Meal PrepFreezer Meal Prep for Busy Moms
This one isn't meant to be eaten this week — it's meant to be in the freezer for the week you don't have time to cook at all. One big batch of a turkey and vegetable filling, portioned into flat freezer bags, so a busy afternoon turns into a 15-minute thaw-and-reheat dinner instead of a from-scratch scramble with a hungry kid at your feet.
- for the big batch
- 3 lb ground turkey
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
makes 4 freezer bags of 2 servings each — 8 servings total.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the ground turkey, breaking it up, about 8 minutes.
- Add the carrots and zucchini, cooking 5 minutes until just softened.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Cool completely, then divide between 4 quart-size freezer bags. Press flat, squeeze out the air, and lay flat in the freezer.
- To eat: thaw overnight in the fridge (or run under cool water in the bag for a fast thaw), then reheat in a skillet or microwave, serving over rice or pasta.
No ground turkey? Ground chicken or lean ground beef both freeze and reheat the same way.
Want it kid-friendlier? Blend the vegetables into the sauce instead of leaving them chunky — same nutrition, no picking-out.
No diced tomatoes? A jar of pasta sauce works as a faster substitute — skip the Italian seasoning if the sauce is already seasoned.
No freezer bags? Any freezer-safe container works — just leave ½ inch of headspace, since the filling expands slightly as it freezes.
Kantan tip — freezing the bags flat on a sheet pan before stacking them is what makes them thaw fast and stack neatly — a bag frozen in a lump takes twice as long to thaw and wastes freezer space.