Prepping ahead really makes it easier to stay on plan when life gets crazy. These 5 THM freezer meals are easy to prep and even easier to serve at dinner time.
When I first got married, freezer cooking was something that I learned to do in order to save time during the work week. I made all kinds of casseroles, breakfast burritos and even snack foods to keep in our freezer.
The problem was that none of the things that I made were particularly healthy. So as we transitioned into the THM way of eating, I quit freezer cooking. In fact, I told a friend not too long that I couldn’t freezer cook anymore because I needed only healthy foods in our house.
Boy was I wrong. I found that I can eat on plan & freezer cook! These 5 THM freezer meals will help to make your busy days easier and keep you on plan!
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5 THM Freezer Meals to Try
These 5 THM freezer meals are dinners that I have made for my family and that we enjoyed. It is so nice to have some freezer dinners on hand when you just don’t feel like cooking.
Here are the recipes from my latest Trim Healthy Mama freezer cooking session.
To Freeze: Follow the directions to make the meatballs. You can freeze unfrozen meatballs after you form them and then cook after you thaw.
I like to go ahead and fry them in a skillet. Let them cool and freeze them for 1 hour on a cookie sheet (keeping them from touching). Then place them into a freezer bag.
To Eat: When ready to use, thaw or warm from frozen in a skillet. Here are some meal ideas: Spaghetti (Dreamfields or Zoodles) & Meatballs, Meatball subs on Joseph’s Pita
THM E Buffalo Wing Chicken Chili
To Freeze: Prep and cook the chili. Allow it to cool. Place portions that will feed your family in gallon ziplock bags and freeze flat.
To Eat: Thaw in fridge and warm.
THM S Coconut Lime Chicken Legs
To Freeze: Prepare the marinade. Add the chicken to the bag, pour over marinade and seal in ziplock bags.
To Eat: Thaw in fridge and then bake or grill
*This recipe from Living Well Spending Less is already on plan even though it isn’t labeled as THM. Since the canned coconut milk makes it an S, I subbed chicken legs to make this extra frugal. Plus my kids love drumsticks – it’s always fun to pick up your food with your hands!
THM S Korean Beef over Cauli Rice
To Freeze: Slice the steak into strips (if using ground beef, you will need to brown the ground beef first. I prefer the steak because it requires no pre-cooking). Mix up the rest of the ingredients and pour over the meat in a ziplock bag. Lay flat in freezer to freeze.
To Eat: Thaw in the fridge & cook in a skillet over medium heat until steak is the desired level. Serve over cauli rice with a bag of frozen stir fry veggies.
THMify: This recipe from Love Bakes Good Cakes needs a couple of subs to be on plan. I subbed a boneless flat iron steak instead of using the ground beef. This was just a preference, either meat option would be on plan.
Sub Swerve brown sugar in place of the regular sugar. You can use the soy sauce or sub liquid aminos.
THM S Joseph’s Freezer Pizzas
To Freeze: Take one regular or mini pita. Top it with pizza sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni, veggies or whatever toppings you like. Allow to freeze for an hour or 2 on a cookie sheet to get the sauce and toppings firm. Next, wrap in clear plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil.
To Eat: pop into the oven (400 degrees) and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the pizza’s cheese is melted and warm.
Is it easy to just make these fresh? Absolutely. I make tortilla pizzas often but here is the problem – sometimes there isn’t even enough time to make a quick pizza.
The second reason I like to make these is because of the supplies. My Walmart doesn’t carry Joseph’s anymore so I have to order directly from the website. In order to get the most reasonable shipping rate, I have to order a lot. So I like to be able to get some of these prepped and ready in the freezer.
Freezer Prep Ideas
Freezer meals are great but freezer prep can also be a big help in the kitchen! What’s the difference between freezer cooking vs. freezer prep?
The freezer meals listed above are obviously either full meals or the main protein of the meal prepped ahead. Freezer prep is more of prepping components of meals vs. a full meal.
Here are my favorite freezer prep ideas:
- Brown ground beef (or any ground meat that you use), drain the fat. Once cool, place in a ziplock bag and freeze flat.
- Cook chicken in Instant Pot or crockpot and shred. Freeze in bag for use later.
Leftover Saver – Freezer Soup Bowl
This is a different way to freezer cook that my mom taught me years ago. It is a simple way to solve two common problems.
Using this freezer soup bowl eliminates leftover waste, especially those leftovers that seem like they aren’t worth saving. A couple of spoonfuls of peas or carrots etc.
And when ready, this provides you with a frugal freezer meal to feed your family! Check out all the details on how to create your freezer soup bowl here. It’s so easy!