Cooking for the Freezer..

Grimbal

zcrat41 wrote: »

- Tesco value cocoa powder (can I use this as hot chocolate?)
- 4 packs of lasasnge sheets (I have 2 lasanges to eat in the freezer so don't really want to make more!)
-8 tins of cannelini beans. (Don't ask, I had a bean fetish before I met DH, now he doesn't like them!)
- half a pack of frozen prawns.

Everything else I've managed to use up but I just can't think of exciting things for those 4.

Then the next phase of attack is to refill the freezer for when baby arrives. So far I want to make:

Beef stew
Lasange
Bolognese.

But then I run out of ideas for meals I can cook in Dec/Jan and eat to keep healthy whilst pg then freeze some for a nice healthy portion when baby is here. We dont have a slow cooker but I do like stew type meals - due on Jan 30th so will be cold and miserable outside!!


Looking forwards to your suggestions!

cocoa powder - yes you can use for hot choc. Mix to a paste with a tiny bit of hot water, make up the rest with milk & add sugar to taste

lasagne sheets - hmmm, you could cook, then cut up into noodles? or use in one of those deconstructed/posh open lasagnes?

cannelini beans - make a bean bake with them - stir into a rich veg & tomato sauce, top with a cheese & breadcrumb mix and bake until crispy

prawns - no idea as I'm veggie sorry. prawn curry for early next year when you want to try all the old wive's tales to get baby out?!:p

Also, how about

chillis
braised meats (eg slow cooked por, braised steak etc).
roasted veg - can make some quick cheesy polenta to go with, or perhaps serve stirred through pasta


remember that you can also cook rice & mash now to portion & reheat later

Pink.

Cocoa powder makes great drinking chocloate. Just mix with hot water, add milk and warm through either on the hob or in the microwave. There should be instructions on the carton.

Lasagne sheets will keep indefinitely but if you want to use them up now then they're great for making canneloni. You can make alternative variations of lasagne or canneloni with different fillings eg spinach and riccota, beans etc

For the beans see here and hereor use them to make a bean lasagne or to fill your canneloni.

These threads should give you loads of help with the batch cooking:

Cooking for the Freezer..

Batch cooking ideas please

We'll merge your thread with one of those later.

Pink

zcrat41

Grimbal wrote: »

cannelini beans - make a bean bake with them - stir into a rich veg & tomato sauce, top with a cheese & breadcrumb mix and bake until crispy




remember that you can also cook rice & mash now to portion & reheat later

Bean bake sounds yummy and what a fab fab fab fab idea about mash.

Might have been obvious to some but new to me ; can't get over what a goodo idea it is!

nuatha

The value cocoa will make proper cocoa, even nicer then hot chocolate. Blend 2 teaspoons of the cocoa with a little milk until you have a smooth paste. whisk in hot milk, sweeten to taste. (Adjust the quantities of cocoa till you get it just right for you).
The cocoa can also be used in baking.
The lasagne sheets will keep (especially as you are considering making more lasagnes. You could vary lasagne fillings, chicken and mushroom, roast vegetables, spinach and ricotta, you can soak the sheets till softened in boiling water, cut in half and roll around a filling to make a fake cannelloni.
I guess using the cannelini beans to help stretch a stew is out if hubby is not keen on them? Processed down they make a fairly good base for vegetable pates.
HTH

lostinrates

Cannelini beans make a beautiful alternative to chickpeas for houmous, ATM I actually prefer them to chickpeas this way.

Plus, dip meas it probably would not send instant 'I hate these beans' messages to your dh before he is tasted them......great with crudite if you feel virtuous and crisps if you do not, or even toasted pittas if you don't mind toasting them and keeping them hot...personally I would be keeping it as easy as possible.

boultdj

zcrat41 wrote: »

Hello people. I pop on OS all the time to lurk and pick up some great tips and you wonderful people helped me before....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1366087

So, the update to that thread is the first meal must of impressed him because we got married last year and we have our first baby on the way at the end of January!! So I have been trying to run the freezer and cupboards down so that I can clean them and restock them before baby arrives:j

SO, I've been meal planning like mad to use up the cupboards but I have the following that I'm struggling to use. If you have any suggestions I'd be really grateful!

- Tesco value cocoa powder (can I use this as hot chocolate?)
- 4 packs of lasasnge sheets (I have 2 lasanges to eat in the freezer so don't really want to make more!)
-8 tins of cannelini beans. (Don't ask, I had a bean fetish before I met DH, now he doesn't like them!)
- half a pack of frozen prawns.

Everything else I've managed to use up but I just can't think of exciting things for those 4.

Then the next phase of attack is to refill the freezer for when baby arrives. So far I want to make:

Beef stew
Lasange
Bolognese.

But then I run out of ideas for meals I can cook in Dec/Jan and eat to keep healthy whilst pg then freeze some for a nice healthy portion when baby is here. We dont have a slow cooker but I do like stew type meals - due on Jan 30th so will be cold and miserable outside!!


Looking forwards to your suggestions!

I'd use the coco powder to make a choclate sponge cake which can then be frozen in portion's to make a quick pudding when served with custard.

I don't know what the dish is called but you soak the lasasgna sheet's to make 'em pliable, put mince beef/veg/seafood in the sheet and roll it up and put a cheese/tomatoe or white sauce over the top and bake for 30/40 mins.

colinthecockrel

Hi

I would also make a chocolate cake to put in the freezer for when you need that sweet fix once little one arrives - cut into portions and it can be defrosted in a couple of mins in microwave!

I'm sure there's a way of making tortilla-type chips with lasagne sheets - give it a google!

As for the beans, I would also blitz them down - either as a humous as mentioned before, or to thicken a casserole, etc.

Frozen prawns - a quick stir-fry with carrots/peppers/onions - anything really - yummy!

Good luck!

Aril

You could add some cocoa to chilli. Added to butter and icing sugar it makes lovely chocolate icing for cakes. I use it with butter and syrup either to make a wicked chocolate sauce to go with vanilla icecream or mix in cornflakes to make a chocolate crunchie cake.

Prawns- prawn cocktail. They also go well in curries or on seafood pizza or in a paella.

Your beans would work well in a spicy tomatoy and sausage casserole.

Arilx

gibson123

Lasagne sheets and prawns - seafood lasagne, do the prawns in a tomato sauce, instead of bolognaise, if you have other fish in the freezer you can use this as well,

notanewuser

Cannellini beans make a great mashed potato substitute. But of garlic oil, heat through and squash. Delicious. I stocked our freezer before LO arrived with:

Spinach and mushroom lasagne (in 2 portion blocks)
Plus mini garlic breads to go with
Wild mushroom soup
Cauliflower cheese soup
Bought lots of part baked bread to serve with - they cooked in about 6 mins in a hot oven
Tubs of par-cooked apple chunks and blackberries, and a big tub of homemade crumble topping. Chucked a couple of handfuls of crumble over the frozen fruit and into the oven after the bread.
Veggie stew and dumplings
Plenty of different cakes that could be fed to visitors or as pudding with custard