desired. Makes about 30 meatballs.

We enjoyed this the other night, it was so simple to make and my hubby said this was one of the best meals I've ever made.




Turkey and Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
2- 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 c milk
3 1/2 c cooked, shredded turkey or chicken
3 c cooked egg noddles
1 1/2 c frozen veggies (I used corn this time around)
Pepper to taste
Crushed Ritz crackers

Directions:
In a skillet combine soup and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Gradually stir in milk and cook over medium heat until cheese melts. Add in turkey, cooked egg noodles and veggies. Add pepper to taste. Transfer to 2- 8x8 inch baking pans that are lightly greased. Add 1/2 c of cheese to each pan. Sprinkle with crushed cracker crumbs. If immediately freezing, let completely cool. Then cover with saran wrap and then a layer of foil on top. Label and store in freezer. When ready to use, let thaw in fridge for several hours. When ready to bake, bake at 350 for 25-30 mins or until heated through. Makes 2- 8x8 inch pans.




King Ranch Casserole 
*We have not tried this one yet, but I must say it looked wonderful while I was mixing it up! This will be on our menu for next week, I'll be sure to let you know what we think.

Ingredients:
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2-10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c chicken broth
3 c cooked, shredded turkey or chicken
6-7 small flour tortilla shells, cut up

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine diced tomatoes, soup, sour cream, cilantro and 1 c cheese. Slowly add in chicken broth, you want mixture to have consistency of pancake batter. Lightly grease 2-8x8 inch pans, ladle a bit of soup mixture on bottom of pans and spread around. Next add in cut up tortilla pieces, then add turkey on top of tortillas. Continue with another layer of sauce, tortillas and turkey. Add one more layer of sauce on top and then sprinkle with remainder of cheese on top. If immediately freezing, cover with saran wrap and then a layer of foil. Label and store in freezer. When ready to use, let thaw in fridge for several hours, bake at 350 for 25 mins or until heated through. Makes 2-8x8 inch pans.

Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen


4 comments:

  1. This all looks great! Makes me want to go out and buy a turkey:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to freeze more meals, it would totally be worth the time! I would love to have you come share 'Your Great Idea' over at the link up at 'Or so she says...', going on right now. Hope to see you there! www.oneshetwoshe.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. These meals look great! I can't wait to try the recipes out on my family.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These look great! we would love it if you would share your ideas and link up at In the Kitchens blog party! http://www.battlingthehomefront.com/2012/09/in-kitchen-thursday-week-1.html

    ReplyDelete

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