Freezer-friendly meal prep recipes are perfect for those days when you have leftovers or anything prepped for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Many people think that meal prepping means eating the same thing for a whole week but truth be told, meal prepping does not need to be for one kind of food but you could actually spice it up for yourself.

You could stack your freezer with delectable dishes like lasagna, chili, marinated chicken, pastas, pancakes and waffles then simply thaw and reheat for an instant meal. They are perfect for those days when you are just too busy to cook.

It is not just dinner you can prep and freeze but there are also other options for breakfast and lunch meals to make busy or lazy days a little smoother.

Before we even go further, there are some tricks you should know about meal prepping especially if it is your first time. Lets just call them shortcuts if you like:

• Use pre-cut & washed veggies- carrot sticks, cabbage slaw, and pre-riced cauliflower are super convenient on meal prep day.
• Buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, shred it and use in multiple meals
• Use pre-made dressings and dips, cuts down on prep time
• Just portion stuff out
• Use your appliances- cook your quinoa in a rice cooker so you can focus on other things. Cook a big batch of protein in the slow cooker. Using your appliances frees up your hands (and mind) to focus on other tasks.
• Use no cook recipes- such as overnight oats or salads

Freezer-friendly meal prep recipes

In this article, we will look at meals you can easily prep and freeze. The word is easy so, be open minded and ready to learn some new tricks on this meal prepping business.

Easy chicken dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 (1 kg) container of low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups of minced cooked chicken (about 1/2 kg.)
• 1 (300 grams.) container reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of poultry seasoning 1 (300 grams)
• refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 2 chopped carrots
• 3 celery ribs also chopped

How to Make It

1. Boil the chicken broth, chicken, cream and poultry seasoning in an oven over medium-high heat.
2. Cover the result and reduce the heat to low, and simmer. Stir in 5 minute intervals.
3. Increase heat to medium-high; return to a low boil.
4. Roll the biscuits ,on a lightly floured surface, into 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
5. Gently place the strips individually into the now boiling broth mixture.
6. Add the carrots and celery.
7. Cover the results, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Honey Chipotle Meatball Meal Prep Bowls

In this instance we will use turkey meatballs. Have with you some lean ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and Worcestershire sauce.

1. Use a 1.5 tablespoon to scoop so as to get equal sized meatballs and bake them all up for 25 minutes.
2. As you wait for the meatballs to bake, be whipping up the sticky honey chipotle glaze. To achieve this, simmer the honey,salt and  sauce in a pan. Thicken the result with a touch of cornstarch.
3. For the SPICY fans, add chipotle pepper while simmering, then remove before tossing in the meatballs.
4. Toss the meatballs in the now smoky sweet and savory honey chipotle glaze.
5. Serve with cilantro lime cauliflower rice. You can also serve them over basmati rice or zoodles.
6. Split the  rice into different containers depending on how many of the resulting containers you want. Do so with the meatballs serving a reasonable amount to each bowl.

Easy soup lunch meal prep

A great time to enjoy soups is during the cold winter months or even during the summer. You can, also squeeze in some vegetables in your soup at your discretion.

How to meal prep- In order to minimize  on waste, it is preferable that you cook a big batch and portion it out throughout the week.  Leftover soup can mostly be frozen  for long term storage.

How to store - Get containers that can be closed tightly and you are guaranteed of no spill.

When serving, get yourself some crackers or your favorite soup dipper.

Examples of soup lunch prep recipes include:

1. Thai Coconut Healthy Homemade Instant Noodles from Sweet Peas & Saffron
2. Healthier Broccoli Cheese Soup from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Easy wrap meal prep

Making sandwiches can at times be monotonous. A solution to this is providing you variety in terms of these delicious wrap and pita meal prep ideas that are sure to spark your interest:

Meal prep Procedure:

Make the fillings beforehand and store them independently from the lettuce wraps, tortillas or pitas. Do this till before serving. *note- the pinwheels may be prepared  for up to a period of 3 days before and the quesadillas hold up well with the filling.

Packing:

Lettuce wraps- You may want to use two different compartment meal prep containers for the filling and the lettuce.

Pitas & tortilla wraps- carry the whole bag of pitas/tortillas to your workplace. Only cut the pitas when serving and place the filling inside the pitas.

Pinwheels & bento- Just like the lettuce and fillings, use compartment meal prep containers to store them.

Serving:

Wraps/pitas- introduce heat to the filling just before placing into the lettuce, pita or tortilla.

Quesadillas- best crisped up via a frying pan just before serving  them.You can also reheat them  in a microwave.

Pinwheels & bentos- serve and enjoy while cold.

Examples of such wrap meal preps include:

1. Smashed White Bean & Spinach Quesadillasfrom Sweet Peas & Saffron
2. Healthy Turkey Lettuce Wraps from Eat Yourself Skinny

Meal Prep Almond Flour Pancakes

Ingredients

•  6 eggs room temperature
•  1 cup almond flour
•  1/4 cup coconut flour
•  1 tsp baking powder
•  1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
•  1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat an electric skillet to medium heat. Spray or oil as necessary to prevent sticking.
2. Whisk eggs together in a mixing bowl with milk and vanilla.
3. Add almond, coconut flour and baking powder folding together until smooth. Do not over-mix or you will get less pancakes.
4. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan to form one pancake. Repeat for remaining batter.
5. Cook 2-3 minutes then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Note you may not see bubbles on the first side as the batter is thicker. Dont wait for bubbles to flip the pancakes.
6. Once cooked, transfer to a wire baking rack to cool a bit before serving.
7. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freezer 1 month.

Beef and broccoli

This dish is familiarized with the Chinese culture.

You can learn how to make this dish here. It is a healthier option and atop of that is as tasty as any takeout meal.

Its totally skinny-jean friendly since we are using less oil, lower sodium soy sauce and a leaner cut of beef. As an added advantage, theres also an option to make this gluten-free or paleo friendly just in case.

So there you have it. Meal prep recipes are the talk of the town when it comes to being healthy and proactive with your foods. Watching what you eat doesnt have to mean skimping on flavor and your favorite dishes.

It may simply mean cutting back to smaller portions. Meal prepping can help with that and also take the guessing game out of what to make for lunch or dinner on a whim.

Youre less likely to make a stop at a fast food joint if you have a meal already waiting for you!