Here’s a little peek into the freezer cooking I did tonight:
I baked some chicken earlier in the day and chopped it while I was talking with my mom (she’s been coming over to spend time with the kids every Thursday afternoon after school).
And then Silas helped me grind up some flour while I mixed up the homemade pizza dough.
The Deep Dish Barbecue Chicken Pizzas were a little time intensive to put together.
Gratefully, I had some extra help in putting the pizzas together. I think someone likes their cheese. 😉
I also made up a pizza with the extra ingredients.
Silas took this picture himself and I thought he did a pretty good job.
The Deep Dish Barbecue Chicken Pizzas turned out beautifully and the family declared them to be delicious. I’m happy to have some yummy grab-and-go foods in the freezer — perfect for a quick snack or lunch.
I also mixed up a double batch of these Knock Off Betty Crocker Brownie Mixes. I’m anxious to make them and see how they turn out.
Have you done any cooking or baking for your freezer this week?
Rookie freezer cooker, here! I’ve been getting into it, though, and I just love the time and money that it saves me! However, I really wish you mentioned how you froze them–before baking, or after? And then, how did you bake or re-heat them after they were frozen?
Crystal, I’m sorry that I am just getting around to thanking you for the feature! I hope you enjoyed the brownies! Cheers, Heather @ Fake-It Frugal
I’m getting ready to make them shortly. I can’t wait to try them!
I made those BBQ chicken mini-pizzas…they were a HUGE hit! Hubby and kids loved them, served them to guests at a party who love them, and they freeze/reheat great! Froze fully cooked, reheated in micro for 30 sec-1 min. Thanks for awesome recipe, Crystal!!! 🙂
That’s a fantastic idea! But I’m trying to eat gluten free, so I might have to try this with almond flour. Will let you know how it turns out whenever I get a chance to try this. I was thinking of making something similar, like taco bowls or taco muffins. I blame Pinterest for trying to get creative lately.
I am looking for a website to order bulk amount of organic wheat berries for flour. Can you do a post about yours? And, then, readers can chime in to tell us where they order theirs from. It would be super cool!
We make the mini pizzas in the Pampered Chef Brownie Pan! Results in 12 Square pizzas! Kids love to make their own with their favorite toppings. I have 2 pans and they both get used. The pizzas are gobbled up quickly!
Wow Crystal,
Looks like the mini deep dish pizzas turned out great! They look delish, hope your family enjoyed them! Thank you so much for featuring my recipe, so glad you liked it 🙂
Lindsay Ann @ Dollhouse Bake Shoppe
They were a huge hit! Thanks so much for the recipe!
You are very welcome. I featured one of your photos at the bottom of my tutorial with a link back to this post, for readers to check out. I just know they will love your site! 🙂
Oh man, you are too kind! THANK YOU!
I canned seven quarts of spaghetti sauce and made seven lesagnas. Homeschooling starts after labor day and I want to get some easy dinners stashed away. Hopefully Isaac won’t blow through too close and shut off power to the deep freeze!
The brownies are very fudgey. Got an A+ from the kids.
Oh yay! I’m glad to hear they turned out for you!
We have made beef burritos this week as well as chicken and cheese burritos. They are yummy. We made the pizza pockets with peperoni, cheese, oniions and peppers. My son and husband love them for lunch. Last night we made 20 jars of grape jelly and are making salsa and applesauce tonight. i love having things in the freezer and pantry to make meals with.
The little pizzas look great and perfect for lunches. Did you cook then freeze, or freeze uncooked?
I froze them already baked.
These would be perfect for school lunches, thanks!
Does anyone have a fake recipe for Nuway burgers? I love them . Would love to make and freeze for a quick meals. Have tried but not quite right.
I have two different recipes that we’ve used…
Brown the ground beef with chopped onion, salt and pepper. then add water with some beef bullion and simmer until most of water is evaporated.
or
brown the ground beef with chopped onion, salt and pepper. add some water and a dash of chicken bullion, onion powder, and garlic powder.
serve on steamed/warmed buns with mustard and pickles
I’d love to see the after picture of the mini-pizzas if you have one?
I made breakfast butterhorns and pigs in a blanket using your butterhorn recipe. Both are huge hits (and quick breakfasts and lunches)!
Oh wow, thanks for that brownie recipe! I cook and bake, a lot. I don’t know if I’m alone but I actually dislike homemade brownies. I strongly prefer boxed brownies. The homemade ones are always dense and “cakey.” My husband and little one are going to be excited because we don’t have them unless I can score a box for free. I’m trying this tonight!!!!
Let us know what you think of them. The ingredients definitely seemed different than typical homemade brownies so I’m excited to make them and see how they turn out!
They were really good! I tasted the batter and it didn’t seem too chocolatey so I added a half cup of chocolate chips. They were great! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh, I love the idea of chocolate chips — thanks for the great suggestion!
Those brownie mixes are awesome! 🙂
Did you bake and then freeze or freeze them without baking first –and if so, do you throw in the oven frozen or thaw first?
My husband would be happy if the brownie mix recipe works…however, it looks like it only make a 9×9 pan, and usually a box of brownie mix makes a 9×13 pan. I can usually get a box of mix for $1. Which if it costs .30 to make this mix, to compare really…it would mean it is .60, which still saves us .40.
I am going to check if they are comparable! Thanks!
It also removes all the hydrogenated fat from the mix, because you are using a liquid oil instead of a brownie mix that contains shortening…no preservatives either. That’s worth a little something to me. Plus, you can use part whole grain flour to boos the fiber and nutrition just a bit. I get all the ingredients in bulk (flour, sugar, cocoa, salt) or make my own (baking powder, vanilla extract), so it’s less than .30 to make here, I think.
I add about 3/4 cup of jumbo chocolate chips (or chunks) to a plain brownie mix and it tastes like the “fancier” Betty Crocker mix so this recipe sounds like a great money saver!! 🙂
I purchased a few steaks this week on sale and put some spice rub on them and then into the freezer. I also got a good deal on ground turkey so I made some meatballs for the freezer. I kept one steak out, cut it up and made a freezer meal of Beef and Celery too. I need to make up some more burritos for the freezer as we are almost out of them and my family likes the homemade ones better than the frozen ones from the store.
Wow, Silas is sure getting big. He looks like a little man in those pics 🙂
I did my freezer cooking this morning before we headed out for the day. I only got two pans of mini corndog muffins made, but hey, since the 6 year old only eats three in a lunch, we have enough to get us through to the summer if he only takes them once a month for lunch (we’ll see about that; sometimes we start to run out of lunch ideas and so we have repeats) – AND if I can keep my husband from sneaking any out of the freezer LOL I have one more hot dog sitting around, so I may make up another batch of cornbread batter and do half with hot dogs and the other half with sloppy joe – I do have a bit of cabbage in the fridge and some ground beef I bought marked down that needs to get cooked up. Ah man! I *just* did the dishes – LOL – back to the kitchen it is I guess 😉
You are so lucky with all the help, also enjoyed the pun gratefully and cheese together very good.
Crystal,
I do believe that boy is going to be a chef!! Such fun to have a little helper in the kitchen. Problem around here is too many little helpers…have to find a job for everybody!! LOL!
Those pizzas look nummy! I made a double batch of the following for the freezer: Spaghetti & Meat sauce, Chicken Fajitas, Taco Soup, and Chicken Enchiladas. I still need to make Goolosh and Chili and then we will be set! This is the first time I have ever tried the whole freezer cooking thing and let me just say…I love it! Both of my kids are in sports and have evening practices so these meals come in super handy!
Making a double batch of chicken for sliders tomorrow — one for dinner and one to freeze. I figured I might as well double it up!
I have left over bbq chicken from dinner tonight. I’m going to make the pizzas for the freezer tomorrow. How would you suggest to freeze? Cook and freeze?
Hey, I’m with Silas – I love my cheese, too!! That picture is too cute 🙂
I made a single batch of that brownie mix today – so we can try it before I make some to set back in the pantry. Then (of course), I messed with it, so we’ll see if we like it. I added some (a teaspoon) instant coffee (I always add a little to chocolate things). I decided I wanted to use some zucchini in the brownies, so I just used one (super huge) egg and 1/3 cup oil. They look great -we will try them after supper (zucchini lasagna!)
OK, the zucchini ones are a bit fudgy. Next time I’ll use half a cup of zucchini instead of a cup, I think.