Feeling overwhelmed by busy schedules or just the thought of cooking after a long day? We’ve been there! With a freezer stocked full of meals, you’ll feel more prepared and less stressed—even on the craziest days.

Whether you’re gearing up for back-to-school chaos, welcoming a new baby, or just trying to make life simpler, these easy tips will help you skip the drive-thru and get a healthy, home-cooked dinner on the table every night.

One of the best pieces of advice I (Kalie) got during pregnancy (from fellow moms, no less!) was to stock the freezer with meals ahead of time. Around 36 weeks, I spent a weekend batch-cooking breakfast and dinner, and thank goodness I did! When our little girl arrived, life was a blur of diapers, sleepless nights, and pure exhaustion. But guess what? Having a stash of homemade, healthy meals in the freezer? Total lifesaver.

Trust us, once your baby arrives, you’ll be way more focused on mom life than meal prep. But with a freezer full of nutritious dishes, you won’t have to think twice about dinner, and you can actually enjoy those first few weeks of new motherhood—without worrying about what’s for dinner.

1. Big Batch Prep: Dedicate a few hours on the weekend to prep multiple freezer meals at once. Pick your meals, shop for ingredients, and get cooking!
2. Double Duty: Cook freezer-friendly meals during the week, but double (or triple) the recipe. It’s a small extra step that’ll save you huge time later.

We personally do a little bit of both. When you’re already in the kitchen, why not make extra? Plus, it doesn’t take much more time!

Try both methods and see which one fits best into your routine.

• Freeze & Reheat Well: Choose meals that hold up to freezing and reheating (soups, casseroles, and stews are perfect!).
• Add Veggies: Boost the nutritional value by adding in lots of veggies.
• Cool Before Freezing: Let meals cool completely before popping them in the freezer.
• Divide into Portions: For easy meal planning, freeze individual portions.
• Wrap & Protect: If wrapping in foil, double up by putting it in a freezer bag for extra protection.
• Label Everything: Trust me—labels are your best friend. Mark the date, meal type, and any reheating instructions!

Here’s a quick look at what works wonders in the freezer:

• Baked Goods: Muffins, pancakes, waffles.
• Meats: Grilled chicken, beef, pork.
• Soups & Stews: Perfect for easy, ready-to-go meals.
• Vegetables: Think peppers, carrots, and green beans.
• Cheese: Like shredded cheese or homemade cheese sauces.
• Thick Sauces: (Homemade Meat Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce)

• Milk or Yogurt: These don’t hold up well once frozen.
• Mushy Fruits: Watermelon, cantaloupe—skip these.
• Noodles: They tend to get mushy after freezing.
• Water-based Sauces: These can separate or get watery.

Here’s how we store our freezer meals:

• Disposable Baking Pans.
• Freezer Bags (Use 2 gallon freezer bags for most meals (squeeze out the air, pro tip: use a straw to suck it out!).
• Glass Storage Containers with Fitted Lids.
• 16-ounce Wide Mouth Mason Jars (great for soups, chili and homemade sauces).
• 4-ounce Glass Storage Containers (great for smaller portions, homemade baby food, vegetable purees and condiments such as hummus).
• Heavy Duty Foil Wrap larger meals like stromboli in foil and then pop them in a freezer bag.

Flash-freezing fruit or veggies on a baking sheet before bagging them helps keep everything separate (and avoids one big frozen brick!). This is especially great for smoothie packs!

If you prefer to use glassware when packing your food, leave at least 1 & 1/2 inches between the contents and the top of the container. We’ve made this mistake before and when the contents in the jar expanded, we ended up with a cracked container and broken glass all over the freezer.

When it comes to labeling, We can’t stress this enough: Label everything! Write the meal name, date, and instructions on freezer tape (trust us, it sticks way better than masking tape).

If stored properly, most freezer meals last 2-3 months. But don’t worry—once you try these tasty recipes, you’ll run out long before that!

Thankfully with the delicious recipes we’ve included below, you won’t have any reason to wait that long!

• Easy Egg Casserole
• Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes or Low-Carb Pancakes (Gluten-Free)
• Southwestern Breakfast Burritos (Freezer Burritos)
• Bakery-Style Blueberry Apple Mini Muffins
• Classic French Toast
• Frittata
• Freezer Smoothie Packs—when you’re ready, just add milk, water or juice
• Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich (make-ahead freezer breakfast sandwiches)
• Mediterranean Egg Mufflets
• Sunrise Breakfast Burritos

Most of these meals have a variety of ways you can make them (with chicken, beef, pork or vegetarian). They’re all simple to make and will last in the freezer for weeks.

• Beef BBQ or Carnitas for tacos, burritos, sandwiches, on top of rice or salads
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• Chili
• Easy Italian Stromboli
• Lasagna (or if zucchini is in season, Zucchini Lasagna)
• Orange Chicken
• Quesadillas
• Make-ahead Salmon Burgers
• Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
• Vegetable Beef Soup

• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snack Bites (No Bake + Can Be Made Into Bars)