Freezer meals for 2

My husband and I both work full time and are busy at home as well. I got lazy and bought some freezer meals. We liked a few but the others were gross. I decided that I needed to dedicate a few hours and stock the freezer with dinners. I got 10 meals done. Since there are only 2 of us, there were 2 of the broccoli cheddar chicken, poppy seed chicken and lasagna. I also made some ham, corn chowder, enchiladas, and chili. I'm set on food for a while. It will be nice to not have to stress about dinners!

Tips to start:

• When making your meals, consider doubling the batch and freezing one.
• The dollar store has foil pans. Some even have lids. I chose 8 in square but there are larger sizes available.
• Be sure to label each lid.
• These meals cook best if they are taken out of the freezer in advance and are able to thaw before cooking.
• Cook times: 45 minutes if thawed, 1 hr to 1/12 hours if still frozen
• Cooking temp: 350 degrees

Here are a few of the meals:

 Broccoli Cheddar Chicken

This meal became one of my favorites as an employee at Cracker Barrel. I decided that I needed to figure out the recipe to enjoy it at home.

2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
2 cups frozen broccoli pieces (I prefer the florets only)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 T shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c crushed butter crackers or bread crumbs
2 tsp parmesan cheese
2 T butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8 in square dish, add chicken pieces, broccoli, cheddar cheese and soup. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add crackers/crumbs and parmesan cheese. Toss until moistened.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Variation: Add leftover rice to chicken and broccoli mixture as shown in the picture. 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked (leftovers from a Rotisserie chicken work great!)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can diced green chilis
1 can green enchilada sauce (optional)
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese (regular Monterey jack can be used as well)
10 tortillas

Combine chicken soup and green enchilada sauce and set aside. If you choose to omit the enchilada sauce, you will want to thin the soup with either chicken broth or milk.
In a medium bowl, shred chicken breasts. Add green chilis and cheese. Mix well. Add 2-3 T of sauce mixture so that filling ingredients bind together.
Microwave tortillas for 15-20 seconds. (I find they are easier to work with and less likely to tear when warm).
Evenly distribute filling between all 10 tortillas. To roll, I tuck in the ends before rolling up.
Add sauce to coat bottom of pan, place all enchiladas. If there is any filling mixture left, I add it to the remaining sauce to pour over the top. 

Faux Lasagna

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 lb ground beef, crumbled and cooked

1 bag of pasta (I chose penne but the options are endless)

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T. Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Cook pasta for 2-3 minutes less than indicated on the package. In a bowl, combine sauce and meat. In a separate bowl, combine cheeses and Italian seasoning.

In a pan, cover bottom with thin layer of sauce. Add pasta and then top with 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and cheese

 

Poppy Seed Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
4 chicken breasts
1 roll Ritz crackers
3/4 cube butter
1 1/3 T poppy seeds

Boil chicken breasts for about 25 minutes. In a bowl, mix together soup and sour cream. Spread 1/3 in bottom of 9 x13 pan. Arrange chicken in pan. Spread remaining sauce on top.

Melt butter. Crush crackers. Mix butter, crackers, and poppy seeds. Sprinkle on top of chicken and sauce

Serve with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes

Corn Chowder

3 cans whole kernal corn, drained or 1 bag frozen corn
3 cans creamed corn
2 cans diced potatoes, drained
1 lb bacon, cooked to crisp
2 can evaporated milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Option 1 - Stove top
Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes

Option 2 - Crock pot
Put all ingredients into crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hr and low for 2 hrs.


Option 3 - Combine all ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag and freeze immediately.

The longer you cook this the better it gets!! Enjoy!

Variations:
You can substitute smoked sausage or ham for the bacon.
Fresh potatoes can be used. I suggest cutting into pieces and boiling them for 10-15 minutes before adding to chowder.