Stock up your freezer by following this Free Freezer Meal Plan! It has 5 delicious and easy freezer meal recipes to get you started.
Benefits Of Freezer Meals
There's nothing quite like coming home and being able to pull a healthy, ready-made meal our of the freezer and having it ready to enjoy within minutes. Whether you're just getting started with freezer meal prep or you're looking for new recipes to try, there are tons of benefits for making freezer meals!
- Saves time: Whether you're busy at work, have lots of activities on the go are or a new mom, freezer meals take the stress out of busy weeknights (and weekends). All you have to do is pull a meal out of the freezer, reheat it and dig in!
- Saves money: It's way easier to forego the temptation of takeout when you know there's a delicious home-cooked meal waiting in the freezer for you. It's faster and cheaper than takeout!
- Reduces food waste: Instead of throwing out leftovers you won't be able to eat, you can freeze them to enjoy later down the line. You can also stock up on protein like ground beef or chicken thighs when they're on sale or make a big batch of grains and freeze them to use at a later time.
- Promotes healthy eating: Freezer meals are a great way to stay on track with eating healthy. By freezing your healthy meals in advance, you're setting yourself up for success later on – instead of reaching for an unhealthy frozen pizza, you can reach for a healthy mini chicken pot pie or turkey meatballs.
Tips For Successful Freezer Meal Planning
Here are some of my top tips for freezer meal planning:
- Choose the right recipes: First things first – make sure you're choosing recipes that will actually freeze and reheat well. You can freeze most dishes, but some things (like cream or sour cream-based sauces, bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and cauliflower rice) don't freeze well. If you're looking for inspiration, check out my freezer-friendly meals category.
- Use the right storage tools: This is key to ensuring your meals stay as fresh as possible. Use glass meal prep containers or freezer bags to prevent freezer burn and ensure your meals don't go bad before you're ready to eat them. If you're freezing tortillas or wraps like breakfast burritos, wrap them in plastic wrap or tinfoil before storing them in bags or containers.
- Freeze things flat where possible: This is one of my top tips for organizing your freezer! Where possible, freeze items flat in gallon bags, so you can stack them upright in your freezer. This works especially well for chili, stew, soup, spaghetti sauce, etc.
- Label and date everything: Make sure you label your container or bag with what the recipe is and when it was made to ensure you're not eating something past it's prime. I'd also recommend storing things in your freezer with the newest items towards the back and the older items that need to be eaten sooner towards the front.
- Pay attention to portion sizes: If you're meal prepping for one or two people, you probably don't want to freeze an entire pasta dish that serves six! Freeze smaller or individual portion sizes for easy reheating and to reduce food waste. Learn more about mastering portion sizes in my blog post.
Free Freezer Meal Plan
If you're stocking your freezer from scratch, this is an excellent meal plan that will provide you a variety of meals including a breakfast option!
Meal Prep Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Easy Baked Turkey Meatballs
Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe {Stove, Instant Pot or Crockpot}
Super Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Prep Ahead Plan
You can make your freezer prep session go by faster by prepping ingredients beforehand. Whenever I'm planning on stocking my freezer with a bunch of different dishes, I do all my preliminary prep the day before so cooking is easier. Learn more about ingredient prep here.
Grains
- Add 1 cup white rice and 1 1/2 cup water to a rice cooker or pot on the stove, cooking until liquid has absorbed for the Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken.
Proteins
- Make the mixture for the Baked Turkey Meatballs by mixing 1 lb ground turkey, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (grated), 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped), 1 yellow onion (grated), 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large bowl until well-combined.
- Cook 1 lb chicken breasts for the Mini Chicken Pot Pies in boiling water for 20 minutes until fully cooked and shred once cooled.
Produce
- Dice 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 red onion for the Breakfast Burritos, storing together in a container.
- Dice 1 yellow onion, mince 2 cloves garlic and chop 2s stalk celery and 2 carrots for the Mini Chicken Pot Pies, storing together in a container.
- Dice 1 yellow onion and mince 2 cloves garlic for the Lasagna Soup, storing together in a container.
Dairy
- Grate 1 cup cheddar cheese for the Breakfast Burritos.
- Grate 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese for the Lasagna Soup.
Sauces
- Mix the sauce for the Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken by combining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup hoisin sauce, 1/2 cup water and 4 cloves garlic (minced) in a small container.
How To Properly Store And Reheat Freezer Meals
Follow these steps to ensure you're properly storing and reheating your freezer meals:
- Let the food cool completely first: Before storing your meal, make sure it's cooled completely. Otherwise, the hot food may create condensation in the container, which can lead to freezer burn.
- Store in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags: Once the food has cooled, transfer it to airtight glass containers or Ziploc bags. Make sure the container you're using is freezer safe and airtight to prevent freezer burn.
- Freeze for up to three months: Most foods can be safely frozen for up to three months. You can freeze certain items like rice for up to six months, but three months should be a general rule of thumb.
- Defrost in the fridge overnight: When you're ready to enjoy your meal, transfer it to the fridge the night before and let it defrost fully in the fridge. You can skip this step if you're reheating soup or chili, which can normally be reheated right from frozen.
- Reheat using your method of choice: Once the food has defrosted, reheat it in the microwave, on the stovetop over medium heat, or in the oven. Feel free to add a bit of water or another liquid like chicken broth to whatever you're defrosting so it doesn't dry out. Once it's reheated, dig in!
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