*these are NYC prices, anywhere else I'm sure the bill is a bit cheaper!
Click here for part 2, part 3 {great recipes for nursing moms}, and part 4!
You're probably wondering why an organizing blogger is babbling on about slow cookers. Well, one of my friends received a slow cooker for Christmas this year and asked me to share some of my favorite slow cooker-freezer recipes. So I figured, why stop there? I'll share them with all of you! Along with a few things I do to make the process a bit more simple for me.
Disclaimer: I am in no way domestically talented in the kitchen. I did not create these recipes. I have used these recipes in the past, I really like them and they're super easy.
Ok, let's get started!
Step 1: List
Detailing the shopping list is my least favorite part. A few things make it a little less painful for me, though. One, sectioning the list. I break my list down into sections of what I need, and conveniently, it's how the grocery is laid out, making it easy for me to check things off as I go. Here is an example of my list, feel free to take it and edit it to match the layout of your grocery store {list here or create your our list to match the layout of your grocery store here}.
Also, before going to the store, take stock on what you already have. Usually I make our freezer meals just after a Costco run so we have tons of food in bulk. This time, no Costco, so our bill was a bit higher than usual {$100}, BUT that $100 went toward 14 meals which average about 3-4 servings. So I really can't complain.
Step 2: Get ready!
I would love to pretend that when I do this, it's in a nice, neat, orderly fashion. You know, like all of those cooking shows where they just add the bowl of pre-chopped and pre-measured onions and toss in the spices that are so perfectly separated. It doesn't quite work like that in my kitchen. It actually comes nowhere close to that. But it's not pure chaos either.
This task can appear a little overwhelming when you have loads of ingredients staring at you, and a long list of recipes to put together. In order to make this a little less daunting, I do a couple of things. I pre-label each freezer bag. On the bag, I include the meal name, any instructions for preparing it, and the date I made it. Before starting, you definitely want to make sure you have room in your freezer for all this deliciousness, as well.
Step 3: Throw it in the Bag
This part gets kind of fun. The best part about freezer meals is that the presentation is not an issue. It's actually better if all of the food mixed together. Before tossing food in the bags, I place the bags into two bowls. This helps keep them in place and makes it easier to toss in ingredients without spilling food anywhere. Also, it helps to store the food as you go. That way you don't have chopped onion, pepper, and chicken just sitting on the cutting board waiting until you're ready to load everything in.
Here are the meals I made:
- Pineapple Glazed Ham
- Chicken Curry
- Sweet Teriyaki Chicken
- Creamy Ranch Pork Chops & Potatoes
- Black Bean & Corn Salsa Chicken
- Newlywed Beeftips
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Pepper Steak
**get all recipes here.
I apologize I don't have any pictures of the food after it's been cooked or while preparing it. Taking pictures while prepping and cooking is not something I think I could master, or should even attempt. Kudos to those food bloggers out there. You guys are amazing.
Do you have any delicious recipes that warm your chilly nights? Or tricks to make dinner quick and easy?
Click here for part 2 and part 3 {great recipes for nursing moms}!
I think this is a great idea. Can't wait to try the recipes!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, I hope you like them!
DeleteYou're not alone with the "fold the dern bag" thing..... I learned by experience, too. I DO, however, love Your "frustrated Ice sculpturer" description, though! Made me giggle!
DeleteI am so glad I can share that feeling with someone else! I am sorry that you had to experience it as well, but at least I know I'm not the only one :)
DeleteHi, this may sound silly but what is dry ranch dressing mix, I have searched in our stores here and have been unable to find it anywhere. is there one that can be made from scratch?
DeleteHi Susan, definitely not silly. Once you find it, you will never live without it! {if you're a lover of ranch flavoring}. It's sold in a small packet, and in our grocery store, it is on the top shelf in the condiments aisle {not easy to locate}. Here is a link to product so you can see what you're looking for:
Delete{ https://www.google.com/shopping/product/3400423488366552679?q=ranch+dry+mix&es_sm=91&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.64542518,d.cWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.bHiGZUVJrMs.O&biw=1187&bih=735&tch=1&ech=1&psi=r2ZMU7_4M-qwsATg5YDwCw.1397515952896.3&ei=tmZMU4KWMuaisATa1YDwCQ&ved=0CLEBEKkrMAM }
If you cannot find it, here is a recipe that I found for a homemade version. I've never tried it but it's worth a shot:
{ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dry-ranch-mix/ }
I would like to put this on my pinterest account. I can't find it on here.
DeleteYou should be able to hover over the image with your mouse and see a Pinterest image appear in the upper right hand corner. If you click that, you will be able to pin the image and link to your board.
DeleteI love the way you presented this, listed ingredients and amounts and clear, concise directions! Thank you for sharing this!
DeleteHi! I started out reading your Love Letters post yesterday and today I've sneaked a peek at your other posts...love! The Planning Baby's 1st Birthday one...um, yes please! And this post today brought tears to my eyes because it was so beautiful...lol! I've seen other posts like this, but you break it down into doable pieces without all the frills.
ReplyDeletePS-You're a Cleveland Browns fan?! Yay! My hubby and I just moved to Cleveland a few months ago! It's awfully cold here (I'm from the south) but we love it! He's a huge fan too! Can't wait to tell him! Lol!
Sarah @ www.marriageisnotforwimps.blogspot.com
I'm so glad you're enjoying them, Sarah, thank you! My heart goes out to your husband, it's not easy being a fan. No one can accuse us of being fair weather fans, that's for sure!
DeleteLove the part about folding the Ziploc bag in half before you freeze it so that it fits in the pot. I never would have thought of that, but it makes perfect sense. Looking forward to trying some of these recipes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie!! Yes, I definitely learned from my mistakes on that one. I hope you enjoy!
DeleteIf the meals are being placed in the fridge 24 hours ahead of you cooking them, wouldn't they be thawed out enough to fit in your crock pot???
DeleteAbsolutely! For the three recipes that call for the bag to be removed overnight, there should not be an issue removing the food.
DeleteI have another tip I would like to pass along. I have been doing this forever, but when I showed my sister last year - she thought I was a genius! Whenever I use ziplock bags - it is important not to get any food onto the zipper portion or you will not get a good seal - so here is what I do. I fold down the top 1 inch portion of the bag (zipper portion)(so it is on the outside of the bag). Then I can fill the bag and not have to worry about getting food in the zipper. It even helps in keeping the bag sit up! Hope this works as well for you as it does for me!
DeleteI do the same thing, I put the bag into a blender and fold down the sides, it works perfectly every time!
DeleteI can't wait to try this. Most of the meals I already make in some form already.
DeleteJust found u via Pinterest. A little scared I'm going to be addicted to this blog!! LOL! great post!!
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you, Kat! I'm so flattered you like it :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stefanie. I am so excited to find your site. I just did my first month of freezer meals this week. And I love it! Do you have a copy of your shopping list you would be willing to share? That is a great way to organize the shopping. Thanks. I am looking forward to trying some of your recipies.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, thank you so much! Aren't freezer meals the greatest, especially this time of year. Here is a link to the grocery list for all recipes listed. A lot of the items on the list, you probably have already in your kitchen {flour, sugar}, but this includes everything. I did not include the garnishes for the Tortilla Soup, because I typically buy those the day of. Thanks so much for reading!
DeleteLink to Slow Cooker Grocery List:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByholusdvbGtSVVja3ljU2U1VWc/edit?usp=sharing
Hi Stephanie,
DeleteLove this post! I tried to open the grocery list but couldn't.
Any ideas, maybe you could add it to the post?
Can't wait to try these recipes.
Thanks?
Hi Vicki, thank you for letting me know it wasn't working! I went ahead and added the list into the blog. There is a link listed just before the picture of my written list. Please let me know if it works! Thank you for reading :)
DeleteHi, love this idea. I work 9 hour days and have a half hour commute so things often seem to overcook in my crockpot. Do you think if I left these meals frozen when I put them in the crockpot, they would still taste good after being on low for 10 hours.
ReplyDeleteHello! Wow, that's a long day! You could definitely try it. The slow cooker I have automatically switches to "keep warm" after a certain time but, you could try it with one meal and see how it goes. I want to say that putting it in frozen and then setting it to low would be fine, but I really am not sure. Maybe try it with the Chicken Tortilla Soup, or any other soup recipe out there. Let me know how it goes if you try it! I'm sure plenty of others are in a similar situation. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI use a timer (like you would use for Christmas lights etc) to delay the start time on my crockpot on my long work days. I don't worry too much about food safety since the food is basically thawing in the crock pot before cooking starts.
DeleteLori Engel, Love that idea........I am about to have some crazy days comming my way and this will make it so much easier! Thanks
DeleteUsing a timer is a great idea - but I'd like to also suggest that you try the meals one day when you are home - because most crockpots cook at different temps. Mine cooks really hot, so when something says cook on low for 4-5 hours - I only cook it for a max of 3 hours. Learned that the hard way :(
DeleteMost of the slow cooker freezer meals I've found have a bunch of ingredients I don't like--I'm not the biggest veggie fan--so I feel like leaving them all out lessens the meal. All of these look delicious though! Only one, two tops, veggies in each haha! I'm definitely trying these out.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like them! I love veggies, but Brit is NOT the biggest fan so I have to plan accordingly. Thanks for reading!
DeleteThis is brilliant- I'm going to use this inspiration this weekend and stock my freezer! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, Sarah! I hope you enjoy :)
DeleteHi! Just discovered your blog! I am from Sydney Australia, and it is Autumn here ATM, so not as cold here in winter as it would be for you, but cold nonetheless! ! Thanks for the great recipes! Every winter, I fall in love with my slow cooker! ! And being a single working mum also contributes! ! I can't wait to try your recipes! Sometimes you don't actually know if something will freeze well and you just pray! ! But thank you xxoo
ReplyDeleteSo u do not need to precook the meat !!!
ReplyDeleteUnless the recipe says to precook it, you don't need to. I have precooked meat for other freezer recipes, but not for any of the ones listed here. Amazing, right?!
DeleteThese look great and I definitely want to try them. Maybe I didn't read carefully, but how many does each recipe serve? I am looking to feed a family of 6, so I need to know if I will need to double or triple each recipe, and therefor plan my shopping list accordingly. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! The portions per bag are typically around 3-4 servings. For the recipes that require two bags, you could try putting both bags in the slow cooker to get 6-8 servings. The Pineapple Glazed Ham and Sweet Teriyaki Chicken are the only two listed here that you may need to double the ingredients. Let me know how it goes! I'm sure there are others who are needing to do the same. Thanks for reading!
DeleteThat was my question. I feed 5 and thought the same thing. If I am going to put both in the slow cooker could I just freeze one bag instead of breaking them into 2 bags? Glad I found your blog. I am having surgery on the 31st and was going to pre make meals this weekend. Found a bunch of yours I am going to try. :)
DeleteHi Mommythree :) The only concern I would have with that is fitting them into the slow cooker. I would just make sure that however you freeze it, it will fit into the slow cooker nicely when you cook it. Maybe, you could use your slow cooker as a bowl instead of the bowls that I use in this case. That would ensure the food fits and avoid the "frustrated ice sculpture" routine. I hope that helps. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI was just curious if you could share the PDF you use to make your grocery list. That would be something very handy to have for every grocery trip!
ReplyDeleteWow, Ashley, what a huge oversight on my part! I have added two documents to the blog now just under Step 1. I added one with the sections I use for freezer meal cooking, and another blank one so you can customize it for your grocery. Thank you!
DeleteMay I ask what size bags you find work best?
ReplyDeleteI have only used gallon sized freezer bags when I do it.
DeleteIn some places you can buy gallon sized freezer bags that have a flat pleated bottom that will stand up by itself.
DeleteI love this idea!!! I'm at work today, and I printed out both of your shopping lists-the one with headers for Frozen Food, Meat, Veggies, etc, and also the blank one that you can personalize. I've laminated them, and will use dry erase markers to use them over and over again! Thank you, thank you! There are 4 of us here today that think this is a wonderful idea and can't wait to try out the recipes.
ReplyDeleteNancy, this made me smile! Laminating the list is genius, I love it! Thank you so much for reading :)
DeleteI love this... I am so glad that I found this site. I love the idea of the Laminating and am going to use that... Thanks for giving us the list.... That is the most tedious job for me in the kitchen... Sherry Poole
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry! Isn't Nancy a genius? Laminating is brilliant! I hope you enjoy, and thanks fo reading!
DeleteI love your recipe cards. So cute and very organized. Printables. :)
ReplyDeleteHi there! I recently posted the printables onto the post Organizing Recipes for $1, link here:
Delete{ http://therealisticorganizer.blogspot.com/2014/04/organizing-recipes-for-1.html }
Enjoy!
So glad I found you via Pinterest. My cousin is having back surgery this week and lives alone. I want to fill her freezer so she will have meals readily available while recuperating. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me what size slow cooker you use?
ReplyDeleteOur slow cooker is by Crock-Pot and is 6 quarts. We found it at Costco a few years ago. Definitely a solid purchase! :)
DeleteAwesome, thanks so much! Mine is 5 or 5.5 quarts so this is totally relevant to me, yay!
DeleteThis is absolutely great! Thanks! Now all I need is a slow cooker... :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is bloody brilliant! I think you just saved my marriage :-)
ReplyDeleteWas thinking nearly the same thing. I have a family of 6. I HATE cooking every night. I just get burnt out!
DeleteHow many people does each meal feed? I'm thinking I'm going to have to double....doesn't look like enough.
ReplyDeleteHi there! Each recipe contains about 3-4 servings {depending on how hungry you are}. If you're feeding more than 3 people, I would double it. Meaning, when you prepare the meal, add both frozen bags into the slow cooker. For the recipes that only call for one bag, I'd double those. We only use one bag at a time and sometimes have leftovers. Definitely make sure your slow cooker is deep enough to hold both frozen blocks of food, though. Hope this answers your question! Let me know if I can clarify :)
DeleteGreat time and money-saving recipes that I plan to use again & again. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone sent me this, and I love some of the recipes. I just wish there were none with processed foods. Some of the ones I like have canned soup/packaged ranch dressing... Somehow will try to figure something out. Love the idea of doing this. With summer here, crock pot is used so much, our oven Never goes on in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I am not a #1 fan of canned soups, but I am a fan of easy :) I'm sure you could make your own substitute and it would be perfectly fine. It just takes a little more time.
DeleteTo replace the canned soup, search Pinterest for a recipe called S.O.S. mix and you can also find also recipe to make the ranch mix on Pinterest. I make a few of my own mixes and it's super easy and convenient! I don't like the idea of canned soups either.
DeleteThis is going to sound really dumb nut I don't put the whole ziploc bag in the crock pot right?? How do you remove the frozen food from the bag??
ReplyDeleteRemoving the frozen block of food from the bag is not the simplest task, but it does depend how you store it. One of the shelves in my freezer is grated, freezing the food on that made it near impossible for me to remove it. Food was frozen into folds and not very easy to remove. However, if you store the bag on a flat surface in your freezer, it should only require you to open the bag and flip it inside out over the crock pot. I typically take mine out of the freezer about 30 minutes before I empty it into the crock pot. This makes the transfer a little bit easier. I hope that helps! Let me know if you need more explanation. Thanks for reading!
DeleteDoesnt your recipes call for defrosting in fridge overnight? It would be simple to get food out then. Can you clarify. Are the times on the recipes from frozen or defrost
DeleteThe three recipes that call for defrosting overnight have the correct cook times on them. So if you follow the recipe, you will be just fine. Sometimes with those few recipes, I'll plan to make them on a day that we are going to be gone for longer than usual, so I'll remove 30 minutes before and add an hour to the cook time. I have never found the food to be undercooked in doing this. The recipes listed are all the original recipes with the correct cook times based, I just change things as I need to :) Thanks for reading!
DeleteHi Stefanie, I love your website! Busy mom of 6 here and I have a couple of tips to help. One, freeze flat or folded in half. I use my knife to split the bag perpendicular to the zipper and have no problem slipping the "block(s)" out. Second, I have a stash of dollar store 1 gallon pictures. I line them up and put my gallon zip lock bag down into the picture folding the zipper edges out over the top of the pictures. They hold my bags open and up for loading. They even help keeping a lot of the air out. I will be enjoying your awesome recipes!
DeleteHi Katrina, mother of 6, wow! I can't imagine how busy that keeps you. I love the idea of putting them in gallon pitchers. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteIf your freezer isnt too small u can take an old cookie sheet and put it on the shelf so when u put your bags on the shelf they dont fall in between
DeleteThat's such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing!
DeleteWhen I tried to get frozen food out of a freezer bag I just run it under hot water for a min or two, works like a charm :)
DeleteGreat blog, soo definitely going to try these recipe's
Ginny
I have never seen someone answer ALL questions so thoroughly and politely. Every question I thought of was answered by the time I finished reading the comments. Thank you for the work you put into this!
ReplyDeletehi. thank you for all the work you have done!! I cant wait to try out these recipes! I have a question about the black bean and corn salsa chicken how do you serve it? on rice? taco shells?
ReplyDeleteHi Becky! That's one of my favorite recipes because it is so diverse. I typically serve it with tortilla chips filling the bottom of a bowl, pour the food over the chips, and then garnish. I'm a little odd, I know, but I love any excuse to eat tortilla chips :) I've also prepared it with taco shells and thoroughly enjoyed that. I have never tried it with rice, but now I'm super temped! Thanks for reading!
DeleteI have done freezer meals in the past and seem to get the 'watered down' result. Is there a way to prevent that?
ReplyDeleteSo true! I definitely get that with the Pepper Steak due to the juices from the peppers. I don't mind it too much since I typically serve that one with rice, which absorbs all the juices. I have not tried to reduce the amount of juices through preparation, but if I've made something that I don't want so "watery", I'll just use a slotted spoon to serve it. It doesn't exactly fix the problem, but it does help. I've read that you can remove the lid for the last hour of cooking {leaving slow cooker on high}, to help evaporate and thicken some of the liquids. I have not tried this though, so I'm not sure if it works or alters the flavor in any way.
DeleteI leave the lid off to thicken my stews etc, works brilliantly 😃 & taste isn't impaired, I find it makes it better.
DeleteThat's wonderful! I will definitely have to try that next time. Thanks so much for sharing!
DeleteI love this idea! I have at least an hour commute home every evening, and typically by the time I get home I don't feel like doing anything! This will be great to try! I do have a planning question. I know every grocery store is different so the prices will vary, but can you give me an idea of how much it costs to do these meals?
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie! Love the name ;) I spent $100 at the grocery store here in NYC, to be more exact, I believe it was $97. However, I did have some items already in my kitchen, such as, milk, sugar, flour, and some of the other seasoning. If you have to buy every single ingredient, I would estimate it not being any more than $150 to prepare every meal, max.
DeleteHaha, thanks you're name's great too! :) Thanks for the info! That sounds super affordable! I think I'm going to give it a whirl on my next grocery shopping day!
DeleteI minght have missed something, but it says 14 meals, but i only see 8 recipies listed... Is the shopping list correct for the 8 listed recipies, or are there some missing?
ReplyDeleteThe shopping list is correct for all of the meals, however, two of the recipes only make one bag = one meal {Chicken Teriyaki and Pineapple Glazed Ham}. The other six make recipes need to be separated between two bags. Each bag contains about 3-4 servings. Brit and I can prepare one of the meals and either both have seconds or leftovers for the next day.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteHow many servings do the recipes make? Are these for like a family or for two people? I will have to try your tips. I have been thinking about trying frozen meals. I will also try some of your recipes.
Hi Katie! Each bag has about 3-4 servings. I prepare them for 2 people and we always have plenty for seconds or leftovers. For a family, if you have a large enough slow cooker, I would recommend cooking two bags at the same time. Thanks for reading!
Deleteanother way to save money would be to start with dried beans, rather than canned and homemade seasoning mixes... I cook up a big pot of beans, drain well and then freeze in a big bag and scoop put what is needed for recipes....
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I have a question about the Curry chicken recipe. It says 15-2lb of chicken. What does that mean?
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you serve it over rice?
Hi Vonna! I can totally see your confusion. It actually reads 1.5-2lb of chicken, the font is really small and the dot is barely noticeable. I typically do serve this over jasmine rice. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI lay them flat to freeze so I can "file" them in our deep freeze. I just run them under warm water the morning of and they usually are breakable enough to get in the crockpot.
ReplyDeleteHow long can you freeze these meals?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what temperature your freezer is set to and if you cooked any of the meat before freezing. For most of the recipes here, I wouldn't leave them for any more than 6 months. The Pineapple Glazed Ham should probably be eaten sooner because the recipe calls for the meat to be cooked first, and typically the food will lose some of it's flavor in that case. However, it is not dangerous to store them longer, to my knowledge.
DeleteFor the tortilla soup - do you brown the meat?
ReplyDeleteHi Talia! You do not need to brown the meet for the tortilla soup. It will cook up in the slow cooker. Thanks for reading!
DeleteOh my goodness, thank-you! I have fibromyalgia and depression/anxiety/PTSD. There are so many days when cooking is so difficult that my family suffers with unhealthy meals as a result. I've wanted to try make-ahead cooking, but the idea of devoting a whole day to cooking is daunting, to say the least. I can do 90 minutes!
ReplyDeleteHi Bevin! Wow, you are really going through a lot. I hope these recipes and methods can help in some way. Thanks for reading!
DeleteCould you explain what the letters c & t mean next to the ingredients?
ReplyDeleteHi there! The c=cups, t=teaspoons, T=tablespoons
DeleteThanks for reading!
So you don't cook any of the meat in these meals before freezing them? Do you add the raw meat in with veggies and whatever else or do you freeze the meat and veggies separately?
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! Yup, it's just that easy. Because of how long the cook time is for each recipe, the meat cooks through in the slow cooker. I freeze everything together, unless the recipe specifies to do something different {i.e. Newlywed Beeftips, add broccoli 30 mins before cook time is done}. Thanks so much for reading!
DeleteDo you thaw the meals before putting in crock pot?
ReplyDeleteIf not, could you? It would turn out the same wouldn't it?
Absolutely! You wouldn't need to cook it as long as directed either.
DeleteI DO NOT COOK. i burn everything that i touch!! However i am really looking forward to trying these recipes out. Pray for me!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these great ideas! I will be giving this a try this weekend. We have six in our family, including a teen-aged boy so he eats for 3. This will make life much easier as we dash from work to school activities. I will double several of the recipes. I will check in later and let you know what it cost.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the great ideas and all the quick answers to everyone's questions.
Hi Julie! Definitely let me know how it goes, I'm eager to hear how it works with such a large family. Thanks for the comment and for reading!
DeleteI just want to make sure I understand. The curry chicken for example says to spit between 2 bags. Do I put 1 1.2 T flour in each bag and so on. Or do I mix all of the ingredients then split between the 2 bags
ReplyDeleteHi there! I typically just put 1/2 the ingredients in each bag rather than mixing and splitting, because I always want to make sure I have the same amount of veggies and seasonings in each. I'm sure you could do it either way, just depends on what you prefer. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI did half the ingredients in each bag to make it easier to make sure they were even but what about the recipes that call for liquid to be added while cooking...Is that amount per bag or both bags like the ingredients & should be cut in half? Thanks in advance! Just put these all in the freezer & can't wait to try them!
DeleteHi Kelly! That is such a great question and I really don't know, haha. I typically only prepare one freezer bag at a time {one half of the recipe} since it's just two of us. I can't even remember what I've done for the recipes when asked to add water or liquid before. I think that I have halved it as well and I would guess that is correct, but that is only a guess! If anyone else has some better advice, please share!
DeleteThanks so much for reading, Kelly. So sorry I couldn't answer your question with more confidence!
A friend of mine shared this on Facebook. I'm excited to try it out soon! At first, I thought that you put the freezer bag of food in the crockpot (which I never would've thought you could do, but I know you can buy the liners), but you actually do take it out of the bag and put in the crockpot. Right?
ReplyDeleteHi Ava, for some reason my reply button isn't working so I'm just adding a comment {gonna have to fix that!} Anyway, yes, you take the food out of the bag before cooking it. I have never used the liners before so I can't comment much about them but they definitely sound easy for clean up! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHi .. Joan here (77yo). May I just suggest that you spray (lightly) your slow cooker crock with a little cooking spray and wipe it around and up the sides before placing the food inside. So much easier to clean. Make it a habit with any cooking vessel you use for anything that might stick or burn. If you don't want to spray the item, spray it on a paper towel or napkin and wipe the pot or pan. I've enjoyed your blog, just remembering when I was starting out, there were no crockpots or slow cookers or microwaves or non stick pans back then, and no cooking spray either. Good luck to all of the aspiring cooks herein. It gets easier as time passes. Everything sounds great.
ReplyDeleteHi Joan! That's a great tip, thank you so much for sharing! I love gaining advice and ideas from readers. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI use slow cooker liners and they make clean up a snap. They are also rather inexpensive.
DeleteWow...new to this whole pin interest thing on survival and saw these ideas! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thank you! I can't get the "pre-label' link to work. I would love to be able to use your same details (what you serve each dish with). Could you please direct me to this information? I apologize if you've already addressed this.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! The "pre-label" is not actually a working link, although the colors match my link colors, I used to just use the bold pink for emphasis. Obviously, very confusing, but don't worry, you're not missing any information! I just use whatever the recipe calls for, except the Curry, typically I'll serve that with some jasmine rice. Enjoy the meals and thanks for reading!
DeleteJust did this in Fairbanks, Alaska and spent 162 (that's with some extra staples ie milk, eggs etc... added in and the bags). Not too shabby! Thank you for putting this together, it helped to have a list already compiled, I'm not organized at all (even when I try to be lol) so thank you, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm happy this helped, thanks for reading!
DeleteIs there a good substitute for sweet potatoes in the Curry Chicken recipe? The one thing I don't eat. I can't wait to try your recipes!
ReplyDeleteI used russet potatoes one time and it was still really good. Is it all potatoes you don't eat or just sweet? I'd be willing to test a few substitutions for you, the curry is one of my favorites! Thanks so much for reading :)
DeleteJust sweet potatoes. I wasn't sure if it would lose the flavor with regular potatoes. I can't wait to try them all.
DeleteThank-you so much for this! I looked every where on pintrest for freezer meal ideas! Yours did not only sound good (most of the freezer meals out there sound down right nasty) but you also listed everything so nicely and it was so easy to follow! I was able to put together 10 freezer meals in preparation for my son's arrival. I had him the following morning! and we have been loving on these meals since! So happy to not be living off pizza and pb&js! Didnt realize how time consuming being a mommy could be.. very glad to have thought ahead! Just put the chicken tortilla in the crock pot for tonight.. wasn't sure whether or not to brown the ground turkey first. I didn't so I hope it cooks through! lol
ReplyDeleteThank-you again!
Hi Shauna! First and foremost, congrats!! I hope you're enjoying every moment with your new baby boy! I'm so glad you like the recipes and are feeling at ease when it comes to meal time. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Also, no need to brown the meat for that one, it will definitely cook through in the crock pot. Have a great one!
DeleteOn the chicken tortilla soup it calls for ground turkey? is that correct?
ReplyDeleteYup, mistake on my part. I typed into the recipe what I use, instead of what it is. I always just use ground turkey, but you can use shredded chicken {add chicken to the bags and shred it once it's cooked}, or ground beef as well. It will all cook through in the amount of time allotted.
DeleteIn the Newlywed Beeftips, is the french onion soup canned or a dry mix?
ReplyDeleteHi Becky! I have only used the soup and not the dry mix. I'd be interested to see how the dry mix turns out though.
DeleteThanks for reading!
What are the portion sizes?
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question, I actually am not sure. I know that for each bag, our household of two gets a good meal, with either seconds or leftovers. But I don't know what the recommended portion sizes would be. On each recipe card I list the original website that I pulled the recipe from. They probably have better information than I do. Sorry for the horrible response!
DeleteDo you cook your ham slices ahead of time? U see it is noted as fully cooked on the recipe. Preparing these tomorrow! 2 weeks until I'm due and finally have an extra freezer! I'm giddy!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I'm so sorry I'm just seeing this! I did cook the ham ahead of time. I actually had ham left over from another dinner that I used so it was super easy. Congratulations on your new addition!! {baby and freezer :)}
DeleteThank you for reading!
xo Stef
I'm very impressed! You are an inspiration to me.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! Thank you so much, that just made my day :) Enjoy!
DeleteI made this last week and we absolutely LOVE every recipe we've tried! Thank you so much for your hard work. I appreciate how well this is organized. Have you done any more? Also, where did you get your recipe template? I'm looking on pinterest to find more crockpot meals (none of the other websites are as thorough as yours). With the other websites there are many that I just like one or two recipes from, so I'd like to write the details down on the same recipe template. If I like how they turn out, I may make them at the same time as I make your meals (so I have a whole month done in one day..and I can buy chicken breasts in bulk and save on cost!) If you've had more success with freezer meals and/or budgeting groceries PLEASE let me know! You are fabulous!
ReplyDeleteTabitha, you have made my day! You are so sweet! I am so glad you liked everything. I always felt the same as you when looking at other sites, I just liked one or two recipes. I'm so happy you enjoyed these. I have done a few more, but I haven't shared them yet. I plan to do that soon :) The recipe template is something that I created, you can get them here: http://therealisticorganizer.blogspot.com/2014/04/organizing-recipes-for-1.html
DeleteI have only done a couple other posts related to meal prep and budgeting {which you can find under the Organizing tab, in the Kitchen Organization section}. I feel super inspired to do more now though! Thank you for your kind words and thanks for reading!!
xo Stef
Thank you! :)
DeleteSo this might sound silly but do you put the meals in your slow cooker in the bags?? Do they need to be thawed out and taken out of the bag?
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa-Marie! Not a silly question at all, I take the meals out of the bags before cooking them. Sometimes I'll place the meal in the refrigerator the night before, but sometimes I forget. So I'll set the bag out for about 30 minutes before I place it in the slow cooker. This is not always necessary, it just makes it a little bit easier. Thanks so much for reading, and definitely let me know if you have other questions.
Deletexo Stef
These look great! So exciting! I do have one question though- I must be missing something! I see that it says 14 meals but I am only seeing 8. Am I missing the others somewher?
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! Don't worry, you're not missing anything. Some of the recipes are split between two bags. Each bag contains about 3-4 servings. I have never made more than one bag at a time because one is always more than enough for us. So each bag is a meal, totaling 14 meals. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have other questions.
Deletexo Stef
Can any meal be done like this? I'm not much of the cook, and this pre made and freeze is something I would like to do more because my family situation is about to change. How would I go about turning any slow cooker meal into freeze before meal?
ReplyDeleteHi Chelsea! I actually have been testing this out a little and plan to share more on my results very soon. I can say that not all meals are able to convert into freezer meals. A lot of it depends on the level of liquids or juices produced in the foods that are added. Anything without enough liquid dries up much easier. If you remain at home while the meal cooks, you could adjust the cook time to possibly make this less likely, but I have not had the chance to test this theory out yet :) I promise I will post on some updates soon. Thanks so much for reading, let me know how it goes if you test out any recipes!
Deletexo Stef
I haven't read all the comments, has it been addressed that the Chicken Tortilla soup actually uses turkey??
ReplyDeleteHi there! Haha yes it has, that's a little error on my part. I always substitute with ground turkey, but chicken works just as well. I guess I got a little distracted when I was writing up the recipe. Ground turkey, ground chicken, or just chicken breast {shredded after cooking}, would all be delicious! :)
DeleteEnjoy!
Great post! I have a LOT of dried beans I`ve saved from my garden... Can you use dried beans in your recipes where it calls for canned, as they`re going in the slow cooker anyway? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! I have never used dried beans but some other people have and say they've had great results! So I'd throw them in and save some $$ :) Thanks for reading!
DeleteSo the pork chop recipe gets divided into two bags?
ReplyDeleteYup! Apologies for not making that more clear in the directions!
DeleteOh. No wonder that bag was so strangely full compared to the other meals. :\
DeleteDo I need to cook the meat first? Ready to prepare the meals.
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin - only the ham needs to be cooked first. For all of the other recipes, the meat will fully cook during cook time.
DeleteIn the Chicken Tortilla Soup, do you rinse and drain the black and pinto beans, or dump the entire can right from opening? Most recipes call for you to rinse and drain the beans. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi there! I usually rinse and drain mine just out of habit. But I know some people make it without draining. I don't think it alters the taste or recipe too much if you don't drain it. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHello Stefanie my name is Ozge and I am from Turkey, now living in America, last Sunday I made your crockpot meals. I just wanted thank you so much that you saved my life and my time :) you explained and made it so clear that I started to share your crockpot recipes with everyone I know! And such a perfect organization of the grocery list! it is very organized list! thank you ! thank you! thank you! I am wondering if you have any list for already cooked and prepared lunches in the plastic containers! Because I've been looking for recipes and grocery list for it and can't find the good one with the grocery list! I can't stop thanking you how amazing things you are doing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful comment!! Thank you so much, Ozge! You have put a huge smile on my face and made me day, made my week actually! So glad you enjoyed them :) Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kind words!
DeleteHi - I'd like to make these.
ReplyDeleteCan you explain what you mean by slitting the ingredients into two bags and then mixing together before freezing?
Hi Kellie! What I do is just split each ingredient in half, so where it calls for one can of black beans, for example, I'll add half to one bag and the other half to the second. Then before putting the bags in the freezer, I seal them and just squeeze them a bit to mix up the ingredients. This last part isn't absolutely necessary, I just like to do it, especially for those recipes that call for herbs and spices, so that everything gets mixed around well.
DeleteLet me know if you have more questions. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you for setting up all these directions (although there was some confusion in the directions with the pork chop recipe). I don't know if anyone will see this comment but the meals we've tried so far were for the most part not that good. :\ I prepared and cooked everything as directed. The chicken tortilla soup was watery, the beef tips were watery and under seasoned, the pepper steak was chewy and under seasoned, the salsa chicken was good. The teriyaki chicken was way overcooked and inedible. I didn't see any other reviews that mentioned many negatives which is why I purchased and made all these meals. We still have a few to go so I'm hopeful they will be better.
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany - I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy the meals. The recipes are all pulled from other bloggers, I just put together a method for preparing the meals. Maybe check out the original blogger's page and see if there is any additional feedback regarding the issues you were having, I provided a link to each site in the recipe. They may have addressed it there, or suggested changes to make. Sometimes when I make a soup in my slow cooker it gets watery as well. Try removing the lid for 30 minutes while continuing to cook. That can help.
DeleteThanks for reading!
xo Stef
I found you on Pinterest and I am LOVING your whole blog! Especially this post! I love how organized and easy everything is to find! I am new to blogging and would LOVE if you would take a look at my site or give me any tips and pointers. I live in a small town in Oklahoma and haven't been able to gain many followers outside of our town. My email is mmjohnson42614@yahoo.com and my blog is JMWLife.com. Thank you so much for writing you are AWESOME! I can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog on pinterest, of course. Instead of reading the bazillion comments, I decided to just cvomment myself. I apologize if this question has been asked. Whatt do you serve with your meals
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to try some new recipes for my crew. Quick question though. Do potatoes freeze well? Someone told me that they get a grainy feel and taste unless you precook them. I have made several freezer meals, but have always avoided the potato until time to cook in the crockpot. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteSo am I reading this right the pepper steak, taco soup, & beef tips are the only three you don't thaw before cooking?
ReplyDeleteYes, that is according to the original recipes. I forget to thaw mine most of the time though and have never had a problem with the food being undercooked. Thawing the food does help when transferring it into the slow cooker though.
DeleteThanks for reading!