There are many reasons to freezer cook. Whether for a newborn, for a friend in need, or for those busy nights, you will be glad you have a full freezer.

Before I taught myself how to actually cook, there were usually only two things in my freezer: alcohol and ice cream.

In fact, when I was in college, I had my parents on Skype (this is before FaceTime was a thing) and was giving them a tour of my little shared apartment on campus. They asked to see what was in the freezer and when I opened it there was a very large bottle of alcohol sitting there.

Let me rephrase: There was ONLY a very large bottle of alcohol sitting there.

Bacardi Razz to be exact.

I thought I was cool.

I still get teased about my almost empty freezer to this day.

My mom has always been a huge fan of freezer cooking and anytime she makes Church Chicken, lasagna, minestrone soup, or oatmeal cookies, she doubles the batch and sticks one in the freezer. She was the original advocate of cook once, eat twice.

When I was pregnant with Zoey, I was researching how to prepare for a newborn and found many suggestions to stock your freezer before baby arrives. Having just barely learned to cook more than spaghetti, I took this advice and ran with it.

I spent hours researching freezer friendly meals for those postpartum days. I made lists that I crossed referenced with multiple freezer meal idea websites. I categorized the dishes I wanted to make by proteins, casseroles, and pastas. I dove deep into finding a mix of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that I could have on hand.

The result was 15 different dishes piled in the freezer. (Thank goodness I did all the cooking at about 35 weeks pregnant because Zoey arrived early at almost 37 weeks.)

As we ate through everything in those first months after Zoey was born, I had a better idea of what worked as a freezer meal and what just fell short. (For instance, anything called Cordon Blue Casserole does not work to be frozen and reheated. We threw it out after two bites – and I loathe wasting food – and had chips and salsa instead.)

Before William was born, I went down the Pinterest rabbit hole again and searched for even more freezer recipes we would enjoy. This time I threw in some snacks as well.

Seriously, searching food on Pinterest is probably one of the best activities you can do when you are pregnant because literally everything looks delicious.

While pregnant with Hazel, I went completely overboard and made 22 recipes spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. Clearly I was freaking out about how busy our lives were about to be with three kids under the age of three. Plus, I was living for the future since I cold not eat much with gestational diabetes and was craving more hearty and complex carb-heavy foods.

It took a few weeks to get those 22 recipes made as I was only able to put together 2-3 meals at a time, but five months later and we have eaten every single dish I prepped. It was incredibly convenient for those very tired first months.

While you may already know the benefits of having a full freezer before a new baby joins the family, there are plenty of other reasons why having a cache of freezer meals on hand is helpful.

Postpartum days

Whether you are filling your own freezer before baby arrives (because you are freaking out like I did), or you want to fill a friend’s freezer, you should. Having those meals done and ready to eat will come in handy more than you may realize.

After all, who wants to stop snuggling a newborn and put their top back on to cook?

Busy nights

You know those nights when you start dinner late because you are busy playing, or you have a late meeting, or the kids’ activities go until later than usual. Having a meal ready to go in the freezer will make sure everyone gets fed.

Sure, you can start up the Instant Pot or have something ready to go in the crockpot, but if you forgot to do it ahead of time, you can still get some food on the table.

When you do not want to cook but still want to eat at home

We cook our own meals 99.9% of the time. That being said, there are still nights when we do not feel like cooking. Instead of going out or ordering a meal, it is freezer meals to the rescue! Dinner is already done, clean up is easy, and we get to eat what we already have.

To give to a friend in need

Food always feels a little bit like love. It is an easy item to gift to someone going through a tough time. Making the meal you gift one that is freezer friendly means you do not have to bombard them with something they have to eat right now. Just make sure you put the reheating directions directly on the dish.

Know what is in your food

Admittedly, we do not eat out very often. For one, we cannot justify the price tag that comes with most meals out. Two, we tend to enjoy the food we cook at home better. Three, we truly enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes.

Okay, I enjoy experimenting with new recipes. Rob would be happy to eat the same tried and true meals on repeat. I have got to love that man for putting up with my version of quinoa taco meat and potato dipping sauces.

I do understand the draw of eating out to save on the time and effort it takes to cook, but one of the drawbacks of a restaurant meal is not knowing exactly what is in your food. If you are trying to be more health conscious, you have much more control over the ingredients in your own kitchen.

Having a full freezer gives you that done-for-you feel with very little cleanup without breaking the food budget or having questionable ingredients in your meals.

You can get 40 freezer meal ideas here. These meals are organized into 10 sets including a shopping list for each set. All you have to do is take your list to the store, then follow the plan of attack and you will have a range of foods at the ready.

Meal exchanges

I have been part of a few meal exchanges over the years and find them so much fun! I just love trying new recipes from others and enjoy the camaraderie of getting together to talk about our dishes.

One of the requests for a meal exchange is that the meals be freezable. This is the perfect time to bust out some freezer-friendly recipes and maybe even surprise everyone with something really unique.

Easy work lunches

When I used to pack my lunch for work, I was always a bit uninspired. Having an average of 15 minutes to eat on a teaching schedule meant I needed foods that were super convenient and quick. Instead of buying some pre-made frozen meals, I could just make my own ahead of time and bring them to work with me.

Not only did this make the work week easier because there was less to prep for, but it made eating lunch way more exciting as I had a variety of meals ready to reheat.

Homemade snacks

I am huge fan of having easy and convenient snacks on hand that require little to no prep work. This holds true for snacks for both myself and the kids. I am talking like if it takes longer to make than it does to peel a clementine, it is off the snack time table options.

Making a few homemade snacks ahead of time and stashing them in the freezer means I can reach for healthier items instead of the junkier foods.

On the go breakfasts

Whether I had to be out the door by 6:30am to get through my commute to school, or I am running around with the kids in the morning getting them food, dressed, and out the door, breakfast is always on the go around here. It seriously has not changed from working full time to being a work from home mom.

With those busy mornings, it is so nice to know that my meal is already taken care of in the freezer and will take about two minutes to microwave or approximately 40 seconds to blend.

To feed a crowd

One hospitality prep tactic that I learned from my mom when feeding a crowd is do a bunch of prep work in the days before everyone arrives and put it in the freezer.

Another hospitality prep tactic I learned from my mom was to provide itineraries on everyone’s beds for the week of scheduled activities. I have not had to utilize this one yet, but you have got to give her credit for regularly hosting eight adults and eight children in her home for a week at a time when we all gather together for holidays and summer visits.

Cooking ahead of time and freezing it in preparation for a crowd takes some of the stress off of the actual event and you can enlist anyone to throw something in the oven from the freezer so you can get back to hosting. Or, in our family’s case, enjoying all the baby cuddles.

When you have not been to the grocery store

I am really good about making a meal plan each week and hitting the grocery store, but there are some weeks when we go to the store a few days “late” and are running low on foods that would make a cohesive meal without having to get creative.

Knowing that we have some pre-made meals in the freezer makes those nights of trying to find something to eat so much easier. Instead of spending money on takeout, we can just throw one of our already done meals in the oven and everyone gets fed.

Whatever reason you have for diving into the world of freezer meals, know that there are way more options to stock your freezer with besides pastas, soups, and casseroles. You can have some well-rounded freezer meals on hand that do not ruin your diet.

Freezer Feasts gives you over 40 freezer-friendly recipe ideas that are organized into 10 different sets. Each set contains a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack.

All you have to do is buy the items on the done for you grocery list and you can easily make all four dishes in the set to store in your freezer.

Get your Freezer Feasts guide here.