How to Freeze Meals From Nurture Life
At Nurture Life, we’re all about making life easier for busy parents through our wholesome, kid-friendly meal delivery. Just because our meals are freshly made, though, doesn’t mean they can’t be frozen too!
If you want a spontaneous date night or have last-minute evening obligations, having your kid’s favorite in the freezer makes for the perfect backup. Just follow these simple instructions on how to freeze meals from Nurture Life and reheat them anytime you need a fast, nutritious meal!
Two Simple Ways to Reheat Nurture Life Meals
Method #1: Thaw Before Heating
You’ll need to plan ahead for this method, as it requires up to 24 hours of thaw time.
Step by Step
- Place the meal in the freezer before the use by date.
- Put the frozen meal in the fridge and let it thaw overnight. (Thaw times vary but may take anywhere from 12–18 hours for baby meals and 18–24 hours for toddler and kids meals.)
- Microwave or oven-heat the meal as normal, following the directions on the package.
Important Tip: Don’t have time to thaw in the fridge? Then we recommend skipping to the second method below! Avoid the temptation to speed things up by thawing meals on the counter, as according to the USDA, room-temperature thawing encourages bacterial growth.
Method #2: Heat From Frozen
If you suddenly find yourself in need of a last-minute meal, there’s no need to panic! You can also reheat Nurture Life meals directly from the freezer. (Note that this method only works for meals served in trays, as our baby food jars cannot be heated.)
Step by Step
- Place the meal in the freezer before the use by date.
- Remove the meal from the freezer.
- Heat the meal as normal in the oven or microwave, following the directions on the package.
Important Tip: The time required to heat meals from frozen varies, but 3–5 minutes in the microwave is typically sufficient. We recommend starting at a lower cook time, removing the dish periodically to stir and heating longer as required.
Through these two methods, Nurture Life’s freshly made meals become super easy meals to freeze and reheat. Whichever reheating method you choose, be sure to eat the meals within 90 days of freezing!
Some of Our Favorite Freezer Tips and Tricks
Running out of room between bags of veggies and pints of frozen yogurt? You don’t have to buy a commercial-grade freezer to solve the problem! With a few smart kitchen organization hacks, you can use your freezer more intentionally—meaning less food waste, easier meal prep and enough room for Nurture Life meals if you need it.
Here are four easy freezer tips to make better use of your space.
1. Freeze in portions.
Take some time upfront to freeze more mindfully, and you’ll never have to battle giant blocks of icy food again!
- Fresh fruit: Lay fruit pieces in a single layer on a tray. Let them fully freeze before bagging so that a few pieces can be added to healthy breakfast smoothies without all clumping together.
- Broth or stock: Use popsicle molds or bento-style containers to freeze small portions of soups and other liquids. Once they’re frozen solid, place into a zip-top bag.
- Fresh veggies: Chop your favorite kid-friendly veggies, blanch them to preserve flavor and freeze them on a tray before bagging.
- Bread: Before freezing a loaf of bread, place parchment paper between slices so that they stay easy to pull apart.
- Herbs and spices: Chop fresh herbs and spices and then freeze them by the teaspoon in an ice cube tray before bagging.
2. Store flat.
Once you’ve bagged your pre-portioned frozen foods, flatten the bags as much as possible and stack them horizontally on your freezer shelves. You’ll probably fit way more than you imagined!
With the ability to stack so many bags, you may even wonder, “Can a freezer be overloaded?” The answer is yes—but don’t worry about it too much. A full freezer actually helps keep food cold, and you only need to leave a small amount of space for air to circulate.
3. Remove air.
Exposure to oxygen creates the brownish-gray tint and acrid taste of freezer-burnt food. While mild freezer burn doesn’t affect food safety, it definitely impacts flavor, color and texture.
Squeeze out as much air as possible from zip-top bags. For extra protection, wrap meats tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing them into an airtight container.
4. Label your food.
One of the most common reasons for freezer overload is the tendency to “freeze it and forget it.” Labeling is a great way to avoid this issue and can be done with masking tape and a permanent marker. Write what each dish is and its date of freezing, and you’ll turn a chaotic freezer into a well-organized collection of easy meals to freeze and reheat.
Fortunately, when it comes to Nurture Life meals, you won’t have to think about these freezer tips! All of the meals on our weekly menus come pre-portioned, tightly sealed and clearly labeled. No additional prep, packaging or portioning required.
We take food safety seriously, from our ingredient sourcing and meal preparation to our recommendations on how to freeze meals for babies, toddlers and kids. If you have any questions about freezing and reheating Nurture Life meals, please reach out to us at support@nurturelife.com.
