Freezer Cooking

I love having a freezer full of meals to pull from on those too busy evenings when even planning what to cook seems like an enormous chore. I don't, however, have a very good system for getting meals into the freezer. Although like the idea of once a month cooking, I never seem to have an entire day to set aside for a marathon in the kitchen. I've settled instead for making an extra meal or two over the course of several days, but this often means that for those days I spend quite a bit of extra time in the kitchen, which has happened this week. Thanks to some help from my Grandma, I did end up with quite a few meals to use this month, so hopefully that translates into less time in the kitchen for the rest of March.

Here's what I have in the freezer:
Sauced Baked Meatballs
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Four Cheese Italian Minestrone x4
Garlic Parmesan Chicken x2
Creamy Chuck Roast with Mushrooms
Browned Hamburger Meat for Chili x2
Cooked/Cubed Chicken for Pizza
Chicken Black Bean Burritos
Lasagna x3
Monterey Jack Chicken x2
Chicken for Crockpot Stroganoff http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Stroganoff/Detail.aspx


I used several recipes from Don't Panic More Dinner's in the Freezer by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia. I'm particularly excited to try the Monterey Jack Chicken. I made a couple of minor changes, but here's the basic recipe:

6 fresh, boneless chicken breasts
10 oz Monterey jack cheese with jalapenos
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup bottled salsa (not chunky) or taco sauce, mild or medium
1/4 t. salt
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 t. chili powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dried oregano

Serving day
1/4 cup butter
sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, sour cream and salsa

Mix together eggs, salsa, and salt. In a separate pan, combine the panko breadcrumbs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano. Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture to coat, then dip the breast in the panko crumb mixture. Place coated breasts in a shallow baking dish. Freeze.

Serving day
Drizzle thawed chicken with melted butter--turn to coat. Bake uncovered about 35-40 minutes, topping with cheese just before the last 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately and garnish with a side of salsa sour cream, avocado slices and tomatoes.


I actually wish those were on the menu for tonight! :)