Freezer Meals 101

Less time cooking, more time living

Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Freezer Meal

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I’m always on the lookout for new recipes that can be made ahead. This Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp is actually my friend Tanya’s recipe. When she told me that it worked as a freezer meal, I was super excited. Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Freezer Meal #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #seafoodrecipes #whatsfordinnerYou can make this recipe ahead and freeze it. Combine that with the Instant Pot and this meal will be ready in no time!

By adjusting the seasonings, you can choose the spice level for this dish.

Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Recipe:

  • 2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp
  • 1 cup pulverized breadcrumbs (to make this gluten free, use 1/2 cup almond or coconut flour)
  • 5 gloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger (peeled and minced)*
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • Himalayan salt to taste
  • black pepper (ground) to taste
  • optional: 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust to preference, if you like it spicy)

*if you don’t have fresh ginger, use 1 tsp. ground ginger

Wet ingredients:

2 Tbsp. coconut oil plus 2 more Tbsp. for day of cooking
2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is preferred) Assembly instructions:

1. Throw everything in a gallon-sized resealable freezer bag.
2. Mix it well.
3. Freeze, laying flat.

On the day of cooking:

1. Take out of freezer to defrost (or place in sink with water for 20 minutes).
2. Turn Instant Pot on and press the button “Sauté.”
3. Put 2 Tbsp. coconut oil and let it heat up.
4. Empty the bag contents into the Instant Pot.
5. Using a spoon, turn shrimp around for a couple of minutes.
6. Place the lid (make sure it is in seal).
7. Turn Sauté off and turn it on to the setting “Manual.”
8. Set time to 8 minutes (if fully thawed). If it is still frozen, set it to 12 minutes.
9. Let it cook and natural release.
10. When done, serve over rice or lettuce or spinach.

Check out these other seafood freezer meals:

Seafood Curry Pasta 

Make Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa 

Garlic Butter Shrimp 

Print
Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp
  • 1 cup pulverized breadcrumbs to make this gluten free, use 1/2 cup almond or coconut flour
  • 5 gloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger peeled and minced*
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • Himalayan salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper optional: adjust to preference, if you like it spicy
Wet ingredients:
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil plus 2 more Tbsp. for day of cooking
  • 2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice fresh is preferred
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Throw everything in a gallon-sized resealable freezer bag.
  2. Mix it well.
  3. Freeze, laying flat.
On the day of cooking:
  1. Take out of freezer to defrost (or place in sink with water for 20 minutes).
  2. Turn Instant Pot on and press the button "Sauté."
  3. Put 2 Tbsp. coconut oil and let it heat up.
  4. Empty the bag contents into the Instant Pot.
  5. Using a spoon, turn shrimp around for a couple of minutes.
  6. Place the lid (make sure it is in seal).
  7. Turn Sauté off and turn it on to the setting "Manual."
  8. Set time to 8 minutes (if fully thawed). If it is still frozen, set it to 12 minutes.
  9. Let it cook and natural release.
  10. 10. When done, serve over rice or lettuce or spinach.
Recipe Notes

*if you don't have fresh ginger, use 1 tsp. ground ginger

Mahjong Chicken Dump Recipe

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This easy to make recipe has a unique flavour. We call it Mahjong Chicken and it’s a must-try.

Using the dump recipe method, this meal can be assembled in minutes and then frozen. It can be cooked in the crock pot or in the oven.

Mahjong Chicken with rice and broccoli saladMy neighbour and I loved the taste of this recipe, but we weren’t sure what to call it. Given some of the Asian flavours like the fish sauce, Chinese 5 spice, and thai sweet chili sauce, we decided to name it Mahjong after the game that originated in China.

Mahjong Chicken Dump Recipe:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (alternately, you can use 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup thai sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large resealable freezer bag, place the chicken breasts and then dump all the other ingredients on top.
  2. Squish to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air before sealing the bag. Freeze.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a casserole dish and bake covered at 350° for 55 minutes.

Crock pot cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place chicken and sauce into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Suggested side dishes for Mahjong Chicken:

You can find other simple to make chicken recipes in our Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook. It includes printable labels and grocery lists, making it easier than ever to get dinner on the table. 

Print
Mahjong Chicken
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken, chicken dump
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup thai sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic minced
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. In a large resealable freezer bag, place the chicken breasts and then dump all the other ingredients on top.
  2. Squish to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air before sealing the bag. Freeze.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a casserole dish and bake covered at 350° for 55 minutes.
Crock pot cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place chicken and sauce into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Recipe Notes

Instead of chicken breasts, you can use 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.

Some of our other easy chicken freezer meals for you:

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Recipe 

Kid Friendly Freezer Meals

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One of the concerns a lot of moms have about diving into freezer cooking is whether or not their kids will actually eat the meals. I completely understand!

I’m the mom of 7 kids and there are a few very picky eaters in the bunch. The last thing you want is to spend all that time and money making freezer meals and then have your kids refuse to eat them.

These kid friendly freezer meals will quickly become family favourites. #freezermeals101 #freezermeals #easyfamilyrecipes #weekdaymealsObviously, you know your kids best. If they refuse to eat mushrooms, don’t choose recipes full of mushrooms (or get sneaky and blend them well!). If they are sensitive to spice, tone down the spices called for in the recipe.

I find that there are some generalities when it comes to food that appeals to children. If it has pizza flavours or tater tots or can be eaten with their hands or is served on a bun, then most kids like it.

This list may include recipes that you know at a glance won’t work for your kids because you know their preferences. Skip those of course. But I’m pretty sure you’ll find some freezer meals kids will actually eat on this list.

Kid Friendly Freezer Meals:

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole – Generally, kids love pizza and pasta and this has both.

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole – Tater tots and pizza is a combination made with kids in mind.

Tater Tot Casserole – This is hands-down my kids’ favourite meal.They would eat it every day if they could. I wish it had some veggies in it!

Italian Meatballs Tater Tot Casserole from Premeditated Leftovers

Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos – Tacos are a surefire win with my kids!

Best Ever Freezer Meal Spaghetti Sauce – It’s hard to go wrong with spaghetti.

Buffalo Chicken (made on slider buns) – My kids completely devoured these!

BBQ Pulled Pork – This is great for hot summer days because it cooks in the crock pot. I usually bring this freezer meal camping with us.

KFC Style Chicken – Your kids will be amazed that you were able to make KFC chicken at home.

Chicken Pasta Bake – This pasta bake is comfort food at its finest.

Make Ahead Apple Pork Chops – This recipe is a good introduction to pork chops for kids because of its subtle sweet flavour.

Lemon Garlic Chicken – This SUPER easy to make chicken dish has mild flavours and goes over well with little ones.

Apple Maple Chicken – This dish offers enough sweetness to be eaten without complaint.

Homemade Mini Corn Dogs on Moms Need to Know

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Pizza Casserole from The Chaos and The Clutter (skip the mushrooms in that one if you have kids who don’t eat mushrooms)

Chicken Strips from Happy Money Saver – Homemade chicken strips are less expensive and healthier than the frozen store bought variety.

Sloppy Joes from The Chaos and The Clutter – I have childhood memories of eating Sloppy Joes in my mom’s kitchen and now, my kids will have memories of eating my recipe.

Turkey Sloppy Joes – I call these the gateway recipe for ground turkey!

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken with Garlic Mayo – We all love this recipe. The garlic mayo really makes it.

Easy Chicken and Veggie Casserole – The crispy onion topping is what makes this one so family friendly.

Kid Friendly Italian Biscuit Cups from Make Ahead Meal Mom

Chicken Alfredo Bake over on Make Ahead Meal Mom

Homemade Frozen Pizza at The Recipe Rebel

Homemade Pizza Pockets from The Girl on Bloor

Make things easy with the Kid Friendly Freezer Meal Plan. It includes make ahead recipes kids will love along with shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels. 

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

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A cold day is the perfect time for this Instant Pot white chicken chili. It’s hearty, yet light. This recipe freezes beautifully, so it’s great to make ahead and pull out on busy weekdays. Instant Pot White Chicken Chili that's freezer friendly #freezermeals101 #makeaheadmeals #chili #instantpotrecipes

Growing up, we only ever had beef chili. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of chicken chili until a few years ago. Although regular chili is still a comfort food for me, in some ways, I prefer the less heavy chicken chili.

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 onion, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 -1 cup red salsa
1/4-1/2 cup salsa verde (green)
1-2 small cans of diced green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 cups chicken broth
3-4 cans of white beans (I like white kidney beans)

Instructions:

  1. Chop the veggies and cube the chicken.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function.
  3. Add the olive oil to allow it to heat up. Next, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.
  4. Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add the taco seasoning, green chilies, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red and green salsas.
  6. Pour in the chicken broth. If you like your chili to have a more liquid consistency (similar to a soup), then add 2 cups. If you like it thicker like traditional chili, then just use 1 cup.
  7. Add the beans. Give it a stir to mix everything together.
  8. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is closed. Set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
  9. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Afterwards, open the vent to release the remaining pressure.
  10. Sprinkle with your favourite toppings.

Freezer instructions:

  1. Allow the food to cool a bit.
  2. Place it in a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag. Take out the air, seal, and freeze. Or you can put it in smaller freezer bags to create individual portions.
  3. Take out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a large stovetop pot.

Optional toppings for White Chicken Chili:

  • avocado
  • guacamole
  • tortilla chip strips
  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream
  • diced tomatoes
  • green onions
  • hot sauce
  • extra salsa

Check out some of our other Instant Pot comfort meals:

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes 

Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos Instant Pot Tomato Soup 

Print
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 -1 cup red salsa
  • 1/4-1/2 cup salsa verde
  • 1-2 small cans of diced green chilies
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1-2 cups chicken broth
  • 3-4 cans of white beans
Instructions
Instructions:
  1. Chop the veggies and cube the chicken.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function.
  3. Add the olive oil to allow it to heat up. Next, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.
  4. Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add the taco seasoning, green chilies, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red and green salsas.
  6. Pour in the chicken broth. If you like your chili to have a more liquid consistency (similar to a soup), then add 2 cups. If you like it thicker like traditional chili, then just use 1 cup.
  7. Add the beans. Give it a stir to mix everything together.
  8. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is closed. Set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
  9. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Afterwards, open the vent to release the remaining pressure.
  10. Sprinkle with your favourite toppings.
Freezer instructions:
  1. Allow the food to cool a bit.
  2. Place it in a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag. Take out the air, seal, and freeze. Or you can put it in smaller freezer bags to create individual portions.
  3. Take out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a large stovetop pot.
Recipe Notes

Optional toppings for White Chicken Chili: avocado, guacamole, tortilla chip strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, green onions, hot sauce, extra salsa

Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears

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Serve these pork chops topped with spice pears to your kids and you’ll get no complaints. With ingredients like cinnamon and vanilla, it’s practically dessert for supper!

Make Ahead Spiced Pear Pork Chops #glutenfree #freezermeals101 #makeaheadmeals #familyfriendlyrecipes #easyfamilymeals #freezercookingThis meal can be made ahead and frozen. That makes for an easy supper midweek when you have a crazy busy schedule. No one will suspect how easy it was to cook.

This recipe requires slightly more prep than most of our freezer meal recipes do to make the sauce, but it’s worth it. I do recommend that because of this, you make several of this recipe at once. It takes just a minute or two more to cut more pears and the rest of the steps take the same amount of time whether you make one meal or four.

If you take that extra minute or two, you’ll be able to pull one of these out for supper every few weeks. It’s such a nice feeling knowing that there are meals ready to go in your freezer!

Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears Recipe:

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 ripe pears, peeled and chopped
  • 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless center cut pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

For cooking:

  • 1 tsp. olive oil

Assembly instructions:

  1. Peel, de-seed, and chop the pears.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add the prepared pears, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
  4. Cook, stirring and mashing the pears continuously, until the “sauce” is thick and the pears are tender. This will take about 7-9 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool while you prepare the pork chops.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon, salt, paprika and pepper.
  7. Rub the spice mixture over the pork.
  8. Place the pork in a large resealable freezer safe bag or a silicone reusable freezer bag. Seal.
  9. Place the spiced pear topping in a medium sized freezer bag and seal.
  10. Staple the medium bag to the one containing the pork chops. Be sure to staple above the seal to avoid leaks.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag duo out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook them until well browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Top with the sauce and cover for a minute to allow the sauce to warm.
  3. Serve. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley if desired.

This easy family recipe is gluten free and dairy free, making it versatile for many diets.

Suggested side dishes for pork chops:

Looking for other easy family freezer meals? Our Family Favourites Meal Plan includes recipes, shopping lists, and printable labels to take the guesswork out of dinners. 

Print
Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears Recipe
Prep Time
11 mins
Cook Time
13 mins
Total Time
24 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: pork chops
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 ripe pears peeled and chopped
  • 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless center cut pork chops 1/2 inch thick
For cooking:
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel, de-seed, and chop the pears.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add the prepared pears, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
  4. Cook, stirring and mashing the pears continuously, until the "sauce" is thick and the pears are tender. This will take about 7-9 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool while you prepare the pork chops.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon, salt, paprika and pepper.
  7. Rub the spice mixture over the pork.
  8. Place the pork in a large resealable freezer safe bag or a silicone reusable freezer bag. Seal.
  9. Place the spiced pear topping in a medium sized freezer bag and seal.
  10. Staple the medium bag to the one containing the pork chops. Be sure to staple above the seal to avoid leaks.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag duo out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook them until well browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Top with the sauce and cover for a minute to allow the sauce to warm.
  3. Serve.

Our other make ahead pork chop recipes:

Simple Marinated Pork Chops Apple Pork Chops