Make-ahead meals can be a lifesaver.
Cooking up a big batch of something and freezing the leftovers means weeknight meal prep — just reheat and eat — can often be done in minutes. Doubling or tripling recipes means you'll be able to buy in bulk and save a couple bucks. And freezing perishable items means you'll waste less, too.
(*Note that for all hot foods listed below, you'll want to let them cool completely before tossing them in the freezer. Find this and more tips for properly freezing foods here.)
1. Freezable Oatmeal Cups
So simple: Just spoon oatmeal into a muffin tin, then sprinkle on your favorite toppings — like berries, nuts, or granola. Get the recipe.
2. Pancakes
3. Lighter Breakfast Sandwiches
4. Blueberry Green Smoothie
Better known as: How to make sure all that fruit you bought — it was on sale! — doesn't wander into overripe territory. Get the recipe.
5. Egg & Cheese Veggie Cups
7. Ham, Egg, and Green Chile Breakfast Burritos
8. Sunrise Smoothie
10. Lemon, Raspberry, and Oat Muffins
11. Chipotle Chicken Chili
Chilis freeze well — and Ree Drummond has a trick for storing them efficiently: "My general approach is filling the bag, then totally flattening it as I seal it. So whether it’s taco meat or soup, they freeze flat and allows me to stack them as high as they’ll go." Get the recipe.
12. Spicy Chickpea, Coconut, and Tomato Soup
13. Hearty White Bean Ragout
15. Shredded Beef Enchiladas
16. Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew
17. Corn and Potato Chowder
18. Single-Serving Pasta
You could make a huge batch of pasta and then eat it every day until it dries out. ORRR you could split it up, freeze it, and have a ready-to-go weeknight dinner. (This version pre-freezes the noodles on baking sheets, so that they don't stick together later in the bags.) Instructions here.
19. 5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup
20. Cookie Dough Fudge
21. Blackberry Cheesecake Squares
23. Three-Ingredient Blueberry Jam
24. Oatmeal Cookies
25. Grab 'n' Go Banana Bites
26. Mint Chocolate Brownies
27. No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake
