Make Ahead Freezer Meals For Work -- Low Carb, Paleo, Budget Friendly, Allergy Friendly

Since I started working out of the house on a regular basis, I realized I was having trouble with everything regarding eating. My eating habits or not eating habits were hurting me. I'd be in a rush in the morning and not have time to make food to bring with me, so I'd either end up eating nothing all day, or going out to the store and buying something to eat while I was out, or I'd get cheap takeout. Or if I really was on top of things and ready early enough, I'd pack a lunch, usually a few gluten free sandwiches and a fruit or two.
This meant that I was either unnourished, which wasn't good for my energy levels, let alone mental well being, or spending too much (because even cheap takeout, or ready made food from the grocery store is pricier than homemade food).
And in addition to all that, I really noticed how many carbs I was eating, how much of my meals were based on gluten free grains or other starches, and that I was definitely not eating enough vegetables. My weight has been creeping up, in part because of the meds I've been on, but I'm sure my less than stellar eating habits have not helped.

So I decided that I wanted to make a change. I wanted to make meals in advance that were healthy, vegetable rich, and low in carbohydrates. Add to that the fact that I wanted things that were freezer friendly, because I didn't want to have to worry about them spoiling in my fridge.
I was trying to come up with ideas, but I was really thrown for a loop because in addition to trying to not eat grains, I also don't eat eggs, most dairy, or cruciferous vegetables, which means that the standard "freeze ahead meals" were mostly out for me, because they tended to rely heavily on broccoli and cauliflower which I don't eat, or egg based things like mini quiches.


In the end, I got ideas for what to make by looking at what was sold already frozen, and then cooking them up and refreezing to have ready to go meals. The end result was 11 ready to eat meals that were freezer friendly, completely gluten free, Paleo, grain free, egg free and dairy free, and some of the meals were AIP (auto immune paleo) friendly as well.

Total cost was $36.14, or $3.28 on average for each of the 11 meals.
At first, looking at my prices, I was a little shocked, because that seemed like a lot. But my friend reminded me that even compared to cheap takeout, this is cheaper. And it is all healthy meals! Ready to eat Paleo meals, especially with all my restrictions, at less than $5 a pop was no small deal. I saw her point, and now am even more excited to share.

The vegetables sold in our local grocery store's freezer section consist of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, corn, green beans, edamame, yellow string beans, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and okra, plus a few mixed veggies options. I'm also not eating legumes, and because of trying to avoid grains, the only vegetables left in the freezer section were carrots, yellow string beans, green beans, artichoke hearts, and okra.
The two cheapest proteins that I can eat that are also easy to prepare and easy to eat while out (meaning no bones, because it's not easy to debone fish or meat while out and about) are white fish and chicken breast.

I had a little time available yesterday afternoon, and in about 2 hours (while also doing other things) I made these different foods for my "homemade takeout" meals.

My base ingredients were:
Sole fish (a type of white fish)
Chicken breast, which I cut into thin cutlets
Artichoke hearts
Yellow string beans
Bell peppers
Mushrooms
Carrots
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Onions

I baked the chicken breast, some with paprika, garlic, and salt on them, and the others with zaatar spice mix on them.
The fish was simply baked with salt and onion flakes.

I cooked up the string beans simply with onions, garlic powder, and salt.
Okra was cooked up with some onion, some tomatoes, salt, garlic, and a little tomato paste. (I am going to write up this post in a recipe.)
Artichoke hearts were chopped up, cooked with onions and mushrooms and garlic and salt and a little thyme. Since they already had some citric acid in them, I didn't add any lemon juice, but otherwise would have added a drop. (I'm going to make a post with a precise recipe for this since it's become one of my favorite dishes.
I stir fried a bit of onion, mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers, added some cashews, and ginger and garlic and seasoned it with a bit of coconut aminos (a legume free soy sauce replacement).
I baked eggplant with a bit of oil and salt.

I then divided them into different freezer friendly containers I had, some having only one vegetable, and some a mix of two different vegetable dishes. I added chicken or fish to each one. And then I realized that if I am not going to have many carbs in the meal, I need something with fat to keep me satiated, so I added some tahini paste mixed with lemon, salt, garlic, and water onto the containers with eggplant, and added olives to many others. The ones with stir fry already had fat in the form of cashews, but I added some sesame seeds as well.



I'm really excited about these meals and to have healthy food to take with me to work every day. My goal is to also make some chicken and fish and freeze it with parchment paper separating it, so I can take as many as needed out of the freezer at a time, and have some long lasting fresh salads in my refrigerator ready to go, so I can back fresh meals as needed and don't need to only take them from the freezer. Things I plan on keeping in the fridge are Korean cucumber salad, fennel salad, raw beet and carrot salad, and I'll try to think of some more.

If someone is on an auto immune paleo diet, most of what I made can be easily adapted. Okra instead of with tomatoes can be made into Surinamese okra salad, stir fry can be made with green beans instead of peppers and leave out the cashews, and chicken can be baked with just garlic and onion and salt and no zaatar or paprika. And obviously leave out the eggplant. Also just use avocado or olives as the fat, leaving out the nuts and tahini and sesame seeds.

I'm so glad that I figured out a way to have freezable healthy meals that fit my really strict dietary needs, and don't cost too much money. I am happy to be able to share these ideas with you.

Do you do any meal prep? What kind of freezer friendly meals would you suggest I add to my repertoire for future times? What vegetables that I didn't mention actually freeze well? What do you usually bring with you for lunch when you work out of the house? Any tips to streamline the process?