Freezer Meals!

I love being organized and prepared, maybe that is why I took a career path related to those two when I graduated from school -Logistics. Working with Logistics means you have to plan everything, always have a back up plan and be organized so you know what goes where and who. Now as a SAHM I try my best to keep our home organized, from our closets to meal plans. My friend Melissa Dell from "A bit of Everything" is great at organization and planning, she is also very business savvy and on top of things including being a working mother of a toddler and another one on the way! She is the owner of Bling Diva designs and is also great at financial organization. I hope you enjoy her ideas on preparing for having 2 under 2 with some delicious recipes. Melissa has also been a great friend lending all her support while we transition into our new life and home. Always cheering us on our adventures. She is very thoughtful and just like me likes hand-writing in different colors :D oh yeah! ;)

So without further ado, here is Melissa! 

Hi everyone! My name is Melissa and I blog over at Melissa Dell - a bit of everything. I'm a soon to be mom of 2 under 2 and write about our crazy family life, mixed in with some recipes and running a small business on the side. 

 I'm so excited for Maribel and her family, as they start off on a new adventure in Costa Rica and I'm glad I'm able to help her out with this easy recipe post while they're en route! Safe travels!!

One of the most searched items on Pinterest are recipes. I think because we all could use some inspiration in the kitchen, from time to time. As I'm approaching my due date, I have been thinking about what meals to prepare ahead of time, to freeze, so it can help take the guesswork out of dinner on the nights my brain is completely fried from sleep-deprivation, a newborn and an active toddler. 

With my first pregnancy, I was nervous about making meals to freeze - I wasn't sure what would hold up. I chickened out of most of the recipes I saved on my computer and kicked myself later because most would have been amazing! 

It takes a lot of work up front and one fabulous friend in the kitchen - Reynold's freezer paper. Haven't heard of it? Here's a photo:

   

 Freezer paper is a must have. I used a mix of wax paper the first time around, and plastic wrap. When I went to heat up my food, anything with a sauce became a muddled mess with bits of paper mixed in between. But this stuff is magic. With all my upcoming meals, everything will be lined with this (plastic side up) and it pops off the frozen items pretty easily before you reheat to enjoy. A roll will last forever. For my recipes this time around, I will be making the following. Mainly because it was a crowd favorite, but also because they stack & store so well in the freezer!

                                                                         Quiche

I've made so many varieties of this quiche and have never been disappointed. Well, that's not 100% true. Most times we're disappointed I don't make more than 2 to freeze and we eat them right away. You prepare everything and pour in the egg mixture, then pop in the freezer until you're ready to eat it at a later date.

                                                                Crockpot Lasagna

After the birth of our daughter, Aubrey, my mom made a gigantic lasagna. We learned that freezes REALLY well. We froze it in large bricks (each brick would feed my husband and me one meal and have a lunch leftover the next day) but I'm not into making traditional lasagnas. But this crockpot lasagna will do just the trick. I can make it, eat half, and store the other half. Or just make and freeze in 2 batches. Aubrey also loves this dish. Since you are freezing the lasagna once it has cooked, we found the best way to defrost this was put it in a large dish, cover with some plastic wrap, and set the microwave to "defrost" and check it periodically. You could also just take it out from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge if you have enough time. But, I would always forget with a newborn and we needed to do it quicker.

I don't have any photos of these, but I will also be making these Lasagna Roll-ups for quick lunches. You prep the noodles, combine the meat/sauce mixture (or vegetarian if you like) and roll them up & pop in the freezer. When you are ready to defrost, I pulled one out in the morning (or 2) and they were ready to heat by lunch time. This was the dish I realized that wax paper is not freezer friendly.

I love the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti - and this makes for excellent dinners too. I prepared the whole batch, and split into 2 9x11 tinfoil containers to freeze. You could also line your baking pan with freezer paper, then wrap up and store that way. (quick tip - if you place the whole pan with paper in the freezer for 30 minutes, it'll do a quick freeze to solidify the liquid ingredients, making it easier to handle when removing & folding up.

I would love it if you share with me your favorite freezer meals too! Feel free to tweet me, message me on facebook, or leave some comment love on my blog with your tips!