5 Meals To Keep In Your Pantry And Freezer

Do you ever have those weeks when life just happens? Boy, we do! Even the best meal plan can’t possibly account for times when life throws a curve ball.

To counteract the craziness, I like to keep my pantry and freezer stocked with several simple meals that can be made in a pinch.

5 Meals To Keep In Your Pantry And Freezer

I try to keep some frozen browned ground beef and cooked, cubed chicken breasts, chicken thighs and boneless skinless chicken breast in my freezer to help with quick meals. I also try to keep a good supply of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in my freezer.

Not only is this a great idea to save on cooking time when making your delicious dinner, but you will also have more quality time to spend with your whole family.

You don’t have to have a large family for this to be a good idea. Instead, you can make individual portions for yourself throughout the week.

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This is also a good choice for new moms to save a lot of time and money when all nights are busy nights and you don’t want fast food for weeknight dinners.

My favorite and what I would say is the best way to cook a delicious meal and save so much time would be to use an instant pot or a high pressure cooker. You can pretty much make anything in one. My favorite would have to be pot roast.

Here are some of my favorite recipes for quick and easy meals:

Five Can Soup

1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can mixed vegetables
1 15 oz. can black beans you can also use white beans
1 15 oz. can white corn
Mix it all together without draining anything and heat. You can even throw this in the Crock Pot for a few hours or all day. Sometimes we add some browned ground beef or cooked chicken to it.

Cheesy Pasta

3/4 box of Piccolini pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 can Hunts pasta sauce (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Tonight I cooked up 3/4 of a box of Piccolini pasta until it was al dente. Mix in the rest and heat through.

Pizza

Crust:
1 c. warm (not hot) water
2 T. canola oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. white flour
1 T. Active dry yeast

Mix all basic ingredients in order listed in bread machine. I use my bread cycle, and my machine beeps when dough is ready. You may have to consult your machine’s book to know when yours is done.

In a pinch, you can just knead the dough by hand for five minutes. Place dough on pizza pan sprayed with canola oil or vegetable oil, and spread the dough to cover the pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake another 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

If I have pitas or English muffins on hand, I’ll use those in place of homemade crust.

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Chicken Wraps

1 can refried beans
1/2 c. salsa
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 c. cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good too!)
12 corn tortillas

Mix refried beans, salsa, and chicken. Divide the mix among the tortillas.

Roll each tortilla, and place seam side down in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with canola oil or olive oil spray.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Grilled Cheese & Soup

You can’t bypass the old stand-by! I like to keep several types of canned soups in my pantry so that we can use them in a pinch.

So you can save your easy freezer meals at a later date try these freezer bags.

Bags To Prevent Freezer Burn:

• Ziploc bags
• Plastic bags
• Freezer bag
• Resealable bag

Next time you’re making a grocery list think about the simple ingredients below that you should always keep on hand:

List Of Pantry Staples

For Dry Goods

• Brown rice
• White rice
• Whole wheat pasta
• Bread crumbs
• Any nut butters or peanut butter (like almond butter)
• Brown sugar
• Bread flower
• All purpose flower
• Coco powder
• Chocolate chips
• Flour tortillas
• Tortilla chips

For Your Spice Rack

• Bay leaves
• Chili powder
• Curry powder
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

Can Vegetables And Beans

• Garbanzo beans
• Can of tomatoes
• Can of black beans

Oils To Keep On Hand

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Sesame oil
• Vegetable oil

Soups And Broth

• Ramen noodles
• Tomato soup
• Chicken broth
• Vegetable broth

Great Options For Vinegars

• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• white vinegar
• Rice wine vinegar

Sauces To Add To Your Shopping List

• Soy sauce
• Barbecue sauce
• Hot sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Marinara sauce
• Maple syrup
• Tomato paste
• Coconut milk

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Fridge Staples

• Bell peppers
• Fresh herbs
• Fresh cilantro
• Sour cream
• Diced onion
• Lime juice
• Fresh basil
• Any fresh produce

You can get any of these pantry items at any local grocery store and the great thing is all of these items have a long shelf life.

What are your favorite meals to keep on hand? Do you have any advice for making meals in a pinch?