Bad Manners and Brimstone

I will be going to the criminal justice academy in a few months for some training.  I'll only be away from home for a few weeks, but this will be a big transition for my family. I'd like to put up some food to make things a little easier for my family while I'm gone. Putting up things in the freezer seems like a good idea, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about the process. Does anyone have any helpful hints or tips? Good website recommendations?  What about good food prep ideas in general?

We've used the stockpot for when dealing with pumpkins, and tend to make a 'chuck it all in' type of soup/stew ["some carrots in the cupboard?  That will do" sort of thing], and that seems to make far more gallons than two people can eat, so we portion it up into saved takeaway food containers [right sized portion for one person] which stack neatly in the freezer and freeze that.

It's not deliberately stocking up the freezer, it's more accidental (as a by-product of getting rid of a glut), but it's very little effort once the chopping has happened.

Pasta and rice dishes freeze well, which always surprises me. I use the bulk containers with cardboard lids that I get at the restaurant supply houses or Sam's Club and put the directions on every lid.

I use the Sam's Club containers, too. I travel for work and try to get things stocked up for DH before I leave. I use two processes - the first is I double recipes for what we're eating for dinner and take a few servings off the top and freeze those. Then, a week before my trip I'll do some explicit food prep just for the freezer meals. DH told me forever that we needed a second electric pressure cooker. I resisted, but one was $50 at Ollie's and I relented and bought it. He was sooo right having two running at the same time really made a difference.

This week, I did "baked" potatoes in one pressure cooker, put salsa chicken in the second, fixed a third salsa chicken that was ready to go when the potatoes were done. (I ended up adding northern beans and corn to the shredded salsa chicken and it's more like a chicken chili.) I put the potatoes away and shredded and portioned out the first batch of chicken while the final batch cooked. The final batch finished and I had it ready to go to the freezer making the whole process about 90 minutes. For roughly 10 meals worth of food. I also did black beans in the pressure cooker a week or so ago, and there are 10 containers of those in the freezer. I made sealed PB&J sandwiches (uncrustables) and froze about 35 of those. I used the crusts from that bread to make a french toast casserole in the crock pot. I ate that for breakfasts this week, but also froze 2 portions for me to have when I get home from my trip. (DH doesn't care for it.)

Pasta does freeze really well. I think there are 4-5 portions of that in the freezer from when I made it late last month.

If you cook something that freezes well now, make a double or triple batch and freeze the leftovers.

I once had to leave the family for about 4 months. I enjoyed cooking so was the primary meal preparer. One of the things I did was to create a "family cookbook and meal plan".  I created about 10 meals that were easy to make and provided the grocery list for each. Some of them relied on convenience items, but not all. None of them required more than 30 minutes to prepare. I did also cook and freeze some items for days where they didn't want to cook or go out and instructions on how to "refresh" to make them better.

Some things I did premake and freeze, and still do for an easy dinner:
Italian Sausage & Vegetable soup. I made the base and then they added refrigerated tortellini to the soup when they were ready to eat.
Bolognese sauce and they'd cook the spaghetti and serve with a salad and bread
Pulled Pork they'd then serve on hamburger buns and boil frozen corn as a side
Chicken Rogan Josh and they'd make boil in bag rice and buy frozen saag paneer from the supermarket

Some of the simple recipes they'd just make fresh were
Taco Salad (brown meat, add taco seasoning, heat beans and corn, serve on top of package salad mix and ranch dressing
Orange Roughy cooked with lemon butter, served with wild rice and microwave steamed beans
Italian meatball hoagies using frozen meatballs and bottled sauce
Chicken tacos using rotisserie chicken, bottled green salsa, packaged coleslaw

With so much grocery delivery or curbside pickup, it would make it even easier today.

OP -- you're not leaving for a few months so I wouldn't start freezing things yet.

Maybe a month before your departure start making some favorite recipes that your family loves in double batches. That way the family gets to taste your love while you're away.

It might be helpful if you mention a few recipes that you're thinking about freezing so that we can say "Yes, that freezes well", or "Nope, don't freeze that."



Another consideration of freezing foods is ease from freezer to table and the type of container you freeze the food in.

Lasagna, for example, use a tin foil pan to layer the ingredients and freeze before final cooking. Thaw in the fridge overnight and put the pan in the oven to heat. You could also have some bread prepared with butter and garlic seasoning, wrapped in aluminum foil, frozen and taken out the night before, to toss in the oven for easy warming (with heating instructions attached.)

You can bundle things together with colorful notes and instructions. Tacos, for example. Have the meat tastefully prepared with all the seasonings and frozen in a freezer bag or tupperware with a Green note saying "remove from freezer, let thaw in fridge overnight. When ready for dinner put meat in a fry pan on medium till heated to taste, stir occasionally (or microwave instructions.) Use with taco shells and refried beans that are in the pantry." Then on the (crispy corn, that lasts a while in the pantry) shells and can of beans, put a Green note on them saying "Use with taco meat." and have grated cheese and sour cream in the fridge with likewise Green notes attached.


The above examples may not be to your taste, but do you see where I'm going? Not everything needs to be frozen. Additional ingredients and notes might go a long way. For the lasagna example leave a note for your DH (on the lasagna pan) saying "Please stop at the grocery store for salad ingredients (or pre-made salad) to go with this meal" or even the taco example "maybe chop up some lettuce and fresh tomatoes for this dish."

A meal can be fresh, frozen, and delicious while you're away. Hopefully your DH is not against stopping at the grocery store for a few fresh items. And I'm sure there's going to be some nights where he says "Whoo! Hooo! Who want's pizza!"


It's your thoughtfulness that counts . . . taking care of your family while you're away. I applaud you for this. Being prepared before you leave will bring you peace of mind while you're gone.


Good luck on your training!

Does Mac & cheese freeze well? I do not know, never done it before.

Since you have time, try freezing a small batch for two weeks and see what the outcome is.

I've frozen things that are heavily cheese-based and it's been fine.