Freezer Cooking

I enjoy cooking from scratch, but it is time consuming.  I find it easier to prep several meals at once and freeze them so future meals are easier to prepare.  A couple of weeks ago I made pumpkin cinnamon rolls.   They are delicious, but we do not need to eat 24 cinnamon rolls in a couple of days.  Plus cinnamon rolls are best right after they come out of the oven.  My solution was to divide the unbaked cinnamon rolls among several foil pie pans.  I them wrapped the pans with foil and put them into the freezer.  The night before I plan to cook the cinnamon rolls, I remove them from the freezer and put them in the refrigerator.  The next morning I set the oven to preheat and remove the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator.  Once they are baked they look and taste just as good as freshly made cinnamon rolls without the hours of prep time.

I like the convenience of frozen chicken tenders but hate all of the preservatives.  My solution is to make my own.  I purchased a 2 pound package of chicken breasts for $4.50 and cut them into chicken tenders.  I have three bowls containing seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and homemade bread crumbs.  (*The bread crumbs are a bit darker than usual because W made them.  I was not going to complain about that since he volunteered to help.)

The chicken tenders get dipped into the flour, then the eggs, and finally the bread crumbs.  I place them in a pan to freeze before putting them into a freezer bag.

I cook these (from frozen)  for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  We eat these with baked fries or chopped as part of a salad.  It is a quick meal thanks to the work I did in advance. 

As part of the Holiday Grand Plan I make at least one freezer meal each week.  You do not even need to make an entire dish for this to make your life easier.  Even pre-cooking ground beef can save you time in the kitchen.