Meals to freeze
 

I am looking for recipes for meals that can be made and frozen. I would like meals that I can just heat up in microwave or on stove-top or in the oven.
I have made some (mostly soups and homemade breads) but would like more. I live in a very rural area so I would prefer recipes that don't require unusual ingredients.
I found lots of recipes online but it would be nice if YOU have tried the recipe and know it to be a good freezer meal. Your recipes for main courses, lunches, snacks would be appreciated. I have batches of cookies/squares made and frozen but other 'sweetums' recipes are also welcomed.
Thank you. Look forward to reading your favorites.
anne

sloppy joes freeze well...I make sloppy joes for the animal shelter's fundraiser, so I have to make a lot (ten pounds of ground beef). I freeze in the gallon size freezer bags...works out well.

I use canned tomatoes, make spaghetti sauce in bulk and put it in freezer bags. I buy hamburger when it's on sale, bake lots of meatballs and freeze them separately. I make chili, split pea soup, meatloaf, pork BBQ and hot dog chili. You can cook a whole box of spaghetti, divide it out into individual portions and freeze. I nuke it in the microwave with no added water and it tastes like you just cooked it. When the freezer is almost empty I usually spend two or three (long) days in the kitchen cooking and portioning things out to refill. This keeps us from eating out which is to expensive and I don't really like fast food anyway.
I've found if I use freezer bags, fill them, lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze I get more in my freezer. The one thing I had to learn the hard way was to write what's in the bag and date:)
If you want me to scan and send you my recipes just PM me.

I cook the way I did years ago for the family. Then freeze in Small bags, flat on a cookie sheet, then i box them up.

I go to the meat market abut 30 min from me and they have lots of things that they make in single serve sizes. They even wrap them freezer ready and put the instructions on a sticker on the outside of the package. The problem with them is they have changed their recipe or my taste buds have changed and they now taste so incredibly salty I don't want to eat them.
Some of the items offered to give you some idea are lasagna both meat and veggie, stuffed shells,
meatloaf, stuffed pepper. Chicken cordon blue, chicken Kiev, chicken Parmesan, Stuffed pork chops, lots of sea food stuffed with seafood stuffing etc. Lots I am forgetting. Even the regular grocery is starting to carry some but again they are too salty. They were so great to stick in the toaster oven on bake and take the dog out for a run and dinner is almost ready when I got back. I never minded paying more for the convenience since it's only me.
I was there yesterday and thought of making my own. I picked up some boneless chicken breasts and some butterflied pork chops and ground round to experiment.
I'll be watching here for more ideas. If they ever come out with frozen dinners that are low salt and taste good I would be in heaven. It would even be great if the picture looked like the dinner! :D

I try to keep these in the freezer: home made noodles--good with Roast Beef, Chicken, Beef Stroganoff. One of our favorites with any of the meat dishes.
Homemade Biscuits-Fry Sausage and have with the Biscuits and gravy. Biscuits and Sausage--just Sandwiches.
Left over Fried Chicken;another meal!
Let me know if you need the recipes for any of these!
Mariah

No special recipes here.
I make Planned Overs .... and freeze as single serve freezer meals.
(Planned Overs = When cooking, just make extra, ready to freeze.)

Most anything will freeze.
If you are ever hesitant, do one meal, eat it and then you will know for the next time.
I do all sorts of meals with meat/potatoes/veggies.
Likewise, the usual hashes, casseroles, etc. that are often done in this way.

If just rice or pasta, I put it into a snack size ziplock bag.
For meals and soups or mashed potatoes, I have some plastic containers that I freeze them in.
Once frozen, then I pop off the plastic and slide the frozen meal into a sandwich size baggie, and return to the freezer. Before filling, I write with a heavy marker on the plastic baggie what is inside.

With them all the same size, they sit nicely on their edges in rows in the pull out bin in my frig-freezer.
A quick flip through, and I can see what is there and decide on supper!


Makes for some pretty nice meals when I want a good supper ... and no work!

I make enchiladas in small aluminum cake pans. They freeze well and I can pop them out to heat in the microwave or thaw and then heat in the oven.

When I make meatloaf to freeze, I bake it in muffin tins. Pull out one or two, microwave it, and dinner is ready.

For enchiladas, I layer the ingredients like you would with lasagna. I'll even put sour cream in the layers since I don't always have it on hand. Cook, cool, cut into squares, then wrap and freeze in a ziplock bag.

I've stored some of the bigger casserole dishes from my " feeding kids" days and picked up smaller ones. I still cook " too big" but portion it out in these dishes to freeze and it works out for me.