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Daycare Menus, Breakfast, Lunch and Snack Ideas>Meals in Bulk (Frozen, but Home-Made)
Abigail 06:28 PM 03-19-2012
Does anyone cook meals in bulk for daycare and then freeze them? I'm looking for ideas! I do Home-Made (HM) baked macaroni and cheese which counts the cheese as the meat/protein and the noodles as the grain. I also cooked spaghetti macaroni which the beef counts as the protein, spaghetti sauce as a vegetable and the macaroni noodles as the grain. I use macaroni noodles because all my kids are 25-30 months old.

Please share ideas with me on what I can make in bulk and freeze! I've also made banana bread and also some pasta with lentils and carrots but the kids don't like it. I'm still looking for a dish with lentils in it.
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mema 06:58 PM 03-19-2012
I do beef stew, sloppy joes, vegetable beef soup, waffles, muffins. I've tried to do things with noodles, but they seem mushy and no one eats it. I will cook and shred up a bunch of chicken and freeze it. I use it for chicken wraps, enchiladas, chicken hotdish, etc. I buy the whole chickens from Sam's Club and put them in the crock pot for the day. I also buy my hamburger at Sam's and ground up the 5-6lbs at a time and separate them out in 1lb groups. I'd love to do more freezing, so I'm excited to see what everyone else does!
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GretasLittleFriends 08:00 AM 03-20-2012
Not sure if you are on pinterest, but there are lots of freezer meal ideas, most of which then go into the crock pot.

Here are some links to other peoples' blogs (that I found via pinterest)

http://melissafallistestkitchen.blog...ker-meals.html
http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2...r-cooking.html
http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/...ake-ahead.html
http://redrecipebox.blogspot.com/201...zer-meals.html
http://erinkristine.blogspot.com/201...zer-meals.html
http://onceamonthmom.com/diet-march-2012-menu/

Good luck!! I hope you find these useful.
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lil angels 10:24 AM 03-20-2012
I love this thread I do as much as I can on the weekends to so I don't have much to do during the week. My newest favorite is meatloaf. I mix it up raw and don't cook it put it in the freezer and then when I want it throw it in the oven and it is still only cooked once.
Some of my other favorites are
-Making cookie dough pucks and freezing them then having fresh cookie 1 or 10 at a time.
-Making 10 lbs of hamberger at a time the freeze in 1lb bags. Then it is ready for any meal. Spagetti, tator tot hot dish, sloppy joes,ect.
- go to the groc store and purchase celery, onions, carrots, peppers, ect cut up everything so again I always have veggies ready for meals all done and ready.
-other things that cook and freeze well chili, raw apple pies, apple crisp, banana bread, muffins.

Here is a few ideas for you lets hear some more.
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SunshineMama 10:44 AM 03-20-2012
Originally Posted by lil angels:
I love this thread I do as much as I can on the weekends to so I don't have much to do during the week. My newest favorite is meatloaf. I mix it up raw and don't cook it put it in the freezer and then when I want it throw it in the oven and it is still only cooked once.
Some of my other favorites are
-Making cookie dough pucks and freezing them then having fresh cookie 1 or 10 at a time.
-Making 10 lbs of hamberger at a time the freeze in 1lb bags. Then it is ready for any meal. Spagetti, tator tot hot dish, sloppy joes,ect.
- go to the groc store and purchase celery, onions, carrots, peppers, ect cut up everything so again I always have veggies ready for meals all done and ready.
-other things that cook and freeze well chili, raw apple pies, apple crisp, banana bread, muffins.

Here is a few ideas for you lets hear some more.
I always double everything that I make so I can freeeze one thing. Also, when the grocery store is having a sale on fruit/veggies, I dice the ones up that will freeze and save them for snacks or cooking.

Frozen grapes are a new favorite treat that fills an ice cream craving!
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Abigail 06:55 PM 06-01-2012
Originally Posted by SunshineMama:
I always double everything that I make so I can freeeze one thing. Also, when the grocery store is having a sale on fruit/veggies, I dice the ones up that will freeze and save them for snacks or cooking.

Frozen grapes are a new favorite treat that fills an ice cream craving!
What fresh fruits/veges do you freeze? When you freeze grapes have you ever cut them in half first? I have some young ones and would not feel comfortable giving them frozen whole grapes but I do allow them to eat whole grapes now as I continually say eat one at a time.

I love making things in bulk and freezing them. Now I freeze things in 2 cup portions for 3 toddlers to share. I think the food program recommended 1/4 cup servings of noodles/grains which simply isn't enough so I am making sure I have more on hand. They always eat it all.
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Tags:bulk - snack, home made
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