13 Healthy Freezer to Slow Cooker Meals {Great for New Moms!}
About two years ago I shared a post on some freezer meals I'd started making in our slow cooker {check out part 1, part 2, and part 4}. I was shocked at the number of new and expecting moms who commented or reached out to me thanking me for sharing that post. Well ladies, I get it now. I totally get it. Holy hat, cooking while sustaining tiny human life is seriously challenging. It is so easy to fall into bad, unhealthy habits as a new mom, which of course is the last thing you should be doing.
So, today I'm going to share a few new recipes that I've been testing out. Not only are they easy freezer to crock pot meals, they also have a ton of the nutrients new moms need, {especially those who are nursing}. Fair warning, these meals are healthy, and although some of them are seriously delicious, in my humble opinion, a few of them taste about as healthy as they are. Brit and I just added salt, or cheese, or a second scoop of ice cream to our desserts to make up for the healthiness. We're not perfect. NOTE: If you're not a parent, please don't stop reading. These meals are great for anyone trying to get a nutritious meal. If you're not interested in that, then yes, maybe stop reading now.
Just a quick review of some tips and details before I get into the recipes. I picked these particular recipes for their ingredients. For nursing mothers, a diet high in iron, protein, and calcium is recommended. So these recipes contain ingredients such as chicken, lentils, peas, kale, quinoa, and other great sources of nutrients.
Step 1: Grocery List
I've mentioned my method for creating a grocery list before, but if you're new to my blog {welcome!} I section my lists into categories. I try to organize them based on the layout of the grocery store {i.e. if the first aisle of the store is produce, that's the first section on my list}. My lists for freezer meals are slightly different because I'm not really getting day to day items, like milk or coffee. But they're still sectioned off in a way that makes sense for me. {Check out my new method for grocery list shopping here!}
I spent $85 for the 9 recipes. Since some of the recipes are split into 2 meals, there are a total of 13 meals prepared. This totals to $6 per meal, and at approximately 4 servings per meal, it's about $1.50 per serving. This does not include ingredients I already had on hand such a spices and seasonings, which can get really pricey. Now, if your kitchen is completely empty without a scrap for a mouse, your grocery bill will be a little bit higher. If you have a lot of the basics already, you are about to be rich in food without breaking the bank.
Some items to consider buying in bulk before preparing these meals:
Quinoa {I add mine in the day of cooking so it's not necessary to buy for meal prep}
Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Chicken/Vegetable broth
Download a copy of the grocery list of all ingredients for the meals in this post!
Step 2: Get Ready
In order to make this process as smooth as possible, I do a few things in our kitchen to get ready for the 1-2 hours of meal prep. Here is a short list of what I do to get ready:
Make sure LBJ is asleep - Yea this is a new one! I actually prepped all of these meals while Brit was away for work and LBJ was asleep for the night. Not going to lie, I gave myself a silent round of applause when I finished and thought about tattooing "Rock Star" to my forehead. To say I felt accomplished is a bit of an understatement.
Clean the kitchen - Now this does not mean wipe down all the counters and make sure the floor is spotless, because if you're anything like me, your kitchen is about to get all kinds of messy. But creating as much counter space as possible is really helpful. I also take out the trash. You'll be throwing out a lot of cans and scraps of food, you don't want to have a trash can overflowing or have to pause to take it out.
Label the bags - I label each bag before I even begin. On the label I include the name of the recipe, how long to cook, any ingredients that may need to be added before or during cooking, and suggested garnishes or side items.
Get my supplies out - Is it acceptable to have a list within a list? Well, it's about to happen. Here is a list of the supplies I use when prepping:
Peeler
Colander
Knives {I typically use more than one}
Cutting board
Measuring spoons
Freezer bag prop {I place mine in bowls as seen below}
I just had to share this picture of my labeled bag. This is what happens when you prepare meals as a sleep deprived new mom. Somehow "sweet mini" turned into "minter", and notice the confusion on how to spell "smoky"... I still don't think that's right.
Step 3: Throw it in the Bag
There is a slight method to the madness here. I'm not just chucking bits of chopped onion at a freezer bag and hoping for the best. As mentioned above, I use a prop for the bags. A large bowl, pitcher, or even baggy racks {yup, they exist} work well.
{image from previous post}
The order in which you put the ingredients into the bag also matters, slightly. For meals with lots of spices and seasonings, I try to add those ingredients just before adding a liquid ingredient, that way the dry spice doesn't get stuck to the sides of the bag and risk losing out on that additional flavor when transferring to the crock pot.
If your bags are starting to look a little full and like all of the ingredients aren't going to fit, wait to put in the broth. Chicken/Vegetable broth takes up a lot of space and does not have to be frozen with the food. Just add it to the crock pot before cooking.
Before freezing the meals, I fold the bags in half. This not only makes them easier to store in our drawer freezer, it condenses the meal into a shape that will fit perfectly in our slow cooker.
Recipes
Please remember, these are not recipes I've created. I just test out other recipes or alter some regular meals into freezer meals and try them out. Also, all of the recipes say to thaw for 24 hours before cooking. I NEVER remember to do this and typically thaw the night before or 30 minutes before. I've not run into an issue with the food not being cooked fully, if anything I'd worry that it would be over cooked. Just my experience. Enjoy!
Download a printable version of all recipes here!
CHANA MASALA
This recipe was a little bit bland for us, but I think that's because it seemed a bit watered down. Next time I make this I think I'll either half the amount of water, or substitute it for a more flavorful liquid. via
CHICKEN CURRY
We really liked this meal. We also really like Indian food so that helps. But I was shocked at how flavorful this recipe was! Definitely making this one again, and often! Also, this is about 6 servings. Brit and I had seconds and leftovers. I think next time I'll split it into two bags. via
GARDEN VEGGIE SOUP W/ MEATBALLS
I believe Brit described this as "rustic". We both really liked it. I didn't cut my vegetable small enough, which made it more difficult to eat. But overall, big fans! via
VEGETARIAN CHILI
This did not turn out looking anything like the picture from the original post, but it was still really good. Ours wasn't dark red and appeared more like a soup than a chili. I looked at the original post's comments and she says this may be due to the chili powder I used. So maybe yours will be fine, or look like mine. No matter, we still enjoyed it {we added a bunch of cheese to this one ;) } via
SMOKY TURKEY AND SWEET POTATO CHILI
The original recipe called for 1 cup Mexican beer brought to a boil with the tomato paste. I didn't add this to mine. We still really liked this one, but if you're looking for a little more flavor, I'm sure that way is good as well. via
TERIYAKI CHICKEN, QUINOA AND VEGGIES
This one was sooo good! Probably due to the sugar and honey. Little trick when adding honey to a recipe, spray the measuring cup with cooking oil first and the honey will just slide right off the cup without issue! via
TOMATO, KALE AND QUINOA SOUP
You guys, I was able to get Brit to happily eat a vegetarian soup with kale. I think that says it all {we may have doubled our dessert intake for the night though}. We didn't use any where close to 1 lb of kale though, it was more like 1/3 of the bag. via
VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP
Ours wasn't quite the consistency of a soup, so I would probably add another cup of broth the next time. Also, if you've never cut leeks, follow these simple instructions, because they're surprisingly dirty! {you only need to watch the first 1:20 of the video}. via
SMOKY HAM, POTATO, AND CORN CHOWDER
And because everyone deserves a little cheat meal with some bacon every now and then, here's a meal that we love in our house but isn't necessarily considered the "healthiest" of all meals. I typically add a little cornstarch mixed with cold water to this one, just to thicken it up a bit. via
For addition tips, check out this bloggers post, 17 things you need to know about slow cooker freezer meals! Click for part 1, part 2, and part 4!
Thanks for visiting!
