Freezer Cooking

If you follow any blogs, have a Pinterest account, or look at your Facebook feed, you've probably heard of freezer cooking. I've been freezer cooking for a couple years now, but how dedicated I am to using my freezer meals changes constantly. Right now we're renting a place without a dishwasher.... As much as I love cooking, I am NOT okay with washing several pots and pans every night. So now, I almost exclusively cook from my freezer. I was asked to give a little talk about my freezer meals during a meal planning & cooking night for my church's women's group. I brought along a new favorite FM of ours, and had a lot of requests for the recipe. I also had a few women who thought freezer cooking sounded great, but wanted to know where to start. I realized that most of my recipes are my own, or some that I can't remember their origin. So I thought I'd add some to my Pinterest page, so I'm posting them here first.

Sorry the pictures aren't great. It's midnight, and I just opened my freezer and snapped a couple shots.

Want any easy way to save time every morning? Try freezing your sandwiches. We do bread, deli meat, and cheese. I've read you can also do small amounts of condiments like ketchup or mustard (put between meat & cheese, not next to the bread). PB&Js freeze too! Wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap, then put in freezer baggie. (Apparently, this baggie is not a freezer baggie. Well, the double wrap worked!) Drop in a lunch box in the morning, and sandwich will be thawed by lunchtime. 

My husband LOVES soup. I'm not a huge fan. So I decided to make him soup for lunch! Use chicken or beef stock (I mixed one of each), add whatever veggies you have on hand. (I used baby carrots, mushrooms, celery, and canned corn) Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Once cool, pour into jars or bowls and freeze. Defrost in fridge the night before (or let defrost in lunch box then microwave at lunch time)

Mini Corndog Muffins: These are super easy, but taste great! They can be time consuming, so I prefer to make them in a big batch. 

1 Box of your favorite cornbread mix (I use Jiffy) 

5-6 Hot Dogs

Honey

Mini cupcake liners (to save time)

Eggs/Milk, according to cornbread package. 

Follow the directions on your cornbread mix to make the batter. Add 11/2 TBS of honey to the batter and stir. This gives the batter a sweet taste, and keeps the muffins moist through freezing and reheating. Slice hot dogs into 5-6 pieces. 

Preheat your oven according to package directions.

Line your cupcake pan (you can also grease the pan, but liners save time)

Fill liners halfway with batter 

Then add your hot dogs to the center of each cup. 

Bake according to directions (check them regularly for the last 5 minutes, since they are much smaller than normal. After a couple of batches, you will know how long to bake them)

Let cool, then flash freeze in the pan, or on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place in a freezer baggie. 

To eat, microwave for 30 seconds.

These should last about 3 months, but they never stay in our freezer that long. One box of cornbread makes about 24-30 mini muffins. 

Again sorry for the bad pics! I will start keeping track of how I prep and cook my meals. I never like to stick to recipes, but I will work on that so I can share the ones we like best with others.

-DearLadyDisdain

My lord, will you walk? dinner is ready.