At Home with GCH: Freezer Meals (BONUS: Taco Egg Rolls Recipe)

 

I don’t know about you, but there are plenty of days that I wish I had a private chef…someone who would do all of the meal planning, grocery shopping, food prep, and cooking!  It would make my life a whole lot easier!  But, believe it or not, I like doing these things for my household!  I like planning, prepping, and cooking!  So I’m always looking for fun ways to do these things that will keep me interested in wanting to do more!

This week I want to cover something that some of you may not have heard of; though some of you have, I’m sure.  Freezer Meals! I’m going to make your life a whole lot easier this week, and not only will you love the time this blog is going to save you, but you are going to love the money it will save, as well!

So, are you ready?  Grab a cup of coffee and settle in, and let’s talk about Freezer Meals!

I want to preface this by saying that I am not an expert in this field.  I’m just an ordinary housewife from Southeast Wisconsin, who reads blogs all over the Internet, and scans through tons and tons of recipes on Pinterest.  Put these two worlds together, and viola! … you come up with Freezer Meals!

The first thing I will tell you about Freezer Meals is that it does take some planning and time in the beginning.  But once these meals have gone through preparation stage, and actually become “freezer meals,” you are going to be so glad that you took the time to learn how to do this!

Freezer Meals are meals that you prepare ahead of time…a lot of them…all in one day.  I make 15 to 20 Main Dish meals in one day; put them all in Ziploc® bags, and then put them in the freezer.  They are perfect for the Crock Pot, oven, or stove top.  All I have to do is pull a bag out of the freezer, put it in the crock pot in the morning and let it cook all day long.  When it’s time for dinner, all I have to do is add a vegetable, salad, baked potato, rice or pasta, and dinner is served!  So now, dinner time is done in half the time that it would normally take; leaving me more time to spend with what is most important to me.

*Tip:  Always use crock-pot liners for easy and quick clean-up!  (You’re welcome!)

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So, let’s talk about Freezer Meals by starting with food preparation first.  The following are steps that I take when preparing Freezer Meals in my own home:

1. Begin always by washing your hands first!
2. Take all your raw meat (chicken thighs or breasts, pork chops, pork tenderloin, turkey), as well as cooked shredded chicken and hamburger, etc), divide the meat up into the amount of servings that you will need for your family, and put the total servings into a gallon-sized Ziploc® Freezer Bags.  Before closing the bag, always push out all the air from the inside of the bag.  (I always use Ziploc® Freezer bags, because they don’t allow the meat or veggies to get freezer burnt.)   Regular zip-lock style bags that are not labeled “freezer” may not prevent this from happening.)  Be sure to wash your hands once again, and to thoroughly clean the surface the meat was prepared on.  PS: whatever you do, please don’t clean this surface with bleach!!  You are going to be preparing more food on this surface, and the last thing you want is for the food to come into contact with a bleach-cleaned surface!  For a more natural alternative, use vinegar to clean all surfaces.
3. Your next step is to cut up all your raw veggies and, once again, divide into how many servings you will need for your family, and place in Ziploc® bags.
4. For meats and veggies that can be cooked together, just add them all into the same Ziploc® bag, and freeze.
5. Marinades and some sauces freeze very well.  Sauces that I have found to freeze well are Spaghetti Sauce, Enchilada Sauce, and Alfredo Sauce.  These are the sauces that I use.  You can try others, as well, at your preference.  Salsa is another one that freezes well.  Throw the marinade or sauce of your choice in with the meat, push the air out, and zip the freezer bag shut.  Toss into the freezer!
6. Breakfast, Bean, and Meat Burritos are great freezer meal candidates!  You can make up two or three dozen ahead of time, put them all in freezer bags, and then cook what you need for a family meal, or you can take out one or two at a time, and cook!  They are perfect for freezer meals!  Beef and Bean Burritos are something I like to make a lot of!  My husband loves to take them to work in his lunch, and they are also just a great thing to heat up for a quick lunch at home, too!
7. Chili is another favorite of ours.  We always cook up a big batch of Chili, and freeze it in several gallon-sized Ziploc® bags.  Then when it’s time, we have Chili ready for Chili Cheeseburgers, Chili Dogs, Chili-topped Baked Potatoes, and more!  We love Chili in this home!  So many uses for Chili!  It’s also very easy to just throw in a crock pot (in the bag) and let it heat up throughout the day.  Cook up some cornbread and serve with the Chili!  This meal may take you around 30 minutes, at the most, to prepare!  Plus, your Chili is cooked right inside the Ziploc® bag, so there is no messy crock pot to clean! 
   
8. BE SURE TO LABEL ALL OF THE BAGS WITH THE CONTENTS BEFORE PUTTING IN FREEZER!

There are just so many different kinds of meals that can be frozen.  They can be cooked in a crock pot, oven, or the stove top.  Personally, freezer cooking has been a huge hit for me. Knowing that dinner is already half-done makes my life so much easier!!  I hope if you have not given this a try yet, that you will take the time to try it.  It truly is a time-saver!

Before I close I would like to share one of my favorite Freezer Meals.  These are so easy to make, and are great when you are in a pinch for something quick for lunch for the kids!

Taco Egg Rolls

2 lbs lean ground beef

2 Tbsp minced onions

1-1/2 pkg of Taco Seasoning

1 pkg of Egg Roll wraps

1-1/2 cups of shredded Fiesta Cheese blend

DIRECTIONS:

Brown ground beef and minced onions in a medium-high skillet; drain.  Add in taco seasoning and stir until blended.  Set aside and allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.

After meat has cooled down, fill each eggroll wrap with 1-2 tbsp of meat mixture.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over mixture, and close wrap beginning with bottom corner; fold in corners. Brush top of eggroll with water, roll wrap up tightly to enclose filling—sealing with top flap.

In the meantime, heat canola oil in a skillet.  Place wraps—fold side down—a few at a time, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (2-3 minutes).  Drain on paper towel.

Wraps can be topped with salsa, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, black olives, and sour cream; serve with Refried Beans.  Or you can choose to dip them in Ranch Dressing for a snack.

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Here are some other favorite Freezer Meal websites / recipes:

http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/08/breakfast-burrito-bonanza/

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/slow-cooker-freezer-meals-make-8-meals.html

http://onceamonthmom.com/101-fall-freezer-meals/

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/freezer-meals-00100000085408/index.html

http://freezermealsforus.blogspot.com/

http://themarathonmom.com/preparing-for-birth-freezer-cooking.htm

http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/03/28/stocking-the-freezer-make-ahead-meals/

http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2012/09/bless-a-friend-with-freezer-meals.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/make_ahead_casserole_recipes

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cooking-Style/Freezer-Meal-Recipes

 

See you next week!

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If you have any questions about Freezer Meals, or Freezer Meal preparation, please email me at Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.  I’ll be happy to answer your question, or find the answer for you!