Last night, I got together with a couple of friends to prep some freezer meals for the crockpot. With the new school year upon us, we were feeling the need to have a few meals ready to toss in the crockpot and go.
The hardest part for me was finding healthy recipes. There are a TON of freezer meal recipes on pinterest, and many claim to be "healthy," but I noticed that most were made with Cream of Whatever soup. While I'm not opposed to that from time to time, I wanted the majority of these to be "clean" and not processed foods.
We started with six recipes (though we only prepped five because one of the meals calls for cranberries which aren't available yet). While I would have loved to prep like 40 meals for my freezer, I didn't want to go too much over my weekly grocery budget.
The three of us gathered at Courtney's house and got prepping! It took us less than two hours to do the five meals, and probably would have taken even less time if we didn't talk so much.
On the menu:
Beef Fajitas
Chicken Chili
Chicken Terriyaki
Honey Dijon Pork
Beef Stew
Cranberry-mustard Pork Roast (this one we didn't do)
Recipes:
Crockpot Beef Fajitas -
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1-2 lb boneless beef chuck shoulder roast, fat trimmed
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
PREP
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal,
and lay flat in your
freezer.
COOK
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your
refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into
your crockpot and
cook for 8 hours on low setting or until beef is tender.
3. Shred beef and serve with peppers and onions on tortillas
or rice. (We also top
with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and guacamole.)
Crockpot Chicken Chili
- Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
15oz can of tomato sauce
15oz can of diced tomatoes
15oz can of black beans
15oz can of kidney beans
1 and 2/3 cup frozen corn
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1.5 teaspoons ground oregano
PREP
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your gallon-sized freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the gallon-sized freezer bag as
possible, seal, and lay
flat in your freezer.
COOK
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your
refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of gallon-sized
freezer bag into your
crockpot and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or until
chicken is tender.
3. Shred chicken and return to crockpot.
4. Serve with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips or potatoes.
Crockpot Chicken
Teriyaki - Serves
3-4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
5oz teriyaki sauce
6 oz bag of frozen stir fry vegetables
PREP
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your gallon-sized freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the gallon-sized freezer bag as
possible, seal, and lay
flat in your freezer.
COOK
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your
refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of gallon-sized
freezer bag into your
crockpot and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or until
chicken is tender.
3. Serve with rice.
Crockpot Honey Dijon
Pork and Green Beans - Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound pork sirloins
16oz bag of frozen green beans (you can sub fresh)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 cup water* not needed until day of cooking
PREP
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your gallon-sized freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the gallon-sized freezer bag as
possible, seal, and lay
flat in your freezer.
COOK
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your
refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of gallon-sized
freezer bag into your
crockpot and add water.
3. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or until pork is tender.
4. Serve with rice.
Beef Stew
2 lbs beef stew meat
¼ Cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 onion
1 ½ cups beef broth
3 potatoes
2 large carrots
2 celery stalks
PREP
Cut vegetables
Mix beef broth, Worcestershire, and spices in a bowl.
Add all ingredients to freezer bag
COOK
Thaw in refrigerator
Low 10-12 hours
Cranberry-Mustard Pork Roast – serves 3-4
1.5-2 pounds pork roast (loin, butt, or shoulder)
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
¼ cup orange juice concentrate
½ tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
1 onion, diced
½ tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
Cook Time: 8 to 10 hours on low
Serve with: mashed potatoes and steamed green vegetables or side salad
Shopping List:
(Before you go shopping, definitely check your pantry to see what you already have on-hand. I almost bought potatoes when I already had some...silly me.)
1-2 lbs boneless beef chuck
shoulder roast
2 lbs beef stew meat
(2) 1 lb boneless skinless
chicken breasts
1 lb pork sirloins
1.5-2lb pork roast (loin, butt,
or shoulder)
2 bell peppers – red, orange, or
yellow
4 small yellow onion
2-3 potatoes
2 large carrots
2 celery stalks
5 cloves garlic
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can black beans
15 oz can kidney beans
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire
5 oz Teriyaki sauce
Apple cider vinegar
Honey
Chili powder
Cumin
Oregano
Paprika
Thyme
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Flour
1 ½ cups Beef broth
1 2/3 cup frozen corn
16 oz bag frozen green beans (or
use fresh if you prefer)
16 oz frozen stir fry veggies
1 cup fresh or frozen
cranberries
¼ cup orange juice
I'm already looking forward to our next prep party! I promise to share those recipes too. :)
