*please ignore the publish date. This was posted October 15, 2013, not March 14, 2012*
The thought of never having to ask myself "What's for dinner?" at 4:30 pm has always been a dream of mine.
The thought of never having to ask myself "What's for dinner?" at 4:30 pm has always been a dream of mine.
I have spent the past 2 days making that dream come true (at least for the next 30 days).
I started by compiling a bunch of recipes that I knew froze well. There were some of my own and a few new ones that I found online. I made my grocery list and hit the stores. I spent about $300 to make 30 meals. This is not an exact figure, as I did some of my regular shopping at the same time.
{This was just part of my supplies}
{The end result}
Here is a list of the recipes I used. There are 18. There are now 17 recipes. I had one for Cowboy Casserole. It was a new recipe. We tried it and weren't thrilled. It was so bland, it just needed something. I am going to tinker with the recipe and then maybe repost it.
I doubled a few of them to end up with a total of 30 meals.
I doubled a few of them to end up with a total of 30 meals.
I adjusted some of the recipes to make them sugar free/gluten free, but am posting them as they were originally.
The final directions are the same for all the recipes. I take them out of the freezer the night before cooking. Thaw in the fridge until ready to place in the crockpot.
Cheesy Chicken and Rice
4-6 chicken breast
1 onion, chopped
8 oz. rice, cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can sweet corn
Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
French Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
1 can cranberry sauce
8 oz. French dressing
1 packet onion soup mix
Combine cranberry sauce, dressing and soup mix in the blender. Combine with chicken in freezer bag.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Garlic Beef Stew
1.5 lbs. stew meat
1 yellow onion, diced
3-4 medium carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups green beans
salt and pepper
1 can tomato paste
2-3 cups chicken broth
Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
BBQ Pork Chops
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced onion
1 diced sweet potato
1 Tbsp. honey
4-6 pork chops
Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with rice.
Sloppy Tamale Pie
1.5 lbs ground beef, cooked with diced sweet peppers and onions
1 carrot, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
2 cups sweet corn
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans tomato sauce
Let beef cool to room temperature, then combine with remaining ingredients in freezer bag. Cook on low 6 hours.
Serve with cornbread.
General Tso's Crock Pot Chicken
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cubed
4 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (16oz) bag stir fry veggies
Combine all in freezer bag.
Cook on low 6 hours.
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
12 eggs (mixed well)
1 cup milk
4-6 cups hashbrowns
1 tube breakfast sausage, cooked thoroughly and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Before placing in crockpot, add 2 cups water.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Sweet Asian Meatballs
2lbs. ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients, form into balls, pan fry or bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.
Place in freezer bag.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce.
Black Bean Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef, cooked with 1 onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained
1 bag frozen corn
2 (14oz.) cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Cook on low 6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.
Sausage with Peppers & Onions
1 package Italian Sausage
3 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
Slice sausage into bite size pieces. Place in freezer bag with remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Pesto ranch Chicken
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small jar pesto
1 package ranch dressing mix
chicken broth
Combine chicken, pesto and ranch mix in a freezer bag. When ready to cook, add 1-2 cups chicken broth. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Sauce
2 lbs. ground beef
1 package onion soup mix
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. steak sauce
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Combine above ingredients and form into patties, fry until no longer pink. Place in freezer bag.
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup beef stock
Combine and add when ready to cook.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Creamy Italian Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet Italian seasoning
Mix together cream cheese, soup and seasonings. Place in freezer bag with chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
Crock Pot Island Pork
(makes 3 meals)
6lbs. pork loin, cut into bite size pieces
2 oranges, peeled and cut into pieces
2 (14oz) cans crushed pineapple
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. water
Combine all ingredients, except pork, in blender.
Divide between 3 freezer bags. Add 2 lbs. pork to each bag.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.
Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef, use venison or very lean beef or it will be greasy.
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. ranch dressing mix
salt and pepper.
Mix all ingredients (reserving some tomato sauce).
Form into 2 loaves. Top each loaf with remaining sauce and place in freezer bags. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Chicken Stew
1 lb. chicken breasts, choped
1 can sweet corn
2 cups butter beans
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 white potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cups chicken broth
Combine everything except chicken broth in freezer bag. Add broth when ready to cook. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
Chicken Curry & Cabbage
1.5 lbs. cubed chicken breasts
2 cups milk
2 tsp. curry powder
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1/2 cabbage, chopped
Combine all ingredients, except milk, in a freezer bag.
When ready to cook, add milk. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Chicken Curry & Cabbage
1.5 lbs. cubed chicken breasts
2 cups milk
2 tsp. curry powder
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1/2 cabbage, chopped
Combine all ingredients, except milk, in a freezer bag.
When ready to cook, add milk. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
I had some help when it came to preparing the recipes. Alex cooked the meat that needed to be cooked ahead of time. Niyah washed and chopped veggies and I measured and assembled the meals.
Some tips:
*Label all your freezer bags with cooking instructions ahead of time with a Sharpie
*When freezing, lay your bags flat. They store much better. ( I learned this one after the fact)
* Never place hot food in the bag
*Take meals out of the freezer the night before you want to use them. This gives them ample time to thaw.
*Gather help. I get distracted very easily. I put my older 2 kids to work, but let my youngest watch an ungodly amount of television. If he were any younger, I think I would have gone with a babysitter, to save myself from being interrupted every 5 minutes.
