The month before Ruby was born, I got very into the practice of freezer cooking. He he he that just sounds funny when you write it out... as if you could cook with a freezer... Anyway, before Ruby was born, I cooked about a dozen meals and a few pans of cinnamon rolls, and a few loaves of zucchini bread. It made the month after she was born INCREDIBLY easy as far as cooking went. I could just take a meal out of the freezer (in the morning if I remembered, usually right around dinner time was when I finally got around to it though) and pop it in the oven and voila! We had a nice meal!
I've continued the freezer cooking since she was born. In April, I basically grocery shopped for 2 months on my big shopping trip (yes, I like to only grocery shop once a month and just pick up the necessities: eggs, cheese, potatoes, lunchmeat, etc. as needed.) Every time I cooked a meal, I just doubled (or unintentionally tripled...) the recipe and put one in the freezer. One rainy day I really felt like cooking so I started around 10 AM and by 4 PM, I had about 12 meals ready to go in the freezer. Ira loved helping me cook and Ruby slept the day away riding in her swing.
If you dread the drama of dinner time, freezer cooking is something you should definitely try. I'll even share a great recipe that we LOVE and is super easy. It's a recipe from my favorite blog, tweaked just a bit to make them even more economical.
BROWN BAG BURRITOS
Makes 30 burritos
2 c. Uncooked Rice
2 lb. Ground beef
2 cans refried beans (14.5 oz cans)
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
30 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Prepare the rice according to the package's directions. Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked rice and stir until well mixed.
Spoon 1/4 c. (ish) beef mixture down the middle of each tortilla, fold in both sides, and roll up.
Refrigerate or freeze.
Now here's where you need to decide what exactly you want to do with them. Andy takes them in his lunch, so I wrap them in a paper towel, then in foil, then freeze them. That way, he can grab 2 in the morning, take the foil off at lunch, and heat them in the microwave in the paper towel. I also hold some of them back for us to eat for dinner. Those you could just wrap in foil alone and stick them in a ziplock bag and freeze.
To reheat them in the microwave, just remove the foil and heat for about a minute and a half. You could also put them in a pan altogether and heat them in the oven. Or.... you could be really healthy like we are and nuke them in the microwave to get the filling warmed up then pan fry them in oil so they end up like chimichangas... I'm just sayin'... Then you can top them with lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. and they are a fast, delicious meal!
Enjoy!
What my house looks like: relatively clean and picked up. Both babes are in bed! I did notice today that I need to dust...
What's on my mind: wondering why my right knee has been bothering me. I guess I'm just getting old...
3 comments:
I made these for Kansas Dad to take to work for dinners on days he teaches a night class. (He has to take lunch, usually left-overs, and something else for dinner.) He seems to really like them! I made mine using black beans I cooked myself instead of the refried beans (not that we don't like them, I just didn't have any). I thought they were quite tasty. It's almost time to make another batch (since the tortillas were on sale and he's got a summer night class two nights a week). I think I'll try adding the rice. What a great idea!
I'd love to know what else you froze. I'm hoping to make a bunch of meals for our freezer before baby comes along in July.
I'd love to hear about the best way to reheat these things in the oven .... what temp? for how long?
Also, I am a geek and want to share a freezing tip from BHG magazine ... put foil in your pan before baking. Then, once it's cooked, cool it down. Then put it in the freezer. Once it's frozen, pop the pan off, wrap in additional foil, label and then freeze. The bonus is you get to use your pan while the item is frozen solid. Then to heat, just stick back in the pan. :)
I read that tip on someone's blog too, Karen! It works GREAT!
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