Frozen Lunches - Part 2

Week 2 of making and taking frozen lunches is going well.


Week 1 I got up nice and early on Saturday and started cooking.  I had it bagged and ready to go in less than 2 hours (all the while doing other mom things).  I decided on chicken penne pasta that week.  It turned out well.  My portions were perfect for a lunch portion.  And I remembered to take extra cheese and sauce (cause the sauce always dries up a bit in the microwave) and it was yummy.  One thing to improve upon ... I made enough pasta to feed 4 people dinner, but only enough chicken for 1.  So I should increase the chicken and decrease the pasta to get a more even mixture in my meals.  More protein, less carbs.  I also need to remove it from the water a bit sooner.  I made it al dente, but not al dente enough ... it was still a little extra mushy.  I give myself a B+.


I had leftover lasagna I also froze.  That's been a leftover staple of mine for years and years, so that went off without a hitch.  A+ of course.


Week two I opted to make homemade frozen pizza.  I love homemade pizza, but I struggle to make it frequently because I can't find a dough recipe that I love and the dough takes so long, it's too much of a process for me with the babies around.  But Sprouts had pre-made frozen raw dough (not like Boboli or Pillsbury ... this stuff is good).  And it was only $1.99.  It made 3 frozen pizzas.  I place the raw pizzas on a cookie sheet and covered with plastic and froze.  I then removed the frozen raw pizzas and freezer saved them.  Brought it to work and put back in the freezer.  The plan was to cook in the toaster oven from frozen.  There is no tray in our toaster oven, just the rack, so I used a piece of foil for stability.  I cooked at 450* until it looked done.  The top cooked nicely.  Cheese was melted and the crust a golden brown.  The edges of the underneath crust looked good too.  I moved it to a cutting board and cut it open and the middle was still totally raw.  Like not even partially cooked.  To fix this, I think I need to partially pre-cook the dough and then top it and freeze.  In the meantime, I have 2 more left that I'll have to eat.  I'm thinking I'll cook at a lower temperature for longer, and maybe just right on the rack.  I fear the dough will fall through though.  I give myself a solid C.  Good effort, good plan, but it just didn't work right.  We'll see if I can raise this to a B next time.


This weekend time is going to be short so I want to do something quick that I know pretty well.  I'm thinking maybe enchiladas or chili.