Save Time and Money This Summer: Kid-Friendly Freezer Meal Plans for Busy Parents

On June 18, 2024 by Tricia

2-n-1 Summer Kid-Friendly Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Meal Plan

10 Recipes that Double to Make 20 Meals for the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot!

Summer is here, and for busy moms and dads, that means finding ways to enjoy the season without spending hours in the kitchen. Our latest freezer meal plan is the perfect solution, offering kid-friendly, time-saving recipes that ensure your family can eat well and enjoy more of your summer adventures.

We know that as a busy parent, you face the constant challenge of finding time to prepare meals while juggling your daily activities. Plus, it’s hard to keep food from spoiling before you get a chance to use it. Not to mention, getting your kids to eat the meals you prepare can be a struggle.

Our new freezer meal plan is here to make your life easier. Designed with busy parents in mind, these meals are not only quick and easy to prepare but also budget-friendly and delicious enough for even the pickiest eaters.

Here are some of the criteria we used to create these meal plans:

Dump and Go on Freezer Cooking Day

This means you only have to chop, measure, and dump in the bag. No cooking required! You might need to precook some meats, but when you do it in bulk, it isn’t bad. You can just throw them in the slow cooker or Instant Pot for hands-off prep!

Short Ingredient List

The shorter the better! That means less time in the grocery store, less time chopping, and ultimately less time in the kitchen! Win!

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Preferred

Many of these recipes make use of the slow cooker on the day you serve it. But we also tried to pick as many recipes that had Instant Pot versions as well, so if you have one, you can choose that option. Because freezer cooking and the Instant Pot are a match made in heaven!

Simple, Tasty Kid-Favorites

These are our family favorites! Delicious, but nothing super duper fancy. However, if your family has more specific dietary needs or you know you will need to avoid certain foods, you can create your own custom meal plan using the same criteria we used to search for recipes in our MenuBuilder database.

2 Meal Plans. The Same Recipes. 2 Different Cooking Methods. You Decide!

Both meal plans include the same set of recipes, and you prepare and assemble them in the exact same ways. However, they have different methods of cooking. Any one recipe can be made in either the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot. You choose! See the full meal plans below!

Instant POT Meal plan » Slow Cooker Meal plan»

Kid-Friendly Recipes Include:

Chicken Fajitas (Slow Cooker Version | Instant Pot Version)
Green Chile Chicken (Slow Cooker Version | Instant Pot Version)
Shredded BBQ Cream Cheese Chicken (Slow Cooker Version | Instant Pot Version)
Creamy Sloppy Joes (Slow Cooker Version | Instant Pot Version)
Shredded Pork (Slow Cooker Version | Instant Pot Version)

*Within each meal plan you will make 2 of each to maximize your time, money and ingredients! So when you’re done, you’ll have 20 meals ready for dinner at a moments notice!

Make this summer your best one yet with our kid-friendly freezer meal plans. Say goodbye to the stress of daily meal prep and hello to more quality time with your loved ones. Download our meal plan today and start enjoying the benefits of easy, budget-friendly, and delicious meals!

Download our newest freezer meal plan now and transform your summer meal prep. Don’t miss out on these quick and easy recipes that your whole family will love!

How To Cook This Meal Plan (and Fast!)

Receive access to ALL the cooking documents for these meal plans by becoming a Once A Month Meals Member today!*

With a membership*, your meal plan comes with:

A Grocery Shopping List organized by category for faster and easier shopping.
Prep Instructions to help you prepare all your ingredients ahead of time.
Step-by-step Cooking Day Instructions for fast and efficient freezer cooking.
Individual Recipe Cards with detailed cooking and freezing instructions.
Printable Labels for your freezer bags with thawing and reheating instructions.
A Thaw Sheet for a full list of your menu’s defrosting or reheating instructions.
*See a sample of our cooking documents here!

Adjust the Serving Size!

You can also adjust this meal plan to whatever serving size you need! Freezer Cook for 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and more (as well as anything in-between!)

*See more about the different levels of membership here.