This post makes me feel like a total suburban stay-at-home-mom. But you know what? Freezer meals are genius for busy families. Especially those who would prefer not to eat out often. I generally try to cook most, if not all, of our meals. We eat out once a week or so, but cooking at home is healthier and more affordable. Having freezer meals has been convenient for us this summer. We have also given freezer meals to friends with new babies. And our freezer is currently stocked in preparation for our life with a newborn!
I read Bob Goff’s book Love Does on our beach trip earlier this summer, and I immediately felt like I should use my cooking skills to help our friends. Goff made a lot of bold moves for God and others, but his book is motivation to “do” in order to serve and love others. Two close friends of ours were having babies earlier this summer, and I knew I could help them in a very small way by stocking their freezers with homemade food. I am not trying to brag on myself! I just want this to be an encouragement. I believe that God gives us talents, and we can use them, in big or small ways, to help those around us. Cooking meals for friends is a tiny gesture, but it was a way that I could tangibly show love.
Plus I made extra of everything and we were able to have some extra meals stocked for ourselves. Freezer meal recipes are great for busy weeknights or those evenings we wanted to spend longer playing and less time in the kitchen.
I have also stocked our freezer with healthy options to thaw and cook after our baby is born.
I’ve listed some recipes below to use for freezer meals. The recipes I made recently were these Individual Bacon Spinach and Mozzarella Quiche (pictured and in the recipe below); No-Canned-Soup Broccoli; Chicken, and Rice Casserole; and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas.
| Cook Time | 16-18 minutes |
| Servings |
individual quiches
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- 2 packages refrigerated pie crust (or homemade)
- 24 eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 12 oz spinach finely chopped (I used a food processor)
- 2 packs bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups mozzarella grated
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Prep all of the filling ingredients: chop the spinach, prepare the bacon, and grate the cheese. Whisk the eggs, then add in the salt, pepper, and half and half and mix well. (All of these can be done the day before).
- Roll out one of the circles of refrigerated pie dough. Use a rolling pin to make it a little more thin. Cut 5 circles out using the rim of the tart pan. Once you've cut out as many circles as possible, re-roll the dough and cut out more circles until the dough is almost all used. (I got 6-7 circles out of each).
- Place the dough circles into the tart pans. Do not grease the pans first. Press the dough into the pans, so that it goes up to close to the top of the sides. If you leave the dough at the bottom of the pan, the eggs will leak out.
- In each tart pan, put 1/8 cup chopped spinach, a small handful of bacon, 1/4 cup (or a little less) of the egg mixture, and a small handful of cheese.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool for a couple minutes in the tart pans, then carefully remove and serve.
- If you are making these ahead and freezing them, cool them the rest of the way on a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, wrap in saran wrap, then in foil. Store several together in a freezer bag.
You could also make the meat for Beef Barbacoa Tacos and freeze it. It would be simple to warm up the beef, buy taco shells, chop up some toppings, and serve this for dinner on a hectic night.
These soups would freeze well, too:
- Potato, Kale, and Chicken Soup
- White Bean and Chicken Soup with Kale
- Roasted Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Black Bean Soup
When you freeze food, make sure you cool it completely before placing it in the freezer. And cover or seal the container thoroughly to avoid freezer burn. Don’t forget to label everything!
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