EASY freeze and bake later ideas needed!

Josephine - posted on 12/03/2009

Some baked pasta or rice - the maltese way, or any type of cottage pies like beef or lamb. I usually freeze up any kind of pies too. Like spinach pie, or cornish pasties, which can be served with a salad.

Alison - posted on 12/03/2009

I love to make big batches of pureed vegetable soup (broccoli, carrot, squash, mixed veggies). Use cauliflower to make it creamy without any dairy and it freezes very well.



Homemade spaghetti sauce is great to have on hand too, it won't take up as much room as a whole lasagna in the freezer.



Chili also freezes well and is a healthy comfort food.



BTW, I think it is great that you are doing this for your colleague. She is very lucky. :)

Loretta - posted on 12/01/2009

First, sorry to hear that your friend has Cancer.
How about a Lasagna, you can freeze it and they can just pop in oven when needed.

Chris - posted on 12/01/2009

The Pampered Chef has some great make ahead meals. . .Here are a few that can be prepared by you in no time. . .Prepare 1 pound of chicken for each recipe that you choose, then the ingredients go into zip lock bags for the freezer (zip locks are a great space saver). Put the bags together and write on the outside what she will need to go with it--it's usually only 1-3 ingredients that should be on hand, and staple the recipe.

Make-Ahead-Chicken
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Cut chicken into ½-in. cubes using Chef’s Knife. Heat oil in 12-in Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chicken and cook 7-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain chicken, if necessary.

Greek Chicken and Orzo Skillet
To Prepare and Freeze:
1 portion “Make-Ahead-Chicken”
2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-in pieces
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) garlic and onion flavored diced tomatoes
3 tbsp Greek Rub (or any Greek seasoning)
In Bag 1, combine chicken and zucchini In Bag 2, combine beans, tomatoes, and rub.

To Finish and Serve:
2 cans (14 oz) each chicken broth
½ cup water
1 lb uncooked orzo

To cook and serve immediately:
Add contents of Bag 2, broth and water to 12-in Skillet; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add orzo. Cover and cook 5 minutes (or halfway through cooking time according to package directions), stirring occasionally.
Add contents of Bag 1. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until orzo is tender and zucchini begins to soften. Remove from heat and serve.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Add contents of Bag 2, broth and water to 12-in Skillet; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook 8-10 minutes, breaking contents apart as necessary. Proceed as directed above.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
To Prepare and Freeze:
1 portion “Make-Ahead-Chicken
3 cups tortilla chips, finely crushed
2 cups frozen corn
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp Chipolte rub
In Bag 1, combine chicken, chips and corn. In Bag 2, combine cheese spread, tomatoes and rub.
To Finish and Serve:
2 cups chicken broth

To finish and cook immediately:
Add contents of Bag 2 and broth to (4-qt.) Casserole.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.
Add contents of Bag 1 to Casserole; simmer 4-6 minutes or until soup is thickened. Serve soup with optional toppings, if desired.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Cook contents of Bag 2 and broth as directed above, whisking occasionally using Silicone Sauce Whisk.
Add contents of Bag 1 and cook as directed above, breaking chicken apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.

Chicken Dijon Chicken Noodle Toss
To Prepare and Freeze:
1 portion “Make-Ahead Chicken”
2 cups frozen peas
¼ lb deli ham, diced into ¼-in. pieces
1 can (10¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
In Bag 1, combine chicken and peas. In Bag 2, combine ham, soup and mustard.
To finish and serve:
12 oz uncooked rotini pasta
½ cup water
8 oz sour cream
1 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
¼ cup snipped fresh parsley

To cook and serve immediately:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, place water and contents of Bag 2 in (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream to Skillet. Reduce heat to medium; add contents of Bag 1. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes or until chicken is hot, stirring occasionally.

Toss cooked pasta with parsley. Spoon chicken mixture over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

To cook and serve from freeze:
Cook and drain pasta as directed above.

Meanwhile, place water and contents of Bag 2 in (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking contents apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula. Proceed as directed above.


Smoky Black Bean Chicken Wraps
1 portion “Make-Ahead Chicken”
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tablespoons Smoky BBQ rub
2 cups cooked rice

In Bag 1, combine chicken, beans and 1-2 tbs rub In Bag 2, combine rice and 1 tbs rub

To finish and serve:
½ cup water
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
6 11-in flour tortillas
Extra toppings: onion, lettuce, tomatoes, hot sauce, extra BBQ sauce

To cook and serve immediately:
Omit water. Place contents of Bags 1and 2 in Large Skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Assemble wraps as deisired.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Add contents of Bag 1 and water to Large Skillet; cover and cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until hot, breaking chicken apart as necessary.
Add contents of Bag 2 to skillet; cook 4-6 minutes or until heated through.

Barb - posted on 11/29/2009

Not to be cheeky, but stouffers makes a great frozen lasagna and mac n cheese. does it have to be home made?

Jessica - posted on 11/22/2009

I never thought about the plastic dinnerware, great idea for someone who needs to save their energy!! Thanks much!

Carol - posted on 11/20/2009

Try any pasta dish. Think baked spaghetti, macaroni and cheese. Disposable dishes/pans are nice. If she is looking overwhelmed try giving her good quality paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic tableware. When I went through this it was a major help not to have to do even those dishes.

Heather - posted on 11/20/2009

Lasagna's are always good for freezing, I have a friend who just made a huge meatloaf for her grandparents to freeze too. Burger patties can be put in skillet and covered for 10 mins. A turkey or ham cookeed, cut a, packaged in pottations can be heated up in the microwave my step mom does that all the time an freezing it does not fry it out.