Freezer Meals

Over the weekend, I spent some time making meals for freezing, so that we have homemade meals during my "confinement" (post-pregnancy). After I did a few google searches on "freezer meals" and "foods that freeze and reheat well", I found this whole other universe of moms who do this regularly (1x/month). It saves time and some money by shopping in bulk when things are on sale. In the past, I have made meat sauce with my tomatoes from the garden and throughout the winter I can defrost a container on Fridays when I don't feel like cooking. It saves so much time and it's just as delicious as the day I cooked it.

I bought square 8x8 containers at shop rite ($3.50/6 containers). It's just the right size for 4 servings. Since it's shallow and small, it will reheat more quickly than say a loaf pan. Notice there is a HOLE in the Shepard's pie. I made the hole so it would reheat more quickly and not a frozen center.

Baked ziti - I didn't melt the cheese. I figure that will happen when I go to reheat it. I used 85% lean ground beef and drained the fat after I cooked it before adding it to the sauce and pasta. I want these to be complete and somewhat healthy meals (especially since I'll be nursing), so I didn't add any onions or "fillers".

Allow the food to completely cool before wrapping them up and sticking them into the freezer. using masking tape, I labeled each tray on the top side as well as the side facing out. The number on the label is approximately how many servings there are. You can alter that depending on the size of your family and whether you take leftovers to work.

I'm lactose intolerant and since the pregnancy I have a condition called GERD, so when I research recipes to make freezer meals, I avoid "casserole" like dishes that involve a lot of cheese or biscuits or butter or acidity. Also, I have to consider that this is fuel for both me (nursing) and my husband who works all day. I don't want to fill up on carb rich foods that will only make us go into "food coma". Something like these Lemon Chicken thighs are more up our alley. We are going to do our best anyway and find a sweet compromise between what is good for us and what is yummy.

From Southern Living, here is a list of freezer storage times. I'm 9 weeks to my due date, so this is a good time to start cooking and freezing.

• Combination dishes (such as rice and spaghetti dishes, lasagna, stuffed pepper meat pies, casseroles): 4 to 6 months
• Ground beef, cooked and uncooked: 2 to 3 months
• Chicken (whole, breasts, pieces), uncooked: 6 months
• Meatloaf, baked or unbaked: 3 to 4 months
• Smoked sausage: 1 to 2 months (Note: Freezing sausage may alter flavor.)
• Beef steaks: 6 to 12 months
• Pork chops: 3 to 6 months
• Ham and other cured meats: Not recommended for freezing; may lose color when frozen and become rancid more quickly than other meats

Sources: Clemson University and University of Missouri-Columbia Cooperative Extension Service