Must Have Items To Make Healthy Freezer Meals

When you embark on your first freezer meal preparation, you will find yourself in need of a few simple items that will help you keep great food quality and make the process much easier to handle. Here are what we believe are Must Have Items To Make Healthy Freezer Meals. Not only are these a time saver, necessary for quality control and convenient, they are also budget friendly!

Must Have Items To Make Healthy Freezer Meals

Proper Storage: There are 4 main ways you can store your freezer meals safely. In plastic freezer storage bags, in plastic freezer containers, disposable pans, or by utilizing a vacuum seal storage product. All 4 methods have their benefits and uses. I recommend using a combination of the four.

• Plastic Freezer Storage Bags: Great for items that will be used within 1 month. Muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and entrees prepped for use in short order are great when stored in basic freezer storage bags.
• Plastic Freezer containers: Great for soups, stews, chili, entrees and casseroles when used and dated well. These simple plastic storage containers keep foods safe and fresh for up to 3 months.
• Vacuum Seal Storage System: This is perfect for meals and foods you plan to keep in your freezer for up to 1 year. The vacuum seal storage system helps prevent freezer burn, and also takes up less space than other methods. It can be a costly investment, but those who use it find it to be a wonderful choice.
• Disposable Casserole Pans: Great for assembling casseroles and lasagnas.  Simply prepare & then freeze.  These disposable 9×13 foil pans come with a lid, but I normally add a layer of cling wrap under the lid for extra protection.  I’ve keep Mexican Lasagna in the freezer for about 3 months in these pans before without any issues.

Kitchen Scale: If you are portioning out individual servings for dietary and health reasons, this is a necessity. Food has different weight before and after cooking that can play into your overall health routine. A quality kitchen scale is great to have on hand for measuring your food to stay on track.

Quality Knives: With freezer cooking meals you will find yourself spending a lot of time 1-2 days a month doing prep. Having quality knives will help prep time go much smoother. These ceramic knives are known for their sharpness and endurance.

Proper Labeling System: Go old school with masking tape and a permanent marker or you can print something specific from your computer. Alternate methods of labeling are printables, stickers and even chalkboard labels on containers that will be reused.

In Freezer Storage Methods: If you have a chest freezer you will find the need for in freezer storage. Racks, shelving and other freezer safe storage bins is imperative to keep track of what you have and make sure foods are being rotated out as they should be.

These must have items to make healthy freezer meals are a great investment for your kitchen. Not only will they help you have the best quality food from your freezer, they are purchases that will help you stay in budget in the future. Invest in quality and you’ll be using it for years to come.

How do you organize your freezer meals?  Leave a comment with any must haves I forgot!