85 Easy Freezer Meals to Make Ahead on a Budget (Foods You Can Freeze and For How Long)

Name: 85 Easy Freezer Meals to Make Ahead on a Budget (Foods You Can Freeze and For How Long)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: bananas; fruits; bread; butter; cooked pasta; cooked rice; eggs; flour; cornstarch; cooked beans; Grated cheeses; herbs; meat; nuts; stock; wine

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Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings
4 people
Calories
300 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

85 Easy Freezer Meals to Make Ahead on a Budget (Foods You Can Freeze and For How Long)

Soren Pugh

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Find out how to make ahead easy freezer meals for breakfast and dinner, especially on a budget, that will help you time and money.

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Ingredients

Servings

Foods you can freeze:

bananas peeled
fruits berries, avocado, melon, mango, pineapple. etc
bread in slices, whole loaves, or breadcrumbs
butter
cooked pasta partially cooked
cooked rice partially cooked
eggs cracked into small containers, not in the shell
flour you can use it directly from the freezer
cornstarch you can use it directly from the freezer
cooked beans lentils, and chickpeas
Grated cheeses
herbs best frozen either in melted butter or oil to retain their flavor
meat both raw and cooked
nuts outside the freezer they can go rancid fairly quickly due to their oils
stock
wine

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Instructions

Make sure to follow the steps below to easily freeze your meals properly:

COOLING: After making your meals, let them fully cool before freezing. For that, cool off your dish on the counter for 20-30 minutes, then place it in the fridge to cool completely.
You can also cool off your dish by placing the container in a bowl of ice. That will allow your food to freeze more quickly, preserving flavor and nutrients.
STORING INTO CONTAINERS/BAGS: Use either Ziplock bags (with the air squeezed out) or freezer-safe containers to keep your meal frozen for longer and preserve their nutritional value.
LABELING: Label your homemade freezer meals as directed below before placing them in the freezer.
THAWING: To thaw your freezer meals, do so in the fridge. It is recommended to allow 5 hours per pound of food.

Notes

FDA Safe Guidelines for Freezing Food (What to freeze and for how long):
FDA Safe Guidelines
for Freezing Food (What to freeze and for how long):
Raw poultry: (whole) 1 year, (parts), 9 months
Raw white fish: 3-6 months
Fatty fish (raw): up to 3 months
Cooked meats: 2-3 months
Cooked meats:
2-3 months
Poultry and seafood (cooked): 3-6 months
Poultry and seafood (cooked):
3-6 months
Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas: up to 6 months
Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas:
up to 6 months
Rice and pastas (cooked al dente): up to 1 month.
Rice and pastas (cooked al dente):
up to 1 month.
Blanched vegetables: 12 months
Fresh fruits: 12 months
Eggs (out of the shell): 12 months
Unsalted butter: 8 months
Fruit juice: 6 months
Stocks: six months
Pastries: 4 months
Salted butter: 4 months
Ice cream: 4 months
Sliced bacon: 3 months
Soups and non-creamy sauces: 2-3 months
Bread dough: 3 months
Milk (for cooking only) – 3-6 months (after that, it may become yellow, absorb odors from the freezer, and taste different).
Nuts (shelled or unshelled) – up to 12 months
Wine: up to 6 months
Foods that should NOT be frozen:
Foods that should NOT be frozen:
Foods that should NOT be frozen:
Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
Creamy sauces
– they can become grainy and/or curdled.
Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
Fully cooked pasta
and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs
– never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
Meringues, flans, and gelatins
Meringues, flans, and gelatins
– freezing ruins their original textures.
– freezing ruins their original textures.
Raw poultry: (whole) 1 year, (parts), 9 months
Raw meats: 1) Roasts (4-12 months), 2) Steaks (6-12 months), 3) Ground beef (3-4 months)
Open packs of frozen fruit: 8 months
Raw white fish: 3-6 months
Fatty fish (raw): up to 3 months
Cooked meats: 2-3 months
Poultry and seafood (cooked): 3-6 months
Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas: up to 6 months
Rice and pastas (cooked al dente): up to 1 month.
Fruit in syrup: 12 months
Blanched vegetables: 12 months
Fresh fruits: 12 months
Eggs (out of the shell): 12 months
Unsalted butter: 8 months
Fruit juice: 6 months
Cakes: 2-6 months
Stocks: six months
Pastries: 4 months
Salted butter: 4 months
Ice cream: 4 months
Sliced bacon: 3 months
Soups and non-creamy sauces: 2-3 months
Bread dough: 3 months
Milk (for cooking only) – 3-6 months (after that, it may become yellow, absorb odors from the freezer, and taste different).
Nuts (shelled or unshelled) – up to 12 months
Wine: up to 6 months
Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.