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A few days ago, my three year old threw a 15 minute tantrum at the kitchen table. The reason for the unrest? A broken banana.
I wish I were joking. As I was peeling it for him, it broke in half. My attempts to explain that it would taste just the same fell on deaf ears.
Don’t even ask what happened when I cut his cinnamon toast the wrong way. (Drama.)
If you’ve had young children, you are well aware that most kids are very particular about their food. They can love something one day and consider it a crime that you would even consider putting that food on their plate again. Their fickleness about food can be maddening–especially if you’ve worked hard to make a homemade meal.
Because we are well acquainted with the struggle of finding meals that kids will like, we have done some digging and rounded up 30 kid-friendly meals. An added bonus is that all of these meals are freezer-friendly. This means if you are a wise mama, which I’m sure you are, you should probably double the recipe and freeze one for later.
Both Rachel and I have made doubling and freezing meals a lifestyle, and it has saved us tons of time and a lot of money over the years. Not to mention the added health benefits of eating at home more.
Kid tested and approved. We didn’t put them in the book if our own families didn’t like them.
Make with mostly whole food ingredients. No processed junk!
Can be made fresh OR frozen. Even better, double the recipe and make one fresh AND frozen!
EASY. No complex instruction or unrecognizable ingredients. We are moms with busy kids and don’t have time to mess with tricky recipes. Our recipes are simple yet delicious.
Although we love the recipes above, we actually spent over a year painstakingly developing, testing, and retesting over 75 freezer-friendly recipes for our cookbook called From Freezer to Table (Rodale Books). Our kids request these recipes again and again!
All of the recipes in From Freezer to Table are delicious, made from whole foods, are easy to prepare, and can be made fresh or frozen for later. For only about $13, our cookbook is a beautiful resource you will pull out again and again! (Scroll below for a sneak peek of a few favorites from the book.)
We’ve got a quick (and cute) solution to keep track of recipe details for your freezer meals OR for meals to take to someone else—printable Freezer Meal Labels!
I love all these ideas! Freezer meals are so nice to have on hand for when you know you will be out of town or gifting to friends who are going through something tough.
This is seriously the best and most helpful recipe page I have ever found! Thank you so very much! I am a very busy mommy with kids who are 7, 3, 2, and due in May. It can be really hard to find just the right recipes to fit each of their tastes, my busy schedule, and my husband’s picky taste too! This is PERFECT! Now I can get started freezing some meals for when the baby arrives too!
**Can I ask you: Can these glass containers go straight from the freezer to the oven? Thank you so much for your time!!
It’s not recommended to place a dish from the freezer into a hot oven. The dramatic temperature change can cause the glass to crack or shatter. One way around this is to place the dish in the oven BEFORE preheating and letting it warm up with the oven as it comes to temperature. I’ve done this a few times!
The ideal way to cook most of these meals is to let them thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours before cooking but I also know that not everyone is thinking that far in advance. 🙂
I began following your blog when I was pregnant with my second child and decided I’d stock up on freezer meals for maternity leave/back-to-work (which, incidentally, was the BEST. IDEA. EVER.) That baby boy is now 2, and I’d wager about half of what makes it to my table each week is pulled from your blog – so thanks! Got (and love!) your cookbook and will host my first freezer party tomorrow night (eek, there’ll be 8 of us!).
Ok, done with sharing 😉 Question time – I’m interested in sharing other freezer meal ideas at the party and the Easy Stromboli sounds yum. But the partner blog’s freezer instructions aren’t listed/clear. Can you help? How best to thaw, and the cook time? Thanks!
Hi Tara. Thanks for your comment and kind words! About the stromboli…I’m sure Karrie over at Happy Money Saver can give you her exact instructions, since it was her recipe. But, from my experience from making stromboli, just make it all the way up until the baking step. Do not bake, but instead wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw completely in the fridge and bake according to instructions. I’ve tried baking from frozen and it took an eternity and was hard to get done in the middle. Again, I would double check with Karri, though.
Hi, I have a daycare of 98 pre school children…. Could you help me figure out the equivalent measurements/quaintly of the ingredients used in your freezer meals? I use the NC CACFP standards.
Thank you for your time,
Kim Noble
Hi Kim. What a smart idea to make freezer meals for your daycare! To figure out the amounts, look at the servings for each recipe. Divide 98 by the # of servings in that recipe. That will tell you how many batches of the recipe to make. For instance, if a recipe makes 6 servings, then you would need to make about 16 batches. That means just multiply all the ingredients in that recipe by 16 to make enough for all 98 kids. Does that help?
Thanks for all the freezer meal ideas, recipes, how to’s on your blog! I’m loving your multi colored aluminum pans. Got a link for where to pick those up? Thanks so much!
Hey Polly. Awesome article. My sister’s fridge broke down and her kids have gone crazy over it, so I somewhat understand how you feel hehe. And the Frigidaire Gallery® 2-in-1 Freezer/Refrigerator actually fits the bill. I’ll be sure to show her this article so she can save money and eat more healthy. Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for all the freezer kid- friendly ideas! I was wondering about your freezer. Does the unit get warm on the outside? We are shopping for a freezer and I would like to put a freezer in our walk-in pantry off the kitchen. I have heard others say that freezers give off heat and they would be best in the basement or garage. Where do you keep your freezer & would you agree it’s best away from items in a pantry?
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I love all these ideas! Freezer meals are so nice to have on hand for when you know you will be out of town or gifting to friends who are going through something tough.
Planning next month’s menu, and I can not wait to make that brownie baked oatmeal. Looks so good!
This is seriously the best and most helpful recipe page I have ever found! Thank you so very much! I am a very busy mommy with kids who are 7, 3, 2, and due in May. It can be really hard to find just the right recipes to fit each of their tastes, my busy schedule, and my husband’s picky taste too! This is PERFECT! Now I can get started freezing some meals for when the baby arrives too!
**Can I ask you: Can these glass containers go straight from the freezer to the oven? Thank you so much for your time!!
It’s not recommended to place a dish from the freezer into a hot oven. The dramatic temperature change can cause the glass to crack or shatter. One way around this is to place the dish in the oven BEFORE preheating and letting it warm up with the oven as it comes to temperature. I’ve done this a few times!
The ideal way to cook most of these meals is to let them thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours before cooking but I also know that not everyone is thinking that far in advance. 🙂
These all sound so good.. Unfortunately many have cheese, my picky eater won’t eat most cheesy foods there are a couple i will try though… Thank you!
I began following your blog when I was pregnant with my second child and decided I’d stock up on freezer meals for maternity leave/back-to-work (which, incidentally, was the BEST. IDEA. EVER.) That baby boy is now 2, and I’d wager about half of what makes it to my table each week is pulled from your blog – so thanks! Got (and love!) your cookbook and will host my first freezer party tomorrow night (eek, there’ll be 8 of us!).
Ok, done with sharing 😉 Question time – I’m interested in sharing other freezer meal ideas at the party and the Easy Stromboli sounds yum. But the partner blog’s freezer instructions aren’t listed/clear. Can you help? How best to thaw, and the cook time? Thanks!
Hi Tara. Thanks for your comment and kind words! About the stromboli…I’m sure Karrie over at Happy Money Saver can give you her exact instructions, since it was her recipe. But, from my experience from making stromboli, just make it all the way up until the baking step. Do not bake, but instead wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw completely in the fridge and bake according to instructions. I’ve tried baking from frozen and it took an eternity and was hard to get done in the middle. Again, I would double check with Karri, though.
Hi, I have a daycare of 98 pre school children…. Could you help me figure out the equivalent measurements/quaintly of the ingredients used in your freezer meals? I use the NC CACFP standards.
Thank you for your time,
Kim Noble
Hi Kim. What a smart idea to make freezer meals for your daycare! To figure out the amounts, look at the servings for each recipe. Divide 98 by the # of servings in that recipe. That will tell you how many batches of the recipe to make. For instance, if a recipe makes 6 servings, then you would need to make about 16 batches. That means just multiply all the ingredients in that recipe by 16 to make enough for all 98 kids. Does that help?
Great ideas, especially for hectic weeks!!!
Thanks for all the freezer meal ideas, recipes, how to’s on your blog! I’m loving your multi colored aluminum pans. Got a link for where to pick those up? Thanks so much!
I got the disposable pans at Party City. Make sure to check out the freezer containers that we both use and love here!
Thank You!!
Hey Polly. Awesome article. My sister’s fridge broke down and her kids have gone crazy over it, so I somewhat understand how you feel hehe. And the Frigidaire Gallery® 2-in-1 Freezer/Refrigerator actually fits the bill. I’ll be sure to show her this article so she can save money and eat more healthy. Thanks!
“…the unrest” made me LOL!
Hi! Thanks for all the freezer kid- friendly ideas! I was wondering about your freezer. Does the unit get warm on the outside? We are shopping for a freezer and I would like to put a freezer in our walk-in pantry off the kitchen. I have heard others say that freezers give off heat and they would be best in the basement or garage. Where do you keep your freezer & would you agree it’s best away from items in a pantry?