Freezer Meal Ideas

The teaching profession has a lot of great perks...but the salary is not usually one of them. Through the years, I've learned some tips and tricks that have helped me stretch my teacher's salary, all while working around my busy teaching schedule. During this series, I will be sharing them with you! 

Last week, we talked about why owning a freezer can help you save money.

This week, I'd like to share a few freezer-inspired meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that will help make those busy school days a little less hectic.

** Most recipes include directions on how to freeze that meal. If a recipe doesn't include these directions, I always just froze it after I fully cooked/baked it.

(Photo: Flickr)

• Steel Cut Oats
• Oatmeal Breakfast Cupcakes
• Egg Taquitos
• Pancakes

(Photo: Flickr)

(Place frozen food in your lunch box and simply heat through with a microwave before you eat it.)

• Chili and Honey Cornbread
• Freeze any soup recipe
• Twice-Baked Taco Potatoes
• No-Bake Energy Bites
• Premade Sandwiches
• Dinner leftovers (see the yummy ideas below!)
• Breakfast for lunch (see the yummy ideas above) :) 

(Photo: Flickr)

• Meatballs for Spaghetti or Meatball Subs 
• Taco meat
• Chicken-Lime Eggrolls
• French Onion Soup (freeze after cooking, but before adding cheese and bread)
• Whole Frozen Chicken in Crockpot (easy!!)
• Shredded Chicken BBQ or Pork BBQ (put between buns for a sandwich)
• Quinoa-Broccoli Casserole (freeze mixture uncooked, defrost, and cook according to directions)
• Lasagna
• Your Favorite Quiche Recipe
• Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Some essential 'freezer dinner' items you may want to stock up on: 

• Slow Cooker (aka- Crock Pot)
• Ziploc bags
• Freezer-friendly plastic jars
• OvenWare dish (dishwasher safe casserole dishes that can go straight from the freezer into the oven- awesome!)

Do you have a favorite freezer meal or tip? Let us know what it is!