Crockpot Freezer Cooking 101

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I thought I would give a run-down of exactly what I do when I prepare my Crockpot Freezer Meals.  I really enjoy doing this because it saves me time and money, two things of which I always seem to be in need!  There's nothing like having 10 meals done in 3 hours!

A couple things to note here:

• I make double of each recipe so that I have 10 total meals that serve a family of 4 normally.  So 1 bag equals 1 meal for 2 adults and 2 children normally.
• I always taste the meal once it is cooked fully in the crockpot and add more seasonings as needed.  Seasoning is a personal preference.
• I defrost the bag slightly and then put the frozen chunk into the crockpot and set it for 8 hours on low while I am working.  My crockpot automatically goes to warm after that.  I've never had any issues with food drying out.
• I also recommend getting Mama and Baby Love's e-cookbook. It has 20 great recipes and includes printable labels for your bags! Love her stuff!! Click here to get it.

1.  I choose my recipes.  Here is what I'm using this week:

Week of May 11^th, 2012 Freezer Plan

Hawaiian ChickenSandwiches

6-8 Chicken Breasts (1 for each family member, doubled)

2 cups of chicken broth

2 small cans of pineapple rings

2 red bell peppers sliced into thin strips

1large onion sliced into strips

Provolone cheese

Whole wheat buns or lettuce wraps

Directions:  Divide all contents evenly into two bags except cheese and buns/lettuce.  Cook onlow for 8 hours.  Serve chicken toppedwith pepper and onions under melted provolone cheese on a bun or lettuce warp.

Savory Pepper Steak

3 pounds of roundsteak but into ½ inch thick strips.

½ cup flour

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large onion chopped

a few garlic cloves—Ilike to put 4-5 crushed into each bag

1 green pepperssliced

1 red peper sliced

2  16oz cans of tomatoes—I prefer Italian style

2 tbsp beef bouillon

4 tsp ofWorcestershire sauce

2 tbsp of steakseasoning

2 tbsp of steak sauce

Directions:  Toss steak strips in mixture of flour, saltand pepper.  Mix together beef boullion,Worcestershire sauce, and steak sauce and divide evenly into two bags.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve with rice and a side salad.

Scalloped Potatoes andHam

12 new potatoes and cut into ¼ inch round slices or a large bag of frozen potatoes

2 cans of cream ofyour choice—I used potato

2 cans of water

2 ham steaks, cubed--we used turkey ham

8 oz cheddar cheese

4 cups of broccoli

salt and pepper

Directions:  Divide everything evenly into two containers.  Cook on low for 8 hours.
*EDIT* People have mentioed the potatoes turing black if frozen.  Mine didn't do that, but just to be safe, either use frozen potatoes or add potatoes the day of cooking.

Salsa Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts

2   15 oz. cans of black beans

1 family size frozenbag of corn

2 cans of dicedtomatoes and green chilies

1 jar of salsa

1 packet of tacoseasoning

2 cups of cheddarcheese

Directions:  Divide everything except cheese evenly intotwo bags.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over rice or on corn tortillas withrice as a side.

Chicken Curry

6-8chicken breasts

2cans of cream of chicken soup

1cup of dry cooking sherry

½cup of butter

8green onions chopped

4tsp of curry powder

saltand pepper

Directions: Divide everything except butter into two bags evenly.  Add butter to crockpot when ready to cook.  Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice with a side salad.

2. I prep my grocery list split into categories and go shopping:

Grocery List

 

Produce:

3 red bell peppers

1 green bell pepper

2 large onions

Lettuce wraps*

Garlic

12 new potatoes

Broccoli

Bunch of green onions

Meats:

18-24 chicken breasts

3 lbs round steak

2 ham steaks

Frozen:

1 family sized bag of corn

Canned:

2 small cans of pineapple rings

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 jar of salsa

2 cans of cream of your choice

2 cans of cream of chicken

2   15oz cans of blackbeans

Dairy:

Provolone Cheese

4 cups cheddar cheese

Bakery:

Whole wheat buns*

Staples/Spices:
Salt

Pepper

Flour

Beef bouillon

Worcestershire sauce

Steak Sauce

Steak Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

Cooking Sherry

Butter

Curry powder

Rice

Salad Supplies

*Buy only lettuce wraps or buns, based on your sandwich preferences.

3. I label my freezer bags with date, name, and directions.

4. I cut my veggies and place into bags.  Any meats that need to be browned I prep at this time as well.  Sometimes I do this step on a separate day, depending on how much time I have.  Make sure to wash your veggies!

5. I add seasoning and canned ingredients.

6. I trim and tenderize my meats and add to bags.  A tip here is to always cut meats against the grain!  Makes for a much more tender cut.  Also, make sure you don't leave all your meats out for an extended period of time.  I prep one meat at a time, then stick it in the freezer as soon as I'm done with that one.  Make sure to wash your cutting board and knives between meats to avoid cross-contamination!

7.  Store in freezer and clean up!

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