Make Ahead Freezer Meals

Good day friends! I have had a bit of a tough week so far, as I have been spending all of my friend time helping my mom and step-dad load up for their move to Oregon. Wednesday morning, their house keys were handed over to new owners and they hit the road, with my young half-siblings and large caravan in tow. Family means everything to me, so watching them go was very difficult. However, I am eager to hear about their new life and the beauties of living in the country. They’ve wanted to do this for years and I am very happy for them.

Anyhow, back to the juicy stuff! I do my grocery shopping every other Saturday and meal prepping. It is a big day for me because it takes a lot of planning and I usually make multiple stops that morning. This previous Saturday, I decided I really needed to overstock the freezer with meals for the hubby, so I can spend more time this next month focusing on building my businesses rather than meal planning for his packed lunches/dinners. So, I spent about five hours in the kitchen preparing enough meals to last him quite some time.

I decided to make meal planning more fun by moving an old TV into the kitchen to watch Harry Potter. Nerd fest 🙂

Let me start by stating that not all these meals are “healthy”. My husband, Tanner, and I have very different tastes and most of what I cook ahead is for him (I do not want you to feel misled in any way). Also, I did not come up with any of these recipes on my own, but I will share the ones I made:

• White Chicken Enchilada Bake by Passion for Saving
• Chili by Passion for Saving. I used ground turkey for this recipe and added extra white beans.
• Asian beef and broccoli by Passion for Saving
• Baked Shrimp Scampi by What’s Cookin’  Chicago
• Garlic Honey Pork Chops by Six Sisters’ Stuff
• Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells  by What’s Cookin’ Chicago
• Spicy Lime & Honey Wings by What’s Cookin’ Chicago
• Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup by Tastes Better from Scratch
• Black bean burgers by Super Healthy Kids (yup, these ones are for me)
• Mississippi Roast by Table for Two (I ended up just cooking this one on Sunday instead of freezing it)

Roasted Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce by Peanut Blossom
• Bean and Cheese burritos. This one is pretty self explanatory, but I used the refried bean recipe from Pennies and Pancakes but added a chopped Jalapeno. (side note: I totally squirted Jalapeno juice in my eye in my entire face was on fire for hours. DON’T. DO. THIS.)

QUICK TIPS: Here are a few tips I have learned over the last couple of years

1.) Plan ahead. I plan my meals according to what is on sale at the local grocery stores this week. As I am not a big couponer, the ads really help me to save money by only buying meets and produce on sale. I always compare local prices and make stops at multiple stores.

2.) Make sure you have enough freezer bags and freezer casserole dishes. I made the mistake this past weekend of not checking that if we still had foil dishes and had to make a run back to the store. (I hate going back!)

3.) Pre-write out your labels with all instructions and place them on the bag prior to filling with food. I like to print mine out, as it is much more legible than my handwritting. However, I always forget a few and have extra labels and/or Sharpies on hand.

4.) Use a large bowl to place your Ziploc in while filling. This saves me from spills and extra clean up.

5.) Have fun with it! If something doesn’t get done, oh well. Adding the TV and fun, childhood movies added to the excitement. I also had a friend stop-by for a little while to make a few things and catch up. Entertaining conversation made the day go by so fast!

I hope y’all enjoy this post! I encourage you to all check out my friend Deb’s blog: Paper Turtle. I had the pleasure of catching up with her on Sunday and spent two hours eating lunch at Whole Foods and doodling mandalas. She posted about our lovely time together here.

Namaste! Taryn xoxo