Here at Gym Slayer in Elk Grove, CA, clients love the idea of making meals ahead, so it’s just heat and serve during the week. That’s why our menus offer health freezer meals for meal prep. If you haven’t already started with our program, you might want to consider it. It takes the hassle out of “what’s for supper,” encourages less take out and provides a healthy menu specifically for your needs. Most people make all the meals on the weekend and then freeze them. Some even double the recipes, so they have less work later. Here are a few ideas for meals that can get you started and even convince you that eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard or costly.
Stuffed peppers, whether vegetarian or with meat, are easy to freeze.
If you make stuffed peppers, consider options like chicken or quinoa, black beans and refried beans as part of the filling. Use red enchilada sauce, taco seasoning and fresh or canned tomatoes. Prebake these and put in freezer containers based on serving sizes with lots of extra sauce. It’s easy to reheat and makes a delicious meal with a side salad.
Making the one dish can be perfect for many different meals.
Do you love tacos? Rice bowls? Salads as complete meals? You can make life a breeze by creating one recipe that can do all things and then package it up in serving sizes. You can make chicken tinga ahead and use it any way you like. Make chicken breasts or thighs for one meal and cook extra for this dish. Freeze shredded chicken with a combination olive oil, garlic, chipotles in adobo sauce, fire roasted tomatoes and other spices. Freeze and reheat when you’re ready to use.
Use leftovers to make soups and stews.
There’s nothing like saving money and avoiding all those leftovers in the refrigerator that often turn to something you don’t recognize weeks later. Soups and stews are the perfect way to ensure you use those extra vegetables from prepping other meals or the extras leftover from making too much. If you boil chicken, save the stock, combine it with herbs and spices, like fennel, sage, salt, tarragon, and garlic. Add such as butternut squash, potatoes and leftover vegetables, plus uncooked brown lentils. You don’t have to cook it now. Freeze it and when ready to use, heat the frozen combination in a crockpot for six hours or an instant pot for 25, adding a little olive oil and kale right before serving. You’ve used leftovers and created an easy to make meal.
- Get creative with soups and stews. Adding spicy hot jalapenos, turmeric, tomatoes or other vegetables liberally and switching from potatoes to wild rice, adding chopped chicken or other animal or vegetable protein changes the dish.
- While it takes a little effort to roast the zucchini before you use it as lasagna noodles, a big dish of vegetable lasagna or two, can make several meals and stays freezer fresh for three months.
- Even if you have several family members, some people freeze individual serving sizes for more flexibility. You’ll have a ready to eat meal for one or extra when guests visit.
- You’ll love the easy to make and freeze recipes and meals we provide. You’ll find making meals ahead not only boosts your weight loss effort and makes mealtime easier, it also saves money on junk food and carryout, while using leftovers that might otherwise go to waste.
For more information, contact us today at Gym Slayer