Crock pot Meals!


Freezer cooking! Have you heard about this? You spend one day preparing meals for the month to keep in your freezer so you don’t have to think about it later. The meals can either be fully cooked and just need to be warmed or they can be raw & placed into your slow cooker,  all prepped and ready to go when you need them. It saves time, money, and your sanity! I am in school full time, working part time, and still have to maintain my full time mom and wife duties as well. There are some days that I don’t even get home with the kids until 6:30 and bedtime is around 7ish. That does not leave much time to cook dinner (and for some strange reason, my kids want to eat every.single.night!). That’s where the freezer cooking comes into play. All I have to do is pull a bag out of the freezer the night before and place it in the fridge to defrost. The next morning I dump it into the slow cooker and turn it on. That’s it! Dinner (at least the main dish) will be done and ready to serve the minute we walk in the door. (Use the slow cooker liners for super easy clean up too!) How amazing is that?! I loved the idea of it so I started collecting recipes I thought might work for the freezer and that my family would eat. I finally compiled a list of 19 different meals and planned to double each one. Want to make all these recipes for your family? Go HERE for the master shopping list! (I use a 5 qt slow cooker for all of these recipes)
 

First, three reasons I love crockpot freezer meals:

  1. There’s no cooking required ahead of time so they’re super easy to make.  Simply combine the ingredients in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to three months.
  2. They cook for the first time out of the freezer and don’t taste like leftovers at all.
  3. I can save money by buying the ingredients in bulk.
31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Back-to-School
Since I’ve made hundreds of crockpot freezer meals, I decided to compile a list of 31 favorites that would be perfect to eat during the busy back-to-school season.  These are all healthy meals that I feel good serving my family.
If you’re nervous about mixing raw meat and vegetables, don’t be.  I did a lot of research when I was writing my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes present in food (such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds).  That means freezing raw meat with vegetables, sauces, and spices is perfectly safe. (You can find more info on food safety here.)
I’ve tried every single one of these recipes myself and they’re healthy, delicious, and easy to make.  Enjoy!

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Back-to-School

  1. Chicken Curry
  2. Honey Dijon Chicken (from my CROCK’D Slow Cooker Freezer Meals eBook)
  3. Cranberry Pork Roast
  4. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  5. Turkey and Black Bean Chili
  6. Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole (from The Country Cook)
  7. Shredded BBQ Chicken
  8. Meatball Veggie Soup
  9. White Chicken Chili (from Money Saving Mom)
  10. Chicken Fajitas
  11. Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
  12. Beef and Barley Stew (from Live Simply)
  13. Beef Roast and Carrots
  14. Mushroom Spinach Stroganoff
  15. Greens & Beans
  16. Chicken Teriyaki
  17. Cranberry Chicken
  18. Thai Peanut Chicken (from Mommy’s Fabulous Finds)
  19. Turkey, White Bean, and Kale Soup
  20. Stuffed Peppers
  21. Salsa Verde Chicken (only 5 ingredients!)
  22. BBQ Chicken Cornbread Casserole
  23. Sweet and Sour Meatballs (based on this recipe from Once a Month Meals)
  24. Red Pepper Chicken
  25. Ginger-Peach Chicken
  26. Honey Sesame Chicken (from Damn Delicious)
  27. Ham and Potato Soup
  28. Italian Wedding Soup
  29. Southwestern Pork Chili
  30. Cabbage Casserole (one of our favorites)
  31. Hawaiian Pork Chops
If you’re motivated to prep and freeze all 31 at once, here are the printer-friendly recipes and a full grocery list: RECIPES & GROCERY LIST 

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