Freezer Meals

Eating at home is something that I absolutely love. I get so tired of eating out and every time our life gets a little busier than normal we end up eating out several nights per week. Bad for the budget and the diet. With my job starting I knew that we would fall into this same routine if I didn't make a solid plan.

I've been wanting to try to make some freezer meals to have on hand for nights that I am too busy to cook or I just don't feel like cooking. I did a little research on freezer meals and pulled a few recipes that I knew would make good freezer meals to start with. For this round I used only chicken recipes. In about three and half hours I had 16 separate meals from 8 different recipes.

Here's what I made:

Chicken Roll-Up's

Poppyseed Chicken

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Southwestern Egg Rolls

3 cups shredded chicken

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 package taco seasoning

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 can green chiles

shredded cheese

1 package egg roll wrappers

Combine chicken, taco seasoning and a little water in a medium sized skillet on the stove. Let this simmer for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients (with the exception of the egg roll wrappers). Combine well and let the mixture cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat. Then add the mixture to the egg roll wrappers, top with cheese and fold them just like you would traditional egg rolls (there's an easy tutorial on the package). Put these on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour before transferring to a ziploc bag. When you are ready to cook them just put them in the over on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until browned.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups shredded chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/4 c milk

1 package frozen, mixed vegtables

1 c diced potatoes

2 frozen pie crusts

Mix all ingredients together and put in a 9x13 baking dish. Place the pie shell over the top of the mixture. You may have to piece it together. I made mine in round aluminum containers and split this recipe between the two, if you have a bigger family you probably won't be able to split the recipe. Cook on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crust has browned. 

Chicken Taco Cups

3 cups shredded chicken

1 jar salsa

1 c pinto beans, drained

1 package taco seasoning

1 tablespoon Cumin

shredded cheese

1 package wonton wrappers

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized skillet and let cook over medium heat about 15-20 minutes. Place two wonton wrappers in a muffin pan and then fill with the chicken mixture and top with cheese. Place the muffin pans in the freezer for about an hour before transferring to an aluminum pan. When you're ready to cook just transfer them back to the muffin pans and cook on 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly. 

Cheddar-Broccoli Chicken Bake

3 cups shredded chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup 

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup dry stuffing mix

1 package frozen broccoli florets, cooked

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a 9x13 pan (or split the dish into two smaller pans) layer the chicken broccoli, soup mixture and cheddar cheese. Then sprinkle dry stuffing mix over the top. When you're ready to cook just cook on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until bubbly. 

Breakfast Casserole

(the one exception to the chicken dishes)

1 lb turkey sausage

6 egg whites

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheese

4 pieces of toast

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Brown turkey in skillet and drain. Cut bread into small squares and layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread crumbled sausage over bread. Mix eggs, milk and dry mustard and pour on top, add shredded cheese. When you're ready to bake place it in the oven on 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.