How to make frozen food: menu and tips for healthy meals

For those who want to maintain a balanced diet, made at home, prepared with that special touch of affection the way they like it most, frozen food is a great option for you to organize yourself in an easy and practical way.

In addition to being able to take it anywhere, being able to heat it up in the microwave or in a pan, if you have little time for meals, frozen lunchboxes will make your day easier. “The biggest secret to maintaining a healthy diet is planning and organization” – says nutritionist Ana Paula Alegretti. With the practice of freezing food, it will be even easier to program yourself to have adequate food during the week and even during the month.

Frozen food: menu

Nutritionist Ana Paula Alegretti carefully assembled a menu model with meals for every day of the week, for an entire month, with several practical food options for you to prepare and freeze, including salads and vegetables, an animal protein option, a carbohydrate and a legume, check it out:

First week

• Monday: iceberg lettuce, cabbage, ground duckling, mashed sweet potatoes, beans.
• Tuesday: grated carrots, arugula, grilled chicken, beans.
• Wednesday: iceberg lettuce, braised zucchini, shredded chicken with homemade tomato sauce, chickpeas.
• Thursday: Cabbage, tomato, duckling steak, broccoli, brown rice.
• Friday: arugula, grated carrots, roasted or grilled tilapia fillet, parsley manioc puree, chickpeas.
• Saturday: mimosa lettuce, cabbage, omelet with shredded chicken, lentils, beans.
• Sunday: red cabbage, tomato, roast beef, boiled cassava, green beans, brown rice.

Second week

• Monday: iceberg lettuce, chopped kale, grilled chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, beans.
• Tuesday: arugula, tomato, ground duckling, baked potato, brown rice.
• Wednesday: watercress, chopped cabbage, roasted tilapia fillet, sweet potato, brown rice.
• Thursday: iceberg lettuce, grated carrots, onion steak, chickpeas.
• Friday: cabbage, broccoli, diced chicken with homemade tomato sauce, boiled peas.
• Saturday: arugula, watercress, roasted fish, manioc puree, brown rice.
• Sunday: red lettuce, grated beetroot, beef, boiled cassava, lentils.

Third week

• Monday: chopped cabbage, grated carrots, shredded chicken, braised zucchini, lentils.
• Tuesday: iceberg lettuce, cabbage, beef (chopped), boiled cassava, brown rice.
• Wednesday: arugula, tomato, grilled tilapia fillet, parsley mashed potato, chickpeas.
• Thursday: iceberg lettuce, sautéed zucchini, ground duckling, sweet potato, beans.
• Friday: Red cabbage, Swiss chard, shredded chicken, whole wheat pasta, lentils.
• Saturday: chopped cabbage, watercress, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, beans.
• Sunday: iceberg lettuce, arugula, roasted fish, boiled cassava, chickpeas.

Fourth week

• Monday: chopped cabbage, beets, shredded chicken with tomato sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, chickpeas.
• Tuesday: arugula, grated carrots, pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, brown rice.
• Wednesday: iceberg lettuce, watercress, grilled chicken, baked sweet potato, beans.
• Thursday: red cabbage, tomato, rump steak, boiled cassava, lentils.
• Friday: watercress, grated carrots, ground duckling, parsley mashed potatoes, chickpeas.
• Saturday: chopped chard, chopped cabbage, roasted fish, roasted potatoes, brown rice.
• Sunday: arugula, tomato, diced chicken breast with tomato sauce, boiled cassava, peas.

Foods can be substituted for their counterparts. For a more personalized menu and according to your needs and your body, look for a nutritionist so that he can plan the ideal types of meals with you.

how to freeze food

See the step by step on how to organize, plan and assemble your meals with frozen food. Optimize time and follow the special tips from Nutritionist Ana Paula:

1. Select the foods

Choose foods according to the amount of lunchboxes for the days you want to prepare. Care must be taken for the type of food, milk derivatives are not indicated. For some vegetables, such as lettuce or other leafy greens, it is recommended that they be eaten fresh. So, a tip is to prepare them in a separate bowl that can be kept in the fridge to consume within 3 to 4 days, not forgetting that they must be seasoned right away.

2. Preparation and Cooking

Organize the ingredients you will use to assemble the meals, wash the vegetables well and prepare the legumes if necessary. According to the nutritionist, it is ideal that they are cooked for less time and that they are not too seasoned or salty. You can enhance the flavor with seasonings and salt after thawing at the time of consumption. Meats in gravy can help preserve the flavor.

3. Storage

A great option for storing food is plastic pots, says Ana Paula. However, care must be taken to ensure that it is well closed to avoid contamination when taking it to the freezer. In the case of liquid foods, it is ideal that you leave a surplus on the top of the pot up to the lid. Write the name or day of that meal with a tag and remember to put the expiration date.

4. Freezing

Once the food has been prepared and stored in its containers, it’s time to put it in the freezer. If you are going to consume some lunchboxes close to the preparation day, they can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days. The rest is essential to go in the freezer.

5. Defrosting and Heating

If you already know which lunch box you will have for lunch, remove it from the freezer at night and leave it in the fridge. The next day, it will be ready to heat up. You can heat it in a bain-marie, oven or even in the microwave. If there is no time for natural defrosting, the best option is to use the microwave on high power.

Be careful not to prepare a large amount of food in each lunch box, as once it is thawed, it cannot go back into the freezer. So plan your meals well, with the help of a nutritionist so that the amount and type of food is ideal for you. Then, the next step is to set aside a specific day just to prepare your frozen foods with great care and flavor.

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.