Preparing for the unexpected!

[trudy]

Hi Chelsea,  Have you tried the Tuna Corn Casserole.  It's great for a quick meal.

Cheers
Trudy

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Funny you should ask.  I just made it last night and posted my review.  I loved it thankyou.  It is a very good standby meal as the tuna and dried egg noodles can be stored in the cupboard and I always some veggies and an onion to throw in.  Great for when I forget to thaw out meat. 

[trudy]

Glad you liked it.  You will have to thank Judy as she was the one who did the translation for the TM.

Trudy

[~Narelle~]

Hey Chelsea
you could do vegie sticks cut up in water in the fridge.  Keep some cream cheese or make your own and add a tin of lemon pepper tuna - seriously delish!  You could parbake some artisan bread and pull it out of the freezer and heat up.  I'm making myself hungry!

Also freezer dough as previously mentioned.  I have a recipe somewhere that is dough for 120 biscuits - but probably more like 200!  I made a massive batch (too big for TMX) and froze them, then you can just do a tray when needed or the oven is on.

I was also going to suggest pizza bases ready cooked, ready to add your toppings.  Another thing is pizza pockets.  They freeze great and I've been using them for kids lunchboxes.  I need to do another batch this week.  The pizza dough from EDC will make a pizza for us with adult toppings and 6 pizza pockets for the kids.

We don't have unannounced visitors which I love!

[Meagan]

There is this really great book Frost Bite: Freezer Recipes for Toddlers to Teenagers there is also another one called Frost Bite: Everyday Food Fresh from the Freezer there are some great ideas from these two books which cover food for and from the freezer. It also has instructions for heating once out of the freezer I have them on my birthday list

As for what we do
cookie dough in the freezer in logs/sausage shapes
easy scones using the cream and lemonade recipe
muffins frozen or whipped up and cooked when needed

In our freezer for dinner there is always a combo of the following
raw meat balls for pasta (all made by me)
raw rissoles
raw hamburger patties
lasagne
chilli
marinated steak or chicken pieces ready to cook one thawed
bags of marinated and cut chicken for stir frys
spag bol frozen

 

[judydawn]

You sound really organised Meagan   

[faffa_70]

Almost too organised JD! I might have to hire her. I was like that once.....I think I can remember the days 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Perhaps we could share her Kathryn? 

After initiating this thread I have started making up batches of cookie dough for the freezer and the logs come in so handy. I often throw some biscuits in the oven after making our daily bread to top up the bickie tin. Today I discovered that the fudgey wudgey cookie dough still tastes lovely frozen  .   Quick TMX date scones and savoury scrolls are now favourites as well.  I'm still not keeping a lot of frozen meals in the freezer as I've decided (like Kathryn) that it is too much hassle to safely thaw and reheat meals for the family. I'm loving pasta fagioli, pumpkin and baby spinach risotto and tuna and corn casserole as quick standby meals mainly from the pantry.  Bron's carbonara is also a quick favourite when we have bacon in the fridge.
 

[Meagan]

LOL I would be happy to be hired out at the moment!!! My #2 is in a bad way and sleeping in 20-40 minute bursts  at night  I am going a bit loony but this place is keeping me sane.
Ps we do eat vegies, rereading that post we sound like mega meat eaters

[cookie1]

Meagan, you have my sympathy re your #2. Many moons ago our DD did that to us. When we spoke with the clinic sister she laughed and replied "she's learning while she is awake!" . Just what we didn't want to hear. You will get through it, believe me. Hang in there.

[Meagan]

Thanks Cookie1 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I know just how you feel Meagan, except our little one is sleeping for about an hour at a time.  It's awful to see them so miserable.  My DS just has a cold, but panics when his nose is blocked and chokes.  Poor little possums . . .   

[faffa_70]

OMG Meagan  I do feel for you though, after we came back from Bali when DS was 8 months old she was waking up approx 16 times a night as the cot in Bali was small and every time she moved she hit the side and woke up and brought the habit home  Hope you start getting some sleep soon you poor thing. Thank goodness you now have your TMX to make cooking easy while you are not in a functioning state!

I have now also decided after trying Cyndi's vegetarian Sausage Rolls that these are going to be in my freezer for the unexpected!! How good are these??!!! My whole family love them and swore there was meat in them! he he 

Did I post before that I also do meatballs (the recipe is here somewhere or a link for one with tofu in them). They defrost really quickly. I do trays / containers of them and then only pull out what I need and defrost them in the varoma on the bench while I run around like an idiot get everything else done and then make a nice hearty chunky tomato sauce in the bowl to cook them (they take 30 mins to steam) and a yumbo.

[brazen20au]

haha faffa, that's because the meat content in 'real' sausage rolls is neglible

my first was a catnapper - he had 2 x 45 min naps a day as a newborn LOL though he did sleep all night for a while, but then when his day naps improved he started waking all night 

[cathy79]

I was looking at all the little tiny cake tins yesterday, the ones that would feed maybe 4-6 people.  So rather thank making one big cake, could make a few small cakes and freeze.  They wouldn't take long to defrost.