Freezer Meals 101

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make-ahead

The Best Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins

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These make ahead pancake mini muffins are wonderful to have in the freezer. My youngest daughter loves having some of these as an after school snack. The other kids prefer having them for breakfast, but no matter when they eat them, they are a hit!

Make Ahead Breakfast Pancake Mini Muffins #freezermeals #breakfast

I like to make these pancake mini muffins in large batches. This is why I usually double or triple the recipe. I bake them and whatever is left after the kids get their hands on them, goes into freezer bags and is frozen. That way, you have an ultra-fast breakfast ready whenever you need them.

The best thing about this pancake mini muffin recipe is how easy it is to customize them and create different variations.

Topping and filling suggestions for mini pancake muffins:

  • chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
  • blueberries
  • raspberries
  • strawberries
  • bananas
  • apple pie filling
  • coconut
  • brown sugar and cinnamon
  • cinnamon sugar
  • lemon juice and icing sugar
  • dried fruit
  • Nutella
  • syrup
  • jam or jelly
  • honey
  • sprinkles
  • nuts
  • sausage
  • bacon
  • turkey bacon
  • cheese
  • goat cheese and rosemary
  • ricotta and honey
  • peanut butter
  • peanut butter and banana
  • caramel
  • apple sauce
  • yogurt
  • lemon curd

Mini Pancake Muffin Recipe:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • toppings or fillings of your choice

*If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, add 2 Tbsp. of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes before including it in the recipe.

In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Grease mini muffin tins. Use a spoon or cookie dough scoop to fill the muffin tin compartments 2/3 of the way full. Add any toppings you wish at this point. For ours, I added chocolate chips to some, blueberries to some, coconut to some, and brown sugar and cinnamon to the others.

Bake in 400° oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve as they are or dip in syrup.

Once the pancake mini muffins are cooled, place them in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air and freeze. When you want to eat them, take out as many as you want and reheat in the microwave, being sure to reseal the bag well.

Some of my kids prefer to eat their mini pancake muffins cold, so experiment to find which you prefer. These are great for packing in school lunches, as snacks or for busy morning breakfasts.

To dip or not to dip:

I am half French Canadian. Traditional French Canadian food basically makes sugar a food group! Seriously, there’s Tarte au Sucre (which translates directly into Sugar Pie!), crepes with maple syrup and brown sugar, taffy, tourquettes (made by pouring boiling maple syrup over snow), and butter tarts.

So if you’re French Canadian and you have the option of adding brown sugar or syrup to something or preferably both (!), the answer is always yes.

Obviously, these are healthier without the extra sugar of dipping them in syrup, but I dip mine. The only mini pancakes I wouldn’t recommend dipping are the ones with more savoury toppings like goat cheese and rosemary.

Some of my kids are dippers while others prefer to eat these plain. Ultimately, the choice of whether to dip your little pancakes or not to is entirely up to you.

Print
Mini Pancake Muffin Recipe
These make ahead pancake mini muffins are wonderful to have in the freezer.
Servings: 6
Calories: 309 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. butter melted
  • toppings or fillings of your choice
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
  4. Grease mini muffin tins.
  5. Use a spoon or cookie dough scoop to fill the muffin tin compartments 2/3 of the way full.
  6. Add any toppings you wish at this point.
  7. Bake in 400° oven for 10-12 minutes.
  8. Serve as they are or dip in syrup.
  9. Once the pancake mini muffins are cooled, place them in a large resealable freezer bag.

  10. Remove excess air and freeze.

  11. When you want to eat them, take out as many as you want and reheat in the microwave, being sure to reseal the bag.

Recipe Notes

*If you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 2 Tbsp. of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes before including it in the recipe.

Mini pancake muffin topping and filling suggestions: • chocolate chips or white chocolate chips • blueberries • raspberries • strawberries • bananas • apple pie filling • coconut • brown sugar and cinnamon • lemon juice and icing sugar • dried fruit • Nutella • syrup • jam or jelly • sprinkles • nuts • sausage • bacon • cheese • peanut butter • caramel • lemon curd

You can find other make ahead breakfast recipes as well as the printable shopping lists and labels in our Breakfast Freezer Meal Plan.

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Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal

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These make ahead beef fajitas are an easy freezer meal to put together. You can serve the fajitas with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal

I buy the beef already sliced into stir fry strips to save time, but you can also buy any tender beef (such as sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, or rib eye) and slice it yourself to save money. The assembly of this recipe is so fast once you have the peppers and onions sliced that it makes the most sense to make two or four meals at a time. Just open the bags on the counter and dump the ingredients in.

Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal Recipe:

1 lb. beef stir fry strips
1 onion, sliced
2 cups red and yellow peppers, sliced
1 cup salsa
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

To assemble this freezer meal, add the raw beef stir fry strips, sliced onion, sliced red and yellow peppers, salsa, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Stir fry in skillet over high heat on stovetop until meat is cooked through. This really doesn’t take long at all especially if the beef strips are thin.

Serve in flour tortillas. If you want, you can top the fajitas with sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro, or guacamole.

If you like things spicy, you can add jalepenos or hot sauce either at the time of cooking or when serving.

Print
Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal Recipe
These make ahead beef fajitas are an easy freezer meal to put together. You can serve the fajitas with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
Servings: 4
Calories: 290 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. beef stir fry strips
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 2 cups red and yellow peppers sliced
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 3 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
  1. Add the raw beef stir fry strips, sliced onion, sliced red and yellow peppers, salsa, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce to a large resealable freezer bag.
  2. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.
  3. On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw.
  4. Stir fry in skillet over high heat on stovetop until meat is cooked through. This really doesn't take long at all especially if the beef strips are thin.
  5. Serve in flour tortillas.
  6. Top the fajitas with sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro, or guacamole.
Recipe Notes

If you like things spicy, you can add jalepenos or hot sauce either at the time of cooking or when serving.

This make ahead beef fajitas recipe is included in the Dinner in 20 Freezer Meal Plan along with other recipes, shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.