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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: July 30 2008 at 1:40pm | IP Logged
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Hello everyone,
I have been busily planning meals for the upcoming school year. So far, I have decided to just have a healthy soup every day for lunch with a nice piece of homemade bread or crackers. I think that the broth and veggies will be healthy as will a bit of chicken or meat etc. This way, I can just make a HUGE pot of soup on Saturday or Sunday night, even in the crock pot, and then we can have it every day for lunch that week. I will make a different soup each week, so we just have to put up with one soup for the week. (Or chill etc.)
Next, I moved on to breakfasts. I wanted to make some things that I can just take out of the freezer and pop in to warm in the morning, for the most part. Our kids just make a mess of cereal, and they are hungry in an hour anyway. So, I have thought of make ahead, (freezable)
pancakes
waffles
muffins to eat with eggs on the side
granola
hash brown mix (frozen hash brown, chopped onions ready to be mixed with eggs and cooked
quiche
assorted fruit breads (banana, pumpkin etc) to have with eggs
breakfast casseroles
apple turnovers (baked) with eggs on the side
Then I thought about a burrito. I wanted to have something that I could put in the center of the flour tortilla, and then bake it in the oven to heat it up.
And this brings me to a question. Do you think if I scramble the eggs up with sausage or whatever and then freeze them, that it will end up o.k.? I had thought of a breakfast bean burrito type thing too. Anyone have a good recipe for a freezable burrito that kids might like for breakfast???
Do you all have any other yummy make ahead breakfasts recipes to share that you can specifically freeze and heat up in a jiffy? (maybe 15-20 minutes to reheat for example up to a 1/2 hour)
I was so excited thinking about this. Our kitchen is always VERY messy lately due to so many little ones. I actually shop-vac'd it this morning!!!!!! I was thinking if I could cut down on the cooking time in there for so many meals a day, that might help.
I also plan on making about 500 cookies to freeze, maybe Pampered Chef's almond cookies, something simple, and then every person gets ONE cookie after dinner as opposed to a HUGE bowl of ice cream etc. We all like a little something sweet, the fruits go too fast for a dessert unless I plan that in, so that is out, so I thought of the fortune cookie idea, and found the almond cookie recipe.
Anyway, any tips would be great!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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5athome
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we make pans of cinnamon rolls from www.thepioneerwoman.com. We freeze them in round pie pans in ziplocks. I try to remember to thaw them the night before but I have also put them in frozen. They take 15 min to bake.
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Margaret
ds '93, dd '96, ds '99,
ds '01, dd '04, ds '06,
ds '08
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 30 2008 at 4:59pm | IP Logged
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I don't do freezer breakfasts (unless its bread products, which I have to avoid, sooo), lol. I DO make large "batches" of meatloaf. Three at a time. Don't cook them, just plunk them out of my mixing bowl, in thirds, onto the aluminum foil, wrap, and freeze. Pop one out the night before I want to cook it, thaw it overnight, spread some tomato sauce mix over it, and bake it. Then a quick cooking of some egg noodles, steam some veggies, and I'm done.  Even better, the dc love my meatloaf now, lol.
I also make "Mexican meat mix", the same basic way, and we use it for taco salad, regular tacos, quesadillas, burritos etc. MMMmmmmMMM I'd love some Mexican food right now. MMmmmmMMMMMmmmm
Ah, I sense a pregnant craving coming on, not good. LOL
Queso dip, anyone?
LOL
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
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juststartn
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Oh, part of my reluctance to do such a thing, is because my DH is, regretfully, very "particular" about the meals he eats. In fact, right now he's home for three meals a day, so he expects me to cook each one FRESH. SIGH. Sandwiches are not an appropriate lunch. It is difficult. And leftovers are "limited use items" in his book.
So I can only make a plan for things like this when I know he A)isn't going to be home, or B)will eat it enough to make it worth my while. In September, he goes to working 0730-1530, so I'll be able to plan lunches. Dinners will be crockpot and freezer cooking, so it won't be as bad.
Do any of you all have some good recipes for stretching food that don't require a ton of carbs (I have to go "lower" carb)?
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
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lapazfarm
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5athome wrote:
| we make pans of cinnamon rolls from www.thepioneerwoman.com. We freeze them in round pie pans in ziplocks. I try to remember to thaw them the night before but I have also put them in frozen. They take 15 min to bake. |
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Oh, those are sooooooo good.(where is that drooling emoticon?)
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Helen
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| Posted: July 30 2008 at 6:31pm | IP Logged
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Kim
We're also having frozen breakfasts. It helps so much with all the youngins. We also make breads and french toast. We tried home made bagels this month...I don't think they are worth the effort.
We add OJ and cinnamon to the egg mixture and use thick sliced French baguettes. (We buy them at BJs for 2 dollars for two loaves.)
This month we tried a home made bread rolled with ricotta cheese and spinach. I think the kids liked it. We regularly make rolled bread with cheese and/or pepperoni. I've borrowed books from the library which specialize in Brunch recipes.
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Ave Maria!
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JSchaaf
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Kim,
Can you share your soup recipes? My soup never turns out tasty..always mushy or with fat globs, etc. My 8yo loves soup and the canned stuff (Campbell's Chunky) is expensive and so laden with salt.
Thanks!
Jennifer
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 7:25am | IP Logged
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Jennifer,
With the soups, I am using "Taste Of Home Soups". It is a special magazine they put out about a month or so ago, but I am sure their cookbooks have a bunch of recipes too. I have not made many of them yet. I do have an awesome potato soup recipe that everyone seems to love it you like potato soup. Let me know, and I will send it along to you.
Also, if your soup is "mushy" are you putting in starchy things before you are supposed to? If you make chicken noodle, or chicken soup with rice and things like that, you should not add the pasta products until the very end and then let them cook till done. Perhaps you are overcooking them? Also, if you use real chicken to make a broth etc., you need to let the broth sit and cool so that all the fat will rise to the surface. Then, you take one of those soup ladle things and gently dip it on the surface of the fat. It pools into the spoon and you remove it before cooking any further. That would be my only initial thoughts without seeing the soup! Good luck on that.
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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monique
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juststartn wrote:
Oh, part of my reluctance to do such a thing, is because my DH is, regretfully, very "particular" about the meals he eats.
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Me too, Rachel! I used to do freezer meals and then he decided they just didn't taste good enough.
Sandwiches he will do but lunch meat is getting so expensive I really must find something else for all of us to eat.
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Monique
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monique
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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Eight Wonders wrote:
And this brings me to a question. Do you think if I scramble the eggs up with sausage or whatever and then freeze them, that it will end up o.k.? |
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Kim,
This should work. I've done breakfast sandwiches before. I used biscuits, eggs, sausage and cheese and froze them individually in foil. My hubby would microwave them or warm them up on the train (he's an engineer) in the foil.
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Monique
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Natalia
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Kim,
I have made both breakfast sandwiches and burritos. They both freeze well. I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap. Then we warm them up in the microwave. I have even added potatoes to the burritos and they freeze well that way too.
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Natalia
http://pannuestrodecadadia.blogspot.com
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 12:17pm | IP Logged
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Natalia and Monique,
Glad to hear that it is possible. I didn't want to risk wasting food on an "experiment" with today's food prices!!! Thanks for the info.!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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onemoretracy
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5athome wrote:
| we make pans of cinnamon rolls from www.thepioneerwoman.com. We freeze them in round pie pans in ziplocks. I try to remember to thaw them the night before but I have also put them in frozen. They take 15 min to bake. |
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These look awesome! I love the idea about giving them as Christmas gifts too.
BUT...when do you freeze them? Do you freeze them after baking and adding frosting and then just re-heat them?  I am very inexperienced about freezer meal preparation in general so thank you for any tips...
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Tracy
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EmilyC
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onemoretracy wrote:
| BUT...when do you freeze them? Do you freeze them after baking and adding frosting and then just re-heat them? I am very inexperienced about freezer meal preparation in general so thank you for any tips... |
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I'm pretty sure you freeze them before you bake them. I've not made this particular recipe (but I'm going it! YUM!) but I've done other things similar, and you freeze before you bake.
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Emily,
Wife to Rob since 8/98
Mom to 4:
Sarah (13) Robbie & Riley (10) Regina (nearly 3)
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nissag
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Sheesh. I'm famished after reading this thread. We're going to be filling the freezer here as well. I love having soups and fresh breads about for our tea-time. We generally have our big cooked meal at luncheon. I'm putting together some frittata recipes for breakfast. We have a little flock of chickens that keep us well supplied with eggs. I'd been wondering about freezing these, but I'm a little nervous. I also plan to return to once-a-week baking (muffins and pastries). It's great to pull out muffins the night before and warm them up in the oven in the morning - drizzle on a little glaze even.
Did I mention that I'm famished?  
Blessings,
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Nissa
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Bookswithtea
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Kim, I have a question for you. I posted a thread on the idea of soups and whole grain breads awhile back because I had read about it in a now defunct mag, and thought it was a great idea. I love the idea of home baked bread and bubbling soups. Seems homey as well as nourishing. However, I am wondering if my kids are going to be incredibly bored with having soup everyday. Does that say something horrible about my kids? They are always pushing for more variety for lunch and breakfast. Me? I am trying to find high protein meals that are inexpensive.
Can you tell me more about your soup plan and about the magazine you are using for recipes?
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Natalia
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Nissa,
Could you share your frittata recipe? I made a pasta and egg frittata with some leftover pasta the other day and the kids loved it. I would love to have more recipes.
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Natalia
http://pannuestrodecadadia.blogspot.com
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nissag
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Sure! If you don't mind waiting a couple of days, I will have some up on my newly re-designed weblog. A basic frittata base is (for 8 servings):
8 eggs
1-1/2 c. milk
1-1/2 c. cheese (your favourite)
salt and pepper (unless you are making a fruit frittata)
3T butter melted
Add whatever you happen to have to hand. I did one today with chopped garden tomatoes, crumbled bacon (a rare treat!), and a combination of feta and mozz. I also added a bit of dried thyme to taste. Bake for 30 minutes on 350F in a 9x13 baking dish. Delish.
We had that at luncheon, but it would make an excellent breakfast or brunch as well. Serve with fresh bread or rolls, croissants or muffins. Add a side salad for luncheon or tea.
Fritattas are cheap eats, and full of nutrition. They come in handy for meatless Fridays, too, if you do them. And they're excellent for a late night snack. OK, I'm a little peckish with this babe. 
Blessings,
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Nissa
Deacon's wife, mother of eleven, farmer, teacher, creator, cook.
At Home With the Gadbois Family
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10 Bright Stars
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Hi Book,
The magazine that is chock full of delicious looking soups is called, "Taste of Home, Heartwarming Soups" 2007 www.tasteofhome.com is written on the side. Maybe you could get a copy or they have the soups on a website? There is a color picture for almost every soup, and so far, they all use pretty basic ingredients that I think the kids will really like. Pizza soup comes to mind!!! There are also bean soups or soups that more closely resemble chilli. There are meatless soups, fish soups, even cold and fruit soups!!! There are over 400 recipes. It was a $10 magazine that I got at the Food Lion last year.
I think my kids will probably get sick of soup in time too. I figured I would just use it as long as they don't riot! I was just amazed at the thought of getting in so many vegetables in something yummy tasting for them, and it uses as little or as much meat as one would like. (i.e it won't mess up a soup if I use little or no meat, or feel like using more for example) I think it will be less expense in the long run, and I can't tell you HOW SICK I am of my homemade stove-top mac-n-cheese which is my "Oh no, it's lunch time already and I have nothing planned fallback meal" YUCK! It's good, but I am SO sick of it and everyone gets hungry an hour or two after eating it. I think a delicious and healthy soup with a crusty piece of homemade bread just sounds so wholesome!!! So, even if it just lasts half the year, or a 1/4 of the year, I can rotate it with some other plan. Plus, I can swtich the soup with things that seem more like chilli or potato soup type things and then rotate back to more broth based soups like chicken noodle or vegetable. So, I think there is plenty of room for variety built in.
I finally sat my husband down and MADE him listen to my idea, for real, instead of pretending he was listening, and he thought it sounded good. I told him I would try it for the next two weeks to see how it goes before I go stocking up on bouillion cubes (they have recipes for the homemade stock in the front of this magazine too). Anyway, when I went to make the ingredient list, I almost had evreything I needed on hand already! There are more "special" soups that would require filling the pantry shelves here or there, but for the most part, they are very user friendly recipes.
Hope this helps!  I would say there is nothing wrong with giving it a try!!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 8:06pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer,
I will PM you the potato soup recipe if you want. Just remembered you had asked about that.  Sorry. I will try to do it tomorrow. (Getting kids off to bed now. ) Anyway, one neat trick I discovered for speeding along potato soup is to put the potatoes in a pan separate from the milk you are heating up. I cook the potatoes in a bit of butter, sort of like homefries, to begin with. THEN, once they are almost fully cooked, I put them in with the milk, flour and butter mixture. It makes the soup taste much richer and it takes a lot less time!!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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Topic: make ahead meals for the school year
