Freezer Cooking Experiment (Part 2)

The second day of my freezer cooking experiment was just as successful as day one and day two!  By Friday morning, I had made everything on my list, plus the mini corndog muffins, which I had forgotten about!  Here's what we now have in our freezer waiting for us to eat:

10 breakfast burritos (well, at least 2 are gone now!)  :)
1/2 loaf of chocolate chip banana bread
20 mini cinnamon swirls
8 blueberry muffins
12 mini corndog muffins
40 oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough balls
1/2 french toast casserole
30 meatballs
18 brownies (from a mix that was going to expire!)

We better not eat it all in one day or I'll be buying us all new clothes!  :)

On Thursday of this week, I took about an hour to make 30 meatballs and half of a French Toast Casserole.  I've decided that, overall, I really enjoy cooking this way.  It feels great to have a freezer stocked full of things I could pull out and fix any day that I need to.  Plus, a lot of what I made were things we can use for breakfast, which was exciting to me because I feel like we eat the same things for breakfast over and over again!

First I made the French Toast Casserole which has become one of my new favorite dishes!  It's easy to put together and is DELICIOUS!  The original recipe fills up a 9x13 in baking dish, but I just made half of one and it turned out just fine.  (We can't eat a whole one at a time!)  Here's the recipe:

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

12 slices bread (any kind will work, really)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon or baking spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 eggs (I used 3 eggs to make half of a casserole)

 1 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1.  Melt butter and pour in a 9x13in pan.

2.  Mix together brown sugar & cinnamon (or baking spice)

3.  Wisk eggs, milk, & vanilla together

4.  Layer bottom of pan with half the bread

5.  Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread

6.  Layer second half of bread

7.  Pour egg mixture over all then sprinkle remaining brown sugar

8.  Cover & refrigerate overnight

9.  In the morning, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

10.  Uncover and bake 15 more minutes (should be browned & set)

(I left mine in fridge overnight, baked it the next day, let it cool and put it in the freezer.  I will let it thaw overnight and reheat in the oven when we're ready to eat it)

(recipe taken from www.moneysavingmom.com)

Next were the meatballs.  I really like making these because they are super easy and the way the recipe is written, you always have a second batch left over to use later!  Here it is...

 Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 lb ground beef

1 pkg (6 oz) stuffing mix for chicken

1 1/2 cups water

2 eggs

Directions:

1.  Heat over to 400 degrees.  line 2 pans with foil, spray with cooking spray.  Mix all ingredients together until blended.  Shape into 32 (1 1/2 in.) balls, using 1/4 cup mix for each.

2.  Place 16 meatballs on each pan.  Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until done (160 degrees F).

To freeze:

Allow meatballs to cool, then loosely pack cooled meatballs in freezer bags.  Lay bags flat in the freezer so meatballs freeze individually.  Store up to 3 months.  Thaw in refrigerator several hours before using as desired.

Two great sauces to use with these are...

Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce:

Mix 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 2 oz cubed cream cheese and 2 tbsp chopped basil in large skillet.  Cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.  Add 16 hot meatballs, stirring evenly to coat. 

OR

Creamy Brown Gravy:

Mix 1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy, 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 tbsp chopped parsley in a large skillet.  Cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through.  Add hot meatballs, stirring evenly to coat.

(we serve this over spaghetti or egg noodles)

(recipe taken from Kraft Food & Family Magazine)

So, I think I'll try this freezer cooking thing more often!  When I come across freezer-friendly recipes, I'll share them.  I'd love for you to do the same!