Once A Month Meals

50 Freezable Burger Recipes

Tricia — Fri, 29 May 2026 15:30:03 +0000

Who doesn’t love a good hamburger (or veggie burger)? They’re fantastic year round, but especially hot summer months fresh off the grill.

Did you National Hamburger Day is in May? Regardless of the month or season, you never need an excuse to grab some burgers from the freezer, (but not the store-bought kind)!

We have a wide variety of freezable hamburger recipes including burgers, condiments, and kid’s favorites! If you are gluten free, grain free, or even vegetarian – we’ve got you covered too! There is no excuse not to enjoy a juicy burger! And there are so many reasons we love them hot off the grill: little cleanup up, no reason to heat the house, and who doesn’t love the smell and taste of a freshly grilled food?

50 Burger Recipes for the Freezer

Homemade Ketchup

Condiments for Burgers

Paleo Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Burgers

Paleo Burgers

Buffalo Bleu Cheese Burgers

Traditional

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Gluten Free Dairy Free Burgers

Aloha Burgers

Vegetarian Burgers

Chipotle Cheddar Burgers

Whole Foods and Real Food Burgers

Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

Kid-Friendly Burgers

Our Spring and Summer Grilling Meal Plans

All these meal plan resources and instructions seen in this image come with Once A Month Meals Membership!*

Build meal plans for FREE!

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Get started and Make a Meal Plan!

Our Meal Plans* come with:

Organized Grocery Shopping List
Prep Instructions
Step-by-step Cooking Instructions
Individual Recipe cards
Labels
Thaw sheet

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Learn how to create your own custom meal plan from these recipes using our Freezer Meal Planning Membership!

The containers above are 64 ounces and can be ordered off of Amazon. | The bags are Ziplock Quart Freezer Bags. | The instructions and labels come with Once A Month Meals Membership!

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

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Best Backyard BBQ Tips

Once a Month Meals — Fri, 29 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Fire up the grill, invite the neighbors, and start sipping your favorite refreshing beverage under the shade of your favorite tree. It is time for a backyard BBQ, cookout, grilling, or whatever you call it where you’re from. Here are our favorite tips and recipes for serving hot off-the-grill goodness to your guests.

Backyard BBQ with Mini Meal Plans

Mini meal plans are a great way to stock the fridge with grill ready meals for the rest of the summer or for a large crowd. These grilling minis are also perfect for a group cooking session since they are primarily dump and go. You can also use our side dish mini and dessert minis to complement your main dishes.

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Freezer Burgers for the BBQ

Freeze Food on a Stick for the Grill

Tips, Tricks, and Party Ideas

Cut an onion in half and rub it over the hot grill grate with the tongs to clean and season the grill.
Use color coded cutting boards or this fancy grill station set to keep all of your food safe and sanitary.
Serve condiments in a muffin tin to avoid washing lots of little bowls. You can even put in festive liners to make clean up even easier.
Put a popsicle stick in wedges of watermelon for easy to serve and refreshing desserts or sides.
Set up yard games for kids and adults such as a sprinkler, kiddie pools, darts, corn hole, croquet, horseshoes, etc.
Keep costs down by hosting a BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) cook out. You can set up a hot dog bar – you provide various condiments, toppings, buns, paper products, and drinks and have each guest bring a pack of dogs. Or you could have each guest cook a recipe from one of the grilling mini meal plans above and you provide, sides, desserts, etc. for everyone.
Don’t forget the OAMM trick to check the doneness of your meats!

FREE MEMBERSHIP

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

The post Best Backyard BBQ Tips appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

10 Summer Smoothies to Refresh, Refuel, and Detox

Once a Month Meals — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:00:36 +0000

What’s not to love about smoothies? They are cool, refreshing, healthy, easy, portable, kid-friendly, and easy to freeze for later. Plus adding some greens, like mild baby spinach, is a great way to nourish and detoxify your body before the swimsuit season. Warm weather is heading our way FINALLY, so get out your blender and stock up on some frozen goodness.

Here are 10 of our favorite summer smoothies to help refresh, refuel, and detox.

1. Carrot Mango Grapefruit Smoothie

2. Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie

3. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

4. Very Cherry Smoothie

5. Sweet and Sour Grapefruit Smoothie

6. Tangerine Dream Smoothie

7. Green Detox Smoothie

8. Paleo Strawberry Kale Coconut Smoothie

9. Wake Me Up Coffee Banana Smoothie

10. Raspberry Kiwi Smoothie

BONUS: Skinny Green Summer Smoothie

Pro Smoothie Tips!

Stock up on smoothies!

Stock the freezer with our Smoothie Recipe Collection so that you always have a quick meal or snack ready. Once A Month Meals members can create their own smoothie meal plan!

Make popsicles

Freeze any of these smoothies into a popsicle mold for a fun treat any time of the day like we did with our Orange Banana Smoothie Pops. Regan gave these molds to everyone at our Favorite Things party.

Add greens

Add a handful of greens to boost nutrition and help your body rid itself of toxins. I promise you won’t notice the taste, although it may change the color.

Make smoothie bags!

You can flash freeze ingredients and divide them into bags to be blended when you want to eat them, or you can blend all of your smoothies ahead of time and just thaw to eat.

Freeze flat!

Be sure to lay bags flat to freeze for easier storage.

Need a new blender?

If you are in the market for a new blender, our staff took home a Diamond Vortex 5-Speed Blender from Kitchen Aid at our Favorite Things party last fall – and we LOVE it.

The post 10 Summer Smoothies to Refresh, Refuel, and Detox appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

92 Summer Freezer Recipes

Tricia — Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:43 +0000

We present you with 92 summer freezer recipes – one for each day of the season!

Freezer cooking gives you back time, but it can also help you take advantage of seasonal produce and on seasonal grocery sales. All of our meal plans are based on what you find on sale that month.

You can also use this list to create your own custom, seasonal meal plan using your Membership.

If you happened to stumble onto this post during the wrong season, check out our seasonal posts for Fall, Winter, or Spring!

Try a Freezer Meal Plan for FREE on us!

Receive a complimentary Mini Freezer Meal Plan of your choice and get started with easy freezer meals!

You’ll receive a freezer cooking meal plan with 3 recipes, plus a grocery shopping list, prep instructions, recipe cards, labels, and more!

Just remember, with a membership, you would be able to customize the recipes and serving size!

COOK A FREE MEal plan

Traditional

Paleo

Vegetarian

Gluten Free Dairy Free

Real Food

Diet

The post 92 Summer Freezer Recipes appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

16 Sizzle Worthy Freezer Meal Recipes for the Grill

Tricia — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:00:26 +0000

The sunny hours are lingering, sandals are peaking out from the recesses of winter laden closets and the air is hinted with the scent of fire. And meat. Glorious meat. Smoky, flame kissed steaks still pink and juicy beneath the crust of that signature crosshatch sear. Succulent barbecued chicken breasts stuffed with gooey cheese that melds into an irresistible cornucopia of flavor. These are the hunger inducing smells of summer that can set the stomachs of a city block to growling in no time.

With grilling season nearly upon us, it’s time to embrace all the glories of that much celebrated art of cookery. With burgers, kebabs, fresh vegetables and a variety of meats available, we’ve put together sixteen of our favorite freezer meal recipes for the grill. Ignite your imagination and start your summer off with a sizzle. Whether it’s just a couple grilling freezer meals, a mini menu or a whole customized menu you can be prepared for the grill bug to bite at any time. The urge to light a fire, gather on the deck and share a meal need not go ignored.

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Freezer Meal Recipes for the Grill

101 Summer Freezer Meals

Once a Month Meals — Thu, 28 May 2026 07:30:38 +0000

Summer has arrived, and it is time to get outside! Give yourself more time to play by stocking the freezer with recipes from this list of 101 Summer Freezer Meals!

Freezer cooking gives you back time, but it can also help you take advantage of seasonal produce and seasonal grocery sales. All of our meal plans are based on what you find on sale that month.

You can also use this list to create your own custom, seasonal Meal Plan

For you visual types, check out our Pinterest boards full of Summer Freezer Meals.

If you happened to stumble onto this post during the wrong season, check out our seasonal posts for Fall, Winter, or Spring!

Build meal plans for FREE!

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

101 Summer Freezer Meals

Quick Key to Recipe Types

Listed in bold – These recipes also appear on our 101 Spring Freezer Meals list.

** dump and go recipe (little to no cooking on your big day)

+ slow cooker recipe

^^ grilling recipe

Dinners

Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Mexican Rice^^
Baby Back Ribs (Gluten Free)**^^
Vegan “Meat” and Potatoes**^^
Pineapple-Ginger Flank Steak**^^
Cheddar Butter Burgers**^^
Tex-Mex Burgers**^^
Green Chile Burgers**^^
Buffalo Bleu Cheese Burgers**^^
Ranch Cheddar Burgers**^^
Bacon & Bleu Burgers**^^
Teriyaki Burgers (Gluten Free)**^^
Tomato Basil Burgers**^^
Turkey Burgers**^^
Greek Turkey Sliders**^^
Blueberry-Balsamic Portabella Stuffed Squash**^^
Lawry’s Grilled Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken**^^
Italian Flank Steak Pinwheels**^^
Tangy Marinated Steak**^^
Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs**+ (Instant Pot Version)
Gluten Free Dairy Free Orange-Apricot Pork Chops for the Slow Cooker**+
Asian Marinated Drumsticks**^^ (Instant Pot Version)
Grilled Veggie Flatbread Pizzas**^^
Creamy Adobo Grilled Chicken**^^
Garlic Balsamic Pork Kabobs**^^
Sweet & Sour Meatball Skewers**^^
Raspberry Glazed Pork Chops**^^
5 Ingredient Coconut Curry Kabobs**^^
Moonlight Beef Fajitas (Gluten Free)**^^
Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms**+ (Instant Pot Version)
Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken**^^
Chicken Apple Bacon Sliders (Gluten Free)^^
Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Pork Loin**+ (Instant Pot Version)
Fire Roasted Vegetable Pasta
Cheddar Stuffed Portobello Burgers**^^
Cream Cheese Chicken **+
Honey Chicken Kabobs (Gluten Free)**^^
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken** (Instant Pot Version)
Slow Cooked Buffalo Chicken (great on salads)**^^ (Instant Pot Version)
Vegan Fajita Burgers**
Aloha Pork Chops**
Lemon Caper Tilapia Packets**+
Tilapia with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes & Corn**+
Southwest Flank Steak Pinwheels**+
Katy’s Lake Brisket**+

Lunches

Breakfasts

Coffee Banana Smoothie**
Yogurt Covered Fruit & Granola**
Puffed Oven Pancakes with Summer Glazed Fruit
Apricot Muffins with Almond Streusel (Gluten Free)
Toddler French Toast Sticks
French Toast Stick Kabobs**
Quinoa and Kale Mini Quiches
Frozen Fruit Burritos**
Raspberry Kiwi Smoothie**
Strawberry Banana Breakfast Popsicles**
Lemon Poppyseed Waffles
Green Supreme Smoothie**
Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie Bags**
Maple Cinnamon Granola (Gluten Free Dairy Free)

Side Dishes

Snacks/Desserts

The post 101 Summer Freezer Meals appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

Freezer Friendly On-the-Go Kids Snacks!

Once a Month Meals — Thu, 28 May 2026 04:17:15 +0000

Save Your Summer with these Freezer Friendly, On-the-Go Kids Snacks!

In need of snacks to take with you while you and your family are on-the-go this summer? Look no further than this freezer AND kid friendly list! It’s the best for kids on the go!

Whether you are a “pool mom” taking your kids to the local community center to swim on a regular basis, or you’re a “carpool parent” taking your kids from one camp to another, or shuffling them from swim lessons to soccer practice — we’ve got a snack you can have at the ready for all occasions! One thing is for sure – you need to make sure you have plenty of kids snacks on the go – and lot of them!

All these recipes are freezer friendly, meaning you can make them ahead of time so you can literally grab them from the freezer, and go! Thaw them in your cooler in-between pickups, or in your fridge the night before.

No matter your hectic schedule and summer routine, let us help you make eating, (and eating well) easier than ever! Kids snacks on the go have never been easier!

FREE MEMBERSHIP

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

ALL these recipes are utensil-free, “eat with your hands” kid snacks!

Savory

Sweet

Toddler French Toast Sticks
Frozen Breakfast Muffins
Homemade Poptarts (GFDF Version)
Yogurt Parfait Popsicles (place a paper muffin cup liner underneath to prevent dripping!)
Homemade Cereal Bar Cookies
Breakfast Cookies (Kid-Friendly)
Balls of Energy
Berries, Nuts, and Coconut Shreds (place in snack bags or in to-go cups!)
Homemade Uncrustables
Popcorn Balls
Orange Banana Smoothie Pops (same muffin cup liner tip from above applies!)
Watermelon Yogurt Smoothie Pops (same muffin cup liner tip from above applies!)
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Homemade Yogurt Tubes
Strawberry Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Jam Filled Biscuits
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancake Squares

Kid-Friendly, On-the-Go Packaging and Containers!

Invite Your Kids to Help in the Kitchen

Boredom can strike hard and fast when kids are suddenly free to play all day long (I don’t get it!) If your older children show an interest, offer to teach them a little about cooking. For younger children, being mom or dad’s kitchen helper for the day is a treat in itself right? Getting your kids into the kitchen is a great way to provide them with practical life skills, but it also means that they can actually be a big help to you! Check out these posts from our archives on teaching kids of all ages how to cook.

*This post contains affiliate links

The post Freezer Friendly On-the-Go Kids Snacks! appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

Summer Peak Produce Picks

Tricia — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our second installment of Summer Peak Produce Picks! Farmer’s Markets, CSA’s and co-ops will be in full swing if they aren’t already. In my area, I’m already seeing roadside stands popping up all over town with the local best.

Summer has some of the most popular offerings produce wise, so this summer peak produce list is rather long. But keep in mind that all of these recipes are freezable. Freezing in-season produce is one of the best ways to preserve the fresh taste and bountiful nutrition for another day. Beat the “winter tomato blues” (you know those colorless, tasteless, sponges that languish on the grocery shelf) by freezing a big batch of fresh from the garden tomato soup.

Flash freeze berries and stone fruits for baking when the temperatures drop again. But of course, live up the long days of summer by sampling some of these tasty treats right now. Smoothies, popsicles, summer salads, and veggies grilled to perfection – all these and more are on our list to enjoy this season.

So, using our meal plans is a first step for using up extras from your garden, CSA, etc. But sometimes you need a targeted approach. For instance, if you take your kiddos apple picking and end up with a bushel or two, how do you store those? Maybe you score an unbeatable price on several flats of berries that need to be used up quickly. How do you ensure they don’t go to waste? There are a couple of different ways you can go about freezing produce. Be sure to check out our post on What You Can and Cannot Freeze before you get started.

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.
view nutritional data of each recipe.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Make the most of summer peak produce with this list of seasonal, freezable recipes!

Berries – Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries

Green Beans

Tomatoes

In recipes calling for canned tomatoes, substitute fresh tomatoes while you can!

Summer Squash and Zucchini

Corn

In recipes calling for canned or frozen corn, substitute fresh corn while you can! Leftover corn on the cob works well for most of these too.

Bell Peppers

Basil

Odds and Ends (Watermelon, Peaches, Eggplant, Okra)

The post Summer Peak Produce Picks appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

Keep Cool in the Kitchen

Tricia — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

As spring and summer bring warm weather, it also heats up the kitchen.

The last thing you want to do is work long and hard on a meal, let alone sweat it out for a big cooking day. But you’re in luck!

We have some helpful tips so you can keep cool, calm, and carry on.

These tips can be used for daily cooking or for once a month cooking. One thing to keep in mind is that once a month cooking means only one, long cooking session, keeping the kitchen cool for many days following. We work to utilize many of these principles in our summer meal plans and to provide you with themed Mini Meal Plans for the warmer months as well.

***Learn how to create your own custom meal plan from these recipes and meal plans using our Membership* to keep your kitchen cool.***

Build meal plans for FREE!

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

1. Cook with Small Appliances

Do everything you can to keep the stove and oven OFF. Instead break out your Instant Pot, rice cooker, slow cooker, electric griddle, etc. We tend to think of slow cooker meals in the winter when we want comfort food, but they are also a fantastic way to keep cool in the summer.

2. Cook Outside

Search for recipes that are grilled in our archives. Many of these recipes also happen to be dump and go or no-cook recipes on a cooking day.

3. Cook Simple Meals

Choose meals that have a simple ingredient list, short and sweet directions for prep, or one skillet type meals to minimize the time spent in the kitchen on a cooking day (or simply day to day). I personally seem to gravitate toward flavors that are lighter and simpler during the warmer months anyway. Maybe it is just our bodies and our instincts telling us to slow down so we don’t overheat!

4. “Cook” Some Cold Treats

Who says you always have to prepare a hot meal? Whip up some salads, cold soups, smoothies, or chilly desserts. Most of these require little prep beyond chopping and stirring, so it barely even counts as cooking.

5. Just Don’t Cook!

Ok, I’m not advocating a cooking strike! Just urging you to choose recipes that require little to no cooking.

You can always search our recipes by cooking method, for example, no-cook prep day, no cooking serving day, or no bake. See the links to our dump and go mini meal plans below in this post. Many of the other resources and recipes below will not keep you in the kitchen very long, so you might as well make multiple batches of the recipe (our meal plan documents already double each recipe for the number of servings you chose) so you can have leftovers another day and skip prep and cooking altogether! Leftovers also mean easy cleanup. Win-win.

Fresh produce abounds this time of year, so cut it up and snack on it plain or use it for simple sides, salads, and smoothies – check out our Peak Produce Picks for summer. The bottom line, just keep it simple. Summer is a time to relax from the regular routine and enjoy fun places and activities with people we love. Best case scenario, you don’t have to stress because dinner is in the freezer and ready to go.

Recommended Meal Plans:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The post Keep Cool in the Kitchen appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

Thawing Freezer Meals

Once a Month Meals — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:40:46 +0000

How to Thaw Frozen Meals

One of the questions we hear the most is, “How do I actually eat my freezer meals once they are all cooked?”

Well, the simple answer is that it is really up to you! There are some simple tricks and tips for making efficient use of your freezer stash, and making sure your meals are thawed safely and ready to eat at dinner time.

Another comment we hear is, “I just don’t like freezer meals. The texture is always off,” or, “You can’t freeze foods with cheese/milk/potatoes/pasta, etc. That will taste gross when it thaws.”

We’re willing to bet this opinion in many cases is due to food that has been thawed improperly. There is a short list of things that we don’t freeze. And if you have taken a trip down the freezer aisle in the grocery store, you’ll notice the same thing there too.

The key is to follow the directions for thawing or cooking! Each of our meal plans comes with custom labels with detailed thawing instructions, but here are some general tips that you can apply in your kitchen.

How to Thaw Freezer Meals

Once you have your freezer stocked, how do you thaw meals and get them on the table to enjoy? Here are four methods for thawing freezer meals!

Thawing Freezer Meals

Posted by Once A Month Meals on Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Thaw Your Meals Safely

The following methods are safe for thawing freezer meals:

Refrigerator Thaw

The refrigerator is the safest place to thaw food. It will always stay well below the “danger zone” temperature where bacteria can start to grow. This method may take the longest amount of time, but it is the preferred method for thawing freezer meals. It also helps foods to maintain their original texture.

A fully cooked freezer meal (meaning a soup, casserole, or skillet dish that has already been cooked before it has been frozen) will typically take a full 24-48 hours to completely thaw. For meats that have not been cooked prior to your serving day, each pound can take up to 24 hours to completely thaw.

When you thaw in the refrigerator, you may wish to place your freezer meal atop a kitchen towel, into a bowl or baking pan, just in case the bag begins to leak or simply to catch condensation.
Cold Water Thaw

If your meal is sealed in an airtight container (freezer bag, sealed plastic container, or mason jar), you can safely place the food into a sink or bucket full of COLD water to thaw it. Be sure that the food is submerged. You will want to check on the food every 30 minutes or so to make sure that the water is still cold.

If the water becomes warm, then you are in danger of bacteria growing and you will need to drain and add more cold water. This method is a lot faster than the refrigerator. A pound of meat can be thawed in approximately one hour. This works great for main dishes like marinated meat, sauces, and soups.

Which Thawing Methods are not safe?

There are a lot of ways to thaw a meal, but not all of them are safe. The bottom line is this: bacteria do not grow on frozen food, BUT as soon as the temperature reaches 40 degrees, it comes out of hibernation and can start multiplying again. Gross right? This is why we do not usually recommend thawing your freezer meals on the counter or running them under hot water.

If the food item is something that can normally be stored at room temperature, such as baked goods (bread, muffins, pastries, etc.) or produce, then you can safely allow them to rest on the counter until thawed. However, any other foods should be treated the same way you would treat them when you bring them home from the grocery store. Meat, eggs, dairy, and dishes containing these items (even cooked dishes) should not be left out.

Thaw Your Meals Quickly

We’ve all done it. Some days, no matter how hard you try, you still forget to prep and you come home to a brick of frozen food. How do you get freezer meals thawed quickly so that you can still eat without calling for pizza?

Microwave Thaw

*Just a reminder that this will work only for meals stored in plastic or glass. DO NOT place foil baking pans or anything covered in aluminum foil into the microwave!

This handy kitchen appliance is by far the fastest way to thaw food, but you probably also know from experience that it isn’t always the best way. Foods can start to cook around the outside but remain cold or even frozen still in the middle. Things can end up with a weird texture from thawing too quickly or with a funny taste from the plastic container. We like to avoid the microwave, although we do often recommend it for reheating meals that have been cooked and frozen on cooking day. One exception here is if you have a dish that has been portioned out into single servings. These smaller portions can typically be quickly and easily thawed just like your freezer aisle favorites. Since they are smaller, they tend to thaw more evenly. Individual portions of baked goods (i.e. muffins) also thaw quickly in the microwave with little to no effect on the taste. All that said, if you have to get dinner on the table quickly, the microwave is probably the way to go.
Don’t Thaw! Cook From Frozen!

Yes, don’t thaw. It sounds contradictory, but it can work. You won’t want to do this with a meal that requires cooking or preparation on serving day. For example, you can’t put frozen food in the slow cooker as the temperatures are not high enough to keep bacteria from growing. However, some foods such as soups and casseroles can be cooked or reheated from their frozen state.

If you are using this method, you can expect to add about 50% of the indicated cooking time. For example, if your casserole was supposed to bake for 1 hour, it will take about 1.5 hours to cook from a frozen state. Note, that you will want to allow glass containers to sit at room temperature before you place them in the oven as they can shatter when there is a drastic temperature change.

Please Note:

We realize that there are several other ways to thaw meals. We have all experimented in our own kitchens and broken the rules a little bit to get dinner on the table. Of course, you are free to thaw at your own risk in your own kitchen. But these methods are the only ones that are approved as thoroughly safe.

We wanted to give you the best and safest methods available, even if they take a little bit more time and planning beforehand. With that, let’s move into some ways to help you make sure that you can have your meals and your schedule organized so that you have time to thaw safely.

Inventory Your Freezer Meals

The first step in keeping your meals organized and your schedule running smoothly is to keep a freezer inventory. This is especially helpful if you have a large chest freezer in which things can get lost down in the depths. In a packed freezer, it is helpful to keep a piece of paper taped on the lid or door of your freezer and a pen handy so that you can add items to the list right away when you add them to the freezer.

Make several columns so that you can keep track of the food item or meal, the date frozen, the date it should be used by, and a column where you can put a checkmark when you have removed the item from the freezer. You will also want to make sure that each package is labeled with the same name and dates so that you can make sure that you are checking off the right boxes.

One of our members, Cathy, shared with us how she filled a freezer for her daughter to take to college and sent along a similar inventory list with notes about thawing and reheating.

Using Your Thaw Sheet

Another easy way to keep track of OAMM freezer meals is to use our Thaw Sheet as your inventory list!

The Thaw Sheet is one of our meal plan resources that contains a list of all of the meals from your meal plan (even custom meal plans), thaw instructions, cooking time, and cooking type. You can write the date of your cooking day at the top of the page so that you can use up older meals first.

Just remember that each recipe is doubled, so make sure you know what system you will use to indicate that you have eaten one portion and have another portion left.

PRO TIP: Tape this to your fridge or freezer, and track what you have!

I’d recommend writing in 1 and 2 next to each item, and then crossing out the numbers when you pull that portion. You can also just add 2 dashes next to each meal and cross those off as you go. Remember, each of our meal plans also comes with custom labels for your food giving detailed thawing and reheating/cooking instructions and a space for the date.

Plan to Eat Your Meals

Now that you know what is actually in your freezer, you can easily meal plan from your inventory list!

Pull Out Your Calendar

Once you have your list of meals in hand, pull out your calendar. Use paper and pen or a digital calendar – whatever you like best – but make sure you use the calendar that contains all of your other obligations on it. You don’t want to plan a big roast in the slow cooker only to remember last minute that you had made plans with friends or your kids have soccer.

Look at Your Obligations

Take a look at your obligations for the week (or month) and take a look at your Thaw Sheet or inventory. You will probably find that some meals are easier (i.e. slow cooker recipes or recipes that are cooked and ready to go) and others will require some type of cooking (baking, grilling, or stovetop) on the serving day. Go ahead and pick the meal that suits your schedule for that day. For example, you might want to choose a slow cooker recipe on a day when you know you will be gone all day and have little time to prep dinner when you get home, and then save the grilling recipe for a lazy weekend day.

Again, if you know you have a batch of muffins in the freezer, you will want to plan to eat them on a day when you have to be up and out the door early, and maybe you will save your breakfast casserole for your Sunday brunch.

If you use the pen and paper method, don’t forget to write in reminders for pulling food from the freezer. If you are using a digital calendar such as iCalendar or Google Calendar, it is super easy to set a reminder when you schedule the meal.

One of our members, Katharine, suggested this idea, and I think it is brilliant, especially since you can share Google calendars with a spouse or roommate (even older kids!) and everyone gets a reminder of what is on the meal plan and can help with thawing as needed. Remember, you need to pull the meal from the freezer 24-48 hours before you want to serve it, so set your reminders accordingly.

Pull Out Your Freezer Meals for the Week!

Since meals will often take a day or two to thaw, one method I like to use is to plan the meals that I will need in the next 3-5 days and pull them out all at once to slow thaw in the fridge. There are a lot of different ways to make these systems work for your family or you can come up with your own system that works with your schedule. The key is just to take a few minutes at the beginning of the week or month and decide how you will use your freezer meals in your meal plan to make your life simpler.

We hope this post helps you in the next step of your big Once A Month Meals cooking day, enjoying your meals, and your extra time!

The post Thawing Freezer Meals appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

10 Tips for Organizing Your Freezer!

Once a Month Meals — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:59 +0000

Whether you participate in once a month cooking, homemade freezer meals or not, we all need a little freezer organization!

I’m not even sure what is in the back of my freezer right now (or how long it has been there)! Even if you are fortunate enough to have a separate deep freezer for your frozen items, you should still prepare your refrigerator freezer. It can be useful for flash freezing or just keeping a few items at hand while you are cooking!

We ran across the girls at Food Storage Made Easy. We took a look at their site and were in awe (and wished we had more time on our hands) of their great organization tips for the kitchen. I thought they might have something to offer us, since space is an issue for many of us.

Here are some helpful tips from Jodi and Julie:

Top 10 Tips For Organizing Your Freezer (and Clearing It Out!)

1. Take it Out of the Box

Take foods such as corn dogs, Eggo waffles, and chicken nuggets out of their boxes. Typically they have a plastic bag inside the box and you can tuck them into little nooks and crannies a lot easier in a bag than in a box.

2. Move it to the Fridge

Move any items that you think you will use within a week into the refrigerator. This could be your frozen meat, cans of juice, butter, vegetables, etc. If you can use these items on your cooking day, even better! (Bonus: Use Once A Month Meals to create a custom meal plan with these items you already have.)

3. Use Up Close to Empty Items

Look inside containers and packages and use up items that are close to empty. This is especially useful for ice cream and you know your family won’t complain if they have to finish up the last of the ice cream.

4. Plan Meals Around What You Have

Itemize the big items you left and plan some meals this week using them. For example, if you have a package of tater tots or french fries in there you can make a great tater tot casserole.

5. Eat Your Meals!

Spend the next week eating any TV dinners for lunch and dinners. It’s a nice break to just have a frozen TV dinner for each family member instead of preparing a whole dinner. And it uses them up fast! (If you are hoarding freezer meals, eat some of those up too!)

6. Use Your Ice Maker Space

Take out some of the ice from your ice maker and utilize that empty space. Just make sure you fill it up enough to make the little lever go up so it stops making ice.

7. Check Your Open Bags

Locate all the open bags of frozen veggies and plan to use them in meals the next week. You can make great vegetable stews, bean soups, etc. using frozen veggies.

8. Put Similar Items at the Same Level

Rearrange boxes and bagged items to all be at the same level. If you stack things properly you can gain a lot of extra space this way.

9. Maximize Your Door Space

Reexamine your door space and make sure you are fully utilizing it with smaller items.

10. Throw It Out!

Anything you haven’t used in the last few months should be thrown away or donated.

For more great tips and ideas on organizing your kitchen, check out Food Storage Made Easy!

About the Authors: Jodi and Julie are sisters-in-law who blog about food storage over at Food Storage Made Easy. When they stock up on foods they definitely have to shuffle things around in their freezer, refrigerator, and pantry to make room for the items they are storing. Jodi is a stay-at-home mom with two kids and she loves to read, play hockey, and knit. Julie is a stay-at-home mom with one son who loves to play with Photoshop, decorate her house, and play hockey.

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How to Feed Your Kids on Summer Vacation

Tricia — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:35 +0000

Summer vacation can sometimes throw a wrench into the usual meal planning schedule. With the kids home full time (or maybe they never left….thank you, virtual school) and road trips on the calendar (hopefully!), you will need to make a plan to accommodate the changes. When you take away the schedule and structure of either going away to school or virtual learning, the kitchen seems to have a revolving door every 30 minutes. We are all hoping to sneak in a family trip of some sort but even if you’re just staying in town visiting the zoo, the library, and local parks, you will still need snacks to take with you.

The first step is obviously to stock the freezer with some kid-friendly freezer meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and of course snacks – but you will also want some meals for travel days. Or keep your kids busy by inviting them to help you in the kitchen! Here are our best tips and recipes for those long summer days with the kiddos home.

Stock the Freezer with Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals

Summer is a great time to plan simple, family-friendly meals and work on making dinner a special time together. We have several resources for back-to-school (here and here), and some of those recipes can double as summer lunches and breakfasts. Here are our favorite meal ideas for easing into the summer schedule on days when you are all home together. Our Members* can use MenuBuilder to create custom meal plans using these recipes. You can even let your kiddos help you pick the ones they want!

Build meal plans for FREE!

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Breakfast

Lunch

Snacks

Dinner

*Pizza is a kid-friendly favorite! Why not institute a weekly family pizza night where you all stay in and bake your own? There are a few ideas on this list, but you can get creative with your own homemade dough, sauce, and toppings. In the same vein, you could make up a big batch of taco meat and put out the toppings, and have a build your own night.

Prepare Healthy Snacks for the Road

Any time you are making a trip with kids along for the ride, you will need provisions. Packing your own kid-friendly meals and snacks can help you to save money on eating out, but it is also a great way to ensure that you all consume something healthy on your trip (even though you will undoubtedly allow some special treats.) Keeping little tummies full of nourishing food can help make the occasion much more enjoyable by reducing meltdowns and keeping energy levels up. For those dealing with food allergies or sensitivities, packing safe, homemade snacks is a must.

The tendency is to take a break from cooking and eat out on vacation, but this can be difficult with young children in tow, not to mention expensive. You can absolutely prep freezer meals and bring them along in a cooler so that you can still have a break while you are away. Marinades and slow cooker meals are your best friend. Imagine returning from a day at the beach and simply grabbing dinner from the slow cooker? That is what I call a vacation!

Snacks and Lunches on the Go

*Snacks from the list above can work here too!

Easy, Take-along Dinners

*Depending on the length of your drive, your freezer meals should stay frozen packed in a cooler with ice (meals take at least a full 24 hours to thaw in the refrigerator). If you are worried about temperature or melted ice leaking in the car, you can order dry ice to keep your meals cold. Just be sure to handle it properly.

Make Your Own Pizza in a Bag (Make these up ahead of time and take them to your vacation home for an easy dinner on arrival.)
Marinated Mediterranean Chicken
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Balsamic Grilled Pork Loin
Peachy BBQ Chicken
Seasoned Burgers and Oven Potato Wedges
Slow Cooker Carnitas
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Slow Cooker French Dip
Slow Cooker Coconut Tofu Curry
Slow Cooker Summer Veggies

Invite Your Kids to Help in the Kitchen

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The post How to Feed Your Kids on Summer Vacation appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

50 Go-To Cookout Recipes

Once a Month Meals — Mon, 25 May 2026 16:55:16 +0000

Check out our best, go-to grill recipes, and guaranteed crowd-pleasers for your next cookout!

These cookout recipes can all be made ahead of time and stored in your freezer! (You know, just in case you don’t want to do any work this weekend) Kick back, relax with the family, and have the cooking done! Cookout for a crowd and get grilling with these fan favorites!

Make A Cookout Meal Plan With These Recipes!

Build meal plans for FREE!

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.
view nutritional data of each recipe.

For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

LEARN MORE CREATE A CUSTOM PLAN

Extras

Appetizers

Salads

Side Dishes

Main Dishes

Dessert

The post 50 Go-To Cookout Recipes appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

50 Freezer Meals to Prep Before Baby Arrives

Once a Month Meals — Mon, 25 May 2026 15:22:39 +0000

There is so much to do before the baby arrives! Set up furniture, wash cute baby clothes, organize all the socks and shoes for every person in your house….ok maybe that last one isn’t strictly necessary, but it feels like it to a nesting momma! Not to mention you may have big kids to care for, a job, activities – or maybe this is your very first time and you just don’t know what to expect. Wherever you fall, prepping freezer meals before the baby arrives can calm the nerves of any expectant mom.

You may just be thinking, “Great, another thing to do! When am I going to find time for that?” But we promise this is well worth it. Nourishing yourself and taking care of your people are both super important, and pizza or the drive-thru just isn’t going to cut it in the long term. So to make life easy:

We have compiled a list of 50 EASY freezer meals to prep before the baby arrives.

We know you don’t want to be standing for a long time and you don’t have hours to spend in the grocery store. We have you covered!

Here are some of the criteria we used to create this list:

Dump and Go on Freezer Cooking Day

This means you only have to chop, measure, and dump in the bag. No cooking required! You might need to precook some meats, but when you do it in bulk, it isn’t bad. You can just throw them in the slow cooker or Instant Pot for hands-off prep!

Short Ingredient List

The shorter the better! That means less time in the grocery store, less time chopping, and ultimately less time in the kitchen! Win!

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Preferred

Many of these recipes make use of the slow cooker on the day you serve it. But we also tried to pick as many recipes that had Instant Pot versions as well, so if you have one, you can choose that option. Because freezer cooking and the Instant Pot are a match made in heaven!

Simple, Tasty Comfort Foods

These are our family favorites! Delicious, but nothing super duper fancy. However, if your family has more specific dietary needs or you know you will need to avoid certain foods while nursing, you can create your own custom meal plan using the same criteria we used to search for recipes in our MenuBuilder database.

So without further delay….

50 Freezer Meals to Prep Before Baby Arrives

Chicken

Beef

Pork

Vegetarian

Instant Pot

If you want to create a meal plan out of some of these freezer meals before the baby arrives, consider signing up for a free membership.

Create a no-credit-card-needed OAMM membership account to explore and see if OAMM is the right fit for YOU!

You’ll be able to:

search the 13,500+ freezer recipe database with hundreds of filters available.
build and save for later use up to 3 meal plans of 5 recipes each.
favorite recipes you find and want to try later or have cooked and love.
view nutritional data of each recipe.

*For more information on paid vs free membership check this out.

Simply search for the recipes you want to cook by name. Remember, each recipe is doubled, so if you choose 5 recipes, you will end up with 10 meals. For more instructions, read about Creating a Custom Freezer Meal Plan.

The post 50 Freezer Meals to Prep Before Baby Arrives appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

5 Easy Steps to Defrost A Chest Freezer

Tricia — Mon, 25 May 2026 12:00:33 +0000

I think it is safe to say that we all love our freezers around here. We love filling them with convenient freezer meals and all of those great deals we score when we’re shopping. But who among us really gets excited when we notice that thick layer of ice crystals on the freezer wall, and we start to wonder what forgotten foods are lurking down in the very bottom. And then we realize it is time to defrost the chest freezer!

Don’t panic! We will walk you through 5 easy steps to defrost a chest freezer.

But first, let me answer two burning questions that I know you want to ask.

Why do I need to defrost my chest freezer?

Some freezers are designed to defrost automatically, such as the freezer above your refrigerator and many upright models. But almost every chest freezer must be manually defrosted periodically. If not your appliance will not function at maximum efficiency, meaning it takes more energy (and money) to keep your meals frozen. It also means that your meals will lose quality faster, and you may even start to run out of space if the ice gets too thick.

How often do I need to defrost my freezer?

At least once a year or whenever the ice accumulates to 1/4 inch on a large portion of the freezer. (Source)

How long is defrosting going to take?

It depends on the particular model you own (check your owners manual for specifics), but the whole process from start to finish will probably take about a day to complete. Most of this time is just waiting though, so you can do other things.

Step 1: Reduce Your Inventory

Reducing inventory is difficult for the committed freezer cook. I mean, what will you eat for dinner if the freezer is empty? Don’t worry, you won’t have to get rid of everything. But depending on how big your stash is, you will want to start planning your inventory reduction a week or two before you plan the big thaw. Here are some ways to reduce the amount of food you need to store while defrosting.

Plan your thaw for the end of your OAMC cycle.

The easiest way to ensure low inventory is to defrost before you freezer cook instead of after. Plan for a time in the month when you are typically low on freezer meals because cooking day is coming up. You may also find items that you can thaw and incorporate into your next freezer cooking day!

Eat it!

Plan the meals from your stash into your meal plan for the week (you do that anyway, right?) Throw an ice cream party. Make a big batch of veggie soup with all of the random half bags of frozen veggies.

Give meals away.

If you really have more food than you can eat before your big thaw, find someone who needs a meal and gift them a few.

Throw it away.

Any foods that are freezer burned or past their optimal “eat by” date can simply be tossed. We all cringe to throw out food, but sometimes it is necessary. And a clean, organized freezer should help reduce waste in the future. If you are wondering how long food lasts in the freezer, check out this simple guide.

Step 2: Relocate Your Inventory

Make room in your refrigerator freezer.

Follow Step 1 for your refrigerator freezer also. You will have items that you need to store during the thaw, so make sure you have space before you start moving things around.

Store more valuable items safely.

Use your refrigerator freezer or check with a neighbor to see if you can borrow some freezer space for valuable items, for example, your stash of discount chicken breast or the half of a cow you have been storing.

Put any remaining items in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice.

Any other low cost items can be stored temporarily this way. It is unlikely you will lose them, but if you do, no big loss.

Step 3: Defrost

First, check your owners manual!

Each freezer and manufacturer is a little bit different, so take a few minutes to look over the recommendations for your specific model.

Open the doors.

Basically, once the freezer is empty, you need to turn it off and open up the doors until all of the ice is melted. For some models you can use warm or boiling water or fans to help speed up the process. Be sure to make a plan for draining the water. Some have a convenient hose attached while others may need to be moved outside to thaw. Again, check for the best way to remove the melted ice from your particular model.

Clean and dry.

When the freezer is thawed, take some warm, soapy water and wash down the sides and the bottom. You can use dish soap and add a little baking soda if you are dealing with odors. Once you are done, towel dry until all of the moisture is gone so that ice doesn’t form again.Step 4: Chill

Turn the freezer back on and close the lid once it is fully dry. Most freezers recommend you leave them on for 6-8 hours before adding frozen items. Again, check the specs for your model.

Step 5: Organize and Restock!

Return remaining items to your freezer.

As you return your remaining items to the freezer, use this opportunity to get organized. Use our handy Freezer Inventory Worksheet to list these items and mark them with an appropriate “use by” date. You will want to use up these items first since they are the oldest and moving them from freezer to freezer can decrease quality more quickly. As you return the items, make sure that you wipe off any frost or moisture before you place them in the freezer as this will help keep ice from forming again.

Get cooking!

Time to plan another cooking day to fill ‘er back up!

The post 5 Easy Steps to Defrost A Chest Freezer appeared first on Once A Month Meals.

Once A Month Meals

50 Freezable Burger Recipes

Who doesn’t love a good hamburger (or veggie burger)? They’re fantastic year round, but especially hot summer months fresh off the grill.

50 Burger Recipes for the Freezer

Condiments for Burgers

Paleo Burgers

Traditional

Gluten Free Dairy Free Burgers

Vegetarian Burgers

Whole Foods and Real Food Burgers

Kid-Friendly Burgers

Our Spring and Summer Grilling Meal Plans

Build meal plans for FREE!

Get started and Make a Meal Plan!

Our Meal Plans* come with:

Best Backyard BBQ Tips

Backyard BBQ with Mini Meal Plans

Freezer Burgers for the BBQ

Freeze Food on a Stick for the Grill

Tips, Tricks, and Party Ideas

FREE MEMBERSHIP

10 Summer Smoothies to Refresh, Refuel, and Detox

Here are 10 of our favorite summer smoothies to help refresh, refuel, and detox.

Pro Smoothie Tips!

Stock up on smoothies!

Make popsicles

Add greens

Make smoothie bags!

Freeze flat!

Need a new blender?

92 Summer Freezer Recipes

We present you with 92 summer freezer recipes – one for each day of the season!

You can also use this list to create your own custom, seasonal meal plan using your Membership.

Try a Freezer Meal Plan for FREE on us!

Traditional

Paleo

Vegetarian

Gluten Free Dairy Free

Real Food

Diet

16 Sizzle Worthy Freezer Meal Recipes for the Grill

Freezer Meal Recipes for the Grill

Hamburgers & Hotdogs

Chicken

Steak

Other

101 Summer Freezer Meals

Summer has arrived, and it is time to get outside! Give yourself more time to play by stocking the freezer with recipes from this list of 101 Summer Freezer Meals!

You can also use this list to create your own custom, seasonal Meal Plan

Build meal plans for FREE!

101 Summer Freezer Meals

Quick Key to Recipe Types

Dinners

Lunches

Breakfasts

Side Dishes

Snacks/Desserts

Freezer Friendly On-the-Go Kids Snacks!

Save Your Summer with these Freezer Friendly, On-the-Go Kids Snacks!

FREE MEMBERSHIP

ALL these recipes are utensil-free, “eat with your hands” kid snacks!

Savory

Sweet

Kid-Friendly, On-the-Go Packaging and Containers!

Invite Your Kids to Help in the Kitchen

Summer Peak Produce Picks

Make the most of summer peak produce with this list of seasonal, freezable recipes!

Berries – Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries

Green Beans

Tomatoes

Summer Squash and Zucchini

Corn

Bell Peppers

Basil

Odds and Ends (Watermelon, Peaches, Eggplant, Okra)

Keep Cool in the Kitchen

We have some helpful tips so you can keep cool, calm, and carry on.

Learn how to create your own custom meal plan from these recipes and meal plans using our Membership* to keep your kitchen cool.

1. Cook with Small Appliances

2. Cook Outside

***Learn how to create your own custom meal plan from these recipes and meal plans using our Membership* to keep your kitchen cool.***