This set of 10 clean instant pot freezer meals is awesome! Includes free printables (including freezer labels and a grocery list) and instructions to prep the meals yourself. Includes chicken and beef recipes for pressure cooking.

the cleaner, healthier instant pot freezer meal boot camp 3 hours 10 clean-eating meals.

From the time that I first published the Original Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp, I have had an absolute ton of requests for different types of meal plans. I get them constantly - everything from meal plans that suit larger/smaller families to diet-specific plans (like Low Carb, Gluten-Free, etc.). I've focused mainly on general meal plans that can be modified as needed up until now - the original Instant Pot freezer meals, mini, and premium meal plans aren't really diet-specific (just focused on good, cost-effective, wholesome food that's easy to prep). But, starting today, I'm going to be releasing a series of boot camp plans that satisfy some of those requests I've gotten over the past year! (I'll talk a little bit more other plans and their estimated release dates at the end of this post.)

Welcome to a clean(er), health(ier) Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp! With this meal prep session, I wanted to focus more on wholesome, nutritious ingredients and recipes that included less processed foods than some of my other meal plans have included. With these recipes, I tried to keep calorie and fat content in the back of my mind - I didn't necessarily want something that was focused as a low-calorie or low-fat plan (just yet), but a nice side effect of using lots of fresh produce and unprocessed ingredients is a decrease in fat/calories. As a matter of fact, I can attribute a lot of the (almost) 10 pound weight loss I've seen over the past 6 weeks to use of this boot camp and its meals!

And, let me tell you - I didn't miss the junk at all. These recipes are out-of-this-world and don't lack at all in flavor. I think that's one of the big misconceptions of eating cleaner - you don't have to starve yourself or deprive yourself. It's just about changing a mindset! These meals are something that both the adults and kids in our family ate (I am no short order cook), and everybody loved them. If you don't think your family can eat cleaner, give this one a try - you might be surprised!

Now, I used the terms clean(er) and health(ier) in the title for a reason - I am 100% sure that someone out there is going to come across this post and be totally aghast that I used some of the ingredients I did. I did use a limited amount of canned ingredients (like tomatoes and beans) and a little bit of dairy - don't flog me, clean eating police. Sometimes, you have to weigh convenience and practicality of recipes. If you want to use 100% fresh ingredients and cut out certain elements, by all means, go for it! Most everything in these recipes can be substituted with very little change in the recipe (and you're always welcome to ask about something in the comments if you're unsure).

ingredients for a freezer meal session on a kitchen island.

If you're wanting to change to a cleaner lifestyle, but are limited on time and energy to make a home-cooked meal each night, read on - I think I have the post for you!

Now, if you've read any other boot camp posts, the wording in this is probably going to look familiar. That's on purpose. I want each of my boot camp plans to follow a similar format so the user is accustomed to a familiar prep process...that makes it easier to follow in the long run. I've fine-tuned my meal prep process over the past 10ish freezer meal sessions...I'm starting to get pretty good at this! 🙂  I hope my prep process is streamlined and becomes something that everyone participating in Freezer Meal Boot Camps grows to know and love.

freezer meals in containers stacked on a counter.

Let's get started!

Affiliate links used in this post. Read more about my link usage here.

Step 1: Prep your ingredients and supplies.

This is the key to making this process as easy as possible. You don’t need a ton of supplies for this (besides your Instant Pot or an equivalent pressure cooker, obviously…this is a link to my model). The main purchase I’d urge you to make is a set of storage containers that fit into your Instant Pot. This is probably the most important accessory I use for freezer batch prep. With these, you can freeze your meals right in the containers, thaw them just enough to pop them out of the container when you're ready to use, and drop the frozen meal in the Instant Pot to prep!

This set from the Dollar Tree is perfect. These are occasionally available in store, but they are available on the website for shipping to your home or local store if you can't find them. I bought one set of 24 about a year ago and most of them are still going strong. If you don't want to buy these, you can set gallon freezer bags in the containers to kind of shape your meals to fit in the pot while freezing them. If you’re an Amazon shopper that would rather put that Prime membership to good use, this is a similar set that a lot of boot campers love.

If you choose to buy only one set, gallon freezer bags are essential. I would also make sure I had my bag/container labels printed (scroll down for those printables) and cut…be ready to label those as soon as you finish making the meals (before they go in the freezer). I recommend sticking the labels on with packing tape, so make sure there’s a roll of that handy. There’s also a specialty Freezer Tape that’s made for sticking labels onto freezer dishes and has incredible reviews.

One note about freezer space…you need a lot for this. I have a smaller chest freezer (similar size here) that is solely for my freezer meals. It has more than paid for itself over the years! It is totally possible to cut down on the amount of meals you make if you’re short on space. I also just about always do a big freezer clean-out for a week or two before I make these meals to make sure I have enough room for everything.

Summary: Make sure you have:

  1. Instant Pot-shaped containers
  2. Labels (scroll down for printables)
  3. Packing Tape or Freezer Tape
  4. Gallon Freezer Bags (if you choose not to buy Instant Pot-shaped containers)
  5. Freezer space

You might also need…

  1. An extra Instant Pot inner pot insert (so you can still prep dinners even when your other pot is dirty/in the fridge storing something else).
  2. An inner pot lid (helps you use your inner pot as storage after dinner)
  3. An extra Instant Pot sealing ring (food flavors can really soak into the silicone sealing ring that’s tucked in your lid of your pot. I have two rings…one for savory foods and one for sweet. That way, my sweet foods don’t end up tasting funky!)
  4. A small pot for Pot In Pot cooking (see more on that in the notes section below)…I use a cake pan that is the same size as this one and it works great!

Step 2: Make your grocery run.

It is absolutely crucial that, before you start prep, you ensure that every ingredient needed for the freezer meals is in your home. Believe me - I've had days where I didn't have every ingredient and had to make notes of what to add on the meal. It becomes a big mess and isn't recommended.

top of freezer meal boot camp grocery list.

Luckily, I've made that easy for you! The entire grocery list (in its pretty printable form) is available in the printable collection that's just for my newsletter subscribers. It's free to join my newsletter - all I need is your email! Sign up with the form below (or click here if that form isn't showing). Once you sign up, check your email inbox for the access info...the full pack of printables and instructions for this boot camp is just a few spaces down on that page (titled clean-eating).

I am a big fan of using Walmart’s Grocery Pickup service for my bigger trips like this…just order your items online using the grocery list I have in the printable collection and pickup from your local store at no extra charge! It’s incredibly convenient and a great way to organize your groceries to ensure you get everything - my Type A self loves seeing everything in order and in my cart. Click here to get a $10 off coupon for trying it out!

I usually don't have fridge space for all of this, so most of it is organized on my counter. You’re about to prep all of it, so as long as you act somewhat quickly, it shouldn’t go bad. I make a section for non-perishable items, a section for produce, and a section for meats (I did stick those in my fridge while I prepped everything else).

Step 3: Print and cut your labels.

I've also got these printables covered for you! These labels will go on your freezer containers and have every bit of info you'll need for serve day - recommended side item, prep instructions for your Instant Pot, ingredients needed for serve day, cook time, and serving size.

screen shot of printable freezer meal labels.

You can click here to download your labels for this prep session!

After the labels are printed, just cut them out (I love this paper cutter for making the process easier) and have them ready to attach to your containers with packing tape or painter’s tape before you freeze. Don't make the mistake of waiting until after they were frozen to try to attach the labels…it doesn’t work (ask me how I know). The frost makes the tape fall right off. So make sure they’re labeled before they ever go in the freezer.

Step 4: Prep your veggies.

Let's start the actual food prep! The veggie prep always seems to be the most time-consuming part of the prep process, and it's especially true with this session, considering the amount of veggies we're serving. It's a little bit of work, but it will be worth it in the end! You can estimate around an hour for veggie prep with this session.

Something like this Vidalia Chop Wizard (c/o) will make your life so much easier. I've had one for about a year and have used it in almost every meal prep session I've done. It's perfect for making onion/pepper prep easier. I highly recommend it!

Before you start assembling your meals, here's the veggie prep you need to do:

  • Blanch (boil for 2-3 minutes) 1lb red potatoes.
  • Chop 7 onions.
  • Slice 2 onions.
  • Chop 1 bell pepper.
  • Mince 11 tablespoon garlic.
  • Grate 1 tablespoon ginger.
  • Peel and chop 7 sweet potatoes into 1” pieces.
  • Peel and roughly chop 1lb carrots.
  • Dice 2lbs carrots.
  • Halve 1 lime.

As I finish veggie prep, I put it out buffet-style on a kitchen counter. This makes meal assembly a breeze!

Step 5: Prep your meat.

Same process as the veggie prep, but this time, it's important not to cross-contaminate the meat with the veggies or any utensils.

Here's what you need to do:

  • Cook and crumble 2lbs of ground turkey. Put 1lb in one freezer container and 1lb in another.
  • Chop 1lb chuck roast into 1” pieces. (All can go in one freezer container.)
  • Chop 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1” pieces. (All can go in one freezer container.)
  • Chop 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1” pieces. (All can go in one freezer container.)
  • Cook and drain 1lb ground beef. (All can go in one freezer container.)

I usually try to put the prepped meat in another part of the kitchen as the veggies to prevent cross-contamination. I added another little bit of information that I haven't done before into this boot camp - if you'd like, you can go on and put your prepped meats into the freezer containers as you finish it to eliminate the need for an extra dish. I've been doing that for the past few sessions and it's so much easier!

Step 6: Assemble your meals.

The time has come...let's put those meals together! I usually try to put measurements for these in terms of tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, etc., but I've also added the amount of your prepped meat/veggie in the instructions as well. I recommend having your measuring spoons and cups ready though...they help a lot!

Meal 1: Italian Stuffed Zucchini

In your freezer container:

1lb ground turkey, cooked and crumbled (half of the cooked ground turkey)
1 cup chopped onion (1/7 of the chopped onion)
2 tablespoon minced garlic (about ⅕ of the minced garlic)
3oz tomato paste
8oz tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Meal 2: Chuck Roast Chili

In your freezer container:

1lb chuck roast, chopped into 1” pieces (all of the chopped chuck roast)
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup diced onion (⅙ of the remaining chopped onion)
2 tablespoon minced garlic (about a fourth of the remaining minced garlic)
1 can red kidney beans
28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 teaspoon better than bouillon beef

Meal 3: Chicken, Kale, and Sweet Potato Stew

In your freezer container:

1lb diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (all of the diced chicken breasts)
1 cup chopped onion (⅕ of the remaining chopped onion)
2 tablespoon minced garlic (about a fourth of the remaining minced garlic)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground thyme
2 tablespoon better than bouillon chicken

Meal 4: Umami Pot Roast

In your freezer container:

Container 1:
3 lb chuck roast
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon beef better than bouillon
2 tablespoon minced garlic (about a third of the remaining minced garlic)
1 stalk fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves

Container 2:
1lb carrots, roughly chopped (all of the roughly chopped carrots)
1lb red potatoes, blanched (all of the blanched potatoes)
8oz whole baby portabella mushrooms
2 cups sliced onions (all of the sliced onions)

Meal 5: General Tso Chicken

In your freezer container:

1lb chicken thighs, chopped into 1” pieces (all of the chopped chicken thighs)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (all of the minced ginger)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about half of the remaining minced garlic)
3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Meal 6: Avocado Taco Boats

In your freezer container:

1lb ground turkey, cooked and crumbled (all of the remaining ground turkey)
2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped onions (¼ of the remaining chopped onion)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (all of the chopped bell pepper)
juice of 1 lime (from the halved lime)

Meal 7: Carnitas Over Sweet Potato Mash

In your freezer container:

Container 1:
3lb pork butt
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Container 2:
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (all of the remaining chopped sweet potatoes)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder

Meal 8: Split Pea and Ham Soup

In your freezer container:

1 cup chopped onion (⅓ of the remaining chopped onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (half of the remaining minced garlic)
1lb diced carrots (half of the diced carrots)
6oz diced ham
2 tablespoon better than bouillon chicken
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves

Meal 9: Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

In your freezer container:

1lb ground beef, cooked and drained (all of the ground beef)
28oz can crushed tomatoes
3oz tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion (half of the remaining chopped onion)
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon better than bouillon beef

Meal 10: Coconut Chicken Curry

In your freezer container:

1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup chopped onion (all of the remaining chopped onion)
1 cup diced carrots (all of there remaining diced carrots)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (all of there remaining garlic)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken

And guess what...that's it! You now have 10 meals prepped and ready to go for those busy nights when the last thing on your mind is cooking. These meals can all be prepped in your Instant Pot following the instructions in the freezer labels.

screen shot of printable recipe cards.

The recipe cards I make for these meals are always popular...they have every bit of info you need to know about each meal on them. They can definitely be used in place of the labels if needed - they have all of the info from the labels, as well as the ingredients in each meal. Some like the simplicity and ease of reading the labels, some like to have all of the info on each meal with the recipe card - so I like to include both in each pack! You can find those recipe cards in that printable set that I've included in the printable collection - sign up for that here and get access information in your email.

Notes (PLEASE READ!):

A couple of people have asked about the serving sizes of each of these meals.  There isn’t a cut-and-dry number for each one (it really just depends on your family and how big your servings are),but I have tried to estimate the serving size for each meal on both the labels and recipe cards in the printable pack. They are typically either 4-6 or 6-8 servings per meal. My family (2 adults, 2 young kids) usually has a meal or two leftover for the next day.

NPR stands for natural pressure release. That means, instead of immediately releasing the pressure from your Instant Pot after the cooking time is up, give it about 10-15 minutes to release on its own. Then, flip the nozzle and release the pressure (careful though…that’s pressurized steam coming out!)

QR stands for quick release.  That means you release the pressure and open the pot as soon as the cooking time is over.

So, if you’re reading my cooking labels, you’ll often see that the directions look like this: “manual, high pressure, 100 minutes, NPR.” That means you’ll use the manual setting on your pot to put in 100 minutes yourself, then let the pot have a natural pressure release (for about 10 minutes) after the pot beeps when that 100 minute cycle is over.

PIP stands for Pot in Pot cooking. That means you’re cooking two dishes at the same time by stacking a separate pot on top of a trivet in the inner pot.

It’s a great way to cook rice, veggies, or several other different types of side dishes!

pot in pot example, rice in a pot in an instant pot inner liner.

Here’s how I do it: insert the trivet that comes with your instant pot, putting the legs on either side of whatever you’re cooking in the bottom of the pot. Then, put your pot in pot dish (I use a cake pan similar to this one and it works great for the recipes I’ve listed) on top of the trivet and add whatever you’re cooking. Seal the lid and cook away! The cook times for the PIP cooking are all included in my meal labels above.

You will set the same time on your Instant Pot for frozen and non-frozen meals.  So, let’s say there’s a meal or two you decide not to freeze and just store in the fridge for a day or two. Don’t adjust your cooking time! I know that seems kind of weird, but the pressurizing process thaws your frozen meal. The time that it takes your pot to come to pressure will be much longer for frozen meals (I found it to be around 20-25 minutes for a frozen meal, depending on the size of what’s frozen, as opposed to 5-10 minutes usually for a non-frozen dish).

Make sure to stir the ingredients in the freezer container before freezing.  If meats or other dense ingredients are frozen together, they tend to be more difficult to thaw in the pressurizing process, making that process longer and potentially leading to undercooked meat. Nobody wants that!

freezer meal printables on a purple background.

And if you’re loving these posts, you will love my premium Freezer Meal Boot Camp packs! These packs include all of the info you need to prep even more freezer meals, including grocery lists, recipe cards, and labels.

check out the freezer meal boot camp packs - click here!

I'm also hard at work on a series of diet-specific boot camps for my premium collection! These plans will each include 10 meals. At the time of this post, I'm working on...

These dates are tentative, so click here to be updated when these packs are available! I'll also be talking about them more in my Instant Pot Freezer Meal Facebook group.

You can view other Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camps below:

 Happy prepping, everyone!

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29 Comments

  1. Been waiting for this! THANK YOU!! Looks delicious and easy which is right up my alley.

  2. Wow love these recipes! Would i be able to use these in a slow cooker do you think? Pop everything in before work and come home to dinner cooked! 😊

    1. I don't see why not! I would definitely take the temperature of the meat to ensure that it's cooked, but it should work!

  3. Lynn Grundy says:

    Can these recipes be cut in half? If so will cook Time be affected? It’s just me and my hubby so I really don’t want to waste food .

    1. They can! No, it shouldn't affect cook time (though the pot will probably come to pressure faster with a smaller meal).

  4. I eat gluten-free. Any of these work for me?

    1. I'll be 100% honest...I'm not super familiar with a gluten free diet. I will say that this plan has the least amount of carbs/grains of any of my plans so far, so I would definitely think it would be the easiest to adapt.

  5. I anxiously awaiting my email to be able to make these meals! Signed up 2 days ago.

  6. Can these be adapted to a stovetop manual pressure cooker and/or a power pressure cooker xl?

    1. I've never tried them, but I'm sure they can as long as the cooker gets to a similar temperature/pressure level as an Instant Pot!

  7. I have everything ready for assembly. Can't wait to get these into the freezer! Just a quick question about the red potatoes. I am assuming that they are cut into appoximately 2 inch pieces for the blanching process. Am I correct?
    Appreciate your help and thank you for sharing these recipes!

    1. I did around 1-1.5" for those!

  8. I had the Coconut Curry Chicken last night and it was wonderful! A fantastic, easy dish that will become one of my regulars from now on.

  9. I made these last Thursday and we had our first meal today: Italian Stuffed Zucchini. Delicious!!

    I've done the Fall Soups and the Mini IP Freezer Meals and have not been disappointed with a single meal. Super excited about these lower calorie, healthier options. Thank you so much for your work!

    1. So glad you're loving them, Linda! 🙂 Thanks for the sweet words.

  10. If the meals are partly thawed, how should I adjust the cooktime? It would be perfect if I could pop a meal into the IP before I leave for work, and have it ready when I get home.

    And yes, I do realize that this is not recommended due to food safety issues, but I'm not too concerned since it usually takes all day to thaw an entire container, even at room temperature.

    1. I would probably recommend cooking it as soon as it's put in the pot and letting it sit on warm for most of the day. That's going to be safer as far as food safety goes. Either way, you'll set the same cook time whether it's thawed or frozen - it just takes longer to come to pressure if you have a frozen meal in there, making the overall cook time longer.

  11. These look wonderful. I look forward to trying them. I read that adding vegetables ahead of time will make vegetable mush. Your thoughts? Thanks!

    1. I usually don't have a problem as long as you keep the time on the veggies to a minimum (no more than 5-10 minutes). If it's in a soup I will do longer, just because my family likes softer veggies in soups.

  12. Thanks for offering these on your website. I’m excited to try them, especially the coconut chicken curry. Sounds delish! Is there a substitute for the chicken bullion? Can I use chicken stock instead? I’m doing a whole 30 and all the rest of the ingredients are compliant, except that one.

    1. You can absolutely use chicken stock! Just skip the bouillon and use stock in place of the water when making those dishes.

  13. The cleaner healthier IP meals are delicious. We have loved everyone of them. Big hit. Ready to prep these again. Thank you!

    1. I'm so glad to hear that Debbie!

  14. So we're April 2019. Do you have the Whole30/Paleo guides ready? I'd order them right now!

    1. Unfortunately, those were shelved for now. 🙁 After surveying my customers there just wasn't a ton of interest! I've still got them on my list to do eventually, because I know there is a market for them.

  15. There don’t appear to be any peas in the split pea soup. Did I miss them ?

    1. Hi Linda! The peas go in on the day you cook your meal. They aren't in the prep instructions, but they are on the serve day labels you'll print out.