Here are some of the ways I ready my meat for quick recipes:

Whole Chickens

I have about 5 chickens in my deep freezer right now. Once a week is I roast a chicken and we either eat the meat or I use it in a recipe.  Then I take the bones and place them in a slow cooker with ½ an onion, a handful of carrots, a stalk or two of celery and some garlic.  I cover it with cold water and cook it all night long on low.  In the morning before work, I strain the stock and place it in the fridge.  All week long, every time I make rice or when a recipe calls for water, I use the stock.  It is full of nutrients and takes literally 5 extra minutes since you’re already using the chicken meat!

Chuck Roast - used w/permission Flickr Creative Commons, photo by benketaro

Chuck Roasts

When boneless beef chuck roasts are on sale, I’ll buy 5 or 6 and get them ready for my sister in law’s Smoky Beef Taco recipe.  For each roast, stir together ½ cup of ketchup, 8 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 chipotle chilies in adobo (they come in cans in the Mexican section), 2 T oregano and salt & pepper to taste. Cover and bring to a boil.  Once that cools off, pour it into a freezer bag with the roast (which you should cut into four pieces) and freeze.  On cooking day, just put the whole defrosted roast in the slow cooker and cook all day or place it in a covered dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until fork tender. Serve with warmed flour tortillas and shredded Monterrey Jack cheese & whatever other taco condiments you like.  I love corn and red onions.

Pork Loins

When boneless pork loins are on sale, I’ll also stock up on these. My good ole standard pork loin recipe is a mixture of soy sauce, pineapple juice and garlic.  Again, place in a freezer bag and then it is oven, grill or slow cooker ready! My new favorite is the Asian Peanut Butter Pork from the November menu on OAMM.  It is so rich and divine!

Chicken Breasts

When boneless chicken breasts go on sale for $1.99/lb I stock up.  Usually I’ll just freeze them, but one of our favorite yummy and easy meals are chicken quesadillas.  Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker with whole or chopped green chilies.  For every 4 breasts used, you will need one 4 oz can of chilies.  Don’t add any extra water.  Cook them for about 8 hours on low and then shred with a fork.  8 breasts will make about 3 meals worth (for a family of four).  Portion and freeze in freezer bags.  To make the quesadillas, place shredded chicken and shredded Monterrey Jack cheese in between two flour tortillas and toast on a skillet until cheese is melted and tortillas are nicely browned.  This chicken is so juicy and flavorful.  You won’t need any other seasoning- not even salt.

Pork Shoulder - picture from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Pork Shoulder

My favorite new recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman’s new cookbook- Spicy Pulled Pork- it is perfect for making in bulk and freezing! In a food processor, blend 1 onion, 1 T chili powder, ½ c brown sugar, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp cumin, 1-2 T salt, ground pepper to taste and 3 T olive oil, 2 T white wine vinegar. Rub this mixture all over a 5-7 lb pork shoulder, and freezer bag it!  When you are ready to cook it, place in a roasting pan with 2 c of water, cover tightly and cook at 300 degrees for 6-7 hours, turning each hour. (I’m sure you could cook in a slow cooker too). Shred and serve with lime wedges and warmed flour tortillas. Delish!

About Becky:

Becky is a minivan driving Kindergarten teacher and a mom of two beautiful kids. She started blogging a few years ago and has loved it ever since.  She’s a wanna-be photographer, famous chef and crafty diva. Emphasis is on wanna-be. She likes to garden, read and watch tv. She’s a total Twilight Mom and a Nerdfighter too. She’ll be at Blissdom this year, and hopes to meet lots of you.  You can find her at www.thevioletfig.blogspot .com and on Twitter @TheVioletFig.

**Don’t forget to enter the Merry Monday’s Bob Evans giveaway going on now through Friday, December 11th.

I get a lot of questions about freezer containers. A. LOT. So here is a simple guide to choosing freezer containers when you are making freezer meals.

Gallon/Quart Zippered Freezer Bags

I use these most often for items that will be thawed in the refrigerator first, and then cooked. You DO NOT want to skimp on cheep freezer bags. I have passed by the ones at the dollar stores and deep discount stores because of the quality (I have gotten them and tried them). They just are not as thick and thus I don’t believe that they will maintain the freshness of your foods for as long. I am freezing food and I want it to be able to stay good for as long as possible.

When freezing items in freezer bags you may want to make sure that the contents are laying completely flat when you place them in the freezer. I have even used cake pans before to make sure that they freeze flat. Remember, whatever form they freeze in is how they will stay!

Leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace (the space between the food and the zipper or top of container). Foods expand as they freeze and you don’t want the bag to burst or to leak.

I use zippered freezer bags most often for: sandwiches, quesadillas, muffins, vegetables, soups, items that will go in the crock pot to cook, and meats.

Disposable Plastic Containers

These are perfectly fine to use as well. I usually use less of these because they are a higher cost to purchase than the zippered freezer bags. However, they can be reused again and again which makes them a better environmental choice. And if you can happen to get enough use out of them they are less expensive than zippered bags.

I tend to use these containers for soups and items that are “difficult” for me to bag in zippered bags. I also use these containers if I think that it is an item that my husband (or in your case, children or self) might take to work or school and heat up. This makes it easier for them and for you because it doesn’t have to be repackaged.

If you can get your family members and your cooking partner to return these to you, they are a very good option. Again, if using these types of containers you will want to leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace for food expansion.

I use disposable plastic containers most often for: soups, individual lunch items.

Throw-Away Foil Pans

I know this is not the most environmentally friendly method, but it is simple and easy on assembly and clean up. I also prefer these types of pans because they make it easy to take food to others in need. I don’t ever have to worry about getting my pans back.

I typically put 8×8 pans or Deep Dish 8×8 pans on my recipe lists. I usually can find both at either the Dollar Store or Xmas Tree Shops. I have also used the Deep Dish 7×11 pans when I can’t find Deep Dish 8×8 pans. I recently found these great round pans at the Dollar Store that come with cardboard lids. They make for a fantastic OAMM pans because I don’t have to worry about covering the pan with foil or stacking my pans on top of one another.

Some have indicated to me that they don’t like the cost of this method. I don’t understand that as I usually get three of them for $1. That seems pretty cheap to me considering that I am not using foil to line the pan or water (or my time) to clean the pans. However, I can find them cheap. If you do not live near one of these great discount stores you can consider ordering them in bulk. If you do once a month cooking (OAMC) often enough you will eventually use all of them up.

When you have completed the dish I always cover the foil pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. This helps seal in the meal and prevent leaks as well as prevent freezer burn. If I have baked a bread or made an item in a loaf pan I will cover it with foil and occasionally also put it in a zippered freezer bag. This isn’t necessary but will only help keep freezer burn away. I write the instructions on top or stick on one of the handy-dandy OAMM labels.

I use disposable foil pans for the following types of items: casseroles, dishes that I don’t want to have to thaw before placing in the oven, dishes that might end up going to a friend in need, breads.

Personal Bake Pans

There are many that use personal baking dishes. Some have enough to freeze all of their meals, others do not. I have heard of readers scouring garage sales and thrift stores to find pans that are the right size and reusable. You can freeze your dish in the dish that you are planning to use or you can line your pans with foil to freeze them. You just need to make sure that the pan you “formed” the meal to will be available when you are ready to cook your meal. If you are freezing food in glass baking pans just make sure that you slowly thaw out the dish and don’t place the frozen dish directly into the oven. You may end up with a shattered mess.

Additional Resources:

• Flash Freezing
• Allowing Proper Headspace
• Containers for Freezing
• Ordering Bulk Foil Pans:
  • 8 x 8 pans
  • Deep Dish 8 x 8
  • Loaf Pan
• Food Storage Lengths

For more great Works For Me Wednesday ideas visit We Are THAT Family.

You guessed it! You are so smart. I froze a bunch of them. I am planning on using a majority of those I froze for the canned tomatoes that are called for in the August OAMM menu. That should save me some money as well as free up some freezer space just in time.

The process is simple and took me little time at all. Here is what you do:

Step 1

Clean off the tomatoes. You don’t want dirt and grim in your tomatoes!

Step 2

Boil a pan of water.

Step 3

Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute. (May need a little longer if they are large tomatoes or not fully ripened). You ARE NOT cooking the tomatoes, you are simply loosening the skin to make it easier to remove. Do not overcook.

Step 4

Remove the tomatoes (I did this with a slotted spoon) to a bowl of cold water. (This step is not absolutely necessary but I find very helpful in handling the tomatoes.

Step 5

Remove the skin and the “stem spot”.

Step 6

Place in a freezer container leaving at least 1/4 inch headspace at the top. Freeze.

Resource: USDA Food Preservation

Yes, it is that simple. I was able to this quickly and easily. I even did it with my cherry tomatoes. Now I have plenty of tomatoes to use in the future and we don’t have to have BLT’s every night for dinner.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp

It states:

Refreezing

Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.”

I have also found many books and a few websites that state the same thing. And for me that was confirmation enough to go ahead and continue. But of course if you don’t feel comfortable with doing it, don’t!  Trust your instincts. Also speak with your pediatrician.  He/She may have valuable info to pass on. And of course if you find out anything from a reliable source please pass it on to us!