Freezer | Friend or Foe

This post is part of the Holiday Heart Series. You can read the entire series by clicking here.

So, I have long been a fan of freezing food. When I first had our second child, Charlotte a cookbook had come out by a woman you might know, Ree Drummond, and she introduced me to the glorious concept of freezer food. We only had one very small child who was eating "big people food" at the time so whenever I would make something from her cookbook, I would have tons left over - so much that we could never finish even if we ate out of it the rest of the week.

So, I froze it. I would bake half in a regular dish and half in a foil dish and automatically freeze it. Then the next week I would have a meal ready to go without even having to do anything! It was glorious!

And the beautiful thing about freezer food is that it takes out a lot of the prep work involved when we host so that we can focus on other things such as preparing our hearts and our tables to honor our guests! What I have found most helpful is that it makes room for those unexpected dinner guests when you run into a needy neighbor, friend or relative who simply hurts for an invitation or a hot meal.

Yes, God can do all things and makes ways for us to say YES to His promptings even when we are NOT prepared, but how much more can we say YES when we ARE prepared? Let's spend some time this week stocking up our freezer with some essentials!

SUPPLIES

Foil pans in all sizes. My favorites are the round and square ones. They don't take up a terrible amount of room in the freezer and are perfect for "multiplying food" (splitting one recipe into two dinners).

Foil. I love Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap.

Cling Wrap. I hate this stuff and have yet to find anything I love, but I always wrap this either under or over the foil for extra protection.

Zip Lock Freezer Bags (Gallon Size)

Rubber Maid or Zip Lock Plastic Containers - Great for freezing soups, chilis, stocks or sauces

RECIPES | A MASTER LIST

I'm going to break this down into a few sections and simply link the recipes I love to freeze!

Soups, Stocks, Sauces and Such

Becky's Spicy Texas Chili

Turkey Chipotle Chili

Italian Wedding Soup

PW's Broccoli Cheese Soup

Creamy Tortellini Soup

APLK Sausage Bolognese

Breads + Breakfasts

Mary B's Homestyle Biscuits (Store bought)

PW's Cinnamon Rolls (Usually makes SIX foil pans for me!)

PW's Cowboy Quiche (Usually makes TWO pans)

ATK's Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Baked Goods

My very favorite cookies of all time

Pecan Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Casseroles and Such

Lasagna

Stuffed Shells

Creamy Mac + Cheese

BBQ Meatballs

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

King Ranch Chicken

Store Bought Stock Up

Trader Joe's Orange Chicken

Costco Chicken Potstickers

Costco Frozen Pizza

Trader Joe's Kale Bites (Great for appetizers)

Stoffer's Lasagna

Texas Toast

#HolidayHeart #Lists