What if I told you that for just $90, you could stock your freezer with nine hearty, homemade meals that make busy weeknights effortless? That’s exactly what we did with the Hoagland Meat Sampler Box, and now we're sharing the process so you can do the same!
This box is packed with high-quality, locally sourced beef, pork, and chicken—enough to create delicious, ready-to-go freezer dump meals with minimal prep. This blog will walk you through everything—from what’s included in the sampler box to step-by-step meal prep tips, printable labels, and a full recipe lineup. Whether you're new to freezer meals or just looking for ways to make meal planning easier, this guide will help you get started.
Ready to fill your freezer and simplify your weeknights? Let’s dive in!
Ordering Your Sampler Box:
When ordering your Hoagland Meat Sampler Box, you have the flexibility to choose the cuts that best suit your needs. If you’d like to recreate these freezer meals, here’s what we selected for our box:
- 2 lbs Top Sirloin Steak (set of 2)
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 2 lbs Steak Bites
- 2 lbs Pork Tenderloin (set of 2)
- 1 lb Pork Sausage
- 1 lb Pork Bacon
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Breasts
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Legs
Luckily, many of the other ingredients are pantry staples you may already have on hand. To make things easier for you, we’ve done the hard work—putting together the recipes, an ingredient checklist, and printable labels for your gallon-sized freezer Ziploc bags. These labels include cooking and serving instructions, so you can simply grab a meal and get cooking. Plus, all the recipes are linked below to streamline your prep even more!
Preparation:
- Start with the Ingredient Checklist – Use the checklist we’ve provided HERE to easily gather all the ingredients needed to fill your freezer with these delicious meals.
- Print Your Labels – Have the printed labels we've prepared for you to print off HERE ready to tape onto each Ziploc bag. These include cooking and serving instructions, so you’ll know exactly how to prepare your meal and what additional ingredients to add when serving.
- Label Each Bag – Write the date on every bag before placing it in the freezer. These meals will last up to 90 days.
- Double-Bag if Needed – To help prevent freezer burn, consider double-bagging each meal.
- Start Assembling – Once everything is prepped, begin assembling your meals. The dump-and-freeze recipes, where you simply mix the ingredients and place them in the bag, go the fastest and can be done with already-frozen meat.
- Get Cooking! – When you’re ready to enjoy a meal, simply pull a bag from the freezer, follow the instructions, and enjoy a stress-free dinner!
Recipes:
Now that you are ready to get cooking, it's time to dive into the recipes! We’ve divided them into two categories: Dump-and-Freeze Meals, which require no cooking before freezing—just mix the ingredients, place them in a freezer bag, and store for later. When you're ready to cook, simply thaw (if needed) and toss everything into a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or oven. On the other hand, Cook-and-Freeze Meals require some cooking before freezing, such as browning meat or assembling a dish that you’ll freeze and reheat later. All the recipes are linked below for easy access, with full instructions, ingredient lists, and helpful tips!
Dump and Freeze
-
Korean Tacos: Top Sirloin (Set of 2) Total 2 lbs: Let thaw in the fridge overnight, pull and cut into chunks before throwing into an instant pot.
- Stroganoff: 2lb Steak Bites
- Potato Soup: 1 lb Bacon
-
Cilantro Lime Chicken: 2 Chicken Breasts: 1.5 lbs of meat: (over rice or in burritos)
-
BBQ Chicken Legs 1.6 lb Drumsticks
- Honey Apple Pork Tenderloin: 2, 1lb Tenderloins
Cook and Freeze
-
Sloppy Joes: 1lb Ground Beef
-
Hawaiian Meatballs: 1lb Ground Beef; Meatball recipe to freeze: Meatball Recipe
- Breakfast Burritos: 1lb Pork Sausage:
Best Practices:
Can You Prep Freezer Dump Meals with Frozen Meat?
Yes! Many freezer meal prep experts recommend adding frozen meat directly into the freezer bags with marinades and seasonings. However, there are some key things to keep in mind:
✅ Use pre-sliced or cubed meat when possible – If a recipe calls for slicing sirloin steak into strips (like fajitas), use the steak bites, or let thaw and slice into slices before putting into your instant pot or crock pot.
✅ Marinate in the Freezer – While fresh meat absorbs marinades better, freezing the meat with the marinade helps flavors infuse as it thaws during cooking.
✅ Use a Large Freezer Bag – Frozen meat takes up more space than fresh meat in a bag. Using a gallon-sized bag allows room for everything.
✅ Layer Ingredients Properly – Put sauce and seasonings at the bottom, frozen meat on top, and veggies last so they don’t get mushy when thawing.
✅ Label Cooking Instructions Clearly – Customers should know that they can dump the meal straight into a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or oven without pre-thawing.
Cooking:
It took about an hour and a half to prep the first six meals, including chopping everything and putting the ingredients into bags. Adding the printable instructions to the bags didn’t take much longer.
The longer part came when it was time to cook. It took around 4 hours to prepare the meals, so the total time for everything was about 5 ½ hours. But the best part? Filling the freezer with quick, easy meals that make life so much simpler. This method has been a game-changer on busy nights, and it’s great not having to decide what to cook—everything is already prepped and ready to just dump and eat!
In the end, prepping freezer meals with a Hoagland Meat Sampler Box is a time-saving game-changer. With just a bit of upfront effort, you can stock your freezer with a variety of delicious meals that make busy weeknights so much easier. Whether you’re choosing the dump-and-freeze meals for their simplicity or the cook-and-freeze options for a little extra prep, having these meals ready to go means less stress and more time for the things that matter. So, gather your ingredients, get your freezer stocked, and enjoy the convenience of quick, homemade dinners whenever you need them!