Freezer Meals...A Productive Day

Yesterday I had a very productive day in the kitchen. And, it was a lot of fun. I get a lot of satisfaction out of having tasty, healthy, prepared foods in the freezer. It's easy to put something yummy in the crock pot in the mornings to cook while I am at work, or I can choose a meal from the freezer when I get home to simply heat up for a quick dinner. I'm usually so worn out by the end of the workday, if I don't have something planned and easy to cook, I find myself relying on take-out or fast foods way too often. I really prefer having a healthier and less expensive alternative...

One of my all time faves to keep in the freezer are smoothies. They are so easy to put together, and they're nutritious and delish all at the same time! I always have frozen fruit in large bags in the freezer to have available when I can't get tasty in-season fruit. Here's a pic of what I had on hand this time around.

They are so easy to grab out of the freezer and eat on the way to school.

I put them in Styrofoam cups and then cover the tops with a piece of foil.

It's so easy to switch up the flavors by using different combos of fruit.

Here they are ready for the freezer. They don't last long around my house, either.

A recipe I'm trying for the first time is "Delicious Salmon" from the All Recipes App I have on my phone. We bought both salmon and tilapia the last time we went to Sam's. I'm not crazy about fish, but since it is so healthy to eat, I decided to try a couple of new recipes.

The salmon has a teriyaki sauce that it marinates in and I can't wait to try it. 

I used the tilapia in a "Cilantro Fish Tilapia" recipe I got from a friend. It's used for fish tacos, that's something I haven't tried before either, but it sure looks good...

The burritos I put together were a combination of 3 different recipes I have used before. I actually didn't even use a recipe for this go-round...I just started throwing ingredients together.

I used ground beef, brown rice, black beans, and some taco seasoning...mixed it all together and spooned it on a flour tortilla...

...added some grated cheese, rolled it up...

...wrapped each one in wax paper, and placed them in a freezer baggie. Since they are wrapped separately, we can take however many we want at a time out of the freezer. They warm up nicely in the microwave, unless you want it a bit crispier--then you can heat it up in the oven.

Next on the menu are Italian Meatballs. This is another recipe I just throw together...

I used ground beef, egg, milk, onion, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and Italian bread crumbs. I've used these in spaghetti and also cooked them with a mushroom gravy...both are scrumptious!

I use my cookie scoop to form the meatballs and freeze them on a tray for a couple of hours before placing them in a freezer bag. That way I can take out how ever many I want at a time. I never know how many will be eating dinner at my house on any given night, so that allows me to take out 4 or 12, easily.

The last item I put in the freezer was bacon. That may sound fairly simple, and it is...but, I don't like the mess of frying bacon, so I cook it in the oven. I bought a 3 pound package of thick slice bacon, and I like to have it ready to eat so I don't have to mess with the cooking/clean up each time I want it. I just layered the cooked bacon on sheets of wax paper, and then slide them into a freezer bag...again---I can take out exactly what I want without having to thaw the entire package.

And... that's where I stopped for the day. 

I took my hubby out to dinner for his birthday at Red Lobster (his choice). We stopped for ice cream at Sonic, then we came home and watched a movie. I know, you can tell we aren't big party animals! Happy Birthday to Roger! Now I'm off to scrap a bit before going to bed.