Nearly every meal I prepare consists of foods I have cooked or baked in bulk and frozen. I thaw items in a plastic shoe box to prevent condensation dripping onto my shelves (I’ve learned from experience). I shop my freezer from my freezer inventory, to see what goodies I can thaw and serve to my family and others. I write these items down on a seven-day menu plan and post it on my refrigerator as a reminder to thaw my food 24 hours ahead of time. Typically right after the dishes are done, I check my menu plan and put new items into my thawing box and slash them off my freezer inventory. Here’s what I’m thawing this week…
Breakfast: Cereal (usually cheerios) with bananas or homemade granola, crockpot yogurt (recipe coming soon) with fruit and granola, toast, freezer waffles, backyard eggs from the Chicken Project or freezer breakfast wraps . We rotate these breakfast items.
Lunches: miscellaneous sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruits. I rotate these items as well. I’ve made a few pasta salads with frozen black beans and frozen pasta for picnics and they have been a huge hit (recipes coming soon). I use a lot of grilled convenience chicken for quick meals.
Dinners:We got our first meat CSA box this week, pictured here. I’m starting to freezer cook some of the meats and incorporate them into our evening meals. I usually get at least two meals from one cut of meat, depending on what it is.
Here’s the line up this week”
- Black beans and brown rice with sausage and peppers (freezing extra)
- Asian Honey grilled shrimp (local shrimp we brought back from our vacation-our freezer cooking menu was posted here), over brown fried rice (freezing extra), edamama, Asian salad
- Italian grilled veges and chicken gyros made from frozen convenience chicken and frozen flatbread, veges and salad
- Make your own grilled pizza night (summer slumber party for my daughter), made from frozen flatbread, bulk cheese and pepperoni, salad, blackberry ice cream sodas (new recipe coming soon) made from frozen wild blackberries our family picked. See our best pickin’ tips here and how to freeze them here.
- Grilled Southwest London broil (freezer southwest rub)with peppers and onions, tortillas, veges
- Frozen black bean burgers, pico de gallo, tortilla chips
What are you freezer cooking this summer?
More inspiration at OrgJunkie