This month, the goal is to replace single-use plastics from TV dinners and other microwave meals. Not only do these plastics feel like an unnecessary waste, but they also leach harmful chemicals into your food. So that’s why we will focus on three strategies to replace those plastics in our everyday lives. The three strategies are using freezer meals, meals-in-a-jar, and meals that take 15 minutes from start to finish. Let me just quickly clarify though, I have no problem with using the microwave. What I’m trying to avoid is cooking foods in plastic and reducing the waste from single-use plastics.
About the first strategy – Freezer meals
Freezer meals are when you make your meals ahead of time and freeze them for later. There are several variations to this strategy, such as making large batches of food whenever you cook so you can freeze the leftovers. Or you can make all the meals in one go and freeze them to eat throughout the rest of the month. For this post, we’ll focus on the latter freezer meal game plan.
Ideally, freezer meals are made in one cooking session (5-6 hours in my experience) or over several shorter sessions. This will depend on your schedule but either work for having reheatable meals the rest of the month. To prep for the cooking session I usually try to make sure I have my kitchen counter clear for all the veggie chopping. Remember, the goal here is to cut down on single-use plastics, so using the pre-chopped veggies from the store defeats the purpose.
What equipment will you need?
Things you will need are a stove, oven, crockpot, and/or an Instant Pot. I just got my Instant Pot and what a difference it makes for this type of cooking marathon! Previously I used a crockpot, which is still very helpful for making a big batch of something. But the crockpot could only make one batch. Whereas with the Instant Pot, I can make at least three batches of food in one afternoon. Not to mention, making the chickpeas from scratch has never been easier! You will also need cooking vessels like large pots and pans, baking sheets, bowls of varying sizes, and cooking utensils. I tend to get a lot of use out of my silicone muffin pan for this as well.
Now storing foods without plastic bags might be a bit more tricky. Most of the freezer meal recommendations use ziplock bags to freeze some of the foods. For anything with a lot of liquid such as soups, sauces, curries, mashed veggies, etc I use freezer-safe glass mason jars. (Make sure you use the straight-edge mason jars for freezing). Please see the note below for the proper heating of glass jars. Then for everything else like rice, pasta, and proteins, I use silicone pouches. I do use reusable food-grade plastic containers for some foods like egg bites, protein balls, and muffins. This is because the shape of the container works really well for storing them and I’m not going to be heating the container.
Note – Proper heating of glass jars
I just learned mason jars shouldn’t be used in the microwave!! If using glass containers to reheat foods, be sure you are using microwave-safe glass. I did find an article that covers more about using glass containers in the microwave. So, the best practice for the frozen mason jars is to pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge for at least a day. Once thawed enough to remove the food from the jar, use another cooking vessel such as a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl or dish and continue to reheat it that way.
Another note – platinum grade silicone is one of the materials that can go straight from the freezer to the microwave or oven. There are certain ceramics and glassware that can do this too… just not mason jars.
Recommendations to make Freezer meals work as a TV dinner replacement.
You can find many great freezer meal recipes online or in recipe books. My personal favorite freezer meal cookbook is the one that got me started with meal-prepping techniques years ago, Frozen Assets* by Deborah Taylor-Hough. I highly recommend finding a freezer meal cookbook if you can. They usually have the most comprehensive tips for what foods can go in the freezer. Since they’ve done a lot of the trial and error for you it can be a good investment to have those tips on hand when you start cooking.
Making freezer meals work for a small freezer.
If you only have a small freezer, like me, more than likely you’ll be utilizing all three of this month’s strategies to replace TV dinners. The three strategies are freezer meals, meals-in-a-jar, and 15-minute meals. To get the most out of combining the other two strategies with the freezer meals, I focus on making certain meal components in big batches for freezing. Then I unfreeze the one component and spend 10 or so minutes cooking the other parts (freezer meal + 15-minute meal combo). Or I make a meal-in-a-jar soup and reheat a pre-cooked meat component (freezer meal + meal-in-a-jar). I’ll be covering more strategy combo ideas as the month goes on.
For the freezer meals, you’ll have to think about what will give you the greatest ROI for your freezer space. In my case, I was buying a lot of microwave rice pouches, so I get the most use out of freezing cooked rice. And since I’m cooking for one, having things like frozen curry or teriyaki in individual containers works best for me. This would also work well if you’re cooking for a crowd but you might want to consider some casserole recipes as well. Again, it depends on what your microwavable preferences are.
My go-to freezer meal recipes
Below is a list of foods I recommend for the freezer meal strategy. You’ll notice I leave several food types out. This is because while many recipes make for quick meals, they require further cooking when you get them out of the freezer. Since I’m using freezer meals specifically to replace TV dinners, I want recipes that just need a 15-minute max reheat.Many of the make-ahead meals I come across involve freezing preassembled casseroles, quiches, meatloaf, etc and then cooking them in the oven later. Nothing wrong with this, it’s just that I usually rely on TV dinners when the day hasn’t gone as planned and I really need something quick for dinner.
My personal strategy for freezer meals is mostly things-on-rice and things-on-pasta; plus some cooked proteins here and there. I like the things-on-rice and pasta route because it gives me the most versatility. Especially when combined with the other 2 strategies that will be covered later this month. This list is by no means comprehensive, these are merely my usual go-to’s for quick, reheat freezer meals. Or at the very least, the key components I need for quick meals.
Other foods that are handy to have on hand in the freezer are baked goods like muffins and banana bread. Preassembled pita pizzas, flatbread, and tortillas can all be used as part of quick dinners as well.
Some book recommendations for the freezer meal strategy are:
- Good and Cheap* by Leanne Brown (bulk recipes)
- The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook* by Coco Morante (Instant Pot recipes)
- The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook* by Megan Gilmore (Instant Pot recipes)
- Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month* by Deborah Taylor-Hough (frozen meal recipes)
- Freezer Meal Recipes: One-Pot Make Ahead Dump Meals* by Louise Davidson (frozen meals to cook in the crockpot)
I will only recommend products that I personally use and love and hope can be of benefit to others in their sustainable journeys. (*) indicates an affiliate link where Sustainable Pursuits llc may receive a small compensation for product recommendations. This helps to support Sustainable Pursuits llc and my ability to share these experiences with you!
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