A Menu - based on other people's freezer meals

Breakfasts-

Breakfast Burritos - You can adapt these to your taste and the ingredients you have on hand, but breakfast burritos are a favorite in this house. How easy to have some in the freezer for the rushed mornings - you know you have them too!

Lunch -

Chicken Nuggets - Do you know how many times I ask Ben what he wants for lunch and he says chicken nuggets?  And I pop some Tyson frozen nuggets on a plate and microwave them?  This has GOT to be better! Both healthier and cheaper... I love the idea of making my own "convenience" foods.

Bean Burritos - Cook up some beans in the crock pot, and mash; fill up a tortilla and top with cheese.  Wrap in foil and freeze. Another yummy lunch for Ben and I, and a few of my kids would even take this to school for lunch.


Dinners -

Asian Salmon - I'm trying to get more fish on the menu, so this will hopefully be a hit!
Teriyaki Salmon - With some random teriyaki sauce recipe.
Chicken Kiev - We do get tired of chicken in this house (ok, we = Kevin) but hopefully this Alton Brown recipe, adapted for the freezer won't fail!

Schnitzel - I will say here that any time eggs are called for in a recipe I use a substitute due to Ben's egg allergy. He isn't severely allergic, but when he eats eggs his eczema flares up and he gets very, very itchy. The substitute I use most often is Ener G Egg Replacer and it works quite well in most recipes that don't call for more than 2 eggs. In a dish like this, you'll never miss the egg!

Have Kevin smoke  a pork shoulder - Alright fine, my husband probably won't come to your house to smoke a big chunk of pork. However, if  you can cook one in your crock pot, or oven. OR have your hubby (or hey, if you aren't as inept at charcoal as I am, you maybe could do it yourself.) The point is you can cook up enough meat for 3-5 meals in one slow cooked cut and use it in bbq sandwiches, tacos, or just eat the pulled meat with some veggies. A great source for tips on how to smoke things is Deejay's Smoke Pit .

Homemade pizza dough - freeze the dough, and on pizza night thaw and add your toppings and bake! Easy and way cheaper than calling for delivery or even buying the pre made crusts....

Turkey Cutlets - Turkey is a great way to incorporate lean white meat without over doing the chicken! 

Shrimp & Orzo - I'm not totally sold on seafood  in a freezer meal. Or orzo for that matter.  However, I will try it because the recipe sounds yum, and then report back on how it went.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with fried rice -  Again, we'll see how the rice holds up to being frozen.  But it's worth the experiment to me.


Sides -

Do you love bread? Me too, a bit too much so I usually pass, but this recipe  is a-mazing.  It's from the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day book. It couldn't be easier, and is delicious! I just need to try out the whole grain version that I've been too nervous to try (due to previous failures trying to make a wheat bread that isn't a brick.)

So, basically if I use this as a basis, I am going to say this is a good start. It won't be a month's worth of meals but if I double up I can have 2 salmon, 2 chicken kiev, 2 schnitzel, 4 meals with smoked pork (2 tacos, 2 bbq sandwiches,) 2 pizza nights, 2 turkey cutlets, and 2 shrimp &orzo, 2 sweet & sour chicken with fried rice. So, if my math adds up correctly, that is 18 dinners where all I have to do is thaw and heat, and throw some veggies on to steam as a side.  Plus, the few lunches and the breakfast burritos.  I think it will work.

Next up, a grocery list for all of this madness!