Best Freezer Meals on the Internet

We aren’t about diets, eating low-fat foods, or cutting out food groups.
We are about cooking tasty, homemade food and eating all things in moderation. We’re also about cooking with as many unprocessed, organic and/or local ingredients as possible, including a variety of: vegetables and fruit, whole grains, organic and/or grass-fed meats, healthy fats (i.e. olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and organic dairy).

By simply making homemade meals for your family, you are cutting out loads of sodium, sugar, simple carbs, and harmful trans-fats that come from fast food and store-bought convenience foods. You control what goes into your food.

If the freezer meal has been frozen solid the whole time, the USDA says it is actually SAFE to eat indefinitely. BUT, for best taste and texture, there are two things to know:

1) Package the food very tightly where air can’t reach it easily and place in a very cold spot in the deep freeze. Keep reading for tips about how to store freezer meals.

2) If it’s packaged correctly, then it’s optimal to eat it within 3 months. That being said, I’ve personally used many freezer meals that were in my deep freeze for 6-12 months. So don’t toss it out…give it a try!

There are several different ways to safely and effectively store meals in your freezer. Some work better than others depending on the type of food you are freezing or even the space you have in your freezer.

The best way to store and save a freezer meal is in any method that will prevent air from getting to the food. It really depends on the recipe!

The USDA guidelines state, “Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage.”

We’ve learned all the tricks when it comes to safely thawing your freezer meals. Here are the 3 primary ways:

1. The best and safest way to thaw a freezer meal is to put it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Thawing time will depend on the size of the meal but plan on roughly 5 hours per pound.

2. Another safe thawing option is to place the food in a leak-proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water, changing the water out every 30 minutes. This still takes a bit of time–anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on how big your meal is, but it’s quicker than the refrigerator option.

3. A third option is to microwave-defrost food in a microwave-safe dish. Defrost your food using your microwave’s instructions. The reason this is the third option (our least favorite) is because this method (especially chicken) can tend to dry out food a bit. Regardless, sometimes you just need to quickly thaw something, so the microwave it is!

We were both in on-going freezer clubs with friends for years. This is a smart (and fun!) strategy for stocking your freezer. Prep meals ahead of time in bulk for your family and others in your group and then swap them at your freezer club meeting. Read all about how to start a freezer club, where I share everything I learned.

This is a one-time event where you gather with a small group to prepare freezer meals together. Much like a freezer club, it’s really fun! It’s also a fast way to stock your freezer. Read about how to throw a freezer party.