Freezer friendly

One of the keys to homemade dinner success in our household is the ever present freezer meal.  When Flick is on the road I live by leftovers.  There is little time for cooking in the short time between when Ellie and I get home from daycare and when she is getting ready for bed.  That means we plan ahead and have plenty of insta-meals at the ready.  As much as my sisters and I begged for those Kids Cuisine TV dinners when we were younger, our freezer meals are all from scratch theses days.

Flick and I had planned to make some of these meals prior to Ellie's arrival so that we would have a freezer full of food to siphon off of in the weeks following her birth, however, Ellie had other plans.  When she decided to make her entrance a few weeks before my due date, Flick ended up running back home from hospital to whip up some lasagna and chili to tide us over before my folks came out.  He's the best.  These meals are all great as leftovers.  Cook them, let them cool, and freeze them in individual portions.  Take them out a day or so early and let them thaw in the fridge.  As a forewarning, there are no photos for these foods (yet) - I'll get those up ASAP...but some recipes need to be made and photographed first!

Lasagna is a freezer friendly no brainier.  It makes a large amount of food, freezes really well, and tastes quite good reheated.  I have two lasagna recipes, one is a vegetarian lasagna and one is a meat lasagna.  The vegetarian recipe is super light and would be great even in the summer.  The meat is a little more hearty but very delicious, we have some in the freezer as we speak.

Chili is another great meal that reheats well.  You can take chili from a frozen block and throw it in a saucepan on a medium to low temperature and break it up as it warms.  In thawing it on the stovetop, you get the added bonus of your home filling with the aroma of a fresh batch of warm chili.  If you are feeling ambitious, make a double portion and you have that many more meals ready to go.  We have had this recipe since our Boston days and both really love it.  Recently we made it and let it simmer in a crock pot for Fall Fest at my office.  Feel free to get a little creative with your chili and tailor it to the tastes of your family.

Forget Marie Callenders, you can freeze your own chicken pot pie that may save you from eating 6 sticks of butter in one sitting.  Just saying.  To keep the crust from being soggy when you reheat it, consider warming it in a preheated oven or toaster oven.

Meatballs.  Need I say more?  Make a batch of meatballs, freeze them, and you can have meatball subs or spaghetti and meatballs in a flash.  If you don't do beef, sub in ground turkey or chicken.  These little guys are perfect since you can take out just as many as you need that day and heat them up quick.

Don't fear the freezer - as long as you take the time to store your food properly, it will taste just as delicious as the day you made it.