Back to School Made Easy: Unleashing the Power of Freezer Meals for Dinner Success

Speaker: 00:00:00

Greetings and welcome to another episode of Mealtime

Speaker: 00:00:03

Magic and Mayhem. I'm your host, Tricia Clark, your cooking coach and mealtime

Speaker: 00:00:07

mentor. I cannot believe that summer is almost over

Speaker: 00:00:11

and it is back to school season again. The

Speaker: 00:00:15

time goes by so fast. And while my kids are

Speaker: 00:00:18

grown, I do have a son in college and he is home for

Speaker: 00:00:22

the summer. And it brings its own

Speaker: 00:00:26

disruption of routines, right? The kids come home from school for

Speaker: 00:00:30

the summer, we have to change our routines and it's time to go back to

Speaker: 00:00:33

school, and yet we have to change them again. And it's sort of a love

Speaker: 00:00:36

hate relationship. I find with the back to school season,

Speaker: 00:00:40

it's nice to get back into the groove, but it's been thrown off. But it's

Speaker: 00:00:43

also so hard. Right? Well, today I'm going to share

Speaker: 00:00:47

one of my favorite ways to reduce the stress of back to school when it

Speaker: 00:00:50

comes to dinner time. This is one of my magical secrets,

Speaker: 00:00:54

and they're not really all that secret, but they're great to have around

Speaker: 00:00:58

for those oh shit. Nights. The ones where you forgot to

Speaker: 00:01:02

thaw the meat for dinner tonight. Or hell, maybe you even forgot to meal

Speaker: 00:01:05

plan altogether. Or maybe your schedule just got thrown

Speaker: 00:01:09

off and you're unprepared and you're in that moment of panic

Speaker: 00:01:13

or decision fatigue. So, as the school bells

Speaker: 00:01:17

chime, we're waiting for this infernal heat to dissipate we've had this year.

Speaker: 00:01:20

We're waiting for the leaves to begin their beautiful autumn dance. And we're so

Speaker: 00:01:24

all too familiar with the whirlwind of activity that accompanies the back to

Speaker: 00:01:28

school season. You've got the frenzy of rushed mornings, intricate

Speaker: 00:01:32

schedules, and the yearning for a restored routine. And all of

Speaker: 00:01:36

this, I know, can leave us a tad overwhelmed, and I know that it

Speaker: 00:01:39

does for me. So in this episode, we're going to unlock the

Speaker: 00:01:43

beautiful magic of freezer meals, which can really be your ultimate

Speaker: 00:01:46

superpower for conquering chaos and rediscovering the joy of

Speaker: 00:01:50

shared family meals. So here's what I want you to

Speaker: 00:01:54

do. I want you to take a deep breath with me,

Speaker: 00:01:58

hold it and sigh it out. And now

Speaker: 00:02:02

I want you to imagine, if you will, and if you're

Speaker: 00:02:05

into the woo and visualizations, I want you to spend a little time with this

Speaker: 00:02:09

after the podcast. But I want you to imagine

Speaker: 00:02:13

in your mind's eye, picking the kids up from school, feeling

Speaker: 00:02:17

really confident that you know what you're having for dinner. You feel like

Speaker: 00:02:20

you've got it together finally. Maybe you've got control of

Speaker: 00:02:24

one more thing in your life and you imagine picking them up from

Speaker: 00:02:28

school. You're proud of yourself for feeling like you'd have all together. You've got

Speaker: 00:02:31

mouthwatering dishes at your fingertips when you get home, prepared

Speaker: 00:02:35

with a bit of planning and a bit of love because they can taste

Speaker: 00:02:39

it in your food. Now, I want you to think about that. You

Speaker: 00:02:43

put dinner in the oven and you go help your kids with your

Speaker: 00:02:46

homework. And then you guys all meet at the dinner table.

Speaker: 00:02:50

Think about it for a minute. Think about how that feels in your

Speaker: 00:02:53

body. Does it feel a little bit lighter? Does it feel a little bit

Speaker: 00:02:57

calmer? Does your heart open up just a little

Speaker: 00:03:01

bit more? Now, I want you to consider how is that different

Speaker: 00:03:05

from your normal routine? Because that shift in energy,

Speaker: 00:03:09

it's really what we're going for here and a little hint of what working with

Speaker: 00:03:12

me looks like. So whether you're a busy parent, a dedicated professional, you're

Speaker: 00:03:16

cooking for two, you're single, or someone simply seeking simplicity,

Speaker: 00:03:20

freezer Meals are all just about to become your

Speaker: 00:03:24

kitchen best friend, your companion to get through the

Speaker: 00:03:27

crazy times of Back to School. So we're going to dig into not only how

Speaker: 00:03:30

these meals save you precious time, but how they also help you guard your

Speaker: 00:03:33

sanity, elevate your budget even in the midst of life's hustle and all

Speaker: 00:03:37

the expenses of Back to School. So we're going to be blending some

Speaker: 00:03:41

insights from James Clear's atomic habits and Kendra

Speaker: 00:03:44

Adachi's, the lazy, genius kitchen. These are some of my

Speaker: 00:03:48

favorite books to help me build habits, and they really put

Speaker: 00:03:52

things in a different way. And if you're more of a DIY person, these books

Speaker: 00:03:55

are awesome. So these really help you build a

Speaker: 00:03:58

foolproof recipe for habit building. And so as we

Speaker: 00:04:02

start going down the realm of Freezer Meals, we're also going

Speaker: 00:04:06

to talk about some of my favorite resources, such as the Thriving Home blog with

Speaker: 00:04:10

Polly and Rachel Fedandfit.com. These are

Speaker: 00:04:14

true mavens of meal planning and easy Freezer Meals

Speaker: 00:04:17

and whose wisdom can really help you along your path. And

Speaker: 00:04:21

they're where I get a lot of my recipes. I'm not a master recipe

Speaker: 00:04:25

creator. I'm not a food blogger in that way. And so I

Speaker: 00:04:29

rely on the experts. And I really want to send you to

Speaker: 00:04:33

those places that have made my life easier. And you can

Speaker: 00:04:36

see if those resources help you as well. So don your

Speaker: 00:04:40

aprons and keep your favorite pen at the ready. And I want you to

Speaker: 00:04:44

take some notes because I'm about to give you a sprinkle of inspiration

Speaker: 00:04:47

into your kitchen and launch you on a journey to stress free

Speaker: 00:04:51

mealtime mastery. So we are going to start

Speaker: 00:04:54

rekindling those routines that forge our cherished memories,

Speaker: 00:04:58

cultivate bonds, and really bring us the peace that we're looking

Speaker: 00:05:02

for. So, welcome to Freezer Meals. Are you ready?

Speaker: 00:05:06

So as we venture into the Back to School season, I really want to explore

Speaker: 00:05:09

how we can simplify our lives, make mealtime stress free, and

Speaker: 00:05:13

create those cherished memories around the table. So in this segment of the

Speaker: 00:05:17

episode, we're going to delve into the challenges of the Back to School rush and

Speaker: 00:05:20

discover how Freezer Meals can really play a pivotal role in

Speaker: 00:05:23

streamlining your routine. Now, I know the word streamlining

Speaker: 00:05:27

sounds really formal and official, but it's really

Speaker: 00:05:30

just about finding and systemizing things to make your

Speaker: 00:05:34

life easier. We've already talked about the back to school transition. It's really

Speaker: 00:05:38

notorious for its whirlwind of activities. Early mornings, school drop

Speaker: 00:05:42

offs, extracurriculars sports, homework. And amidst that

Speaker: 00:05:45

chaos, meal planning quite often takes a backseat, leaving us

Speaker: 00:05:49

overwhelmed. We're struggling with decision fatigue. We're resorting to last

Speaker: 00:05:53

minute solutions that aren't always the healthiest or most

Speaker: 00:05:56

enjoyable. And while there is a place for takeout and

Speaker: 00:06:00

convenience food and fast food, this is where efficiency can really

Speaker: 00:06:04

become our ally. So I'm going to be drawing some inspiration

Speaker: 00:06:08

from Atomic Habits which I mentioned, and the practical wisdom of the Lazy

Speaker: 00:06:11

Genius Kitchen where we can create habits that really align with the

Speaker: 00:06:15

lifestyle that we want. We're going to start integrating

Speaker: 00:06:19

small changes into our daily routines so that we can seamlessly adapt

Speaker: 00:06:23

to that back to school rhythm. So if you haven't read Atomic Habits, it teaches

Speaker: 00:06:26

us that building tiny consistent habits and the concept of

Speaker: 00:06:30

habit stacking can lead to remarkable transformations.

Speaker: 00:06:34

And similarly, the Lazy Genius Kitchen really encourages us to simplify our

Speaker: 00:06:38

cooking process and be really intentional about our choices,

Speaker: 00:06:41

embracing the season of life that we're in. But they both really

Speaker: 00:06:45

talk about starting small with one change. And I'm

Speaker: 00:06:49

here to propose to you that meal planning is that one small change that can

Speaker: 00:06:53

make the biggest impact. And freezer meals can be

Speaker: 00:06:56

a large part of that meal planning process. So

Speaker: 00:07:00

let's start making deliberate choices that save time and

Speaker: 00:07:04

reduce stress. I want you to think about what's important to

Speaker: 00:07:08

you. What can I do right now to make life

Speaker: 00:07:11

better? What do you want to prioritize, organize? And

Speaker: 00:07:15

what can you systemize? Now all of this can be done DIY

Speaker: 00:07:19

and there are resources like the Lazy Genius Kitchen, the food

Speaker: 00:07:23

blogs that we talked about. But if you're looking for more done with you

Speaker: 00:07:26

support, I encourage you to book a 30 minutes dish with Trish Call and let's

Speaker: 00:07:29

really chat about where you need support. You'll walk away with some personalized

Speaker: 00:07:33

strategies and if working with me is not your jam, I'll point you in the

Speaker: 00:07:37

right direction of some resources that could help you with your specific challenges.

Speaker: 00:07:41

So enter freezer meals. This is the secret weapon.

Speaker: 00:07:44

With a well stocked freezer you are armed with convenient

Speaker: 00:07:48

ready to cook options that can turn even the busiest evenings into

Speaker: 00:07:51

enjoyable really moments for

Speaker: 00:07:55

connection. Enjoyable family moments where the conversation is

Speaker: 00:07:59

richer, where there's laughter and you won't feel like you're just

Speaker: 00:08:02

throwing food on the table at the end of the day and just trying to

Speaker: 00:08:05

get through one more chore on your list. We're going to start

Speaker: 00:08:08

talking a little bit about what that day can look

Speaker: 00:08:12

like when you have those freezer meals on hand.

Speaker: 00:08:16

So this is really where some creativity, some

Speaker: 00:08:20

ingenuity and practicality really intertwine. If you've ever

Speaker: 00:08:23

found yourself yearning for, like a really easy, simple, yet effective solution

Speaker: 00:08:27

for dinner. Freezer meals might be your new best friend. This is one of those

Speaker: 00:08:31

things that I encourage you to experiment with and find out if it works

Speaker: 00:08:35

for you. A busy day often leaves you with little time to whip up a

Speaker: 00:08:38

full fledged dinner from scratch. But having freezer meals on

Speaker: 00:08:42

hand, you've got those delicious meals prepared right at your fingertips, ready

Speaker: 00:08:46

to thaw, ready to cook, ready to heat, ready to serve, and

Speaker: 00:08:50

you're doing it all ahead of time, which really is kind of what saves you

Speaker: 00:08:54

time. So let me share a little story with you that kind of

Speaker: 00:08:58

showcases where this has really appeared in my life. A couple of years ago,

Speaker: 00:09:02

I really discovered freezer meals and

Speaker: 00:09:05

amidst the hustle and bustle of whether it's back to school chaos or

Speaker: 00:09:09

a busy time at work chaos, I found myself craving a moment

Speaker: 00:09:13

of calm and amidst the storm. And I love to cook. And so the idea

Speaker: 00:09:16

that I wasn't energized to cook or meal plan anymore

Speaker: 00:09:20

was alarming for me. And so I

Speaker: 00:09:23

spent 2 hours and put together ten freezer meals

Speaker: 00:09:27

in that time and stocked my freezer full of homemade goodness.

Speaker: 00:09:31

And throughout the next month, what I found is on those nights

Speaker: 00:09:35

when I was feeling really frantic and had decision fatigue and

Speaker: 00:09:39

just didn't have the energy, I could easily pull out this flavorful

Speaker: 00:09:42

lasagna that was prepared with love on a lazy weekend

Speaker: 00:09:46

and really savoring the roma of that as it baked in the oven while I

Speaker: 00:09:50

went about my day and did other things like picking up the house, helping kids

Speaker: 00:09:53

with homework, all of those things. And then when we sat down, with each

Speaker: 00:09:56

bite shared around the table, I saw a sense of

Speaker: 00:10:00

peace and I heard connection and

Speaker: 00:10:03

laughter at my table. And the conversations really did get deeper

Speaker: 00:10:07

with a lot of the table topics that you've heard me talk about. And the

Speaker: 00:10:11

deep sense of accomplishment I felt from that was amazing. And

Speaker: 00:10:15

so I started hosting freezer meal workshops for others through Pampered

Speaker: 00:10:19

Chef and really saw the sense of confidence and

Speaker: 00:10:22

relief and stress relief that it brought others. That simple

Speaker: 00:10:26

act of planning ahead had transformed an otherwise chaotic

Speaker: 00:10:29

evening into a nourishing and a cherished experience, not only for

Speaker: 00:10:33

me, but for the women who were at the freezer room workshop. So as you

Speaker: 00:10:36

embark on your own quest for efficiency and connection,

Speaker: 00:10:40

remember, there is an ability to turn ordinary moments into

Speaker: 00:10:43

extraordinary memories. The freezer can really become your ally.

Speaker: 00:10:48

And we're going to talk through how to get started. What do you

Speaker: 00:10:51

need and how do we start building those habits.

Speaker: 00:10:55

So let's really jump into that a little

Speaker: 00:10:59

bit. So here's what you need to get started

Speaker: 00:11:02

to creating delicious freezer meals.

Speaker: 00:11:06

So first and foremost, you need to decide what type of freezer

Speaker: 00:11:10

meals you'd like to prepare. There's two main categories. There's dump meals

Speaker: 00:11:14

where you just put everything in a Ziploc bag. They require minimal to no cooking

Speaker: 00:11:17

before freezing. And then there's recipes that involve

Speaker: 00:11:21

a little more cooking up front. They tend to take a bit more time, they're

Speaker: 00:11:25

equally rewarding. It's all about the planning piece of it

Speaker: 00:11:29

and it's the foods that you prefer and the foods that your family loves, right,

Speaker: 00:11:32

that is going to help determine that. So as you gather your recipes,

Speaker: 00:11:36

you want to consider the essential equipment and make sure that you have things on

Speaker: 00:11:40

hand like freezer safe containers. I'll put a link below to some of my

Speaker: 00:11:44

favorite glass ones on Amazon. There's

Speaker: 00:11:47

gallon and quart sized freezer bags that are great for

Speaker: 00:11:51

freezer meals. You can get those aluminum foil pans with the lid and put that

Speaker: 00:11:54

lasagna together and stack it in the freezer. And all of these

Speaker: 00:11:58

things make it so much easier. You can also find these

Speaker: 00:12:02

nifty little stands that hold up your freezer bags that make filling them up a

Speaker: 00:12:05

breeze. And I'll put all of these links below and yes, if you

Speaker: 00:12:09

decide to buy them, I am an affiliate and I might get a small percentage

Speaker: 00:12:12

of that purchase. But I'm really here to tell you that these are the things

Speaker: 00:12:16

that will make your life easier. You try them out and pick and choose which

Speaker: 00:12:19

ones work for you. But before you dive into assembling your freezer

Speaker: 00:12:23

meals, it really is wise to plan ahead and

Speaker: 00:12:27

create that comprehensive grocery list. Now, the reason why I want

Speaker: 00:12:31

you to do this ahead of time and plan those meals is it's going to

Speaker: 00:12:34

save you money if you buy in bulk and you're preparing a lot of meals

Speaker: 00:12:38

with, let's say, ground beef, buy it in bulk, save yourself some money.

Speaker: 00:12:42

But then the other thing I recommend is really embracing meal

Speaker: 00:12:45

delivery or grocery delivery. Because if you have it

Speaker: 00:12:49

delivered the day that you're going to prepare your freezer meals, you're saving

Speaker: 00:12:53

precious space in your pantry and your fridge. I can't tell you

Speaker: 00:12:56

how many times I've gotten my grocery delivery days ahead and I had no place

Speaker: 00:13:00

to put everything in order to prepare those meals and I

Speaker: 00:13:04

had to shift my schedule a little bit. Now this planning doesn't

Speaker: 00:13:08

take a lot of time, it just takes a little bit of forethought.

Speaker: 00:13:11

Now don't forget to ensure that you have enough space in your freezer to

Speaker: 00:13:15

accommodate your assembled meals. If you are feeling like setting

Speaker: 00:13:19

a big ambitious goal of 20 freezer meals, you need space for

Speaker: 00:13:22

20 freezer meals in your freezer. So if your freezer is as full as mine,

Speaker: 00:13:26

you might start with five, you could start with ten. And those

Speaker: 00:13:29

aluminum foil tins really stack nicely in the

Speaker: 00:13:33

freezer. But the gallon Ziploc bags, if you lay them flat,

Speaker: 00:13:37

also stack nicely. And you can fit and freezer meals on

Speaker: 00:13:40

one shelf easily. Some of these steps might sound obvious, but

Speaker: 00:13:44

they're so easy to overlook when you're caught up in the excitement of

Speaker: 00:13:48

freezer meal planning and really just ready to get the work

Speaker: 00:13:51

done. Organization is key and then keeping your

Speaker: 00:13:55

recipes and day of cooking instructions handy is a game changer. My biggest

Speaker: 00:13:59

recommendation there is to have a dedicated folder

Speaker: 00:14:03

for those recipes or have labels that you put

Speaker: 00:14:07

directly on the freezer bags or on your foil trays. Whatever

Speaker: 00:14:10

you're using with what the recipe is and the date that you

Speaker: 00:14:14

froze it and the cooking instructions, this will save you so much time

Speaker: 00:14:18

on the day of. Now, I want to give you some really fun

Speaker: 00:14:21

freezer meal ideas. These are super easy. You hardly need a

Speaker: 00:14:25

recipe and there are a few creative options to consider and some ways that you

Speaker: 00:14:28

can really mix them up. Now, if you are more of the creative cook,

Speaker: 00:14:32

I think these are going to be perfect for you. If you're looking for

Speaker: 00:14:36

repeatable recipes that somebody else is going to provide you in a meal plan,

Speaker: 00:14:40

polly and Rachel@thrivinghomeblog.com, you can sign up

Speaker: 00:14:44

for their email list and they send out free menus every week. And then they

Speaker: 00:14:47

have these great packages of recipes,

Speaker: 00:14:50

instructions, all the things you need to put together those freezer

Speaker: 00:14:54

meals in one day. So let's talk about easy

Speaker: 00:14:57

lasagna layers. These are where you can create layers of brown ground

Speaker: 00:15:01

beef. Maybe it's Italian sausage, maybe it's spinach. If

Speaker: 00:15:05

you're vegetarian, then add the vegetables in there. Maybe it's mushrooms.

Speaker: 00:15:09

This is where you can play with the flavors that you love, but you will

Speaker: 00:15:12

create layers of your protein or vegetables. Layer

Speaker: 00:15:15

in fresh or dried ravioli, the filling of your choice

Speaker: 00:15:19

cheese, and your favorite marinara sauce. Now you're probably going to need two

Speaker: 00:15:23

jars of marinara sauce for one package of ravioli and

Speaker: 00:15:26

the cheeses and the amount of cheese, now that's totally up to you. But what

Speaker: 00:15:30

this does is it really removes all the labor of boiling the

Speaker: 00:15:34

noodles, mixing the ricotta. This just simplifies

Speaker: 00:15:37

everything. You're going to layer those in a dish however you like, but

Speaker: 00:15:41

don't bake it. You're going to said wrap it up tightly or use a

Speaker: 00:15:44

disposable aluminum pan. And you can freeze that for up to six

Speaker: 00:15:47

months. And when you're ready to cook it, simply thaw it for 24 to

Speaker: 00:15:51

48 hours and bake it for about an hour. My next

Speaker: 00:15:55

favorite one is salsa chicken wraps. This is super easy for those nights.

Speaker: 00:15:59

This could either be a freezer meal or a great meal. For a night that

Speaker: 00:16:01

you forgot to thaw the chicken, you're going to place a pound of chicken

Speaker: 00:16:05

breast, a jar of salsa, and a can of drained and rinsed black

Speaker: 00:16:09

beans. You can dump all of that in your instapot or you

Speaker: 00:16:13

can dump all of that in your gallon freezer bag. Lay

Speaker: 00:16:16

it flat, put the instructions on it and put it in the freezer. You do

Speaker: 00:16:20

not have to thaw this before you cook it. I run it under warm water

Speaker: 00:16:23

for a few minutes just to get it to release from the bag, and I

Speaker: 00:16:26

put it right in the instapot and I set it to chicken

Speaker: 00:16:30

and you've got dinner in 20 or 30 minutes.

Speaker: 00:16:34

Another great option is burgers. If burgers are on your

Speaker: 00:16:37

regular menu, buy that beef in bulk, make your turkey burgers in bulk,

Speaker: 00:16:41

whatever it is, but make them in individual patties.

Speaker: 00:16:45

Separate them in maybe one of those aluminum containers between

Speaker: 00:16:48

parchment paper. And then whenever you want to cook burgers, just take out the

Speaker: 00:16:52

desired number and you can toss those bad boys in your air fryer for 15

Speaker: 00:16:56

to 17 minutes. You can season them ahead of time, all wrapped up in those

Speaker: 00:17:00

burgers when you make them. Or you can decide if you want to change the

Speaker: 00:17:03

flavor and season them when you put them in the air fryer. There's so many

Speaker: 00:17:07

ways you can use these freezer meals. It doesn't always have to be

Speaker: 00:17:11

this baked dish in these hours of cooking ahead of time. In fact, I

Speaker: 00:17:14

prefer the ones where I don't have to cook them ahead of time because I

Speaker: 00:17:17

can put more together in one afternoon and have them ready

Speaker: 00:17:21

whenever I want. Now, the last one I'm going to mention is cook

Speaker: 00:17:24

once, eat three times. This is a strategy that can be used as a

Speaker: 00:17:28

freezer meal, or it can just be used for a meal plan for a week.

Speaker: 00:17:32

But this involves cooking a large batch of one main ingredient and then using it

Speaker: 00:17:36

in three different ways throughout the week. It really minimizes prep time,

Speaker: 00:17:40

but it also prevents mealtime boredom. So, for example, you might want

Speaker: 00:17:43

to make a large batch of meatballs. And one night you can eat them

Speaker: 00:17:47

with spaghetti and you can have spaghetti and meatballs with marinara.

Speaker: 00:17:51

Another night, you could put them in an Italian wedding soup that takes 15

Speaker: 00:17:55

minutes. Another night, you could stick them in a refrigerated pizza crust with

Speaker: 00:17:58

some pesto sauce and have pesto meatball calzones.

Speaker: 00:18:02

Again, it's all about just having

Speaker: 00:18:06

the main ingredient ready and then repeating it in

Speaker: 00:18:09

different ways. So if you're going to take anything away from

Speaker: 00:18:13

this particular section of the podcast, it's that preparation is key.

Speaker: 00:18:17

And having a variety of those options on hand can really be a game

Speaker: 00:18:21

changer. I've curated a list of my favorite freezer meal

Speaker: 00:18:24

resources, including the thrivinghomeblog.com and

Speaker: 00:18:27

fedandfit.com in the show notes. These are trusted

Speaker: 00:18:31

resources. They offer a wealth of delicious recipes and helpful tips to

Speaker: 00:18:35

inspire your freezer meal journey. But if you're interested in a more personal

Speaker: 00:18:38

touch, maybe you want to dive deeper into mastering Freezer meals. I offer

Speaker: 00:18:42

personalized freezer workshop sessions. Reach out. I'd be thrilled to

Speaker: 00:18:46

guide you through the process. And alternatively, if you're seeking more

Speaker: 00:18:49

comprehensive guidance to conquering the mealtime chaos and really help

Speaker: 00:18:53

with more meal planning than this my Conquer the Mealtime

Speaker: 00:18:57

Chaos program is tailored to do just that. So

Speaker: 00:19:00

following these steps and utilizing these resources, you will be well on

Speaker: 00:19:04

your way to mastering the art of freezer meals and bringing

Speaker: 00:19:08

a touch of magic to your mealtime routine.

Speaker: 00:19:12

Now, let's talk about the combination, the power of

Speaker: 00:19:15

combinations. Remember that you can mix and match your proteins,

Speaker: 00:19:18

vegetables and seasonings to create an array of delicious

Speaker: 00:19:22

meals. For instance, if you've prepared a batch of seasoned grilled chicken,

Speaker: 00:19:25

you can pair it with steamed broccoli and quinoa for a well rounded

Speaker: 00:19:29

dinner. Flexibility is your best friend here. And you can

Speaker: 00:19:32

even combine the magic of, let's say, a sheet pan meal

Speaker: 00:19:36

with a freezer meal. Put all the ingredients in your Ziploc

Speaker: 00:19:40

bag, throw them on a sheet pan, and cook it all at one time. There

Speaker: 00:19:44

are ways that you can combine your favorite cooking methods to

Speaker: 00:19:48

create different layers of flavor by using different seasonings, different

Speaker: 00:19:51

marinades, et cetera, et cetera. And so we're nearing the

Speaker: 00:19:55

end of today's journey in the world of freezer meals. I would love to answer

Speaker: 00:19:58

any questions that you have. You can reach out to me via email anytime at

Speaker: 00:20:02

the links in the show Notes, and I really hope that this

Speaker: 00:20:05

helps you revitalize the routines of Back to

Speaker: 00:20:09

School. I know it feels like there's a

Speaker: 00:20:13

whirlwind. And as you reestablish

Speaker: 00:20:16

these routines and embrace the rhythm of the school year, find what

Speaker: 00:20:20

works for you. Find what type of cooking is really your

Speaker: 00:20:24

ally. And I hope you'll take a minute to take an afternoon or a couple

Speaker: 00:20:27

of hours to try freezer meals and see how that works

Speaker: 00:20:31

for you. So let's recap

Speaker: 00:20:34

and take some action. Plan with purpose. This is your

Speaker: 00:20:38

recipe for success. Incorporate freezer meals into your weekly or

Speaker: 00:20:42

monthly meal planning, considering your family's preferences, dietary

Speaker: 00:20:46

restrictions, and choose recipes that align with those goals.

Speaker: 00:20:49

Fedandfit.com has their searchable engine for recipes is fabulous

Speaker: 00:20:53

because you can select things by dietary need and main

Speaker: 00:20:56

ingredients, so on and so forth. Gather your trusted

Speaker: 00:21:00

resources. Not all recipes are created equal,

Speaker: 00:21:04

and so you need to find resources that really that you know, the

Speaker: 00:21:07

recipes are going to turn out good every single time.

Speaker: 00:21:11

Craft your custom plan. Experiment with different protein and vegetable

Speaker: 00:21:14

seasonings. Try different recipes, and then make

Speaker: 00:21:18

note of the ones that really stood out to you and your family

Speaker: 00:21:22

and the ones that didn't. Celebrate back to school

Speaker: 00:21:25

bliss. Now the kids are back in school, you're reestablishing

Speaker: 00:21:29

routines. Don't forget to change up the conversation at

Speaker: 00:21:33

the table. Don't ask them how school went today. Ask

Speaker: 00:21:37

them what the most exciting part of their day was. Ask them if they

Speaker: 00:21:41

had a superpower, what would it be? Create open ended

Speaker: 00:21:44

questions that get them opening up about what's

Speaker: 00:21:48

going on. Maybe it's even a question of what did you eat for lunch

Speaker: 00:21:52

today? And who did you eat lunch with? That opens up a whole nother realm

Speaker: 00:21:56

of conversation. Don't forget, the most important part

Speaker: 00:21:59

of this is connection. It's the time and

Speaker: 00:22:03

breaking bread with your family. Because we've prepared the Freezer meals to

Speaker: 00:22:07

remove the stress and angst. You've got the prep out of the way, you've thrown

Speaker: 00:22:10

your freezer meal into the oven, the air fryer, whatever, and now you have time

Speaker: 00:22:14

to go through the mail. Maybe it's pick up around

Speaker: 00:22:18

the house. Maybe it's helping your kids with homework while it's cooking so that

Speaker: 00:22:21

you can take that deep breath and really just sit down and enjoy dinner

Speaker: 00:22:25

with your family. By incorporating freezer meals into your

Speaker: 00:22:29

culinary routine, you're not just simplifying dinner, you're also taking

Speaker: 00:22:33

a step toward discovering your own secret sauce in the kitchen.

Speaker: 00:22:36

With each meal that you prepare and try, you start to uncover

Speaker: 00:22:40

what sparks joy in your own heart, what ignites

Speaker: 00:22:44

your own creativity, and what fosters connections with your

Speaker: 00:22:48

loved ones. I want you to remember that when you're choosing these

Speaker: 00:22:51

meals, I want you to pick meals that you love that

Speaker: 00:22:55

light you up as well, not just to please your family.

Speaker: 00:22:59

Because when we do that, we can show up as our best selves.

Speaker: 00:23:03

So if you want to embark on this journey

Speaker: 00:23:07

with more support than a podcast and a couple of

Speaker: 00:23:10

websites, I am thrilled to let you know that you can work

Speaker: 00:23:14

with me as your cooking coach and mealtime mentor and unlock

Speaker: 00:23:18

a treasure trove of personalized strategies and really find what

Speaker: 00:23:21

lights up your soul. So to learn more and take that step, visit my

Speaker: 00:23:25

website@trishasbytesoflife.com and schedule your free dish with

Speaker: 00:23:29

Trish Call. Together, we will embark on an adventure

Speaker: 00:23:32

that nurtures your desires, simplifies your routine, and

Speaker: 00:23:36

infuses your meal times with the magic that not only

Speaker: 00:23:40

you deserve, but your family deserves. Thank you so

Speaker: 00:23:43

much for joining me today. Way for another episode of Mealtime Magic and Mayhem.

Speaker: 00:23:47

I hope you stay inspired, take action, and until next time,

Speaker: 00:23:51

may your meals be filled with wonder and your