Seriously Good Freezer Meals

I don’t have much free time as a resident, and what extra time I do have outside of residency and residency-related things, I like to spend pursuing my 2329384 hobbies, which doesn’t leave much time for other things, like cooking elaborate and complicated meals.

So obviously, I was all about a book that’d help me to maximize the amount of stuff I can make in as little time as possible. I approach my cooking the same way I approach my blog. In the small pockets of spare time I have, I do a ton of batch cooking/meal prepping + writing/scheduling blog posts for the future. Seeing as how I’ve managed to survive and also keep this blog going through medical school and residency thus far, I like to think it’s been working!

But let’s get to the book review, shall we!?

Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity

By Karrie Truman

Genre: Food, Cooking
Pages: 368

I am all for a book that can help with saving time, money and sanity! :P I love that the author dedicated this book to her freezer:

Thanks for always being so chill, even on my craziest days. Without you I could never have finished this book. Some may call you cold and half empty, but to me, you’ll always be my deep frigid friend.”

Gotta love it.

This book is essentially sectioned off into two main sections. “Getting Started” and covers freezer cooking basics, thawing/cooking freezer meals, how to make a bunch of freezer meals in a day, as well as a chapter for the “advanced freezer cook.” (I’ll get there someday.) It includes tips on how to use the book, how long things will last, how to avoid freezer burn, and also a meal prep guide of sorts (beginner vs intermediate vs advanced) on how to make a whole bunch of meals in a day.

Next up are the recipes themselves! There are symbols on each of them to signify whether the recipe is…vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, thrifty, quick, and/or good for sharing, which I really liked.

Breakfast

Blueberry Orange Smoothie Kits, Buttery Cinnamon French Toast Bake, Freezer Pancakes, California Breakfast Casserole, Cinnamon Mini Donut Muffins…

Appetizers & Snacks

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Hot Dip, Pepperoni Blossoms, Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers, Creamy Cilantro Chicken Taquitos, Empanada Hand Pies, Sweet and Sour Meatballs…

Soups, Stews & Chilis

Coconut Cashew Basil Curry Soup, Zesty Tortilla Soup, Sausage and Gnocchi Soup, White Bean Chicken Chili, Hazelnut Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup…

Poultry

Buttermilk Dill Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Parmigiana, Hazelnut Pear Chicken, Maple Dijon Chicken, Killer Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Peanut Perfection Pad Thai, Teriyaki Chicken…

Pork

I don’t eat pork, but I may try these recipes with some other type of protein! Island Pork, Boneless BBQ Pork Ribs, Stromboli, Perfect Pizza Any Way You Top It, Perfect Pork Carnitas Tacos…

Beef

Rosemary Pot Roast, Balsamic Short Ribs, Thai Beef Stir-Fry, Venezuelan Steak, Baked Ziti, Mole Tamale Pie, French Dip Sandwiches…

Seafood

Savory Salmon in Foil, Baked Shrimp Scampi, Flower’s Seafood Gumbo, Lemon Dill Tilapia Tacos, Easy Tuna Casserole…

Meatless Mains

Amazing Macaroni and Cheese, Lentil Supreme Shepherd’s Pie, Smashed Bean and Red Pepper Quesadillas, Buffalo Ranch Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli, Cheesy Eggplant Parmigiana

Side Dishes

Brown ‘n’ Serve Rolls, Garlic Herb Smashed Potatoes, Dirty Rice, Wild Rice Pilaf, Cilantro Lime Corn…

Desserts

Mascarpone Key Lime Mini Pies, Island Coconut Angel Cake, Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake, Churros, Molten Hot Fudge Lava Cakes…

Bases & Sauces

Gnocchi, Pie Crust, Pizza Dough, Red/White Sauce (with vegetarian versions), Easy Pesto, Thirty-Minute Pizza Sauce, Peanut Sauce, Avocado Crema, Homemade Chicken/Beef/Vegetable Stock, Time-Saving Garlic and Onion Puree…

The pictures in here are all gorgeous and I basically wanted to eat everything in the world after reading it (even though I’d already eaten dinner ._.) Each recipe includes a short intro, the serving size, ingredient list, instructions, as well as a super handy “bulk batch guide” (thank you!!). They also include different serving options (e.g. “make it now” vs. “make it a freezer meal” vs. “thaw and serve”)!


  • Do you do any meal prepping?
  • What’s your favorite freezer meal recipe?

Check out my other book reviews!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.fairyburger.com/seriously-good-freezer-meals/

46 comments

Skip to comment form

  1. These are great recipes! I love the author’s dedication to her freezer!

    1. Me too! :O I need to get back into meal prepping!

  2. Wow, this book looks amazing! I have struggled for years with meal planning/prepping and this looks like the book I need to finally get my life together. Glad that you’ve enjoyed it – I am definitely going to check it out!
    Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Essential Gear Alert: Orange Mud Transition and Seat WrapMy Profile

    1. hehehe, those were my exact thoughts when I came across this book! I used to be a lot better at meal prepping but that’s definitely fallen off to the wayside lately–I need to change that!

  3. Love your cookbook reviews! Would definitely check this one out!

    1. Aww, thank you! :]! I hope you like it!

  4. I could definitely do much better with the freezer meals at our house. These look like great ideas

    1. There are so many recipes in here that I wanna try! *-*

    • Julie Ann Harris on November 26, 2018 at 1:08 pm
    • Reply

    I am not good at doing freezer meals. But your post is very inspirational to start being better at it.

    1. Thanks! Best of luck! I need to get better at it too!

  5. Love a good freezer meal recipe! Need to check out this book!

    1. I hope you like it! :]!

  6. My hubby would love this. I travel so much so I rarely have time to cook.

    1. It’s definitely a great resource to have, especially if you’re super busy all the time!

  7. With baby #2 on the way, I should probably read this and get some freezer meals going NOW!

    1. Sounds like a good plan! :O

  8. I do meal prepping mostly for breakfast or lunch. I can make dinner pretty easy but I don’t eat very healthy if I don’t have something quick or easy to make for breakfast or lunch

    1. I’m with you there! I definitely eat a lot more healthily if I make it ahead of time myself!

  9. This is such a great concept for a cookbook! I’m all about convenience so I would definitely check out this cookbook.

    1. It definitely fits my lifestyle a lot better!

  10. I confess: I am the worst about freezer meals. I hate leftovers and I have no desire to heat anything up that’s been hanging out in my freezer for weeks. I know I’m totally the exception to the rule with this. Mr PR even told me today that we have perfectly good chili in the freezer when I told him I was planning to make a batch this week. Great. But I want NEW chili!

    Maybe if I was cooking for the purpose of freezing rather than as a leftover, it would be better.

    1. hehehe, I’m sure you’re not the only one out there! I tend to bulk cook and eat the same thing over the course of the week to save money/time, so this works well for me, but I can definitely understand wanting new/different food! :]

  11. This sounds like a great book! Saving time and money is right up my ally

    1. Same here! :]

  12. These all sound great! I love Freezer Meals for busy weeknights, I’m putting this book on my Christmas wish list!!

    1. Yay! I hope you like it! :]

  13. My freezer meal strategy is to occasionally make a giant batch of whatever we’re having for dinner and freeze the leftovers :P I don’t plan ahead enough for dedicated freezer meals!

    1. I’m trying to get better at planning ahead! I used to be super on top of things but in more recent years, not so much! ._.

  14. This would have been a great resource to have, for the past 10 years or so, when all of our kids were going in different directions most week nights.Now I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer that I’m not always sure what to do with it…I need help ;-)

    1. Oh no! :o I hope you find a good use for em’! I need to get better at meal prepping again–I used to be pretty on top of it but that’s fallen to the wayside recently!

  15. This looks like a great cookbook to try. I don’t meal prep but this could come in handy for those days when the kids are busy with sports!

    1. It’s definitely helpful for the busier days in the week! :]

  16. OK I seriously need this book in my life! With my kids’ schedules and work, this would e a life saver!

    1. I hope you like the book! :] It has so many tasty options!

  17. This book sounds amazing. I need to get that on my wish list. I’m such a fan of time-saving meals and recipe ideas.

    1. Same! Anything that saves time would be helpful! *-*

    • RFC on November 27, 2018 at 7:37 pm
    • Reply

    That buffalo ranch cauliflower is calling my name! I’m the worst at cooking, if it’s not fast and simple, I don’t do it. These sound like they would be right up my alley!

    1. I’m all for fast and simple too! :]

  18. I have actually never really made freezer meals. I have only frozen some soup and then never got around to eating it :(
    These look really yummy! I love how simple it can be and how it can help save time in the long run!

    1. haha, I’ve definitely done that unintentionally to freezer soup before too…

  19. What a great book! I need to start prepping and freezing meals. I like that you compared it to your blogging process. haha That freezer dedication is great!
    Rosey Rebecca recently posted…Thanksgiving Week RecapMy Profile

    1. hahaha, right? :P I need to get back onto both soon! (So sad that vacation is ending! :'( )

  20. I’m so bad with meal prepping, but I keep thinking freezer meals might be a good idea. I need to look into it more. I like that this book has tons of different ideas.

    -Lauren
    ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Local Tourist: November 2018My Profile

    1. Same! I need to get better at it!!

  21. I really need to get onto the freezer meal bandwagon! I sometimes freeze meals but it’s usally just 1-2 serves or baked oatmeal for breakfast. I’m going to put this book on my Christmas Wishlist!
    Kristy from Southern In Law recently posted…Recipe: Easy Molasses Crinkle Cookies (Gluten Free!)My Profile

    1. Yay! I hope you get it! I need to start making more baked oatmeal again–it’ll be perfect for this weather!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

CommentLuv badge