Kid-friendly freezer meals are the best way to save money, eat better, and make your life so much easier. Store bought frozen meals are filled with salt or sugar and cost an arm and a leg. Making your own child approved frozen meals though is super easy and much more affordable. Here are some of our favorites.
Picky eating is one of the most common issues that parents deal with. Many kids latch onto a few foods and don’t deviate and with the right recipes you can turn those into freezer meals or even better, something similar that expands their favorite foods. Uncrustables are the most famous example. Frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich pockets that are easy to warm back up and enjoy. Kid approved and easy. Now you can try it with different foods for a bit more variety that anyone in the family can enjoy.
Lower Food Waste
Kid-friendly freezer meals can be portioned out consistently to what your kids will actually eat. This cuts down on all of that uneaten food waste, saving you money. You can also cut down on food that goes bad sitting in the pantry or fridge. Freezing can increase the length of time that food is good for, for months. Grocery bills are high and anything that you can do to help food stretch further is fantastic.
Breakfast Freezer Meals
Mini Pancake Bites
These are a great option for a quick breakfast.It’s easy and breakfast foods are becoming expensive so saving money first thing in the morning means you can splurge on lunch or dinner.
- Pour pancake batter into a mini muffin pan, add blueberries, bananas, or chocolate chips, and bake.
- Freeze in batches, then microwave for 30–60 seconds.
French Toast Sticks
French toast is a popular breakfast food. They’re delicious and affordable to make. Syrup, bread, eggs, and maybe a bit of powdered sugar and you’re done. Now turn them into kid-friendly freezer meals that are easy to portion and reheat.
- Slice French toast into strips, bake or pan-fry, and freeze on a baking sheet before storing in a bag.
- Toast or microwave to reheat.
Lunch or Snack Options
Mac and Cheese Muffins
Almost every kid loves mac n cheese, and although it may not be the most nutritious snack if you make it at home you can control portions and additives.
- Make mac and cheese, scoop into muffin tins, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until set.
- Freeze and reheat individual portions.
Mini Quesadillas
Quick little microwave quesadillas was always a go-to in our household but those were simple cheese and tortilla meals. Add a bit of chicken and beans and make it all ahead of time for a more nutritious kid-friendly freezer meal that can be reheated later. This is a perfect after school food that your kid can reheat themselves.
- Fill small tortillas with cheese and shredded chicken or beans, fold in half, cook in a skillet, then freeze.
- Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Dinner Freezer Meals
Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
Getting kids to eat their vegetables is a struggle as old as time and tried and true method is to hide them in foods they like. Most kids enjoy pasta so this is your opportunity to hide a bit of veggies in their pasta sauce in a quick little frozen pasta snack.
- Blend in carrots, zucchini, or spinach with tomato sauce. Freeze in portions.
- Toss with pasta, top with cheese—easy and veggie-packed.
Mini Meatloaves
Meatloaf made at home can be very nutritious, packed with lean protein. Portion meatloaf into small portions with a muffin tray for quick reheating and you have a super simple dinner option or back up option for busy or tough nights.
- Bake in muffin tins with ground beef or turkey, oats or breadcrumbs, and ketchup glaze.
- Freeze and reheat in the microwave or oven.
Include Your Kids
Making kid-friendly freezer meals can be fun and a great way to introduce kids to cooking. They can pick the recipes, most of them are very simple with few ingredients and you can control the portions when they’re eaten. Since they’re frozen they’ll last longer and your kids can probably handle the reheating when they’re hungry. This can help them learn to be more self-sufficient and not rely on pre packaged meals that are unhealthy and foster bad habits.
Tips For Freezing Foods
Pay attention to what ingredients are going into your kid-friendly freezer meals. Different foods have different amounts of time that they’re good in the freezer for. Although you should likely stick to smaller batches that will be eaten within a week or two just to avoid overcrowding your freezer, a change in kids’ eating preferences, and to keep them engaged.
Label your meals with the name, ingredients or at least the date of cooking. This can help you prioritize your freezer meals and keep you organized.
