12 More {organized} Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
They are FINALLY here! After much trial and error, I have some new slow cooker-freezer meal recipes for you all! I realize that the cold weather is slowly leaving us, but I assure you, these recipes are still good to have even during those warmer months.
The recipes shared below are for 9 different meals. A few of those meals can be split between two freezer bags because the recipe will make about 6-8 servings. So for us, these recipes make at least 12 meals. The serving size the for meals are 3-4.
I spent $98 for the ingredients of these meals, that's including things like Dijon mustard, red Thai curry paste, and fish sauce. Usually I have these items on hand but with all the trials, I started running out. Anyway, that averages out to about $8/meal and $2/serving. Not too bad if you ask me.
Why did this call for some many trials? Apparently, last time I had some serious beginners luck! I realize now why the post was so popular. There are tons of freezer meals out there but very few of them are any good. So I pulled tons of recipes, tried them out, and ate quite a lot of disappointing meals. But after four trials, I think we're finally ready with some good ones!
Nervously preparing attempt four. Please excuse the inappropriate apron text.
The last time, the majority of the recipes were split between two bags. You can definitely do the same here, even with the recipes that do not indicate to split between two bags. You'd just double the recipe and split.
Last time I shared some things that I do to make the process a little more organized, I'll just review them quickly for those that haven't read them before {click here for part 1, part 3, and part 4}.
Step 1: The List
I do one big grocery shop before I make all of these meals. I can't believe how many of you commented about the grocery list! Thank you for all of your kind words. I section my grocery list based on the layout of the grocery store I go to {produce first because it's the first aisle, etc}. I've started going to a new grocery store down the road, it's so much bigger, cheaper, and has so many more options. I miss the Midwest so much when I go to the store. Aisles of condiment options and a produce section that's larger than peppers and onions... Anyway, here is the list for the meals I'm sharing today.
Get the printable document here!
I also add the amount that I will need of each item. This way I won't come home with 1 can of enchilada sauce when I'm supposed to have 2. Most of the items, such as spices and condiments, we already have but I included them on this list just for you. Buying in bulk from places like Costco, Sam's, BJ's, can really help save $$ as well. We ended up purchasing a bag of onions instead of 5 individual ones, which helped us save. However, for this fourth attempt, we ended up buying the butternut squash already prepared. I really couldn't be bothered to tackle yet another butternut squash. We spent a little extra for this, but it was worth it for me!
Step 2: Get Ready!
I said this the last time, and well, it's still true. This process can appear really intimidating and daunting at first. I try to keep it as organized as possible, but it's not a picture perfect kitchen when I'm in there working. There are a few things that can really make this process much easier. I try to get our kitchen as clean as possible, empty the dishwasher and take out the trash. Then I'll organize each meal on our countertop with the ingredients. If you follow me on Instagram you may remember this picture from attempt number 3.
I'll have each freezer bag already labeled with directions so I can easily grab the bag and start filling. I write the meal on the bag, as well as everything listed under the "When ready to eat" portion of the recipe card {includes cook time and what to serve it with}.
In order to accurately time myself for how long it took to put all of these meals together, I used the 30/30 app I talked about last week {again, not sponsored, just a fan}. I added a 10 minute task for each recipe. Some recipes only took me 5 minutes to prepare, a couple took about 12 minutes. All in all, I was able to prepare all recipes in 70 minutes.
Step 3: Throw it in the Bag
I love how quickly all the meals come together. After cutting, chopping, slicing, or whatever, I throw all the ingredients in the bag and mix them up. I do a few things here that to make this easier on myself as well. I use a secret weapon cutting board. This thing definitely tops the list for kitchen gadgets {thank you Kristin!}. It fits over most sinks and has a collapsable strainer attachment. It's perfect. I chop up all the ingredients for one recipe, slide them into the strainer, then dump them in the bag when I'm ready.
I place my bags in a large bowl while filling them. This prevents the bag from falling over and spilling everything everywhere. I've heard that pitchers are really good too. I used our pitcher for attempt 2 and it wasn't quite big enough. Our pitcher is not very big at all. But it definitely made it easy to dump the ingredients and kept any juices or sauces off the seal.
Most recipes call for some kind of liquid or sauce and spices or seasoning. I have found that if I add the spices last, the majority of it gets stuck on the sides of the bag and doesn't mix as well with the meal. So I've started adding the spices before any sauces that way they all mix together better.
Now you're ready to freeze! I fold my bags in half so they'll fit in my slow cooker better once I'm ready to cook them. When I laid them flat the frozen food stuck up so much that I couldn't even close the lid. Sometimes I'll thaw the meal in the refrigerator the night before making it, and that helps to solve this problem. This is not required of any meals, but if your freezer is set up in a way that doesn't allow you fold the bag, then freeze it flat and thaw the meal the night before.
Here are the meals I prepared this time. I tweaked some of the original recipes to make them slow cooker freezer meal friendly, and to make them a little easier to prepare {i.e. instead of fresh corn from the cob, I'd use a can of corn}.
Maple Glazed Beef Ribs with Vegetables
Buffalo Chicken Chili*
Cranberry Mustard Pork
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili*
Mexican Quinoa*
Ginger Peach Chicken
Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Lentil Butternut Squash Curry
Basil Chicken Curry
The meals with the asterisk can be split between two bags. I only split one of them between two bags this time, hence why there are only 10 meals in the picture instead of 12. The recipe will serve at least 4 servings though so if you're a family of 2-3, I would recommend splitting between two bags.
Here is a complete list of all the recipes to print.
**Please remember, I cannot take credit for these recipes. I simply try them out and share them with you all.**
via Cookin' Mimi
via Sweet Anna's
via Hello Natural
via Alida's Kitchen
via Hello Natural
via Rita's Recipes
via Hello Natural
Do not substitute Lite Coconut Milk. I tried that and it really makes the meal watering and less flavorful.
This rice is absolutely amazing and I always serve with this curry. The recipes came together from HalfBakedHarvest.com but I can't very well add it as a freezer meal. So I just thought I'd share it here with you.
Hope you all enjoy! So sorry it took me slow long, but hopefully it's all worth it! 12ish meals for under $100 in 70 minutes.
Anyone have any other great recipes they've discovered or created?
Thanks for visiting!
