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31 Days Challenge- Day 23: Freeze a Meal for a "Rainy Day"

23 January 2012


Last week, I had planned a ham and bean soup for Friday's dinner. I soaked the beans the night before according to the directions and then put all of the ingredients in the crock pot (perhaps a bit too late...)

As we approached dinner time, it was obvious that the dinner was not going to be done in time- the beans were still hard! At that point I was not in the mood to make something else. My husband suggested pizza and I reluctantly said "yes." We try to avoid take out pizza due to what we call a "pizza hangover." We usually do not have white flour, and when we do, usually in the form of take-out pizza, we notice that we feel tired and sluggish that evening, as well as, the next day.

Having a meal in the freezer in the freezer, would have saved us from this blow to our diets and our budget.

So, your challenge today is to add something to do your plan that you can double and then freeze half. With an extra meal in the freezer, you can avoid the "panic meal" (pizza- fast food- whatever you can dig up) when things don't go as planned.

My Meal Plan for the Week:

Dinner

Monday- Taco Pork Chops (with homemade taco seasoning), Rice, Frozen Cauliflower (was on last week's plan but didn't get made!)
Tuesday- Lemon Chicken Tortellini soup with Escarole (double and freeze)
Wednesday-Poor Man's Lobster, Quinoa with Peas and Carrots, Salad
Thursday- Chili (double and freeze)- Will post recipe on Thursday
Friday- Make Your Own Pizzas with whole wheat crust
Saturday- Cheesie Mac
Sunday- Balsamic Chicken

Breakfast (Continuing with Themed Days)

Smoothie Mondays- Blueberry Banana Smoothies, Turkey Sausage, Whole wheat toast with butter (half)
Eggs Tuesday- Grammy Style Eggs, Toast, Fruit
Sandwich Wednesday- Beanie Pizzas
Oatmeal Thursday- Whole New Mom's Baked Oatmeal- Turkey Sausage
Friday- Greek Yogurt with Pineapple and Cashew Butter Toast
Saturday- Pancakes
Sunday- Zucchini Muffins with Turkey Bacon (double and freeze)

Snack Options

Apples and Cheese
Ants on a Log
Hummus and Carrots
Banana Snakes
Kale Chips
Chocolate No Bake Energy Bites


Linked up to: Org Junkie- Meal Plan Monday, Good Cheap Eats, Money Saving Mom

12 comments:

  1. Our meal plan for the week:

    http://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/2012/01/menu-monday_23.html

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    1. I loved reading your updates Jessica. Thanks so much for sharing! It's nice to see that you've noticed the same differences when not eating cereal for breakfast. Some mornings it feels like it would be easy to slip back into that habit, but I know that the rest of the day is so much easier if I don't!

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  2. I'm trying to do more "double and freeze" too. I just froze a batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup yesterday. I have doubled (and tripled) pizza dough and frozen it before with good success, too. I should do that again!

    Lots of yummy looking stuff on your menu!

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    1. I've always wondered about freezing pizza dough. I'll have to try that this time. Do you need to let it rise again after thawing it?

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  3. Great idea. My most wonderful kitchen splurge was a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer purchase several years ago. As soon as we finish dinner, we package the leftovers in single serving size Food Saver bags and throw them into the freezer. It keeps the food tasting like it was made that day. At any given time there are many different kinds of meals ready to be reheated. It is great for a busy night or for taking lunch to work.

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    1. I may have to consider a Food Saver... that's a great idea to immediately freeze the leftovers. I think that we would waste so much less that way!

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  4. I know how important meal planning is...I just dely doing it with self defeating results, but not anymore! One thing I do is freeze baked macaroni and cheese made with whole wheat pasta, but only because my hubby and I are so greedy we try to eat it all the first night. I freeze a big dish (immediately) so that it can last more than one meal!

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    1. I used to always put it off too... It was just too hard to think/ plan that far ahead, but then I'd go grocery shopping yet still have, "nothing to eat," and then I'd be stressed out every evening trying to figure out what we were going to eat for dinner.

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  5. We are trying to make healthier versions of our favorites this week in our house : )

    http://couponingncooking.blogspot.com/2012/01/monday-meal-plan-123.html

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    1. Thanks for sharing... I especially enjoyed the Quinoa link!

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  6. I love freezing extra meals. It's so helpful later. I'm excited to see your soup recipe, because I always want more freezer recipes!

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    1. I love this one after it's frozen... the tortellini starts to fall apart a bit and it ends up making the soup a little bit creamy and cheesy... the lemon flavor also seems to intensify a bit. I actually like it better after it's been frozen. I hope you enjoy it! I need more freezer recipes myself. I tend to just freeze soups.

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