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Best 'freezer-to-plate' protein recipe


moggle

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Most of the time I'm good at meal planning, but occasionally I have a meal 'emergency' where I don't have anything suitable in the fridge or freezer.

I'd like to have a backup meal/protein in the freezer that could go from freezer to plate in a very short time. Bonus points if it's something I could grab out of the freezer and take to work (where I have access to a fridge & microwave)

I experimented yesterday with beef meatballs in tomato sauce (taste-test today), but I was wondering if anyone else had a favourite recipe for this kind of thing.

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Great Q!

I am curious for answers. I'm leery of freezing something like curry. I know people do it but I have "don't freeze creamy things" in my head.

I have frozen beef stew very well in the past--but never heated it straight from frozen.

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oh man. i freeze everything, including coconut milk curry (it's fine, just stir!), meatballs + mashed cauliflower (heat them up, then mash them together), chili (i make the chocolate chili from Well-Fed, but i add peppers and zucchini and frozen spinach). any casserole (zucchini lasagna from Everyday Paleo, eggplant strata also from W-F), can be cooked and then frozen in individual portion sizes. i literally freeze everything. i am about to freeze some cooked hamburger because i'm about to go on vacation and nothing makes me sadder than grass-fed meat going to waste... i think i'll then add some fat and veg, and then more spices, in order to mask any texture problems.

this wasn't your question, but i recently found this method for preparing frozen broccoli, and it's pretty helpful for those times when there's nothing else in the crisper: http://bakeoff-flunkie.blogspot.com/2010/02/rescuing-frozen-broccoli.html. essentially, instead of steaming it, put it in a hot skillet, and it will get hot without getting mushy. then add any seasonings you want, and some frozen shrimp or leftover meat, and you're good to go.

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I freeze everything too. Curry with coconut milk is fine to freeze. It all goes straight from the freezer to the microwave. I also keep lots of bagged spinach and cooked sweet potatoes and/or spaghetti squash around. Wilt spinach in microwave. Top with frozen proten. Add slices of sweet potato or some spaghetti squash. Heat it all up. Top with spices, sauces, avocado, olive oil, etc. as desired. Bam. Dinner. (Not fancy but dang tasty)

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Prawns defrost super quick and as long as you have some kind of vege in the fridge or a bag of stirfry mix in the freezer, you've got a stirfry in about 10 mins, curry in 15 mins - they're my back up protein, for the days when I've forgotten to defrost something and I've already had eggs for breakfast.

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I usually cook up ground beef with a general seasoning type and freeze it. Easy to pull out and heat in the microwave if you have to, then use it for whatever you want. I like making my beef with taco seasoning usually, but really whatever type you feel like. Throw the frozen cooked beef in a pan and start heating it, or toss it in the microwave. If in a pan I might add eggs and kale or chard and make it into an omelet or scramble. Otherwise you can just heat it and toss it onto a salad.

Likewise, pre-cooked chicken works too, though I prefer to use breast meat. Cook up chicken breast, or cut it into strips and cook it up with some fairly neutral seasonings. Then if you need it, heat it up for salad, or throw it in a pan with whatever veggies and sauce for a quick stir fry or curry.

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Thanks for your replies everyone!

I'm leery of freezing something like curry. I know people do it but I have "don't freeze creamy things" in my head.

I have frozen beef stew very well in the past--but never heated it straight from frozen.

I've also frozen coconut milk curry with no problems. I make stews all the time too, I should just freeze a single serve (problem is I portion control to the max so there's rarely a single serve left over!)

oh man. i freeze everything, including coconut milk curry (it's fine, just stir!), meatballs + mashed cauliflower (heat them up, then mash them together), chili (i make the chocolate chili from Well-Fed, but i add peppers and zucchini and frozen spinach). any casserole (zucchini lasagna from Everyday Paleo, eggplant strata also from W-F), can be cooked and then frozen in individual portion sizes. i literally freeze everything.

I have GOT to try the chocolate chilli!

I have this idea that stews and currys take ages to defrost & heat, but I suppose if I used a large container and made a thin layer of food then it wouldn't take quite as long.

I also keep lots of bagged spinach and cooked sweet potatoes and/or spaghetti squash around. Wilt spinach in microwave. Top with frozen proten. Add slices of sweet potato or some spaghetti squash. Heat it all up. Top with spices, sauces, avocado, olive oil, etc. as desired. Bam. Dinner. (Not fancy but dang tasty)

Hmm, I like this spinach idea too. I'd have to try a different starchy veg (off orange veg again for a while because my face has turned orange again) but I think I could make it work.

Prawns defrost super quick and as long as you have some kind of vege in the fridge or a bag of stirfry mix in the freezer, you've got a stirfry in about 10 mins, curry in 15 mins - they're my back up protein, for the days when I've forgotten to defrost something and I've already had eggs for breakfast.

I might try the stir-fry idea once I've got my own place. I'm currently living with my parents, and one of them somehow ends up wanting to use the kitchen at the same time I've come home 'starving' hungry without a meal prepped/planned.

What 'sauce' do you put on your stirfry? Pre-w30 I used oyster & soy, but that would be out now.

I usually cook up ground beef with a general seasoning type and freeze it.

Likewise, pre-cooked chicken works too, though I prefer to use breast meat.

I still find the idea of just cooked-up ground meat a bit odd, but I think I need to get over that - especially considering mince is usually cheaper than other cuts of meat. Taco-seasoned mince would be a good place to start. Do you use a packet or make your own seasoning mix?

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I suppose if I used a large container and made a thin layer of food then it wouldn't take quite as long.

What 'sauce' do you put on your stirfry? Pre-w30 I used oyster & soy, but that would be out now.

I often don't use a sauce as such anymore, just chuck in some spices or curry paste and coconut milk.

And re: defrosting large chunks of chilli -a great space saver is to use plastic zip lock bags instead of plastic containers - fill it up and squash it flat - takes up less space and you have a larger surface area so that it defrosts quicker too.

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My favourite emergency food is cooked brisket. I buy as large a piece of rolled brisket as I can fit in my slow cooker. I cook it, let it go cold and slice it. I then divide it into individual portions and freeze them in zip lock bags. They're flat, don't take up much room and are so quick to defrost, sometimes I've just thrown them in the skillet frozen, on a low heat they thaw out in no time. I also keep cooked cubed sweet potato and some kind of cooked greens in the fridge. This means, when I don't feel like cooking, I can literally have a meal in minutes. Throw in some coconut oil and it's perfect.

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I still find the idea of just cooked-up ground meat a bit odd, but I think I need to get over that - especially considering mince is usually cheaper than other cuts of meat. Taco-seasoned mince would be a good place to start. Do you use a packet or make your own seasoning mix?

I make my own seasoning mix. I use this recipe from Mark's Daily Apple, although I don't add the salt and I change the ratios a bit. I make up a huge tub of this stuff since it is awesome to use on chicken, beef, or even kale chips. If I'm using it or chicken sometimes I'll add a bit of cinnamon to give it a slightly different flavour profile. Or even add in chipotle powder. Only thing to be careful of is check the ingredients on chili powder. I found most of them have add vegetable oil and/or sugar. But if you look around you can find a compliant one. I made a big batch a few weeks ago, before starting the whole30, and I can't use it because I hadn't checked the chili powder.

My favourite emergency food is cooked brisket. I buy as large a piece of rolled brisket as I can fit in my slow cooker. I cook it, let it go cold and slice it. I then divide it into individual portions and freeze them in zip lock bags. They're flat, don't take up much room and are so quick to defrost, sometimes I've just thrown them in the skillet frozen, on a low heat they thaw out in no time. I also keep cooked cubed sweet potato and some kind of cooked greens in the fridge. This means, when I don't feel like cooking, I can literally have a meal in minutes. Throw in some coconut oil and it's perfect.

That is my plan for this weekend. Eye of round was on sale this week so I grabbed 2 huge roasts that I am going to do up in my slowcooker and portion for emergency protein.

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And re: defrosting large chunks of chilli -a great space saver is to use plastic zip lock bags instead of plastic containers - fill it up and squash it flat - takes up less space and you have a larger surface area so that it defrosts quicker too.

Have you got a favourite meat you use for the chilli?

My favourite emergency food is cooked brisket. I buy as large a piece of rolled brisket as I can fit in my slow cooker. I cook it, let it go cold and slice it. I then divide it into individual portions and freeze them in zip lock bags.

They'd probably be good (once defrosted) on top of a salad too. I usually have salad leaves and tomatoes/cucumber lurking in the fridge.

I make my own seasoning mix. I use this recipe from Mark's Daily Apple, although I don't add the salt and I change the ratios a bit.

Thanks!

I'm loving this Whole30 adventure! I feel like I'm a much better and more adventurous cook than 6 months ago.

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Most chili recipes call for ground beef. I've used ground turkey because it's cheapest but I'm not really keen on the taste but the chili covers it. However my alltime favourite meat for chili is cubed beef. I like the chunks. I buy the cheapest stewing beef, over here it's usually shoulder steak, because it's tasty, cheap and the long slow cooking makes it really tender.

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Most chili recipes call for ground beef. I've used ground turkey because it's cheapest but I'm not really keen on the taste but the chili covers it. However my alltime favourite meat for chili is cubed beef. I like the chunks. I buy the cheapest stewing beef, over here it's usually shoulder steak, because it's tasty, cheap and the long slow cooking makes it really tender.

I use all of the above for a super meaty chili. Maybe even throw in some compliant meatballs.

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Peel and eat shrimp are my favorite!

I put some water in a pan, some Old Bay seasoning, apple cider vinegar, and then once boiling add the shrimp and cook til done. Easy and good!

Maybe this is tonight's dinner!

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To answer the "what sauce for stir fries" question...I just made one tonight with my hubby. Protein was leftover Asian Chicken (Nom Nom Paleo) Breasts (hers were thighs) - 3 of them. The veggies were 1 large onion, 1" ginger, minced, 2 large cloves garlic, 3 carrots julienned, 2 zucchini julienned, handful sugar snap peas broken in half.

Sauce was 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 2 tbsp Red Boat Fish Sauce (Ingredients: wild caught anchovies, salt), 1 tbsp rice vinegar (could sub any other vinegar for this; I'm not W30ing, although I'm not sure if rice vinegar is allowed - perhaps since it's vinegar, not rice? Not sure), a shake of crushed red pepper (hubby's got an awful cold/possible pneumonia - spicy gets stuff moving in your sinuses for sure!), and a healthy couple of shakes of black pepper.

The sauce played fairly well off of the garlic/ginger/chicken's marinade. Of course hubby put soy sauce on his. >.>

That being said, I ate more than he did. I am post W30 and I off-roaded from my gluten free lifestyle today by being tempted by cake...the stomach ache did me good, as did the continual vanilla frosting burps...and I didn't eat enough lunch because of the cake, hence the second helping!

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Have you got a favourite meat you use for the chilli?

The Clothes Makes the Girl chilli is really great - I've made it with beef, turkey and kangaroo mince - the kangaroo was actually better than the beef, IMO, and as a bonus it was half the price of organic beef mince (I get it at Coles $9/kg - bargain!)

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I always follow Cooks Illustrated stir fry technique.

1. Marinate meat in coconut aminos, fish sauce

2. Sear meat in fat, don't cook through

3. Remove meat, set aside

4. Over high heat sauté veg--add more fat--in batches: longest cooking veg first, and so on (so onions first, tender greens last with broc and cabbage in the middle, etc.)

5. After all veg cook make a clear spot in middle for ginger, garlic, cilantro, other herbs--mint, basil, etc., heat till fragrant

6. Add liquid if adding (like coconut milk, chili paste)

7. Add meat, cook through.

Sounds like a pain but if you have your mise en place set up it's fast and you don't end up with overcooked anything. Always comes out yummy.

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However my alltime favourite meat for chili is cubed beef. I like the chunks. I buy the cheapest stewing beef, over here it's usually shoulder steak, because it's tasty, cheap and the long slow cooking makes it really tender.

The ubiquitous Clothes Make The Girl chocolate chili is very good. My two year old gobbles it up. You can add veg in too. I freeze and defrost that one a lot.

The idea of mince AND chunks of meat was too good to resist. I have a half-batch of choc chill cooling in my kitchen as I type. My taste-test was awesome! But the real proof will be tomorrow when I nom it for lunch :-D

the kangaroo was actually better than the beef, IMO, and as a bonus it was half the price of organic beef mince (I get it at Coles $9/kg - bargain!)

Thanks for that idea - I will keep my eye out for Kangaroo at my local Coles.

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The chocolate chilli is definitely a goer both for taste (YUM!) and speedy (re)prep.

I had it for lunch a couple of days ago and today topped with diced tomato, cucumber & avocado. I can imagine having those in the fridge most of the time, which would make it quick once the chilli is defrosted & heated.

Now I need to do the defrosting test :-)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I like slow cooked pulled pork and baked spaghetti squash, both textures are just as good from frozen and they're big enough batches to get quite a few meals in the freezer (not much good for a small freezer though). I'll freeze just about anything once (road test). For quick (not entirely frozen) meals I like something close to the Shanghai frozen veggies in a bag, pre-sliced beef or chicken, curry paste and Ayam coconut milk or cream (only fresh part is the meat, everything else is frozen or cupboard).

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For quick (not entirely frozen) meals I like something close to the Shanghai frozen veggies in a bag, pre-sliced beef or chicken, curry paste and Ayam coconut milk or cream (only fresh part is the meat, everything else is frozen or cupboard).

This sounds good. I'll have to give it a go sometime.

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