Freezer Meal Summary

Our freezers (yes that is plural) are packed full and here is an inventory list of everything (minus things like extra bread, frozen vegetables, frozen juices, etc.). Keep in mind, we were able to stock the freezer in about two weeks by cooking double batches every couple night (eat one, freeze one).

Breakfast
Breakfast Bagel Sandwiches
Hashbrowns
Waffles (we are out of these, I need to make another batch)
Peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins (we are out of these, I need to make another batch)

Lunch
Baked Chicken Nuggets (I cooked these fully and will heat in the microwave to thaw)
Pita Pizzas
Cinnamon/Sugar Soft Pretzels and Salted Soft Pretzels
Egg Rolls/Egg Roll Filling
Taquitos (I followed the recipe but froze them before baking. To cook from frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time)

Dinner
Garlic and Herb Kabobs and Sweet and Sour Kabobs
Chicken Tetrazinni
Baked Pasta with Turkey Sausage
Lasagna
Deep Dish Supreme Pizza
Pulled pork (some with BBQ sauce and some plain)
Whole chicken (will bake simply with lemon and herbs in the oven)
Brats (will grill and serve with veggies)

Other dinner options that are not in the freezer 
Chili cornbread casserole
Spaghetti
Fish and veggies
Roasted chicken sausage and potatoes

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

This was an instant winner. After a disappointing dinner at Chicago Unos, Brian and I decided it was time to tackle making these at home. We bought a set of cake pans and followed Annie's Eats directions. The results were just as good as I hoped. We doubled her recipe and put one in the freezer before we baked it.


Ingredients (double everything if you want to freeze one):
For the dough:
1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (8 1/8 oz.) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (1 3/8 oz.) yellow cornmeal
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/8 tsp. instant yeast
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. (5 oz.) water, at room temperature
1½ tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. grated onion
Pinch of dried oregano
¼ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

For assembling and topping:
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)
¼ oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 tbsp.)
We added: uncooked pork sausage, salami, pepperoni, onions, black olives, garlic, green and red peppers, and spinach.

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on low speed. Mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the water and melted butter and continue mixing on low speed until fully incorporated, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4-5 minutes.

Using your hands, coat a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 45-60 minutes.

While the dough is rising, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until reduced to about 1¼ cups, about 25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To laminate the dough, turn the dough out onto a dry work surface and roll into a 8- by 6-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With the seam side down, flatten the cylinder into a 9- by 2 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a business letter, pinch the seams to form a ball, and return to the oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator until nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. To assemble, coat a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer the dough ball to a dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch disk about ¼-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan, working into the corners and 1 inch up the sides. If the dough resists stretching, let rest 5 minutes before trying again.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the surface of the dough. (We added all our other toppings before the final sauce and cheese) Spread the tomato sauce over the cheese and top with Parmesan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Freezer: Make as directed, but freeze before baking. Add a few minutes to the baking time, until the pork is fully cooked.

Baked Egg Rolls

Rating: 4 out of 5

I got the idea to make baked egg rolls as a lunch option from Once a Month Mom, but the filling mixture and directions were altered significantly. Here is what I did...

Ingredients
Meat Mixture
2 pounds ground pork
1 head of Napa cabbage
2 carrots - shredded
Minced garlic
3-4 green onions

Sauce
4-5 tbsp. of soy sauce
2-3 tbsp. of fish sauce
2 tbsp. honey
Minced garlic
Salt and Pepper

Egg roll wrappers (or in our case wonton wrappers)
Bowl of water for sealing the wrappers

Directions
Cook the ground pork fully. Add in the remaining meat mixture ingredients and cook for a few minutes. Wait for the cabbage to fully wilt into the mixture. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In the meantime, whisk together the sauce ingredients and get your bowl of water ready. Also, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Add the sauce to the meat and stir completely.

Follow the directions on the egg roll wrappers to fill and seal each.

To bake, put on a cookie sheet and spray the top of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip. Bake for another 10 minutes. For the wontons, I baked for 9 minutes and then flipped for another 7 minutes.

Freezer: We are experimenting with the freezer instructions on this one. I froze a little over a dozen baked egg rolls and will test microwaving them until thawed and warmed. If that doesn't work, I have about a pound of the mixture in the freezer as well, so I can thaw the filling and fold into the wrappers before baking.

Soft Pretzels

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Okay, I know that picture looks weird and nothing like a pretzel, but I promise you the taste is sooo yummy. We made a double batch of these--half salted and half cinnamon sugar (my favorite). We got eight of each kind but only 4 cinnamon sugar ones made it to the freezer. I blame Brian. The recipe is from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients

For the dough:
1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

For finishing:
Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Pretzel (or kosher) salt or a cinnamon/sugar mixture

Directions:

To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.

In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope. Make a U-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope…cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer: To freeze, bake as directed and cool completely. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and then put in a freezer bag. To serve, microwave on medium heat for a few seconds until warm. 

Pita Pizzas

Rating: Unknown

 Not only did I want dinners ready in the freezer, but I also wanted some quick lunch options. The pita pizzas were super easy to toss together and freeze. I got the idea and basic instructions from Once a Month Mom.


Ingredients

Pita bread (or any flat bread)
Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Italian crumbled sausage
Black olives
Green pepper
Onion

Pizza sauce (this recipe is from Annie's Eats)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. grated onion
Pinch of dried oregano
¼ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Directions:

Make sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, oregano, and salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high.  Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until reduced to about 1¼ cups, about 25 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the basil and oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread flat pita bread with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with desired pizza toppings, then cheese. Broil approximately 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Freezing Directions: After assembling pizzas, do not bake, instead, wrap individually in plastic wrap and divide among freezer bags, seal, label and freeze. To serve: Broil for approx. 5-10 minutes or until hot and bubbly, or microwave until hot and bubbly.

Lasagna

 It looks burnt but that is just the wheat noodles *trust me*

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Here is an excellent and easy lasagna that can be split into two meals--one to eat fresh and one to stash in the freezer. The recipe is from Eating My Way Back. Brian and I both thought it lacked a bit of flavor so he added a tiny bit of salt to his and I added red pepper flakes -- both of which did the trick.

Ingredients

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 (16 oz.) container fat-free cottage cheese
1 (15 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups 2% mozzarella cheese
1 (10 oz.) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 lb. ground turkey (I used plain but you could use italian style)
9 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles/regular lasagna noodles
*salt / red pepper flakes to taste (see above)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan, heat tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. If you are using regular lasagna noodles, boil them according to package directions at this time.

2. Meanwhile, puree the cottage cheese until smooth. Add the ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup basil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper until just combined.

3. Cook the turkey until brown.

4. Assemble the lasagna. Use non-stick cooking spray to coat a 9 by 13 pan. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place 3 noodles on top, half the ricotta mixture, half the meat, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat. Top with 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

*If you want to freeze half, use two 9 by 9 inch pans. Divide lasagna stuff evenly between both pans. Bake one and allow the other to cool completely, cover tightly with foil, and put in the freezer.

5. Bake covered for 1 hour (if cooking from frozen, bake for 1 hour 30 minutes).

6. Remove cover and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for another 10 minutes.

7. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Kabobs

Photo from Once a Month Mom

 

Rating: Unknown

 

We have made and frozen three different types of kabobs. This is a super easy way to stock your freezer in advance (no cooking on prep day = hooray!) and it is super easy to toss them on the grill or cook on the stove top and serve with steamed rice. In the freezer we have sweet and sour kabobs, garlic and herb kabobs, and creole seasoning and butter kabobs. We adopted the recipe from a post by Once a Month Mom.

 

Ingredients

 

Meat of choice (we used chicken)

Veggies of choice (we used green, red, and yellow peppers, mushrooms, and onions)

Marinade of choice 

Directions

In a large freezer bag toss together the meat, veggies, and marinade, remove as much air as possible, seal and freeze. To cook, thaw in fridge and toss on a hot grill.