Freezer Friendly Meal Ideas

[Rouge]

As this is a common question I have merged a few threads and made it a sticky for you guys.

[chrysalis]

bolognase is really good to freeze you can turn it into a range of things, savory mince, chilli for nachos etc.
my mchn gave me a great tip, freeze it flat in zip lock bags defrosts heaps quicker than in the brick shaped lunchboxes!

[Persephone1]

Gonna do a bolognese cook-up this weekend!

my mchn gave me a great tip, freeze it flat in zip lock bags defrosts heaps quicker than in the brick shaped lunchboxes!

Yeah, DH and I "workshopped" this and decided the zip lock bags probably would be easier to defrost, and are better at sealing in the food than a plastic container. And the bags take up less room in the freezer.

Thanks Rouge for merging the threads, I figured I wasn't the first person to ask the question.

I'm thinking of freezing tuna mornay - it doesn't have any pasta in it (but can be served with pasta) and I figured it would defrost okay?

Also - what are everyone's thoughts on freezing chicken dishes and then re-heating them? I don't really know much about re-heating chicken except that sometimes it's a bad idea cause of the salmonella bacteria

ETA: I just read over the rest of the thread and now I'm overloaded with good ideas! I'm going to do:
Tuna Mornay
Fish Curry
Bolognese
Lasagna
Pumpkin Soup
Risotto (going to leave the sour cream and cheese out until it's thawed)
Chicken Curry (if it's okay to reheat?)
...just for starters. I'm inspired!

[HotI]

Just bumping for the Jan/Feb crew

[gravychic]

Am due for my first in about 5 weeks so have been busy preparing a menu of food to freeze ready to go for the next few months, buying in bulk and cooking it all up and freezing has been something i've loved doing for the last couple years (since i invested in a chest freezer) and it really does make life soooo much easier, you save so much money buying in bulk and also not eating out because there is always something ready to go! Not to mention its much healthier

Am going to make a few ready to eat meals this time around, marinade some meats ready to cook on the BBQ as well as cook up some sauces/gravy for steaks/grilled meats. Just made my first big trip to the market and costco for the vegetables and grocery items, am going to go to the queen vic market tomorrow to pick up all the necessary meats and spend all weekend cooking!

The ready to eat meals are

Bolognese
Lasagna
Malaysian chicken curry
Taiwanese beef soup
Chili con carne
Shepherds pie
Chicken & veg pie
Curry beef pie

The per-marinaded meats will be
Chicken maryland with lemon, ginger, coriander, garlic, onion, soy sauce, parsley and olive oil
Chicken drumsticks/wings with soy sauce, garlic, chinese 5 spice, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger powder, onion powder, chili
Butterflied lamb leg with garlic, rosemary, red wine, black pepper, lemon, olive oil
Beef flank steak with garlic, rosemary, red wine, black pepper, soy sauce
Butterflied pork leg with spring onion, chinese rice wine, black pepper, garlic, ginger, coriander, soy sauce
Pork belly with black beans, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, chili

The meat sauces will be
Mushroom and cream sauce - mushrooms, onion, parsley, cream, chicken stock, white wine
Garlic and cream sauce - garlic, cream, chicken stock, parsley
Beef stock gravy - made with roasted beef bones and vegetable stock
Chicken stock gravy - made with roasted boiling chickens and vegetable stock
Pesto - Basil, garlic, onion, olive oil, parmesan cheese, roasted pine nuts

Its going to be a massive weekend but the hard work will be worth it!