Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer Meal Recipes

Marry Me, Chicken {freezer meal}

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This skillet chicken recipe is good enough to marry! Ok, I know that traditionally it’s known as Marry Me Chicken because it’s supposed to inspire marriage proposals with it’s tastiness, but for those of you not looking for a proposal, you may just want to marry this chicken after you try it!

With it’s rich and bold flavours, you’ll soon be a raving fan. The best part is that we’ve transformed this recipe into a freezer meal. So you can make it up ahead and it’s ready to cook up when you need it.

blue plate with chicken, carrots, broccoli, tomato, and squash with text that reads "Marry Me, Chicken (for those who really love their chicken)"When we make freezer meals, my neighbour Christie is the one who creates the labels. When I sent her the list for our last meal assembly session, she made a new label that added the comma to make it Marry Me, Chicken. She also added the cheeky description “for those who really love their chicken”!

I suggest making several of these at once. You won’t regret having more than one in the freezer. It’s special enough to serve when you have dinner guests.

Marry Me, Chicken Recipe:

  • 3-5 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  •  1 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp. basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For cooking:

  • fresh basil
  • Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag. Dump in the remaining ingredients.
  2. Remove all the air that you can from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 24-27 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
  3. If desired, garnish with fresh basil and more shredded Parmesan cheese.

What to serve with Marry Me, Chicken:

Print
Marry Me, Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken, marry me chicken
Ingredients
  • 3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp. basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
For cooking:
  • fresh basil
  • Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag. Dump in the remaining ingredients.
  2. Remove all the air that you can from the bag, seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 24-27 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
  3. If desired, garnish with fresh basil and more shredded Parmesan cheese.

You may also like these other chicken freezer meals:

Easy Chicken Marsala

Kung Pao Chicken

Easiest Butter Chicken

Double Caramel Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These ooey-gooey double caramel stuffed white chocolate chip cookies taste as good as they sound! Make the cookie batter ahead and freeze. Then whenever a craving hits, you can pull out as many as you want and enjoy freshly baked cookies.

blue plate piled with cookies and one with a bite from it sits on the counter in front with text that reads "Caramel white chocolate chip cookies"These double caramel stuffed cookies are decadent enough that they can easily be used for holiday baking or gift giving. If you’re a fan of cookies that are nice and soft on the inside, you’re going to love these!

Double Caramel Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups PLUS 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup caramel bits
  • 30 caramel squares

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Place butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and continue beating for another minute.
  3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Incorporate fully, then add the remaining half and beat until combined.
  5. Stir in the white chocolate chips and caramel bits, then place dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  6. Use a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop to portion out the dough and wrap each dough ball around an unwrapped caramel square.
  7. Place the caramel stuffed dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze.
  8. Once frozen, transfer them to a large resealable bag or freezer safe container. Seal and place back into the freezer.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Take out as many dough balls as you would like and place them on a cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden.

Your caramel cravings will never have to go unrequited again!

Print
Double Caramel Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Course: Dessert
Keyword: caramel stuffed cookies, cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup caramel bits
  • 30 caramel squares
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Place butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and continue beating for another minute.
  3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Incorporate fully, then add the remaining half and beat until combined.
  5. Stir in the white chocolate chips and caramel bits, then place dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  6. Use a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop to portion out the dough and wrap each dough ball around an unwrapped caramel square.
  7. Place the caramel stuffed dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze.
  8. Once frozen, transfer them to a large resealable bag or freezer safe container. Seal and place back into the freezer.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Take out as many dough balls as you would like and place them on a cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden.

You might also enjoy these make ahead recipes:

Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins

Make Ahead Freezer Smoothie Bags

Buffalo Ranch Cauliflower and Broccoli Freezer Side Dish

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It is so nice to be able to pull a side dish out of the freezer. More and more, I’m finding that I am making sides when we do our freezer meal sessions. This Buffalo Ranch Cauliflower and Broccoli recipe is simple, yet handy to have.

This side dish is low carb, keto friendly, and gluten free. My husband is on a keto diet on and off, so I’m always on the lookout for keto recipes like our Lemon Mustard Chicken, Tequila Lime Shrimp, and Instant Pot Bone Broth. It’s nice to have these vegetables that can easily go with those meals.

roasted broccoli and cauliflower are on a blue plate with fish and white rice with text that reads "Buffalo Broccoli and Cauliflower make ahead side dish"

Even though this recipe uses hot sauce, the end result isn’t very spicy because it’s offset by the Ranch. This makes it a bit more kid-friendly…that is of course if you can get your kids to eat broccoli and cauliflower!

When our kids were younger, we called them “trees” and “winter trees”. That seems to go over a bit better. They actually seemed to want to eat their “mini trees”, well, until after that first bite anyway!

Buffalo Ranch Broccoli and Cauliflower Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups each cauliflower and broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Frank’s Red Hot sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. dry Ranch dressing mix

Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and broccoli with the hot sauce, olive oil, and dry dressing mix.
  2. When the vegetables are well coated, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 45 minutes and then transfer them into a large resealable bag*. Remove the excess air and freeze.

*Pro tip: We like to buy the broccoli and cauliflower frozen in resealable bags from the store. That way, after we assemble this dish, we can put the vegetables back into those same bags, reseal, and store in the freezer. From the outside, it will just look like a bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower, but it will already be seasoned and ready to cook. You can label it with a permanent marker if you want. I like reusing the bags because it creates less waste.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the frozen broccoli and cauliflower in a single layer on top.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the vegetables over and place them back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
  4. Serve beside your favourite main dishes or as a potluck side dish.

What to serve the buffalo broccoli and cauliflower with:

Print
Buffalo Ranch Broccoli and Cauliflower
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: broccoli and cauliflower, buffalo cauliflower
Ingredients
  • 3 1/2 cups each cauliflower and broccoli florets fresh or frozen
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Frank's Red Hot sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. dry Ranch dressing mix
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and broccoli with the hot sauce, olive oil, and dry dressing mix.
  2. When the vegetables are well coated, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 45 minutes and then transfer them into a large resealable bag*. Remove the excess air and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the frozen broccoli and cauliflower in a single layer on top.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the vegetables over and place them back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
  4. Serve beside your favourite main dishes or as a potluck side dish.
Recipe Notes

*Pro tip: We like to buy the broccoli and cauliflower frozen in resealable bags from the store. That way, after we assemble this dish, we can put the vegetables back into those same bags, reseal, and store in the freezer. From the outside, it will just look like a bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower, but it will already be seasoned and ready to cook. You can label it with a permanent marker if you want. 

Check out these other make ahead side dishes:

Garlic Bread

Honey Maple Glazed Carrots

Rice Pilaf

Instant Pot Shrimp Boil (Freezer Meal)

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Years ago, a friend of mine from Maryland brought me a package of Old Bay Seasoning Mix. Although I had seen it on store shelves, I had never tried it before. I soon researched what type of recipes one makes with this type of seasoning and discovered that it’s perfect for seafood dishes such as this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil.

a pressure cooker and green herbs in the background and a jar of Old Bay seasoning with a bowl of corn, shrimp, and sausage and text reads "Instant Pot Shrimp Boil"A magical pairing is freezer meals with the Instant Pot such as with our Breaded Red Curry Shrimp, Easy Italian Chicken and Vegetables, and Beef Taco Soup. With this shrimp boil recipe, I’ve included instructions both for making it directly in the pressure cooker or for making it ahead of time as a freezer meal and then cooking it in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Shrimp Boil Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 4 cobs corn, split in three pieces each
  • 6 sausage links, chopped
  • 2 cups water or beer
  • 3 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 cups shrimp, peeled and deveined

For cooking day:

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 6 medium potatoes, diced

Make Ahead Assembly Instructions:

  1. Place chopped onion, garlic, corn cob pieces, sausage chunks, seasoning, and water or beer into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal.
  2. Put the shrimp in a medium freezer bag. Remove air and seal. Staple above the seal to the large bag.
  3. Freeze.

Make Ahead Cooking Instructions:

  1. Take the bags out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Place the oil in the Instant Pot.
  3. Dump the contents of the large bag in. Add the potatoes.
  4. Secure the lid and select the manual setting for 9 minutes.
  5. Do the quick release.
  6. Add the shrimp and cook for another minute on the manual setting.
  7. Quick release.

This video shows how to make this meal if you want to make it straight into the Instant Pot rather than doing it as a freezer meal.

Straight to the Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Place the oil in the Instant Pot and set to the sauté setting.
  2. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and cook for two minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute before turning off the Instant Pot.
  4. Add the sausages, followed by the potatoes and corn.
  5. Sprinkle in the Old Bay seasoning and the water or beer.
  6. Secure the lid and select the manual setting for 8 minutes. Quick release.
  7. Add the shrimp and cook for an additional minute on manual setting. Quick release.
Print
Instant Pot Shrimp Boil
Course: Main Course
Keyword: shrimp, shrimp boil
Ingredients
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 tsp. garlic minced
  • 4 cobs corn split in three
  • 6 sausage links chopped
  • 2 cups water or beer
  • 3 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 cups shrimp peeled and deveined
For cooking day:
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 6 medium potatoes diced
Instructions
Make Ahead Assembly Instructions:
  1. Place chopped onion, garlic, corn cob pieces, sausage chunks, seasoning, and water or beer into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal.
  2. Put the shrimp in a medium freezer bag. Remove air and seal. Staple above the seal to the large bag.
  3. Freeze.
Make Ahead Cooking Instructions:
  1. Take the bags out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Place the oil in the Instant Pot.
  3. Dump the contents of the large bag in. Add the potatoes.
  4. Secure the lid and select the manual setting for 9 minutes.
  5. Do the quick release.
  6. Add the shrimp and cook for another minute on the manual setting.
  7. Quick release.
Straight to the Instant Pot Instructions:
  1. Place the oil in the Instant Pot and set to the sauté setting.
  2. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and cook for two minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute before turning off the Instant Pot.
  4. Add the sausages, followed by the potatoes and corn.
  5. Sprinkle in the Old Bay seasoning and the water or beer.
  6. Secure the lid and select the manual setting for 8 minutes. Quick release.
  7. Add the shrimp and cook for an additional minute on manual setting. Quick release.

Check out these easy make ahead Instant Pot meals:

Hawaiian Chicken in the Instant Pot

White Chicken Chili

Pizza Casserole

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore {freezer meal}

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You won’t believe how easy this crock pot Chicken Cacciatore is! It has only 5 ingredients but it tastes so fresh and delicious. You can make it ahead as a freezer meal. Combining a freezer meal with the crock pot is a match made in heaven. Save time and money. Win-win!

Our family likes Italian flavours. I often make a different version of chicken cacciatore when I’m making my freezer meals, but that one is a bit more involved. It requires cubing the chicken and has more ingredients. When I’m in a hurry or wanting to make as many meals as possible as quickly as possible, I opt for this easy crock pot chicken cacciatore recipe instead.

large spoon scooping out a red sauce covered chicken breast from a slow cooker with text that reads "Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore" Chicken Cacciatore is traditionally served over pasta, but it can also be served over rice or polenta if you prefer or if you are on a keto or low carb diet.

Why is it called Chicken Cacciatore?

I have to admit that it is a unique name for a dish. The word “cacciatore” means hunter in Italian and apparently, it was hunters who first made this. It was likely made not with chicken in those early years, but with rabbit or other wild game they caught. This was back in the Renaissance so other meat would have been more commonly available.

Chicken cacciatore is sometimes mixed up with chicken parmesan. The easiest way to be able to tell the difference is that cheese is involved where chicken parmesan is referenced, whereas with cacciatore, there is no cheese.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
  2. Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
  3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.
  4. Serve over your choice of pasta noodles. We usually use penne or rotini, but a long noodle is fine too.

You can throw this together so quickly that you might as well make more than one at a time. Just prop the bags open by folding the top over and setting them open on the counter. Line the bags up and then add the chicken to each one before dumping in the rest of the ingredients. This chicken dump recipe couldn’t be easier!

There is a lot of versatility with this recipe because you can use your choice of pasta sauce, swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs, and serve it on your favourite type of pasta.

This is such a family friendly dish. Between being able to make it ahead and just pull it out of the freezer and the fact that it cooks in the crock pot, it’s truly a stress free dinner. When we’re in a rush, we just keep this in the slow cooker and have the kids load a bit of pasta on their plate and then scoop the cacciatore right from the crock pot. You can can use whatever variety of pasta sauce you prefer. Experiment and see which you like best. We usually just go for a simple basil, but it’s also good with a pasta sauce with mushrooms or the spicy or chunky vegetables. Give a few of them a try and let me know which you liked best.

Print
Easy Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken, chicken cacciatore
Ingredients
  • 3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1 zucchini coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup onion chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large, resealable freezer bag.
  2. Dump the other ingredients in the bag.
  3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Freeze flat.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump bag contents into the slow cooker.

  3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Ensure that chicken is cooked through before serving.

  4. Serve over your choice of pasta noodles.

You might also like these easy freezer meals:

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Easy Chicken Marsala