My Favorite Freezer Meals and This Weeks Eats 3.9.14

I whipped up these Chocolate Chip Cookie Energy Bars this week and they were so easy and SO tasty.  I am automatically drawn to any recipe that includes the directive to throw 'em in the freezer and pop 'em out whenever you want.  I try to do this with as many meals as possible, especially those that are kind of a pain to make.  

Makin' the Mac and Cheese requires at least two burners going and the Cuisinart, which is always a pain to clean...

Some favorite recipes to freeze:

Pioneer Woman's 'Fancy' Mac and Cheese (This recipe yields a LOT, so I just pour half into a container to freeze and the rest into a pan to bake.)

Baked Ziti (The same goes for this recipe - it yields a lot, but you can always double it and freeze half.)

Any enchilada recipe: Avocado Enchiladas, Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas, etc. (I'll usually double the recipe and just freeze the rolled up tortilla portion and either freeze the sauce separately, or buy sauce - the Frontera sauces are fantastic.)

Most soups and stews: Italian Beef Stew, Chipotle Chicken Chowder and definitely Minestrone - just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Meatballs: The recipe for Greek Meatball Salad makes so many meatballs, I always freeze half after I bake them.  Same goes for Thai Meatballs, or straight up Italian Meatballs for spaghetti.

Sauces and marinades: whenever I make pesto, I double and freeze half, as well as my favorite satay marinade.

And pretty much any baked goods: My Whole Wheat Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins and Hummingbird Muffins almost always go directly into the freezer; I just pop 'em out and throw 'em in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  Same goes for pre-sliced banana bread, Banana Walnut Pancakes, and Cranberry Orange Bread.

This weeks eats definitely includes some freezer meal action:

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Thai Crunch Salad
• Wednesday - Pioneer Woman's Fancy Mac and Cheese (yep, just pulling this out of the freezer!)
• Thursday - Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas (which I will double and freeze!)
• Friday - Chicken with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Mozzarella 
• Saturday - Penne with Vodka Sauce and Turkey Sausage
• Sunday - Caution Flag Chili (a very old Rachael Ray recipe)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, Mommy Run Fast and Jill Conyers - be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!