Freezer Restock

[euphrasyne]

The new baby is due at the end of Sept, so I'm hoping to rotate and restock my deep freezer with about 60 pans of food and 30 quarts of soup.  It is a big freezer and that still gives me plenty of room for meat and some frozen veg.  I know I'm going to be exhausted and leaning on the teens, so my goal is to have easy things that require zero prep other than thawing and tossing in the oven or crockpot so that I can tell one of them to put in dinner and not have to oversee anything. They can make basic and moderately complicated pantry sides if needed.   I cannot eat pasta, so many of the casseroles I used with my older kids are a no go this time around; rice is ok in moderation.   I figure I can finish the planning and clearing out of the freezer in the next three months.  That gives me about 12 weeks to restock and prep the meals.  

 

I'm not sure what to make.  My current idea is

5 quarts chili

5 quarts French bean soup

5 quarts chicken soup

5 quarts beef barley soup

5 quarts Santa Fe sausage & Corn chowder 

5 quarts gumbo

 

2 Chicken pot pie

2 Salsa Chicken

2 Thai Chicken

2 BBQ chicken

5 chicken tikka masala

5 chicken enchiladas

 

5 Beef & Veg roast

5 Beef Broccoli in teriyaki sauce

 

5 BBQ pork roast (for sandwiches or beans)

2 meals ham turnovers (think homemade hot pocket)

2 meals Cubanos (baked pork sandwiches)

2 Sausage & Spinach Quiche

 

This gives me a bit more than half of what I need, but I'm not sure what else to make.  I need suggestions! 

 

 

 

[Jeepers]

Way to go girl! I think we have the same mind set on prepping. You've put a lot of thought in making your list. Isn't it nice that we can have some advance warning of a special event so we can get ready and not have to be in a last minute panic? That little baby will appreciate a relaxed mommy too.    

 

I want to get a freezer and pantry full of quick heat and eat meals too. I know that some time down the line I will be sick, dead broke or snowed in. Probably all three and then some. 

[euphrasyne]

I like shelf stable items for weather, economic, and long term storage, but the freezer is a massive blessing for health and life chaos issues.   I usually keep things at least moderately stocked, but the shelf life in the freezer is limited and I want to do a full rotation before known issues get here.  

 

[Ambergris]

Meatloaf?

If you make lasagne, you should line the dish you bake it in before baking, then freeze it, then take it out of the dish.  That way it will automatically fit when you want to thaw it.

Mac and cheese, the real stuff?

Pizza makings bundled together to assemble once thawed?

Carnitas?

https://www.cookingmimi.com/buttermilk-herb-chicken-day-5/

https://thehumbledhomemaker.com/freezer-crockpot-chicken-fajitas/

Spaghetti sauce with meatballs?

Scotch eggs?

 

 

[Ambergris]

https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/slow-cooker-pork-chops-with-apples-and-sweet-potatoes/

https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/8-freezer-meals-in-2-hours/

 

[euphrasyne]

The meatloaf and carnitas sound like good ideas.  I had forgotten about carnitas and the family loves them.  

 

I can't do any pasta at all so Mac & cheese and lasagna are out.  I had a gastric bypass about 3 years ago and even one bite of pasta just comes right back up immediately.   Occasionally I still make homemade pasta (I have a pasta maker attachment for my mixer) and people love it, but I can't even taste it to see.  :/    I've found that spiralizing (got that attachment too) veggies like squash works very well for a 'fake' pasta but it doesn't freeze well at all.     I use almond flour in my pie crust for quiche and pot pie, but it makes a lousy pizza crust.    

Edited February 9, 2019 by euphrasyne

[Ambergris]

Have you tried eggplant slices for lasagna noodles?

[Ambergris]

Bean soup with ham?  A curry--or lamb rogan josh?

Blackeyed peas with cornbread (not frozen--just seriously easy)?

Twice-baked potatoes?

Grilled marinated chicken breasts that can be cut up for cobb salad, Caesar salad, fajitas, rice?

[Jeepers]

I like the idea of having the chicken ready for multiple dishes.

[The WE2's]

Sort of funny, the title is "Freezer Restock" and we're on a steady "Unstock" of our freezers and frig's! We've been eating mostly out of our pantry(s) for several months to help get over the real estate tax hit.  We need to get to the community college and let them file our real estate tax rebate for us so we can get part of it back.

[The WE2's]

The community college isn't helping seniors this year but the senior center is, so I'll need to give them a call to schedule an appointment if we qualify.  We're still eating out of the pantries other than the fresh fruit we picked up yesterday.