Make and Freeze-Ahead Meals and Sauces

Have you ever wished you could fill your freezer with meals that are already prepared and ready to heat and eat? The store bought ones are called TV dinners, but now they are more commonly called freezer meals. Maybe you’re not convinced they’re that healthy or they don’t come in the foods your family likes or can eat.

You can absolutely make your own freeze-ahead meals and sauces. It will take some time but it can be so comforting knowing you have those meals for those evenings you have many things going on and don’t have time to cook or even for those evenings that you simply don’t want to cook.

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Preparing freeze-ahead meals will take time. You will want to plan which meals to prepare, make a shopping list, go purchase the food and then do the actual cooking. There are a number of websites which share information on freeze-ahead meals and they usually recommend doing this type of cooking over at least two days. One site I totally recommend for this type of planned freezer meals is Once a Month Meals.

One of the easiest types of meals to do as a freeze-ahead meal is a casserole. You can put the ingredients together in an aluminum pan, cover it and pop it into the freezer. When the time comes to eat it, it will be so easy you’ll be glad you spent the time making it. Just make sure you take it out of the freezer either in the morning, or the evening before and pop it in the fridge so it has adequate time to defrost.

Otherwise, you will have to cook the meal for a long, long time and then you are stuck eating at 9 pm (trust me, I’ve been there and it’s not fun dealing with kids and a hubby who are starving and you have to keep telling them “just a bit longer, it’s still not cooked!”)

Lasagna is one of the most popular meals for families to make ahead and freeze (it is certainly one of our family favorites!). You will need noodles, spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought), cheese and meat. Prepare the lasagna as if you’re going to eat it right away except you won’t bake it now. When you have added the last cheese layer, place a cover on the pan. Let it cool in the refrigerator or place the casserole pan in a sink of ice water prior to freezing to ensure it freezes uniformly.

You can also make your favorite soups to freeze for later use. Chili is welcome in the colder months but you might not always have to time prepare it. Make a big pot of chili, break it down into normal amounts needed for your family, and place the containers in the freezer. When you’re hankering for a bowl of chili, it will be so much easier to reheat the frozen chili than making an entire pot.

Spaghetti is another common meal families prepare on a regular basis. Cans or jars of sauce at the store are expensive and it seems prices continue to rise. Rather than turning to store bought sauce, make your own and freeze it. Buy tomatoes when they are on sale and prepare the sauce with your favorite ingredients. Your family will be able to taste the difference and the love.

Our family’s absolute favorite spaghetti recipe comes from the [easyazon_link identifier=”1936608634″ locale=”US” tag=”jstdabalong-20″]Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook[/easyazon_link]. The spaghetti and meatballs is absolutely to die for, whether you make it with the suggested spaghetti squash noodles or whatever kind of noodles are best for your particular diet (gluten–free, quinoa noodles, rice noodles etc.)

Perhaps you’ve come across a great sale on ground beef. There are so many ways you can use it. You can make up a batch of meatballs and freeze for later (see above). Or, cook the meat right away using onions and simple seasonings. You can freeze enough in one container for a variety of meals – spaghetti, tacos, shepherd’s pie, burritos, enchiladas or pirogues. You can do this with chicken as well!

Need some visual inspiration? I get so inspired watching Youtube videos of moms making freezer meals, for example Kimmy at She’s in her Apron . and Jennifer of The Family Fudge (Jennifer also has tons of fabulous kids lunch ideas!) And I especially like watching moms of many like Jamerrill from Jamerrill’s Large Family Table as they have so many excellent tips on making huge batches of healthy food that feeds a large group. And of course there is always Pinterest! Just type in “freezer meals” and you will be inundated with many many fantastic recipes for freezer meals and ideas for freezer meal cooking days.

Freeze-ahead meals can be so helpful when you’re rushed for time. The effort at the beginning of the process might seem excessive but the time is definitely well worth it. To make the process easier, enlist the help of your family or cook with a friend! You can share the work load and the foods that are prepared.

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