GAPS Diet Freezer Meals

What is the GAPS Diet Protocol?

Our family started the GAPS diet immediately following an anaphylactic food reaction for our oldest child. We had previously done an elimination diet and ate only “healthy” foods while trying to identify the cause of stubborn eczema and sleeplessness. Within just a few days, we started to notice improvements in several challenges (that we didn’t even realize were not “normal”!) While the GAPS diet can seem “hard”, living with a chronic illness or condition is also hard. After learning we had the power to help our children heal with food, we committed to the change. 7 years later I am so happy we did! We have continued with the foundations of this diet over the years and have all been healthier and happier as a result. Creating meal plans and having a well-stocked pantry have helped us stay on track.

GAPS Diet Meal Plan

Nourishing recipes, or eating a GAPS diet meal plan does not have to be extraordinarily expensive, even for a large family. Cooking from scratch with a meal plan saves time, money, and allows us to feed our large family on a reasonable budget. While we do spend a good portion of our monthly budget on food, our mindset is that nourishing food is an investment in our current and future health. I once heard someone say, “What we do not spend on healthy food now, we will pay for in medical bills later.” Over the years of eating the GAPS Diet, we have found strategies to stretch our food budget without compromising nutrition.

Most of our family recipes are re-created versions of traditional favorites, using healthier ingredients. Check out a typical 7 day meal plan for our family here.

GAPS Diet Recipes

A change in diet can seem overwhelming at first, but with help of a few GAPS diet recipes the whole family will love, meal times can be simple, easy, and more fun!

So many nutritious and yummy foods are included on the GAPS diet! With higher quality ingredients, these GAPS diet recipes truly seem like those ordered at a high-end gourmet restaurant-no cheap seed oils, skimmed milk, or corn syrup!

Meat stock, soups (this is our favorite chicken soup recipe) vegetables, eggs, fermented dairy, healthy animal fats, fruits, honey, homemade desserts, and fermented veggies comprise much of the GAPS diet. For a full list of foods allowed on the GAPS diet, see this post.

GAPS Diet Freezer Meals

Life is very busy, and even with good intentions, a well-stocked pantry, and recipe lists, we can get overwhelmed. This is where having freezer meals is really important to be successful! Many of the recipes on this blog can be frozen to enjoy later. We often batch cook enormous amounts of food to freeze, both for convenience and because we have a larger family. I also believe in creating good home systems, and a solid meal plan and freezer meals are a big part of our “meal plan system” success. If you have a large family, check out these other large family minimalism tips, too!

GAPS Diet Breakfast Ideas (Make Ahead and Freeze)

These recipes are regular staple breakfast and snacks in our home, easily pulled from the freezer as needed! We do eat these often for breakfast, but our kids also often request any of these for snacks. We portion the kefir and smoothies out into “family size” containers (enough for about a 1 cup serving per child). The children often like to scoop them like ice cream in a semi-frozen state as well.

1. GAPS oven pancakes (bake ahead and freeze in glass containers or ziploc bags after cooled)
2. Blueberry muffins (bake ahead and freeze in glass containers or ziploc bags after cooled)
3. Fermented milk kefir (freeze plain, add honey, or make into smoothies )
4. 3 ingredient kefir or yogurt smoothies (freeze in glass pyrex or freezer safe jars)
5. Probiotic pumpkin pie smoothies (freeze in glass pyrex or freezer safe jars)
6. GAPS Banana pancakes (bake ahead and freeze in glass containers or ziploc bags after cooled)

GAPS Diet Lunch/Dinner Freezer Meals

For quick lunches or dinners on our busy homeschooling days or activity-filled evenings, we rely heavily on these meals! Again, these are listed as lunch/dinner ideas, but we sometimes eat them for breakfast or snacks, whatever we have leftover or who is in the mood for which dish.

1. Chicken soup from scratch – one of our most requested meals by both our children and nieces and nephews.
2. Kefir artichoke dip. We like to eat this fresh and freeze the leftovers in small lunch box size portions.
3. Shredded chicken (boil, bake, or grill ahead; shred and freeze the meat). Add over salad greens, sauté with butter and frozen veggies or scrambled eggs, or whip up this chicken cilantro ranch salad.
4. Gluten-free lentil bread – (freeze the batter in a 9×13 pan and bake fresh). I love serving this as a quick dinner with a honey butter cinnamon drizzle over the top. The kids feel like it is dessert for dinner!
5. Paleo chocolate or vanilla cake – (freeze the batter in a 9×13 pan and bake fresh). This cake recipe has 12 eggs, 3 cups of veggies, 1/2 cup coconut oil (or healthy fat alternative), and 1.5 cups of coconut flour. It is healthier than many conventional dinners children eat (mac n cheese, “fish” sticks, etc) and it feels like dessert for dinner, again! (Note, for strict gaps, coconut flour must be homemade. Our family was able to eat commercially prepared coconut flour from the beginning, but this is not the case for everyone.)

GAPS Diet Freezer Desserts

We often eat mini meals for snacks, or eat what we normally would for a meal as a snack. If you are transitioning to the GAPS protocol or a whole foods diet, starting with sweet treats and desserts can sometimes help a family (especially with younger children) adjust happily. Here are a few favorite staples outside of meals that are good treats and snacks:

1. 3 ingredient lemonade and high mineral herbal tea (made into popsicles)
2. Homemade mint meltaways
3. Healthy mounds bars
4. 3 ingredient chocolate fudge
5. Homemade caramel candy
6. Rhubarb Sorbet
7. Paleo Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (omit coconut flour or make homemade for strict gaps)

I hope you find these meal plans, recipes, and freezer meal ideas tasty and helpful for your family. Please let me know what your favorites are in the comments below.

Resources

Posts

What is the GAPS Diet – An Easier Explanation
GAPS Diet Meal Plan
How to Start an Ancestral Diet (without Overwhelm)
How to Start the GAPS Introduction Diet
GAPS Diet Recipes
How to Make GAPS Diet Meat StockGAP
S Diet Chicken Soup – Intro Stages
GAPS Diet Desserts
Foods Allowed on the GAPS Diet
5 Home Systems That Simplify and Reduce Overwhelm
Large Family Minimalism
How to Make GAPS Diet Pancakes in the Oven
Grain & Sugar-Free Blueberry Muffins
How to Make Milk Kefir
3 Ingredient Fermented Milk Kefir & GAPS Yogurt Smoothies
Healthy Probiotic Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Milk Kefir Artichoke Dip
Paleo Ranch Dip Recipe – Whole30, GAPS, Dairy-free
Gluten-Free Lentil Bread – No Yeast, GAPS Diet
Paleo Chocolate & Vanilla Cake – GAPS Approved
Healthy Lemonade Recipe – No Sugar, 3 Ingredients
Healthy Herbal Tea
Healthy Homemade Mint Meltaways – GAPS, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free
Healthy Homemade Mounds Bars – Paleo, GAPS, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Option
Healthy Fudge Recipe – 3 Ingredients! (GAPS, Paleo, Sugar-Free)
Homemade Caramel Candy (GAPS Diet, Sugar-Free, No Corn Syrup)

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