101 Days of Christmas: Colored Sugar Crystals

we do a lot of double batch cooking in this house since we tend to eat lots of curries, casseroles/stews, and sauces which all freeze well. Things we always put in the freezer:
bolognaise sauce for pasta (either reheat and just over spaghetti with parmesan or mixed with ricotta and mozarella and pasta to make baked ziti)
just about any curry or casserole
Cornish pasties – ground meat, raw grated veggies (onion, potato, peas, carrots) mixed and put in puff pastry triangles and sealed up…. defrost and heat and serve with salad.
soups
quiche and meatloaf are great because you make 2 and put one in the freezer

I’ve found it’s easiest to freeze things by making a double batch. Some of my favorite things to freeze are pancakes and waffles because they make easy breakfasts, and I feel better giving my kids a full breakfast instead of a bowl or cereal or a granola bar every day.

Shaina’s last blog post…A Beginner’s Guide to Freezing Meals and the Basics of Food Storage

I batch cook and OAMC. Our favorites are chili, chicken pot pies, individual meat loaves, twice baked potatoes, meat in marinade to grill, and anything from either “Don’t Panic: Dinner’s in the Freezer” or “Don’t Panic: More Dinner’s in the Freezer.” Those two cookbooks have a wide variety of recipes and helped broaden my OAMC menus!

Nearly anything can be frozen. I freeze pasta, potatoes, etc… I freeze leftovers for lunches. I freeze pancakes and muffins for breakfasts. I triple recipes and freeze extra dinners. I OAMC every three months or so and that gives me 15-20 meals in one day.

OTOH, I do NOT OAMC dinners that are easy to make (pasta sauce, taco meat, macaroni & cheese, etc…). I save my OAMC time and effort for things that take more forethought and energy, like twice-baked potatoes!

Karen’s last blog post…Happy Birthday Cael!!!

Just to make our life easier, I often cook large batches of our own veggie burgers and keep them in the freezer. We sometimes freeze soups, but those are the only cooked foods we usually freeze. I tend to be more of a freeze my own fruit kind of person.

Erica’s last blog post…The Sumo Kick Necklace

My favorite thing to freeze for a variety of meals is cooked plain spaghetti noodles. freeze them in individual portions. you can put the bag in boiling water for 30 seconds to thaw and heat then add sauce of your choice, or butter and garlic etc!

Here’s a simple recipe I had already planned on posting on my blog tomorrow. I think they’d be good to freeze as a snack.
Sausage Balls
2 cups Bisquick
1lb Sausage
8oz shredded cheese
Preheat over to 350 & spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix all three ingredients.
I’ve found it best to mix the Bisquick & sausage first, then add in the cheese.
Cook for 17-20 minutes.
This makes about 40 sausage balls.
You can freeze these before or after baking.

Whitney’s last blog post…TILT: Sassy Baby’s First Rattle & Teether Set

As simple as it might sound, I always try to keep a few packages of chicken breasts or ground turkey in the freezer. If I don’t know what to do for dinner on that day, I’ll just pull some chicken out that morning to thaw, sprinkle it with some Spike seasoning before pan-sauteeing it up, and then slice and put on top of a salad.

Allegra’s last blog post…Awesome Item of the Day

meatballs and sauce!

perfect for serving over pasta or on sub rolls.

whimsygirl’s last blog post…really? electronic spin the bottle

I just posted a new family favorite yesterday. Lasagna soup, the children love it and its easy to do.

I have been cooking onca a month for 9 years. Our favorites are lasagna, manacotti, chicken gumbo, (seasoned)hamburger patties, taco meat, burritos for lunches, teryaki chicken, cut chicken for stir fry(just having cut chicken takes away most of the prep), sloppy joes, pork bbq, enchiladas, and mini meatloaves.

Also having a vaccum sealer on hand. You can now get a handheld version for around 10.00. It keeps meat fresh longer.

I also cook all of my ground beef at once in a big stock pot. Just add a 1/2 cup or cup of water to the pot and I have done 15 pounds at once.

I also cook chickens or a turkey and shred the meat for soups, enchiladas, and other casseroles. Then you have homeade chicken broth for all of you meals and a carcas for soup.

I always add noodles to my soups on cooking day that way theydon’t soak up all of the moisture and get mushy. As for lasagna I don’t bother with cooking the noodles I just soften and layer. The moisture from thawing with cook them to prefection while baking.

well that was rather longwinded. Hope some of the information is helpful to you!

Also reading along eagerly as it occurred to me this week that I need to do some extra cooking for when the babies come home :)

Marcia Francois from Organising Queen’s last blog post…Pregnancy update

i was thinking about this post topic. another thing I do to save time and money is buy ground beef when it’s on a good sale in about 20 pound quantities. I then spend a bit of time one morning cooking it ALL up at once. I portion it to 1 pound amounts in my freezer bags and freeze them for quick and easy microwaving for a variety of meals. anything from tacos to spaghetti etc. REALLY saves time on those days you JUST dont have any time!

I’d probably have to say chili and pancakes for us.
.-= TheRoosterChick´s last blog ..Save Time In The Kitchen & Get Dinner On The Table In A Hurry! – Part 3 of 7 =-.

This is exactly what I needed as I’m going back to full-time work next week. Any ideas for healthy gluten free meals?

I’m loving the Christmas posts! You are getting me in the Christmas mood :).

can this be done with nonpareils as well?

I see you say food dye. I assume it needs to be the liquid, and not the wilton frosting gel food color, right?