Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Freezer Meals

Girlfriends on the Go! by Suzie Roberts
First of all, I've been going on a freezer meal marathon. I bought this cookbook last year and have made several make ahead meals from it and wanted to share a few of these recipes with you! This is a great book. It gives a lot of tips on freezing foods and helps you to organize your own make ahead meal group. These recipes will feed 6 adults (I will usually split a meal into two. I will use 8 x 8 pans instead of the 9 x 13). Last weekend, I put together about 8 of these meals and I have the ingredients to make at least 8 more. I have found that putting these meals together gives me a little more time to be with my kids in the afternoon, during the time that I would be preparing dinner. It's a lot of work. I think it will also help me to stay within my food budget (something, I'm not so good at). Just before pay day, I'm always going through my cupboards trying to find something to throw together, I now have plenty of healthy meals already prepared. Well, here is the first of my freezer meal recipes. I will continue to post these meals and they will be kept under freezer meals for future reference. If any of you out there have any great make ahead meal recipes, please leave me a comment, I would love to get more recipes to try out.

Chicken Divan
Chicken Divan
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. chopped broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Cook broccoli as directed on package. Drain. Mix all ingredients except cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cover with cheese. Mix the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

If freezing: slightly undercook broccoli. Place in disposable aluminum pan and cover tightly with foil. Include cheese and bread crumbs with this meal. Mix melted butter and bread crumbs and place on top before baking.

10 comments:

Sara said...

Looks great Rach! I need to get on the freezer meal kick. Tonight I was looking through cookbooks for an hour searching for what to make for dinner. This would really save me when I run out of time, or my brain is cook-fried!!! Love ya!

Kim said...

does the mayo or miracle whip freeze okay? I'd be worried about that, but I guess if it's in a freezer cookbook it should work. hmmm...

Rachel said...

Sara - I'll let you borrow my book sometime.

Kim - I think that sour cream is what you're not supposed to freeze. I'll double check on that and post it on my next freezer meal.

Mama Jane said...

"If freezing...Include cheese and bread crumbs with this meal. Mix melted butter and bread crumbs and place on top before baking."

Do you mean put it on top and then freeze or just put it in a zippy bag and have it there for when you do go to cook it.

Thanks.

Prudy said...

Great idea for dinners. Thanks so much for sharing. I love having stuff on hand that can just be dinner. There are way too many hectic nights around here!

Rachel said...

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Rachel said...

Ruby - put it in a ziploc bag and have it there to add to the top when you bake it. Sorry about the confusion.

Prudy - I agree with you on the hectic nights. These make it so much easier on those crazy nights.

The first comment from me was from my 3 year old.

~The Dippold's said...

What a great idea. I also think it would be fun to have a make ahead meal group. That would be so much fun. Did you say you have snow on the ground . . . I am so jealous!!

http://day2daywithhollyj.blogspot.com/

Jenny said...

Chicken Divan is so divine! We eat this often at my mom's for our Sunday Dinners. There's never any leftovers. Yours looks fantastic!

Natalie Que said...

I've never done freezer meals, but so many people are nuts for them! My Mom used to make something really similar, but with egg noodles baked in, {so not served over rice} when we were kids and we LOVED it!