Just a little extra prep and planning in the kitchen can get you plenty of quick and easy freezer meals to have at the ready. Whether you just need to be able to just plan quickly during the week, or are expecting a little one on the way, having freezer meals at the ready is a game changer. And today, I’ve got 5 to make with only an hour of prep!
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With only 2 more weeks to go until my due date with baby boy #2, I’d suppose one could say that I’ve reached a bit of the “nesting” phase that everyone talks about. All I want to do is clean, prep, cook, prepare, organize…all of it! Unfortunately, my stamina at this point is making all of the above just a little bit difficult, but over the weekend, I did manage a (solo!) trip to the grocery store and stocked up on…well, a LOT.
Side note #1: I was super annoyed that I forgot my reusable bags. Side note #2: the beer is for Jay, but I’m counting down the days until I get to have one too!
Not only did I stock up on just some of the regular necessities we’ll need, but I also did a fair amount of planning ahead of time in an attempt to put together some freezer meals for when the babe arrives. Freezer meals were a life saver for us when Lucas was born, and I can only imagine they’ll be even more helpful this time around with another little one being added to the mix.
So on Sunday, I got busy busy busy in the kitchen.
It was a disaster pretty much everywhere you turned (and still is, if we’re being honest).
But in the end, I wound up with 5 full size freezer meals (aka, we’ll probably get at least two meals for each of us out of each one, so at least 10 meals total). I still have a few more on my list that I’m hoping to squeeze in before the baby arrives (but then again, if he decides to come early before I get to them, then that’s a-okay by me too).
In the end, all of the meals really only took about an hour to prep, which was all done while Lucas took his afternoon nap. It was fabulous.
5 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals
- Double Duty Quesadilla Casserole – I made the entire recipe as a freezer meal, rather than dividing into two. I would have put it in two 8×8 pans if I had them.
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole – I ran out of casserole dishes, so for this one, I prepped everything and put them into individual bags within a freezer bag. When ready to eat, I’ll thaw, simply arrange the layers, and bake as directed
- Baked Italian Meatballs – I followed the freezer meal method for these by flash freezing the meatballs on a baking sheet and then placing into a gallon freezer bag so I can thaw and cook as directed
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef – I cooked this according to the directions (so technically this cooking time lasted longer than an hour, but the prep was about 5 minutes!) and mine took probably closer to 10 hours on low to get to the point where it was easy to shred. I let it cool completely, divided into two containers, and placed them in the freezer.
- Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas – I arranged these as if I were going to cook them, but just left everything in the gallon freezer bag without cooking. I let it marinate for a few hours in the fridge before popping into the freezer.
Even though I was totally wiped after the hour of prepping these, I am SO glad I took the time to have them. If/when I get to the rest of the ones on my list, I’ll be sure to share!
Brynn says
The prep time can be a drag, but there’s nothing like a stocked fridge and freezer. We made a lot of soup and baked dishes to prep for our son.
haley@ Cupcakes and Sunshine says
meal prepping is always something I need to do, but tend to forget-h and I end up having snack plates for most meals! Can’t wait to prep these!!
Laura M. says
I hate it when I forget my reusable bags for grocery shopping, so I started just keeping them in the trunk of my car! Problem solved! Can’t wait to try the recipes.
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
It is so great to have things all prepared after a hectic day. It is worth the time and effort.
Lauren says
I’m almost 26 weeks pregnant so I am bookmarking all of these!! Question about the quesadilla casserole – do you freeze before baking or after?
Courtney says
Yay, congrats to you Lauren! I freeze it before baking – then just thaw and bake for 20-25 mins :)
Cait @ S U G A R & S A V A G E says
Not related to your freezer meals post necessarily, but I am in LOVE with your kitchen island! The marble (or is it granite?) counters with the colors of the cabinets & floors are so perfect.
We just renovated our kitchen and I opted for white cabinets / black counters combo…I’m starting to regret that decision seeing how beautiful yours turned out!
Courtney says
Aww, thank you! Yes, they’re granite and were actually a last minute change while we were building. We’re very happy with our decision! :)
Julie says
YES, I love this post! Thanks for sharing. I get overwhelmed by Pinterest posts with “50 freezer-friendly meals!” I don’t want to sort through 50 meals to find one or two that look doable to me. Five is perfect! And these look delicious–thank you! I’m expecting #2 in October, and I’m so motivated to make freezer-friendly meals, but I think I should hold off a few more months so they don’t take up my freezer that entire time. :-)
Also, I learned a tip about reusable bags (from Cook’s Illustrated magazine, actually) that I LOVE and that helps us remember them. So if you have a reusable wine bottle bag (ideally with six “bottle holes”), you just roll up your reusable grocery bags and stick them in the wine bag. Then throw the wine bag in your car, and it’s an easy, organized way to hold a bunch of bags without them getting strewn all over the car. It has been a game-changer for helping us stay organized!
Sending you so much love and best wishes as you wait for your baby boy! <3