Make 2, Freeze 1

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We are always busy here at Tin Box, and sometimes dinner is the least of our worries. When we are at events all day or camping trips all weekend, we do not want to cook a dinner from scratch when we get home. One way to still enjoy a great meal, without the work is to cook a double meal and freeze one so all we have to do is pull it out of the freezer. This saves us time on busy days and full after a hot and delicious dinner.

When you are making more than what you need for freezing and canning, it is important to have supplies ready to go. If you are going to can your meals, like soups, you will need a pressure canner, jars, lids and bands. If you are going to freeze your meals, you will need containers. I like using containers that are oven safe so that I do not have to switch containers from the freezer to the oven. I usually pick tins that are oven safe and do not break from time in the freezer.

There are so many options to choose from when you are thinking about what meals to double up. Soups, Italian Dishes, Casseroles and even regular old TV dinners. The possibilities really are endless and give you the opportunity to really stock up for upcoming busy days, weeks and months. When I’m in planning mode, I usually try to double up one meal a week so that we have lots of options for when we are traveling or are just too busy.

Soups are one of the easiest meals to make in large batches. We enjoy making a huge pot of soup and freezing individual portions for lunches. We also enjoy canning soups that are broth based like chicken noodle. I will add here that when we can soups, I do not include the noodles into the canning process. I prefer my noodles al dente and this is achieved when I heat up the soup on the stove. Simply pour the canned soup into a pot and warm on the stove, when warmed up, I add the noodles and enjoy like it was made right then and there.

When we make baked ziti or lasagna I usually make one large recipe and divide between tins that freeze well and are oven safe. These dishes are just so easy to duplicate and throw into the freezer. Many times you can throw these Italian dishes into the oven while still frozen, but we prefer to let it thaw out and cook at room temperature. If we are camping for the weekend, I’ll pull the meal out Friday before we leave and let it thaw out in the fridge. When we get back Sunday, I pull out the tin and let it come to room temp before placing in the oven. This saves us time and keeps the relaxing weekend going with the extra work of having to cook dinner after traveling.

The term TV dinner makes me laugh whenever I hear it, but these meals are just so easy!! We keep round tins that we find at the dollar store around for just this purpose. When you are having a meal with a lot of components it is easy to make a few extra plates and freeze them for another time. We love doing this for holiday meals and love enjoying Thanksgiving dinner a month or two later. Easter ham and mac & cheese also make for a great meal any time of year. It doesn’t have to be a feast to make a TV dinner. You can make these from almost any meal. I prefer not to freeze meats on the bone, and will remove before freezing.

Making extra to have for later is a great way to save time. It’s not just complete meals either. Have a lot of meat left over, but no sides? Just vacuum seal the meat and throw it in the freezer. You can use it to add to soups, or heat up for sandwiches. There are tons of options to doubling up and having enough for future meals. I hope you have enjoyed reading the different ways we plan ahead to have made from scratch meals with less overall work and time. What do you like to make ahead of time?

As always, thank you all for reading and joining us on this amazing journey. Simply, Beth