I always really WANT to be prepared for dinner and I’ve always WANTED to spend a day preparing freezer meals to make those crazy nights just a little less crazy, but let’s be honest – it’s a ton of work and I always end up putting it off and it never gets done. We’ve got some GREAT news though… we’ve turned the dreaded task of meal prep into an outstandingly fun date night that you’re going to be excited to try!
For this super practical date night, we’ve included all the printables you’ll need with the help of Crystal Nale from A Well-Feathered Nest. This girl is seriously amazing – I mean she helped us create an adorable and fun date night out of making meals for your freezer! Who knew?! The hardest part of this date is choosing your favorite recipes to turn into freezer meals. There are TONS of amazing websites dedicated to helping you choose the best ideas for your family. Check out these resources for ideas: The Dating Divas’ Freezer Meals Pinterest Board Freezer Meals with The Pioneer Woman Make Your Favorite Meals Freezer Ready with Skinnytaste I’m not great at finding meals that have overlapping ingredients (which I hear is KEY to simple meal prep) but in case you’re interested, I can totally vouch for the deliciousness of these recipes even after they’ve spent a few months in the freezer: Creamy Ranch Chicken Barbacoa Beef Shepherd’s Pie White Turkey Chili Chicken Tikka Masala Turkey Burgers Use this adorable Master Shopping List to keep track of all the meals you plan on making and all the ingredients you’ll need to buy.
Alright, now that you’ve picked your meals, it’s time to start date night! You’ll want to print out TWO of the Shopping Lists – one for each of you! To get ready for your grocery store challenge, have an ingredient draft! Grab your Master List and then take turns choosing which items you’ll grab at the store. Here’s a fun hint for you: Check out the challenges at the bottom of your list – that’s what you’re competing for at the store – keep those challenges in mind when you’re choosing ingredients!
After all the ingredients have been drafted, check out your own list and make a price guess – write your estimate at the bottom of your list. Now, you’re ready to SHOP! Once you’re at the store, start crossing items off your list as quickly as you can. Remember to look for bargains! When the shopping is complete, determine who won each of the Shopping Challenges and then head home to start prepping!!
To make meal prep more fun, we’ve come up with some challenges! Have your challenge cards ready and once you start cooking, start your challenges! Take turns picking up a card and attempting to continue freezer meal prep with the added challenge for five minutes!
If you are able to follow the card’s instructions for the full five minutes – you get to choose a reward card! If you complete all the challenges before you’re finished getting meals ready, you can shuffle them up and start over! Once your meals are ready, use our matching tags to label each meal. {My favorite container for meals is disposable pie tins placed inside a ziploc freezer bag! They stack beautifully in the freezer, are easy to reheat and require NO clean up afterwards! Win-Win-WIN!!}
Ready to start prepping with a FUN added challenge?
