Aldi Postpartum Freezer Meals
These Aldi Postpartum Freezer Meals will blow you away! They are cheap – Only $60 for all of the ingredients, and will hardly take you any time to put together – Only 60 minutes. You can bless someone with these freezer meals as a baby gift and they’ll mean a lot more than another onesie to a tired new mom. And, if you’re expecting a new baby soon, these meals would be great to put in the freezer now, before baby arrives, so you’re able to enjoy those first weeks with your sweet little one.
Once there’s a new baby in the house, there is no time for cooking dinner. So, while you still have time, make these freezer meals before the baby arrives.
Or maybe you can entice your wonderful family and friends to make you some Postpartum Freezer Meals. Then, they’ll be ready for you to throw into your Instant Pot or Slow Cooker for an easy dinner.
I got to do just that for my daughter.
I have a new grandbaby! He is an adorable squeaky little boy. Having him 1700 miles across the country is a bit hard, so I planned a little trip by myself to go and give my daughter a hand, plus hold that sweet thing.
I made it there and had his snuggly little body in my arms instantly. Of course, I had to give my daughter a squeeze, too. And, make sure I got a good hug from his sisters.
I know that I only get 6 days with them, which just isn’t enough, but some postpartum freezer meals will be just what they need for the long days after I leave.
They live in a log cabin many miles from a grocery store or restaurant, so I planned a trip to the Aldi about 45 minutes away. I decided to buy everything I needed for these make-ahead freezer meals in one trip, just from Aldi.
My final receipt was just under $60, which was amazing! I’ll be making 7 meals for under $60 and most of them will give them plenty of leftovers so they can eat more than once. That works out to about $8.50 per dinner.
There were only a couple of seasoning that she needed to have on hand, Cumin and Italian Seasoning. Everything else was purchased at Aldi.
I was able to make all the freezer meals in under 1 hour, too. When I get back home, I’m definitely going to be making some for myself because they are such a great time saver and they are such easy recipes.
I took all these photos on my phone, so please excuse the poor quality.
Related Reading:
Are These Freezer Meals Only Good for New Moms?
Absolutely not! These are great freezer meals that you can make-ahead for families at any time. I can’t wait to make them for our busy family, especially for the back-to-school season where dinnertime is tricky.
I know that my daughter and her family will thoroughly appreciate having these meals in the freezer. Not only is it a gift of my time, but it will provide them with healthy meals for her healing body. I have another grandbaby due in about a month and I’ll for sure be duplicating this for that daughter’s family as well.
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How to Make Freezer Meals
- Pull Out Your Ingredients and Supplies
- Label your Freezer Bags or Containers, including Name of Recipe, Cooking Time, and any special instructions, like: “Add 1 Qt. Chicken Broth at Cooking Time”
- Chop all your Vegetables at Once
- Open your Bags
- Put Any Wet Ingredients in the bottom
- Add any Seasonings
- Close the Bag and Smoosh the Ingredients Around to Mix them up and distribute the Seasonings
- Add the Meat and Vegetables
- Close the Bag, Massage the Ingredients into the Meat
- Release the Air and Seal Tight
- Either Lay the Bags Flat to Freeze or Place each Bag in a Bowl to Freeze it in a Shape that will Fit in your Instant Pot
Related Reading: 5 Quick Dinners with Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Tips for Instant Pot Freezer Meals
When you are done loading your freezer meals into their bags, set them inside a bowl that is smaller than your Instant Pot insert. Once it is frozen solid, you can remove the bag from the bowl and leave it in your freezer. Freezer meals can then go straight from frozen to the Instant Pot.
To loosen the frozen ingredients from the freezer bag, run it under warm water just long enough to be able to separate it.
The ingredients will begin melting as the pressure cooker is building pressure.
It’s important that you have enough liquid ingredients in your freezer meal to equal ¾ cup in order to allow your Instant Pot to come to pressure.
I have both of these Instant Pots shown below and I love them. I get much more use out of the 6 quart but if you cook extra-large meals or cuts of meat, the 8 quart is the best.
Tips for Freezer Meals from Aldi
Be a little flexible with your recipes.
Aldi has a limited inventory, so if you try to make other freezer meal recipes from the internet, you may find that not all of the ingredients are at Aldi. I had to make minor adjustments to my recipes in order to get everything at Aldi.
When the meals are finished cooking, add salt to taste. You will notice that I did not add salt to any of these recipes. Many of the individual ingredients already include salt, though. It can be tricky to know just how much salt a freezer meal will need until it is finished cooking.
For Grocery Savings Tips Read: 10 Killer Ways to Save Money on Groceries
Do I Have to Shop at Aldi for the Ingredients?
No, you can use products that you pick up at any other grocery store. I have used Aldi for these freezer meals because they are so budget-friendly. You would have even more options if you buy the ingredients in a traditional grocery store.
Feel free to shop wherever you normally shop. We don’t even have an Aldi where I live and could only use Aldi because I was visiting my daughter in Minnesota.
Follow these 4 Simple Steps to Save Money on Groceries every Month when you’re shopping at a standard grocery store. Make sure you’re buying your meats when they’re on sale for the biggest savings.
Get the Printable Freezer Meal Plan with Recipes, Shopping List, and Freezer Meal Tips, at the button below.
7 Freezer Meals to Make Ahead Before Baby Arrives – Under $60 in Under 60 Minutes
Freezer Meal Recipes for New Moms
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 1.5 lb Boneless Chicken Breast
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- Juice from 2 Limes
- 1 Can Black Beans
- 1 Bag Frozen Corn
- ⅓ Bunch Cilantro Chopped
- 1 Cup Salsa
- 2 t. Cumin
Pressure Cooker: 20 Minutes from Frozen
Serve over rice or as burritos. Extra toppings like sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa would be great.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1.5 lb Boneless Chicken Breast
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- Juice from 2 Limes
- 3 Cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
- 1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste
- 1 Pkt. Taco Seasoning
- 1 t. Cumin
- 1 Qt Chicken Broth (save for cooking day)
20 Minutes from Frozen
On cooking day: Add the freezer meal to the instant pot and pour the 1 Qt. Chicken Broth over the top before cooking.
Serve with crushed tortillas, salsa, avocado, lime, sour cream, and hot sauce.
Salsa Chicken
- 1.5 lb Boneless Chicken Breast
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- Juice from 2 Limes
- 2 Cups Salsa
- 1 Taco Packet
20 Minutes from Frozen
Use for tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls.
French Dip Roast
- 1 Chuck Roast (2 – 3 lbs.)
- 1 Onion
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- 1 Can French Onion Condensed Soup
60 Minutes from Frozen
Shred the roast and serve in rolls as a French Dip or serve as a roast with sides like mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
Beef Stew
- 1 lb. beef stew meat
- 4 Carrots, cut in large pieces
- 4 Red Potatoes, cut in large pieces
- 1 Onion
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- 1 Can French Onion Condensed Soup
- 2 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 Hearty Beef Stew Seasoning Packet
- 1 Bag Frozen Peas (save for cooking day)
35 Minutes from Frozen
Serve in a bowl with rolls or bread.
Meatball Stroganoff
- 1 lb. Frozen Original Meatballs
- 1 Onion
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- 1 Can French Onion Condensed Soup
- 1 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 4 oz. Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 Cup Sour Cream (save for cooking day)
10 Minutes from Frozen
After the meal is done cooking, stir in the sour cream and serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
- 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 Onion
- 1 T. Minced Garlic
- 2 T. Italian Seasoning
- 4 oz. Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 lb. Frozen Original Meatballs
10 Minutes from Frozen
Serve over noodles with garlic bread on the side.
Aldi Grocery Shopping List for Healthy Freezer Meals
- Carrots
- Red Potatoes
- White Onions
- White Sliced Mushrooms
- Cilantro
- Limes
- 1 Qt. Chicken Broth
- 3 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 3 Cans French Onion Soup
- 3 Cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
- 1 Can Tomato Paste
- 1 Jar Mushroom Marinara
- 1 Jar Mild Salsa
- 1 Can Black Beans
- 1 8 0z. Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 Jar Minced Garlic
- 2 Taco Seasoning Packets
- 1 Slow Cooker Beef Stew Packet
- 1 Box Spaghetti Noodles
- Sour Cream
- Frozen Cooked Meatballs
- Frozen Sweet Peas
- Frozen Sweet Corn
- 4.5 lbs. Fresh Chicken Breast
- 1 lb. Black Angus Stew Meat
- 1.5 lb. Black Angus Chuck Roast
Supplies for Putting Freezer Meals Together
- Ziploc Bags
- Sharpie
- Bag Stands
- Big Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Large Platter for Chopped Vegetables
Read: 15 Essential Frugal Pantry Staples
Tips for Making Freezer Meals
- Buy meat that doesn’t need to be chopped, trimmed, or cut in any way. This made my prep time quick and a lot less messy.
- Use the bag stands. I didn’t have them with me when I made these and it was kinda tricky keeping all the bags in place.
- Complete meals with similar ingredients first. I did all the chicken meals first so I could divide the chicken breasts and be done with them.
- Have a big garbage bowl nearby or move your trash can close.
- I cooked the Spaghetti Noodles in the Instant Pot, then divided them between 3 bags so they can be served with the Spaghetti and Meatballs, and the Meatball Stroganoff. There will be an extra bag for them to have another meal.
Can I Cook These Freezer Meals in the Slow Cooker?
I’m sure that you can, but I haven’t tried it. Be sure you thaw them in the refrigerator first, then use a meat thermometer to be sure the meat has cooked thoroughly. From the research I’ve done, the freezer meals made with raw meat will need approximately 6-8 hours on low to cook. The meatball recipes should only take 3-4 hours on low.
Freezer Meals are an Investment
Making freezer meals is a really smart investment of time. With just a small amount of preparation, you can save yourself from hours in the kitchen on busy weeknights. Freezer Meals also make great gifts for families who have a new baby or are going through a health crisis or difficult time.
I was able to make all these meals in one hour, yet if I was to make each of the recipes individually it would take 30 minutes to 1 hour each. Do you see how that time can add up? Try these when things are crazy during back-to-school, busy sports seasons, and every other time of the year. The fact that you can cook them in your Instant Pot saves even more time and will keep you from eating out.
Give it a try and you will not regret it.
My Favorite Make-Ahead and Freezer Meal Cookbook
