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30 Day Freezer Meal Prep

As some of you may know, I am having a surgery at some point this year that could have me recovering on the couch for up to six weeks. Anticipating this, I decided to spend a weekend making some meals that could be frozen ahead of time to ensure that I (and the BF) could eat wholesome, healthy, and delicious food each night with leftovers for lunch the next day!

Using a mix of personal favorites, and a couple of new finds on Pinterest, I successfully made up 30 dishes, and each will feed the BF and I both dinner and lunch, with some even feeding an additional meal or two (the chicken pot pie and the pulled pork will feed at least 6). I tried to make sure I had a good variety of meals, with different proteins, and avoided duplicates so we wouldn’t get bored!

I planned out the meals I wanted, made a comprehensive grocery list, and spent $300 on groceries, not including the frozen chicken breasts I already had at home, as well as dried goods (like rice) and spices, and was able to complete the entire prep! This works out to $10/meal and $2.50/serving. While the BF had a mild heart attack at the total bill between Costco and Safeway before I began this prep, once I did this math, I felt much more relieved. For that entire month as we use these meals, the only groceries we will need to buy is fruit, vegetables, and milk! I generally spend around $125 per week on groceries, if not more, so this is much more economical. Each of the recipes below I split into two meal portions.

It’s also important to note that I own a FoodSaver vacuum sealer – this thing is the best gift my father has ever given me. Not only can I freeze any and everything from soups, to whole chickens, to burger patties, it also is a fantastic method to marinate food for a couple of hours before cooking and getting all that flavor that normally takes an overnight process. I used the sealer for most of my meals, with the exception of 10 square tins and 2 pie tins that I bought at the dollar store, for a whole $12. You can definitely still do this prep with freezer Ziploc bags, I just prefer the vacuum sealer because there is no chance of leaking or spoiling. I also lay these bags flat to freeze, and they now can stand up straight and use up minimal space in the deep freeze.

While I don’t follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, I am sure that any of these recipes could be adapted to suit your own needs! All links to recipes are provided. Full grocery list provided as well!

Recipes

Items with a * can be cooked in the crockpot

Poultry

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken, Broccoli, Potato, & Bacon Bake

Turkey Chili*

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole*

Chicken Ravioli Lasagna

Beef

Goulash*

Stroganoff

Sweet & Sour Meatballs*

Slow Cooker Pizza*

Spaghetti Bolognese sauce*

Lasagna

Taco Bake

Pork

Smothered Pork Chops*

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork*

Grocery List

Meat (I purchased all my meat in bulk at Costco, it was the most cost-efficient)

12 chicken breasts

6 lbs. lean ground beef/ground turkey (I did 5 beef and 1 turkey)

2 lbs. beef stewing cubes

4-6 pork chops

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

1/3 c. cooked crumbled bacon (I use the pre-cooked bacon bits from Costco)

1 pound Italian sausage (I omitted this)

Dairy

1 ½ c. grated parmesan cheese (I use Kraft dried parmesan)

12 c. shredded cheese

⅓ c. + 2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 c. milk

½ c. heavy cream

1 c. light sour cream

1 c. ricotta cheese

Canned goods

4 cans tomato sauce

2 small cans tomato paste

3 c. chicken broth

6 c. diced tomatoes

2 cans corn niblets

1 can white navy beans

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 cans cream of chicken soup

3 jars pasta sauce (of choice)

1 – 14 oz. can pizza sauce

Dry Goods

12 cups (cooked) rice

1 onion soup mix

1 pork gravy mix

1 package taco seasoning mix

1½ c. dry macaroni noodles

Spices

Oregano

All-purpose flour

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Minced garlic

Cumin

Parsley

Onion powder

Paprika

Bay leaves

Beef bouillon powder

Chicken bouillon powder

White sugar

Brown sugar

Cornstarch

White vinegar

Soya sauce

Italian seasoning

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Veggies

4 onions

1 bunch celery

5 red potatoes

6 heads of broccoli

7 large carrots

1 green pepper

Frozen Goods

1 bag frozen peas

1 package frozen ravioli of choice (I used fresh chicken and cheese ravioli)

1 package frozen meatballs

Miscellaneous

4 unbaked pie crusts (I used 2 packages of Pillsbury pie crusts, each comes with 2)

15 no-boil lasagna noodles

 

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Favorite Recipes from Mom’s Recipe Box

The four recipes below are some of my absolute favorites that my Mom used to make! I of course raided her recipe box a long time ago and these are often in my meal rotation.

I made these meals as part of my freezer meal prep! The grocery list I provided includes all the ingredients needed to make these recipes.

Chicken Parmesan

Serves: 4

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 208

Carbs: 15g

Fat: 3.5g

Protein: 29.7g

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. oregano

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray
  3. Pour tomato sauce into pan, add in parmesan cheese and oregano, mixing well
  4. Add chicken breasts, and coat with sauce
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through
  6. Top with mozzarella cheese and cook 5 more minutes

Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce

Serves: 4

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 297

Carbs: 11.9g

Fat: 17.2g

Protein: 25.6g

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. parsley
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 bayleaf
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Brown beef
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (you can also use a crockpot for this instead)
  3. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray
  4. Mix beef with dry ingredients
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling (or cook on low for 6-8 hours in crockpot)
  6. Serve with pasta

Beef Goulash

Serves: 4

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 393

Carbs: 7.9g

Fat: 24g

Protein: 32.6g

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. beef stewing cubes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp. beef bouillion powder
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in the crockpot
  2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours
  3. Serve with rice or pasta

Stroganoff

Serves: 4

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 293

Carbs: 10.6g

Fat: 15.8g

Protein: 27.4g

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 1 container light sour cream
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 c. shredded cheese
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Brown beef/turkey
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F
  3. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray
  4. In casserole dish, toss turkey/beef with flour
  5. Add sour cream, chicken soup, and cheese, mix well
  6. Bake for 30 minutes
  7. Serve with rice or pasta
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Turkey Chili

Chili has to be one of the most versatile meals ever. You can add almost anything! Like it hot and spicy? Add chili flakes. Like bell peppers? Chop some up. Like beans? Throw any kind you like in there. Hate beans? Don’t use them.

Chili is so easy to make in large batches, cook it up in the crockpot, and have meals for quite a few days! You can also always portion them out and freeze them for easy grab and go meals.

Since I began tracking macros, I look for meals that I can make sure are protein packed, but still full of vegetables to fuel my body and keep me full. After a few trials, I think I have finally perfected my chili recipe, which I made sure to fill with lots of natural protein. Remember, you can add any other vegetables or spices as you like, and can substitute the turkey meat for any other meat (or make it vegetarian) you’d like.

Crockpot Turkey Chili

Serves: 6

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 293

Carbs:38.1g

Fat: 5.1g

Protein: 27.6g

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey meat
  • 3 c. diced tomatoes
  • 1 can whole kernel corn
  • 1 can white navy beans
  • 6 large carrots
  • 1 c. chicken/vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. parsley
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. In a skillet, cook ground turkey until cooked through, seasoning with salt and pepper as it cooks
  2. Empty can of beans into a colander and rinse thoroughly
  3. Wash, peel, and then dice carrots into small bite size pieces
  4. In crockpot, add carrots, rinsed beans, diced tomatoes, corn, and chicken/vegetable broth
  5. Add in cooked turkey meat
  6. Add in the spices; cumin, oregano, garlic, parsley, onion powder, paprika and bay leaf
  7. Stir all ingredients together
  8. Cook on low for 8-10 hours
  9. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, or any other topping you would like (toppings not included in caloric count)

 

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Protein Energy Balls

It can be really hard to find a snack sometimes that has protein, is filling, and healthy for you! I first made these energy balls in the spring to take to a YYC BBG Meet Up, and they were loved by everyone! They are quick and easy to make, and you can use any flavor of protein powder you want in them!

Today I used my Unico Nutrition Peanut Butter Chocolate protein powder, and it just made the flavor so much more peanut butter filled! You can never go wrong with too much peanut butter, at least not in my books.

If you want to try out Unico, use the code KYLEY at checkout to save yourself 15% off your order! They have 5 awesome protein flavors, and sell BCAA’s and pre workout as well. I’m an ambassador and love their products.

These energy balls are now the perfect grab and go snack!

Protein Energy Balls

Serves 20

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 96

Fat: 4g

Carbs: 12g

Protein: 3g

Ingredients:
  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 8 pitted Medjool dates
  • 1/2 c. vanilla* protein powder
  • 1/2 c. natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tbsp. mini dark chocolate chips

*you can use any type of protein powder you’d like!

Directions:

  1. Add dates to a food processor and pulse until they form a thick paste. Add in rolled oats and pulse a few more times until just combined
  2. Place date and oat mixture into a bowl
  3. Stir in protein powder and peanut butter. Then add almond milk and stir well to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add an extra splash of almond milk.
  4. Stir in chocolate chips and form mixture into bite-size balls using your hands
  5. Store in a covered container in the fridge or freezer

Financial compensation and product were not received for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own and not influenced by the developing company and/or its affiliates in any way.

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Homemade Chicken Broth

In September I attended the Wholistic Dining event, hosted by Annice Elaine Wellness and Wholistic Health YYC.

This event was about learning how to support a healthy relationship with food, body, and mind. I learned about sense of hunger, and how eating with mindfulness brings more flavor and enjoyment to food, as well as feeling more full as you eat since you are actually taking the time to digest it. Eating to nourish and enjoy, rather than for the sake of just eating.

One of the six courses this night was bone broth, which is becoming the latest health craze. I’m not usually one to jump on the latest fad, but knowing how good chicken soup is when you’re sick, I did some additional research after listening to Elaine & Annice speak about the benefits.

10 Reasons Why You Should Add Broth to Your Diet:

  1. Contains protein
  2. Nutrient rich
  3. Extremely nourishing
  4. Boosts the immune system
  5. Detoxifies the body (glycine)
  6. Supports digestion
  7. Improves protein digestion efficiency
  8. Supports skin, hair, and nail health
  9. Full of calcium and magnesium which are easily absorbed by the body
  10. Improves symptoms of: high cholesterol, joint pain, common cold, hypertension, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, food allergies, leaky gut, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis,  cramps, muscle spasms, insomnia, irritability, anxiety,  allergies, pain and inflammation

Homemade is the way to go – this is how you can really ensure that you are getting the maximum amount of nutrients into the soup as possible, and can add all your own seasonings. No artificial ingredients or additives!

I had bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway on Sunday night, and kept the carcass. This gave me no excuses! I have been procrastinating making this myself for a while, and it’s so easy I should do it more often.

Homemade Chicken Broth

Serves 6

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 132

Fat: 7g

Carbs: 2g

Protein: 13g

Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken carcass, skin/meat attached is fine
  • Water
  • 1 onion
  • 5-6 celery stalks, leaves on
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp. basil
  • 1 tbsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. minced garlic
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place chicken carcass in large stock pot
  2. Cover chicken completely with water
  3. Chop celery into chunks, add to pot
  4. Quarter the onion, add to pot
  5. Add in dry ingredients
  6. Slowly bring to a boil
  7. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 hours
  8. Strain soup into large bowl, discarding all bones and vegetables
  9. Let cool 8 hours, or overnight in the fridge
  10. Skim the surface to remove all the fat
  11. Pour cooled broth into mason jars
    • if you are freezing them, make SURE you leave 1″ of room to allow for expansion and avoid the glass breaking

 

 

 

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Guacamole

Is there anything tastier than avocados?

That’s a rhetorical question – the answer is clearly no. I didn’t start eating them myself until the past year or so, and I’m not sure how I lived without them!

I add it to salads, sandwiches, toast, tacos, the list is endless really.

Avocado is allowed on the candida cleanse, so when I was making my meal plan for the week, I really wanted tacos and realized that I could make my own guacamole and use that as a makeshift dressing for a taco salad! No cheese or taco chips, but that’s ok, I will survive.

I cannot stand cilantro – I have that gene that makes it taste like soap, so buying guacamole often doesn’t work for me anyways, and now I have a quick and easy go-to for homemade.

I loved this so much I ended up having taco salad the next week too, because the combo was so delicious.

Guacamole

Recipe adapted from My Latina Table

Serves 2

Nutrition/serving:

Calories: 127

Fat: 11g

Carbs: 9g

Protein: 2g

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • Lime juice (to taste)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tomato, finely chopped

Instructions:

  1. Peel the avocado and remove the core.
  2. Mash the avocado in a bowl until it reaches your desired consistency
  3. Add the tomato and mix well.
  4. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
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Tomato Bisque Soup

Cold days call for soups…and soups you can make in a crockpot and blend up at the end of the day are my kind of meal.

I love simple recipes that are delicious! The best part about this particular soup is its versatility! I’ve cooked tortellini and topped it with the soup, I’ve added ground beef, rice, quinoa,  noodles, the possibilities are endless*! I also eat it as is without anything added too.

Tomato Bisque Soup

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Serves 4-6

Nutrition/serving (based on 6 servings):

Calories: 174

Fat: 7g

Carbs: 12g

Protein: 5g

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ c. diced carrots
  • 1 ¾ c. diced yellow onion
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 carton vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp. dried basil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp. white sugar
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • ¾ c. heavy cream

Directions:

    1. Dice up carrots and onion, add to crockpot
    2. Add in diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, garlic basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and sugar
    3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-3 ½ hours
    4. Once this time has passed, remove the bay leaves from the crockpot
    5. Puree the mixture using an emulsion blender (I have also used a measuring cup to pour into a large blender once scoop at a time if you do not have an emulsion blender)
    6. Stir in heavy cream and allow to sit for 10 minutes

*If you are adding in any additional ingredients such as beef, rice, tortellini, noodles, quinoa, etc. and only allow warm in the crockpot with the soup to desired temperature – leaving it sit too long will result in soggy/mushy food

 

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Three Cheese Skillet Lasagna

A couple weeks ago, a friend told me about Mealime. This is accessible both in a web browser, as well as an app availble in the Apple iStore.

This site/app is a meal planner’s dream. Once you sign up, you select your dietary preferences (classic, flexitarian, low carb, paleo, pescetarian, vegetarian), allergies and food restrictions (shellfish-free for me), and select from a massive list of ingredients you dislike. From here, you choose how many meals you want to cook (2-6), and your meal size: 2 servings, or 4 servings. I went with 4 servings as this way it feeds the BF and I both dinner and lunch the next day.

Mealime then generates meals for you based on the information you provided, and you then have the option to swipe through and find other dishes before you make a decision. Once you select the meals you want, it generates a full and complete grocery list for you to ensure that you get everything you need, with exact measurements, for the plan. You can also select each item on the grocery list, and a substitution (if available) is provided. I then will check off anything I already have at home, then use Superstore’s Click & Collect to order all the rest online. I tend to use two devices to do this – one to view and check off the grocery list, and the other on the Superstore website to place my order. Then Sunday’s I pick up my groceries without having to leave the car, and all the hard work is done for me.

Mealime is also FREE. Yes, you read that right, something this amazing and lifechanging costs nothing. You do have the option to upgrade to the premium option, which allows you to view previous weeks’ meals, track calories, macros and micros, and add previous favorites to the current weeks’ plan. I cannot say enough good things about this company, and tell everyone I can about it. Meal planning can be hard, and this does all the work instead! Plus, every meal so far hasn’t disappointed.

This three cheese skillet lasagna was one of the amazing meals I made this week. It was such a delicious, indulgent meal – that wasn’t even that bad for you! Hit all the basic food groups (fat, carbs, protein, veggies), and well, I love me some pasta!

Three Cheese Skillet Lasagna

Recipe adapted from Mealime

Serves 4-6

Nutrition/serving (based on 6 servings):

Calories: 373

Fat: 16g

Carbs:25g

Protein: 33g

Ingredients:

  • 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 small pkg fresh basil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 c. mozzarella cheese
  • 3 sheets Olivieri fresh lasagna
  • ½ c. parmesan cheese
  • 1 c. ricotta cheese
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

  1. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 1 c. water. Set aside.
  3. Add ground beef to sauté pan and, breaking apart with a spoon, cook until browned and crumbly, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Peel and mince garlic.
  5. Add garlic and Italian seasoning to pan. Stir for 15-30 seconds.
  6. Break lasagna noodles into thirds, and then halves and arrange over top beef. Pour sauce over top noodles. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until noodles are tender, 8-10 minutes.
  7. Grate 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan. Measure out 1 cup of ricotta.
  8. Wash and dry basil. Pick leaves off the stems; discard the stems and thinly slice the leaves into ribbons.
  9. Once noodles are tender, reduce heat to low and uncover. Sprinkle with ½ of the mozzarella and Parmesan; fold into the noodles. Then place spoonfuls of ricotta over top and finish off by sprinkling with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
  10. Cover and cook until cheese melts, 4-5 minutes. Garnish with basil.
  11. To serve, place pasta on a plate or in a bowl. Enjoy!

 

Financial compensation was not received for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own and not influenced by the developing company and/or its affiliates in any way.

 

 

3

Parmesan Garlic Roasted Broccoli

As much as I love salads, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up a bit to get my veggie intake in. Especially for lunches during the work, since taking all the salad ingredients and a dressing take up a ton of room, and taking the bus, I like to maximize the amount I can fit in my tiny bag.

I’ve always liked broccoli (cooked, never raw) and decided to play around with some different ingredients and roast it instead of steaming it. I found the winner here – the parmesan gives it an extra kick, making it a little more savoury. I usually make a batch once a week to throw in with rice and whatever meat I packed for lunch a couple of times a week!

Measurements aren’t exact, I tend to just guess and play it by taste. Feel free to add any other spices, and I have used fresh parmesan instead of dry and it turns out even better!

Parmesan Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Serves 4-6 (1 head serves 4, 2 serves 6)

Nutrition/serving (based on 4 servings):

Calories: 196

Fat: 16g

Carbs: 9g

Protein: 8g

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 heads broccoli
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1/4 c.parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Wash broccoli and cut florets into bite sized pieces
  3. Put into a large mixing bowl
  4. Add all other ingredients, and toss so broccoli is coated evenly
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread broccoli evenly
  6. Bake for 30 minutes
  7. Broil for 5 minutes, or longer, depending if you want it a bit crispier
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