wilkes

Sweet, I will take any suggestions you have! :) I have just a couple of days left before baby should arrive and little time to get things frozen! :)

Here are some more that I have found...


Chicken Noodle Soup
(From Betty Crocker)

3 cups water
1 pkg chicken flavored ramen noodle soup mix
2 cups cut up cooked chicken
1 medium carrot, sliced (About ½ cup)

Heat water to boiling in 3 quart saucepan. Break block of noodles; reserve seasoning packet. Stir in noodles, chicken and carrots. Heat to a boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in contents of seasoning packet. Serves 4.

~~~
Minestrone Soup
(From Betty Crocker)

1 can whole peeled tomatoes, un-drained
1 can great northern beans, un-drained
1 can kidney beans, un-drained
1 can whole kernel corn, un-drained
½ cup uncooked elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti noodles
1 ¼ cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Grated parmesan cheese

Heat all ingredients except cheese to boiling in a 4 quart Dutch oven, breaking up tomatoes. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes stirring occasionally until macaroni is tender. Serve with Cheese. Serves 6.
~~~
Skillet Beef Stew
(From Betty Crocker)

1 pound hamburger meat
1 jar gravy for beef
8 unpeeled small red potatoes, cut into fourths
2 cups of frozen green beans, thawed and drained

Cook beef in skillet until brown. Drain. Stir in gravy, ketchup, and potatoes. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir in beans. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serves 4.
~~~
Chicken Penne a la Marengo
(From Betty Crocker)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can chicken broth
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 medium bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
¼ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can sliced olives

Spray skillet with baking spray. Heat over medium high heat, cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side stirring frequently until brown. Stir broth into chicken. Heat to a boiling. Stir in pasta and bell pepper. Heat to a boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, broth, and paste. Cook uncovered 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Make sure chicken is no longer pink in the middle and pasta is tender. Stir in olives. Serves 4.
~~~
Everyday Cassoulet
(From Betty Crocker)

½ pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into ½ inch pieces
½ pound fully cooked polish sausage cut into ½ inch pieces
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 can chunky tomatoes with garlic and spices
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 medium green onions, sliced

Spray skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally until brown. Stir remaining ingredients except onions into chicken. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until chicken is no longer pink in center. Stir in onions. Cook 3-5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serves 4.
~~~

I've come up with quite a few ideas of things that would freeze well. If you need any ideas, Yenijifer, just let me know. Most of what I have ideas for, I don't use a recipe to make, but I could help you to maybe figure out how much of each item you'd need. Just let me know.

Some people would rather make the foods themselves so they know what's in it. That's how I am.

honey they have aisles of freezers dedicated to this in the grocery store already.

i like the lasagna recipe on the back of the Mullers Lasagna pack. I substitute hot sausage for the hamburger, and I add a small bowl of cottage cheese.

The spinach balls sound so yummy...would you eat those as a meal, alone, or what else could you eat with them? tks.

i do have this one

Spinach Balls

These are delicious!

2 pkgs (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach - drained
6 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 box stove top stuffing
3/4 cup margarine

Shape into balls. Freeze.

Bake frozen at 400 for 15 minutes.

I wish that I could remember the website that I got that info from there was recipes for it there

Do you have any good recipes for ham balls, enchiladas, taco pie, cheesy potatoes and ham, and chicken divan? They sound good! :)

this might be helpful too

Foods That Do Not Freeze Well

Date: May 1989 (Revised April 1995)

Source: NDSU Extension Service Nutrition Specialists

Because of their texture or composition, some food products do not freeze well. While freezing will keep them from spoiling or becoming unsafe to eat, their quality after freezing and thawing may not be acceptable.

Fruits or vegetables with a high water content or a delicate cell structure do not freeze well. These include lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon, citrus fruit sections and cucumbers. You can freeze some of these foods, like tomatoes, for use in cooked dishes, but they are not like fresh tomatoes when you thaw them.

Sauces and gravies thickened with flour or cornstarch frequently separate and break down when frozen. Modified starches used in commercial frozen foods are not generally available in retail stores. For best results, freeze the
stock for gravy unthickened and add thickener when you reheat it.

Cooked egg whites tend to get rubbery when you freeze them. If you want to freeze a mixture containing cooked egg white, be sure it is finely chopped. The same advice is true for celery.

Mayonnaise will break down when it is frozen. Use salad dressing instead of mayonnaise when you make sandwiches or salad mixtures for freezing.

Cakes frosted with butter frosting freeze well, but cooked frostings or fluffy egg-white frostings do not freeze well.

Well-done pastas may be too soft after reheating. If you want to freeze macaroni, spaghetti, or foods containing these, undercook the pasta. Cooked chunks of potatoes become soggy or gritty, but mashed potatoes or twice-baked potatoes freeze well.

You can freeze most natural cheeses with good results, but they may crumble more when you thaw them. Yogurt and cultured sour cream will break down and separate.

these freeze well:

ham loaf or ham balls
chicken and noodle casserole
beef stew
shepheards pie
swedish meatballs
taco pie
enchiladas
spaghetti pie
cheesy potatoes with ham
meatloaf
chili
chicken pot pie
beef tips
Swiss steak
chicken divan

FREEZER SLAW

1 medium head cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1 green pepper
1 carrot
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed

Shred cabbage and add salt. Allow to stand 1 hour. Squeeze out juice, add
carrot and pepper. Combine and boil for one minute sugar, celery seed,
mustard seed, and vinegar. Let cool. Pour over cabbage, put in containers
and freeze.

Heres a link to a recipe that sounds good...

http://www.30daygourmet.com...

One of my favorite freezer receipes is Lentil soup. This is a thick, hearty soup that will fill you up as well as a delicious meal in itself with either corn fritters (just like a pancake, except made with corn meal mix and finely diced onion added to the batter) or french bread.

Look, wash, and drain 1 lb good dried lentils
Place in large pot
add 1 medium diced onion
2 ribs celery sliced thin
2 large carrots, grated
1 or 2 tsp garlic salt
2 crushed garlic buds
1 bayleaf
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp diet Heart Smart margarine (can use butter or regular margarine)
water to cover at least 3 inches

Bring to boil, reduce heat to low medium, and cover, leaving a little gap for steam to escape.

Stir occasionally from bottom so lentils don't stick. After water has cooked down to about 1 inch over the lentils, I add 2 cans non-fat, low sodium Lowes brand chicken broth. (it's got less sodium, fat, etc., and costs about 30% less than other brands and is quite delicious.)

Bring back to a fast simmer. Remove from heat, stir well, cover, and place in freezer containers. I thaw mine for 12 minutes on #5 setting of defrost cycle on my microwave.

This is really good.

I gave you the receipe for 1 pound lentils; however, it is easy to increase quantity.

If you are on a low chlosterol diet as I am, you will appreciate the calories, fiber (26%), and taste.

Some folks like it with thinly sliced Kosher weiners or good, diced ham added to it. My wife doesn't like the meat in hers so I only get the Kosher weiners when we go to the Jewish deli.

You can substitute the lentils with green peas and add a little cream to the mixture before serving. This is also good.

this one is a big recipe but i make it all and freeze it in big batches, i haven't made it in a long time but next time plan on trying it with turkey since i've cut out red meats

BARBEQUE SANDWICH MIXTURE TO SERVE 100
10 lbs. hamburger
Brown hamburger and drain off fat.
Add: 1 bunch celery, chopped 1 tbsp. salt 1 tbsp. pepper 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 c. vinegar 1 tsp. dry mustard 5 c. ketchup (1 gal.) 4 tbsp. flour
Cook one hour in roaster in oven.

My Chili

2 cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
2 can light red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can of chili beans NOT DRAINED!
1 can rotel
1-2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 lb hamburger meat, cooked
Oregano, garlic salt, basil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in a crock pot or large pan on stove. If choosing crockpot, cook on low for 4-5 hours or until beans are done. If choosing stove method, cook on med to boiling, reduce to med/low & cook until beans are tender.

This is great to freeze. I normally let cool in fridge and then put into gallon size ziploc freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer- a tip I learned from Rachel Ray- it saves space in the freezer if you freeze it flat!!! :)

Having a baby soon and want to stock my freezer very well with easy to freeze and reheat meals. Any suggestions would be great.

I already have a good chili recipe, and a hamburger soup recipe, as well as a lasagna recipe. :)