Healthy Meal Planning for the New Year | Actually Delicious Freezer Meals

[@vkpillay6276]

You two are a breath of fresh air in today’s crazy world. Happy new year 🤗

[@FreezerMeals101]

Thank you so much! Happy New Year to you as well!

[@myla5233]

The one thing I have changed about any freezer meal that ask for chicken, beef or veggie broth is I add the the broth base and freeze it. The day I use that meal I add the appropriate amount of water.this saves more freezer space. I wanted to add that these meals are so easy to make ahead that my husband has found some of his own combos he likes to make. He will start making them to freeze all on his own. You guys are a good influence on this family.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Great tip! Thanks for watching!

[@angelawossname]

I do this as well. I'll also write on the bag "add one tin of tomatoes/beans/sweetcorn" or anything that we always keep in the pantry in a tin. We add a lot more veggies to our meals so we need the extra space.

[@jujube2407]

My words!!!!! Yes I have 2! For 2023 are ruthless and relentless! ( r&r) if I'm ruthless and relentless in all areas now.....I can enjoy the OTHER r&r later! Ruthless and relentless in decluttering my home, planning meals better, completing my 52 hikes in 52 weeks challenge I have decided to take on! Ruthless and relentless in my better food choices too!!! So I can be ruthless and relentless with taking control back of my health!

[@FreezerMeals101]

Woah! Watch out for you this year! That's awesome! Very ambitious and focused. I love it!

[@GardeningWarrior]

I have grown to love watching you two. You two are people I can binge on for HOURS while working and doing things..you are soooo inspiring..you help me keep my brain clear and focused

[@FreezerMeals101]

Awww! Thank you so much. Happy New Year to you!

[@CookingwithCatLover0330]

I have the Hearty Hamburger Soup in the freezer now. That is on this months menu plan. We love it! I enjoy the Freezer Meals 101 Club even though I cook for two. I can make one recipe and split it up into 3 or 4 meals. If I get a meat on sale, I get into the Club and look for recipes. Thank you so much!

[@FreezerMeals101]

So happy to hear that the Club is working well for you. Thank you for sharing that!

[@dinnermadeeasywithdena]

I love watching you two, you are light hearted and fun but really hit the mark for quick freezer meals, keep up the great videos!

[@jwest2133]

Happy New Year ladies! I can’t wait to see what up for this year on your channel💕 I paid for my membership in September right away just by not ordering/picking up take-out. It is absolutely worth it, and it’s self care to me; Im not stressed about cooking every night, or feeling guilty for eating out or wasting food.

[@FreezerMeals101]

That is awesome! Happy New Year!

[@pengle]

One Pot Meals for the WIN!

[@maryellenschwemm9165]

I just found your channel yesterday . I just love you ladies. I wish we had these videos when I was young and had my children at home . I would have loved preparing meals like this . Although , I must say I made different soups for a week this fall . I have those frozen so that I don't have to eat the same things all week . Happy New Year !

[@FreezerMeals101]

Soups in the freezer are so nice to have (especially in the winter). Happy New Year Mary Ellen!

[@kellyestes5482]

May I suggest a 70’s song by Three Dog Night….. Joy To The Night. As organized as you are on freezer meals I can’t imagine either of you frazzled 💜👍

[@FreezerMeals101]

Oh we look calm and collected, just like ducks swimming in the water, but we're paddling pool to beat heck below water! 🤣 We'll have to check out that song. Thanks!

[@FreezerMeals101]

I'm back to say I just went and listened to it and I totally know that song. The name just didn't ring a bell when I looked at it. It would be a great one for grooving in the kitchen when we have one of our mega sessions. We should make a spotify playlist of the songs we listen to and share it!

[@peaches833]

HAPPY NEW YEAR🎉🥂

[@FreezerMeals101]

happy new year!

[@buddy1parker613]

The club looks great! How many servings are in most recipes? Also, what size crockpot do you need for the crockpot meals? I know the meals can be doubled, etc. but just wanted to know this info for the recipes as they are before adjusting the size. Thank you - enjoy your videos!

[@FreezerMeals101]

Most of our recipes have 4-6 servings as they are. However, in the Club, you can adjust each recipe to be the amount of servings you need at the click of a button. 5 or 6 gallon crock pot (or larger) will work for most of them. If you adjust the servings to be less, you could use a 3 or 4 gallon crock pot. Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.

[@Stacey_Minter0623]

Thank you for the ideas. All look so yummy. Happy New Year ❤

[@FreezerMeals101]

Happy new year!!

[@AudreyEllyce]

Hi, i've been binge watching you the last few weeks and am fantasizing about stocking my freezer. At the moment I only have a small freezer with not a lot of space so until those circumstances change I have a question. Is there any reason I couldn't assemble all these recipes in the ziplocks but without the canned ingredients so it takes up less space? Will they freeze and thaw ok? Then i could just label my cans for the day of cooking so i remember what recipes they're for Also, how many servings/people is each recipe supposed to be for? we're only a family of 5 but my husband eats a lot and those bags (depending on the recipe) look like they could feed 3-5. Does that mean you personally cook/warm up 2 bags every time your family eats since you have a large family?

[@FreezerMeals101]

Hi Audrey, in most cases, you would be fine to put the ingredients minus the canned goods in the bag and make a note on the bag and on your cans (so they don't get used for other things). The other thing that may help is that if all you have is a freezer above a fridge, it saves room to freeze them flat first and then stack them on their side like books in a library. Our recipes generally feed 4-6 people. It will say on the recipe if you click on the recipe link. A lot of them I can stretch to feed our whole family by adding side dishes or even just some garlic bread. But there are some like the Cajun sausage and veggies sheet pan meal where I do take out two bags to feed our family or if I take out one bag, I add a lot of baby potatoes onto the tray. I hope that helps!

[@angiehartwich2382]

Not a "resolutions" gal either. But we do have financial goals for the year. My word of the year is BALANCE.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Ugh. I love that so much. All the best to you in 2023!

[@JSO2006]

Canadian here living in Denmark who stumbled onto your channel because I love the thought of meal prepping. With energy prices soaring, being able to pop a freezer meal into the slow cooker during the day when energy rates are cheaper seems like an awesome option. Was thinking about ordering the membership but can’t access many processed grocery items here in Denmark such as onion soup mix, evaporated milk or Campbell’s condensed soup mixes that I’ve noticed are often used in the recipes I’ve seen so far. Does the system you offer allow filtering on recipes that use whole ingredients only? That could help my situation I think. Thanks!

[@jenniferspeers2453]

Mary's nest on KZbin has recipes for dry mixes to make all sorts of things like soup mixes. That might help. And cream of ___ soups are basically just a Bechamel sauce.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Oooh! It doesn't but that may be an option in the future. It's hard to know what's missing out there. I know a lot of our Aussie and UK customers find the same thing so they're making their own seasonings, sauces and dressings. No Campbell's soup in Denmark, hey? One lady in the UK was making homemade tater tots so she could have tater tot casserole! Sorry you have to fumble through it for now.

[@JSO2006]

Thank you! The good thing not having these things is that I’ve learned to make loads from scratch myself but that’s time permitting ofcourse ☺️ Finding anything Campbell’s or equivalent is rare here indeed 😂. I even have a whole Campbell’s Cookbook imported from Canada 🇨🇦 and can’t use it😀

[@jujube2407]

My first "in the club" search is going to be for fish sauce! Hahahaha! 😆

[@FreezerMeals101]

You might be surprised at what you find! There's probably only two but it really feels like a lot when you've never even heard of it before! Bahahaha

[@jujube2407]

@Freezer Meals 101 my great aunt made the best fried rice( she was from japan!) I knew from living in hawaii it was fish flakes( bonito) I tried to stop my sister from eating the leftovers rhe next day( allergic to fish) she thought I was just trying to be greedy... didn't believe me... ate it anyway... I told my mom...whelp we are gonna find out how allergic she is today! Lol mom called her aunt...got the 'ingredient list" she told my mom "salt" I said ask her specifically if it was bonito... she said yes of course...it has the best salty taste... yeah... that was an er trip .... like ummm listen to me! I lived aloha for 3 years...I know fish sauce/flakes/ etc when I taste it! And it's sooooo good!

[@samstone936]

Btw, soy sauce is made with anchovies so there’s fish in that also and it doesn’t taste fishy.

[@FreezerMeals101]

No, Worchestershire Sauce is made from fermented anchovies. Soy sauce is made from fermented soy and wheat! Soy sauce is not gluten-free, unless you seek out gluten-free soy sauce. :D

[@TracieSmithpomeranian]

I used to make resolutions. I don't make many. Progress Over Prefection is something I have learned from Kimmie at She's In Her Apron.

[@FreezerMeals101]

We often say "done is better than perfect", especially when it comes to freezer meals! It's true in lots of areas in our lives!

[@michellek2858]

You are helping me with many resolutions!! I used the nutrition facts in the club to plan 90 dinners/lunches for my family. So I’m getting more fiber/ protein into my family and less fat as well as saving me money and time! I have older kids, but our dinner times have lots of chaos with kids in college and working. My youngest and only daughter has health issues and her nutrition has a large impact on her overall health, where my four sons just want fed. Lol. Thank you as always for inspiration and entertainment!!!

[@FreezerMeals101]

Michelle, we are so happy to hear that the Club is helping you with all of that. Happy New Year!

[@kirstenbentley2572]

I have to laugh at the dish issue. Mom of 4 (lets say 5 with husband HA) I say Dirty Dishes and Dirty Clothes are the gift that keeps on giving.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Yep, those certainly are the gifts that keep on giving!

[@jujube2407]

Pro tip for the soup! ( or any recipe really) if you need to leave out broth to save freezer space... leave yourself a note on the broth in the freezer! Mine are usually a post it I tape on that days HEY DONT USE ME! IM FOR HAMBURGER SOUP IN THE FREEZER! this has stopped my teen, tween, and hubs from touching stuff and not telling me!! 😑

[@FreezerMeals101]

Oh that's a Pro Tip! Great idea! 🤣

[@DragonflyArtz1]

For the kids that won't eat vegetables- Amy Miron and I decided to puree some vegetables and then freeze them in an ice cube tray. Then when you make Macaroni and Cheese, or anything with a sauce add a cube or two. Get them used to the flavours then later they may well get over those texture issues. Maybe even start with small cut veggies. You can do anything because it's the New Year and you are a Goddess!

[@FreezerMeals101]

That's a great idea! You could add the cubes into chili or spaghetti sauce or even pizza sauce (because most kids love pizza).

[@sandralmoore1360]

Picking a word is still a thing for some

[@FreezerMeals101]

For sure! It's my favourite way to do a resolution!

[@karenpage9383]

I'm guessing after awhile that you get used to the texture of frozen, but I'm not sure I could adapt to frozen peppers and onions. I had a bountiful year in the garden for peppers and so I sliced some, diced others, and frozen them in amounts I commonly use for meals. They went into vacuum sealed bags, so freezer burn wasn't the issue. Our family is just so used to fresh that cooking with the frozen ruined many meals. In warming up the peppers, they released so much of their liquid into the meal that it would make quesadillas soggy, or casseroles watery. Am I missing something? Those first 2 meals aren't so time consuming that you couldn't whip them up at dinner time. I don't see the advantage of prepping in advance when it loses that crisp tender texture you get when cooking fresh veggies. There are some things that I do prep extra for the freezer... meatloaves (cause who wants to put their hands in meat, egg, and breadcrumbs more than they have to, right?), and things like pulled pork or beef carnitas, where the roast is big enough for multiple meals so it makes sense to divide it up after cooking. Maybe I'm just a stage in my life where carving out 45 minutes to make dinner isn't a big deal 🤷‍♀ I have found the older I get, the more I want to make from scratch than buying it from the store. Grow tomatoes and make my own sauce, ketchup, and BBQ. Make my own mayo from eggs from our chickens. Homemade breadcrumbs from bread I baked with fresh whole wheat flour I made by grinding wheat berries. If I had a word for this year, it would probably be Eliminate... eliminate preservatives, fillers, pesticides, herbicides, anti-caking agents, GMO ingredients, endocrine disruptors, artificial flavors, and flavor enhancers. But then again, I'm dealing with health issues that have made me look harder at what we're eating and go down the (very deep) rabbit hole of our diseased food industry. Sorry that got so heavy, but that's where my 2023 kicked off. I would love to have some nights where the "convenience" food I grab is from my prior efforts, but I think I need to do it my own way. I still appreciate your sweet personalities and enthusiasm, and sometimes I even find a recipe that I can make work for me. Keep up the great videos!

[@evelynincanada]

I've found that the texture and moisture of frozen peppers and onions is fine in sheet pan meals (it seems to evaporate) and also in soups and stews or skillet meals. It doesn't bother me at all. Regarding the time saved, even if I have time to cook and prep meals on the actual day, I still find that this system helps me because I don't have to plan or think on the actual day. I've gone through stages of meal planning for a week or two so that I have everything on hand to combat that issue, but then I never feel like eating the planned meals and I end up with lots of unused stuff in the fridge by the end of the week and I've had to ad lib the meals that satisfy my mood each day. We all go through stages though and this one seems to work for me in my current stage.

[@evelynincanada]

I love the idea of "eliminate" as a 2023 theme word

[@amyschmelzer6445]

I am also a gardener. The watery texture of frozen peppers and onions doesn’t bother me or my family because I use them in dishes where a soft texture is expected such as soups and casseroles. I like having them frozen because I dislike having to chop produce. If it’s in my freezer then it’s easy to use. If it’s fresh in my crisper drawer, then I avoid using it. Yesterday I found some moldy homegrown carrots in my fridge that I should have dealt with a month ago.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Christie here: for me, I look at it as a trade off. Is a stirfry better when veggies are tendercrisp? You bet. Can I handle some soggy peppers and onions in order to have a meal ready in 20 minutes because I need to get out the door for guitar lessons? Yes. I'm the opposite of you where I am in a stage of life where I can't (and don't want to) spend 45 minutes making supper and would rather spend my mental energy on other things. There is such a thing as "decision fatigue" (another rabbit hole unfortunately) and if I can eliminate extra decisions I have to make in a day, I'll do it. One of the best things about freezer meals is that they are 100% customizable! There is room for everyone's desires and methods. I'm so glad you're here! I wish you all the best in 2023. Sometimes the heavy stuff is just the stuff we have to go through to feel lighter in the end of the process. Eliminate away! :D

[@jujube2407]

@Freezer Meals 101 I love that I can decide at 455pm to go to a gym class at 540 last min because my husband got home from work early...and they can fix dinner without me... the power of relinquishing the "mom guilt" is real! Real food! Real fast! And there are some things I won't freeze...but that's not the bulk of my dinners anymore! And when I want a crispy roasted whatever I do it! But we have loved alllllllllll but one meal we have tried...and that was a picky kids thing...not the recipe fault ❤️