Before the twins were born, my mother offered me a large, stand-up deep freezer. "You're going to need this," she said. "Really?" I replied. I couldn't imagine needing to fill that huge freezer with food for my family. But, after the twins were born, reality set in. They were one day going to be teenagers...with friends. "That's a lot of tacos!" my mom reminded me. Of course, she was right. I've used the freezer so much. Your home might not be like mine. And by that I mean full. But, no matter what your household situation, one child, 8 children, working mom, staying at home mom, having prepared meals in your freezer can lighten the nightly worry of "what's for dinner?"
Today my dear friend and neighbor, Beth, and I prepared freezer meals for the next few weeks. This is the second time we have had a "batch cooking day." Today, we completed 8 recipes that we quadrupled to allow each person to take home/keep 16 main dishes. Some of the recipes are my mom's recipes and some are ones that I found on the internet.
Bean Burritos
Chicken and Wild Rice
Baked Ziti
Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom
Slow Cooker Corn, Salsa, Black Bean Chicken
Kale and White Bean Soup with Sausage
Below is the shopping list quadrupled (highlighted items were purchased at Sam's club):
Canned/Dry Goods
4 (14 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
8 (14 oz) cans corn, drained
1 cup dried minced onion
1 cup dried minced onion
4 (16 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
4 cup barbecue sauce
4 Can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
4 Can (4 oz) mushrooms ( with liquid )
2 cup apple juice
4 ounces onion soup mix
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
24 cups lower-salt chicken broth
(4) 32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
(4) 1 lb. 3 oz. can cannellini or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 2 cups cooked dried beans
64 ounces Ziti
4 (1 oz) package taco seasoning
4 cup salsa
4 jar (26 to 30 ounces) spaghetti sauce (about 3 cups)
4 teaspoon dried oregano
24 oz. Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice Original Long Grain (cooked) 1 tsp. salt
4 cup mushroom soup
4 cup (8 oz. container) sliced water chestnuts
4 (2 oz) jar diced pimentos (drained)
8 cans refried beans)
2 jar salsa of your choice
2 package taco seasoning mix (or homemade taco seasoning)
36 lasagna noodles, cooked
Meat
22 lb chicken breasts
12 pounds stew meat ( cubed )
4 lb. sweet Italian sausage
2 lb. lean ground beef
Frozen
40 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
Dairy
60 oz fat free ricotta cheese
4 egg
4 cup mayonnaise
8 cup Extra Sharp shredded cheese
4 containers (15 ounces) Ricotta cheese (or 60 oz total)
10 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Produce
10 yellow onion
12 medium carrot, cut into small dice
12 rib celery, cut into small dice
4 lb. kale, rinsed, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces (8 cups firmly packed)
4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (optional)
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium green pepper
Bread
48 medium flour tortillas
