Putting It All Together

One of the biggest reasons why I like freezer meals is because I really dislike prep work. Making freezer meals allows me to do it all at one time. When I was working full time I would often make my husband take the kids away on a Sunday afternoon, I would rent a movie and prep away.

I really like putting together "meal kits". Each kit consists of 1 large freezer bag with all ingredients stored in smaller sandwich size bags. I like making meal kits for a few reasons:

- I am notorious for forgetting one key ingredient - with a "meal kit" I have all the basics.

- It allows me to take advantage of really great sales on things like cheese, chicken tortillas, etc.

- If I am not going to be able to be home for supper it is a super easy thing for someone else to put together.

Here are the two I do most often.

Fajitas

- 6 flour tortillas

- 3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced and marinating in fajita seasoning

- sliced green pepper (1) and sliced onion (1/2 med)

- 1 cup cheddar cheese

- 1 cup salsa

Pizza

- 1 ball pizza dough (see the recipe I use below)

- 20 slices of small pepperoni

- 1/2 green pepper

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup pasta sauce

Garlic Pizza Crust (can't remember where I got this recipe)

This recipe makes enough dough for 2 cookie sheet size pizzas.

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 cups tepid water (90*)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. salt

6 cups flour

3 tsp. minced garlic

Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar. Wait a few minutes the add oil, salt and garlic. Mix in 3 cups of flour and mix about 10 minutes until it leaves the sides of the bowl. Add remaining flour with dough hook or by hand. Knead until smooth. Divide in half and put in freezer bags.

The day you will make pizza, take the kit out of the freezer in the morning. Remove dough from bag and place in an oiled bowl and cover with cloth. Allow the dough to thaw and rise (ideally max 6 hours but I have let it go longer and it was fine). Punch down. Oil baking sheet and use hands to press to edges. Top it and bake at 425* for 20 minutes.

Lately, we have been using this dough to make grilled pizza and it is awesome!! To do this we turn the BBQ up on high and put the stretched dough on the grill (we have recently bought the PC grill pizza pan but have also used foil). Then we close the grill and leave it for 2 minutes, in this time the dough will cook and puff up. We remove the crust from the grill, turn the heat down to low, add toppings and return it to the grill. We check it every minute or so (if the crust gets too dark - move it to the top rack), once the cheese is bubbly, it is done!!! Delish!