I know that’s a lot of numbers in the title, but what do you expect from a finance & food blog? 😉 There are many ways to save money on one of most people’s biggest budget categories (after housing): food.

1. Eat at your parents house
2. Eat only Ramen noodles
3. One meal per day
4. Intermittent fasting
5. Freeganism
6. Vegetable garden/farming
7. Bulk buying
8. Couponing
9. Meal planning
10. Freezer meals

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

But every tip will not work for every person and every situation.

If you are in a dorm with just a small refrigerator and 6 months until you move again, your life is drastically different from a family with four children in the suburbs with two chest freezers.

I’ve designed meal plans for the Dollar Tree, one week of dinners from one pork roast, and 10 freezer meals in one hour.

The Freezer Meals For 2 Plan

This plan is designed for smaller households, who have a freezer.

One or two people.

I made all of these meals for a friend who was about to have a baby. Having freezer meals on hand makes feeding yourself when sleep deprived and stressed so much easier! But these meals are also great for single people or couples who don’t like to cook, as they are super easy and stress free.

So if you have a big family or a big appetite, these recipes might not be for you. However they are very easy to scale up, simply double or triple the ingredients, and use larger freezer bags.

This is also designed to go straight from ingredients –> bag –> freezer –> thaw in refrigerator –> oven or crock pot.

To complete these 5 freezer meals, in addition to the food ingredients you will need:

• 5 quart sized freezer bags
• Sharpie or other permanent marker
• Container in which to thaw the bags in the refrigerator (otherwise they will leak condensation all over)

The ingredients are pantry staples (at least in my house!) and items you can easily find at most any grocery store. You can of course step up your game slightly and use dried beans you cook yourself, or produce straight from your garden. These tricks will lower the total cost even further.

But the total for this should be less than $30, for 5 nights of meals for 2 servings each, possibly with leftovers. I will also include some tips at the end on how you can jazz up each one to make it your own.

Per serving total = $3 or less

Recipes included:

• Chicken & Rice Casserole
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili
• White Bean & Barley Soup
• Corn & Potato Chowder

Entire Ingredients List:

• 2 cans pinto beans
• 1 can white beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can corn (can use frozen)
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 large chicken breast, cut in half, or 2 total
• 1 cup barley
• 3 large carrots
• 1-2 large baking potato
• 1 onion, diced, or dried onion
• Garlic powder or fresh garlic
• Italian seasonings
• Chili powder
• Bouillon
•  1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup rice

You will be using half or a third of some of these cans, I did not measure it out, I just eyeballed it. If you feel more comfortable with exact numbers, go ahead and get out a measuring cup.

Step 1: Cut up your carrots and potato and onion into a small dice. I did not peel either the potatoes or carrot, but you can if you want. You can also use canned potatoes, though the end product will be soggier. You can also use dried onion, like I did.

Step 2: Label your bags and write the instructions out. Trust me, you want to do this part before the bag is full and possibly wet outside.

Step 3: Open and drain all your cans.

Step 4: Cut a large boneless skinless chicken breast in half, or use two smaller cuts. You can leave the breast whole, or dice it up, either way works. You could also use canned chicken, 1 per recipe.

Once you have your labeled bags ready, just dump the ingredients into them, in the order listed. You want to put the meat in last, so it is the first thing to come out when you cook it. Then push out any air in the bag, and seal. Freeze laying flat if possible, as they are then easier to stack and take up less freezer space.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

• 1/2 can corn
• 1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 cup of water
• 1 bouillon cube
• 1 chicken breast

*Thaw overnight. Bake at 350 in a casserole dish for 1 hour, or in crock pot on low for 2-3 hours, shred chicken before serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1 can pinto beans (or black beans)
• 1/3 can diced tomatoes or 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• Diced or dried onion
• 1 chicken breast

*Thaw, simmer on stove for 1 hour, or in crock pot on low 2-3 hours. Top with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado…

3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

•       1 can of 3 different kinds of beans
•       1/3 can diced tomatoes
•       Dried onion, garlic powder
•       2 tbsp chili powder

*Thaw overnight. Add to slow cooker with 3 cups water, cook on low 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours, stirring every hour or so if possible.

White Bean & Barley Soup

•       1 cup white beans (or 1 can)
•       1 cup barley
•       ½ – 1 cup cut up carrots
•       ½ white onion, diced
•       1-2 cubes bouillon
•       1/3 can diced tomatoes

*Thaw overnight. Add 6 cups water, simmer 2 hours on the stove or cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

Corn & Potato Chowder

•       2 potatoes, diced
•       ½ can corn
•       ½ cup flour
•       Garlic, onion, bouillon
•       Optional: 1tbsp Italian seasoning

*Thaw, add 2 cups water and simmer 2 hours on the stove or cook in slow cooker on low 4-6 hours.