Just some ideas for home meals I can make in advance and use during the week please. Freezable & Microwavable are ideal. No need to worry about the recipes. Just need the ideas and I can work out the how to's later.

Thank you in advance.

Edited by mss2006 at 9:46 pm, Tue 2 Jul

mss2006 - 2019-07-02 21:42:00

Using you crockpot make casseroles and then freeze into meal size portions......Lasagnas, fish pie, stroganoff, savoury mince,

petal1955 - 2019-07-03 07:25:00

There are books about Cook Ahead (once a fortnight, or once a month) meals. I have one, somewhere, but can't find it right now. The recipes tend to be for underflavoured casserole-type and all-in-one meals. The meat is cooked in bulk, then packed in different sauces in the freezer as curries, stroganoff, pie fillings packed in plastic in the pie dish until it's frozen, etc Then there's the pasta dishes such as lasagne, and macaroni cheese. All the dishes were prepared to the stage where they had to just be thawed and finished off in the oven.
The idea is to do a huge shop once a month, spend a day cooking and packaging the meals, then eat out of the freezer. I'll keep on looking for the book!

punkinthefirst - 2019-07-03 19:29:00

I buy rice in bulk, cook it and freeze in meal sized bags.

jan2242 - 2019-07-04 10:20:00

We are now down to the two of us after the last two kids left home. But, I'm still cooking for 6 people! Old habbit die hard, and if I'm turning the oven on I have to make the best use of it.
Anyway, I have found that we have the same meal two nights in a row, and then I freeze the leftovers in meal size portion to take to work on nightshift or to have on one of those nights wher I cannot be bothered cooking. Last night a work I had roast pork, pumpkin, peas, kumara and potatoes. Not a fan of frozen spuds I have to say.
Tonight's dinner from the freezer is chicken and leek gratin. Hoping it comes out nice! Oh, and citrus no bake slice for pud. Yum.

shepa1 - 2019-07-07 12:33:00

Meatballs....lots and lots of meatballs.

kaddiew - 2019-07-07 16:57:00

re frozen spuds.....
The best way to freeze them is mashed. Set out serving sized blobs, or pipe servings on to trays lined with plastic. When they are frozen solid, peel them off the plastic and free-flow them in a zip lock bag. They thaw quite quickly in the microwave, or you can just put them on a plate of frozen dinner or use them to top pies.
I also dish up extra dinners, shepa, and freeze them for when I can't be bothered cooking.

punkinthefirst - 2019-07-07 19:45:00

Chicken casserole, made with a rotisserie chicken in a white sauce flavoured with chicken stock, then stuffing on the top. Freeze uncooked.

Double batch of spaghetti bolognaise. Make into a lasagne or Shepard’s pie and freeze.

Soups are always good. Especially if you have a bread maker with a timer. You can set the timer so the bread is ready just in time for dinner to accompany the soup.

Meatballs are great. I freeze them on baking sheets then free flow them. You can always just change the sauce - Sophie Gray has heaps of great meatball recipes.

I don’t freeze that many meals these days as I rely on my slow cooker. They are fabulous. Some people prep the night before, put it in the fridge overnight and just pop it onto cook before they head off to work in the morning. I’ve seen posts of how people prep slow cooker recipes in bulk. They freeze the ingredients for one meal in a bag with any last minute instructions written on it. Defrost and put it in the slow cooker. Haven’t tried this myself but I can see the sense in it.

alm1003 - 2019-07-16 21:05:00

I've just packaged three meals (4 sausages in each, plus lots of sauce, plenty for son and I) from the Chelsea Winter Devilled sausages recipe - #7 & #8 in this thread...
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.as
px?id=1807804&topic=13

The sauce is rich and chunky, and the meals will be plenty with either rice or mashed potatoes and either a salad or green vege.

I also bought some non-stick oval pie pans from a couple of op shops for a fraction on their new price, so often make a stew (beef or chicken), cool it, then make 12 pies at once (I had 4, and got 8 more - 2 sets - from op shops). I partially cook them, then freeze, and find they take a couple of defrosts (2 min cycles) in the nukery (microwave), then about 10 mins in the oven. Yes, it's fiddly, and takes time, but nothing nicer than good homemade pies where you know what's in the filling!

I also make my own stocks, and make a large bulk soup brew, loaded with a variety of vegetables, in the large oval one every couple of weeks over winter - again, knowing it's good stock, and heaps of vegetables. The last lot of chicken soup I made, I used nine large drum sticks on special over the special price, had to be used that day.... 9 plump ones for $3.85! With my own stock, plus these drumsticks, that made for some very cheap but nourishing meals - and I kept the meat off 6 of the drumsticks to have with pasta the next day!

Must be my Scottish heritage, but I love a bargain, and I love good well-cooked foods, and it's surprising how the budget can be stretched when you grab a bargain at Countdown! I've got it pretty well pegged when they put out the marked-down meats, so we eat very well for less....

Edited by autumnwinds at 10:47 pm, Tue 16 Jul

autumnwinds - 2019-07-16 22:46:00

Pretty much anything that comes with liquid - curry, chilli con carne, casserole, soup - all great frozen and easy to reheat. Or make a batch of Italian style meat sauce for lasagne, Bolognese or even on toast.

sarahb5 - 2019-07-21 10:41:00