I'm freezing...

..meals that is. School + grad school + running keeps me on my toes. I've been struggling to get everything done and one thing that I will not compromise on is cooking dinner. I would much prefer cook dinner to picking something up and I see cooking as a way that I can serve my husband. Think cooking = love language. Since I had last week off, I thought I would get ahead on some of my cooking by preparing freezer meals. After asking and a little searching, I made all of these meals that will end up being 14 meals and it really only took about 3-4 hours! Woohoo!

I used the freezer meals post from Ring Around the Rosies to make 8 of the meals.

She prepared crockpot meals into baggies and wrote the directions on the outside. Each of the recipes listed was divided into two separate gallon size bags(which is the appropriate size for a small family such as ours). I made:

Teriyaki Chicken

Medium – Large bag of carrots
Red Onion into Large Chunks
2 large cans pineapple (undrained)
4 Garlic Cloves
4 Chicken Breasts
1 cup teriyaki sauce

Follow directions above, and split everything into two gallon freezer bags. shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Bag: Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce to crock pot, Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Serve over hot rice

Savory Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
2 cans stewed tomatoes
4 Tbs white wine
2 bay leafs
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion (I put one small in each bag)
1 cup chicken broth (see how I make mine below, or choose one w/ no msg or bpa)
2 tsp salt
4 cups broccoli

Follow directions above, and put everything (except broccoli) into two gallon freezer bags. shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Bag: Cook on low 8 hours, add broccoli during the last 30 minutes.

Sweet & Tangy Meatballs

One large bag of meatballs (I used a pound of ground venison and made my own meatballs loosely using this recipe from Pioneer Woman: Meatballs: 1 lb beef/venison, 3 cloves Garlic, Minced, 3/4 cups Fine Bread Crumbs, 2 whole Eggs, 3/4 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced, 1/4 teaspoon Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Splash Of Milk, 1/2 cup Olive Oil. To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 25 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.)
2 jar grape jelly
20 oz bbq sauce

Put everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in freezer. Instructions for Bag: Cook on low for 2-4 hours ‘til warmed completely. Serve over hot rice w/ a side of veggies.

Sausage and Peppers

6 Italian Sausage (I used venison..)
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans italian diced tomatoes
drizzle olive oil
1 Tbs Italian seasoning

Follow directions above, and put everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Bag: Cook on low 8 hours, or grill. After cooking, serve over hot pasta or on hollowed out, buttered crusty bread.

I also made lasagna from this post and the Chicken Spaghetti from this post. When putting them together, I just split each recipe into two different containers and wrapped both with a couple of layers of foil. On the outside I wrote the cooking instructions.

The last main course meal made, Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells, was from What's Cooking Chicago.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
original Joelen recipe

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

· To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese

There were so many other recipes to choose from, but this seemed like a good place to start.

I also made a double recipe of the Vegan Oat Bars which gives me about a month's worth of
school day breakfasts and some more of the Peanut Butter Oatmeal squares for quick breakfasts.

After making some chocolate chip cookie dough,
I went ahead and scooped it into balls, placed them in a bag and threw it in the freezer so I can make homemade cookies quickly.

You should try it. Right now I am sitting comfy on the couch knowing that we will eat homemade chicken spaghetti for dinner : )