Well, as usual, the freezer cooking ended up taking longer and making more of a mess than I’d hoped. And I skipped making the brownies in favor of cleaning up the kitchen. But I’m happy to have some meals and goodies in the freezer again.
Here’s what I ended up making:
::Bag of chicken breasts baked and chopped
::Green Rice Casserole
::Freeze oranges (for smoothies)
I never managed to get a picture of the Green Rice Casserole. However, I froze it uncooked, so I promise I’ll post the recipe and pictures sometime in the next few weeks.
And the jury is still out on how the frozen oranges worked since I didn’t get a chance to make smoothies for breakfast this morning. I’ll let you know what the verdict is as soon as I have a chance to make smoothies.
Thanks for joining in my Impromptu Freezer Cooking Day yesterday. You all are such great cheerleaders and encouragers!
Another good (and simple) way to cook and freeze chicken is to cook it in the crockpot with some chicken broth or water. I use a whole bag of frozen chicken breasts and cook it all day. It shreds really easy and is really moist. Then I divide it and freeze it for casseroles, etc.
THANK YOU CRYSTAL FOR ALL THAT YOU DO! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THIS COOKING DAY WAS AN INSPARATION FOR ME THIS WEEK! 😉 I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU. MISSED YOUR FREEZER COOKING DAYS SO MUCH!
FOR ALL YOUR READERS HERE IS A GREAT FREEZER COOKING CLASS. IT’S COMPLETELY FREE ALL YOU HAVE TO HAVE IS SOME TIME TO WATCH HER AMAZING VIDEOS AS SHE GOES THROUGH WHAT IS FREEZABLE AND WHAT ISN’T.
http://freshfromthefreezer.com/2010/10/14/classbeginsoct19/
I usually freeze my oranges for my smoothies, just like you did this time. Works great, a little more on the slushie side but daughter still loves it. Also, not sure if you do this, any left over smoothies, stick in popsicle trays for a yummy frozen treat.
I freeze just about any kind of fruit for Vita-Mix smoothies. For orange smoothies I use frozen oranges, a frozen banana, a scoop of vanilla soy protein powder, a sprinkle of flax and unflavored rice milk. Tastes like an orange creamsicle!
Maybe inspired by you, maybe my energy just finally kicked in, but yesterday evening was amazing. Early in the day I pulled out a package of chicken thighs (that we had bought on special at Sams) to thaw. Mom came to visit & we took the kids to Kroger for the cheese/ toothpaste sale. Mom bought me some more meat on manager special.
I came home and quickly browned those thighs then threw them in the oven in a casserole w/ diced tomatoes, Rotel & spices (canned goods basically for pennies from Kroger mega sale). Then in same skillet I cooked manager special steak for husband.
Then, I divided the Sams chicken thighs into 3 recipes: Chicken soup w/ onion, carrots & fresh herbs from garden, Barbecue chicken (Weight Watchers recipe), and chicken thighs w/ corn and jalapenos + fresh parsley in crockpot.
I can’t believe at the end of it I had done basically 5 recipes providing loads of meals.
Way to go!!! Isn’t it such a wonderful feeling to have food ready to go?!
Did the cinnamon swirl bread end up in the freezer or did you just eat that? = ) It looks really yummy!
There was none left for the freezer. I think I need a machine that makes five batches at once if I want there to be some left for the freezer. 🙂
That is what I was thinking! If it is anything like here, they would have been watching it bake and could barely wait to have a taste! I got a Bosch though, and it would be a fun thing to make and put in the freezer!
We made the Chocolate Chip pancakes after dinner last night along with the baked oatmeal we all used to rave about. Ate some of the pancakes and froze the rest and loved them so much we decided to make another batch tonight to freeze. Yumo. You inspired me to get going in the kitchen dept so I also copied down the brown bag burritos and the pumpkin carrot muffins. I love having a variety of different things ready to prepare quickly when you do not have much time. Thanks for sharing with us. 🙂
PLEASE post the cinnamon swirl bread recipe!!! I’ve been waiting for it since you first posted about it!
I only use frozen fruit in my smoothies and it works perfectly. I use strawberries and blueberries, not oranges, but I expect it would be similar. It adds some “slushee” sensation without having to use ice.
Curious to know if you ever posted the cinnamon swirl bread recipe. I got a breadmaker for christmas and have so far been too scared to use it but you have inspired me.
Speaking of making food for the freezer, today on my blog I posted about making baby food!
I definitely think all moms should give it a try! I’m no expert in the kitchen by any means, but it’s really easy and so much cheaper than buying baby food.
Come check out my blog if you’re interested!
Baby food is so easy to make. I have to admit I cheated and bought a lot of frozen fruits and veggies that were pre-chopped and cleaned. It’s okay to cook the frozen fruits and veggies and re-freeze. I work full-time outside of the home so shortcuts are a must.
Thank YOU for sharing and for being such an inspiration and encouragement. You go girl.
Is that a placemat behind the granola?! =)
I love that you’re adding so many personal pictures to your posts – makes things more “cozy” here.
Yes, thanks to *you*, I actually found some really inexpensive place mats to spruce up some of my pictures and add a splash of color. Thank you for the recommendation and prompting! 🙂
I’ve never seen green rice??? Looking forward to the recipe.
Looks yummy! If you have a Vita-Mix you will have no trouble with the oranges :o)
Any chance you can do a post on how you organize your freezer?
Um, considering it’s not very organized right now, I probably am not the best person to tackle that subject. Maybe someday when I get all my ducks in a row! 🙂
I am trying to learn how to freeze more. I put some noodles in the freezer and by the time I was ready to eat them, I thought, ah this stuff is so cheap, just make it fresh! I couldn’t get the frozen stuff out of the bag! It was not very encouraging for my freezing food attempt.
fyi – I use a similar granola recipe, but the heating of the wet ingredients is omitted (they are just stirred together before adding the dry ingredients) and it goes in the oven at 350 deg for 10-15 min. And the granola turns out perfect (in my opinion :). Anyway, just thought I’d let you know there are ways to save time on that recipe. 🙂
Crystal,
You are truly AMAZING! I am inspired by you each day as I read your blog. The fact that you put God first, make time for your family, and still manage to get so much accomplished and save lots of money is absolutely incredible. I’m learning so much from you and, as a new stay-at-home (hoping to become work-from-home) mom of a three month old, I’m trying to implement some of your advice/techniques into my family’s daily life.
In regards to your pancakes. I’ve tried making them and freezing them in a ziploc bag, but mine always end up sticking together. Do you have any advice?
Thanks so much for everything!
Thanks for your kind encouragement!
You could try flash freezing them (i.e. freezing them on a baking sheet for an hour or so before sticking them in a ziptop bag). Also, make sure that they are completely cooled before freezing them.
When I freeze my pancakes, I place a piece of parchment or wax paper in between each pancake, and that keeps them from sticking together.
wondered if anyone sifted flour anymore and does it make a difference? Also Crystal do you thaw, cook, then re-freeze your chicken? My freezer stuff , generally the meat stuff is not turning out too well and it is not freezer burn.
I don’t sift flour anymore since most modern flour is loose anyway. For any meat it is not recommended to freeze twice. The quality deteriorates each time you freeze it, it’s a taste issue, not a health issue. I suggest starting with raw and fresh meat if you plan on freezing it.
all my newer baking books (and I have had great results with Artisan bread in just 5 minutes a day) say don’t worry about sifting. Just fork through it a little so it is fluffy when you scoop, and level off.
It does say to use up to a 1 cup measuring cup, but that in a 2 cup measuring cup the flour packs too much when scooping and then it is a problem. Hope this is useful for you…
I never sift flour.
Yes, I cook the chicken and refreeze it. I’d recommend baking it and undercooking it just a tad if you’re planning to throw it in a casserole or on homemade pizza as that seem to help keep it more moist.
I can’t find the cinnimon swirl bread recipe, is it up yet? I’ve been waiting to make it ever since I saw it. Your recipes always turn out great and I have made several batches of cinnimon roll since you posted. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your freezer cooking plan with us! The Green rice casserole sounds nice.. i’ll be waiting for the recipe. 🙂
I made your pancakes for dinner tonight and froze them for my sons breakfasts!! They are wonderful!! Will, never buy a mix again!! 🙂
Can you make waffles using this recipe and if so what changes would you make. Thanks this has inspired me to cook and freeze, it is just me and my husband but we are raising a preemie grandson and I find that dinner time rolls around and oops I forgot to plan for it. Thanks for all you share, makes my day a little sunnier.
Thanks for sharing! It is wonderful to have meals already prepped and ready in the freezer. The kitchen has a way of getting messy when I cook too but it is so worth it!