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Cooking With Kids: Easy Freezer Meals

My kids help a lot in the kitchen.

I like to consider it part of our "life skills" curriculum. 

Cooking with kids is such a perfect way to have my children learn alongside me.

Cooking with kids gives me the opportunity to teach them a variety of skills that go well beyond the task of cooking such as planning, mathematics, and it also develops healthy eating habits.

Take cooking with kids to the next level by teaching them how to prepare easy freezer meals! We often are making meals for people in need, and I quickly discovered it was easiest to find a great freezer recipe and cook for two families - that way my load was lightened, too!

 By throwing in easy freezer meals, we can plan and prepare some delicious meals for friends, for our busy week, or even the entire month!

Cooking with Kids: Easy Freezer Meals

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

Shopping For Easy Freezer Meals

I like to stay organized by using Plan to Eat - we've been using this tool for five years now.

Plan to Eat allows me to save and store my favorite recipes online, share recipes with friends, and it also allows me to create shopping lists based on my menus. 

Honestly, Plan to Eat has been the best $5 I spend each month! 

Easy Freezer Meals

  • Ravioli Casserole: I don't think meal prep could get much easier than this recipe. A real crowd pleaser with a few simple ingredients. (try this one with beef or cheese ravioli - they are both good!)
  • Italian Chicken Roll-Ups: This is a great recipe to use for introducing kids on how to cook with raw meat. Not only is it an easy recipe to follow, it calls for thin chicken, which means kids will be able to flatten the chicken. Something that has always been a blast for kiddos. 
  • Black Bean Taco Soup: Give Taco Tuesday a new spin with this hearty soup recipe. Make a little extra for a few easy lunch meals throughout the week!
  • The Easiest Baked Mac & Cheese: You can't go wrong with kids and mac and cheese! I like this recipe because there are a few surprising ingredients that will allow you to add a little more nutritional value to the meal. This is also a great habit to pass down to your kids. 
  • Orange Glazed Pork Chops: No more over cooked pork chops! This recipe shares a fool proof way to get moist chops every time. 
  • Sausage-Egg Rollups: These guys will come in handy on those busy mornings. Not only are they quick and easy to grab and go, they are also a great alternative to sugary cereals first thing in the morning. 
  • Simple Meat Loaf Recipe: (My kids' FAVORITE meal!) With just a few ingredients, you can have a wholesome and warm meal. Double, or even triple, the recipe to really stock up your freezer. 
  • Slow Cooker French Dip: French Dip sandwiches are a favorite go to meal in my home. Warm, simple, and delicious. Thanks to this recipe, you can now freeze it for later! 
  • Orange Apricot Slow Cooker Pork Chops: Using a slow cooker is a great skill to teach kids. I especially like it because it takes the danger out of using an oven and the stovetop. It also gives kids the ability to prepare a meal without any help from their parents. This recipe is great because the end result is beyond delicious. It is also gluten and dairy free. 
  • Buttered Maple French Toast Casserole: Another family favorite! French toast is a great way to feed several people without the hassle. Add a fresh fruit salad (you can freeze those too) for a well balanced meal. 
Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

Cooking with kids by introducing them to freezer meals is an idea that will help you manage your meal planning and prep time.

When you teach your kids to prepare these recipes, double them, and freeze the extra servings for an easy to make meal. You have the convenience of an easy and nutritious meal all while teaching your kids the valuable skills of cooking. 

Do you have any freezer recipes you'd like to share?  Let me know if the comments below?

Cooking With Kids: Easy Freezer Meals

Harry Potter Activities (Notebooking Download & More)

I have JK Rowling to thank for my daughter's love of reading.  No matter your thoughts about the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling has inspired a GENERATION of children to read.  

When we made the decision to ditch the ideal of public school, the very first thing my then 8 year daughter did was READ. She read the entire Harry Potter series within the first two weeks of homeschool. It was a glorious time of deschooling and wonder in our home.  

I decided to take her love of Harry Potter and turn it into a little more... read on to see what we did and to download free notebooking pages at the end of the post.

Notebooking and Harry Potter - a free download

Expanding on Harry Potter

As she read the books, we also listened to the soundtrack (It's one of my favorites). 

The next thing she wanted to do was learn how play some Harry Potter music on the piano. I found an Easy Piano Harry Potter book and ordered it for her. 

She learned it within a few days. 

JK Rowling Biographies

We decided to learn a little more about the author:

Vocabulary Building

We also found a wonderful Harry Potter vocabulary book!  You can learn over 3,000 words from all seven of the Harry Potter books.


For more ideas and information about JK Rowling and teaching with Harry Potter you can visit my Harry Potter Activities Pinterest board.  


Harry and Friends Notebooking Pages

Whenever we approach a new study in our homeschool, I like to see if there are notebooking pages available.   I had a hard time finding specific Harry Potter pages that fit our needs, so we created our own.

Harry & Friends Notebooking Pages were created specifically for my children.  I never wanted to immerse myself in the world of Harry Potter.   I had tried to read the first book when it first came out, and I have to admit I DID NOT LIKE IT.  

I am so very glad, however, that my daughter picked them up. The sense of imagination, suspense, drama, and overall fantasy captivated me as I saw them through her eyes.  I'm so happy to share in this world with my children now.

Please enjoy these in your homeschool.  They include copywork, alphabetizing, grammar exercises, drawing, and more.  

 

Download Harry & Friends Notebooking

Do you have Harry Potter fans in your house?

You might also like:

Immersing Ourselves in the Chronicles of Narnia

The Hobbit: A Unit Study


Harry Potter Books & Resources

Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2, Special Rehearsal Edition ScriptHarry Potter: Collectible Quidditch SetThe Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards (Unofficial Cookbook)Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original ScreenplayHarry Potter Coloring BookHarry Potter Playing CardsThe Unofficial Harry Potter Insults Handbook: 101 Comebacks For The Slytherin In Your LifeHarry Potter Time Turner Metal Fashion NecklaceThe Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition (Harry Potter)Harry Potter Gryffindor Hardcover Ruled Journal (Insights Journals)Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film CollectionThe Unofficial Harry Potter Vocabulary Builder: Learn the 3,000 Hardest Words from All Seven Books and Enjoy the Series MoreThe Complete Harry Potter Film Music CollectionWho is J.K. Rowling?Conversations with J. K. RowlingHarry Potter -- Sheet Music from the Complete Film Series: Easy Piano