What we love most about freezer meals is that although there is some prep time involved, it makes meal time a snap. Just thaw your freezer meal, put it in the slow cooker, and voilà! Dinner is served.
They’re also perfect for those times when an unexpected guest comes to town and you might not have the energy or time to run to the grocery store and start cooking up a storm.
Plus, freezer meals can make healthy eating more affordable, because you can buy in bulk without worrying that your meat or veggies will go bad before you use them, resulting in wasted money and food. And yet another bonus: You can keep these meals in the freezer for up to three months.
Whether you’re a freezer meal pro or you’ve never tried it before, give these three recipes a go. They’re all D.TOX-friendly, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free — and deliciously tasty.
Tips Before You Start
- Use a permanent marker to label your storage bag with the date you froze the meal, the “use by” date, the name of the meal, the ingredients used, and instructions for thawing and cooking.
- Don’t overfill the freezer bag.
- Portion out your meals into multiple bags to suit your desired serving size if you have a smaller household. Or, consider doubling or tripling the recipes if you have a larger family or want to increase the amount you have stocked.
- Stack bags flat on top of each other to save on freezer space.
Chicken Fajita Freezer Meal
Makes six servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours
Ingredients
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbs. garlic, minced
- 1 tbs. raw honey
- 2 tbs. apple-cider vinegar
- 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbs. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
Directions
To freeze:
- Add all of the ingredients to a zip-lock or reusable freezer bag.
- Push as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in freezer for up to three months.
To cook:
- Move the freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw the night before cooking.
- The day of cooking, pour the contents of the freezer bag into a crockpot and cook on the low setting for six hours or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Shred the chicken and serve.
Nutritional Info: Calories: 225 | Sugar: 4g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 2g | Protein: 35g
Beef Roast Freezer Meal
Makes six servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours
Ingredients
- 2 lb. boneless beef chuck shoulder roast
- 4 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbs. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbs. liquid smoke
- 1 tbs. sea salt
- 1 tbs. brown sugar
- 1 tbs. garlic powder
- 1 tbs. smoked paprika
Directions
To freeze:
- Add all of the ingredients to a zip-lock or reusable freezer bag.
- Push as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in freezer for up to three months.
To cook:
- Move the freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw the night before cooking.
- The day of cooking, pour the contents of the freezer bag into a crockpot and cook on the low setting for eight hours or until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Nutritional Info: Calories: 395 | Sugar: 7g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 29g
Chicken Curry Freezer Meal
Makes eight servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours
Ingredients
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bag frozen peas
- 2 tbs. garlic, minced
- 3 tbs. raw honey
- 2 tbs. curry powder
- 1 tbs. cumin
Directions
To freeze:
- Add all of the ingredients to a zip-lock or reusable freezer bag.
- Push as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in freezer for up to three months.
To cook:
- Move the freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw the night before cooking.
- The day of cooking, pour the contents of the freezer bag into a crockpot and cook on the low setting for six hours or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Nutritional Info: Calories: 275 | Sugar: 12g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 30g