Comments on: Frozen Assets

By: Ron Fulford

Ron Fulford — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:36:24 +0000

First off excellent site. Im not sure if it has been addressed, but when using Opera I can never get the entire site to load without refreshing many times. Maybe just my connection. Appreciate your work

By: Tammy Brazeau

Tammy Brazeau — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:43:22 +0000

One day I had my husband go to the butchers and see if we could buy a roll of butchers paper. Surprise, for $20.00 we got enough to last 10 years and that is after sharing with other family members. Now when we buy our meat on sale, we repackage it in the butchers wrap (no freezerr burn with the paper, unlike the plastic freezer bags).
I also bulk cook, when I make bread, I tend to do 8 loaves at a time, 2 of each kind my family likes, then I make 2 dozen bagels at the same time, sometimes I will make cinnamon rolls for a treat. I also make many differebt sauces and freeze them, I tend not to use any can or prepared foods so everything is bought fresh.
If I find alot of veggies marked down for instance, I will go home and chop them up and make a soup base and freeze enough for 4 servings at a time, then when its time to eat the soup I add my meat to it.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:02:48 +0000

Forgot….this is a fabulous recipe from Recipe Zaar via Saver Queen. I had 8 coming for lunch. Emailed them with a choice of ingredients – eg. roasted garlic, spicy sausage, olives etc. – they responded with their choices – I whipped up ‘made to order’ pizza pops!
They are awesome to have in the freezer – kids love ‘em!

CRUST

1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
2 1/1 cups flour

SAUCE

1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup fine diced onion
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons water
add a pinch of salt

Mix yeast with 1 cup of flour. Add all the rest of the crust ingredients (except rest of the flour) and beat well.
Knead in the rest of the flour. The dough should be soft and elastic, not too dry.
Let rest 15 minutes.
Cut into 8 balls (SQ says 10, but, I like them bigger) and roll out into
6″ circles.
Top with equal amounts of sauce on half of the circle leaving 1/2″ at edge clear for sealing purposes.
Add your choice of fillings. Pinch edge well to seal.
Prick tops (I prick in the initial of the person I’m making it for) and you can also brush with an egg wash mixture (I do not do this)
Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

You can stuff these with lots of fillings because the bread expands leaving a large pocket inside.

These freeze really well. I wrap them in foil with the initial of who it is for.
I reheat them at 350F for 15-20 minutes in the oven or toaster oven.
These would make a great after school snack…..

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:58:04 +0000

Thanks Jenn! I’ll be making meatballs with your sauces this weekend.

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:05:38 +0000

Oooohhhh!! Y’all are making me hungry!! At the age of 36 I still show up at my sister’s or parents for dinner on the weekends. I always bring containers with me. Everytime I try and reciprocate they won’t let me. I think they feel sorry for me because I am single. Whatever works, I get fed well and feel loved. Sigh! I wonder what mom is cooking this weekend….

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:41:07 +0000

I’ve always batch cooked. Good to have a full freezer for those days you don’t feel like cooking, are short of time…or you get snow days and can’t go anywhere for a week (which has happened).
Two of the baskets in the freezer are goodies i.e. buttertarts, cookies, lemon loaf, etc. Nice for when someone drops in (and the supply seems to decrease when the kids come home ;o)
Right now we are eating ‘down’ the freezer – getting it cleared out for more batch cooking for the winter. Just found pork ribs on a terrific sale and bought two huge pkg. which takes up a lot of room unfortunately. We have sweet glazed ribs Christmas Day (slow cooked for hours) because no one really likes turkey here either. I’m going to make shepherd’s pie, lasagne, beef and chicken pot pies etc. very soon….i.e. when ingredients are on sale.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:23:57 +0000

Great post Gail!
I recently found a very useful cookbook at my local library called Fix, Freeze, Feast. The recipes are designed to make large quantities of dishes that freeze well. A quick search on Amazon.com reveals a whole host of similar cookbooks.
As for keeping foods from becoming freezer burned, my sister swears by her gadget that vacuum seals foods before freezing. I don’t have one myself (not in the present budget) but I guess it could be useful if one wants to do a lot of freezing.
I often freeze leftovers in plastic containers or freezer bags but never reheat in them as it isn’t safe.

By: Frugalistas.blogspot.com

Frugalistas.blogspot.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:54:15 +0000

This is one of our secrets too. We’ve been doing it since we got married and I always have lunch for next day. Sure saves us time and money, as the cleaning is done once for X meals rather than X times.

By: Judi

Judi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:02:16 +0000

We do ‘batch baking’. I will bake a series of muffins, cookies and loaves and freeze them for lunches and snacks for the kids. Since we’re a family of 10, we make huge meals every day, so we don’t do a lot of batch cooking unless we’re making chicken stock or turkey stock. We always have leftovers, but those go to lunches the next day (our 9 year olds LOVE to take soups and stews in their thermoses). We would love to batch cook…and will probably do so when we move into our house in 10 months.

By: Girl Makes Cents

Girl Makes Cents — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:28:08 +0000

I like these ideas! I used to do spaghetti sauce in university but that’s about it. Most of my meals back then never took longer than 15 minutes to make!

One thing to add, is that the dollarstore often has reusable containers where you can put the date on it by turning a dial. Saves even on that masking tape!

By: Mrs. T

Mrs. T — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:28:59 +0000

I like to batch cook meat – unflavoured, so when I have a recipe that calls for it, I pull it out of the freezer, thaw and add to the recipe. I do this with chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and ground beef. It’s a HUGE time saver and really encourages me to cook healthy meals. It’s also helpful near the end of the week to chop up any leftover veggies into small cubes or bits and freeze them as well. It saves time chopping fresh veggies for the “recipe of the day” and SAVES you in a pinch when you NEED a green pepper and there isn’t one in sight. It also help save money because you aren’t tossing soggy veggies into the composter.

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:01:37 +0000

Looking forward to getting a deep freezer. Three of us share the freezer above the fridge and it gets tight. I can really only have one set of “leftovers” in there at a time. Can’t wait to make lasagna again and freeze most of it!

I’m really hungry now. Thanks a lot!

By: Lisa M

Lisa M — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:20:23 +0000

I should add that all of this goes into my freezer and pulled out when needed. Our deep freezer has paid for itself three times over I’m sure with all of our ‘on sale’ food purchases for my batch prep, etc.

Cheers,
Lisa

By: Lisa M

Lisa M — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:15:17 +0000

I love batch cooking when time permits. What I do consistently is “batch prep”…this is an essential time/money saver in my world as a working Mom…
Veggies: I often buy red pepper, green pepper and zuchini when on sale (mostly seasonal) and do some ‘batch’ chopping. They I take ’small’ freezer bags and put each raw veggie in three equal portions into the bags. Excellent for spagetti sauce, stir fries, etc

Chicken – I’ll usually get a box of M & M boneless, skinless chicken breasts when it goes on sale. I cook ‘em all up, dice and into ‘large’ freezer bags they go. Fantastic time saver for fajitas, stir fries, casseroles.

Lean Ground Beef – I stock up again when it’s on sale and buy a minimum of three large family paks. One pak I’ll make meatballs, cook them and freeze in an ice cream container (divided by portion size of 8’s with wax paper). Quick for spagetti and meatballs or honey garlic meatballs and rice.

2nd pak gets cooked up and put in a large freezer bag. Terrific for pasta, chili, nauchos, pizza topping.

3rd pak used for meals (batch cooked and left overs frozen when possible).

I’ve even cooked and frozen bacon – convenient for salads, toppings, etc.

Of course, you can buy most of this prepared now in the grocery store freezer section (chicken, frozen veggies, etc).

Just a few tips – I’ve been doing for this for years and am happy to share with all of you – the inspiring “Gail community”.
Lisa

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:51:25 +0000

Here is the meatball recipe we use, plus several sauce options to use up all those frozen meatballs!

MILLIONS OF MEATBALLS
(this makes a lot — at least four dozen, depending on size)
12-ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoons salt, optional
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
4 pounds ground beef

In a large mixing bowl, combine first eight ingredients. Add ground beef and mix well. Shape into meatballs (use a small cookie scoop if available) and place on broiler pan so grease can drain while cooking. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Divide into meal-sized portions. To prevent from freezing into a solid meatball-mass, freeze individually on cookie sheets and then place in freezer bags. Label and freeze.

To serve meatballs, thaw completely, and reheat with your choice of sauces (six sample sauce recipes follow).

SWEET-N-SOUR MEATBALLS
(5 servings)
1 (14-oz) can pineapple tidbits or chunks, undrained
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more to taste)
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs
1 (5-oz) can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, cut in strips

Drain pineapple tidbits, reserving syrup. In medium saucepan, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Blend in reserved syrup, water, cider vinegar and soy sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until thick and bubbly. Carefully stir in meatballs, water chestnuts, green pepper strips and pineapple. Heat to boiling. Serve over hot cooked rice.

CHILI-DAY MEATBALLS
(5 servings)
This recipe sounds a little strange (chili sauce and grape jelly?), but it tastes like burgundy sauce (only without the wine)
1 (12-oz) jar chili sauce
11-oz. jar grape jelly
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs

Whisk together chili sauce, grape jelly, lemon juice and bouillon, breaking up all clumps. Simmer on low heat until sauce starts to thicken. Add freezer meatballs; cook in sauce until meatballs are fully heated through. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice.

MEATBALL SANDWICHES
(6 servings)
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs (approximately 4-5 meatballs per person)
6 hot dog buns (or hoagie rolls)
6 thin slices mozzarella cheese
2 cups prepared spaghetti sauce

Thaw meatballs and spaghetti sauce (if using frozen). Place both in medium saucepan. Heat until hot. Place meatballs into warmed buns. Ladle small amount of spaghetti sauce onto each sandwich; place mozzarella slice onto each sandwich.

TOMATO-SAUCED MEATBALLS
(5 servings)
1 (10 3/4-oz) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs

Mix together soup, water and Worcestershire sauce. Place meatballs in a medium sized saucepan; pour soup mixture over meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are heated through. Serve over hot cooked rice.

MEATBALL STROGANOFF
(5 servings)
1 (10 3/4-oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and cooked in butter until soft
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs

In medium saucepan, mix together mushroom soup and sour cream. Gently stir in mushrooms and meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are heated through. Serve over hot cooked rice or over egg noodles tossed with melted butter and chopped parsley.

CATALINA MEATBALLS
(5 servings)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 family meal-sized portion of freezer meatballs

Sauté onion slices in olive oil until softened. Place frozen meatballs in medium skillet. Pour dressing over meatballs. Cover skillet and cook over low heat until dressing caramelizes on meatballs and onion, and the meatballs are fully thawed and heated through. Serve over rice.