Freezer Meals and Recipes for Busy Families

vertical shot of steak and chicken fajitas lined up on a tray with salsa, lime, and guacamole on the side

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Our Best Freezer Meals

Busy Weeknight Dinners

We’ve got you covered with no-brainer family dinner ideas for the busy back-to-school season.

Rigatoni in a creamy tomato sauce ready to serve.

20-Minute Sausage Rigatoni

Salmon fillets with grilled lemon slices served with fresh chopped parsley on top.

Lemon Garlic Salmon (3 Ways)

A hand holding one half of a Chicken Burrito about to dip it into a small bowl of Cilantro Lime Aioli on the plate.

On-the-Go Chicken Burritos

Ground beef Philly cheesesteak sandwiches cut in half and stacked up so you can see the cheese melting out.

Ground Beef Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

More Weeknight Dinners

Easy Casseroles That Everyone Loves

Extra time on the weekend? Make ahead one of these popular casseroles or double and freeze one for later.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas baked in a white casserole dish on a wooden table.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken broccoli alfredo bake being served from a glass baking dish.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Baked penne pasta being scooped out of a glass baking dish.

Baked Penne Pasta

A serving of beefy baked ravioli on a plate with fresh parsley on top.

Beefy Baked Ravioli

See All Casseroles

Quick Side Dishes

Tack on one of these easy and fast side dishes to your next family dinner.

Roasted broccoli on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Four ears of corn on the cob on a plate with a pat of butter on top.

Microwave Corn on the Cob

Boiled baby potatoes in a white bowl.

The BEST Boiled Baby Potatoes

Mexican chopped salad in a white bowl.

Mexican Chopped Salad

Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas

Whether you eat them right away or meal prep for later, these breakfast recipes are great for busy school mornings ahead.

make ahead breakfast sandwiches on a cutting board

Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches

Three breakfast cookies stacked up on a plate.

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast burritos lined up in a marbled serving dish with three on top that have the ends cut off to see the scrambled eggs, bacon, peppers, and green onions.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

A slice of breakfast casserole with hash browns being served with a spatula.

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole with Hash Browns

Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas

Lunch Box Ideas

Fill your family’s lunch boxes with these healthy, make ahead options.

Pepperoni pizza muffins straight from the oven on a cooling rack.

High Protein Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

Tomato bisque in bowls with spoons and croutons on top.

Tomato Bisque

Calzones on baking sheet after being baked with Parmesan and parsley sprinkled on top.

Cheese Calzones

Freezer-friendly lunch wrap cut in half on a plate with fresh fruit.

Make Ahead Lunch Wraps

More Lunch Box Ideas

After School Snacks

Try one of our wholesome snack ideas. Many of these can be prepped ahead for the week or for the freezer.

A bunch of muffins on a white table.

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

Homemade popcorn overflowing in a blue bowl.

5-Minute Stovetop Popcorn

A glass container of chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bites in a single layer ready to be stored in the freezer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

chocolate chip zucchini bread sliced

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

More Snack Ideas

Rachel and Polly from Thriving Home

Meet Rachel & Polly

Your Meal Prep Sidekicks

Hi! We’re cookbook authors, freezer cooking experts, and long-time recipe developers.

Our mission is to help time-strapped families get wholesome, homemade meals on the table.

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Our Best Freezer Meals

Save time and money and eat healthier by prepping freezer meals in bulk.

Different colored foil pans stacked up on a counter.

30+ Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals

SIx Freezer Meals in Baggy Holders lined up on a counter.

20+ Instant Pot Freezer Meals

Collage of crockpot meals from Thriving Home's top 20 list.

20+ Crockpot Freezer Meals

Collage image for freezer meals.

Easy Freezer Meals for One or Two

All Freezer Meals

Good-for-You Meal Prep Ideas

These wholesome meal prep ideas are winners with our readers.

High protein meal prep ideas.

25+ High Protein Meal Prep Ideas

Collage of 7 different marinades with chicken breasts on the left and cooked dishes on the right.

7 BEST Chicken Marinades

Collage of 6 mason jars with various overnight oats prepared in them.

7 Overnight Oats Recipes

A stack of freezer smoothie packs.

7 Frozen Smoothie Packs (+ Printable with Shopping List)

Check Out 1 Hour Freezer Prep

Crock Pot Recipes

We are known for our flavorful and easy crock pot recipes.

Mexican Chicken served in a white bowl with avocado chunks, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro on top.

Crockpot Mexican Chicken Bowls

French dip sandwiches on a tray with a bowl of au jus.

French Dip Sandwiches

bbq chicken sliders on a cutting board.

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Spaghetti sauce being ladled out of a slow cooker.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

Instant Pot Recipes

Push a button and dinner is done! It can be that easy when making Instant Pot recipes.

Bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup with spoon of soup above it

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Bowl of Instant Pot jambalya with rice on one side and pieces of crusty bread nearby.

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

Mac and cheese in bowls on white plates with steamed broccoli on the side.

6-Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Mexican Chicken served in a white bowl with avocado chunks, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro on top.

Instant Pot Mexican Chicken

Air Fryer Recipes

Well-tested, easy air fryer recipes the whole family will enjoy.

Dipping baked parmesan chicken tender into honey mustard dipping sauce.

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

air fryer turkey meatballs on a white plate with marinara sauce in a bowl.

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs (with Sneaky Veggies)

Air fryer baked potatoes.

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Chicken drumsticks in an air fryer basket just finished cooking.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Dessert Time

Treat yourself to one of these easy desserts that our readers love.

Brownie mix cookies stacked on a plate with melted chocolate dripping off one that has been broken in half.

Brownie Mix Cookies

Blueberry crumble bar slices stacked up on parchment paper.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

Fruit pizza cookies on a slate serving platter.

Fruit Pizza Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Two bowls of peach cobbler with ice cream on top and fresh mint next to them.

Easy Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix

Popular Recipe Categories

BBQ chicken sliders lined up on a wooden cutting board.

Chicken

seasoned cooked steak that is sliced on a plate

Beef

Shaved Brussels sprout salad in a white bowl.

Salads

Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pork

Two white bowls of lemon chicken orzo soup with spoons and crusty bread on the side.

Soups

Blueberry French Toast Casserole {with Vanilla Glaze} in a glass casserole dish

Breakfast

Latest Blog Posts

Cheesy Pesto Bread fresh from the oven.

Cheesy Pesto Bread

chocolate sweet potato banana bread

Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread

25+ Christmas Breakfast Ideas

Collage of meals from the menu plan.

Menu Plan for the Week of August 11

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