I used to make frozen dinners for my DM and made several for my MIL when she broke her wrist this past year. I would make individual plates for them out of what I cooked for us.

Most casserole type dishes freeze well, as do soups and stews.

One thing I would do for DM is make breakfast burritos and muffins and freeze them individually for breakfast. My MIL only eats cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, so I didn't worry about her breakfast.

How thoughtful of you, I know they will appreciate it.

Oh, breakfast burritos! Great idea, I'm going to add that to the list - thanks!

Breads and muffins freeze well, and so do many soups. Meatloaf freezes nicely whether cooked or uncooked and so do egg muffins, eggs/cheese/sausage etc. on an English muffin.

French toast, waffles and pancakes freeze nicely for breakfast and biscuits freeze either baked or unbaked, as do scones. A biscuit with a piece of chicken or ham could be a quick lunch or they're nice freshly baked with a cup of soup.

Grilled chicken freezes well, as does pulled pork or shredded beef, just thaw and add BBQ sauce and put it on a bun or serve it with coleslaw.

It's very nice of you to do this for them, I'm sure they appreciate it.

Annie

Annie beat me to meatloaf, but to add to it: after it's baked & cooled, slice it & put waxed paper between the slices, then freeze. This makes it much easier to get just the amount of meatloaf wanted for a meal for one or two people.

Rice freezes very well. Do not overcook it, when cool, place in a zip lock in individual portions (the snack size are a nice single portion). The rice heats in the microwave from the frozen state to cooked in just a few minutes.
Green beans - fresh - also reheat after frozen easily - again freeze in individual zip locks.
A dinner of fajitas meats - shrimp, chicken strips, beef strips & cooked green pepper and onion - grilled & frozen will reheat. Heat a pkg of tortilla in the mircowave separately. serve with the frozen mexican rice and you have a full dinner.
Turkey dinner - mashed potatoes and gravy also reheats well.
It is really nice of you to do this - they will appreciate it.

You're sure they have a freezer, right? And room enough in it for your generosity?

Good suggestions to freeze what you make in portions.

Sherry

And buy some "TV dinner" sized Gladware or something so you don't have to worry about getting it back!

You might find out what kinds of food they like.
Spicy? Or not?
Specific foods they love or hate?
Any dietary issues?

I think it's a wonderful idea and relatively easy to do if you just make a little extra of whatever you're having and freeze the leftovers!

Deanna

My sons get "mom's meals" for Christmas each year:

enchiladas, usually cooked chicken, grated cheddar cheese, a little finely chopped onion rolled in a flour or corn tortilla, place in a baking dish covered with a thin layer of enchilada sauce; top with more enchilada sauce and more cheese, bake, then portion 2 enchiladas per freezer container.

Taco Soup

I used less meat and it was great; subbed some bulk sausage for some of the ground beef. I did not include the can of hominy. But I add some canned or frozen corn to this - 8 or 16 oz. can or package. This is similar to a chili but not as thick or spicy; most people love it.

2 pounds ground round
1 large onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch original dry mix salad dressing
1 can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 can pinto beans
(1 can yellow hominy)
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)
2 cans stewed tomatoes (I use Mexican stewed tomatoes)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup of water

Cook beef and onion until beef is browned, drain excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

I made this recipe this year and it freezes well. If you want to make several casseroles, use a canister of Stove Top, double the chicken, soup, sour cream and a 1 lb. package of veggies.

Chicken Stuffing Bake

1 box Stove Top stuffing for chicken
cooked chicken, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
a little milk
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, corn, green beans, carrots, thawed

Mix the stuffing per the package but you can omit the butter.

Mix the soup, sour cream, and milk in a bowl with a whisk, blending it well. Add in the thawed vegetables.

Layer about 1/3 of the stuffing in a greased casserole dish. Top with a layer of chopped chicken. Spread the soup sauce with veggies on top of the chicken, then put on the rest of the stuffing.

Cover casserole with lid or foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 5-10 minutes to crisp up the top.

I used foil mini loaf pans to make single servings and did not bake before freezing. I included the directions: thaw completely in refrigerator; bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then remove cover and bake another 5-10 minutes.

These are all great ideas - I'm saving these!

I wanted to add mac & cheese to the list. It's such a wonderful comfort food.

Also, individual pizzas and all kinds of soups.

AM

Thanks, yes, I checked with her and they have room in their freezer and no dietary issues aside from "not much sugar" -- thanks for the ideas, keep them coming! This may be an ongoing thing-- I'm going to cook for them this weekend, but I will probably be doing it again every 2 weeks for a while.

I almost always have frozen soup in the freezer. I will freeze any soup that does not contain potatoes. Some will disagree with me about cream soups, but I have never had any issues freezing the ones I make.

Here are a couple of things I always freeze.

CROCKPOT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Posted by Ginger St. Thomas

2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 whole peppercorns
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garlic powder (had none so used 1 minced garlic clove)
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
8 French or sourdough rolls, split

Combine water, soy sauce, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme & garlic in a slow cooker, stirring until well blended. Place roast in cooker & cover.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth & shred with a fork. Serve beef on rolls. Pour broth in small bowls for dipping.~~ Good topped with Swiss cheese or sauteed onions, peppers or both. I like mustard on the rolls, too.~~

[](http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=301499516) Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy Source: Rachel Ray 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick) or, coarse salt and pepper Extra\-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan 12 crimini or baby portobellos, sliced 12 shiitake mushrooms, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all\-purpose flour 2 cups beef stock Combine meat, Worcestershire, onion and steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Form 2 large, oval patties, 1\-inch thick. Preheat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of extra\-virgin olive oil and the meat patties to a hot pan. Cook meat 6 minutes on each side until meat is evenly caramelized on the outside and juices run clear. Remove meat and cover with loose tin foil to keep warm. Add 1 more turn of the pan extra\-virgin olive oil and butter to the pan, then the mushrooms. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and saute mushrooms until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. To mushrooms, add a sprinkle of flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in stock and thicken 1 minute. To serve, pour gravy over Salisbury steak. Serve with Smashed Potatoes with garlic & herb cheese and chives. Mashed potatoes freeze well, too.

{{gwi:1480028}}

Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli
2 (1 1/2-ounce) slices whole wheat bread
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons canola oil

AIOLI:
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt

To prepare cakes, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup (discard remaining breadcrumbs). Set breadcrumbs aside.
Place chicken in food processor; pulse until ground. Combine chicken, chives, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl; mix well (mixture will be wet). Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.
To prepare aioli, combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with cakes.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken cakes and about 1 1/2 teaspoons aioli)

I've never frozen the aioli, but the cakes are great with or without it.

[{{gwi:1480030}}](http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=213120098) Chicken Cordon Bleu Source: Marilyn (Danain) 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 4 slices Swiss cheese 4 tablespoons butter 4 thin sliced smoked ham 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup all\-purpose flour 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 egg; beaten salt, pepper & garlic powder Pound chicken breast to 1/4\-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, reduce broth by half over medium heat; add cream and simmer over low heat until thickened; season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour over chicken. I am not sure I would freeze the sauce...Good without the sauce, tho...

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

2T butter
1/4c chopped onion
1/2c flour
4c chicken broth
1-1/2c cooked wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
1c diced chicken or ham
1/2c grated carrot
1c half and half
1T dry white wine
1/2c slivered almonds

Melt butter in saucepan, saute onion til tender. Whisk in flour then gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add rice, salt, chicken, and carrots. Blend in cream and wine, heat to serving
temperature. Garnish with slivered almonds.

Maple\-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1\-inch\-thick medallions 2 teaspoons canola oil 1/4 cup apple cider 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 1\. Mix chili powder, salt and ground chipotle in a small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of pork. 2\. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium\-high heat. Add the pork and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add cider, syrup and vinegar to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning the pork occasionally to coat, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve the pork drizzled with the glaze. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Linda

I love all the new ideas you have posted for me - thank you SO much!

I have never had a problem freezing cream soups either. I think the key may be in the reheating - I reheat very slowly and do not let it boil.
"Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions" sounds delicious. I just cut up a whole pork tenderloin, and cut some slices from the center-I'm going to try it. We love chipotle and I have some Smoked Chipotle my grocer ordered just for me.
Thanks again Linda

When making chicken stock, I take the chicken and use it for pot pies. Just put chunks of the chicken, some cooked carrot slices, frozen peas, some mushrooms (optional) and sauteed celery in an ovenproof dish. Make a bechamel using some chicken stock and some milk and add to the dish. Top with mashed potatoes or several sheets of phyllo dough (each brushed with melted butter.

This freezes well and can be thawed and reheated at 350 degrees.

Chicken soup also freezes well, just leave out the pasta but include a box of orzo in your care package.

Meatballs and sauce freezes well. I can share our multi-generational family recipe if you like. If I know they will eat it right away, Ill even cook the pasta, rinse it til cool, and ship it off in plastic zip locks or containers.

Hope this helps. You are very thoughtful, bless you.
Sue

Sue, I'd love to have your family recipe.