Freezer meals are an excellent way to get a home-cooked dinner on the table on nights when you wouldn’t have the time otherwise. They are excellent for busy families or for expecting parents alike. Freezer meals are a wonderful thing to prepare when you know you won’t have the time or energy later. While it does take a little planning, creating delicious family-friendly freezer meals is easy with these five tips.
Start With Recipes You Love
They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A freezer meal is only useful to your family if you will actually eat it. If your kids will not consume a particular recipe, having 10 in your freezer won’t be helpful on busy weeknights. Save yourself some stress and start with recipes that you know your family already loves–especially if you have picky eaters in the family.
Choose Only Freezer-Friendly Ingredients
Some ingredients are incredibly freezer friendly and some should be avoided. Meat, dairy, hardy vegetables, soups, stews, and casseroles all can survive in the freezer without compromising texture or flavor. Avoid ingredients that don’t freeze well, such as raw tomatoes, lettuce, and eggs. You can always add these fresh items to your meal once you’ve taken it from the freezer after it has been cooked.
Use Good Storage Containers
It’s heartbreaking to put in a lot of effort and a good deal of money only to find that your freezer meals didn’t last in the freezer. Avoid issues like freezer burn or broken containers by choosing containers that are truly designed to last in the freezer. If you are using freezer Ziplocs, when in doubt, double-bag everything to keep it sealed properly.
Leave Room To Expand
Some glass containers can go in the freezer, but you’ll need to leave room for your items to expand. This is particularly true for soups and stews. No one wants to clean up a mess that exploded as a result of too much pressure. Save yourself the work and make sure that you have left room for your items to grow as they freeze.
Label Everything
Label everything you make. Remember that you could be enjoying these meals weeks down the road. Once it’s frozen it’s very hard to distinguish what each item might be. Unless you like to play dinner roulette, be sure to label your items and also include any cooking instructions so that you don’t forget.
