Cheap and Easy Freezable Lunch Meals to Make Ahead of Time

Cheap and Easy Freezable Lunch Meals to Make Ahead of Time 

I have come along way in my domestic abilities over the last couple of years. I have improved and challenged myself to be a better cook, more prepared for meals, and to always be thrifty where I can be. I struggled in the beginning (okay...maybe the middle too) but last year things changed for the best. I embraced the fact that I am lazy. *Gasp! 

It is true. I found myself over and over again stumbling and grumbling out of bed at 6 in the morning heading to the kitchen, opening the fridge, and death staring it to give me ideas for lunches. Nothing. The fridge is sometimes a very cold and silent villain. I hate meal planning on empty, which is exactly what happened. I am not very good at it and sometimes really strange things ended up in lunch boxes...no, seriously. Watch the video below of my husband commenting on his disappointing lunch.  

Just so you know, I have no recollection of doing that. I must have been sleep walking. Motherhood and exhaustion;1 Me:0

Anyways, after embracing the hard truth about myself, I searched for a lazy...er I mean...more EFFICIENT way to do things.

Now, first and foremost, you can always use leftovers. Leftovers happen to be my husbands favorite thing to eat because he in general prefers dinner foods over everything else. This post though, is more about those times you don't have leftovers. Like when you had an event the night before and made it home too late to cook dinner and so you all settle for a P,B, & J and sleep, or the night Chinese was calling to you and you obligingly answered that call with enthusiasm at your local Chinese take-out place, or you just plain ran to Taco Bell or MceeD's because you were having that kind of day. Whatever your reason, these meals are great for those "oops! I don't have any lunch ideas!" moments. 

  

Freezing meals! What a brilliant idea! Thank you SO much to my friend Carla who introduced me to this amazing idea! Freezing meals is basically where you cook a meal just like you normally would and let it cool down and then instead of eating it, you freeze it for later. Then when you want it, you pull it out and microwave it for a few minutes and viola! Lunch!

Here is a list of Freezer Lunches that I started with:

Fajita Burritos! I just took some leftover chicken and a little steak, threw in some veggies, (whatever you like, I did mushrooms and bellpeppers) and then added re-fried beans and cheese on top. You could also add a hot sauce if you like. I loved these. For a quick lunch on the go these are perfect and even have a few veggies tucked in! I also did these variations of the same thing below:

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas- I wrapped a tortilla around chicken and cheese and added a bit of hot taco sauce and then lightly toasted them on the stove in a skillet so the tortillas had that nice crunch. You can also do any other kind of Quesadillas you or your family like to eat. 

Bean and Cheese Burritos- The same as the Fajita Burritos but even more simple. Just re-fried beans (you could use black or pinto also if you prefer) and cheese and wrap and you are done!

Breakfast Burritos-Make eggs, throw in some veggies and cheese and wrap in a tortilla and freeze. Yum!

 Sandwich Melts and Pinini's

These are so simple. I usually wait until bread at Walmart goes on sale and then I buy all of it. Yep, that is right. All of it and then I do a massive bulk cooking lunches spree. I usually end up with 2-3 months of lunches after a bulk cooking session. The picture above is a ham and cheese melt. You can also do Pinini versions of these if you have a sandwich toaster or press. 

Ham and Cheese Melt- Ham, cheese and whatever condiments or veggies you want and throw it all together in between two slices of your choice of bread. (thicker breads/buns do tend to taste a little better in my opinion) Then toast in toaster or oven at 350 degrees until bread is crunchy and cheese is melted. 

Turkey and Cheese Melt-Use a different type of meat, cheese, and veggies to change things up!

French Dip Melt/Pinini-Roast beef and cheese. I also like to make little containers of Au Jus sauce to go with these. Delicious!

Microwavable Pie's for 1!

Shepherd's Pie
Just go buy a few mini pie dishes (microwave and oven safe) that are for 1 person. Then fill them with yummy pies that you can microwave at work! Our favorite one is Shepherd's Pie. We use hamburger, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, and cheese. These are SO simple to make!

Chicken/Beef Pot Pie
Made just like you normally would but after cooking in the oven you let it cool and then freeze it.

Homemade Personal Pizzas-I love making these! You just buy crust and then throw on your sauce and toppings of choice, cook, and freeze.

There are SO many things you can do and there seems to be recipes galore online, so if you are lazy like me but want to save money, try this out! It is so easy and only takes a few hours to have lunches for the next few months. :D