Frugal Challenge-Freezer Cooking

Or should I say cooking ahead to save my sanity. After the first six weeks of this years school schedule I have realized I need to have meals in the freezer for Monday through Wednesday. These days are so crazy around here that I have been stressed come dinner time with constant trips in the car interrupting my dinner prep time. I am an old school wife and like a homemade dinner on the table around 5:30 everyday.

I have now come to realize I need to amp up my freezer cooking so this happens smoothly and without stress. I began this weekend to prepare some freezer meals.

I spent the early morning Sunday preparing a menu with a weeks worth of meals with freezer meals for most days. I will cook one and freeze one as many days this week that allow.
One of my recipes called for seasoned bread crumbs. I almost died of shock for what they wanted for bread crumbs so I decided to go home and pull all the heels and dregs out of the bread box and make my own. Just layed then on a cookie sheet, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with Italian seasonings. I dried them for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees turning once. I then ground them up in my food processor and will store in the freezer.

My first freezer meal was Chicken packets. My kids love this meal. Simple, creamy and wrapped in dough. Kids love this. The book I got the recipe from and use for a lot of my freezer meals is an oldie. This pic is from Amazon but I see this cookbook at the library all the time so check it out for free. We love free!

I modify the recipe to add less salt and double to freeze half for later. Here is my double recipe.

Chicken Packets:
4 c. cooked chopped chicken                2 tbl. milk
6 oz. softened cream cheese                   salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl. chopped chives                             2 packages low fat crescent rolls (2 more when you cook the 2nd                              
                                                                                                                    batch of packets)

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt and pepper in bowl. Store half in a freezer bag for second meal.

To prepare for cooking, Thaw mixture. Unroll crescent rolls but leave in the 4 rectangles and seal the seams by pinching so you should have 8 rectangles after you open both tubes of rolls. Place about 1/4c. of chicken mixture in each packet folding over to make squares pinching to seal. Place on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I served with corn chowder which was made in a double batch for next time as well. Cut up melons finished off the meal. The more prepared I am the more enjoyable meal prep is. Have a great week everyone.