Make Ahead Freezer Meals

curiousfool1 · September 2017

Hi all-

I finally prepped a few make ahead freezer meals (intended for crockpot cooking) and wanted to share the recipes. All three are dairy-free and gluten-free. They were very easy to prep- put everything except the high quantity liquids in a ziplock, write the needed liquids on the outside of the bag, and freeze.

Chicken Satay:
https://food52.com/recipes/56016-braised-chicken-satay-with-zucchini-noodles

Chicken with Tomato and Olive (omit the pasta for now):
https://food52.com/recipes/34205-chicken-thighs-with-tomato-orzo-olives-and-feta

White Chicken Chili:
https://therealfoodrds.com/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili/

Abby7 · September 2017

So far I have made:

beef bourguignone
southwest white chicken chili
chicken noodle soup
lentil sausage stew
minestrone
corn chowder

This week I'm planning on making baked spaghetti (I will put the casserole mix into a freezer bag rather than freezing it in a pan) and broccoli cheddar soup.

Trying to think of some non-soup/stew options. Maybe chicken pot pie. I also might stock up on Trader Joe's frozen dinner items like risotto and flatbreads.

MKMandeville · September 2017

I have 6 of my 10 planned freezer meals done.

1. Ravioli Lasagna
2. Apricot Dijon Pork chops
3. Chicken Fajita and quinoa soup
4. Sweet potato Mac and cheese
5. Pepper steak that will served over quinoa
6. Ranch Parmesan Chicken

I still have plans to do after I go to the store this weekend:
1. Sweet potato, chicken and quinoa soup
2. Chicken and wild rice soup
3. Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole

Abby7 · September 2017

Chicken broccoli rice casserole is a great idea - I will steal that. I also like the idea of ravioli lasagna. The reason I hadn't done lasagna yet is that it would have to be frozen into a pan and I was trying to avoid that, but without the long lasagna noodles it's a lot less difficult.

DungeonTrollMel · September 2017

I'm waiting to start my meals since most are only good for 3 months in the freezer and I don't want to have to be rushing to us them but am compiling lots of recipes on Pinterest. I will share some good links when I'm not on mobile

Abby7 · September 2017

Oh I keep stuff in the freezer far longer than 3 months even though that's the recommended time for a lot of things (meats come to mind). As long as you don't lose power (or have a H that leaves the door ajar

) then stuff will keep almost indefinitely.

kaitlinliz · September 2017

What kind of freezers does everyone have? No matter how much I eat my freezer always seems jam packed and I can't make room for freezer meals..I wanna make some so badly as DH will be gone for 6 weeks after baby comes

Also do you cook your meats before assembling them? What else do you cook or do you throw everything in the bags raw and cook that day?

Abby7 · September 2017

I have a Samsung 4-door fridge but I also did this with my side-by-side when I was pregnant with DD 5 years ago. I have been going through all of my ridiculous stuff that is cluttering my freezer (ex. store brand frozen pizza) to make room. I put everything in freezer bags that I lay flat to freeze, then you can stack the bags or line them up side by side.

Everything I'm making is fully cooked and just needs to be put in a soup pot to heat or decanted into a casserole dish to bake. Trying to make it as easy as possible.

MKMandeville · September 2017

@kaitlinliz we have a regular freezer on top fridge on bottom combo. We don't normally have much in our freezer though. The bottom is devoted to freezer meals and the top is extras like waffles, smoothie packs and ice cream.

**note: if you do more dump styles and soups you could fit more in the freezer since you put them in large zip loc freezer bags and lay them flat. I can get about 7 stacked high depending on what is in the bag.

Some recipes call for different things. Like the chicken, broccoli and rice casserole it says to precook everything and others like the soups say dump it all in and out in the crockpot although I use precooked Tyson meat in my soups just for a texture thing.

kaitlinliz · September 2017

Thanks guys! Yea I'm trying so hard to eat everything and there's stuff in there we could also probably just throw out lol. I have a top freezer, bottom fridge combo as well. We had a deep freeze but when we moved it didn't fit so it's in storage right now. I so wish I had it!

I found a few on Pinterest but it seemed like they were just making the meals and then saying oh you can freeze it too. Is that pretty much all it is? I don't wanna do extra work at the beginning if I can dump it later on ...I don't mind cooking the meats and stuff prior cuz I do that before adding them to casseroles even when it doesn't call for it. Just trying to find the easiest way to prep/cook them.

mymulligan · September 2017

This is great. I wasn't sure about cooking ahead either. During our kitchen reno, we won't have access to an oven/stove so I want to come up with meals that can be frozen and dumped into a crock pot or just thawed and microwaved.

I also make soups and freeze leftovers. Perfect to pull out and serve with a grilled cheese. We love grown up grilled cheese with nicer cheeeses, bacon, fruit / fruit spreads etc.

Abby7 · September 2017

@kaitlinliz yeah it's basically just recipes that are something you'd want to eat anyway and happen to freeze well. Honestly I'd avoid Pinterest and go to a more trusted site like Allrecipes, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living. Actually I get a kick out of the Campbell's website - they have tons of super easy recipes that obviously feature their products (but it's not just soup, they own a number of brands) but which are pretty good and have reliable reviews.

curiousfool1 · September 2017

I'm focusing exclusively on make ahead crockpot meals, so to answer someone's question I am not pre-cooking anything. I am aiming for soups, stews, braises, etc. that are designed to slow cook all day. I'm not preparing anything that needs a pan for baking.

As as far as freezer space, I am lucky that we have a second fridge/freezer in our basement. We also have been eating through all the stores stuff in our upstairs freezer to make room for baby meals.

mymulligan · September 2017

I was inspired by your posts ladies so I went to Costco today and picked up some supplies. So excited to get started. Also, be careful lifting those heavy boxes and cartons of things! I may have overdone it a little.

I'm planning to make:
chicken pot pie
turkey taco meat
sloppy joes meat
chicken broccoli and rice bake
baked sweet potatoes

curiousfool1 · October 2017

I made a few more tonight, all GF/DF again for anyone else with dietary restrictions. All the meals I've prepped are designed to be thawed and tossed into the crockpot for slow cooking:

Chicken with Sweet Potato and Apple (swapped chicken for pork, as I had it on hand)
https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2016/06/slow-cooker-pork-chops-with-apples-and-sweet-potatoes/

Garlic Lemon Chicken
https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2016/05/slow-cooker-garlic-lemon-chicken-freezer-meal-recipe/

Chicken Chili
https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2016/05/slow-cooker-garlic-lemon-chicken-freezer-meal-recipe/

Apricot-Ginger Chicken (swapped marmalade for apricot jam, as I had it on hand)
https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/01/07/make-ahead-crockpot-apricot-ginger-chicken-with-soy-sauce/

Airynn Chica · October 2017

Have you tried these recipes before? I’m making mine at the end of the month with a friend but I haven’t picked recipes yet.

mymulligan · October 2017

I just tried the Chicken, Sweet Potato and Apple recipe that @curiousfool1 posted above, with all fresh ingredients. I thought it was tasty - perfect fall flavors. I would not have done as much onion though. I added the 1/2 an onion that the recipe called for but it was too much IMO. We prefer sweeter dishes in my house and it overpowered the apple flavor. I would probably make it again. House smelled amazing!

Abby7 · October 2017

I just bought a chicken pot pie and turkey pot pie from a local farm for the freezer. Cheating, probably, but they will be great winter dinners.

Knottie19640588 · October 2017

Freezer meals have been an obsession of mine on Pinterest lately. Family is 6 hours away from us so I want to stock up for the first week or 2 so I don't need to worry about meal planning/groceries. Here are some links I found that look good... I am going to make a couple a week starting this week and hope that I have enough done by the time baby arrives, but I haven't tried any yet.

Chicken broccoli rice casserole:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole-day-14.html

Chicken taquitos:
https://happymoneysaver.com/freezer-chicken-taquitos-with-cream-cheese/

Pieroggie and sausage casserole:
https://www.slowcookerkitchen.com/crock-pot-pierogies-and-sausage/

DungeonTrollMel · October 2017

We have a ton of ham leftover from Canadian thanksgiving so I am using that today to make some breakfast burritos with egg, ham, potato, green chili and cheese then probably two portions of ham with scalloped potatoes and broccoli and then split pea soup

next weekend I plan on doing my homemade lasagne and extra sauce as well as 2-3 chicken recipes and some sausage,peppers and onions and stew meals

curiousfool1 · October 2017

Funny make-ahead meals story. My husband is not a big fan of my meal prep right now. He is convinced I am going to get stir crazy without anything to do but care for the baby, and that I will actually want to cook. He's probably right (eventually), but I'm fairly certain the first two weeks I'm going to be too exhausted to even think about it. I am the type of gal who needs her 7-8hrs a night to function.

We were at the farmer's market yesterday, and one of the vendors (whose first child is about a year old himself) asked if we had made arrangements for a meal train. We haven't - we're still too new to the area and have not yet found our "village" as it were. But we have the meal prep. The farmer, looking right at my husband and without knowing the context of this meal prep debate we've had, said based on his experience having those meals prepped for the first two weeks was priceless. Definitely had a little "na na, na na, boo boo" moment to myself with that one.

dragonfly87-2 · October 2017

Not technically a meal, but I made some "lactation cookies" and I am freezing the dough so I can bake them easily postpartum. Hopefully they taste good! The reviews said they tasted good.

Abby7 · October 2017

@dragonfly87-2 what makes them lactation cookies?

dragonfly87-2 · October 2017

@abby7: the ingredients. They contain brewers yeast, flax seed meal and rolled oats (as well as normal cookie ingredients and chocolate chips). Those three ingredients are supposed to boost milk production and support lactation.

Abby7 · October 2017

Interesting, I have never heard of that. Great idea, even if they don't work they will taste good and have healthy ingredients

. Might have to try this.

rachelb51212 · October 2017

I just finished a day and a half of cooking in order to make 9 freezer meals. My mom was a huge help by helping me cook and watch DS! I feel really good about when DD gets here; I won’t have to cook for about a month! Many of the meals made multiple pans of food, and since there’s just 3 of us that will be eating the food, it will last quite a while! Most of the food is Italian pasta or Mexican casserole dishes, but I did make chicken pot pies for a little difference in flavors!

Airynn Chica · October 2017

Well today I planned, shopped and prepped 12 freezer meals. My bestie came over to help with the prep! So thankful but my back is really screaming.

rachelb51212 · October 2017

@Airynn Chica that’s impressive! 12 in one day?! And yeah, I had to visit my chiropractor after prepping all those meals because I could barely walk the next day. Hang in there!

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