Freezer Food Update and Tips!

Ok, all. The fish sticks have been trialled from their frozen form and they came out beautifully!!! I took out a single serving batch from the freezer and put it in the fridge in the AM. I cooked them at dinner time-- out of the packaging and on a cookie sheet-- for about 10 minutes on 375 degrees F. Came out beautifully! Warm and soft, not chewy AT ALL. Hooray for Fish, to quote B!

The pancakes have also done beautifully being frozen. I simply take one prewrapped pancake out of the freezer in the PM and place it in the fridge. In the AM, I nuke them for a few seconds in the microwave (you could also simply heat them in a toaster oven or the regular oven) and voila! Yummy, soft, not chewy at all!

Here is the list so far. In addition to fruits and veggies (chopped or pureed), Happy Heart Pancakes, Merry Muffins, and Fancy Fish Sticks all do beautifully being frozen in single servings, all precooked before freezing. The arrowroot cookies also do beautifully frozen-- with these I freeze them BEFORE baking, but after they are rolled out and cut into shapes. When you are ready for cookies, all you have to do is take out the amount you want for the week (they start to turn after a week), bake at the original baking instructions for the recipes, and there you have it! A week's supply of cookies!

And for the tips. . . Trying to make your family's crazy FPIES life slightly less crazy? Try these freezer foods in this manner. Every Sunday (or day you have relatively free), make two batches of fish sticks (one batch makes 3 servings), two batches of Happy Heart Pancakes (this will give you a little extra, depending on how many your child eats), and one full sized batch of Merry Muffins. One Sunday a MONTH, make one to two batches of arrowroot cookies and store the cut out uncooked cookies in a freezer container, with the cookies layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper. And of course, you don't have to make fish sticks-- you could use the recipe for chicken, lamb, pork, beef (just adjust the cooking time in accordance to the type of meat you are using) and they should freeze just as nicely. The meatloaf listed under Family Friendly Recipes also freezes well--- I precooked it, sliced it, and prepackaged the slices individually, freezing all of the packages in a large freezer bag.

Even if you can't do all of your child's safe foods as freezer foods, it is advisable to do as many as you can. I know it is hard for me to be baking from scratch all of the time. Having quick and easy go to meals (or parts of meals, in the very least!) can significantly cut down on the time that I am chained to the stove and it gives me more time for my beautiful, wild child B. Plus, freezer foods are very Daddy friendly (or friendly for whichever parent isn't the FPIES chef in your household!!!)--- just leave a copy of the instructions handy and maybe, just maybe, mama will get to sleep in this Saturday. A girl can dream, right?

I will post more freezer food outcomes as I get them! Happy baking and happy week to all!