I just jumped on the bandwagon and started doing Crock Pot Freezer Meals. Now, I haven't had any of these yet, but if you are brave and would like to experiment like I did, keep reading. I will update this when I have tasted each one, and let ya know if any of these are terrible. But, they all smelled good and have "normal" ingredients, so I am hopeful. Included are any tips that I feel would make this process easier, but be prepared to spend 2 hours in your kitchen. I did one meal at a time to keep my mind focused, which was still quite the task.
All of these recipes contain chicken. Next time I make a bunch of freezer meals, I hope to try it with beef and turkey. I didn't want to get too crazy on my first go around, plus my kitchen is itty bitty.
See??
FIRST write on all of your gallon bags with permanent marker, if you wait it is near impossible to write legibly on the bags....not that I know from experience...I wrote the name of the meal, how long to cook in the crock pot, and any other instructions (serve over rice, add tortilla, etc.)
SECOND thaw meals in the fridge overnight before plopping in slow cooker
THIRD: if you are using a vacuum sealer, be sure it is actually all the way sealed before moving the bag around....I may be speaking from experience. Maybe.
All of these meals cost me roughly $60. I say roughly, because it might be off. Some of these ingredients I had alright, like olive oil, vinegar, sugar, spices, diced tomatoes, etc. At the end I will post a grocery list for all of these recipes, minus spices. Pull out ALL ingredients and put them on your kitchen table, or anywhere else that is easily accessible.
Here we go!
Chicken Chili (10 hours on low):
-3 chicken breasts, whole (I used frozen, but go with whatever is on sale or the best deal, or your preference. It is all going to be frozen anyways, right?)
-1 can of black beans
-1 can of kidney beans
-1 8oz can of tomato sauce
-2 cans of diced tomatoes
-1 packet of taco seasoning
-1 T of cumin
-1 T of chili powder
-1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
-1 onion, chopped (I used yellow....don't think it matters)
-10oz bag of frozen corn (if you are making a bunch of meals, add up how many oz and buy a bigger bag to save money)
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
Chicken Fajitas (5-6 hours on low, serve with tortillas and any other fajita fixin's)
-2 green peppers, sliced
-1 onion, sliced
-3 chicken breasts, sliced
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1 packet of taco seasoning
-1 t of chili powder
-1/2 t of paprika
-1 t of salt
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
Chicken Tortilla Stew (8-10 hours on low)
-3-4 chicken breasts, whole
-1 jar of salsa
-16oz bag of frozen corn
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-1 can of kidney beans
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
After it has cooked all day, add corn tortilla strips (shred by hand) and stir until they're slightly soft.
Cilantro Lime Chicken (8 hours on low, serve over tortillas)
-3 chicken breasts, whole
-juice of 2 limes (or 2 T of lime juice
-1 bunch of cilantro, chopped.
-1 16oz bag of corn
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-1 can black beans
-1 t cumin
-salt and pepper
TIP: if you have a food processor, throwing garlic cloves, cilantro, and onion in together makes it go quicker...and you don't have to try to chop cilantro...
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage. ***Tried this recipe and it is really good!!***
Hawaiian Chicken (6-7 hours on low, serve over rice)
-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 vinegar
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-2 T soy sauce
-1/2 can of pineapple chunks
-1/2 cup pineapple juice (from the can of chunks
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
Teriyaki Chicken (4-6 hours on low, serve with rice)
-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
-1 cup teriyaki sauce
-1 cup water
-2/3 cup brown sugar
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-ginger, sprinkled gingerly...
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
Honey Rosemary Chicken (6-8 hours on low)
-4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
-1/3 cup basalmic vinegar
-1/3 cup honey
-1/3 olive oil
-3 T rosemary
-1 t salt
Dump it all in a gallon bag. Try to get all of the air out if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Freeze flat for easier storage.
Orange Chicken (4-6 hours, low, serve with rice)
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
-2 cups carrots, chopped
-2 cups bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces...
-1 onion, quartered kind of, but maybe smaller...bite size piece...
-1/2 can of pineapple (the other half from the Hawaiian chicken recipe)
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 t salt
-1/2 t pepper
-8 oz orange juice concentrate (the frozen tube kind)
GROCERY LIST(minus spices)
-bags of frozen chicken: I used approx 8lbs of frozen chicken breasts. If you're buying fresh, you'll need 25 chicken breasts. $15 (I bought 3 bags of frozen chicken for $6/bag, but only used 2.5 bags)
-2 limes(I had lime juice in my fridge, $1)
-2 bunches of cilantro ($2)
-42oz corn (~$4)
-Garlic, buy 2 heads of garlic ($3ish)
-3 onions ($1)
-1 red onion ($1)
-teriyaki sauce ($2)
-balsalmic vineger ($2)
-white vinegar ($1)
-olive oil
-6 green peppers ($4)
-1 can of chicken broth ($1)
-1 jar salsa ($2)
-2 cans kidney beans ($1.60)
-2 cans black beans ($1.60
-1 8oz can tomato sauce ($1)
-2 cans diced tomatoes ($2)
-1 bag of baby carrots ($1)
-8oz orange juice, frozen ($1)
-1 bottle soy sauce ($2)
-bag of brown sugar ($2)
-white sugar
-honey
-can of pineapple chunks ($1)
I might have forgotten something, so please double check before heading to the store. This may seem like a lot to spend on 8 meals, but keep in mind you're only using portions of some of these grocery items. If you have left overs and you're not sure you will use it before it goes bad, many things can be frozen. For example, left over chicken broth can be frozen to be used at a later date, same with carrots, soy sauce, teriyaki, and even onions if you bought a ton like I did.
Now, get in that kitchen! Crank the music up, have a dance party with your dogs, and get busy! (maybe I'm the only one that has dance parties with my dogs...is that weird??)
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