Pre-made, homemade meals for one

[chappie]

My wife works long days on her feet (she owns a hair salon); I work nights as a sports editor. I'm the cook of the house, and I try at least a couple days a week to make something healthy, tasty and homemade she can heat up. Like yesterday I boiled down the carcass from a rotisserie chicken with herbs, garlic and veggie scraps into stock, reduced and made a really good chicken and whole-wheat noodle soup loaded with carrots.

What I'd really like, though is a good source for recipes I can make in single portions and freeze, that are also easy to reheat.

(Also, good sources for foil-pouch preparations of protein + veggie combos I can leave in the fridge and she can reheat when she gets home).

This way, she can go to the freezer in a pinch and still have something homemade and healthy. (Emphasis on healthy).

Thanks in advance for any help...

Edited October 14, 2008 by chappie (log)

[jgm]

For winter, nothing beats soup. If you have homemade soup, you have everything you need. You can then pair it with good bread, a half sandwich, or a leftover something. Even a nuked hot dog and an almost-stale bun are saved by homemade soup.

Nearly anything can be made and broken down into portions. I'm doing this for my elderly parents. Hints:

One pasta dish bakes for 30 minutes, then has cheese that is sprinkled on top, and then it's broiled for about 5 minutes to brown the cheese. Everything is packaged together. The entree has foil over it (and then plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn). The cheese is measured out into a heavy duty zipper bag, and all of the baking instructions are printed with a Sharpie on the bag of cheese, including cooking time and temperature. The whole business then goes into a heavy duty large zipper bag, with the contents and the date written on it.

Packaging everything together, and including the instructions removes all barriers. You don't have to check to see if you have any add-ins (and then find out you don't), and you don't have to scrounge through cookbooks for baking cooking times, temperatures, etc. It's all right there.

Don't worry about finding one-shot deals. Do soups, casseroles, etc., and eat some of it yourself. Package the rest. Ask her what she wants!

[Magictofu]

This might not be what you are looking for but we tend to cook large meals and freeze the leftovers in individual portions.

[dockhl]

RE: foil packets

I love doing chicken/rice type things in foil that I can pop into the oven for 1/2 hr. Like this:

Caesar Chicken

1 chicken breast, uncooked, cut into strips or chunks

1/2 c. cooked rice

2 T each finely diced sweet red pepper and red onion

2 T chopped fresh tomato

1 T shredded fresh basil

2 T Caesar salad dressing ....low fat is fine

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Take a square of foil, spray with nonstick spray. Put cooked rice, chicken, veggies and basil on foil, drizzle with salad dressing. Fold foil tightly to enclose...throw on low grill or 350' oven for about 20-25 min. I could eat this 2x/week!

I also do a teriyaki version. They freeze well, just cook a little longer from frozen.

[chappie]

Directions:

Take a square of foil, spray with nonstick spray. Put cooked rice, chicken, veggies and basil on foil, drizzle with salad dressing. Fold foil tightly to enclose...throw on low grill or 350' oven for about 20-25 min. I could eat this 2x/week!

Ah, I'd like to do this with brown rice. Should I slightly undercook the brown rice first, then make sure there's a touch of liquid for it to absorb on the oven stint? What would you say, cook it about half-done?

Or with pastas that will go into the oven; maybe half-cook them first also?

[sheetz]

I liked making individual sized pot pies in disposable aluminum tins.

[dockhl]

Directions:

Take a square of foil, spray with nonstick spray. Put cooked rice, chicken, veggies and basil on foil, drizzle with salad dressing. Fold foil tightly to enclose...throw on low grill or 350' oven for about 20-25 min. I could eat this 2x/week!

Ah, I'd like to do this with brown rice. Should I slightly undercook the brown rice first, then make sure there's a touch of liquid for it to absorb on the oven stint? What would you say, cook it about half-done?

Or with pastas that will go into the oven; maybe half-cook them first also?

←

Maybe, I'm not sure with brown rice. Probably, and yes, a little liquid but not too much 'cause the chicken throws off some. So yummy !

[Magictofu]

One thing I particularly like to have in the freezer are small portions of onion confit.

When you are hungry, put one portion in a bowl that can be placed in the oven with either water or broth, top it with croutons and cheese, then bake in the oven, and you got an almost instant retro-chic French onion soup.

You can also put them in a foil packet with chicken and a bit of butter and wine and you get something delicious in no time.

Defrosted and mixed with cream cheese, sour cream or yogurt, it becomes a great dip... not a meal in itself but sometimes it is close enough.

There are a number of similar flavour boosters (e.g. pesto, sundried tomatoes, ...) that can easily tansform the usual weeknight bland into tasty dinners. What is particularly interesting here is that these things won't take too much freezer space and meals can be assembled in a few minutes and placed in the fridge with basic instructions for your partner.

[Lisa Shock]

I like to cook. My husband, not so much -but he likes good food, and hates store-bought frozen food. We wind up eating at different times several times a week, so he likes having frozen meals available. I usually use my Foodsaver to seal things up before freezing.

Rice is a good staple to have on hand in the freezer, it can go with a lot of meals. I make double batches when I make dinner, and freeze the extra in small sized plastic containers. -My vacuum-sealer crushes the rice, making it into mush! Occasionally, I will freeze overnight in containers, then vacuum seal the frozen rice.

If I make saucy Indian foods, which I do at least once a week, I will make extra and vacuum-seal individual portions.

Lasagna is always popular, I usually make twice as much as we need and vacuum-seal/freeze the rest.

I also like to cook dry beans in my slow-cooker, and usually make as much as it will hold to save time and energy. Since there's just two of us, I freeze most of the cooked beans in 1 cup amounts for quick meals later. It's not as fast as a prepared meal, but it's cheaper and tastier than canned beans. So, bean burritos, red beans & rice, and bean curries can be made in under ten minutes with just a few more ingredients.

Soups are good, the only problem I have had is that I get a weird texture if I try to freeze my leek and potato soup that has chunky potatoes in it. For some reason, the potatoes wind up with an unpleasant (to me) texture. The husband thinks its fine.

Once a month, I make tomato soup from a #10 of tomatoes from Italy, and we have some for dinner with home-made bread, and the rest is frozen in individual portions. (The large pot of soup costs me less than $5 to make.)

In general, saucy foods like chili, stews and curries seem to freeze the best for me. I also freeze sauces, then thaw them and add to some quickly sauteed veggies for a fairly fast meal.

[Lilija]

Just out of curiosity, how do egg noodles freeze? Say I were to make some kind of saucy stewy stuff, and portion it in a container over egg noodles, what should I expect upon thawing or microwaving. Anyone have any insight?

[Magictofu]

Just out of curiosity, how do egg noodles freeze?  Say I were to make some kind of saucy stewy stuff, and portion it in a container over egg noodles, what should I expect upon thawing or microwaving.  Anyone have any insight?

←

Homemade noodles freeze quite well by themselves but I am not sure that the result will be as good if frozen and reheated with a sauce.

[KarenDW]

Just out of curiosity, how do egg noodles freeze?  Say I were to make some kind of saucy stewy stuff, and portion it in a container over egg noodles, what should I expect upon thawing or microwaving.  Anyone have any insight?

←

Egg noodles will freeze successfully if they are

(1) slightly undercooked

(2) completely coated in the sauce

Try to freeze noodles (and anything else, for that matter) in as flat and even package as possible, for the most consistent and even thawing/microwaving. If possible, form the food into a doughnut sort of shape, with a space in the middle. Otherwise, you will end up with overcooked edges and a cold center.

[KarenDW]

We make a "batch" of meatballs and freeze in zipper bags to remove a few at a time as needed; make sauces/pesto/salsas and freeze in ice cube trays or in zipper bags (flattened); cook small batches (4 servings) of rice or other starches to keep in the fridge.

One thing I find especially helpful is to cut fresh raw meats/fish/poultry into individual serving sizes, then individually wrap (cuts down on freezer burn & makes items easier to separate when frozen). Then it's easy to take out one piece of "something".

We also slice meats/chicken into stir-fry style pieces, and freeze in individual portions with a marinade. In the time it takes to put on a pot of water for noodles... the meat is thawed enough to start cooking.

May I recommend that you invest in a few microwaveable storage containers? The GlasLoc items have a tight-fitting plastic lid.

[Lilija]

Just out of curiosity, how do egg noodles freeze?  Say I were to make some kind of saucy stewy stuff, and portion it in a container over egg noodles, what should I expect upon thawing or microwaving.  Anyone have any insight?

←

Homemade noodles freeze quite well by themselves but I am not sure that the result will be as good if frozen and reheated with a sauce.

←

Just out of curiosity, how do egg noodles freeze?  Say I were to make some kind of saucy stewy stuff, and portion it in a container over egg noodles, what should I expect upon thawing or microwaving.  Anyone have any insight?

←

Egg noodles will freeze successfully if they are

(1) slightly undercooked

(2) completely coated in the sauce

Try to freeze noodles (and anything else, for that matter) in as flat and even package as possible, for the most consistent and even thawing/microwaving. If possible, form the food into a doughnut sort of shape, with a space in the middle. Otherwise, you will end up with overcooked edges and a cold center.

←

Thanks so much for the info! I make about a month's worth of frozen meals for a few relatives, as gifts, and something over noodles was a request. Sweet. This makes life easier.

[Shalmanese]

It's possible to freeze them but, honestly, I find it's less of a hassle to just cook them from dried. By the time the frozen food has finished defrosting in the microwave, the egg noodles are done cooking and the heat from the noodles often helps in tempering the cold spots where the microwave hasn't completely heated through.

[deltadoc]

We cook everything in large portions, and then portion it out in single servings using Foodsaver vacuum bags. Even soup can be vacuum packed if you put it into the Foodsaver pouch, let it freeze, then vacuum seal it.

These pouches can be microwaved, put into boiling water, or just opened and heated up in a pan.

We make pasta dishes all the time, except we undercook the pasta just a tad. That way it finishes cooking in the microwave and comes out al dente.

I like the whole idea of vacuum sealing, because removing the oxygen removes that which causes decline in flavor and nutrients. It increases the time that the item can stay in the freezer, and improves the nutrition of the item when you do get around to eating it.

More selection is provided becuase you don't have to make a big dish, individually portion it, and then eat it everyday before it gets freezer-burned. A larger selection that stays fresher longer is very convenient. And like most people, I bet your wife doesn't always know in advance what she wants, so having a selection will be more pleasing to her!

doc

[Lilija]

It's possible to freeze them but, honestly, I find it's less of a hassle to just cook them from dried. By the time the frozen food has finished defrosting in the microwave, the egg noodles are done cooking and the heat from the noodles often helps in tempering the cold spots where the microwave hasn't completely heated through.

←

That's how I normally do it too, which is why I wasn't sure of the results from frozen, but since this is a catered gift, I wanted to see if I could pull off their request. I've been giving them entrees, (along with desserts, snacks, and homemade breads) and suggesting they have it with rice or noodles and a veggie, or something. This year, they were like "we love all the entrees, but could we get a few ready-made meals all together?" It seems like it will do.

But yeah, nothing beats fresh noodles.

[jgm]

I had an interesting conversation with my sister the other day. I haven't tried this, so I can't vouch for it.

She cooks pasta - such as spaghetti - until "not quite done" and portions into individual portions. At serving time, she has water at a rolling boil, drops the pasta in, waits about a minute, and then drains it. (She says she's also been known to pour boiling water from a teakettle over it.) She swears it's just as good as freshly-made. I think, however, she's talking about refrigerating it and not freezing it.

Maybe that can be a partial solution for somebody.

I concur with freezing pasta, however, that it needs to be completely coated with sauce.

Also, a trick that I use with mashed potatoes when I want to make them ahead of time, is to put only about half of the hot milk and butter mixture that I use, into them; later, when I'm ready to serve, I add the rest, stir, and have hot, freshly-made potatoes. Not sure whether this method could be adapted to freezing.

[KarenDW]

Also, a trick that I use with mashed potatoes when I want to make them ahead of time, is to put only about half of the hot milk and butter mixture that I use, into them; later, when I'm ready to serve, I add the rest, stir, and have hot, freshly-made potatoes.  Not sure whether this method could be adapted to freezing.

Yukon Gold or German Yellow work the best for me vis a vis freezing. Cook, as you would normally, and drain well; even dry a little using residual heat... Mash, then add cream cheese and chicken broth (and butter, duh), to form a mixture slightly "drier" than you would use when serving immediately. Note that cream or milk may separate when frozen/thawed, which may affect your resultant reheated meal. Divide into portions. Wrap, freeze. I prefer to season when serving, rather than prior to freezing.

[jgm]

Thanks, Karen. I've been cooking/freezing for my elderly parents, and it's good to know there's a way to do mashed potatoes for them.

[Magictofu]

I concur with freezing pasta, however, that it needs to be completely coated with sauce.

The other way around is to freeze uncooked homemade pasta. They can be cooked frozen in less than 5 minutes. You can then add whatever sauce you have available. This way, you can have a variety of sauces and use the same pasta.

[chappie]

Thanks for all the ideas so far!

Already I've made a big butternut squash/spinach lasagna and frozen individual portions of leftovers vacuum-packed with the foodsaver.

I was thinking about roast chicken ... sometimes I do them with herbs packed under the skin and mushrooms. If I wanted to freeze this in a portion to be served over rice, could I do this with individual chicken parts like this:

Brown chicken in oil in a pan, semi-cook rice and mushrooms, place chicken over rice in foil or small foil pan and foodsave ... then reheat x_minutes/hours, open foil near end? (I don't really know a method here...)

[nhamilto]

I suggest Coq au Vin. Tasty, reheats well and reasonably healthy. I like Julia Child's version.

Other variations the same idea such as Boeuf Bourguignon also work well if the "healthy" part is a bit flexible.

Also good as reheated meal is chile verde.

My version:

2lb - pork shoulder (traditional) or chicken thighs, cubed

1 - onion, diced

2 - cloves garlic, smashed

1T - whole cumin seed

As required / To taste

oil

salt

pork or chicken stock

New Mexico (preferred) or Anaheim fresh green chilies charred, skinned, seeds removed, diced (try about 3 or 4 to start with)

Method:

Brown meat in a skillet with a bit of oil, place in stew pot.

Fry onions in same skillet until translucent, place in stew pot.

Deglase skillet with a bit of stock.

Toast cumin seed in a dry skillet, grind and add to stew pot.

Add garlic and chilies to stew pot.

Add stock to cover.

Simmer until meat is tender, adjusting seasoning with salt, chilies as desired.

Should be a bit too hot to eat by itself.

Serve with rice and/or beans.

[Doodad]

Shepherd's Pie in individual ramekins. We do this quite a bit. As long as you are making a whole stew of any kind it is easy to portion out. Pipe the mashed potatoes, seal with foil and pack the whole lot of them in a large freezer bag.

[PopsicleToze]

You could also do crabmeat au gratin in individual ramekins. It freezes nicely and is a great dinner when paired with a salad (and a glass of wine).