I could NOT believe the overwhelming response I got to my Sunday Scoop and Instagram/Facebook posts about make-ahead freezer meals! It seems that all of you are as HUNGRY, BUSY, and desperate for meal plans as I am!!
I love food. I mean, I LOVE food. I’m not a food snob, and don’t need anything fancy, but I do need GOOD food…nutritious, flavorful, healthy meals to enjoy with my family each night after an exhausting day at work. The only problem is……mi vida loca.
Make-ahead freezer meals keep this busy mama and her family well fed, without actually GOING loco in the process. It may seem overwhelming, and this is certainly a process that you’ll grow and change with, but trust me, you will BE SO HAPPY when you have a freezer full of delicious meals!
So, by popular request, I’m going to share my {very humble} knowledge and experience on prepping freezer meals. For this first post, we’ll focus on tips & tricks that I’ve learned by trial and error, and next time I’ll try to share some fave recipes….maybe even a FREEBIE for you to use for planning!
I am not {repeat NOT like 5+ times} an expert on make-ahead freezer meal prep, cooking, or baking by any stretch of the imagination. Now I am able to choose my own menu, make my own grocery list, and throw together a freezer full of meals, but I started by leaning on the EXPERTS. Check out these two AWESOME sources for make-ahead meals!
This lady is THE.REAL.DEAL.
My #1 recommendation for anyone looking to get started with make-ahead freezer meals is to go to the Once a Month Meals web page and pour yourself into her site! She provides meal plans, recipes, AND shopping lists for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Not only that, but she has VARIATIONS on the menus to fit your every dietary and preferred taste need. If you don’t like an entire menu for the month, check out her previous months and then mix-and-match menus, shopping lists, etc. This site EVEN provides homemade BABY FOOD menus!! She leaves me speechless {SHOCKER} & I will ALWAYS check out her site for meal ideas!!
Before I started making my own freezer meals, before I discovered OAMM…I enjoyed making meals myself at Dinner By Design and even ordering their pre-made freezer meals. Making the meals in their kitchens was SO MUCH FUN. Seriously, hubby and I would do it as a date and LOVED it! Many of the locations with kitchens closed near us, but delivery of pre-made meals still is available. IF you are just starting and have one of these services, I might suggest trying to go to a kitchen like DBD and prep meals their and/or order pre-prepped meals and have them delivered. This just gives you a taste {pun intended} of what freezer meal prep, cooking, and enjoyment is like before you dive into it on your own.
NOW, I still check out the DBD current and archived menus {see below}. They don’t have recipes, but they have great menu selections and if you click on each menu item, you will see the ingredients list and cooking instructions for most items. I’m not much for strict measuring anyway, so I’ve found just knowing the ingredients is usually enough to go by when using their menus as inspiration!
One of the most awesome aspects of make-ahead freezer meals is the money you save {not to mention TIME}. However, you’ll be buying groceries VERY differently than you usually do, so be mindful of that and prepare. First, you SERIOUSLY should join a bulk club like Sam’s Club or Costco to make purchasing ingredients simpler and cheaper.
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REMEMBER THIS: You’re going to be buying and prepping food for 1-2 months…so even though you’re getting a GREAT bargain by bulk shopping and prep…budget appropriately. Cost will vary depending on your menu and ingredients, but be prepared that your checkout bill will seem high b/c it’s one major trip instead of several little ones.
Say it over and over again, because it’s SOOOOO true. You’ll need a nice supply of gallon baggies and possibly quart-sized ones for your meal prep and freezing. Some freezer meals may call for foil pans, but I really rely on baggies primarily.
TIP: Label your bags BEFORE you fill them. Some super organized freezer meal mamas print out labels with cooking instructions and more on them, but I just label with the dish name using an Sharpie.
TIP: Double-up on baggies if needed for meats in marinades and/or messier dishes.
TIP: Some recipes may call for sets of ingredients to be added in later in the cooking process, or basting sauces, etc. This is where smaller baggies come into play. Put your main dish items into the gallon baggie. Place those extra ingredients (for basting, etc.) into the smaller baggie, and place BOTH into a gallon storage baggie.
We may be teachers…but the kitchen is NOT school. Cheating is TOTALLY accepted and encouraged here. The entire purpose of this process is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER and more efficient. So look for easy ways to CHEAT on the meal prep without compromising taste and quality! Below are a few of my fave cheats when prepping freezer meals they make my process tons quicker and easier and taste Y-U-M-M-Y!
McCormick’s Grill Makers marinades, chicken/veggie/beef stock, PictSweet Seasoning Blend frozen veggies, and chili starter kits are my all time FAVE cheats for meal prep! They are all well-priced, save tons of time, and sacrifice NONE of the quality in taste. #makeyourlifeasier
One thing I’ve found that take freezer meals from bland to grand is the addition of quality ingredients like FRESH HERBS. You’re making these meals ahead of time and freezing them…so be sure to pack some punch with FLAV-A-FLAVE! I add in tons of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic as well as great spices like freshly ground sea salt and coarse black pepper to every dish on the menu. It really makes a TASTY difference!
This tip ties to both #4 & 5 above. Using quality marinades and extra add-ins are great bases for your menu items. Check the back of the marinade pouches and/or get creative on your own for ways to kick those marinades up a notch! For example, adding peach, mango, raspberry, or other preserves to several different marinades, adds sweet flavor, juiciness, texture, and cuts out oil you’d normally need to add to the marinade. Some marinades are great for adding in tasty olives, roasted tomatoes, artichokes, and more. For others, you can sub beer or cooking wine instead of plain vinegar for added flavor {and no alcohol–it cooks off}. Get crafty and kick up your flavor!
My #1 piece of advice for any meal, especially freezer meals is to KEEP it SIMPLE! I like my meals to be as clean and simple as possible, and there’s no reason to abandon that when prepping freezer meals. Most of the time, my frozen items are a fresh meat, topped with a nice, natural marinade with some added punches of flavor {as described above}. You might like casseroles with lots of ingredients, and if that floats your boat, then go for it! If not, don’t go overboard. The less prep, the better. The fewer the ingredients and the more natural they are, they better they’ll taste AND will be healthier for you! Enjoy!
If you have a 2nd freezer, you are SUPER lucky and make-ahead meal prep will be a BIG breeze for you! If you DON’T have a 2nd freezer {like me} then you’d better do some massive cleaning and purging in your existing one. Throw away anything old, freezer burnt, or mystery items {what the HECK is THAT?!?!?}. I organize my freezer by entree type {chicken, pork, beef, fish, fruits/veggies, etc.}. It makes putting away all of your prepped meals a snap and makes choosing and thawing menu items for each week a breeze. Plus, you’ll feel super great in a really nerdy way that your freezer is spic-n-span! I wish I had cute labels and awesome freezer bins for each shelf/sliding drawer…..but I’m no where NEAR that cute & organized. #agirlcandreamthough
Are you craving more details on make-ahead freezer meals? Want to know some of my fave dishes? Stay tuned b/c I have future blog posts on freezer meal recipes, make-ahead lunches, and more planned for you! GUESS WHAT?!?!
Some meal prep planning FREEBIES are in the works, too!
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