🌟 Welcome to "Mealtime Magic & Mayhem"! In this episode, host Tricia Clark shares her secrets for making back to school season stress-free when it comes to dinner time.

🎓 Tricia talks about how the back to school season can disrupt routines and the love-hate relationship many parents have with this time of year.

🍲 Discover Tricia's magical secret for conquering chaos and rediscovering the joy of shared family meals: freezer meals! She shares how freezer meals can be your ultimate superpower for those hectic nights when you forgot to thaw meat or didn't have time to meal plan.

🍁 Tricia paints a picture of picking up the kids from school feeling confident and having mouthwatering meals ready to be cooked at home. She emphasizes the importance of planning and adds a touch of imagination to envision the shift in energy that freezer meals bring to your routine.

📚 Tricia recommends some insightful resources and books, such as "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and "The Lazy Genius Kitchen" by Kendra Adachi, to help listeners build habits and simplify their cooking process.

🔍 Tricia suggests checking out the Thriving Home blog and Fedandfit.com for expert tips and recipes on meal planning and easy freezer meals.

🖊️ Grab your favorite pen and take notes as Tricia sprinkles inspiration into your kitchen and guides you on a stress-free mealtime mastery journey.

✨ Tricia helps you understand how freezer meals can streamline your routine during the back to school rush, reduce decision fatigue, and ensure enjoyable and nutritious meals for your family.

👣 Inspired by "Atomic Habits" and "The Lazy Genius Kitchen", Tricia encourages making tiny consistent habit changes and becoming intentional about meal planning. Freezer meals become a crucial component of this process.

💡 Tricia invites listeners to reflect on what's important to them and what small changes they can make right now to improve their lives. She suggests reaching out for personalized support through a 30-minute "Dish with Trish Call" or exploring resources recommended for specific challenges.

🔥 Discover the secret weapon: a well-stocked freezer! Tricia explains how convenient freezer meals turn even the busiest evenings into enjoyable moments for connection, rich conversation, and laughter around the dinner table.

🍽️ Embrace the joy of back to school with freezer meals as your kitchen best friend. Let Tricia guide you towards stress-free mealtimes, simplified cooking processes, and cherished memories.

Don't miss out on this transformative episode! Tune in to "Mealtime Magic & Mayhem" for expert advice on making back to school season a breeze with freezer meals.

Link Mentioned:

Lazy Genius Kitchen: https://bit.ly/3E2lPZd

Atomic Habits: https://amzn.to/44gWcyB

Thriving Home Blog (Freezer Meal Recipes): https://thrivinghomeblog.com/

Fed and Fit (Healthy Meals, Meal Prep, Freezer Meals): https://fedandfit.com/

Table Topics: https://amzn.to/45i2vTO

Connect with Tricia:

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/tricia.clark.161

Tired to Inspired Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tiredtoinspiredcooking

Book your free Strategy Call: https://link.feacreate.com/widget/bookings/connectwithtrish

Greetings and welcome to another episode of Mealtime

Magic and Mayhem. I'm your host, Tricia Clark, your cooking coach and mealtime

mentor. I cannot believe that summer is almost over

and it is back to school season again. The

time goes by so fast. And while my kids are

grown, I do have a son in college and he is home for

the summer. And it brings its own

disruption of routines, right? The kids come home from school for

the summer, we have to change our routines and it's time to go back to

school, and yet we have to change them again. And it's sort of a love

hate relationship. I find with the back to school season,

it's nice to get back into the groove, but it's been thrown off. But it's

also so hard. Right? Well, today I'm going to share

one of my favorite ways to reduce the stress of back to school when it

comes to dinner time. This is one of my magical secrets,

and they're not really all that secret, but they're great to have around

for those oh shit. Nights. The ones where you forgot to

thaw the meat for dinner tonight. Or hell, maybe you even forgot to meal

plan altogether. Or maybe your schedule just got thrown

off and you're unprepared and you're in that moment of panic

or decision fatigue. So, as the school bells

chime, we're waiting for this infernal heat to dissipate we've had this year.

We're waiting for the leaves to begin their beautiful autumn dance. And we're so

all too familiar with the whirlwind of activity that accompanies the back to

school season. You've got the frenzy of rushed mornings, intricate

schedules, and the yearning for a restored routine. And all of

this, I know, can leave us a tad overwhelmed, and I know that it

does for me. So in this episode, we're going to unlock the

beautiful magic of freezer meals, which can really be your ultimate

superpower for conquering chaos and rediscovering the joy of

shared family meals. So here's what I want you to

do. I want you to take a deep breath with me,

hold it and sigh it out. And now

I want you to imagine, if you will, and if you're

into the woo and visualizations, I want you to spend a little time with this

after the podcast. But I want you to imagine

in your mind's eye, picking the kids up from school, feeling

really confident that you know what you're having for dinner. You feel like

you've got it together finally. Maybe you've got control of

one more thing in your life and you imagine picking them up from

school. You're proud of yourself for feeling like you'd have all together. You've got

mouthwatering dishes at your fingertips when you get home, prepared

with a bit of planning and a bit of love because they can taste

it in your food. Now, I want you to think about that. You

put dinner in the oven and you go help your kids with your

homework. And then you guys all meet at the dinner table.

Think about it for a minute. Think about how that feels in your

body. Does it feel a little bit lighter? Does it feel a little bit

calmer? Does your heart open up just a little

bit more? Now, I want you to consider how is that different

from your normal routine? Because that shift in energy,

it's really what we're going for here and a little hint of what working with

me looks like. So whether you're a busy parent, a dedicated professional, you're

cooking for two, you're single, or someone simply seeking simplicity,

freezer Meals are all just about to become your

kitchen best friend, your companion to get through the

crazy times of Back to School. So we're going to dig into not only how

these meals save you precious time, but how they also help you guard your

sanity, elevate your budget even in the midst of life's hustle and all

the expenses of Back to School. So we're going to be blending some

insights from James Clear's atomic habits and Kendra

Adachi's, the lazy, genius kitchen. These are some of my

favorite books to help me build habits, and they really put

things in a different way. And if you're more of a DIY person, these books

are awesome. So these really help you build a

foolproof recipe for habit building. And so as we

start going down the realm of Freezer Meals, we're also going

to talk about some of my favorite resources, such as the Thriving Home blog with

Polly and Rachel Fedandfit.com. These are

true mavens of meal planning and easy Freezer Meals

and whose wisdom can really help you along your path. And

they're where I get a lot of my recipes. I'm not a master recipe

creator. I'm not a food blogger in that way. And so I

rely on the experts. And I really want to send you to

those places that have made my life easier. And you can

see if those resources help you as well. So don your

aprons and keep your favorite pen at the ready. And I want you to

take some notes because I'm about to give you a sprinkle of inspiration

into your kitchen and launch you on a journey to stress free

mealtime mastery. So we are going to start

rekindling those routines that forge our cherished memories,

cultivate bonds, and really bring us the peace that we're looking

for. So, welcome to Freezer Meals. Are you ready?

So as we venture into the Back to School season, I really want to explore

how we can simplify our lives, make mealtime stress free, and

create those cherished memories around the table. So in this segment of the

episode, we're going to delve into the challenges of the Back to School rush and

discover how Freezer Meals can really play a pivotal role in

streamlining your routine. Now, I know the word streamlining

sounds really formal and official, but it's really

just about finding and systemizing things to make your

life easier. We've already talked about the back to school transition. It's really

notorious for its whirlwind of activities. Early mornings, school drop

offs, extracurriculars sports, homework. And amidst that

chaos, meal planning quite often takes a backseat, leaving us

overwhelmed. We're struggling with decision fatigue. We're resorting to last

minute solutions that aren't always the healthiest or most

enjoyable. And while there is a place for takeout and

convenience food and fast food, this is where efficiency can really

become our ally. So I'm going to be drawing some inspiration

from Atomic Habits which I mentioned, and the practical wisdom of the Lazy

Genius Kitchen where we can create habits that really align with the

lifestyle that we want. We're going to start integrating

small changes into our daily routines so that we can seamlessly adapt

to that back to school rhythm. So if you haven't read Atomic Habits, it teaches

us that building tiny consistent habits and the concept of

habit stacking can lead to remarkable transformations.

And similarly, the Lazy Genius Kitchen really encourages us to simplify our

cooking process and be really intentional about our choices,

embracing the season of life that we're in. But they both really

talk about starting small with one change. And I'm

here to propose to you that meal planning is that one small change that can

make the biggest impact. And freezer meals can be

a large part of that meal planning process. So

let's start making deliberate choices that save time and

reduce stress. I want you to think about what's important to

you. What can I do right now to make life

better? What do you want to prioritize, organize? And

what can you systemize? Now all of this can be done DIY

and there are resources like the Lazy Genius Kitchen, the food

blogs that we talked about. But if you're looking for more done with you

support, I encourage you to book a 30 minutes dish with Trish Call and let's

really chat about where you need support. You'll walk away with some personalized

strategies and if working with me is not your jam, I'll point you in the

right direction of some resources that could help you with your specific challenges.

So enter freezer meals. This is the secret weapon.

With a well stocked freezer you are armed with convenient

ready to cook options that can turn even the busiest evenings into

enjoyable really moments for

connection. Enjoyable family moments where the conversation is

richer, where there's laughter and you won't feel like you're just

throwing food on the table at the end of the day and just trying to

get through one more chore on your list. We're going to start

talking a little bit about what that day can look

like when you have those freezer meals on hand.

So this is really where some creativity, some

ingenuity and practicality really intertwine. If you've ever

found yourself yearning for, like a really easy, simple, yet effective solution

for dinner. Freezer meals might be your new best friend. This is one of those

things that I encourage you to experiment with and find out if it works

for you. A busy day often leaves you with little time to whip up a

full fledged dinner from scratch. But having freezer meals on

hand, you've got those delicious meals prepared right at your fingertips, ready

to thaw, ready to cook, ready to heat, ready to serve, and

you're doing it all ahead of time, which really is kind of what saves you

time. So let me share a little story with you that kind of

showcases where this has really appeared in my life. A couple of years ago,

I really discovered freezer meals and

amidst the hustle and bustle of whether it's back to school chaos or

a busy time at work chaos, I found myself craving a moment

of calm and amidst the storm. And I love to cook. And so the idea

that I wasn't energized to cook or meal plan anymore

was alarming for me. And so I

spent 2 hours and put together ten freezer meals

in that time and stocked my freezer full of homemade goodness.

And throughout the next month, what I found is on those nights

when I was feeling really frantic and had decision fatigue and

just didn't have the energy, I could easily pull out this flavorful

lasagna that was prepared with love on a lazy weekend

and really savoring the roma of that as it baked in the oven while I

went about my day and did other things like picking up the house, helping kids

with homework, all of those things. And then when we sat down, with each

bite shared around the table, I saw a sense of

peace and I heard connection and

laughter at my table. And the conversations really did get deeper

with a lot of the table topics that you've heard me talk about. And the

deep sense of accomplishment I felt from that was amazing. And

so I started hosting freezer meal workshops for others through Pampered

Chef and really saw the sense of confidence and

relief and stress relief that it brought others. That simple

act of planning ahead had transformed an otherwise chaotic

evening into a nourishing and a cherished experience, not only for

me, but for the women who were at the freezer room workshop. So as you

embark on your own quest for efficiency and connection,

remember, there is an ability to turn ordinary moments into

extraordinary memories. The freezer can really become your ally.

And we're going to talk through how to get started. What do you

need and how do we start building those habits.

So let's really jump into that a little

bit. So here's what you need to get started

to creating delicious freezer meals.

So first and foremost, you need to decide what type of freezer

meals you'd like to prepare. There's two main categories. There's dump meals

where you just put everything in a Ziploc bag. They require minimal to no cooking

before freezing. And then there's recipes that involve

a little more cooking up front. They tend to take a bit more time, they're

equally rewarding. It's all about the planning piece of it

and it's the foods that you prefer and the foods that your family loves, right,

that is going to help determine that. So as you gather your recipes,

you want to consider the essential equipment and make sure that you have things on

hand like freezer safe containers. I'll put a link below to some of my

favorite glass ones on Amazon. There's

gallon and quart sized freezer bags that are great for

freezer meals. You can get those aluminum foil pans with the lid and put that

lasagna together and stack it in the freezer. And all of these

things make it so much easier. You can also find these

nifty little stands that hold up your freezer bags that make filling them up a

breeze. And I'll put all of these links below and yes, if you

decide to buy them, I am an affiliate and I might get a small percentage

of that purchase. But I'm really here to tell you that these are the things

that will make your life easier. You try them out and pick and choose which

ones work for you. But before you dive into assembling your freezer

meals, it really is wise to plan ahead and

create that comprehensive grocery list. Now, the reason why I want

you to do this ahead of time and plan those meals is it's going to

save you money if you buy in bulk and you're preparing a lot of meals

with, let's say, ground beef, buy it in bulk, save yourself some money.

But then the other thing I recommend is really embracing meal

delivery or grocery delivery. Because if you have it

delivered the day that you're going to prepare your freezer meals, you're saving

precious space in your pantry and your fridge. I can't tell you

how many times I've gotten my grocery delivery days ahead and I had no place

to put everything in order to prepare those meals and I

had to shift my schedule a little bit. Now this planning doesn't

take a lot of time, it just takes a little bit of forethought.

Now don't forget to ensure that you have enough space in your freezer to

accommodate your assembled meals. If you are feeling like setting

a big ambitious goal of 20 freezer meals, you need space for

20 freezer meals in your freezer. So if your freezer is as full as mine,

you might start with five, you could start with ten. And those

aluminum foil tins really stack nicely in the

freezer. But the gallon Ziploc bags, if you lay them flat,

also stack nicely. And you can fit and freezer meals on

one shelf easily. Some of these steps might sound obvious, but

they're so easy to overlook when you're caught up in the excitement of

freezer meal planning and really just ready to get the work

done. Organization is key and then keeping your

recipes and day of cooking instructions handy is a game changer. My biggest

recommendation there is to have a dedicated folder

for those recipes or have labels that you put

directly on the freezer bags or on your foil trays. Whatever

you're using with what the recipe is and the date that you

froze it and the cooking instructions, this will save you so much time

on the day of. Now, I want to give you some really fun

freezer meal ideas. These are super easy. You hardly need a

recipe and there are a few creative options to consider and some ways that you

can really mix them up. Now, if you are more of the creative cook,

I think these are going to be perfect for you. If you're looking for

repeatable recipes that somebody else is going to provide you in a meal plan,

polly and Rachel@thrivinghomeblog.com, you can sign up

for their email list and they send out free menus every week. And then they

have these great packages of recipes,

instructions, all the things you need to put together those freezer

meals in one day. So let's talk about easy

lasagna layers. These are where you can create layers of brown ground

beef. Maybe it's Italian sausage, maybe it's spinach. If

you're vegetarian, then add the vegetables in there. Maybe it's mushrooms.

This is where you can play with the flavors that you love, but you will

create layers of your protein or vegetables. Layer

in fresh or dried ravioli, the filling of your choice

cheese, and your favorite marinara sauce. Now you're probably going to need two

jars of marinara sauce for one package of ravioli and

the cheeses and the amount of cheese, now that's totally up to you. But what

this does is it really removes all the labor of boiling the

noodles, mixing the ricotta. This just simplifies

everything. You're going to layer those in a dish however you like, but

don't bake it. You're going to said wrap it up tightly or use a

disposable aluminum pan. And you can freeze that for up to six

months. And when you're ready to cook it, simply thaw it for 24 to

48 hours and bake it for about an hour. My next

favorite one is salsa chicken wraps. This is super easy for those nights.

This could either be a freezer meal or a great meal. For a night that

you forgot to thaw the chicken, you're going to place a pound of chicken

breast, a jar of salsa, and a can of drained and rinsed black

beans. You can dump all of that in your instapot or you

can dump all of that in your gallon freezer bag. Lay

it flat, put the instructions on it and put it in the freezer. You do

not have to thaw this before you cook it. I run it under warm water

for a few minutes just to get it to release from the bag, and I

put it right in the instapot and I set it to chicken

and you've got dinner in 20 or 30 minutes.

Another great option is burgers. If burgers are on your

regular menu, buy that beef in bulk, make your turkey burgers in bulk,

whatever it is, but make them in individual patties.

Separate them in maybe one of those aluminum containers between

parchment paper. And then whenever you want to cook burgers, just take out the

desired number and you can toss those bad boys in your air fryer for 15

to 17 minutes. You can season them ahead of time, all wrapped up in those

burgers when you make them. Or you can decide if you want to change the

flavor and season them when you put them in the air fryer. There's so many

ways you can use these freezer meals. It doesn't always have to be

this baked dish in these hours of cooking ahead of time. In fact, I

prefer the ones where I don't have to cook them ahead of time because I

can put more together in one afternoon and have them ready

whenever I want. Now, the last one I'm going to mention is cook

once, eat three times. This is a strategy that can be used as a

freezer meal, or it can just be used for a meal plan for a week.

But this involves cooking a large batch of one main ingredient and then using it

in three different ways throughout the week. It really minimizes prep time,

but it also prevents mealtime boredom. So, for example, you might want

to make a large batch of meatballs. And one night you can eat them

with spaghetti and you can have spaghetti and meatballs with marinara.

Another night, you could put them in an Italian wedding soup that takes 15

minutes. Another night, you could stick them in a refrigerated pizza crust with

some pesto sauce and have pesto meatball calzones.

Again, it's all about just having

the main ingredient ready and then repeating it in

different ways. So if you're going to take anything away from

this particular section of the podcast, it's that preparation is key.

And having a variety of those options on hand can really be a game

changer. I've curated a list of my favorite freezer meal

resources, including the thrivinghomeblog.com and

fedandfit.com in the show notes. These are trusted

resources. They offer a wealth of delicious recipes and helpful tips to

inspire your freezer meal journey. But if you're interested in a more personal

touch, maybe you want to dive deeper into mastering Freezer meals. I offer

personalized freezer workshop sessions. Reach out. I'd be thrilled to

guide you through the process. And alternatively, if you're seeking more

comprehensive guidance to conquering the mealtime chaos and really help

with more meal planning than this my Conquer the Mealtime

Chaos program is tailored to do just that. So

following these steps and utilizing these resources, you will be well on

your way to mastering the art of freezer meals and bringing

a touch of magic to your mealtime routine.

Now, let's talk about the combination, the power of

combinations. Remember that you can mix and match your proteins,

vegetables and seasonings to create an array of delicious

meals. For instance, if you've prepared a batch of seasoned grilled chicken,

you can pair it with steamed broccoli and quinoa for a well rounded

dinner. Flexibility is your best friend here. And you can

even combine the magic of, let's say, a sheet pan meal

with a freezer meal. Put all the ingredients in your Ziploc

bag, throw them on a sheet pan, and cook it all at one time. There

are ways that you can combine your favorite cooking methods to

create different layers of flavor by using different seasonings, different

marinades, et cetera, et cetera. And so we're nearing the

end of today's journey in the world of freezer meals. I would love to answer

any questions that you have. You can reach out to me via email anytime at

the links in the show Notes, and I really hope that this

helps you revitalize the routines of Back to

School. I know it feels like there's a

whirlwind. And as you reestablish

these routines and embrace the rhythm of the school year, find what

works for you. Find what type of cooking is really your

ally. And I hope you'll take a minute to take an afternoon or a couple

of hours to try freezer meals and see how that works

for you. So let's recap

and take some action. Plan with purpose. This is your

recipe for success. Incorporate freezer meals into your weekly or

monthly meal planning, considering your family's preferences, dietary

restrictions, and choose recipes that align with those goals.

Fedandfit.com has their searchable engine for recipes is fabulous

because you can select things by dietary need and main

ingredients, so on and so forth. Gather your trusted

resources. Not all recipes are created equal,

and so you need to find resources that really that you know, the

recipes are going to turn out good every single time.

Craft your custom plan. Experiment with different protein and vegetable

seasonings. Try different recipes, and then make

note of the ones that really stood out to you and your family

and the ones that didn't. Celebrate back to school

bliss. Now the kids are back in school, you're reestablishing

routines. Don't forget to change up the conversation at

the table. Don't ask them how school went today. Ask

them what the most exciting part of their day was. Ask them if they

had a superpower, what would it be? Create open ended

questions that get them opening up about what's

going on. Maybe it's even a question of what did you eat for lunch

today? And who did you eat lunch with? That opens up a whole nother realm

of conversation. Don't forget, the most important part

of this is connection. It's the time and

breaking bread with your family. Because we've prepared the Freezer meals to

remove the stress and angst. You've got the prep out of the way, you've thrown

your freezer meal into the oven, the air fryer, whatever, and now you have time

to go through the mail. Maybe it's pick up around

the house. Maybe it's helping your kids with homework while it's cooking so that

you can take that deep breath and really just sit down and enjoy dinner

with your family. By incorporating freezer meals into your

culinary routine, you're not just simplifying dinner, you're also taking

a step toward discovering your own secret sauce in the kitchen.

With each meal that you prepare and try, you start to uncover

what sparks joy in your own heart, what ignites

your own creativity, and what fosters connections with your

loved ones. I want you to remember that when you're choosing these

meals, I want you to pick meals that you love that

light you up as well, not just to please your family.

Because when we do that, we can show up as our best selves.

So if you want to embark on this journey

with more support than a podcast and a couple of

websites, I am thrilled to let you know that you can work

with me as your cooking coach and mealtime mentor and unlock

a treasure trove of personalized strategies and really find what

lights up your soul. So to learn more and take that step, visit my

website@trishasbytesoflife.com and schedule your free dish with

Trish Call. Together, we will embark on an adventure

that nurtures your desires, simplifies your routine, and

infuses your meal times with the magic that not only

you deserve, but your family deserves. Thank you so

much for joining me today. Way for another episode of Mealtime Magic and Mayhem.

I hope you stay inspired, take action, and until next time,

may your meals be filled with wonder and your