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Freezer Meals 101

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snack

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls for Snacks or Lunches

By Sharla

Having a few quick and easy appetizer recipes in your back pocket is a great way to ensure you have something delicious to bring to those last-minute parties. With the help of crescent rolls, you can whip up an easy party snack in a matter of minutes! These pepperoni pizza pinwheels are packed with pizza flavour and look like they’re difficult to make. But since they’re made with crescent roll sheets, you easily whip up a yummy appetizer without any effort at all. baked pizza pinwheels are shown on a wooden board with a red tea towel in the backgroundWatch me in the video below make these pizza scrolls as well as some other great make ahead lunch recipes that are perfect for school lunches:

My kids love grabbing these scrolls out of the freezer to pack in their lunches or for a quick snack. 

Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

Ingredients needed:

  • 1 package refrigerated crescent roll sheet
  • ½ cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 10 pepperoni slices, finely chopped
  • optional: other pizza toppings such as finely chopped green pepper, sliced black olives, or sliced mushrooms

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
  2. Unroll the refrigerated crescent roll dough and spread the marinara or pizza sauce in an even layer over the top of the dough.
  3. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the sauce.
  4. Add the pepperoni to the top of the cheese.
  5. Roll the dough up into a long log, then use a sharp knife to cut the log into 10 1-inch slices.
  6. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the scrolls for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. 

a collage of photos showing the process of making pizza scrolls with refrigerated crescent dough

Freezing instructions:

  1. Once cool, transfer to a resealable freezer bag. 
  2. Take out the excess air and freeze.
  3. Serve cold or heat on a paper towel in the microwave until warm. 

four baked pinwheels on a wooden board

Pizza Pinwheels Recipe Ideas

This simple recipe is perfect for a quick party snack. But what I love most about these easy appetizers is that they can be customized to suit your own tastes! Try these pizza pinwheels recipe ideas the next time you make your appetizers to create a new pizza snack every time you make them.

  • Add more toppings. Pepperoni is a classic pizza topping. But that doesn’t mean you need to stick to adding only pepperoni to your pizza pinwheels. You can add any type of pizza toppings you choose to your scrolls. Just make sure the toppings are finely chopped to ensure the dough rolls properly.
  • Try different cheeses. Enhance the flavour of your pizza pinwheels with the help of different cheese blends. In addition to mozzarella, you could sprinkle parmesan, Romano, asiago, or Monterrey jack cheese in your pinwheels.
  • Add some seasoning. With the help of flavourful marinara sauce and spicy pepperoni, your pizza crescent rolls don’t require added seasoning. But if you want to add even more taste, try adding some classing Italian seasonings to the dough before you start rolling. You could sprinkle Italian seasoning blend on the crust or add some basil, oregano, garlic, or red pepper flakes to the pizza pinwheels before you bake them.
  • Decorate with garnishes. The pinwheel design of these pizza crescent rolls makes them look amazing without the need for garnish. But if you really want to dress up your appetizers, try topping the pinwheels with a simple garnish. Before adding garnish to your pinwheels, melt a small amount of butter. Brush the butter over the top of the baked pinwheels, then sprinkle the top of the pinwheels with dried herbs to add a pop of green colour to the top of each appetizer.
  • Get the kids to help. If you’re going to be including these in your child’s lunches or offering them as an after school snack, get them to add the pizza toppings they love. This is such a fun, kid friendly recipe already, but getting them in on the preparation makes it even more fun!

three baked pizza pinwheels on a wooden board

three baked pizza pinwheels on a wooden board
Print
Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pizza pinwheels, pizza scrolls
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 package refrigerated crescent roll sheet
  • ½ cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 10 pepperoni slices finely sliced
  • other pizza toppings such as finely chopped green pepper, sliced black olives, or sliced mushrooms optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
  2. Unroll the refrigerated crescent roll dough and spread the marinara or pizza sauce in an even layer over the top of the dough.
  3. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the sauce.
  4. Add the pepperoni to the top of the cheese.
  5. Roll the dough up into a long log, then use a sharp knife to cut the log into 10 1-inch slices.
  6. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crescents for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.
Freezing instructions:
  1. Once cool, transfer to a resealable freezer bag.
  2. Take out the excess air and freeze.
  3. Serve cold or heat on a paper towel in the microwave until warm.

Other popular freezer snack and lunch ideas:

  • Beef and Bean Burritos
  • Corn Dog Mini Muffins
  • Taco Cups
  • English Muffin Pizzas
  • Ham and Cream Cheese RollUps

Filed Under: Freezer Meal Recipes Tagged With: lunch, snack

Easy Freezer Taco Cups

By Sharla


Tacos are a great choice for a quick weeknight dinner. But eating plain tacos every week can get pretty boring! Why not change things up by preparing some taco cups, instead? These freezer-friendly individual taco pies are a simple meal idea that everyone in the family is sure to love!mini meat pies topped with cheese. Text reads "Make ahead taco cups"

These are great for kids’ lunches or snacks. They are so easy to make. I like to always have make ahead snacks in the freezer such as corn dog mini muffins, English muffin pizzas, or ham and cheese roll-ups.

How to Make Taco Cups:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
  • ¼ cup water
  • mini tart shells
  • shredded cheddar cheese

Assembly Instructions:

  1. Cook the mini tart shells according to the package instructions.
  2. While the shells are cooking, brown the ground beef. When the beef is cooked through, stir in the taco seasoning and water. Continue to simmer until the sauce is thickened. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Fill each tart shell with taco meat and top with shredded cheese.
  4. Return the shells to the oven to cook until the cheese is melted, around five minutes.
  5. Allow the taco pies to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer bag.
  6. Remove excess air from the bag and seal, then place them in the freezer.

* Note: If you have any of the taco meat mixture leftover, place it in a medium size freezer bag, seal, and freeze. You can then use it to add to eggs or hash browns, on top of nachos, or for tacos. empty tart shells, ground beef, tarts filled with the beef and topped with cheese

Oven Cooking Instructions:

  1. Allow the taco cups to thaw completely.
  2. Place the cups in the oven to bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes, until the meat is warm and the cheese is melted.

Microwave Cooking Instructions:

  1. Take as many cups as you want out of the freezer.
  2. Remove the foil and reheat in the microwave.

I recently made these in a day of make ahead snacks to ensure my kids always had something to snack on or bring for lunches. You can check out all that I made in the video below:

Taco Pie Serving Ideas:

Once you have the basic taco cups prepared, you can dress them up according to your family’s tastes! There are a variety of fun ways to serve your mini taco cups. One simple way to change up the taste of this taco pie recipe is to use a different meat. Instead of ground beef, you could also try ground turkey or chicken. Shredded chicken or pork are more great options for creating different flavour taco cups.

But if you would prefer to stick to the recipe, you could also add more flavour to your taco cups with the help of fresh toppings. Try these topping ideas to give your family members a chance to prepare their own individual taco pies for dinner:

  • diced tomatoes
  • salsa
  • chopped lettuce
  • sliced avocado
  • sour cream
  • hot sauce
  • jalapeño slices
  • crushed tortilla chips or taco shells
  • chopped green onion
  • extra cheese
  • guacamole
  • pico de gallo
  • chopped cilantro

small meat tarts topped with melted cheeseIn addition to sprinkling toppings over your baked taco pies, you could also make additions to the recipe itself. Simply mix any of these easy add-ins into your ground beef mixture to give your taco cups even more flavour:

  • refried beans
  • diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • kidney or chili beans
  • black beans
  • Mexican rice
  • quinoa
  • salsa
  • chopped onions
  • diced tomatoes
  • queso cheese
  • chopped bell peppers
  • chopped jalapeño peppers
  • corn

These are such a fun food with so many variations possible. 

small meat tarts topped with melted cheese
Print
Taco Cups
Course: Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: taco cups
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • ¼ cup water
  • mini tart shells
  • shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Assembly Instructions:
  1. Cook the mini tart shells according to the package instructions.
  2. While the shells are cooking, brown the ground beef. When the beef is cooked through, stir in the taco seasoning and water. Continue to simmer until the sauce is thickened. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Fill each tart shell with taco meat and top with shredded cheese.
  4. Return the shells to the oven to cook until the cheese is melted, around five minutes.
  5. Allow the taco pies to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer bag.
  6. Remove excess air from the bag and seal, then place them in the freezer.
Microwave Cooking Instructions:
  1. Take as many as you want out of the freezer. Remove the foil and reheat in the microwave.

Oven Cooking Instructions:
  1. Allow the taco cups to thaw completely.

  2. Place the cups in the oven to bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes, until the meat is warm and the cheese is melted.

Recipe Notes

If there is any of the taco meat mixture leftover, place it in a medium size freezer bag, seal, and freeze. It can then be used to add to eggs or hash browns, on top of nachos, or for tacos. 

Filed Under: Freezer Meal Recipes Tagged With: lunch, snack

Homemade Granola Bars (freezer friendly)

By Sharla

These delicious homemade granola bars can be made ahead and frozen. This makes them perfect for school lunches or snacks. They are so much fresher and healthier than what you can buy in the store. light brown granola bars with a messy array of chocolate chips sprinkled with text that reads "Homemade Granola Bars make ahead school snack" #freezermeals101 #granolabars #makeaheadsnack #homemadegranolaThe week before my kids went back to school, I spent an afternoon making things ahead that they could take for school lunches or snacks. I made these granola bars, mini corn dog muffins, mini pumpkin muffins, and I froze bags of rhubarb for making rhubarb muffins in the future.

I’m so glad to have these snacks made ahead. It’s making our mornings so much easier. I’m not getting complaints about there being “nothing to put in my lunch” anymore either!

If your child attends a school that is peanut-free and nut-free or if there are any allergies in your house, you can substitute the peanut-butter for SunButter or WowButter.

Homemade Granola Bars Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 cups honey
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 cups peanut butter (or SunButter)
  • 4 tsp. vanilla
  • 8 cups Rice Krispies
  • 5 cups old fashioned oats
  • chocolate chips
  • optional: flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, or hemp

Instructions:

  1. In a medium pot on the stovetop, bring the brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, and salt to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
  2. Add in the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir.
  3. Put the oats and Rice Krispies in a large mixing bowl. If you’re adding any of the optional ingredients, mix them in.
  4. Pour the mixture from the pot over the oats and Rice Krispies. Stir.
  5. Let sit for 5 minutes or so.
  6. Spread parchment paper onto two cookie sheets.
  7. Lay the granola bar mixture on the parchment paper.
  8. Press a second cookie sheet on top to flatten. Sprinkle chocolate chips over and press again.
  9. Cool in the fridge. Cut.
  10. Freeze flat on the tray. When frozen, transfer the granola bars to freezer bags, remove the excess air, seal, and freeze again.

collage of home made granola bars on a rack and in freezer bagsYou may also be interested in these other make-ahead snack recipes:

Corn Dog Mini Muffins for School Lunchesclose up of corn dog mini muffins piled on a plateEnglish Muffin Pizzasclose up of English muffin pizza with apples

Mini Pancake Muffinsclose up of pancake mini muffins on a plate

Print
Homemade Granola Bars
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: granola
Servings: 24 bars
Calories: 327 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 cups honey
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 4 tsp. vanilla
  • 8 cups Rice Krispies
  • 5 cups old fashioned oats
  • chocolate chips
  • optional: flaxseed pumpkin seeds, or hemp
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot on the stovetop, bring the brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, and salt to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

  2. Add in the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir.

  3. Put the oats and Rice Krispies in a large mixing bowl.

  4. Pour the mixture from the pot over the oats and Rice Krispies. Stir.

  5. Let sit for 5 minutes or so.
  6. Spread parchment paper onto two cookie sheets.

  7. Lay the granola bar mixture on the parchment paper.

  8. Press a second cookie sheet on top to flatten. Sprinkle chocolate chips over and press again.

  9. Cool in the fridge. Cut.
  10. Freeze flat on the tray. When frozen, transfer the granola bars to freezer bags, remove the excess air, seal, and freeze again.

Recipe Notes

You can make these homemade granola bars peanut-free by substituting the peanut butter for WowButter or SunButter.

Filed Under: Freezer Meal Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, granola, home made, snack

Corn Dog Mini Muffins for School Lunches (freezer friendly)

By Sharla

Last Sunday, we hosted a BBQ for a few families. We ended up with three packs of hot dogs leftover. I didn’t want them to go to waste, but I also didn’t feel like it would be healthy to feed my kid’s hot dogs for breakfast, lunch, and supper every day. Thus, the corn dog mini muffins were born!

The timing could not have been more perfect because my kids start school on Tuesday. Now, I have bags of these in the freezer ready for them to pop into their school lunches. I’ve been stocking the freezer with make-ahead breakfasts, ready-to-go sandwiches, mini muffins, and homemade granola bars.
a clear plastic bag is filled with small yellow corn muffins with a chunk of hot dog visible in the middle. The text reads "perfect for school lunches! Corn Dog Mini Muffins" #freezermeals101 #corndogs #minimuffins #schoollunchideasMy kids and even my teens thought these were adorable. They are excited to take them in their lunch bags or to grab them as an after-school snack.

This recipe makes 10 dozen mini muffins, so if you have a smaller family or don’t have much space in your freezer, you may want to half the recipe. close up of corn dog mini muffins piled on a plate

Corn Dog Mini Muffins Recipe:

  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup honey, melted or softened
  • 2 2/3 cup milk
  • 4 2/3 cup flour
  • 3 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 24 hot dogs

Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and softened butter with an electric beater at medium speed.
  2. Add the eggs, honey, and milk and mix.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, and salt. Stir with a spoon.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and use the electric beater to combine well.
  5. Grease the mini muffin trays.
  6. Spoon batter to fill about half of each cup.
  7. Slice the hot dogs into chunks.
  8. Place a hot dog chunk into each muffin cup on top of the batter and press down slightly.
  9. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.*
  10. Remove from the muffin tin after a few minutes and allow to cool before transferring to a large resealable freezer bag.
  11. Remove the excess air from the bags, seal, and freeze. collage of steps to make corn dog mini muffins, ingredients and assembly into the pan

Serving instructions:

  1. Grab out as many as needed and reseal the bag.
  2. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or paper napkin. If desired, you can serve with ketchup. collage of finished corn dog mini muffins in freezer bags, in the muffin pan and on a plate

*If you make these into full-sized muffins, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.

Check out these other kid-friendly make-ahead recipes:

Breakfast Sausage Hand Piesclose up of sausage breakfast hand pies

Tater Tot Pizza Casseroleclose up of tater tot pizza casserole

Make-Ahead English Muffin Pizzasclose up of pizza English muffins with apples on the side

Pancake Mini Muffinsclose up of someone dipping pancake mini muffins into syrup

Print
Corn Dog Mini Muffins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Lunch, Snack
Keyword: corn dog muffins
Servings: 120
Calories: 96 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup honey melted or softened
  • 2 2/3 cup milk
  • 4 2/3 cup flour
  • 3 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 24 hot dogs
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and softened butter with an electric beater at medium speed.

  2. Add the eggs, honey, and milk and mix.

  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, and salt. Stir with a spoon.

  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and use the electric beater to combine well.

  5. Grease the mini muffin trays.
  6. Spoon batter to fill about half of each cup.
  7. Slice the hot dogs into chunks.
  8. Place a hot dog chunk into each muffin cup on top of the batter and press down slightly.
  9. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.*
  10. Remove from the muffin tin after a few minutes and allow to cool before transferring to a large resealable freezer bag.

  11. Remove the excess air from the bags, seal, and freeze.
  12. Grab out as many as needed and reseal the bag.
  13. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave on a paper towel or paper napkin. If desired, you can serve with ketchup.
Recipe Notes

*If you make these into full-sized muffins, you'll need to adjust the cooking time.

Filed Under: Freezer Meal Recipes Tagged With: corn dog, lunch, mini muffin, snack

Make Ahead Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies

By Sharla

These simple breakfast hand pies can be made ahead and reheated one at a time for busy mornings. You can make several sheets at once (double or triple the recipe) to ensure you have many on hand. 

Make Ahead Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies #quickbreakfastideas #breakfast #freezermeals101In my house, I currently have 5 teenagers (yes, 5!). That’s a whole lot of big appetites. I can’t believe how much teen boys (and girls for that matter) eat. It seems like they are hungry all day long.

Having food in the freezer in individual portions so that they can pull out one at a time and warm them up themselves is so helpful. It really cuts back on the “mom, I’m hungry” calls!

These are great for mornings, but they also make good after school or before bed snacks for hungry teens.

Sausage Breakfast Hand Pies:

  • 2 packages of refrigerator crescent rolls
  • 1 lb. of ground breakfast sausage
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • optional: sliced green onion for garnish

Brown the ground sausage in a 12-inch skillet. Drain the sausage meat and add it to a large mixing bowl.

Add the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly.

Place one of the refrigerator crescent rolls on a large non-stick baking sheet and spread to cover the baking sheet.

Put the meat and cheese mixture on top of the crescent roll and spread ¼ an inch to the edge.

Set the other crescent roll on top of the meat and cheese mixture and seal up the ends.

Using a knife, cut slits in the top to allow it to vent.
 Place in the oven and cook at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Once it is done baking, allow 3-5 mins to cool before cutting.

Wrap each hand pie in plastic wrap and place in a large resealable bag. Seal and freeze.

Take out the hand pies (individually or all at once) and reheat either in the microwave or in the oven. Some people like to dip them in ketchup or hot sauce. Feel free to experiment to find how you like them best.

Check out these other make-ahead breakfast recipes:

Mini Pancake Muffins 

Cinnamon Freezer French Toast 

Print
Sausage Breakfast Hand Pies
Servings: 8
Calories: 440 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 packages of refrigerator crescent rolls
  • 1 lb. ground breakfast sausage
  • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
Instructions
  1. Brown the ground sausage in a 12 inch skillet.
  2. Drain the sausage meat and add to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
  4. Place one of the refrigerator crescent rolls on a large non-stick baking sheet and spread to cover the baking sheet.
  5. Put the meat and cheese mixture on top of the crescent roll and spread ¼ an inch to the edge.

  6. Place the other crescent roll on top of meat and cheese mixture and seal up the ends.
  7. Using a knife, cut slits in the top to allow it to vent.
  8. Place in the oven and cook at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Once it is done baking, allow 3-5 mins to cool before cutting.
  10. Wrap each hand pie in plastic wrap and place in a large resealable bag. Seal and freeze.
  11. Take out the hand pies (individually or all at once) and reheat either in the microwave or in the oven.

Filed Under: Freezer Meal Breakfast Recipes, Freezer Meal Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, meat pie, sausage, snack

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