Hello and welcome to this thing we’re doing where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and we’ll talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people. Last week, we ate soup.
Your freezer can be more than just the place where you keep Hungry Man meals and to put beers so that they get cold faster! It can be one of the most useful tools in your kitchen. Whether you’re freezing food to eat later or using it as a cooking tool to make delicious frozen desserts, your freezer can be your best friend. It’s super easy to start making a little extra food when you make something that freezes well and throw it in there for a rainy day. Here’s what the freezer in my house looks like currently:
A few hints for living the freezer life:
- Try to have as little air in the containers as possible. Fill tupperware up as much as you can; soups or liquidy foods can be stored in ziplocs (which can be laid flat in the freezer until they’re firm, and then stacked!)
- Wait until cooked food is cooled all the way to room temperature before putting it in the freezer.
- Dairy doesn’t always freeze super well, so maybe try to avoid creamy things. Cheese is usually okay.
- In my personal experience, potatoes sometimes get a little mushy. Sweet potatoes are usually fine.
- Take the food down a day before you plan to eat it and leave it on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Voilá!
Once you start getting into the groove of centering your food planning around your freezer, so many beautiful possibilities open up! Got some fresh herbs you know you won’t use before they go bad? No problem; freeze them in some olive oil. You can even keep condiments and pantry staples there. You can make dinner parties and hosting easier by making ahead and freezing appetizers and desserts, and even the more involved elements of main meals, like pesto or caramelized onions. Grains like breads, bagels, tortillas, pitas and more will also stay good for much longer in the freezer — you can pre-slice them, then take out one frozen slice at a time and reheat in the oven for a few minutes and enjoy.
Are you ready for your freezer to become the magical portal to a delicious Narnia that it can be? Scroll down and take it all in.
Appetizers
1. Spicy Honey BBQ Quinoa Meatballs
2. Cranberry Baked Brie Puff Pastry
3. Moroccan Style Sausage Rolls
4. Crispy Baked Pizza Wontons
5. Parmesan Almond Rosemary Cocktail Cookies
6. Vegetarian Green Potstickers
7. Sweet Potato Cauliflower Baked Samosa
8. Savory Muffins with Prosciutto and Chives
9. Swiss Chard Dolmas with Feta and Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Breakfast:
10. Healthy Breakfast Burritos
11. Freezer Breakfast Burritos
12. Sweet Potato and Spinach Egg Bake
13. Barley Crepes
14. Make-Ahead Breakfast Quesadillas
15. Crescent Breakfast Puffs
16. Sweet Potato Black Bean Avocado Breakfast Burritos
17. Country Breakfast Bowls
18. Roasted Vegetable Burritos
19. Sausage Grits Quiche
20. Whole Wheat Toaster Pastries (Pop Tarts)
Lunches
21. Three Sisters Empanadas
22. Spiced Lentil Sweet Potato and Kale Whole Wheat Pockets
23. Salmon Cakes
24. Savory Hand Pies
25. Crispy Quinoa Cakes (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
26. Grilled Pepper, Onion and Sausage Calzones
27. Pork Egg Rolls
28. Ham and Cheese Pockets
29. Spinach Pie
30. Black Bean and Brown Rice Cakes
31. Tomato Basil Lasagna Rolls
32. Slow Cooker Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches
33. Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Meatball in Jars
34. Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Couscous Lentil Medley
Soups
35. Vegetarian Broccoli Cheese Soup
36. Ash E Reshteh: Persian Noodle Soup
37. Tortilla Soup
38. Creamy Chicken Soup
39. Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup
40. Faki: Greek Lentil Soup
41. Red Lentil and Tomato Soup
42. Rustic Zucchini Stew
43. Pumpkin Soup
44. Thai Squash Soup
45. Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
46. Favorite Vegan Chili
47. Spiced Red Lentil Tomato and Kale Soup
48. Leek and Lemon Soup
Entrees
49. Chicken and Leek Pot Pies
50. Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells
51. Roasted Chicken and Smoked Gouda Enchiladas
52. Turkey Spinach Lasagna
53. Beet Nut Loaf
54. Vegetarian Pinto Bean Burgers
55. Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
56. Molasses and Bacon Baked Beans
57. Pork Chops in Balsamic Mushroom Sauce
58. Potato Cheese & Sauerkraut Pierogi
59. Tomato Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole
60. Cheesy Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole
61. Tempeh and Veggies in Spicy Peanut Sauce
62. Stovetop Red Beans and Rice
63. Smoky Turkey Almond Mole
64. Mixed Bean Masala with Fragrant Yellow Rice
65. Curried Lentil and Sweet Potatoes
Dessert
66. Chunky Applesauce
67. Ice Cream Sundae Party Cookie Dough
68. Strawberry Lemonade Freezer Pie
69. Chocolate Avocado Freezer Bites
70. Easy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
71. Margarita Freezer Pie
72. Apple Hand Pies
73. Chocolate Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
74. Blackberry Cheesecake Squares
75. Key Lime Froyo Pops
Thank you for reminding me about the wonders of the freezer – my homemade pumpkin soup is delicious, but (as I’m mainly cooking-for-one at the moment) it wasn’t making my heart sing this evening when I ate it for the 4th night in a row!
hehe …. I get it exactly!! :)
20 TAQUITOS.
#s 21 and 58 are like “laneia, you should make us and then eat us” and i’m like “alright yeah, cool. will do.”
There should be a post all about FOOD IN POCKETS. I can’t stop thinking about empanadas, dumplings, burritos, calzones, samosas, HAM AND CHEESE POCKETS.
Sorry for the all caps. I should know better than to read these posts when I’m hungry.
‘Food in pockets/food in dough’ is my favorite food group actually
I’m pretty sure that pockets are the definition of functionality.
“What do cargo pants and calzones have in common?” POCKETS.
JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL
This may be my favorite recipe list yet. So many good recipes added to my ‘to make’ list!
Oh my goodness THANK YOU. Before this post, my resource for freezer meals was a Christian fundamentalist mommy blog that provided daily Bible verses and information on how I should let God plan my financial life, in addition to recipes.
1. This is hilarious, and you should be applauded for your dedication to freezer food.
2. Whenever you commented before you had a picture I always sort of wondered if you were J-bird from Crashpad and now I finally know that you are not, in fact, J-bird from Crashpad. I am slightly disappointed but would still like to be your friend.
I should never have added a photo! That J-bird is not me, but it seems we both enjoy consent and black gloves.
It was such a delicious mystery!
out of curiosity, can you share what plans God has for my financial life
God says to give me 50 bucks, so that I can give it to God, for you. #legit
God loves me because I eat Ezekiel bread.
The best! I am still learning how to cook for one and you have shown me the magic of the freezer.
I started drooling by the end, it all looks good. mmmmmmmmmmm ice cream.
I want to go to there.
P.S. I have also found that an amazing thing to do is to make a batch of cookie dough, roll into balls, then freeze in a ziplock bag- hey what’s that feeling like a freshly baked cookie this evening? JUSTOPENTHATFREEZER! It also saves baking a whole batch and having them go stale/roommates stealing them. Bake as and when you want. I may be too excited about this as a concept. COOKIES.
RT @laneia: 20 TAQUITOS
tbh it’s probably more like 10 now
This is probably my favorite list of foods that you guys have done ever. Which is saying something because I really look forward to your lists of foods because you’re killing it with them. (Especially since most of the time you have a very good portion of foods without meat in them that are varied and it’s great, 4 for whoever makes these lists.)
I just don’t know when I’m going to find the time and freezer space to make almost all of these.
YES! I will make these @ the beginning of next term and then be nourished so so nourished
Things go mushy in the freezer because ice crystals form inside cells and then grow too big causing the cell to burst. The way to reduce mushiness is to freeze as fast as possible. Use the ‘fast’ setting on your freezer, although this wont avoid the problem entirely it does reduce it.
I use Instacart for groceries so they get delivered to my house, and I accidentally bought WAY WAY TOO MUCH tarragon, but now I know how to fix it with the herb+olive oil recipe here. Woo-hoo!