With the rise of COVID-19, schools closing, shelter-at-home initiatives, and employees being encouraged to work from home, life looks very different for many of us. Although I stay home part-time and my work schedule is already atypical, I’ve had to shift how I cook for some clients and others feel most comfortable canceling. So needless to say, my small business is seeing an impact. So I have a little more time to get some resources out to you all, and I want to start by giving you some yummy freezer meals to help encourage you to grocery shop less frequently to further aid in slowing the spread of COVID-19. I’m guessing you are having to prepare a lot more food than normal with working from home and/or having your kids home for lunch. These meals are all family friendly, can be prepared in advance, and offer a good nutritional punch in order to help you rest assured that your family’s nutritional health is being well taken care of. If you have young toddlers who may not particularly care for a meal, my suggestion is to have them take one bite in order to give them exposure to more tastes/textures. Then if there is something they would be willing to eat from the meal (ex: cubed chicken or broth and carrots) have them eat that. As a nutritionist I don’t recommend giving your child free range of meal time; being a short order cook is not fun! If they are hungry they will eat. And if they aren’t hungry enough you may need to consider how many snacks are being offered between meals. Make sure to read how to best prepare and store these as freezer meals. If you use wide-mouth mason jars I highly recommend getting this affordable wide-mouth funnel. Trust me when I say: IT IS A LIFE SAVER for easy transfers and no-mess!

SLOW COOKER MEALS:

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Instant Pot option)
Vegetable Soup with Beef (Instant Pot option)
Easy Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry
Chicken Chili (Instant Pot option)
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (Instant Pot option)

Preparation and storage tip: My recommendation is to prepare these recipes as the directions indicate. Then simply portion soups into wide-mouth mason jars (filling 3/4 full to leave room to expand) and the pulled pork into 2-3 separate containers for easy meals. Let everything cool for at least 20 minutes prior to putting any lids on. Then, transfer to the refrigerator to cool for a few more hours or overnight and then you can move the containers to the freezer. Thaw each meal in the refrigerator for 24 hours then reheat in the microwave or stove-top.

BAKED MEALS:

Broccoli, Cheddar and Quinoa Tuna Casserole (can easily substitute rice for quinoa)
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Mexican Lasagna
Oven Baked Meatballs with Marinara Sauce (you can use a store bought marinara to simplify if you wish!)
Shepherd’s Pie

Preparation and storage tip: My recommendation is to prepare these recipes (excluding the meatballs) up until the baking step. For the two casseroles use a 2-quart casserole pan (glass or ceramic are best). For freezing purposes I like these Pyrex storage dishes as they have a lid, stack well, and are oven safe. For the lasagna and shepherd’s pie use 9x13 inch casserole pans for large families OR use 2, 8x8 inch pans (or the Pyrex dishes linked above). If your pan doesn’t have a lid, make sure to wrap the pan in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil (adding a rubber band or two will help everything stay in place). Thaw each meal in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to baking according to the recipe’s directions.

For the meatballs, prepare according to the directions then transfer cooked meatballs to a container to cool in the refrigerator. After 2-3 hours of cooling (or overnight), transfer the meatballs to a freezer gallon plastic bag. Simply remove however many meatballs you need at a time and reheat in the microwave or oven.

STOVE TOP MEALS:

Preparation and storage tip: Prepare each recipe according to the directions. The chili and soups are best stored in wide-mouth mason jars (filled 3/4 way full). Thaw each meal in the refrigerator for 24 hours then reheat in the microwave or stove-top. Store the chicken fried rice in individual servings or one large container. I really like these Glasslock containers. My husband bikes to work (pre-coronavirus) and has never had these containers leak. To prevent freezer burn fill up the container as much as possible in order to leave little room for air.

BREAKFAST & SNACK IDEAS:

Preparation and storage tip: Prepare each recipe according to the directions. If you have freezer room, I recommend doubling these recipes. It saves time in the long run! Cool everything completely prior to storing. For the muffins, granola, and cookies, I recommend storing them in a large plastic freezer bags. Make sure to remove as much air as possible to avoid freezer-burn. For the pancakes, I recommend layering small pieces of parchment or wax paper in between each one and then storing in a few smaller containers or one large plastic freezer bag (remove as much air as possible). To enjoy muffins, cookies, granola, or pancakes simply remove however much you and/or your family plan to eat from the freezer, place on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on the quantity. Enjoy granola straight from the freezer or let come to room temperature prior to eating. This granola recipe will also last up to 2 weeks in the pantry if you want to leave some out and freeze the rest.

It's the beginning of a new year and like most of you, I am thinking about ways I can better myself in 2018. The beginning of this year has been a little different from past ones. I didn't make a list of resolutions like I have done previously, instead I am focusing on a few major intentions I've set for myself. Since I'm all about transparency, let me share these personal intentions with you so you can help hold me accountable.

1) Invest more time into loving myself (key word: ACCEPT)

2) Worry less, enjoy more (key word: RELAX)

3) Spend time making nutritious food (key word: MEAL PREP)

4) Treat my body with respect and keep working towards better health (key word: RESPECT)

5) Love and care for those around me with intentionality (key word: LOVE)

The truth is, when I put myself first and take care of my needs by showing self-love, taking more time to relax/play, and devoting time to bettering my health through eating well, working out, sleeping more, and listening to my body, I have more genuine energy to love those around me well. Like me, I am sure some of you have chosen to focus on eating more nutrient dense, wholesome foods or maybe you've chosen to cook at home more often and eat out less. With this in mind, I thought it would be the perfect time to break down how I meal plan and prep on the weekends to help set myself up for success.

Step 1) PLAN

I know it sounds obvious, but without a plan you're going to spend a lot more money and time buying and preparing food. A lot of people simply head to the grocery store and think they will be inspired by the produce they see or simply try to "wing it", but that leads to higher grocery bills, little motivation, and vegetables rotting away in the refrigerator a week later. You see, meal planning is a crucial step to eating healthier on a budget! Here's my advice:

- Take inventory of what you already have on hand. Look through the refrigerator and freezer to see what produce and/or meat needs to get used up. This will help reduce waste and save money.

- Dedicate a certain block of time each week to browse your favorite websites, cookbooks, or Pinterest for recipes and/or ideas.

- Choose 4-6 meals for the week (depending on the size of your family). Choose at least 1 breakfast option, 1 lunch option and 2 dinner meals that you'll have leftovers from. A time saving trick when planning meals is to factor in at least two meals that use the same meat. For example, plan to slow cook a pork roast and use the pulled pork for tacos as well as served on top of sweet potatoes. Also, you don't always have to follow a recipe; simple meals are often better for people new to cooking. For example, lunch may simply be some grilled chicken with steamed broccoli and a baked sweet potato topped with coconut oil. Since I'm a nutritionist, I feel obligated to say something about seafood. If you like seafood try to aim for 2 servings of fish a week. There are some major nutrients in seafood that we don't get from other meats and it's important to keep variety in our diet. Otherwise make sure you're taking a quality cod liver oil supplement 3-4 times a week (the ones from generic stores aren't well sourced and could be doing more harm than good).

- Write out your grocery list. Multiple any recipes that need it in order to accommodate your family size; remember to bank on at least two leftover dinner nights. Break your list up by departments in the store (produce, dry goods, spices, dairy/eggs, meat, and freezer) to save time from running back and forth. I like to use the list app on my iPhone for groceries so I can check off that I've put the item in my cart and not have to carry around a pen and paper in the store.

- Next, formulate a plan for prepping your meals. Some tricks I generally use: If something needs to bake, start that recipe first so it can bake while you work on another recipe. Chop or dice all your vegetables (from all recipes) at one time and use designated prepping bowls. You'll save time by washing and chopping everything at once. If you have a slow cooker or Instant Pot recipe chosen for the week that you want to wait to make, prep as much as you can in advance, and store it in a large container or plastic bag so that you can easily start the slow cooker before work or cook the meal the evening of. Also, you don't have to prepare all your meals in advance. It's nice to save 1-3 dinner meals so you don't feel like you're eating leftovers every night (that is if you have time to cook during the weeknight).

- Set a date with your kitchen to meal prep. If you tend to get burnt out from grocery shopping, maybe it's best to shop and meal prep on separate days. Do what works best for you!

- Double check that you have the proper storage containers for your meals.

Step 2) TAKE ACTION

This is the part where most people stumble. You've made a plan and now it's time to execute it! You can do it! I promise the more times you stay true to your plan and follow through, the easier it becomes.

- Go shopping! Either physically go to the store and purchase your items, or shop online using the many online grocery shopping features.

- Start chopping, dicing, cooking, and baking! Follow the plan you formulated and use the designated time you've set aside to prepare your meals.

- Store meals in ready-to-go containers so you have less to deal with in the morning. If you have breakfast and lunch already portioned out you're more likely to actually eat it, and you'll be less frustrated when you chose to hit the snooze button in the morning.

This may sound like a lot at first, but I promise you that it gets easier! Remember if eating healthy and nutritious meals is a priority of yours, meal prep should be a blessing not a dreaded chore. If you've chosen to meal prep more often this year, I'd love to hear how it's going. Comment below or email me any questions you may have.

20 Freezer Friendly Meals + Storage Tips