Cooking for the Freezer

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Last week the weather cooled down quite a bit and even rained.  I decided that I would do some cooking for the freezer.  When we do have hot days I really don’t like spending them in the kitchen and I don’t like heating up the house.  So I put together a lot of meal starters.  Here is what I have in the freezer… 


Lots of bags of cooked beans (12 or 15 quart bags with about 3 cups of beans in them).  I cooked up a mix of pinto beans, red beans and black beans.   


Roast beef – I cooked about 7 or 8lbs of beef roast in the crockpot and then pulled off the bones and fat and shredded the meat and added some salt and onions and let that cook a little longer and then bagged it all up.  I ended up with about 5 or 6 bags of cooked beef that has 2 to 3 cups in each bag 


Chicken – I bought 2 organic chickens and cooked those in the crockpot.  I deboned the meat and bagged it up. I got 4 bags of chicken with 3 cups in each bag.  I then cooked the bones in water to make broth and had 5 quart bags of chicken broth.. I thought that was a lot of good mileage from my 2 chickens!   


Hamburger – I cooked 7lbs of hamburger with an onion and salt.  I then added a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.  I divided this into 7 bags (about 2 1/2 cups per bag).   


Beef Broth – I already had beef broth that I made a few weeks ago..  somewhere around 20 cups.   


Brown Rice – I cooked up a big batch of brown rice in my rice cooker and divided that and froze several bags. 


Here is how I can use all this food… 


Tacos:  cooked beans and cooked meat (beef, hamburger or chicken) combine and add seasonings or add a bag of hamburger and a bag of beans to a big tossed green salad and have taco salad 


Spaghetti: mix a bag of hamburger with spaghetti sauce  


Casseroles:  mix any combination of meat and beans or meat and rice and add a sauce of choice (tomato, alfredo, organic can of mushroom soup, etc…) and top with a little cheese and bake outside in my roaster over.  Or any type of chicken casserole like ranch house chicken casserole or chicken lasagna or chicken n’ gravy or chicken green bean casserole.. you get the idea!!   Or hamburger casseroles.. the list is endless..  


Beef and Beans over Rice: mix a bag of beef with a bag of beans and add any seasonings (I like to add Tabasco, salt and pepper, or spicy tomatoes) and serve this over brown rice 


Soups: using the broth and meat and rice and adding a few veggies makes a yummy soup 


And that names just a few..  really the list is endless and now I have some time to enjoy being outside and working in the garden and spending time with the family.. 

Comments

  1. Pam W.July 14, 2009 at 9:54 PM

    I love reading about how you manage your home. You always inspire me to try new ideas in my quest to be the best wife, mother, and homemaker than I can be! Have been using your laundry soap recipe for a little over a year now--thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. teereesaJuly 15, 2009 at 12:16 AM

    You're amazing! I wish I had your flair with food!

    ReplyDelete
  3. jennicklessJuly 15, 2009 at 12:42 AM

    I absolutely love your site! I recently just made your crockpot chicken and gravy. It is a new family favorite. Whenever, I am bored of our menu, I spend time at your Ktichen section of your website. I'm really grateful that you share all that you do! Imagine, you are helping families clear accross the country! I know because I am in Maine!


    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoykeJuly 15, 2009 at 1:39 AM

    Crystal, you have been an inspiration to me for several years now and this post is just one of the many reasons I have awarded you the Sisterhood Award on my blog, as a big thank you!


    blessings, Ellen

    ReplyDelete
  5. a1healthJuly 18, 2009 at 2:23 AM

    That's a great idea! Thank you!


    ~Farrah

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJuly 20, 2009 at 2:42 AM

    Thanks so much for sharing these tips with us! You are helping me make my life easier in the kitchen so I can get other things accomplished and have more fun with my family!

    ReplyDelete
  7. countrymouseAugust 11, 2009 at 4:45 PM

    These are wonderful ideas that I will be sure and share! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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All messages are moderated. After approval your message will be posted. Thank you for your comments!! Crystal :)

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