Freezer Meals // Freezer Meals 101 // https://youtu.be/T9q7dg4PLoY

 

Mongolian Beef Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. package beef strips*
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup carrots, cut into tiny matchsticks
  • 2 green onions, sliced

For the day of cooking:

  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel the carrots and cut into small matchsticks.
  2. Slice the green onions.
  3. Add the beef strips to a large resealable freezer bag.

  4. Toss in the ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots, and green onions to the bag.

  5. Squish to combine.

  6. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Skillet cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Heat in skillet over medium.

  3. Whisk 1 Tbsp. cornstarch into the sauce as it cooks.

  4. Cook until beef is cooked. (about 5 minutes)

  5. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with some sliced green onions

Recipe Notes

*If you can't find the beef cut into strips already, you can ask the butcher at your grocer to slice some flank steak for you or you can slice it yourself against the grain. You can substitute sirloin steak for flank steak if you prefer.


Baked Caesar Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 cup creamy Caesar dressing*
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

*I prefer to use the Caesar dressing in a jar rather than a bottle. These can usually be found in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of a casserole dish or foil baking tray and sprinkle with pepper.
  2. Mix together the Caesar dressing, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan in a bowl until well combined.
  3. Spread the dressing mixture on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
  4. Cover the pan with foil and freeze until ready to eat.

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Thaw the chicken, then preheat the oven to 375°.
  2. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes.
  3. If desired, broil for 3 minutes at the end until the sauce and cheese on top is golden brown. Watch carefully so that it doesn’t burn.

Properly storing your chicken in the freezer is essential to ensure your dinner tastes amazing and to keep your family safe from food poisoning. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to safely freeze your chicken if you follow these simple tips:

  • Try a vacuum sealer. The best way to store frozen chicken and prevent freezer burn is with a vacuum sealer. Simply place your chicken and sauce in your vacuum bag and seal.
  • Store the chicken in the pan. For a recipe like this, you can freeze chicken directly in the pan you’ll be baking it in. That makes it quick and easy to transfer the dish from the freezer to the oven without any extra steps. To store your chicken in the pan, start by making sure your dish is freezer safe. Glass or aluminum pans are perfect for freezer cooking. After that, prepare your chicken according to the recipe, then wrap the pan in foil. For an added layer of protection, wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer.

Chili Lime Tilapia Recipe:

  • 1 lb. tilapia filets (you can substitute cod or snapper if you prefer)
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 3/4 tsp. seasoning salt

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place 1 lb. of fish in a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the fish.
  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

BBQ cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Place foil on a baking tray. Place the fish and sauce on the foil and create a foil packet, sealing well.
  3. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Preheat the BBQ to medium-high heat. Make a foil packet with the fish and sauce inside.
  3. Place foil packet on the grill for 4 minutes per side until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Recipe:

  • 2 cups frozen tater tots
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1/4 cup pepperoni slices
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Freezer meal instructions:

Place the frozen tater tots, tomato sauce, seasonings, pepperoni, and chopped green pepper in a large resealable bag. Remove the excess air and seal.

Measure out the shredded cheddar cheese into a medium-sized freezer bag and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.

On the day you cook this, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Dump the contents of the large bag into a square baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes. If cheese is not fully melted, remove the tin foil and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Cook immediately instructions:

Lay the frozen tater tots in an even layer on the bottom of your casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and seasonings. Spread the tomato sauce over the tater tots.

Sprinkle the cheese on in an even layer and finish with your choice of pizza toppings. 

Cover with tin foil. Heat oven. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is so versatile. You can add sliced mushrooms, finely cubed ham, crumbled bacon, chopped onions, or diced tomatoes. Whichever flavours you like on your pizza you can add to the tater tot casserole.


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