Homemade frozen burritos FTW

[Bostongirl]

My non-Mustachian coworkers spend an average of $10/day for lunch on over priced sandwiches at local places near my downtown Boston law firm.  (They typically supplement this with daily 3 pm Starbucks runs for overpriced lattes).  I recently made and froze 38 burritos. using flour tortillas (filled with homemade refried pinto beans (made from dried beans, bought in bulk), rice (bought in bulk, seasoned with cumin, chili powder and dried oregano), caramelized onions, and roasted bell peppers) for a total cost of 60 cents/burrito.  They taste great reheated in the toaster oven at work, and are now allowing my fiancee and I to eat a healthy lunch for 60 cents/day, $6/week for both of us.  If we're feeling extra fancy, we add a slice or two of avocado on top.

Assuming that we were also indulging on a $10/day lunch habit, that means that we're now saving $94/week, $376/month, which is going straight into our 7% student loans.

BOOM.

[mxer54]

Very awesome.  I also have coworkers that buy food everyday, plus coffee, plus energy drinks.  I bring my lunch in every single day, drink water all day.  I cringe when I see them spend their possible savings all day long.

EDIT: The other week I had gotten an awful nights rest.  I wasn't functional at all, so after fighting the urge I finally broke down.  I walked to the store and bought a $1.38 coffee...and it KILLED me watching the money go.  Living in a mindset that is against senseless spending makes it so hard to do something stupid like waste $1.38 on basically water....but I needed it.

The good thing is that I know people that can barely afford to do things like that....or aren't sure if they have enough money to get something....I have no worries and it really isnt going to affect me at all. Feels great.

[crumbcatcher]

I love the frozen burritos idea!

I am curious how you packaged them up to freeze -- freezer paper, freezer bags, plastic containers, etc.?

[MissStache]

I love the frozen burritos idea!

I am curious how you packaged them up to freeze -- freezer paper, freezer bags, plastic containers, etc.?

Yes!  And how/how long do you re-heat them?

[soccerluvof4]

I have 4 kids that LOVE Mexican food!! 38 Burritos would go along ways! So yes please share more so I can make and freeze! Sick of buying Totinos which are just crap anyhow!

[windawake]

I love homemade frozen burritos. A friend turned me onto them and they're great. Once I had a frozen burrito party with a friend, we each brought different ingredients, cooked it all up, and were able to make a few varieties of frozen burritos, roughly 12 apiece. I freeze them all on a cookie sheet to keep their shape and then stick them in a plastic freezer bag. Such a great lunch option. You've inspired me to do this again this weekend!

[Bostongirl]

Packaging - I use the "snack size" zip lock bags, which are the perfect size for one burrito  if you use the 8 inch flour tortillas.  We buy the bags on sale and then reuse them for the next batch.

Reheating - like I said, it's better in the toaster oven because it gets nice and crispy, but sometimes in a rush I use the microwave at my office, and it still tastes great.  I generally put them in the fridge when I get to work, so by lunch time they are pretty much defrosted, and then I just microwave for 1-2 minutes.

We eat mostly vegetarian, so I have never made them with meat, but I'm sure diced cooked chicken would be a good add-on (but would add to the cost - beans are so cheap!)

[crumbcatcher]

Packaging - I use the "snack size" zip lock bags, which are the perfect size for one burrito  if you use the 8 inch flour tortillas.  We buy the bags on sale and then reuse them for the next batch.

Reheating - like I said, it's better in the toaster oven because it gets nice and crispy, but sometimes in a rush I use the microwave at my office, and it still tastes great.  I generally put them in the fridge when I get to work, so by lunch time they are pretty much defrosted, and then I just microwave for 1-2 minutes.

We eat mostly vegetarian, so I have never made them with meat, but I'm sure diced cooked chicken would be a good add-on (but would add to the cost - beans are so cheap!)

Thanks for the additional info!  We're vegetarian in my house too. I sometimes splurge for the fake chicken for our burritos, so it is great to have ideas for stretching it that doesn't involve eating burritos three meals in a row. I'm totally going to try freezing some now.  :-)

[Beaker]

I do this every time we make burritos/tacos at home. Typically mine are refried beans, taco meat (seasoned hamburger, basically) and then I throw in a slice of cheese which melts during the reheating process. I aim to put in things that don't have a lot of texture to them, because then it can't be ruined in the reheating process. :)

I've been using tinfoil to individually wrap them, which works reasonably well. If you want to get really frugal, save the tinfoil and use it again. I haven't tried snack bags, but I'll give it a shot.

[Worsted Skeins]

On a related note, Budget Bytes has a black bean quesadilla recipe for a luncheon food that freezes very well.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/

[spoonman]

@Bostongirl: That's a fantastic idea.  Do you have a chest freezer?  Or do you just use your regular freezer?

I'll definitely be trying these ideas one of these days, but I wonder how viable it all is without a large freezing solution.

[MicroRN]

I do breakfast burritos for my husband to keep him from stopping at McD's.  Eggs, sausage or bacon pieces, vegetables, cheese, and salsa.  I may have to give the lunch ones a try too, although we've been trying to do salads.

[Bostongirl]

@Spoonman, we just have a regular freezer.  They don't really take up much room.  Another option would be to keep some in your freezer at work, if your office has a freezer.

[mm1970]

This is one of my favorite things to make for the freezer.  About 1-2x a month, I make refried beans in the crockpot (100 days of real food recipe).  A little shredded cheese and salsa.  One batch of beans makes 11-12 burritos.  Whenever we run out of weekend leftovers, it's our lunch.  Huge savings.

Today I made a batch of the beans and a batch of Spanish rice for a friend who is having a baby "freezer meal" (though I will cop to buying an already roasted chicken too).  Still, that meal will feed her family of 5 for pretty cheap.

I was talking to coworkers about that this week though.  On one hand, I try to be frugal in as many ways as possible.  On the other hand?  My daycare bill is atrocious.

[m8547]

I made a batch of these breakfast burritos:
http://www.food.com/recipe/breakfast-burritos-once-a-month-cooking-30165

It cost me about a dollar per burrito, maybe a bit less.  A lot better than buying them for $2.50 from the food truck at work. The only optional ingredient I used was potatoes (hash brown style) to make them cheaper. If I tried I'm sure I could get the price down even more.

I froze them on a wire rack then piled them into ziplock bags and large tupperware. Each day I take one from the freezer and bring it to work (usually in a tupperware), along with my lunch. I microwave them for 1 minute if thawed, or 1:30 if frozen.

My next project is tamales. I can't find them for less than about $1.25 in stores or even from the random people that sit outside the store and sell them from coolers. A tamale has a couple tablespoons of filling and a bunch of corn masa, so it shouldn't cost that much. I'm sure I can make them cheaper, and it's more fun to make my own!