Here at Once a Month Meals, we provide you with everything you need to cook a month’s worth of meals in one big cooking day. When you are all done, you will have a freezer full of meals just waiting to be eaten whenever you want them! (Read more if you are new around here.) This system of planning ahead for meals can really help you get back on track with meal planning. But we still often here this question….
“How do I meal plan from the freezer after my cooking day?”
Often times we give the answer, “That is totally up to you!” And it is. Everyone’s schedule is unique and so we don’t have a “one size fits all” answer. But for those who like to see things in black and white, we will walk you through how to meal plan from the freezer and provide you with some helpful printable resources (bottom of this post). Actually USING your freezer meals is the most important part of the process!
Tips and Tricks to Meal Plan From Your Freezer
Sample Meal Plan Using Freezer Meals
A meal plan is a very personal thing. Everyone’s schedule looks a little bit different. Everyone has certain days of the week that are stressful or extra busy. Some families have more social events on the calendar. Others have a tradition of eating at a special restaurant or eating family favorites like your super secret family chili.
Because of this, it is really tough for us to give you an exact meal plan for your freezer meals as you will likely end up switching things around anyway. But here is a sample of what your monthly schedule might look like.
Were you wondering if you’re meals would really last all month?
This calendar also goes to show that you really can eat out of the freezer for a month! No, it isn’t 3 meals a day for 30 days. But with the exception of 4 days, there is an easy, freezer meal on the menu at least once each day.
How did we create the sample meal plan?
I didn’t use real recipe names, but rather Breakfast #1-3, Lunch #1-4, and Dinner #1-8. When you create your own meal plan you can use the actual names or give each recipe a number. You will see that each meal shows up twice on the calendar since each recipe is doubled. But I tried to put two weeks between each so that it doesn’t seem like you are eating the same meal over and over.
Here are some of the criteria I made up for my sample family’s meal plan:
- Sunday – Eating dinner together as a family is a priority on the weekends, so I planned a dinner for every Sunday.
- Monday – Most difficult day of the week. Everyone has to get back to their work and school schedule, so I planned a breakfast and a dinner for each to reduce stress.
- Tuesday-Thursday – I planned one freezer meal a day, either a lunch or a dinner.
- Friday – Alternated the remaining lunches for Fridays. But this is the day the family plans social activities (dinner with friends, date nights, family pizza night, etc.), so there are no other planned freezer meals.
- Saturday – Alternated remaining breakfasts so that the family can sleep in and have brunch together twice a month. Designated leftovers day to clean out the refrigerator.
Make Freezer Meal Planning Work for You!
Here are a few additional tips and tricks that will help you make the system work for YOU and your family schedule.
You don’t have to plan a whole month at a time.
You can use a freezer inventory sheet or your Thaw Sheet (one of your Meal Plan Resources) to help you plan week to week. Simply pull out your inventory at the beginning of the week and fill in your busy days with freezer meals.
Consider meal types when you are planning.
For example, choose slow cooker meals for the days when you will be busy right up until dinner time. Choose meals that need to be baked, grilled, etc. on serving day for the days when you have a little extra time.
Lunches can be used as easy dinners based on your needs.
If you are fine with brown bag sandwiches for lunch, but need quick dinners for the nights when you have other activities (sports practices, clubs, church programs, etc.), then use your lunches for easy, heat and eat dinners. Or you can opt to customize your meal plan and choose 15 dinners instead of a variety of meals. Then you will have a dinner for every night of the month since they are doubled!
Breakfasts will sometimes provide more than 6 meals.
For example, a recipe that only has one egg can’t be divided any further into smaller batches. This often happens with baked goods like muffins. So even though you may request 4 servings (8 total when doubled), you may still end up with 12 servings if that is the smallest batch size. This is good news, because you get an extra breakfast!
Plan your meals around your existing schedule.
Use freezer meals to your advantage on your difficult days. Create custom meal plans to help you with that meal that gives you the most stress. Use freezer cooking to plan for special occasions or provide your family with meals when you are out of town. Do what works for you!
Use your phone to set reminders.
You will need to remember to take your meals out of the freezer to thaw a day or two before, so use your phone to set reminders or enter your meal plan into a service such as Google Calendar. Or simply make it a habit to check your calendar every night before bed. This can also help with remembering to prep side dishes or ingredients that are added on serving day. Or you can transform your freezer cooking and cook meals from frozen with the Instant Pot!
Resources to Meal Plan Using Freezer Meals
- Blank Monthly Freezer Plan (print and fill out with your menu)
- Sample Monthly Freezer Meal Plan (use as a reference or example)
- Freezer Inventory Sheet