After the popularity of the 5 Quick & Healthy Sheet Pan Recipes for Winter, I wanted to follow that up with some quick & healthy one pot meals for January. What I am adding this time, is that at least a component of each of these meals is freezable.
The reason for this is – right now we are motivated. It is January, cooking is fun, exercise doesn’t feel like torture, and no booze is a common thing. We are excited! Unfortunately, that excitement is going to dwindle at some point. That is not to say that you will fall off track, but real life starts to kick in and cooking is usually the first thing to go.
Instead of pretending that will never happen, let’s prepare for that by building systems that can support you when motivation is at a minimum. One of those systems is becoming best friends with your freezer. Every time you cook, I want you to ask yourself if you can cook extra and re-purpose it. That might be eating it again during the week, or in this case, freezing it and building up a stockpile of healthy meals.
The great news is that one-pot meals lend themselves to freezing. So, all of these will have at least a component that you can freeze and cut down on your meal prep down the road. Your future self will thank you!
Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
This recipe satisfies that need for comfort food but increases the amount of veggies by subbing out ramen for zoodles. The incredible part of this soup is both the prep and cooking is done in under 30 minutes She is also a true pro and offers both an instant pot and stove top version of the recipe.
Photo credit and recipe: Wholesomelicious.com
Chicken Thighs with Black Beans, Rice & Chilies
This is a NYT Cooking gem, which means it will be delicious…but not quite a 30-minute meal like above. Having said that, the flavors will really stand up to the freezer and you can add a pop of freshness with lime and avocado when it’s time to reheat.
Photo credit and recipe: Cooking.NYTimes.com
Vegetarian Power Bowls
I love this recipe because it can be used as a savory winter breakfast or a quick dinner. It involves roasting vegetables so it isn’t the best thing to do on a weekday morning, but if you do it on the weekend it can heat up in a snap. Erin does a great job at the end giving specific advice of how to freeze, store and reheat. Honestly, the tahini dressing recipe alone is worth checking out.
Photo Credit & Recipe: Wellplated.com
Chicken Tinga
This recipe works in the opposite direction – what I mean by that is these are freezer bag meals where you store the ingredients in a freezer bag and then empty it into an instant pot or slow cooker when you are ready to eat it. These take a little more work up front but if you are super organized you can prep a months’ worth of meals in an afternoon. Or just cook it fresh and freeze the leftovers. You get to pick if you pay the price up front or at the end…kind of like a 401K?
This link has 16 recipes including beef, chicken, vegetarian and vegan options.
Photo Credit & Recipe: PinchofYum.com
