We all have those days. You know the ones: When it’s a race from start to finish, carting the kids to and from school and practice with millions of errands in between. For those days when you can’t even fathom cooking dinner, wouldn’t it be nice to have a stockpile of healthy, homemade frozen food to choose from? Dinner could be heated in up in the amount of time it takes to daydream about napping! Check out these 23 quick family- and freezer-friendly recipes that will save your butt sometime in the near future.
1. Gluten-Free Kale and Chicken Sausage Pasta: Van’s gluten-free pasta is the perfect kid-friendly, mom-approved food to whip together into an amazing chicken sausage dinner. When your family asks for seconds, you will feel confident knowing that you’re feeding them good, wholesome ingredients. The combination of lean chicken sausage, creamy pasta and kale, a vitamin-packed superfood, will allow your kids to enjoy their food while still getting tons of nutritious value out of it. Click here to see the recipe!
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2. Stuffed Pepper Casserole: Our Skinny Stuffed Pepper Casserole does away with all of the fatty ingredients and leaves you with a recipe that stuffs you full of nutrients and mouth-watering flavors. We use lean ground beef in order to cut back on the fat and brown rice for a healthy source of carbs and fiber that will fill you right up. Click here for the recipe!
3. Skinny Mediterranean Pasta: Tour the Greek Isles without ever leaving your kitchen! This pasta dish is covered in Feta, olives, spinach and the best oils for a perfect representation of the Mediterranean classics. Serve this as a side or as the main course, and feel free to add some extra protein with grilled chicken or shrimp. Click here for the recipe.
4. Cheesy Twice Baked Potato & Broccoli Casserole: This family favorite casserole avoids the usual fats and carbs of a potato casserole and adds some vitamins and nutrients via the broccoli. To check out the delicious recipe, click here.
5. World’s Best Skinny Lasagna: Lean ground sirloin, turkey sausage, and cheeses made with part skim milk are easy skinny swaps for lasagna that make a big difference when it comes to calories and fat! It freezes perfectly for make-ahead cooking. Then just heat it up on a busy weeknight for a dinner that tastes like you were in the kitchen all day! Click here to see the recipe.
6. Quick Tomato Bisque: This tomato bisque is easy, quick, skinny and perfect for tossing leftovers in the freezer for a later date. Check it out here.
7. Skinny Italian Beef & Peppers: Peppers, onions, celery, and a little surprise (garbanzo beans!) balance out the hearty ground beef in this perfect weeknight meal. This dish keeps well in the freezer, making it a great make-ahead meal, and the leftovers are easy to reheat and still taste fantastic for a small lunch! Check it out here.
8. Skinny Chicken Enchilada Casserole: Chicken, corn, beans and onions all mixed up with enchilada sauce makes a super yummy meal! This casserole tastes like an enchilada, just without the tortillas (which means less carbs and calories). Click here to see the recipe.
9. Italian Pasta Soup: Craving Italian flavor, but don’t want to commit to a full pasta dish? Then you have to try this dish. Two different kinds of beans and three varieties of diced veggies make this a colorful and nutrient-dense soup. The ditalini noodles are the perfect size and shape to compliment this chunky soup. Click here for our recipe!
10. Skinny Hawaiian Pizza Pasta: Sweet and salty team up like only they know how in our Skinny Hawaiian Pizza Pasta. This one is just too fun to pass up! Sweet little mouth-watering pineapple chunks are perfect with smokey, savory cuts of ham. Mix the two with a little tomato sauce and whole wheat pasta, and it seriously tastes just like a Hawaiian pizza! Reheat this recipe for smiles all around. Click here to check it out.
11. Skinny Mexican Chicken Bake: Everything about this Skinny Chicken Tortilla Casserole screams comfort food. At under 300 calories per serving, you’re going to feel very comfortable serving this to your family. Two kinds of cheese, chicken, and cream cheese blend into creamy, melty, yummy goodness, while green chilis, enchilada sauce and layered tortillas add just the right Mexican kick! Here’s the recipe; don’t forget to make extras for the freezer!
12. Lean Turkey and Spinach Lasagna: Turkey and spinach come together to make a killer lasagna recipe that contains less than 350 calories per heaping serving. Freeze your leftovers and you’ve got yourself two days’ worth of dinner! Click here to check it out.
13. Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole: This dish is a Skinny Mom fan favorite. At less than 300 calories per serving, you’ll feel great serving this cheesy, protein-filled goodness to your family. Click here to see the recipe and nutrition.
14. Skinny Minestrone Soup: This is a warm, filling vegetarian dinner that packs in 16 grams of protein per serving thanks to white beans and kidney beans! There are so many things to love about this dish: how beautiful it looks, how many good nutrients are mixed in, and our favorite, how easy it is to freeze! This soup is so easy to reheat for a lunch at work or home! Click here for nutrition info.
15. Slow Cooker Chicken Provencal: This dinner only takes 10 minutes of prep time, and after seven hours in the slow cooker, it comes out looking (and tasting) like a dish you took a lot of time with! We love this dinner just in a bowl on its own, but it’s also amazing when put into our Skinny Chicken Tostadas! If you have leftovers, we seriously recommend trying it both ways! Here’s how to make it.
16. Skinny Tex-Mex Casserole: We came up with this quick and delish recipe when the only main ingredient that we had on hand was lean ground beef. After throwing in other ingredients we had in the kitchen – green peppers, onion, and a box of whole wheat pasta – we came up with this delicious Skinny Tex-Mex Casserole. The spicy flavors of the cumin and chili powder pair perfectly with the sweet corn. Here’s the recipe and instructions!
17. Skinny Chicken Noodle Soup: You can’t go wrong with the classic chicken noodle soup! Whether your little one is feeling under the weather or you just need a little comfort food in your life, this skinny version is sure to do the trick. Click here for more info.
18. Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff: This one will warm you up and fill your kitchen with the most mouth-watering scents of beef and mushrooms stewing in your slow cooker! It’s as simple as throwing all the ingredients in, turning on the slow cooker, and letting that bad boy work its magic! No worries about having extras… the leftovers are just as scrumptious! Interested? Click here.
19. Creamy Mac Alfredo: This recipe calls for whole grain penne, light Alfredo sauce and low-fat mozzarella cheese for a creamy, yummy pasta dish your kids will ask for again and again. Click here for the recipe!
20. Skinny Three-Cheese Penne: This recipe will exceed your expectations! Adding cheese to any dinner is great, but adding three cheeses is amazing! It’s a really simple recipe, but the flavor is so good. Click here to learn more.
21. Skinny Baked Mac and Cheese with Broccoli: This is a great recipe for when you’re trying to get the kids to eat their veggies. Even without a lean protein, this dish is totally filling and perfect for one of those nights when you just need a cheesy, warm meal! Here’s the recipe.
22. Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie: Let us preface this by saying this is not your grandma’s chicken pot pie… It actually looks nothing like a pie! But, it is way easier and healthier, with the same great taste, so trust us on this one. Your family may be confused when you tell them it’s “pie,” but it’s a great substitute, and they’ll fall in love with this new kind of pie after one bite! If you’re watching your carb intake or calories, ditch the biscuit! Click here for the recipe.
23. Skinny Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken: The gooey, creamy, cheesy, chicken-y flavor in this dish to die for! The broccoli in this dish is perfect, but you don’t have to stop there! This is a great place for hiding veggies from your pickiest eaters! Click here for more info.
