Frozen Pizza and Month Of Meals

So, I have been working on two things lately, trying to save money and trying to save time. I know the cheapest way to cook is from scratch and to plan meals in order to avoid going out to eat on a whim, but it is so time consuming. With me and my husband working full time and with church callings, it seems like there is always a meeting to be to or someone to pick up.... Who has the time? This is way I was very intrigued by the women who do that month of meals in their freezer. I'm sure you have all heard of this idea, but, in case you haven't, I'll tell you how it works. At the beginning of the month you set aside one whole day to do nothing but cook. You make enough meals (that can be placed in your freezer) to last you the whole month. Of course you need a big freezer, which I don't have as of yet. So my plan is to try different recipes and make a few things to keep in my freezer on the days that I don't feel like cooking. As I find ones that I like, I will share them with you. If any of you have any that you have tried before, please email the recipes to fun4mommies@gmail.com

First up...Frozen Pizza

We like pizza at out house, but the order it is expensive and most of the good frozen kind are not too cheap either (Unless you get them on sale). So we decided to try and make our own. They turned out good.

You make your pizza dough recipe like you normally would. When you get to the part where you roll it out, you have a choice to make. You can either freeze it without toppings, just as a plain pizza crust, or you can place all your toppings on it before freezing. We tried it both ways. The first time I tried this I didn't have any good toppings at home, so I just froze the crust. The nexy time I planned ahead and got all my toppings ready. Both way turn out fine. But if you freeze it with the toppings, that is one less thing you need to do on the night you bake it.

Once your dough is ready, instead of placing it in your oven like you normally would, it goes in your freezer for later :) I placed mine on a cook sheet covered with wax paper. In a few hours, when it is completely frozen, take the pizza out and place it in a freezer bag. Try to get all the air out of the bag. You can now store your pizza in the freezer for up to a month. Any longer and you might get freezer burn.

When you are ready to cook it, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place your pizza on a cookie sheet or pizza stone. I would suggest spreading a small amount of corn meal under your pizza. The dough tends to get very sticky after it has been frozen. Bake for about 25 minute or until your cheese is bubbly and you dough is golden brown. Enjoy!

I'm sure almost any pizza dough recipe will work, but this is the recipe we use and it works great.

Herb Pizza Crust
makes 3 10-14 inch pizzas

2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups flour (I used part whole wheat and part all purpose to make it a bit healthier.)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
3 tablespoon oil (Olive oil is the healthiest to use. It's good for your heart.)

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let stand for about 5 minute. Combined dry ingredient in a large bowl. Kneed in yeast mixture and oil into the dry ingredients. (I used my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook attachment.) Once a dough as formed, shape in into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise till it doubles in size, about 45 minute. Punch dough down. Place dough on a floured surface and divide into three balls. Brush the balls with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30-45 minute. Shape dough into your pizza crust by working from the center of the ball outwards. 1/4 inch for crispy crust. 1/2 inch for soft crust. Now you freeze it, with or without toppings.

NOTE: You can omit the herbs in the recipe and it would still turn out great.