Freezer Meals

[jojosmommy]

Anyone premake meals/soups/casseroles and freeze them for daycare and personal use?

Also, some ladies at a recent food program training were talking about precooking pasta and rice and freezing it for later. Do you flash freeze it on a baking sheet then bag it up or do you just throw it in a bag? I assume you don't cook it all the way to prevent it from getting mushy, am I wrong?

Any good recipes appreciated.

[wdmmom]

I will prepare lots of meals ahead of time and freeze!

I make spaghetti normally and just stick it in a ziploc freezer bag or in some freezer safe tupperware.

I also make up meatloaf ahead of time. Just prepare as usual. Don't put the ketchup on top. Just bake and let cool. Then I wrap in saran wrap and either freezer paper or aluminum foil, date it and put it in the freezer. Then just microwave when you are ready to use and add ketchup!

I also fix up casseroles for my family all the time. Keep in mind, the bigger the casserole, the longer baking time. I made a large foil pan of pizza pasta and froze it. When I didn't feel like cooking one night, it took almost 2 hours in the oven.

If you prepare your menu ahead of time and you know that you might be busy, I encourage you to give it a try!

I usually spend 1 day a month making about 6 different meals and freeze them all. It works great for those lazy days, late night dinners and nights I'm not at home!

[Cat Herder]

https://www.recipes.com

search frozen casseroles.

I keep 3 deep freezers full at all times.

[Abigail]

www.recipes.com

search frozen casseroles.

I keep 3 deep freezers full at all times.

Wow, you have three deep freezers? I sure hope your power doesn't go out for a long time or that is a lot of work and money to kiss goodbye to! Someday I'll be using a second freezer besides our regular fridge/freezer and that will be so wonderful!

[MyAngels]

How long do your freezer meals last in the freezer? I used to do this all the time when my kids were younger, but now that it's mainly just hubby and I, I've pretty much stopped because I'm not sure that we'll use them up quickly enough.

[kidkair]

I don't make many full meals ahead of time but I'll cook beef, chicken, beans, and rice and freeze them. I just put them in tupperware and put them in the freezer when they are fully cooled down to room temp.. I've never had a mushy problem rather I find I need to add water to the rice so it's not crunchy.