4 Healthy, Freezable Recipes That Aren't Gross

They're hard to come by!  But in my recent travels of bake / cook / bake / cook / freeze / repeat I have found some keepers I thought I'd share. Please share back, if you have the chance! I'm always looking for more.

I've had a few people ask me why John and I have devoted so much time, money & effort into freezing food when it would really be cheaper and simpler to just pick up a frosagna from the grocery store & pop it in the oven at the required time. I tell them it's because I have the time: I'm not working on very much right now, John's got johnbutlerphoto under control, and I'z bored.

(Don't believe me? Follow my Pinterest. I recently figured it out and it's the epitome of my brain: scattered pictures of pretty stuff I can click on. Time-sucker.)

And because I like to know what's in my food and have the opportunity to pop in a few healthy extras before I'm exhausted and braintired and my hair hasn't been touched in a week and a half. (That's me with a very healthy and realistic understanding of what the first few weeks of parenthood are going to be like. Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong.)

Here are 4 recipes to get started with - I'll add more as I find more!

Homemade Applesauce

Source

9 apples
1.5 cups of water
6 tbsp finely ground flaxseed
3 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup walnuts
Berries or other garnish

This recipe is adapted from the Marilyn Denis Show website. 

1. Chop the apples into small cubes, discarding the centre. Keep the peels on if you want it to have a little more bite (I like it that way)!
2. Boil the apples in the water for 15 - 20 minutes or until they're super mushy and most of the water has evaporated. Don't drain the water!
3. Mash the apples with a potato masher and add remaining ingredients.
4. Keep on hand as a super yummy & healthy snack, breakfast, or dessert. Top with whatever you want! John likes to sprinkle on coconut, I'd love to throw on some cool whip as an after-dinner treat, adding more nuts or berries adds a nice kick
5. Freeze or keep on hand in the fridge

Homemade Broccolli Soup (This makes a very large batch)

Source - Note: this link does NOT match the recipe

3 tbsp butter
2 chopped onions
2 stalks celery (If you don't mind celery, use more - it seems like such a waste to buy a huge batch then only use 2 stalks)
8 cups vegetable broth
4 potatoes (small, or less potatoes if they're med/large)
16 cups brocolli (use the stem and the florets) - this is about 3 brocolli bunches, give/take
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
2 tbsp ground flaxseed (not the whole seed!) - optional

1. Saute onion and celery with the butter until soft
2. Add broth, potatoes, and brocolli, simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes (or until very tender and mushy)
3. In a second saucepan, combine butter, flour, milk and flaxseed (flaxseed optional) until thick and bubbly
4. Hand mash (with a potato masher) the potato/brocolli/broth mix until the brocolli and potatoes are to your desired texture. You can also blend them in a hand blender or use an emulsion blender, but they can become overly-blended too quickly, so I'd avoid it if possible.
5. Add your cream mixture to the broth mixture
6. Serve with cheese immediately, or freeze
7. To defrost, simply leave it out for a few hours and simmer it on the oven at a low temp until it reaches desired temperature

Homemade Pea & Navy Bean Soup

Adapted from this Chatelaine recipe

Source

2 tsp chopped garlic / about 2 cloves (give or take, if you like garlic definitely add more)
2 onions, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cans drained / rinsed navy beans (amazing for protein / energy)
1 bag frozen green peas (or about 8 cups if you're using fresh from the garden, oh Martha Stewart)
2 cartons vegetable chicken broth (about 8 cups)

1. Saute garlic, onions and olive oil until soft
2. Add beans, peas and broth
3. Simmer for about 20 minutes
4. Blend
5. Serve or freeze

 Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna

Source - Note: This photo does not lead to the recipe

Adapted from a bunch of recipes & perfected by my Dad.

Note: The veggies included are very flexible. If you see something you don't want, use something else - whatever you have on hand / on sales at your grocery store.

1 package fresh lasagna noodles
1 package portabello mushrooms, tops peeled off and chopped to desired size
2 bell peppers (whatever colour you want - red & orange taste the best, but green is cheaper), sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini
1 carrot
4 tsp garlic / about 4 cloves
Handful of spinach, ends peeled off (or about 1 cup frozen spinach)
2 tbsp vegetable oil or EVOO
2 jars of pasta sauce, your choice
1 container ricotta cheese
5 cups mozarella
2 eggs
1.5 cups parmesan
Salt, pepper and basil to taste

1. Boil noodles as the package instructs. If they claim to be no boil, don't believe them - boil for 10 mins or to al dente anyway. They're out to ruin your lasagna. Rinse with cold water, drain, set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. In pan, fry up oil & veggies until soft (about 10 minutes)
4. When soft, add pasta sauce to veggies (simmer about 10 minutes)
5. In separate bowl, combine ricotta, 2 cups of mozarella, and eggs. Set aside.
6. Grease your lasagna dish with butter / margarine
7. Line dish with about 1/2 cup pasta sauce (give or take, make sure it's covered)
8. Layer half of your lasagna noodles, pasta sauce, ricotta mix, veggies and parmesan. Repeat layering.
9. Top with remaining cheese. Mmm.
10. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Once the lasagna is baked and cooled, cut it up into good sized pieces and freeze the pieces individually or 2 per tupperware container. To defrost, let them thaw for about 15 minutes, scoop onto baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. It defrosts really well!

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Well, there you have it - 4 healthy, freezable meals which aren't gross. To me they aren't gross. They are all tested and thaw well, and the best part with each of them is they're flexible - if you get playing around with ingredients, you won't mess it up. Have fun!