Whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the freezer should be your to go place to look for something good for last minute goodies when you're hungry. As a foodie, I have my list of freezer-friendly food I always keep in stock. If I need a snack, my freezer is the go-to place: there I keep my fruit, soups and other ready to serve dishes. I wanted to share my top 10 freezer favorites with you. Follow these simple steps and you can customize the food you have to the food you'll actually eat! Save your time and money and stock your freezer the smart way.
1. Cookie Dough
Prepare your favorite cookie dough and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you need to bake the cookies, let the dough get to room temperature (10 minutes) before sending it off into the oven. Check out Ali Barzynk's 15 Epic Cookie Recipes for some cookie inspiration.
2. Cinnamon Rolls
When it comes to breads, freezing this kind of raw dough can get a bit tricky. If you choose to do this, prepare your cinnamon rolls as usual. When you bake your rolls par-bake the cinnamon rolls. This means instead of baking the cinnamon rolls for the entire time, just bake them partway (par-baking) for 10 to 15 minutes. The rolls should be larger in size, but have no brown coloring. A few touches of brown here and there should be fine. Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool completely. Then, wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap or place them into a large plastic bag or air tight container. By following these steps, you can freeze them for up to 6 weeks. When reheating take them out of the freezer and place them, still wrapped, in the refrigerator the night before you wish to serve them. They will thaw overnight. The next morning, preheat your oven to 350°F. Unwrap the cinnamon rolls and bake them until they are light golden-brown all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Try this recipe, that has been proven and Spoon-approved by Cari Lamba.
3. Quick Breads
Bake muffins completely and let cool at room temperature. Once completely cool place them into freezer-safe bags or containers. You can store baked muffins in the freezer for up to 3 months. When reheating muffin, microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds or put them in the fridge to thaw overnight. Try one of Emily DiNuzzo's delicious muffin recipes, she bakes the best stuff, as you can see.
4. Yogurt Covered Fruit
When you're craving a snack open up your freezer to these awesome yogurt covered fruit bites. You won’t feel bad about enjoying this low-calorie treats. Package these in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Follow this easy how-to suggestions to make some killer frozen snacks, provided by Hannah Bibbo.
5. Smoothies
Choose 3 cups of your favorite fruit, mix-n-match it and sort those babies into the air-tight bags in your freezer. If you like yogurt in your smoothie, you can also freeze that and add it to your individual smoothie bags. For easy access, scoop yogurt into an ice cube tray or cupcake pan and freeze for 2 hr. Next time you want a smoothie, you're ready to go: just empty the smoothie bag, a little juice or milk in your blender and ta-da, a fresh fruit smoothie is made! Be aware that these bags can be stored for up to 5 months in the freezer. Try one of Julie Manu's fresh fruit smoothie recipes, she really makes it simple, so there is no excuse not to try.
6. Spices & Herbs
Prepare and chop the herbs that you've chosen and place them into each section of an ice cube tray. After your herbs are safely placed in the tray, pour enough cooking liquid over the herbs to fill the tray. Some potential cooking liquids could be water, broth, melted butter, or olive oil. Once frozen, simply pop them out of the ice cube tray and into freezer containers or an air-tight bags. These flavor cubes are perfect for cooking: just take a cube or two and just throw them into the recipes you're preparing. The Spruce provides the perfect flavor match ups and I always find myself going there for some flavor suggestions.
7. Soups
When preparing soup that you are planning on reheated, cook any vegetables or grains (rice/pasta) so that it's slightly undercooked. These items will cook a little more when the soup is being reheated time after time. Remember to cool down the soup before placing it back in a refrigerator or freezer. To help with the cooling and reheating processes, divide soup into smaller portions. Frozen soup can last up a month in the freezer. Cream and milk tend to separate and become grainy if frozen. It's easy enough to freeze the soup without this ingredient and stir it in while re-heating. When you get the frozen soup out of the freezer, put it in the fridge the night before you are going to eat it. Try Chandler's West's Caldo Verde Portuguese Soup as it's an easy-to-make comfort dish.
8. Burritos
When creating your freezer burrito, you can choose any filling you love, as long as it's not too wet. Your burrito will get soggy if ingredients are too warm or wet, which will result in a freezer burned product. Wrap your burrito tight and make sure no ingredients are outside of the tortilla. Wrap each burrito individually in foil or plastic wrap (I use both) and then store the delicious creation in a freezer bag. The burritos can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When it's time to eat the burrito, grab it out of the freezer, remove the foil, then wrap it in a damp paper towel. Place the wrapped burrito on a plate and put it in the microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until heated thoroughly. Laura Bohannon's Health Breakfast Burrito is my go-to burrito recipe that I can easily make at home.
9. Pizza
Check out my absolute freezer favorite - Pizza! Form pizza dough to desired shape and freeze for about 1 hour until frozen. Once dough is frozen add desired sauces, cheeses, and other toppings as desired. Place the pizza on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, for about 3 hours. Wrap the pizza in plastic wrap, and then place it into freezer containers or bags (squeeze out the extra air). Frozen pizza can be stored for up to 3 months. Bake the frozen pizza (unwrapped) at 450°F, cooking it until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Try one of Elizabeth Tadie's pizza 6-ways recipes.
10. Casserole
Most casseroles make an amazing freezer-friendly item. Once your fancy casserole is prepared, cool it completely before wrapping and freezing it. You can prepare your dish in a recyclable aluminum pan that is quick and easy to dispose of, with no need to clean up the dish. Frozen casserole has a shelf-life of 4 - 6 months, without the frost damaging texture or the flavor or your creation. To reheat your frozen casserole, thaw it in the fridge overnight and heat it up it the next day. Alternatively, you can put a frozen casserole in the cold oven. Turn it on and let the casserole heat up slowly just as the oven comes up to the desired temperature. To crisp the top, pull back the foil in the final 10 minutes of baking at full temperature. It's important to heat a casserole thoroughly before eating it. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the casserole is at 165°F
for safe consumption. Jennifer Weintraub's Broccoli Cheese Casserole is my all time favorite.
Hopefully, one of the ten tips I shared with you will inspire you to organize, cook up some goodies and stock your freezer with your own favorites. These freezer-friendly quick meals will definitely help you save time and money. As a college student, I'm speaking from experience here and hope to help as well. And the best part of it, these meals will satisfy your cravings as these meals you prepared ahead, will be the meals you want to be eating, always!