Freezer Stock List

As promised in my 101 in 1001 list, I decided to follow in the footsteps of many moms here in the blog world and I will be making and freezing as many meals, snacks and breads as I possibly have the energy to do for after our new bundle arrives. Below is my rather ambitious list, but hey, who knows? It could happen! Unfortunately I've been getting hit rather hard with exhaustion and headaches and all the other fun things of the third trimester (which is also why I haven't been really posting or been around lately)! I hope to have more energy soon and knock out lots of things before our lives get turned upside down for a little while! :)

Meals:
Ritzy Chicken (2/2)-from the Money Saving Mom Budget dinners e-book
Frozen Homemade Cheese Pizzas (0/3)
Chicken Tostada Mixture (x2)-Robin Miller, Robin to the Rescue
Skillet Cheeseburger Pasta (1/3)
Mexican Chicken Soup
Crockpot Black Beans and Kielbasa (from the Akron Beacon Journal years ago)
Peanut Sauce and Beef with Rice
Ravioli Lasagna
Mini Fish Burgers
Baked Ziti
Pizza Pockets
Quick Paella
Spaghetti Pie

Baked Goods:
Chocolate Chip P.B. cookies (0/2)
Banana Crumb Muffins (2/2)
Wheat Bread Loaves (1/2)
Granola (0/2)
Raisin Crunch Cookies
One Batch of the 30 minute rolls from Money Saving Mom's Budget Friendly meals e-book

I believe that making all these meals for the freezer will save us a great deal of money and frustration after the baby comes. I won't be tempted to order pizza (just pull one out!) or get McDonald's or quick convience food from the store because all the dinner work will already be done.

Here's how I plan on doing the food. Prepare the meals as directed. Casserole dishes will be lined with aluminum foil, food placed in, frozen for a few hours and then pulled up and out of the dish. Wrap the food completely in a layer of foil and then plastic wrap. I seal the edges with masking tape and then write on the plastic (or tape) what the food is and how to prepare it. This way, not all of my dishes are in the freezer, I don't have to invest in a bunch of aluminum pans, and I don't have mystery food sitting at the bottom of the freezer. Alton Brown uses 2 layers of aluminum foil and then a freezer bag when he freezes (in the Turkey Show). He says the foil is to keep off freezer burn and the plastic is it keep out funky odors and tastes. :)

I have also been taking the leftovers from some of our recent meals (especially soup) and freezing them for quick and easy grab and go food (for lunches and such). Soup will simply go in a foil lined bowl, frozen, pulled out and individually wrapped, again so that not all of my dishes end up in the freezer. Plus, it'll save freezer space. The pizza I will place on a cookie sheet as if I were going to bake it, frozen, removed and completely wrapped as described above. And so on. You get the idea. Good thing I stocked up on aluminum foil when I had those coupons recently! I am still learning how to best do freezer cooking, but as I learn, I promise to share! Please feel free to share your tips and lessons too. :) To see other great kitchen tips check out Tasty Tuesday!