October Freezer Meals-Choosing the Recipes

This is my third month of freezer meals with a good friend. Our babies are 7 months apart and we both appreciate a healthy, ready-to-eat meal. After working (in or out of the home) all day, it's so wonderful to dig into a hot meal from the slow cooker or a casserole steaming from the oven. We met once a month with the ingredients for us each to make 6 recipes. Then, we go home with half of each recipe for a total of a dozen freezer meals!

Last month I had a lot of dump and go meals. These were mostly slow cooker meals, but I did have a casserole and a batch of white chili. This time I was drooling over some other more labor intensive recipes, so I decided to invest some additional prep time.

First, I went through my Pinterest board for freezer meals and analyzed my recipes for similarities. For instance, if I need shredded chicken for one recipe, I might as well shred a bunch of chicken and use it for multiple recipes. I chose to use shredded chicken in my recipes because my friend made this AWESOME hot chicken salad a couple of months ago. Little K and I especially savored it. It called for shredded chicken, so....I collected shredded chicken recipes.

Hot Chicken Salad from Add a Pinch

The second recipe I chose was Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. One of my co-workers was raving about the dish...so I had to put it on the list.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole from Tasty Kitchen

Keeping with the cooked shredded chicken, I decided on Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole. The recipe starts with shredded chicken and cooked rice, so.....

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole from Jo Cooks

...I thought I would do Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole from Mom on Time Out

Now that I'm cooking broccoli, I decided to try this super simple recipe for Jumbo Pasta Shells.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with Alfredo Sauce by Eat at Home Cooks

Well, I ran out of shredded chicken recipes. About that time, I came across this delicious comfort food recipe for Oven-Baked Frito Pie. So, it finished my half dozen recipes.

Oven-Baked Frito Pie from My Family Meal Plan

I will post my shopping list and make-ahead prep after our cooking day! Until then, I'm drooling over the pictures.