Freezer Meals
for
Easy Kids Meals

Freezer meals can make for lifesaver meals when it comes to needing something fast and quick for your kids school lunches or family dinners. Freezer meals are meals that are prepared ahead of time then frozen. This allows you to just pull the meal out of the freezer on a given night and warm it up in the oven or it can be taken out the night before.

We have 10 recipes for easy kids meals. Get your kids involved by picking out the recipes they'd like to include on the next week's menu. Spend a weekend making and freezing meals for the next week or two with your kids. This gives them quality time with you and lets them feel like they are helping contribute to the family. This also saves time during the week when you can take out a prepared meal and sit down together for dinner.

What to Stock in Your Freezer?

Tips and Ideas for Freezing Meals

• When freezing cooked dishes slightly under cook casseroles or lasagna. Just take from the freezer to the oven and increase cooking time. You can also freeze unbaked casseroles. Cook for about 1 hour.



• Sour cream, cooked potatoes, and pasta doesn't freeze well. Add those to any dishes after taking out of freezer.



• Freeze extra rolls, bread dough, French bread or loaves of bread to have on hand for an accompaniment to freezer meals.



• Store meals in freezer bags, wrapped up in several layers of tin foil or plastic storage containers.



• Freezer meals can be stored individually in containers for easy lunches.



• Make extra waffles or pancakes and freeze. Place in toaster and serve for quick breakfast freezer meals. A fun idea for breakfast is to freeze french toast cut in sticks. Warm up and kids can dip them in syrup.



• Desserts, cakes, cookies also freeze well.

See more information and freezer recipes at Kids-Meal-Ideas.com.

10 Recipes for Freezer Meals

These recipes can be doubled or tripled with school lunches or family dinners in mind.

1. Chicken Stock or Broth
   Place roast chicken with chopped carrots, a quartered onion, 1-2 celery leaves and 2 bay leaves in a large soup pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook and simmer on medium-low 1 hour. Drain broth in freezer container. Allow to cool. Shred chicken. Use the shredded chicken for a casserole or other dish. When broth is cool store in freezer for a quick soup starter. You can also do this with Vegetable Stock by just adding vegetables such as carrots, celery, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, parsley and bay leaves. Cook the same as above and drain all vegetables and save broth for a freezer meal soup starter.



2. Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
   This recipe can make a large amount. Let simmer in your crock pot and then freeze in smaller containers. Use for sauce on spaghetti noodles, pizza sauce, pasta sauce for lasagna, etc:
   2 Tablespoon olive oil
   1 onion, chopped
   1 garlic clove, crushed
   1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
   ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
   1 lb. Beef
   Heat oil in pan and sauté onion and garlic. Stir in herbs and cayenne. Add beef and cook until browned. Set aside.
   Pour next ingredients into crock pot or large soup pot.
   28 oz + l small can of tomatoes equals 5 Cups chopped tomatoes that have been run through a blender.
   1/4 Cup ketchup
   2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
   2 teaspoon dried oregano
   1 Cup beef or vegetable stock
   salt and pepper
   Mix in bowl.
   Cover pot and lower heat to medium-low. Simmer for at least 30 minutes or place in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours on low. Allow to cool completely and then freeze in desired proportions.



3. Meatballs
   1 lb. hamburger
   1 egg
   1/2 Cup dry bread crumbs
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1/8 teaspoon pepper
   1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
   In mixing bowl, mix by hand or with a spoon all ingredients together until well blended. Form into meatballs and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Put into freezer for 30 minutes until frozen then remove and stick into freezer bags. This recipe makes about 30 small 1/2 inch-1 inch meatballs so double or triple for a larger batch.
   
   Freezer meals for meatballs can be meatball soup, strognaff meatballs with egg noodles, add to spaghetti sauce, sweet and sour meatballs, meatball sandwiches or add to kids lunches with a small container of sauce to dip.
   
   
4. Pizza Bites or Small Calzones
   Pizza dough store bought or homemade
   8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut in cubes
   Slices of pepperoni or pepperoni chunks
   Ham chunks or ham cut up in small pieces
   1/4 cup olive oil
   1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
   3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
   2 cups pasta sauce
   Roll pizza dough onto a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. For easier handling cut in two batches. Cut into approximately 4 inch squares. On top of each square place a pepperoni and ham slice or chunk and a cheese cube. Wrap dough around meat, fold sides in and roll up. Press together. Place on cookie sheets. In small bowl mix olive oil and seasoning together. With pastry brush brush oil over pizza bites. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Use all dough and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Use pasta sauce for dipping. These are great for kids lunches or easy freezer meals. They freeze well and can be taken out individually.



5. Muffins
   Stock up your freezer with homemade muffins and quick breads. They are great snacks for kids lunches and can be served with scrambled eggs or egg casserole for a "breakfast for dinner night."



6. Double or Triple Soups
   Try any of these three soup recipes for a soup that makes a great freezer meal and can be frozen individually for lunches.
   Pizza soup recipe
   Chili recipe
   Minestrone Soup
   
   


7. Enchiladas
   These are great doubled or tripled. Then freeze individually for lunches or as a whole extra freezer meal for a just pop in the oven kind of night.
   4 Cups shredded chicken
   8 oz. cream cheese, softened
   1/2 Cup salsa
   Cream of Chicken soup
   1 cup milk
   1 cup shredded cheese
   Salt and pepper
   In separate bowl mix 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup (depending on how much you are making) and 1 cup milk. Add 1/2 cup - 1 cup of sauce mixture to shredded chicken. Stir to combine. Spoon chicken mixture down center of each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in greased baking dish. Pour remaining sauce mixture over top of enchiladas and top with shredded cheese and salsa, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
   If you want to make a larger amount you can add 1-2 Cups of cooked rice to chicken mixture.



8. Sloppy Joes
   How to make Sloppy Joes.
   



9. Lasagna or Manicotti
   Another dish that can be doubled easily. Then freeze individually for lunches or as a whole extra freezer meal for a just pop in the oven kind of night. Lasagna and Manicotti Recipe
   



10. Chicken Roll Ups
    These freeze well for kids lunches or easy freezer meals.
    2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
    8 ounces cream cheese
    Salt and pepper
    Crescent roll dough
    Mix chicken, cheese and season with salt and pepper. Roll dough out and separate into triangles. Put spoonful of filling on dough and roll up. You can serve with cream chicken soup mixed with 1 cup of milk for sauce or use the light chicken broth sauce below...
    2 Tablespoons Parsley
    2 Cups chicken broth
    2 Tablespoons cornstarch
    Pinch pepper
    Heat mixture together in saucepan for several minutes. Use as sauce for chicken roll ups. You can saute onions and mushrooms and add them to sauce, if desired.

Here is to easy kids meals in the future!!