Recently, I shared some of my favorite freezer meals that we prepped before baby #4. Here are some more very quick and easy recipes that you can make and prep ahead of the week. In the season of life that we are in, I found that prepping proteins and veggies Sunday night after the kids go to bed is one of the easiest and most practical ways to get a healthy and nutritious meal during the week without much effort. I still make dinners for us, but this has been mainly what I have used for my lunch. This ensures that I am eating a nice, full meal and not just eating my toddlers lunch scraps.
These easy freezer meals include some some of the protein recipes that I normally follow as well as easy chicken marinades and ground beef meatballs. These are really easy things to make. I am also reactivating our HomeChef subscription so I will be using that more frequently but for now, here are some recipes that I have gotten really comfortable making. The idea of quickly making things that are already prepped has helped me so much, and I pray it helps and blesses you too.
Easy Freezer Meals with Protein
RECIPE #1: GROUND BEEF
Ingredients:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Ground Beef
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion Powder,
- Garlic Powder
Instructions:
Sauté garlic and onions
Brown ground beef on medium to low heat
Add salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
RECIPE #2: GREEK TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 Persian cucumbers, grated
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon of dried dill)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
To make the tzatziki sauce:
- Wrap your grated cucumber in a few paper towels or place it in a cheese cloth and wring out as much liquid as possible.
- Then add your grated cucumber to a large mixing bowl along with the rest of your ingredients and stir until fully combined. (Taste and adjust your salt and pepper if needed.)
- Cover the bowl and keep your tzatziki in the refrigerator while you prepare the meatballs.
To make the meatballs:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray a baking dish with cooking spray).
- Then add your meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together with your hands.
- Form the mixture into 1 inch balls and place the balls on your prepared baking sheet. Then place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.(Alternatively, you can brown the meatballs in a saute pan before baking them.)(If browning them first, I’d suggest checking the meatballs at 13 minutes to see if they’re done. Sometimes they’ll cook faster this way.)
- Once done, serve immediately with your tzatziki and lemon wedges on the side.
HEALTHY CHICKEN MARINADES
For these recipes, add all to a bag and set in fridge or freezer to marinade, then pull out when ready to cook on skillet, grill, stir fry, or bake in oven or air fryer!
Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Ground ginger
- Pepper
Basil Balsamic Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Dried basil
- Sea salt
- Garlic
Fajita Chicken Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup
- Chili powder
- Cumin powder
- Paprika
- Onion pwder
- Garlic powder
- Lime juice
Cilantro Lime Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Sea salt
- Pepper
Hawaiian Chicken Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Pineapple juice
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- Onion powder
- Dried ginger
- Sea salt
- Pepper
BBQ Chicken Marinade
- Chicken breast
- Barbecue sauce
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Chili powder
