Meal prepping on a ketogenic diet is a surefire way to stack the deck in your favor. Success finds those who are most prepared and least likely to munch on foods that could derail weight-loss efforts on a low-carb diet.
From lasagna to shepherd's pie, many meals freeze well and taste as delicious when defrosted as they did the day you made them. Besides, including family—especially the kiddos—in the cooking process is a great time to bond and lessen the idle time available, which can result in less-than-ideal outcomes.
Plus, with our new normal, causing us to increase efficiency to accomplish more than ever before significantly, meal prep is a powerful tool to help keep life in general and your wellness goals on track.
Also, getting the kids involved in cooking family meals is fun and helps them acquire a fantastic life skill that will serve them well forever. Who knows, you may be grooming a future master chef and spark their love for preparing food with passion right in your kitchen.
Also, along with the main dishes and accompanying sides, the kids will love making—and eating—yummy keto cookie dough; it's the perfect project to make with the family and a delicious one at that.
Plus, storing cookie dough in the freezer is an easy way always to have some on hand to use when your little troops become restless, and a little treat is needed to settle them down, or at least keep them quiet for five minutes.
Pantry Items to Keep on Hand
Although a ketogenic diet welcomes a large variety of foods to enjoy, you'll notice some everyday items in many meals before long. For instance, shelf-stable heavy cream, bone broth, or canned green beans are a few items to keep in your cupboard to make delicious and freezer-friendly casseroles, soups, or stews at a moment’s notice.
Here are some additional shelf-stable foods to stock up on to add to freezer meals for the ultimate keto meal prep:
- Carb friendly Baking Mix
- Unflavored Egg White Powder
- Asparagus (canned)
- Hearts of Palm (canned)
- Tuna
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Tomatoes (canned)
- Shirataki Noodles
- Bone Broth (shelf-stable)
- Mustard
- Sugar free Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Oysters
- Cheese
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Coconut Butter
- Coconut Milk
- Nut Butters (e.g., peanut, almond etc.)
- Egg Replacement (powdered)
- Sriracha
- Roasted Peppers (canned or jarred)
- Olives
- Pickles
- Sauerkraut
- Corned Beef (canned)
Fresh Low-carb Foods to Stock your Refrigerator
While some foods are perishable, they can last much longer when used in recipes that freeze well. Plus, some common ingredients are present in so many staple keto-friendly freezer meals that it's ideal to buy those items in bulk, meal prep freezer-friendly meals, and ensure that your family's food supply is always fully stocked.
Here are some additional ingredients to stock up on to prepare delicious and nutritious freezer meals that the entire family will enjoy:
- Cream Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Chicken Wings
- BBQ Sauce (sugarfree)
- Pork Rinds
- Parmesan Cheese
- Marinara or Pizza Sauce
- Cheddar Cheese
- Hearts of Palm Pasta (e.g., Natural Heaven)
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Grass-fed Beef
- Frozen Fish
- Chicken (thighs or breasts)
- Low-carb Bread
- Flaxseeds
- Hemp Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- All-purpose Whey Protein (unflavored)
- Powdered Peanut Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Mineral-rich salt (e.g., Himalayan Sea Salt, Kosher Salt, Redmond's Real Salt, etc.)
- Cold Cuts (e.g., nitrate and nitrite-free turkey, ham, salami, etc.)
- Frozen Berries (e.g., blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.)
Having the keto-friendly ingredients mentioned above at home at all times opens up a vast range of freezer-friendly meal options to ensure that you're never at a loss for a keto-friendly meal that's sure to be a mom and kid-approved selection.
Our Favorite Freezer Meals
There are many freezer-friendly meals to make and keep your stock high, so you never have to scramble to put food on the table.
It's hard to narrow down a top list of keto-friendly freezer meals because there are so many meals that fit the bill, but we'll do our best to curate a tasty menu of options to get you started.
Here are some of our favorite freezer meals that will likely satisfy the entire family and extended relatives or friends you may want to make meals for during this unprecedented time in our world:
- Broccoli and Bacon Quiche
- Spinach and Goat Cheese Egg Muffins
- Sausage Cream Cheese Pinwheels
- No-Bake Chocolate "Oat" Bars
- Cheesy Spinach Keto Puffs
- Keto Pumpkin Walnut Bread
- Crunchtastic Keto Granola
- Konscious Keto Strawberry Green Goddess Smoothie
- Too Good to Be True Keto Bagels
- Quick N' Easy Breakfast Sausage Quiche
- Ham & Gruyere Keto Casserole
Lunch:
- Keto Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Ultimate Strawberry Cheesecake Keto Shake
- Keto Savory Pie with Zucchini
- Creamy Keto Pumpkin Soup
- Can't Believe It's Keto Bread Recipe
- Creamy & Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Konscious Keto Strawberry Chia Smoothie
- Triple Berries Cream Keto Smoothie
Dinner:
- Keto BBQ Chicken
- King Keto Taco Casserole
- Warm Me Up Slow Cooker Keto Chilli
- Impossibly Keto Barbeque Chicken
- Golden Keto Cauliflower Bake
Dessert:
Freezer Meals the Kids Will Love
The kids will love virtually all the recipes noted above, but some keto foods like low-carb pizza or hot pockets just scream kid-friendly.
Here are a few of our top keto freezer meals to keep the kids happy and yourself sane while we hunker down together at home:
Breakfast:
- Keto Waffles (Chaffles) with Grass-fed Butter and Sugarfree Syrup
- Low-carb Breakfast Keto Burritos
- Keto Bacon Mini Frittatas
- Ham & Cheese Frittata Muffins
- Creamy Spinach and Bacon Keto Quiche
Lunch:
- Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
- Green Bean Casserole
- Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-fry
- Keto Meatloaf Minis
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry
- Crispy Chicken Thighs and Creamed Spinach
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Ham & Cheese Keto Calzones
- Cheesy Cauliflower Rice with Broccoli and Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Keto Tuna Patties (Fish Cakes)
- Pan-fried Chicken Breasts and Broccoli with Grass-fed Butter
- Chilli Dog Casserole
Dinner:
- Fathead Pizza
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Shepherd's Pie
- Chicken Alfredo Casserole
- Keto Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Lemon Chicken and Creamy Cauliflower Mash
- Lemon Baked Cod with Parmesan Cheese
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Keto-friendly Lasagna
- Mexican Shredded Beef and Cauliflower Rice Skillet
- Roast Pork and Green beans
- Cheesy and Creamy Low-carb Cordon Bleu Bake
- Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Low-carb Ground Beef Stroganoff Casserole with Cauliflower Rice
- Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole
- Chicken Stir-fry Sheet Pan Meal
- Keto Big Mac Casserole
- Low-carb Sausage and Cauliflower Casserole
Snacks:
- Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloins
- Crock-Pot Taco Soup
- Easy Baked Pesto Chicken
- Low-carb Chicken Nuggets
- Fathead Pigs in a Blanket
- Broiled Zucchini Bites with Pepperoni and Mozzarella
Desserts:
- Low-carb Keto Cream Cheese Cookies
- Keto Ice Cream
- Homemade Low-glycemic Fruit Popsicles
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Keto Dairy-free Shamrock Shake
- Keto Neopolitan Ice Cream Cake
- Keto Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Homemade Ice Cream Bars
The Power of a Customized Keto Meal Plan
The options of keto-friendly freezer keto meals are quite vast, and preparing them ahead of mealtime is a great way to maximize your time and efforts toward enhanced efficiency.
Couple freezer meal prep with a customized meal plan, and you're less likely to veer off track during these unprecedentedly stressful and demanding times.
We know how useful a customized meal plan can be during our 'old normal,' never mind our constantly shifting 'new normal.' Trust us; we want nothing more than to see members within our Konscious Keto community succeed.
To aid in the process, we've created a brief 30-second quiz to provide you with a personalized meal plan that's perfect for you and your needs. Click here to take our short questionnaire and gain instant access to your tailored keto meal plan today.
Best Ways to Store Freezer Meals
Preparing freezer-friendly meals is a fantastic way to get ahead of the curve in life and keep things sane at home, but it's no use if you store the food improperly and end up with tons of once delicious meals that have since suffered freezer burn.
Using a food vacuum sealer, a BPA-free plastic container or aluminum containers with lids are likely our best option to preserve the freezer meals that you used the well-spent time to make for your family.
Along with using your pantry items to the best of your ability, make sure to seal and store freezer foods well so that they last as long as possible and are still perfectly prepped when needed.
How Long Do Freezer Meals Last
Most freezer meals will remain fresh and perfectly preserved for months if properly sealed and stored. Plus, using a vacuum sealer increases food preservation exponentially—which is ideal for extending the life of food stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
Plus, utilizing the options of pickling or canning foods that have an extended shelf life is ideal to ensure an ample food supply throughout the year.
Summary
We are experiencing an unprecedented time and anything we can use to make things a bit easier and less stressful is more than worth the extra effort.
You and your family will find that many of the freezer meal options mentioned above will become instant favorites and dishes you keep in heavy rotation. Enjoy the additional time home with loved ones, and maybe take a much-needed break from 24-7 news updates that can become emotionally draining to enjoy the decadent and comforting keto meals at your disposal.
Although there is much uncertainty in our world right now, at least you can control your family's nutrition. Plus, making many tasty low-carb meals so efficiently may further amaze your loved ones with your ability to show up as a real-life superhero each day.
Stock your home with the staple ingredients mentioned above, and you'll be ready to make any of the tasty freezer meals we've shared above whenever needed; enjoy and be well!
Sources
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- Rock, C. L., Flatt, S. W., Sherwood, N. E., Karanja, N., Pakiz, B., & Thomson, C. A. (2010). Effect of a Free Prepared Meal and Incentivized Weight Loss Program on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance in Obese and Overweight Women. Jama, 304(16), 1803. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1503
- Bharucha, B. (2019). Keto is the Hottest Weight Loss Trend this Year! Acta Scientific Nutritional Health, 3(8), 29–30. doi: 10.31080/asnh.2019.03.0362
- Low-Carb Diet Beats Low-Fat for HDL-Cholesterol Levels. (2010). SciVee. doi: 10.4016/20185.01
- Slomski, A. (2019). Low-Carb Diets Help Maintain Weight Loss. Jama, 321(4), 335. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.22031
- Pearson, H. (2004). Low-carb diets get thermodynamic defense. Nature. doi: 10.1038/news040816-2
- Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Therapies. (2016). Oxford Medicine Online. doi: 10.1093/med/9780190497996.001.0001