Stocking my freezer with make ahead meals! #menuplanning

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Awhile back I shared some freezer meal planning pictures with you on Facebookand received requests for the recipes. I wanted to try them before I sharedthem and I have. I have had a lot of fun planning and preparing these meals. I alsoadore how easy my meal planning has become since starting freezer meals.

Ihave already shared with you the creamy chicken taquito recipe that my familyraved about, now I am going to share with you another family fravorite recipes aswell as my experience with a typical freezer meal prep day. I do one week ofmenu planning at a time, but thanks to freezer meals I am not spending a ton oftime cooking each night.

Step1 – Compile you recipes and make a grocery list. I searched high and low onlinefor delicious looking freezer meals that did not require a doctorate to create.I took my recipes and made a grocery list of items I would need to create myfreezer meals.

Step2 – Go to the grocery store and purchase everything on your list {sounds silly,but I have forgotten items that were staring me in the face… so now I doublecheck to make sure I have EVERYTHING}.
Step3 – Start cleaning and chopping. I chop all my veggies up first and put them inseparate bowls based on recipes. One large mixing bowl will have one recipe init and another large mixing bowl will have another recipe in it and so on andso forth. I find this easier so that I don’t have to go back and guess how bigone onion was or two green peppers…. It also helps me to work on multiplerecipes at the same time. {I tried putting each veggie in a separate bowl andrealized quickly I was just creating a larger mess for myself.}
Step4 - Prepare the cooked recipes last so that you have more room to work.
Step5 – Bag it up and label everything. I buy those Ziploc Freezer bags at Sam’sclub in bulk and I use them for almost all of my freezer meals. I also usethose 8x8 inch tin foil baking tins for my pastas so I can stack and store moreefficiently in my freezer {they also get sealed in a Ziploc Freezer bag forfreshness and to avoid freezer burn}. I write on address labels what I am makingand directions for cooking. I also write with Sharpie directly onto the freezerbag – just in case those labels don’t stick.
Violayou are done. Now would you like some of my family’s favorite freezer mealrecipes?
Jambalaya– Make in a Crockpot for dinner and freeze the remainder in portions to have ata later date {we usually get 4 meals out of one batch} To cook from frozen yousimply take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in thefridge for the day and heat it on the stove about 15-20 minutes before you wantto eat.


CreamyChicken Taquitos – So yummy that they are a new staple in our freezer! Fromfreezer to oven to table in 27 minutes.
 
ShreddedMexican Chicken – This can be used on super nachos or in tacos. We make itin the Crockpot and then shred it, divide it, and freeze it. To cook fromfrozen you simply take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw inthe fridge for the day and microwave for a couple minutes when ready to eat.  

Thoseare our top favorites. Here is another recipe that we have started to usepretty frequently as well.  
Baked Ziti (Makes 3 8x8 containers)
What you need:
1 box Penne Pasta
2 jars of spaghetti sauce1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage1 container of white mushrooms cleaned, de-stemmed, and sliced {optional}1 cup part-skim ricotta1 large egg, lightly beaten3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan1 cup shredded mozzarella
Make it:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown Italian sausage over medium heat. Add mushrooms {optional} and spaghetti sauce, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. In a separate container combine egg, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and half the mozzarella cheese.
4. In baking tins pour ½ of the spaghetti sauce mixture into the bottom of the tin, add the penne noodles, add the cheese mixture, and cover with the remaining ½ of the spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top and either cook or freeze.
5. To cook: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
6. To cook from frozen, take out the night before and let thaw and follow above directions.

Thebaked ziti recipe is super easy to make and even easier to incorporate into ourmenu planning. We love all of these recipes and use then frequently. Right nowI am on a Mexican food kick and am on the lookout for some yummy freezer make aheadmeals to satisfy this new hunger… I will be trying one soon that has a relishthat gets sprinkled on top; should be interesting! I am also trying out some BBQ recipes as well as chili recipes. I will keep you posted!
 
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