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MarathonKnitter
HAPPY
Member since 2/07 17374 total posts
Name:
EMBRACING CHANGE
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favorite make-ahead meals
since i'll be out of commission for about a week's stretch twice, this winter/spring, i'm not going to want to cook.
what are your favorite make ahead meals that i can freeze and have ready to go?
this way i'm not at the mercy of SO's love for fast food.
TIA
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Posted 1/22/18 9:41 AM  |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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favorite make-ahead meals
Chicken chili is a favorite here
Lasagna
Soups
Fried rice
Taco meat
Meat sauce for pasta
Bbq pulled pork
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| Posted 1/22/18 9:55 AM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Baked ziti
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| Posted 1/22/18 10:43 AM |
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Nik09
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 1982 total posts
Name:
Nikole
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favorite make-ahead meals
meatsauce
Meatballs
meatloaf
lasagna rolls
chilli
soups
beef stew
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| Posted 1/25/18 12:58 PM |
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jamnmore
LIF Adult
Member since 6/16 989 total posts
Name:
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favorite make-ahead meals
I make an oven baked sweet and sour chicken from sixsistersstuff.com
I will coat and brown the chicken and then freeze. When I am ready to eat, I will thaw and bake as per directions. It's delicious every time. It is also easy to double and triple. I use this recipe a lot when entertaining because it is easy to make and serves a lot of people for cheap. Everyone always loves it.
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| Posted 1/25/18 1:39 PM |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Trays of stuffed shells (without the sauce, sauce them before baking)
Tomato sauce
Meatballs
Chili
Soups
Pancakes and waffles
Pulled chicken/pork
Pizza dough (just add sauce, cheese, and bake!)
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| Posted 1/25/18 1:59 PM |
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Naturalmama
Love my boys!!
Member since 1/12 3548 total posts
Name:
Christine
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favorite make-ahead meals
When I was pregnant with my twins, I prepped tons of dinners for the freezer.
I did a tray of baked ziti
pot of chili
soup- chicken noodle, lentil, beef barley. Separated it into containers so we got a few meals out of each pot of soup.
ground beef with taco seasoning- all you need to do that night is prep the fixings
pulled pork- again, separated before freezing so we got 2 meals out of it
homemade sauce with meatballs & sausage
giada's sun dried tomato & feta meatloaf
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| Posted 1/25/18 6:50 PM |
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Sash
Peace
Member since 6/08 10312 total posts
Name:
fka LIW Smara
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
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| Posted 1/25/18 7:14 PM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Posted by Sash
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
I have a vacuum sealer so I usually use that and just freeze enough for one dinner per bag. Then just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave. Although sometimes I'm lazy and just use Ziploc freezer bags. They work fine, I just make sure we don't freeze those too long.
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| Posted 1/25/18 9:15 PM |
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Sash
Peace
Member since 6/08 10312 total posts
Name:
fka LIW Smara
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Posted by MrsT809
Posted by Sash
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
I have a vacuum sealer so I usually use that and just freeze enough for one dinner per bag. Then just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave. Although sometimes I'm lazy and just use Ziploc freezer bags. They work fine, I just make sure we don't freeze those too long.
What about baked ziti and stuff like that you bag the Tupperware? Sorry if this is a dumb question lol! I think this will be a life saver for me.
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| Posted 1/25/18 11:13 PM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Posted by Sash
Posted by MrsT809
Posted by Sash
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
I have a vacuum sealer so I usually use that and just freeze enough for one dinner per bag. Then just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave. Although sometimes I'm lazy and just use Ziploc freezer bags. They work fine, I just make sure we don't freeze those too long.
What about baked ziti and stuff like that you bag the Tupperware? Sorry if this is a dumb question lol! I think this will be a life saver for me.
Nope. Usually I let things cool and then put them in the fridge overnight. That firms up casseroles enough that I can get nice clean slices that hold together and put them straight in the bag. Soup I'll freeze overnight in Tupperware and then dip in warm water to get it out and transfer to a bag to seal. Most things, even chili, go straight into a bag.
I don't use it as much now but when i was working and out of the house 12 hours a day it was so nice to come home and have a home cooked meal with no cooking or clean up.
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| Posted 1/26/18 7:29 AM |
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Sash
Peace
Member since 6/08 10312 total posts
Name:
fka LIW Smara
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Posted by MrsT809
Posted by Sash
Posted by MrsT809
Posted by Sash
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
I have a vacuum sealer so I usually use that and just freeze enough for one dinner per bag. Then just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave. Although sometimes I'm lazy and just use Ziploc freezer bags. They work fine, I just make sure we don't freeze those too long.
What about baked ziti and stuff like that you bag the Tupperware? Sorry if this is a dumb question lol! I think this will be a life saver for me.
Nope. Usually I let things cool and then put them in the fridge overnight. That firms up casseroles enough that I can get nice clean slices that hold together and put them straight in the bag. Soup I'll freeze overnight in Tupperware and then dip in warm water to get it out and transfer to a bag to seal. Most things, even chili, go straight into a bag.
I don't use it as much now but when i was working and out of the house 12 hours a day it was so nice to come home and have a home cooked meal with no cooking or clean up.
Thanks for all the tips! I need to really start doing this as I don’t get home till 7 / 7:30 most nights.
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| Posted 1/26/18 8:34 AM |
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queensgal
Smile
Member since 4/09 3287 total posts
Name:
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
I brown meat with carrots, onions, garlic, peppers and onions. Super easy meat sauce to just add to canned sauce.
Meatloaf
Shepard’s pie
Chicken pot pie stew (basically the filling no crust)
Soups - veggie, minestrone
Lentils
Veggie lasagna
Butternut squash stuffed shells
Taco meat
Sloppy Joe’s meat
Pulled pork
Chicken enchalada filling
Chili
Meat balls
Asian pork meatballs
Turkey spinach meatballs
Homemade sauce
Beef stew
I usually use my food sealer. Some stuff is in Tupperware individual containers for easy lunches
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| Posted 1/26/18 10:32 AM |
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jamnmore
LIF Adult
Member since 6/16 989 total posts
Name:
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Re: favorite make-ahead meals
Posted by Sash
For those that freeze meals, what do you freeze them in? I always wanted to do this.
-chili - turkey, beef or chIcken
-any pasta - lasagna, baked ziti
-I preseason chicken/steak and put it in the freezer. Idk if you have someone who will cook it or even grill it
I use glass caserole dishes from pyrex. I have them in all sorts of sizes. But they are bulky and hard to store. So recently on Amazon, I bought aluminum tins like they use for take out. I bought the smallest size for my family. I don't recall them being especially expensive. I write the meal on the cardboard cover with date and cooking directions. It's also nice because at the end of dinner I have nothing to wash. I will sometimes double seal in a vacuum sealed bag as well. Depends on how much I make.
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| Posted 1/26/18 1:29 PM |
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