Freezer meals can be the most convenient dinner meals but are daunting to make. Last October when we did our first Whole30, I decided to make some freezer meals. It was my first time trying it out and I was about as inefficient as possible. This time around I thought the steps through much more and was able to make 10 meals in 3 hours. If you can have uninterrupted time, this could be done in 2 hours.
My first step was to come up with the recipes to cook. I knew I wanted to do a mixture of different meats and use what we already had frozen so I ended up with 2 chicken recipes, 2 beef recipes, and 1 pork. I decided this time around it would be easier to just make 2 of each meal, so 5 recipes x2. Here's what I decided on. All meals are gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
Paleo Minestrone Soup
Brazilian Curry Chicken
Enchilada Chicken Stew
Squeaky Clean Boeuf Bourgignon
Thai Curry with Beef (I used panang curry instead)
I then made a spreadsheet with the ingredients that I would need. I left off spices since I had all of those already. I ended up with a master shopping list that I then doubled.
When I went to the store I spent $33 which included some produce for the week too. All the meat I already had in my freezer.
Here's my process:
- Write the recipe name, date, and additional instructions on your large freezer Ziplocs before you start in sharpie. Make sure this includes cook time!
- Line up your Ziploc bags on the counter propped open with the duplicates together.
- Have all the printed recipes next to you on the counter.
- Start with veggies so your bags have weight to them and stay open. Chop, slice, dice or cut according to one recipe. Make sure to cross of whatever you've just done from the recipe. This may not seem necessary at the beginning but later on you won't remember where your at.
- Next add in spices. If you add a bit extra that's okay. I find that some of the spices often stick to the bags when your emptying them out.
- Now is liquids. At this point you need to use your discretion on if the liquids will fit or not. It's okay to just write "Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can chicken broth" to the front of the bag. Just make sure the can's to add are items you stock on hand all the time so you'll have it when you need it.
- Add frozen meat or seared meat, according to the recipe.
- Remove as much air as possible and seal Ziplocs. Place in freezer for another day!
- Clean-up! I don't clean-up as I go since that just adds more time. I've found that when I did clean-up as I went, I put away items I ended up needing for another recipes. I do toss dirty dishes in the sink but that's about it.
Tips:
- Grocery shop the day before otherwise it's very overwhelming. Most items don't need to be refrigerated so just leave it all on the counter.
- Do like items together. Peel all your carrots, turnips, etc at the same time.
- Use a food processor or blender to "dice" your onions to save time. Make sure to read each recipe though to see if you need to slice or chunk them instead.
- Most of these recipes don't require the meat to be pre-cooked so if it's already frozen, you don't need to do anything else to it. To make sure I don't forget it, I place my sealed frozen meat inside my large ziplocs with the other ingredients.
- When you put it in the freezer, laying them flat on their side takes the least space but make sure it will fit in your slow cooker that way.
I survived the Whole30 except for the fact that I stopped on day 28. My biggest hurdle was eating out either at restaurants or other peoples houses. It's very apparent to me that unless someone else eats Paleo, they don't understand what foods I can eat. I only made it to day 28 because it was my sisters birthday dinner at my parents house. I was told I could eat everything. The ribs were coated in BBQ sauce which contained sugar, there were potato chips, the twice baked potatoes contained cream, and the dessert was creme brûlée. There was a fruit salad which was great but as hard as I wanted to, everything wasn't Whole30 compliant. I did choose not to add extra BBQ sauce but in the end, did that really make much of a difference?
So day 1 post Whole30, I was craving sugar. I think knowing that I can know have it makes it even more tempting. I decided a batch of Peanut Butter Cookies was the way to go. After 1 cookie, I felt like crap. The good thing is that I didn't eat another cookie and can now see how the sugar effects me so quickly.
This week when sitting down and planning my menu, I didn't even realize all but one of my meals was Whole30 compliant again. For the most part, our dinner meals do meet the Whole30 guidelines with the occasional added sweetener. I really wanted Butternut Squash Risotto this week, so we are having it! I did find that I have the ingredients for these meals without going to the store which will help clean out my fridge, pantry and freezer and save me money. I do still need to go to the store for bananas and milk for baby boy but otherwise it should be a low cost week.
Menu Planning
Week of 2/2/15-2/9/15
Monday: Baked Trout Saratoga with Carrot & Parsnip Puree
Tuesday: Leftovers, Hubby is gone
Wednesday: Paleo Shepard's Pie from Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods: 100+ Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes
Thursday: Braised Beef, Artichokes, & Peas from Mediterranean Paleo Cooking: Over 150 Fresh Coastal Recipes for a Relaxed, Gluten-Free Lifestyle
Friday: Chorizo Meatloaf with mashed sweet potatoes
Saturday: Butternut Squash Risotto (made without the cheese)
Sunday: Crockpot French Onion Soup from The Paleo Kitchen: Finding Primal Joy in Modern Cooking
