Freezer Meals

I am putting together a bunch of information for freezer meals. I will include a bunch of specially made freezer meals that I find places and label them under freezer meal. Many of the meals on this site, although they don't specifically say it, can also be frozen for later use. I haven't tried out many of the freezer meals that I have just added to the blog, but as I try them I will erase them if they are horrible, and rate them if they are good.

USEFUL WEBSITES- many are crockpot ones since they freeze well
http://organizedhome.com/freezer-cookbook-recipes-freezer-cooking
http://www.once-a-month-cookingworld.com/
http://organizedhome.com/start-small-sneak-freezer-cooking
http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a64625/freezable_recipes
http://freezersupperswappers.wordpress.com/
http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/
http://www.homemadegourmet.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/slow-cooker/index.html
http://freezersupperswappers.wordpress.com/
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/cooking/guide-to-freezing-vegetables-grains-fruits
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5402.pdf
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/askext/freezing/4451.htm
http://organizedhome.com/freezer-cooking/freezer-cookbook-recipes?page=2
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

GENERAL RECIPE IDEAS
Chicken or Beef Pot Pie
Spaghetti
Chili
Mac and Cheese (just the cheese sauce)
Chicken Soup
Meatballs
Gravy
Meatloaf
Beef Stew
Enchiladas
Sloppy Joe Mix

BOOKS
Once-A-Month Cooking
Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites
30 Day Gourmet's BIG Book of Freezer Cooking
Frozen Assets, 2E: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month
Frozen Assets Lite and Easy: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month
Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead
Don't Panic--More Dinner's in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead
The Big Cook (really good)
Dinner's in the Freezer!
Fix-It And Forget-It Big Cookbook: Slow Cooker Recipes (great slow cooker book w/ hundreds of recipes you can freeze)
FIX-IT and FORGET-IT LIGHTLY : Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker


USEFUL TIPS
*Storing in ziplock bags works good. I like to double bag. I write on the inner bag so I can use the outer bag again later for other meals. I put the label of the outer bag opposite from the inner bag so I can easily read the label on the inner bag.
*Glad Ovenware is a good cheep way to get lots of extra freezable containers that you can use in the oven (and top rack dishwasher) too.
*Tupperware sometimes cracks/breaks when frozen.
*Some people fill the freezer bags, mush each bag into a pyrex and put them in the freezer until they hold their form. Then take the pyrex out and stack the pyrex formed bags together in the freezer.
*I like to line a dish with tinfoil, spray with pam and put my ingredients in the dish. Cover with tinfoil and freeze. Then I can pop the meal out of the dish (and tinfoil too if desired) and put it into a ziplock bag to freeze (note: it is now in the shape of the casserole dish I will use to cook it in later).
*When making soups, omit the milk when you freeze the recipe and add before serving.
*Make sure things are cooled before putting them in the freezer.
*Generally I hear that most meals freeze for 3 months, longer if you vacuum seal them.
*Potatoes, especially raw ones, don't freeze well. If you have a recipe with them, partially cook them before freezing or keep them out of the frozen recipe and add them later on (best idea). Less sweet potatoes do better freezing. Waxier potatoes will fare better in the freezer. Yukon Golds will do better than Russets and Red Skinned potatoes will do better yet. Mashed potatoes, if mixed well when thawed, freeze well.
*Mayonnaise will break down when it is frozen. Use salad dressing instead of mayonnaise when you make sandwiches or salad mixtures for freezing
*Well-done pastas may be too soft after reheating. If you want to freeze macaroni, spaghetti, or foods containing these, under cook the pasta.
*Add thickening agents after thawing the meal, not before freezing.

Look at the blog archive on the right side of the blog for some freezer meal recipes.