Times are tough right now, and while it may be small, I want to do my best to show up and support you however I can.
Whether it be an idea for an easy meal you can make at home to nourish your family or tips on how to boost your immunity and overall health, I’m here for you.
Based on a recent poll I took, the majority of my readers said you’d love to see more recipes/healthy meal ideas, so I thought it’d be helpful to give you a roundup of the easy, nourishing meals I’m preparing at home for the whole family right now, using mostly pantry and freezer staples.
Additionally, if you’d like some support on how to stock your pantry and freezer with nutrient-dense options that will support your health during this time, check out my FREE guide/checklist here.
HEALTHY PANTRY DINNERS + FREEZER-FRIENDLY MEALS YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME
1. Bean-Based Soups + Chilis
Beans are my go-to pantry staple. They’re inexpensive, versatile, satiating, nutrient-dense and loaded with both protein and fiber. I love to use mine in soups like this Spiced Chickpea, Sweet Potato + Cauliflower Curry, Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Bisque, and Eggplant + Chickpea Curry. They’re also great when used as a stew or dahl, especially with lentils. Make them go the extra mile by adding them to a homemadehummus to spread on toast or dip with veggies.
Chili is another excellent pantry-staple based option (that makes amazing leftovers to boot), and if you’re getting sick of beans you can try using freezer-friendly meat like ground turkey or beef instead. My all-time favorite chili is my Bison Butternut Squash Chili, which you can snag the recipe for by downloading this freebie.
2. Baked + Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
This is my default meal whenever I don’t feel like cooking or know what else to make. Sweet potatoes are inexpensive, have a long shelf-life and are loaded with gut-friendly fiber, so they’re great to have on hand. Not to mention when you bake them whole at 400 degrees for 1-2 hours, they become soft, sweet, caramelized and seriously delicious, as well as an excellent vehicle for all the toppings.
My family’s favorite way to eat them is probably this Fajita-Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe, but I’m also partial to this Thai Peanut Sauce version, followed by these Mexican-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. Other good combos include a sweet breakfast version with nut butter, coconut yogurt, banana + honey or a savory option with kale, a fried egg and sriracha.
3. Lentil Pasta
I’m a big fan of lentil or bean-based pasta, as it’s packed with both protein and fiber, making it a much more blood-sugar-balancing, hormone-friendly option. This also means you don’t need to add a protein to ensure you’re getting enough macronutrients, so it’s a bit easier on your budget.
You can keep it simple by pairing it with some marinara and olive oil, or try adding some meatballs if you need a bit more sustenance. I love it with veggies and pesto, in my favorite creamy butternut squash mac n’ cheese (recipe available in my Hormone Balance Reset Plan), or as noodles in my immunity-boosting chicken chickpea noodle soup.
4. BYO Pizza
Who doesn’t love pizza, especially when you can customize your toppings? We take BYO pizza night very seriously, and love making our own grain-free crust using Simple Mill’s Pizza Dough Mix. If you’re looking for a clean freezer-friendly option, I also like Capello’s or Caulipower’s Pizza Crust.
Try stocking up on canned goods like artichokes, roasted red peppers, olives and red sauce to top your pizza with, as well as fresh or frozen veggies like spinach, onions and mushrooms. If you still have squash on hand and are able to find some fresh herbs, this pesto pizza with butternut and caramelized onion is my favorite.
5. Black Bean Tacos/Quesadillas/Nachos
Another go-to option in our household, we typically make a bunch of taco toppings on Mondays to eat throughout the week. Black Beans are an awesome pantry-staple base, especially when cooked with spices like chili and cumin and topped with roasted sweet potatoes or guacamole (if you happen to have avocados available).
We typically utilize all of the above as well as either shredded chicken or ground turkey meat with our tacos. Or skip the meat and try adding more veggies like this chipotle cauliflower version. Our favorite tortillas are Siete, which we store in the freezer, but you can also use bibb lettuce or skip the wrap and build your own burrito bowl instead. And when in doubt, just sweet potato nacho it.
6. Tuna Melt Bowls
An easy, healthy-ish take on a classic, try mixing some wild albacore tuna with avocado oil mayo and toasting it with either organic, full-fat cheese or a dairy-free version of choice (I love Parmela’s Creamery Cashew Cheddar) and spreading over mixed greens and/or veggies. Tastes especially good served alongside sweet potato fries.
7. Blender Pancakes/ Waffles
I recently learned a new hack, where I mix up a large batch of nutrient-dense pancake batter, then keep it in the fridge for pancakes and waffles on the fly all week long. Everyone in our family loves this option, but especially me, as it immensely shortens the cooking/clean-up time, while still delivering warm, fresh hot cakes every time.
My go-to recipe is blending 1 3/4 cups GF oats to make flour, then adding 1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk, 1/4 cup flaxseed powder, 1 banana, 1 tbsp honey, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 large handful spinach and 2 pasture-raised eggs and mixing until smooth. Try topping with frozen berries and creamy nut butter for extra nutrient-density and deliciousness. You can also opt to keep a pantry-friendly mix on hand like Birch Bender’s. Don’t forget to keep things interesting by opting to make them for dinner, as a “breakfast for dinner” theme the whole fam is sure to love.
8. Quinoa Stir Fry/Grain Bowl
Another great no-recipe-needed option, I’ll cook a large batch of quinoa in bone broth (for extra nutrients and flavor), then keep it in the fridge to stir fry with some garlic, ginger, coconut aminos (a GF soy sauce), fresh or frozen veggies like broccoli, peas, onion and carrots, egg and defrosted wild shrimp or chicken.
You can also use it as a base to build your own grain bowl with a variety of fresh or frozen veggies, proteins (like ground turkey, eggs, salmon, etc.) and a sauce of choice. Don’t forget to add some satiating fat like chopped nuts or seeds, olives, avocado or drizzled olive oil.
9. Coconut Milk Chia Pudding
My go-to nutrient dense breakfast/snack, coconut milk chia pudding is incredibly easy to make and only requires pantry staples to make (1 can full fat coconut milk, 1/4 cup chia seeds, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt is my foolproof formula). Whisk it together, let it chill overnight, then use as a base for fresh or frozen berries, add to oatmeal or baked sweet potatoes, top smoothies, etc.
I especially love it with nut butter and a fruit compote or jam, which would also be a great way to preserve any fresh fruit you have on hand to make it last longer.
10. Baked Oatmeal
If you know me by now, then you know what a big fan I am of baked oatmeal. To me, it tastes so much better than stovetop, AND it makes a few day’s worth of breakfast for the whole family.
I also love that baked oatmeal makes it super easy to sneak in extra veggies and nutrients, without affecting the taste, like this Maple Banana Walnut Oat Bake or Cinnamon Roll Oat Bake with cauliflower rice (I swear you don’t taste the cauliflower). This Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Oat Bake utilizes canned pumpkin for additional vitamins and minerals, while this Spiced Apple Oat Bake gets in additional gut-friendly fiber via apples and nuts.
11. Smoothie Bowls with Frozen Fruit + Veggies
Such an easy and delicious way to get in a daily dose of nutrients. I stashed spinach, kale, butternut squash, mashed sweet potato, zucchini and cauliflower in storage containers in the freezer to add to smoothies throughout the upcoming weeks. Some of these might sound a bit strange, but I can assure you they don’t influence the taste, but rather allow you to get a variety of veggies into your daily diet (especially if you don’t have access to fresh produce right now).
I’ve been rotating the Chocolate Chaga Fudge Smoothie Bowl and Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie from my Hormone Balance Reset Plan , but you can also try this Creamy Chocolate Maca recipe or this Sweet Potato + Cashew Butter Smoothie Bowl.
12. Freezer Cookie Dough + Energy Bites
Cookie Dough and energy balls are my “smoothies” of the dessert/snack world. AKA another easy way to sneak in nutrients, while still satisfying your sweet tooth! They’re also incredibly easy to make, very family-friendly (your kids will love ’em) hold up for months in the freezer and make an awesome healthy snack on the fly.
Favorites of mine include my Gut-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, No-Bake Carrot Cake Bliss Balls, Postpartum Dark Chocolate Chunk Nut Butter Balls, CBD Nutella Bliss Balls, Healthy Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, and Mood-Boosting Eggnog Cookie Dough. If you’re looking for additional hormone-balancing support, I highly recommend my Seed-Cycling Bliss Balls and Coconut Snowballs from my Hormone Balance Reset Plan.
BOTTOMLINE
I hope this roundup of recipes and meal ideas using mostly pantry + freezer staples has given you some major at-home meal inspiration! These are all based off of what I’m currently stocking up on to make at home for my family and I these next few weeks — as they’re easy, nourishing, versatile and make great leftovers/freeze well. While everything else in the world seems chaotic, cooking at home brings me a sense of calm, and I truly hope it does for you as well. Sending you so much love.
