FREEZER MEALS FOR THE BEACH!

Amidst the chaos that is getting 5 people ready for the beach (not to mention squaring away five chickens, a garden and a dog- my mental capacity is wearing thin!) I really wanted to hop on here and share with you how I made freezer meals for our vacation. My father in law has a big beautiful house rented and ready to go for our families but the less time any of us have to spend in the kitchen, the more time we get together as a family!

My little meal prep helper:

 With ten people to feed (10.5 if you include Sally haha) I figured I’d need double recipes of each meal. These four recipes seemed diverse to me, so we won’t feel like we’re eating the same meal every night, and covered the basis nicely in terms of possible leftovers that lend themselves well to lunch on the beach. Not sure if there will be any but we’ll see!

FOUR (double batch) FREEZER MEALS TO TAKE TO THE BEACH:

1. Carbonara Stuffed Shells

Recipe:

2 boxes large shells, cooked and drained

1 large can crushed tomatoes

Alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought works!)

Shredded mozzarella cheese*

 

Filling:

1 large 2lb container of ricotta*

Two frozen blocks of spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

Two packs of bacon, cooked and crumbled*

5-8 cloves crushed garlic

3 eggs

Salt and pepper

1 cup Parmesan cheese

The piping bag makes this process so much faster!

1. Split crushed tomatoes and juice between two 9×13″ disposable foul trays and spread the tomatoes out as your base layer.

2. Mix filling ingredients until nicely incorporated. Spoon into a large piping bag and cut two inches off the tip.

3. Squeeze filling into shells and arrange in foil trays.

4. Drizzle stuffed shells with Alfredo sauce.

5. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese then Parmesan cheeses.

6. Cover with plastic wrap them foil and freeze.

Bake covered from frozen at 375 for 1hr 30min OR thaw and bake at 350 for 30-40 min (don’t forget to remove plastic!) You can put the broiler on the last few minutes, remove the foil and bake until the cheese is bubbly and brown if you wish! Serve with crusty Italian bread and a Caesar salad. Yum.

2. Marinated Pork Tenderloins 

To each of two ziplock freezer bags add:

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Drizzle of honey

2 Tbsp grated ginger

5 cloves of crushed garlic

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

 

Add two pork tenderloins* to each bag. Carefully squeeze out all the air and zip

Shut. Thaw these in the fridge the night before you want to cook them then throw them on the grill! Serve with baked potato and corn on the cob.

 

3. Turkey Burgers

These burgers are a bit labor intensive with all the chopping but SO worth the extra time chopping and prepping.

4 packages ground turkey* about 4lbs total

 

Bell pepper mix, chopped* (I used half of a red, yellow and orange pepper)

Two seeded jalapeños, chopped

1/2 large red onion, chopped

4 large shallots, chopped

5 cloves of crushed garlic

Big palmfuls of chopped fresh cilantro and thyme chopped

Heaping spoonful of cumin

Salt and pepper

Drizzle of olive oil

Mix all ingredients except turkey in a large mixing bowl. Once well incorporated, add ground turkey and mix again until just incorporated. Form burger patties however you like (mine were about the size of my palm) and arrange in layers in your foil pans. Cook on the grill!

Serve with crusty kaiser rolls, bacon, and avocado and a side of caprese salad and watermelon.

 

4. Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

 

3 slices bell peppers per tray*

1-2 large sliced onions per tray*

6 sliced raw chicken breasts per tray*

olive oil

spices

(The following ingredients are basically homemade fajita/taco seasoning so you could use the ready made packets if it’s easier for you!)

Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, onion powder, ground cumin and chili powder- just sprinkle liberally over each tray. Drizzle with olive oil and mix up with your hands to give the chicken and veggies an even coat.

Bake from frozen at 375 for 1 hour OR front thawed at 350 for 45 mins. Serve with warm tortillas, cheese, salsa, guacamole, black beans and rice.

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Items marked with a “*” are good Costco/Sam’s Club buys.

**Baking times are approximate and depend largely on your oven and whether or not your meal is fully thawed. Use common sense- these are my guidelines. I’ll be checking the meals periodically. You want food that is hot and bubble throughout!**

My girls are three and five and LOVE all four of these meals. Hoping everyone else does too!

Ok, so now I feel better sharing these with you before we leave. Maybe you’re going on your own trip and want to bring some freezer meals along! Have a happy weekend, folks. And pray for us- getting back in the car with the crazy baby herself is not my favorite thing ever.  If these three top teeth don’t break through soon I’m going to go crazy! (Says the mama writing this post at 3:56a.m. because said baby is keeping her up all night for the last week) Sally HAS to eventually stop crying in the car, right? Right?! Sigh, it’ll be worth it in the end!

Happy weekend, again. 😉

Xo

J