You all know me well now and you will know that I love to bake and give the kids home baked goodness in their lunch boxes.  I don’t usually have time to bake during the week so I spend an hour or so pottering in the kitchen every second weekend doing a big bake up and freezing it.  Typically making one or two batches of muffins, something savoury for the days that we have run out of bread, biscuits and more.  If frozen on the same day as baking it is just as fresh when defrosted.

Today I wanted to share my tips with you on freezer friendly lunch box food ideas.

Tips for Freezer Baking

How to plan freezer baking session

Gather together a few recipes that you would like to bake, remembering to create variety.  I typically bake:

• 1 batches of muffins (makes 12 per batch)
• 1 batch of biscuits (makes approximately 24)
• 1 batch of something savoury
• and/or 1 batch of something sweet – scones, banana bread or another batch of muffins

1. Before you start make sure you have enough freezer containers
2. Gather recipes
3. Write your shopping list and get groceries
4. Read through recipes, this will give you a good indication of what you can bake first.  I usually bake whatever recipe is required longest in the oven first, so then I can prepare the next recipe as it’s baking.  If baking two lots of muffins I will make one batch first, then cookies, clean muffin tin and reuse for 2nd batch.
5. Make sure you have enough cooling racks so that all your baking can completely cool.
6. Pack baking into freezer container the same day it was baked.
7. Place in freezer.
8. Place frozen baked goodies directly into lunchbox, do not defrost.

you don’t need anything fancy, I have made a makeshift tiered cooling rack by placing glasses in between the racks… totally stable of course!

How to store

On the day I make the baked item I place them directly into an airtight container.  I don’t normally use any freezable sheets or freezer bags as I find if using a good quality airtight container you don’t need it, eliminating the extra expense and waste.  Freezing on the same day as baking means that when defrosted they will be just as fresh as the day it was baked.

Best container

An airtight container is best to protect it from freezer burn.  Ideally you want it large enough to fit on the shelf of your freezer and to fit a full batch of muffins or biscuits.  I prefer rectangle or square containers over round, as round containers waste space.  I use:

• Tupperware Freezer containers (which sadly they no longer sell).
• Snapware 10.8 cup 2.5L Rectangular container with flip lid

I purchased my snapware a few years ago from Howards Storage World, however they no longer sell them, I just did some research and see that you can purchase them at:

• World Kitchen
• David Jones, but they don’t have the flip lid
• A good range at Peters of Kensington, but they don’t have the flip lid
• Kitchenware Direct, but they don’t have the flip lid

Other great containers

• Decor Match Ups – I use these for my freezer dinners – airtight and leak-proof.  Available at Big W, Coles, Howards Storage World and other various stores, see full stockist list here.

What containers do you use and can recommend?

Defrosting

I do not defrost any baking before I put it into the lunchbox.  I place it frozen in the lunch boxes that morning.  They are always defrosted by morning tea time.

view above lunchbox idea here.

Tip:  When freezing scones I slice them open, add some margarine, jam and honey, then close back up and freeze.  This way I can grab a scone from the freezer and place directly into the lunchbox already with the jam on.

What to freeze?

Now we are only talking baking here today (not dinners, that’s a whole other blog post!).  I freeze just about everything I bake.  I don’t freeze the balls I make for kids lunch boxes as we tend to eat these quite quickly, therefore they don’t need to be frozen.  View ball recipes here.

Freezer Baking Recipes

Below are some of my favourite go to recipes for freezer baking, plus some reader favourite recipes too. 

What are your favourite freezer baking recipes?

Muffins

• Banana Weet-Bix Muffins
• Pineapple and Coconut Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Apple Muffins
• Honey and Carrot Muffins
• Banana and Date Muffins
• Apple and Sultana Muffins
• Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Lemon Tango Muffins
• Banana & Nutella Muffins
• 3 Ingredient Mini Muffins
• Banana Yoghurt Muffins
• view all my muffin recipes here

lunchbox in picture can be found here, many designs available.

Biscuits

• 100+ cookies from 1 mix – my favourite
• Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cornflake Cookies
• Double choc chip hazelnut cookies
• Milo and Coconut Biscuits
• Banana Choc Chip Cookies
• Freezeable cookie dough, recipe here and oat & choc chip variety here
• Raisin and Oat Biscuits
• Apricot and Coconut Biscuits
• view all my biscuit recipes here

Cakes & Slices

• 1, 1, 1, 1 Cake – perfect pantry ingredients recipe
• Carrot Slice
• Milo Slice
• Chocolate Rough Slice
• No Method Banana Bread
• Banana and Maple Syrup Loaf
• Healthy Apple Cake
• 2 ingredients fruit salad cake
• Apple and custard tea cake

Savoury

• Cheese and Bacon Mini Quiches
• Cheesymite Scrolls
• 2 ingredient scrolls – super easy (plus cheese and bacon, or vegemite)
• Beef and Vegetable Sausage Rolls
• Potato Pinwheels
• Ham and Corn Muffins
• Corn and Bacon Fritters
• Herb and Cheese Scones
• Cheese and Ham Muffins
• Cheesey sausage tarts
• Ham and Zucchini Pikelets
• Cheesy Spikes
• Bacon and Vegetable Slice
• Cheese and Vegemite scrolls – quick and easy

Other sweet treats

• Lemonade Scones
• Chocolate scones
• Pikelets
• Muesli slice
• Cereal slice
• Anzac Bars
• Chewy Muesli Bars – Gluten Free
• Milo Scrolls
• Chocolate Brownies – Dairy and Gluten Free
• Honey LCM Bars – lactose free
• 3 cheese Zucchini Lasagna
• Peanut Butter Rice Bubble Bars
• Pumpkin Scones

Choosing the best lunchbox

Click here to view my guide on choosing the best lunchbox for your child.

Below: Lunch bag is available from here and drink bottle here.