Need simple meals that are almost ready to go at all times? You can have meals for your little ones ready to go with these freezer-friendly make-ahead ideas–and spend more time outdoors.
When the weather is nice and warm, it gets harder and harder to stay indoors. For adults, I already know–dinner will run late because I’ll likely be outside longer than planned (no problem, we can grill quickly later).
For the kids, though, I want to be able to feed them something right after pickup and before we head outside to the park. On those days, I need something quick, easy, and nutritious for my toddlers without having to think too much about it.
I know these ideas work best for smaller families, but they’ve been working great for us.
I don’t find that “Sunday meal prep” works for me. Rather, whenever I’m already cooking something, I simply make extra and put it away for another day.
1. For school, I prepare their sandwiches in advance and freeze them. It makes mornings so much easier, and they thaw perfectly by lunchtime. See this post with frozen sandwich tips for all the specifics.
2. The Breakfast Protein Waffles from Dinner Done 2 are a freezer staple in our house. I make a large batch and freeze them in baggies for an easy grab-and-go breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
3. Also I freeze pasta for an easy grab and go for school that can be dinner too. I serve the pasta with a bolognese sauce. I freeze the sauce (similar to how this raw ground beef is frozen) in a thin flat layer in Ziplock bags, making it easy to defrost (lay them down on a baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, you can store standing up). You can also add veggies and because of the sauce kids never know!
4. In general most grains freeze beautifully. Here are the tips for microwaving frozen rice.
5. Frozen Schnitzel is great too! You can freeze it already fried/baked. My kids would only eat it fresh so I put it in a container with layers of parchment paper and take out what I need it takes a few minutes to defrost and once I am putting it in the oven, I either add some frozen veggies or French fries for a full meal.
6. For vegetables, my kids prefer simply fresh, raw cut up peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and fruit, the simpler the better (Editor’s Note: we find this to be true with kids of all ages, not only toddlers).
7. This grilled chicken schnitzel freezes beautifully so I make a big batch and freeze it already cooked.
8. In the winter time, I love making soup and usually add shredded chicken. I freeze it in one-pound containers and pull one out as needed for a quick meal for the kids.
9. Is the freezer empty? If you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and you’re cooking today, make enough for the next day too. This especially works for sides because then only a fresh main is needed. The younger ones are usually fine having Monday’s dinner on Tuesday.
10. And probably the most important one of all—fed is the goal. If your child likes pasta, yogurt, eggs, pizza, or the same thing every day for a week, don’t stress. That’s okay. It’s better for them to eat something than nothing at all.
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