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Use this efficient system to create 20 whole food freezer meals in under 2 hours! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, soy free – and delicious!

Meal prep.  To some, the term is a way of life and they swear by it to keep on track with clean, healthy eating.  To others, it brings about dread, fear, and visions of wasting away days in the kitchen.

I’m in the “can’t live without it” camp, but I wasn’t always that way, nor did I happen along this easy-peasy method easily.  I began meal prepping out of survival after my Celiac disease diagnosis (you can read about my journey here).  But I realized quickly that I would be cooking my own meals A LOT – far more than I did previously. 

When I first started out, I made very intricate meals in large batches and froze them in individual portions, with everything cooked on the stove top or in the oven. It took all day! Over time, I started learning shortcuts and realized that I really just need three components to each meal: protein, carbohydrate, and vegetable. I found the quickest way to cook a variety of foods in each category, and it’s allowed me to fill my freezer with easy-to-grab, nutritious, whole-food meals in under two hours.

The System in a Nutshell

Choose one meat, 3-4 different carbs, and 3-4 different vegetables from the suggestions below. Put the meat in the oven, and then cook the carbs in the microwave. Add the frozen veggies at the end. Label.  Put in freezer.  DONE!

This method uses one kind of meat, grain-free starches, and frozen vegetables (simply for ease).  Below are links to additional recipes for other veggie and grain-free options. These require a bit more time to prepare, but they are worth it and add additional variation to your meals.

Step 1: Cook your meat

The first step is cooking your protein. I tend to use chicken the most because it’s the leanest, most cost efficient, and quickest meat to cook. But, you could also other proteins, such as ground turkey, pork tenderloin, tofu, etc.

When cooking chicken, I get a large bag of frozen chicken breasts from SAM’s.  I try to choose all natural, antibiotic-free where possible, but whatever your budget allows is perfectly fine.  You don’t need to thaw the chicken. Bake as follows:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Line two cookie sheets with foil, and spray with cooking spray.  Line up the chicken on the tray and drizzle with a small amount of olive or avocado oil.  Rub the oil all over the breasts, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper or whatever spices you choose.  I love using my homemade BBQ rub.  Repeat on the other side (use tongs to flip your chicken over, try not to touch with your hands!).
• Cooking time will depend on whether your chicken is fresh or frozen.  Generally, frozen breasts cook for about 30-45 minutes, and fully thawed chicken will cook for 20-30 minutes.  Cook until the breasts reach 165 degrees.
• Allow to cool, then either shred or cut up the chicken and place into a large bowl.  Feel free to season more as desired.

Step 2: Cook the starchy vegetables

I know that I feel my best when I’m entirely grain-free, so I choose to get my carbs from starchy vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes. If you’re okay with grains, certainly feel free to add those instead (like rice, corn, or quinoa). You can prepare your carb of choice while your chicken is cooking.

• Wash all of the vegetables.  Set on a large plate and poke each one several times with a fork. 
• Choose the largest squash first and place in microwave on the plate.  Times will vary based on size and the power of your microwave, but generally a spaghetti squash will cook for 12-14 minutes and an acorn squash will cook for 8-10 minutes. 
• For the sweet potatoes, poke holes in them and wrap with wet paper towels.  Cook 6 minutes, re-wet the towels, and flip the potato over.  Cook another 6 minutes until soft. 
• Once cooked (they should be soft to the touch), slice the vegetables in half with a large knife (use a towel to hold in place, as it will be hot) and let cool.
• Work in batches to cook each of your starchy vegetables.  Once cool to the touch, scoop the seeds out of the inside of the squash and discard.  Holding the squash, use a fork to pull the rest of the flesh off of the skin and place in a bowl.  You may leave the peelings on the sweet potatoes if you’d like – all the more nutrients for you!
• A note about spaghetti squash: you may want to get rid of some of the extra water, otherwise when you thaw your meal, it will be a bit watery.  Simply place in a fine strainer, cover squash with paper towels, and push down to strain out the water.

Step 3: Plate it up!

• This is the fun part!  Line up about 20 serving trays.  You can buy freezable trays on Amazon in just about any size. I love these FitPackers because they are BPA-free, as well as dishwasher and microwave safe. They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
• Start with your protein. Using a measuring cup, put the chicken into each container.  I like to use a 1/3 cup as it is approximately 3 ounces, which is a reasonable serving size.
• Next, dish up your starchy vegetable or grain. I measure out about a half cup.  For sweet potatoes, I typically aim for ¼ of the potato, but it will certainly depend on the size.
• Lastly, open your bags of frozen vegetables and sprinkle them in! You can try to make the meals the same (e.g., chicken/sweet potato/green beans, or chicken/spaghetti squash/asparagus) or mix them up for variety.  I tend to make the vegetable my largest portion, so I will typically add a full cup.
• Once plated, put the lids on the dishes and make room for the freezer.  You may also label them if you’d like to make it really easy to find the meal you’re looking for. 
• Tip: If you have any extra of a certain category of food (like extra chicken, or extra squash), simply freeze for later use!  I oftentimes cook extra chicken and freeze in little baggies, and they are perfect to use for a little protein on salads.

Step 4: Serve

When grab a meal from the freezer and are ready to eat, allow the container to sit at room temp for about 10 minutes to prevent the cold plastic from cracking when you open the lid.  I try to plan my meals the night before and put them in the fridge overnight to thaw.  When ready, place in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.  The frozen squash tends to take the longest to cook, so I recommend stirring once during cooking.

Once cooked, I like to use the following options to “dress up” the flavors:

• Before microwaving, top with pasta sauce (works particularly well on spaghetti squash!)
• Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil, butter, or ghee to your sweet potato
• Spice up your vegetables with salt and pepper or Tajin
• Drizzle lemon or lime juice over your meal
• Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil, butter, or ghee to your sweet potato

There you have it!  Super easy, and all under 2 hours. If you want to amp it up a little bit, try buying your veggies fresh and roast them. Here are some of my favorite recipes to use for variation in my freezer meals:

• The Best Paleo Meatballs
• Roasted French Green Beans
• Buttery & Delicious Instant Pot Buckwheat

I hope you find this system to be of value. If you are inspired to do your own meal prep, comment below and show me what you made!