Freezer Meals- Just thaw cook and serve!

I hate cooking.

That's not quite right.  I hate the mess prep makes when I cook.  All the cutting boards and utensils you use to get your food to the point of cooking it.  Ugh!  I hate those heat and serve meals they sell at Costco but they seem to find their way into my freezer.  They don't create the same amount of mess as cooking from scratch.  The other common fix is to run for take out or fast food.  YUCK!

Here is how I combat the urge for an easy meal.   I figured that if I am making the mess when cooking from scratch I might as well double the recipe and freeze half for another night.  Makes great sense to me.  It creates less mess for 2 meals!

Now, I don't just throw it all in a container in the freezer to get frost bitten.  I use my Food Saver to seal it all nice and tight before tossing in the freezer.  This way if it gets forgotten for a month or more (read year) it is still edible!  When cooked of course.

I want to try my hand at a few of our other favorite meals.  If I did this every time I cooked I could have a freezer stocked with meals.  Think of all the money and time saved!

Some of my favorite Freezer Meals are chicken fajitas and calzones.  Here is the recipe for the fajitas...

Chicken Fajitas

1 tsp. minced garlic (fresh or dried)
1 tsp. minced onions (fresh or dried)
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cilantro (finely minced if fresh)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice (substitute lemon juice if you prefer)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken (breast or thighs), cut into strips
1-2 sweet bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8 or so tortillas

Mix the juices, oil and spices.  Add chicken.  (if you are making this to eat now, marinade the chicken in the mixture for one hour in the refrigerator.)  Place chicken and mixture in a freezer bag and seal.  Also place the peppers and onion in a freezer bag.  Freeze for later use.

To cook, place chicken and mixture in a skillet and brown.  Add the peppers and onion till tender.

Spoon chicken and veggies onto a tortilla.  Serve.  Eat.