A freezer full of food only helps if you can get a useful portion out of it when you’re hungry. In the first weeks home with a baby, a neatly wrapped burrito or one bowl of soup can be more practical than a beautiful casserole that needs an hour and feeds eight people at once. The same common sense that keeps a busy lunch counter moving works here: cook a dependable batch, divide it before the rush and make the next step obvious. I like a mix of food you can hold and food you can eat from a bowl, with breakfasts and snacks occupying a little space beside the dinners. Put the reheating directions on the container while you still remember which filling is inside and whether it was frozen raw or cooked. Then keep a short inventory where anyone helping with food can find it, because dinner shouldn’t depend on one tired person knowing the layout of the freezer.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Breakfast Burritos
Roast the sweet potato until its edges brown before it goes anywhere near a tortilla. That little bit of drying keeps the burrito filling from turning wet after freezing, especially alongside whole black beans and tender strips of baked egg. Baking the eggs in a thin sheet also makes it easy to give every burrito a similar amount instead of finding the last tortilla has nothing left but beans. Let the fillings stop steaming in shallow containers, chill them promptly and assemble with cold ingredients so moisture doesn’t collect inside the wrapping. A microwave gets a frozen burrito hot through the center, and a short turn in a dry skillet brings back the pleasant, lightly toasted outside.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss sweet potato and poblano with oil, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on sheet pan. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned.
- Reduce oven to 350°F; butter a 9-by-13-inch dish. Whisk eggs, milk, and remaining salt; pour into dish. Bake 14 to 18 minutes until just set and center 160°F. Cut into short strips.
- Spread vegetables and egg strips in shallow containers; refrigerate within 2 hours and chill fully before assembly. Refrigerate beans and cheese too.
- Divide vegetables, eggs, beans, and cheese evenly among tortillas. Fold sides in; roll tightly. Wrap separately; bag and freeze up to 2 months for best quality.
- Unwrap one frozen burrito completely; loosely wrap in damp paper towel. Microwave on microwave-safe plate at 50 percent power 3 minutes; turn and heat at full power in 1-minute intervals to 165°F in center, usually 2 to 4 minutes more.
- Rest 1 minute. For firmer tortilla, toast in dry skillet over medium 1 to 2 minutes per side. Recheck middle if any part feels cool.
Broccoli Ham and Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Tiny broccoli pieces work better than large florets in an egg cup you plan to eat with your fingers. Roast them first, then fold them and the ham into a smooth mixture of eggs and cottage cheese; the finished muffins have a soft custardy center without pockets of watery vegetable filling. A flexible muffin pan makes removal easier, but set it on a firm sheet pan before filling so you aren’t carrying twelve wobbling cups to the oven. Freeze the cooled muffins separately before bagging them, which lets you take out a pair without prying apart a solid block.
Don't lose these recipes! Drop your email and we'll send them to you, so you've got them handy the next time you're planning dinner.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss broccoli with oil on sheet pan; roast 12 to 15 minutes until tender with dry edges. Cool 5 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 350°F; thoroughly butter standard 12-cup muffin pan. Blend eggs, cottage cheese, and pepper smooth; fold in broccoli and ham.
- Divide among wells, about three-quarters full. Bake 20 to 24 minutes until puffed, set, and centers 165°F.
- Rest 5 minutes; loosen edges and lift to rack. Refrigerate in shallow container within 2 hours. Freeze chilled muffins on lined tray until firm; bag up to 2 months.
- For one serving, loosely cover two frozen muffins with damp paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Heat at 50 percent power 1 minute, then full power in 30-second bursts until both centers reach 165°F, usually 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Rest 1 minute before eating; centers can be much hotter than surfaces.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Keep a bag of these cookies where you can reach it without unpacking a stack of dinner containers. Peanut butter and ordinary rolled oats make a sturdy cookie that holds together after thawing, while a modest amount of chocolate gives it a familiar bakery-counter finish without frosting or filling to smear on your fingers. They’re a snack to have alongside whatever else you’re eating, with no special claims attached to the ingredients.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F; parchment-line two sheets. Whisk oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl.
- Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix in dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Divide into 24 mounds, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each; space twelve on each sheet. Gently flatten to 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake one sheet at a time 10 to 12 minutes until edges set and lightly browned. Rest on sheet 5 minutes; transfer to rack.
- Cool completely; freeze in one layer until firm. Pack in freezer container with parchment between layers; freeze up to 2 months for best quality.
- Thaw cookie at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes, or microwave on microwave-safe plate 10 to 15 seconds for softer center. Cool chocolate slightly before eating.
Chicken and Brown Rice Soup
Making the broth from a whole chicken gives you plenty of meat for generous soup portions, and the strained stock has a different depth from a pot built around a spoonful of bouillon. Leeks and parsnips go into the fresh soup after the stock vegetables have been removed. Cook the brown rice separately so it doesn’t steal the liquid you need around the chicken, then divide it among the containers just before adding the soup. The grains will still soften a little in storage, but they won’t spend the entire stock-making time swelling in the pot. Freeze shallow single portions instead of one large tub, because a bowl you can heat while the rest stays frozen is the useful kind of prepared dinner.
Ingredients
Method
- Put chicken, stock water, onion, celery, and bay in 8-quart pot. Gently simmer partly covered 75 to 90 minutes until breast and innermost thigh reach 165°F and meat lifts easily from bones.
- Meanwhile, boil rice and rice water in small saucepan. Cover; cook on low 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered off heat 10 minutes.
- Lift chicken to tray. Strain stock; discard spent vegetables and bay, skim excess fat, and measure 8 cups, adding water if needed. Debone chicken; discard skin and bones and tear meat into small pieces.
- Heat oil in empty soup pot; soften leeks 5 minutes. Add parsnips, carrots, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and measured stock. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables tender.
- Add all chicken and spinach; simmer 3 minutes until chicken reaches 165°F. Taste; add up to remaining salt. Divide rice among eight shallow freezer containers; add equal soup.
- Cool promptly; refrigerate within 2 hours and chill fully. Cover with expansion space; freeze up to 3 months for best quality.
- Loosen one frozen portion into saucepan with 2 tablespoons water. Cover over low until liquid releases; break apart, stir frequently, and fully simmer until all chicken reaches 165°F, usually 15 to 25 minutes.
Baked Beef Empanadas
These baked beef empanadas feature an easy-to-make dough that is stuffed with a delicious and flavorful beef filling! Perfectly hand-sized, they are great for a casual family dinner with a Mexican-flavored theme!
Recipe and photo: Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love (bakeitwithlove.com)
Get the full recipe at Bake It With Love.
Turkey and Corn Freezer Enchiladas
Roasted red peppers give this enchilada sauce body before a spoonful of ancho chile adds its gentle earthy flavor. The turkey filling stays loose enough to roll neatly, with corn and crumbled cheese distributed through the meat rather than piled onto one end of each tortilla. Warm the tortillas before filling so they bend without cracking, then pack the cooked enchiladas in pairs with sauce underneath and over the top. That extra coating matters in the freezer, where an exposed tortilla edge can dry out long before the filling does. Take the lid off only after the centers are hot if you want the cheese to firm slightly in the oven.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 450°F. Roast peppers cut-side down on sheet pan 25 to 30 minutes until softened and blistered. Cover in bowl 10 minutes; peel and blend with passata and broth.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in saucepan; cook garlic, ancho powder, and cumin 30 seconds. Add pepper puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt; simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Heat remaining oil in skillet; soften onion 5 minutes. Add turkey and remaining salt; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking finely, to 165°F. Fold in corn and queso fresco off heat.
- Reduce oven to 375°F. Microwave tortillas under damp paper towel 30 to 45 seconds until flexible. Spread 1 cup sauce in 9-by-13-inch dish.
- Divide filling among tortillas; roll and place seam-side down in dish. Cover with remaining sauce and Jack; bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and 165°F inside.
- Divide among six shallow freezer containers, two enchiladas with sauce each. Refrigerate within 2 hours; chill fully, cover, and freeze up to 2 months.
- Loosely cover one frozen portion in microwave-safe container. Heat at 50 percent power 4 minutes; gently separate if possible. Heat at full power in 1-minute intervals until both centers reach 165°F, usually 3 to 5 minutes more. Rest 2 minutes.
Homemade Chili
This homemade chili is so incredibly delicious and loaded with flavor that you will want to get rid of every other chili recipe you have! It is packed with beef, beans, vegetables, and a made-from-scratch seasoning blend that makes this dish truly special.
Recipe and photo: Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love (bakeitwithlove.com)
Get the full recipe at Bake It With Love.
Pork Meatballs in Apple-Onion Gravy
Grated apple and oats keep these pork meatballs tender without turning them into a sweet dish. Bake all twenty-four together while the onions soften for the gravy, then let the cooked meatballs sit briefly in the sauce so the two parts taste connected. The gravy goes into the freezer containers with the meat, giving you something to loosen and stir as each portion heats. Pack four meatballs per serving rather than freezing the entire pan, and you won’t have to thaw dinner for six just to get a small bowl onto the table.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 400°F; oil rimmed sheet. Gently mix pork, oats, apple, egg, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper just until combined.
- Shape 24 equal meatballs; space on sheet. Bake 20 to 24 minutes until browned and centers 160°F.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in wide saucepan over medium. Add onions and remaining salt; cook 15 to 18 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden.
- Stir in flour 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth and juice; simmer 6 to 8 minutes until lightly thickened. Add mustard.
- Add cooked meatballs; gently simmer 3 minutes. Divide among six shallow containers, four meatballs and equal gravy each. Refrigerate within 2 hours; chill fully.
- Cover; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat one frozen portion with measured reheating water in small covered saucepan over low.
- Turn meatballs and stir gravy as they thaw; gently simmer until every center reaches 165°F, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Add gravy to each bite to keep oats soft.
Butternut Mac and Cheese with Cottage Cheese
Blend the roasted squash with cottage cheese before adding it to the pasta, because a smooth sauce freezes and reheats more evenly than a mixture with dry curds scattered through it. Cheddar goes in off heat, where it can melt gently without turning grainy. This is a soft stovetop macaroni with no crumb topping to lose its crunch in storage. Leave the sauce slightly loose when packing the portions, since the pasta will absorb some moisture as it cools and again as it warms.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a sheet pan. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until very tender.
- Meanwhile, boil macaroni in a large pot according to package time until just tender; drain well.
- Blend warm squash, cottage cheese, 1 1/2 cups milk, mustard, remaining salt, and pepper completely smooth. Pour into empty pasta pot; warm over low 3 to 4 minutes, stirring.
- Remove from heat; stir in cheddar by handfuls until melted. Fold in macaroni; keep sauce loose without reducing.
- Divide among six shallow containers; refrigerate within 2 hours and chill fully. Cover; freeze up to 2 months for best texture.
- Put one frozen portion and measured reheating milk in a microwave-safe bowl under a loose microwave-safe cover. Microwave at 50 percent power 3 minutes. Break apart and stir; heat at full power in 30-second bursts, stirring between, until all reaches 165°F, usually 2 to 4 minutes more.
Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies
Cool the filling before wrapping it in pastry, even if the dough is ready and you’re tempted to get the tray into the oven. Warm gravy melts the butter in the crust and makes the seams harder to seal, which is exactly where a hand pie needs strength. Finely cut chicken, broccoli and corn fit inside these half-moons without large pieces punching through the pastry. Bake the pies before freezing so later you only need to heat the centers and restore the crust. A microwave can handle the middle first, but a few minutes in the oven gives you a much better surface to pick up.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk 4 cups pastry flour with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in cold pastry butter until pea-size pieces remain. Toss in 1/2 cup ice water, adding only enough extra to hold dough when pressed. Divide into three discs; wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, to 165°F. Add broccoli and corn; cook 4 minutes until broccoli softens. Transfer to bowl.
- Melt filling butter in skillet; stir in filling flour 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth and milk; simmer 3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat; add cheddar, pepper, and remaining salt. Fold in chicken and vegetables.
- Spread filling in a shallow dish; promptly refrigerate 30 minutes until cold. Heat oven to 400°F; parchment-line two sheet pans.
- Roll dough on measured rolling flour to 1/8 inch thick. Cut twelve 6-inch rounds, gently rerolling scraps once. Divide all filling over half of each round, leaving 1/2-inch borders.
- Brush borders with a little egg wash; fold into half-moons and firmly fork-crimp seams. Transfer to pans; brush tops with remaining wash and cut one short steam slit each.
- Bake 28 to 32 minutes, rotating pans halfway, until deeply golden and filling reaches 165°F. Cool on racks; refrigerate within 2 hours. Freeze chilled pies separately on a tray; bag up to 2 months.
- Microwave two frozen pies per serving on a microwave-safe plate at 50 percent power 3 minutes, then full power in 30-second bursts until both centers reach 165°F. Crisp in a 375°F oven 6 to 8 minutes; rest 3 minutes.
Berry Banana Yogurt Smoothie Packs
Freeze the yogurt in small dollops alongside the fruit before packing individual portions, so the blender gets several small frozen pieces instead of one hard lump. The finished smoothie is thick enough to feel substantial but still drinkable with the measured milk, and keeping each pack separate means you can blend one breakfast without measuring berries or scraping yogurt from a tub while you’re already hungry.
Ingredients
Method
- Parchment-line two sheet pans. Spoon yogurt into 24 dollops; space banana slices beside them. Freeze 3 to 4 hours until solid.
- Divide frozen yogurt, banana, and berries among six freezer bags: four dollops and 1/2 cup berries each. Flatten, seal, date, and freeze up to 2 months for best quality.
- For one serving, put 3/4 cup refrigerated milk and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a blender; add one entire frozen pack.
- Blend completely smooth, stopping to scrape as needed. If motor struggles, let contents stand 3 to 5 minutes before blending again; do not force.
- Pour into one large glass; drink promptly or refrigerate at 40°F or below up to 24 hours. Keep milk and peanut butter separate from bags until blending.
Peach Almond Overnight Oat Freezer Jars
Leave room above the oats before closing a freezer container, because this mixture expands and a jar filled to the rim has nowhere to go. The oats soak overnight before freezing, giving you a breakfast that only needs a refrigerator thaw later. Small peach pieces distribute more evenly than large frozen wedges, and almond butter mixes into the yogurt instead of sitting as a sticky layer on top. Choose wide-mouth containers labeled for freezer use, and keep the contents below the shoulder if you use glass. Eat the thawed oats cold after a thorough stir; they don’t need to become a hot porridge to be ready.
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk yogurt, milk, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon smooth in a large bowl. Stir in oats and peaches.
- Divide among six wide-mouth, freezer-rated 16-ounce containers, leaving at least 1 inch headspace and staying below glass shoulders.
- Cover; refrigerate at least 8 hours until oats fully soften. Stir portions, replace lids, and freeze up to 2 months for best texture.
- Refrigerate one container 24 hours before eating to thaw completely at 40°F or below. Do not thaw on counter or put frozen glass in hot water.
- Stir well; eat cold from container or spoon into bowl. Keep refrigerated until serving; use within 24 hours of thawing.
Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins
Fold the blueberries in at the end and stop mixing while the batter still looks slightly lumpy, because a smooth overworked batter can bake into a tough muffin. Greek yogurt gives the crumb enough body to hold the berries, and a little oil helps it stay soft after freezing without needing a thick glaze or cream filling. Split a warmed muffin before taking the first bite so you can see whether a pocket of berry juice is still much hotter than the surrounding cake.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 375°F; butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Separately whisk eggs and sugar together, then yogurt, oil, milk, and vanilla. Fold into dry ingredients just until a few flour streaks remain.
- Gently fold in blueberries; divide among twelve wells. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until tops spring back and tester away from berries shows no wet batter.
- Rest in pan 5 minutes; transfer to rack and cool completely. Wrap individually; bag and freeze up to 2 months.
- Thaw wrapped muffin at room temperature 45 to 60 minutes. To warm, unwrap and microwave on microwave-safe plate 15 to 25 seconds; split and rest briefly before eating.
Apple Almond Baked Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Give the steel-cut oats a short simmer before baking so their firm little grains have time to soften instead of stealing all the moisture from the eggs and milk in the oven. Grated apple spreads through the squares without creating wet fruit pockets, and almond butter adds a mellow flavor that works well when the oatmeal is reheated on its own, with no separate sauce to find in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil oats and water in a saucepan. Reduce to low; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mostly absorbed. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F; butter an 8-inch square dish. Whisk cup of milk with eggs, almond butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
- Stir apple and warm, not hot, oats into milk mixture. Spread evenly in dish; bake 35 to 40 minutes until set and center at least 160°F.
- Rest 15 minutes; cut six squares and transfer to shallow containers. Refrigerate within 2 hours; chill fully, wrap separately, and freeze up to 2 months.
- Put frozen square and measured reheating milk in microwave-safe bowl with loose microwave-safe cover. Heat at 50 percent power 2 minutes, then full power in 30-second bursts to 165°F in center, usually 1 to 2 minutes more. Rest 1 minute.
Individual Lamb and White Bean Shepherd’s Pies
Braised lamb shreds give these little shepherd’s pies a different texture from a mince filling, with white beans holding some of the savory cooking liquid underneath the sweet potato. Cook the lamb until a fork separates it easily before filling the dishes, since the final bake only heats and sets the assembled pies. The sweet potato topping should be thick enough to spread without running into the gravy. Portion everything into small freezer-safe baking dishes you can identify and reheat individually, or transfer the cooked pies into microwave-safe containers after chilling. A single pie still needs time to heat through its dense center, so trust the temperature there rather than the first bubbling edge.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 325°F. Season lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a covered oven-safe pot; brown lamb in two batches 3 minutes per side. Lift out.
- Soften leeks and carrots in pot 6 minutes. Stir in flour 1 minute; gradually add broth, scraping bottom. Return lamb with thyme.
- Simmer, cover, and oven-braise 2 to 2 1/2 hours until lamb pulls apart easily. Meanwhile, prick sweet potatoes; bake on sheet pan alongside covered pot 75 to 100 minutes until very soft.
- Lift lamb from gravy; shred into short pieces, discarding hard fat. Simmer gravy uncovered on stove 5 to 10 minutes until thick; fold in lamb and beans.
- Scoop sweet potato flesh; mash with butter, buttermilk, and remaining salt. Raise oven to 400°F. Divide filling among six 2-cup oven-safe dishes; spread equal mash over each.
- Bake 20 minutes until filling bubbles and reaches 165°F. Cool promptly in shallow dishes; refrigerate within 2 hours. Once chilled, cover tightly; freeze in freezer-rated containers up to 3 months.
- Reheat one frozen pie in a microwave-safe container, not frozen oven glass. Add measured water down side; cover loosely. Microwave at 50 percent power 5 minutes, then full power in 1-minute intervals, rotating and checking several central spots until all reach 165°F, usually 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Rest 2 minutes; recheck center before eating. Keep topping over filling during heating to retain moisture.
Chicken Peanut and Red Lentil Stew Dump Bag
Keep the peanut butter out of the raw freezer bag and stir it into the hot stew after the chicken is cooked. That makes it easier to blend smoothly into the tomato-and-lentil broth, where it adds body without needing a separate coconut sauce. The red lentils and sweet potato soften during the long cook, leaving tender shreds of chicken in a thick stew that doesn’t require rice to make a full bowl. Thaw the bag completely in the refrigerator before it goes into the cooker; a frozen block of raw chicken isn’t the starting point for this method. Once dinner is cooked, freeze any portions you won’t eat soon so the large batch becomes several easy meals instead of a pot you keep reheating.
Ingredients
Method
- Label gallon freezer bag with name, date, and reminder to add broth after thawing. Add raw chicken, drained lentils, sweet potato, onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, cumin, and salt. Press out excess air; seal.
- Immediately freeze flat on tray; store up to 3 months for best quality. Keep broth, peanut butter, and lime juice separate from raw bag.
- Thaw bag completely in rimmed dish in refrigerator 24 to 48 hours at 40°F or below. Empty entire bag into 6-quart slow cooker; add measured broth. Do not start with frozen chicken.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until chicken reaches 165°F, lentils soften, and sweet potato breaks easily under spoon.
- Lift chicken to board; shred into short pieces. Whisk peanut butter with ladleful of hot broth in bowl until smooth; return with chicken to cooker.
- Cook on high 15 minutes until evenly hot; add lime juice. Divide into six servings.
- For cooked freezer portions, promptly cool in shallow containers; refrigerate within 2 hours. Chill fully before covering; freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheat one cooked frozen portion with measured reheating water in a small covered saucepan over low. Stir and break apart as it softens; simmer until all reaches 165°F, usually 20 to 30 minutes.
How much to make and how to portion it
Count servings before counting recipes. If two adults expect to use one freezer meal each on ten busy evenings, that’s twenty individual dinner portions, not twenty full casseroles. Add breakfasts and a few snacks separately, and leave space for ordinary groceries you already keep frozen. Start with a smaller mix you know you’ll eat, then increase the recipes that match your household’s appetite and freezer capacity. A tray of muffins doesn’t take the place of a dinner batch, and a large soup portion may be more useful than two tiny containers that both need washing.
Cool cooked food promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours; don’t leave a deep pot on the counter waiting for its center to become cold. Once chilled, divide food by the amount someone will actually eat, wrap it tightly and leave expansion room around liquids. Freeze hand pies, egg muffins and other separate pieces on a tray first so they don’t stick together in the bag. Label each package with its name, date, serving count and whether it contains raw ingredients or a cooked meal. Keep raw dump bags below cooked foods while thawing in the refrigerator, and put them on a rimmed tray in case a seam leaks. A simple list of portions lets helpers choose a meal without opening every container.
Reheating one portion safely from frozen
Use the instructions attached to the specific recipe as your starting point, then check the center with a food thermometer. Microwave power, container depth and the thickness of a frozen block all change the time, so the listed minutes are useful ranges rather than proof that dinner is ready. For cooked leftovers, aim for 165°F throughout, stir soups and sauces thoroughly and check several places in a dense pie or burrito. A lower-power first stage helps the middle thaw before the edges dry out, while a loose microwave-safe cover holds moisture without trapping pressure.
Move food into a container suited to the appliance before heating it. Remove foil and ordinary plastic wrapping before microwaving, and don’t move frozen glass straight into a hot oven unless its manufacturer specifically permits that use. A splash of the measured milk or water helps macaroni, stew and oatmeal loosen as they heat; add it where the recipe directs and stir when the portion becomes soft enough. Let the food stand briefly, then recheck any center that seemed slow to warm. Thaw raw chicken dump bags completely in the refrigerator before slow cooking, because their directions are a cooking method for raw ingredients rather than a shortcut for reheating leftovers. Smoothies and overnight oats are the cold exceptions: keep them refrigerated when thawed and follow their individual serving directions instead of heating them automatically.
