Seriously, that just happened. Recipes at the bottom!!
I know you've seen all of those amazing frozen crockpot meals on Pinterest! Earlier this week I got a wild hair and decided that this weekend it was on like Donkey Kong! I sweet talked one of my best friends into trying out this crazy long list of freezer crockpot meals that I had compiled from the
Six Sister's Stuff website and with a quick trip to the grocery store with their printed grocery lists- we were off! I'm telling you those ladies did a lot of the work for you!
We started our day with a trip to *ahem* 3 grocery stores to get everything we needed. I'm confident that you like in a normal, less rural, town and could get it done in one trip. Since my lovely friend Amy has two boys we decided to each make our own meals but split the work. Plus, with awesome pop music playing in the background what could go wrong??
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| All of our groceries, minus a couple items we forgot! |
First, start out by labeling all of your gallon, freezer bags with what's in them and how long they need to cook. That way, when you pull it out of the freezer you know everything- one stop shop!
Next, get everything prepped and arranged. We may have done this differently and learned from it! There are a couple recipes that ask for browned hamburger (I used turkey) meat and browning ahead of time, plus cutting all veggies and maybe organizing them in "meals" will cut down some prep time! We had everything on the counter and did a "grab and go" kind of method for each meal and while that worked.... we will probably change it up for the next time! All of those groceries can be seriously overwhelming!!
After all of the prep is done, you can start assembling! For us, Amy got the bags ready and dumped in all ingredients I handed to her while I cut the veggies. Most of these recipes are seriously just a dump of all ingredients into a bag- so easy! Assembly line is definitely the best way to go!
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| Be prepared to place multiple garbage cans in range! |
Eh, voila! After a solid 3 hours we made 26 meals, 14 of which are mine! (I forgot to add the last one to the picture!) It really didn't seem like work until the VERY end and I think that a little more prep on our part would have alleviated that completely! I'm confident you could complete all of these in an hour and a half if you do ALL 14 recipes!
Oh, you want recipes?! Why didn't you SAY so?? haha ;) All of these recipes can be found
here and
here. The site says to let them thaw for 24hrs before cooking for best flavor. Oh, and don't forget that they lay flat for better storage!
Recipes!
Black Bean Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (I used turkey!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (we got a Mexian flavor- yum!)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
Directions:
Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-3 1/2 hours.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts
1 (26 oz) jar of chunky vegetable-style spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
Garnish: chopped black olives, shredded Parm cheese
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew cubes
4 carrots, sliced
4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 cans 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 7-10 hours (or HIGH for 5-6 hours).
Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove
from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours
(or HIGH for 4 hours). Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary for
serving.
Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).
Serve with tortillas and toppings such as with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.
Slow Cooker BBQ Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 (16 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and zip closed. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
3 lbs stew meat, cubed
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 (4 oz each) cans mushrooms, with liquid
1/2 cup apple juice
1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 hours.
Serve over rice.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Glazed Ham
Ingredients:
4 thick slices of boneless ham, fully cooked (I cut mine about 3/4" thick)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
Directions:
Mix together brown sugar, pineapple, and mustard in a resealable
gallon-sized freezer bag. Place ham slices inside and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.
Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 (12 oz) jar chili sauce
1 (16-18 oz) jar grape jelly
1 (2 lb) package frozen meatballs
Directions:
In a bowl, combine chili sauce and grape jelly until smooth. Place meatballs in a resealable
gallon-sized freezer bag. Pour in the chili sauce mixture and mix
together in the bag until thoroughly combined. Zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from
freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or
LOW for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or with toothpicks (makes a great
appetizer too!).
Mom's Slow Cooker Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (you could also use ground turkey)
1 onion, diced
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup or chili sauce
1/4 cup water
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans
1 packet chili seasoning mix
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon sugar
Directions:
Brown ground beef with chopped onion.
While they are browning, combine all other ingredients in resealable
gallon-sized freezer bag. When the browned hamburger and onion has
cooled down, add it to the rest of the ingredients in the freezer bag
and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours. Top with shredded cheese and crackers or Frito's corn chips.
Slow Cooker Sweet Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
Directions:
Mix together soy sauce, sugar, garlic salt and chopped onion in a
resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Place chicken breasts inside the
bag and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours.
Serve over rice.
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
3 lb bottom round beef roast
2 (1 oz each) packages dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 cup water
1 (16 oz) jar pepperoncini peppers (can substitute milder, sweeter peppers if desired)
Directions:
Mix together salad dressing mixes, water, and peppers in a resealable
gallon-sized freezer bag. Add the roast and zip the bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 7 hours or LOW for 10-12 hours.
Serve on your favorite kind of buns- or salad!
Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs pork chops, boneless (about 4-6 chops, thick sliced)
6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces
2 (10.75 oz each) cans cream of chicken soup (I used 1 chicken, 1 mushroom)
2 (1 oz each) packages dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the soups, milk, and ranch dressing mixes and
pour into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Combine all other
ingredients together and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Use the extra sauce in the slow cooker as a gravy for the potatoes and the pork chops. Sprinkle with dried parsley if you want.
The last recipe is actually an Advocare recipe that I LOVE! It's seriously clean and healthy :)
Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce (No Sugar Added)
½ cup salsa
1 package Low Sodium Taco Seasoning or 3 -4 TBSP Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour remaining ingredients on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low
for 6 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve over lettuce for a Tex-Mex inspired salad using the extra juice as a dressing or creating your
own using some olive oil, lemon/lime juice, and taco seasoning.
Burrito or Salad Topping Suggestions: Black Beans (rinsed and drained), tomatoes, lettuce, black
olives, salsa, avocado (make an avocado spread by mashing the avocado with some lemon juice)
There you have it! 14 slow cooker recipes for your freezer and more importantly, more time with your family and less stressing about "what's for dinner"! Check me out on Not Just a Housewife's Blog,
here!
Until next time...
