Freezer Meal 101 Tips

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You can easily stock your freezer with these freezer meal 101 tips and recipes and have your freezer stocked without spending any extra time!

If you are trying to step up your freezer meal game this post is for you!

Freezer Meal 101 Tips:

Make double of tonight’s dinner to freeze: This is my number one tip. Make one freeze one meals are essential in my meal planning to help get dinner on the table for the nights I really don’t have time to cook or you don’t feel like cooking. Just make double of what you are making for dinner and freeze half for later on in the month.
Pick the right vessel: You want to think specifically how you will be reheating your meal. If you are reheating it in the oven or Instant Pot you will want to use an appropriate vessel that is oven safe or that fits in the Instant Pot. If you are reheating in the microwave use a microwave safe vessel. Another thing to think about would be serving sizes. If you are wanting to freeze soup, you may want to freeze in soup containers and usw soup cube trays for individual servings. Check out this post on all my favorite freezer meal vessels.
Let the food cool completely: Allowing the food to cool completely can help with many things like freezer burn, freezer temperatures, and ice crystallization. One thing to keep in mind when cooling food is you want to keep them out of the danger zone (40-140 degrees F). So let cool slightly and then place in the fridge to refrigerate until cool. Then place in the freezer.
Create a barrier: Air is the enemy of freezer meals so we want to eliminate as much air hitting the surface of the food as possible. You can do this by simple covering the dish with press and seal wrap, parchment paper, wax paper or saran wrap. Make sure it is straight on the food to form a barrier. Do this after the dish is cool.
Seal shut: After you have created a barrier seal your vessel shut with a lid or foil.
Don’t overcrowd the freezer: Overcrowding the freezer can cause uneven freezer temperatures along with freezer burn. You always want to allow air to be circulating through the freezer easily to ensure your food is kept frozen. If your freezer is jam packed have a week where you only use things from your freezer to free up some space.

freezer guide

What dinners are good to freeze?

These are my favorite meals to freeze.

Breakfast Freezer Meals:

Breakfast Burritos
Egg Sandwiches
French Toast
Pancakes
Waffles
Muffins
Smoothie Packets

Lunch Freezer Meals:

Rice bowls
Teriyaki Chicken
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Chicken and Broccoli Burritos
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Panko Crusted Chicken
Individual Soup Servings
Uncrustables
Uncooked Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Dinner Freezer Meals:

Enchiladas
Casseroles
Undercooked Pasta Dishes
Burgers (Uncooked Meat Patties)
Soups (freeze without pasta and add when reheating)
Curries
Meatballs
Mashed Potatoes
Tomato Sauce
Bolognese Sauce
Ravioli (not cooked)
Fresh Pasta
Pizza
Taquitos
Taco Meat (cooked)

Other:

Sauces
Pesto
Garlic in oil
Ginger in oil
Lemongrass in oil
Stocks (chicken, beef, fish, vegetable)
Leftover wine (freeze in a ziplock bag for cooking- it won’t fully freeze)
Leftover Chipotle In Adobo

Snacks Freezer Meals:

Protein Balls
Granola Bars
Muffins
Smoothie Packets
Yogurt pops
Popsicles
Slushies

Dessert Freezer Meals:

Molten lava cakes
Cookie Doughs
Cupcakes (unfrosted)
Cake (unfrosted)
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ice Cream
Sorbet
Pie Dough

Items to Freeze in Ice Cube Trays:

Stocks
Almond Milk (for smoothie packets)
Cream (for quick blender ice cream or shakes)
Pesto
Sauces
Garlic, Ginger, Lemongrass (freeze in small trays)

Items to Freeze For Meal Prep:

Rotisserie Chicken
Grilled Chicken
Taco Meat
Grilled Steak
Homemade pasta (uncooked)

How do you track what you have so that you use it in time?

I label everything that goes into my freezer with the date I froze it. Once a month I go through my freezer and look through things that are three months old. Those items get used up that week or within the next couple weeks so that nothing goes to waste. Most freezer items will stay good for 3-5 months.

How long can meals stay in the freezer?

Typically freezer meals stay good for about 3-5 months if stored properly. Just make sure they are sealed correctly and your freezer temperature is accurate.

How to store freezer meals?

Soups, Stews: resealable ziplock bags, soup containers, freezer soup trays

Sauces: sauce containers, ice cube trays

Casseroles, pasta: foil trays with lids, freezer to oven baking ware

Individual servings soup: soup containers, paper cups, freezer soup trays

Individual servings: soup containers, microwavable bento boxes

Burritos, Taquitos, Cookie Dough, Stocks, Fresh Pasta: resealable ziplock bags

What types of meals are not recommended to freeze:

I don’t like freezing salads, fully cooked pastas (just undercook it by 2 minutes and you will be good), soft cheeses like brie, citrus, watery produce like cucumbers and lettuce, foods in cans, whole eggs and mayonnaise.

How to freeze food if I have a small freezer?

If you have a small freezer I recommend freezing everything flat in resealable ziplock bags. This allows you to get more items to fit in your freezer than if you have bulky Tupperware or containers.

My favorite freezer meals:

Serves 8

Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Veggie loaded chicken pot pie is quick and easy and is the perfect freezer meal for when you really don't feel like cooking.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Butter
1 White Onion, Diced
1 Pound Bag Carrots, Peeled, Diced
2 Stalks Celery, Diced
2 Cups Cauliflower, Roughly Chopped
3 Cups Rotisserie Chicken, Diced
1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
8 Cups Chicken Stock
1-2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt (to taste)
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
(Optional) 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch Mixed with 2 Tablespoons Water

For The Topping:

1 Can Premade Biscuits
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
Kosher Salt (to taste)

Instructions

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, carrot, celery and cauliflower and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the flour and stir to combine.
Add rotisserie chicken, chicken stock and salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the topping by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the butter, Italian seasoning, cheese in an 8 inch cake pan and mix to combine. Coat the biscuits on each side with the mixture and place in a circular pattern. Bake according to package directions (about 12-14 minutes).
When the pot pie is done you can thicken further if needed by adding a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and bring to a simmer.
Ladle the pot pie into bowls and top with biscuits.

Notes

For Freezer Meal:

Freeze the pot pie mixture in an oven proof baking dish. Place a layer of press and seal wrap or wax paper directly on top of the chicken pot pie filling. Seal shut. For individual servings freeze in soup cube trays. Freeze the cooked biscuits in a reusable ziplock or ziplock bag.

Reheating Instructions:

Let the pot pie mixture thaw in the fridge the night before. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Stir and then cook for another 10 minutes. If the pot pie mixture separates stir to combine.

Let the biscuits thaw in the fridge the night before. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until warmed through.

For gluten free chicken pot pie:

Skip the flour in step 2 and add the 2 tablespoons corn starch with 1/4 cup water in step 7.

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Serves 6