You might not know that this is Part 2 of my attempt to make 50 freezer meals in one evening. There’s a hilarious Youtube video for that as well with power outages and lots of fun other stuff. In this attempt to finish up those 50 freezer meals from Freezer Pack 5, more real life shenanigans come into play. There’s never a dull moment in a large family for real. As a bonus, because you deserve it for watching all this foolishness, I show you how to reheat freezer meals so they are just as yummy if you cooked them fresh.
It’s really Day 4 of this freezer cooking attempt because well, life. Day 2 was summer and the living is easy. No matter because we are getting it done. On Day 3, I made spaghetti for the kids to eat then also made 7, yes 7, pans of baked spaghetti afterwards. It just goes to show you that you can tweak a freezer cooking session to your family needs. Oh, and I finished up the tortellini quinoa soup and got it in the freezer.
Oh yes, let’s get started at 6:45 PM. See, you can get your freezer stocked in a few evenings after your day is settling down. Kids are outside playing for at least another hour. I will have them eat one of the pans of beef macaroni and cheese which is really beef a roni. You need this meal in your freezer at all times.
The recipe we are using will make eight 9×13 pans. Even feeding one to my family tonight will leave me with 7 in the freezer for future meals. Mama will have one happy family. Once you make the cheese sauce, it is a matter of putting it all together in the pans and topping with cheese. This makes a lot so it requires me to use my largest stockpot and 30 qt mixing bowl.
Is one 9×13 pan enough to feed your large family?
Yes and no. If I have time to make other things to go with the meal like a salad, steamed vegetables, cut up fruit, garlic bread, etc. then yes, it will feed my large family. If I don’t have time to do that then I take out two 9×13 pans in order to have enough for everyone and possibly leftovers.
How do you wrap a meal for the freezer?
I like to wrap in 2 layers of aluminum foil then 2 layers of plastic wrap. We eat all the meals in my freezer within a 3 month period. This way has never let freezer burn touch my food. Wrap entire pan in foil twice. Write what is on it on the second layer. You won’t remember what it’s in it after a few days. If it’s a new recipe, I like to write the directions down too so I don’t have to look it up later. Wrap the entire pan again in 2 layers of plastic wrap. You’re good to go at this point.
How do you reheat freezer meals?
The best way to reheat a freezer meal is to take it out 24 hours in advance and place it in the fridge. I ask myself in the mornings “Jamerrill, what will we be eating tomorrow?” Then get it out of the freezer. It will taste better if completely thawed before cooking or reheating. In a perfect world, you have time to do all that every day. In the real world, mamas forget or get busy and the freezer meal comes out much later. I like to tent the foil over the top and heat it for longer then take the foil off halfway through to get it completely cooked.
How do you freeze a casserole then reheat it?
Casseroles are just like other freezer meals. They are basically cooked already so you’re really just heating them up. Take the Beef Mac N Cheese. All the ingredients are cooked so heat it completely in the oven and melt the cheese. Casseroles need to reach an internal temp of 165 degrees. All my freezer recipes will give you step by step details on how to freeze and how to heat.
Remember when I told you about real life happens? After going to the doctor, there was a health crisis that put this freezer cooking session on hiatus. I still have the ingredients prepped but they will need to be frozen individually or eaten as is. It’s a freezer cooking emergency for real. Us large family mamas need to be flexible and also take care of ourselves in order to keep our families running smoothly.
What was our final freezer meal list?
Sesame Orange Chicken (2 pans)
Burrito Pie (6 pans)
Baked Spaghetti (8 pans)
Beef Macaroni and Cheese (8 pans if 9×13 or 5 11×16 pans)
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