How to find good meals recipes that freeze well?

Lasagna is awesome to freeze - cooked or uncooked. Plus - you can prepare them in the tiny disposable bread pans for individual servings!

If you are in Albuquerque and want to try one of the meal prep places, I would recommend Do It Dinners (www.doitdinners.com) They are locally owned and operated by a very nice couple! There is a central location near Journal Center and also on in Rio Rancho..... Otherwise....

Here are some recipes I use:

You can very easily alter this one based on what you have on hand:

Broccoli Rice Casserole

2 cups instant rice, uncooked
1 lb ground turkey
small package frozen broccoli
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can broccoli cheese soup
1/2 cup milk

*Brown and drain turkey
*Combine soup and milk and stir until mixed
*Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup parm. Mix well, pour into 13x9 pan and top with remaining parm cheese
*Bake 350 for 40 minutes
*Broil last 2 minutes or so to brown the top

Some notes on this one: *you can use 2 cups regular cooked rice but I have found the casserole does not set up as well because the instant rice soaks up extra liquid as it cooks, unlike cooked regular rice *I add a box of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, with the broccoli, it just adds a some veggies to sneak into the kids :) *I have made this with left over turkey like from Thanksgiving and it turns out very well too *I have also made this same recipe using ham and pasta and it is yummy! *this recipe is a single recipe, I usually just triple it and freeze two and serve one that night. You can cook it from frozen, just double the cook time, I do not pre-cook before freezing, just assemble and freeze before baking it.

Another: (I tried to do this in seperate posts and it wouldnt let me! My baby is due any day now and I have several of these in my freezer:)

Spaghetti Pie

6 oz spaghetti
1/3 cup parmasean
2 beaten eggs
1 lb ground beef
2 T butter
16 oz cottage cheese
2 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese

*Brown ground beef and drain. Mix in Spaghetti sauce with beef and set aside.
*Mix cooked pasta and butter and stir in eggs, then parm cheese.
*press noodle mixture into a pie pan
*spread cottage cheese on top of noodles
*layer sauce/meat mixture on top of cottage cheese
* sprinkle with mozzerella cheese
*bake 350 for 20-30 minutes

A note on this one: These are the official measurements for this but I dont think I ever measure for this recipe and it always turns out well. I usually use about a lb of pasta of some shape and I make mine in a 13x9 pan since my family LOVES the leftovers from this, to increase it, I just ball park the other ingredients when I increase it. The last time I made it, I put some frozen spinach (thawed/squeezed) in with the noodles and it turned out very well. I have doubled and tripled this one also for freezing, I freeze before baking.

Swedish Meatballs with egg noodles

I use frozen meatballs from Sam's but you can make your own if you are ambitius. My kids prefer the ones from Sams over some of the other brands :)

Meatballs: About 1/2 of a gallon size ziploc full (sorry, I dont have an exact measurement)

Sauce:
2 cups cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sour cream

In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and mix well. Pour into the ziploc, over the meatballs and freeze. To serve: heat ziploc ingredients in a pan until hot and bubbly. Serve over egg noodles. My kids LOVE this one!

Meatloaf:

1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or mixture)
1 1/2 cups crushed saltine crackers (or crushed goldfish crackers, or bread crumbs work too)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk or beef broth (or chicken broth if using Turkey)
1/3 cup ketchup

Combine all ingredients and shape into two loaves. Bake 1 hour at 350. If your kiddo's like to have "their own things" you can make this into muffins by using muffin tins, or even mini muffin tins. I double this recipe and make into four loaves, cook one for dinner and freeze three. If you freeze, wrap in Seran wrap THEN foil, otherwise the foil can squish into the bumps on the loaf and you end up eating foil possibly :)

There are also a few good books called Frozen Assets which are actually for preparing meals for an entire month in one weekend, but some of the recipes are good ideas just for freezable meals.

M.

There are some great cookbooks at amazon.com called honey don't panic dinner is in the freezer and supper suppers. you can also go to dream dinners.com and check out the locations and menus that they have. They are super easy all you do is pick your entrees, pick a date to make them and then show up. Everything is precut etc all you have to do is assemble it and put it in your freezer. Some of the locations will even put them together for you for a nominal fee.
Good luck,

Hi A.,
I would definitely go with Stews, and chili beans. If you don't get around to making a lot of freezer type meals ahead of time, use crock pot meals. You can do roast, and chicken in a crock pot and they come out yummy! Start early in the morning and just leave it cooking for 10 hours and wah lah. Try RachaelRay.com also. She's got some great 30min recipes! I love her website because she's got such a variety on there when it comes to cooking foods! Cook a whole turkey and peal it off the bone and put that in the freezer and then all you'll have to do when you want to cook it is heat up some veggies, and or make a simple salad with it. I hope you find some ideas you like and that will work for you and your family. G.

I'm also due in about 1 month and have a 2-yr-old. I have been busy making freezer meals to prepare for that busy time. I've done a few of my favorite meals that I know freeze well, but mostly I have been using recipes from this website www.savingdinner.com. They provide the shopping list and are very easy to assemble, especially when you do several together. I've been doing the "five for the freezer" meals because they are 5 meals using the same type of meat (find a sale for that type of meat) and you assemble the meals all at once. They break it down and make it very simple and are super cheap ($2.50 or so for the set of 5 recipes/grocery lists). The website is www.savingdinner.com and click on the circle at the top that says "freezer meals". It's kind of like those places (like My Girlfriend's Kitchen) where you go and prepare several meal kits at once, but this website is way cheaper because you do the grocery shopping yourself (but that's so easy to do because they make a list for you--no thinking involved).
Good luck!

I own a meal prep place called Meal Makers, I am not sure where you live but if you visit www.mealmakers.com you can maybe find one close to you. I own the one in Chandler AZ. You can come in and make your meals, we will have it all sliced and diced for you so all you have to do is put the meals together and freeze them. We will clean up your mess. Or you can call in an order, we will make the meals for you so all you have to do is carry them out. We have great food and I buy very good quaility and fresh food.
Thanks, M.

If you can afford it, save yourself some time and check into places like Souper Suppers, My Girlfriend's Kitchen, and Entrees Made Easy. You can go there to prepare the food and then freeze it, or you can have them assemble the meals and you come pick them up.

Are there any of those businesses near you where you go in and put together meals to prepare later? I'm in Albuquerque so I don't know about your area.

They have all the ingredients for recipes they supply. You pick the recipe, collect the ingredients, package it, and you're good to go. The ones I've been to are set up like a kitchen. I've paid $14 for a meal for 5.