This FOOD is FREEZING!

One of the things that I've recently started doing to save myself a lot of time is freezer cooking. I'm not a guru at it yet, but I've decided I'll never go back to regular cooking. Well, at least never while I have a lot of Little's in my home wanting my attention ESPECIALLY when it is time to make dinner!
I usually get the bulk of my freezer cooking done on kitchen day, but sometimes Scotty and I will work on a few meals after the kids are in bed on Friday evenings. It's kind of like a date, only not...
Below you'll find a few of my freezer meal ideas. They work well for us, but I'm not going to promise anything for you!

Zesty Pineapple Chicken Freezer Recipe

2 lbs chicken breasts (I used 1lb cut into chunks)
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Zesty Pineapple Glaze:
small can pineapple tidbits
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tbsp. prepared mustard(i left this out)
1 tsp. soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375F. In a disposable 9" foil container (or baking dish that is freezable) place chicken breasts with the skin side up. Brush each piece of chicken with melted butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes. Just before chicken is finished baking, make glaze. Remove chicken from oven and brush with glaze. Allow to cool completely then freeze.

On cooking day, remove dish from freezer to thaw. Once thawed, bake in preheated 375F for 50-60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and glaze is dark brown.


Lime Pepper Chicken Freezer Cooking Recipe

6 chicken breasts(I just use 1lb cut into pieces)
1/2 tsp lime peel
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a freezer container or Ziploc bag. Freeze.

Instructions from Freezer:
Allow to thaw. Pour lime pepper chicken into a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve. Great with rice!
 

Canadian Maple Glazed Chicken Recipe

2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts (boneless, skinless)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, syrup and sugar, stirring well. Put chicken in a ziploc bag or freezer container and pour sauce over top. Refrigerate for about 1 hr, turning every 15-20 minutes. Place container or bag in freezer.

To cook:
Thaw chicken in refrigerator over night. Remove chicken from marinade and barbeque on the grill, or cook in the oven at 350F for 35-45 minutes (time will vary depending on chicken) until juices run clear and thermometer reads at chicken temperature setting. We had ours in the oven and used the marinade to put on rice.

Pizza Pasta Casserole Freezer Recipe(Makes 2!)

2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 jars (28 oz each) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg (16 oz) spiral pasta
4 cups (16 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
8 oz sliced pepperoni

Cook spiral pasta noodles according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef and onion together ground beef is no longer pink; drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta, once noodles are cooked and drained. Spray 2 9"x13" baking casseroles with non-stick cooking spray, and divide mixture into both casseroles evenly. Sprinkle each with cheese and top with pepperoni. Cool if needed, then cover and freeze.

To cook: Thaw casserole in fridge overnight. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

I also do a lasagna each month, but you can find any recipe for Lasagna online or in your cookbooks. Lasagna freezes really well and is a great meal to keep on hand for new mommy meals for friends.

In addition, I brown at least 3 pounds of meat to put in 1lb bags for spaghetti or any other meat dishes.

I also cook a few extra chicken breasts that I dice up and put in bags for things like fajitas or salads. I use those baggies a lot for quick meals on Saturdays.

Scotty makes up BBQ steak chunks for kabobs, and I make a steak marinade for regular grilled steak as well. We usually have enough marinade for two meals worth of steak. Simply take a large freezer bag and put the steak and marinade(or BBQ) in it and freeze. On the day of grilling take it out in the morning to thaw in the fridge. Once thawed grill those momma's UP! YUM-OH!

Another easy freezer meal is made with chicken breasts and Italian Dressing. Simply put 2 cups of cubed chicken breast in a bag and squirt in Italian dressing. I usually salt my chicken with a little cavendar's first because cavendar's makes me happy.=) You could also do this with any other dressing. I serve my italian chicken on a bead of rice. Gooood.

Scotty(he usually deals with the beef meals because it makes me feel queasy most of the time) makes up hamburger patties for us, and I also do pizza burgers(just add in tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Top with motz cheese). When I grocery shop I'll get a few pkg of buns and freeze those until I'm ready for them. For burger freezing:make up your patties then place on wax paper or cookie sheet and flash freeze for 1 hr. After frozen, take them out and quickly transfer them into a freezer bag so that you can make as many as you want at a time. Freeze. On cooking day grill or broil as normal.

I have several other ideas, but I'm tired from a busy weekend, so I'm going to try to get a little nap while the littles are sleeping. Happy freezing. And, as usual, let me know if you have any questions.