Sauces & Marinades for Healthy Freezer Meal Prep

Healthy Freezer Meal Prep doesn't have to take hours! Stock your freezer w/ simple, healthy sauces & marinades for easy last minute meals.

What's the secret to avoiding last minute takeout or drive-thrus? Healthy freezer meal prep!

I'm obviously a huge proponent of the weekly meal prep session. But you still run into weeks when something comes up and it just doesn't happen. Or your kids are in a growth spurt and eat more than expected and you need an extra meal. For me, that's where freezer meal prep comes in.

I use our Prep Dish Super Fast meal plans pretty much every week, but I still need other meals for my family, whether that's a quick, healthy lunch for me and the boys or an extra dinner one week. I often double (or even triple!) Prep Dish recipes to cover these extra meals. That said, I LOVE the peace of mind that comes with a well stocked freezer. If you haven't explored this facet of meal prep, I highly recommend it!

The Basics of Healthy Freezer Meal Prep

I'm pretty much convinced that the reason more people don't embrace healthy freezer meal prep for the sanity saver that it is, is that it sounds overwhelming. No one wants to spend an entire weekend prepping and cooking food to stock the freezer. Plus, if you've ever had the experience of prepping something in the freezer, just to find it a year later, freezer-burned and ready for the garbage, it can be quite disheartening.

Freezer meal prep doesn't have to be like that though! It can actually be quite easy, approachable and incredibly useful! Here are a few basics and tips for healthy freezer meal prep to help you make the most of the recipes:

• Double a recipe you're already making. Instead of planning a marathon freezer prep session, take a look at your meal plan each week and determine if any of the recipes you're already making would be good for freezer meal prep. For instance, if you're making pesto pasta, make a double batch of pesto and freeze half. If you're marinating some chicken thighs, double it and simply stick some raw chicken thighs in marinade in a freezer bag. It really can be that easy! This is the main way I stock my own freezer.
• Label everything. It's easy to think you'll remember what something is when you stick it in the freezer, but if you do any substantial freezer meal prep, you probably won't. Label everything you add with what it is, the date, and thawing / cooking instructions if needed.
• Keep inventory. Keep a simple list of what you've stocked in your freezer. Whenever you have a busy week coming up or realize you may be short on groceries, check your list and pull something out. Try to use the items that have been in there the longest first.

If you keep those basics in mind, you'll find yourself easily including healthy freezer meal prep in your routine. Trust me, the results are 100% worth it.

Freezer Marinades

One of my personal favorite ways to stock my freezer is with freezer marinades. What does this mean? You simply place your meat with a marinade in a freezer container or freezer bag and store in the freezer. Before you want to cook the meat, simply place the freezer container in the fridge for 24-48 hours. The meat will marinate while it thaws. So simple!

Below are some of my favorite marinades for this strategy.

Maple Mustard Marinade (Chicken or Pork)

This marinade has just two ingredients: 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup + 1/4 cup Dijon mustard. That's it! Rub this mixture on either 1 pound pork tenderloin or 1 pound chicken and freeze.

After thawing in the fridge, roast the pork in a 425 oven for 30-40 minutes, or roast the chicken until 165F internal temperature (~20-30 minutes for chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs or 40-45 minutes for chicken drumsticks at 425F).

Greek Lemon Chicken Thighs Marinade

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil + juice & zest of 1 lemon + 2 minced garlic cloves + 1 tsp oregano + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp pepper + 1 1/2 pounds chicken things in a freezer bag or container and store in the fridge.

When you're ready to cook, thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Then bake in a 400F oven for 30-35 minutes or grill until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.

Spicy Fennel and Garlic Pork Marinade

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic + juice & zest of 1 lemon + 1 tsp ground fennel + 1/4 tsp pepper + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes + 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin. Store in the freezer. Feel free to use pork chops instead if you prefer!

To cook, first thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Remove pork from marinade and discard marinade. Bake in a 400F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temp of 145F.

Coriander Chicken Marinade

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil + juice & zest of 1 lemon + 3 minced garlic cloves + 1 tsp coriander + 1/2 tsp cumin + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp pepper + 2 pounds chicken thighs and / or drumsticks. Store in the freezer.

When you're ready to enjoy the chicken, thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Then, bake in a 400F oven for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 165F.

Paprika Lime Marinade (Chicken, Steak)

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil + 3 cloves minced garlic + zest of 1 lime + juice of 2 limes + 2 Tbsp honey + 1 tsp dijon mustard + 1 tsp smoked paprika + 1/2 tsp salt + 4 medium cut pork chops in a freezer bag or container. Store in the freezer.

To cook, thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the marinade.

To cook on the stovetop, sear the pork chops on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Then reduce heat to medium and cook an additional 4-6 minutes per side until pork chops are cooked through to 145F.

Alternatively, to cook in the oven, bake the pork chops in a 400F oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through to 145F.

Garlic & Red Wine Marinade for Steak

Combine 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp honey + 2 Tbsp tamari + 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar + 3 cloves minced garlic + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp pepper + 1 1/2 pounds flank steak in a freezer bag or container. Store in the freezer.

Thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours before cooking. Remove from marinade and discard marinade. Grill steaks on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until they reach your desired level of doneness.

Sauces for Healthy Freezer Meal Prep

You don't have to prepare an entire freezer meal to stock your freezer well. I love stocking extra batches of homemade sauces in my freezer for easy weeknight meals. A major benefit of this strategy is that it requires minimum freezer space. It's also quite flexible. You can look at whatever protein and veggies you have on a given week and choose a sauce from your freezer that complements them well.

Pesto

It is SO easy to double or triple a batch of pesto. I do this pretty much whenever I make pesto and I store the extra batches in the freezer. There are a couple of ways you can freeze the pesto, depending on how you plan to use it.

One method is to freeze pesto in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer container. You can take out one or two cubes and toss into a pot of soup to add extra flavor. Or, thaw a couple of cubes of pesto to flavor roasted vegetables. One benefit of freezing pesto in an ice cube tray is that the small portions will thaw quite quickly.

Alternatively, you can freeze an entire batch of pesto and thaw next time you want to make pasta or my Sheet Pan Pesto Shrimp w/ Veggies. All you'll have to do is thaw the pesto from your freezer. To freeze a whole batch, you can use Souper Cubes or a small freezer container or freezer bag.

Ranchero Sauce

Ranchero sauce is so versatile, it can elevate pretty much any Tex-Mex dish you want to make! It's delicious on eggs and I particularly love it on eggs baked in avocado. Ranchero sauce is also delicious on roasted potatoes, roasted veggies, tacos, rice bowls, quesadillas and potato nachos. So many tasty choices!

 

Stir Fry Sauce

Stir fry is the perfect weeknight dinner. It's simple, flexible and cooks extremely quickly. Stocking your freezer with my homemade stir fry sauce makes throwing a stir fry together even easier!

I recommend freezing in Souper Cubes, or a similar silicon container and transferring to a freezer container once frozen.

Romesco Sauce

If you haven't had romesco sauce, you should definitely add this one to your healthy freezer meal prep list! Romesco sauce hails from Spain and is made of roasted tomato, bell pepper and garlic with nuts, olive oil, vinegar and spices.

Sounds delicious, right? But what do you do with it? Romesco sauce is actually super versatile. Enjoy it on pasta/zoodles, on rice bowls, on roasted vegetables or as a dip instead of hummus. It also makes an excellent spread on sandwiches and wraps. You can't go wrong!

Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce

I love everything about this sauce! The balance of sweet and spicy is total perfection. And it's good on pretty much everything. Drizzle it on shrimp, chicken, eggs, roasted potatoes…you get the idea!

More Freezer Prep Resources

Want more freezer prep resources? You've come to the right place! I'm passionate about all things meal prep, whether it's my weekly meal prep meal plans or making sure my freezer is stocked with dinners, breakfasts and snacks for those extra busy weeks.

Here are some of my favorite freezer prep resources!

FAQ – Everything You Want to Know about Healthy Freezer Meal Prep

How to meal prep dinners for the freezer?

My favorite way of meal prepping dinners for the freezer is to double (or triple) something I'm already making and stock my freezer with the extra. Take a look at your weekly meal plan and choose 1 meal per week to double and freeze until your freezer is well stocked. No need to spend all day in the kitchen prepping!

What are the best healthy freezer meal prep meals?

Some of my favorite healthy freezer meal prep meals are homemade lasagna, soups of all kinds and gluten free muffins.

How long can I store meals in the freezer?

Most freezer meals are tastiest within 2-3 months but you can generally safely eat them within 6 months, as long as you freeze and thaw safely. A deep freezer will allow you to freeze meals for longer.