I shared my before and after pictures on facebook and several people asked for the recipes, but I couldn't find a good way to just share my word document on FB. So I figured I would just post it here for the world to see. And also so I will be able to personally find and use it again after my laptop finally bites the dust..... probably any day now....
A lot of the recipes were from this blog, and I just simplified her instructions. I strongly suggest looking at the other recipes she has if you want more ideas. They all sound great!
In the beginning, your kitchen will probably look like this:
But by the end, your freezer should look like this:
 |
| The meatballs are not part of any of THESE freezer meals, but they are part of my freezer meal system. Hence why they are included on one of the shelves of honor. |
Not too shabby. :) All instructions and ingredients are below. Good luck!
List of Included Recipes:
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Chicken Fajitas
- Dijon Chicken
- Taco Roast
- BBQ Chicken or Pork
- OVEN Chicken and Broccoli
- Jambalaya
- Taco Soup
Disclaimer: Except for the Jambalaya and Taco Soup, we
have not yet tasted any of these recipes….. So I can’t personally guarantee how
awesome they are, but they all had rave reviews online!
And they are all now in my freezer, so I can provide reviews after the next couple weeks. :)
And they are all now in my freezer, so I can provide reviews after the next couple weeks. :)
Start by labelling each Ziploc freezer
bag (at least 1 gallon size) with the name of the recipe and the included cooking
instructions. Chop and dice all of the chicken, peppers, onions, etc. and then
begin assembling the meals. For each of the below meals, all ingredients should
be thrown together in their Ziploc freezer bag raw (unless something is
specified as COOKED) and then put the
bag in the freezer until ready to cook. Enjoy!
Helpful tips:
- All meals are intended for the crockpot unless it says
otherwise.
- For crockpot cooking times, all crockpots vary slightly but
usually 6-8 hours on low = 3-4 hours on high in my experience.
- With most of the chicken meals, you can either chop the
chicken before adding it to the recipes (which makes them cook faster) OR
throw the chicken breasts into the bag whole (ideal if you buy frozen
chicken breasts; do NOT thaw chicken and then try to refreeze without
cooking it).
- Some of the recipes call for 1 lb. of chicken instead of
specifying how many breasts…. I figured 1 lb. = 2 large chicken breasts or
4-5 smallish ones.
- For the meals with lots of spices and seasonings, we tried to
squish and shake the bag around after sealing it to mix them all together
a little before freezing.
- A full ingredient list can be found at the very end. Ü
Hawaiian Chicken
(4-5 servings)
4 large boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
½ cup white sugar
½ cup vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ can of large pineapple chunks
½ cup of pineapple juice (use
what’s in the can)
Cook in crockpot 4-5 hours on
high or 6-7 hours on low. Serve it over rice and enjoy. While cooking the rice,
you can shred the chicken and put it back in the juice before serving it.
Chicken Fajitas
(5-6 servings)
1½ pound chicken breast
2 peppers (your favorite)
1 onion
½ cup chicken broth
1 taco seasoning packet
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
Cook in crockpot on high for 3-4
hours or low for 5-6 hours. When it’s cooked, shred the meat and add it back to
the pepper mixture and serve on warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Dijon Chicken
(4-5 servings)
2 pounds chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup
water & 1 Tablespoon bouillon)
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves (optional)
½ – 1 tsp thyme (depending on how
much you like thyme)
This can be baked in the oven for
35-40 minutes in the sauce or can be cooked in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on
low.
Taco Roast
1 (2.5 lb.) chuck roast (or
whatever kind of roast you have)
1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black
pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Serve in tortillas or as a
sandwich or on a salad... Cook in crockpot on low 6-8 hours. It might need some
extra seasoning with salt and pepper once the beef is mostly cooked.
BBQ Chicken (or Pork)
4-5 chicken breasts or 1 large
pork roast
20 oz. your favorite BBQ sauce
½ white onion, sliced or diced
Cook in crock pot on high for 3-4
hours. Shred the meat. Put it on a bun and top with crispy bacon slices.
OVEN Chicken and Broccoli
(3-4 servings)
1 pkg frozen broccoli spears
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cups COOKED chicken pieces (or 2-3 cans of precooked chicken)
1 cup mayo
1 tsp. lemon juice
¼ cup grated cheddar
1 cup COOKED rice
Combine all ingredients. Pour in
bag and freeze. When ready to bake, top with ¼-½ cup more grated cheese. Bake
at 350 for 30 minutes.
Jambalaya
(8-10 servings – mix this in a separate big
bowl and then split into 2 freezer bags.
Or halve the recipe if you don’t need it to make that much.)
1 pound chicken breasts - cut
into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey or pork sausage,
sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with
juice
3 Tbsp. dried minced onion flakes
(or ¼ cup diced fresh onion)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or regular
red pepper flakes)
½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
Cook 7-8 hours on Low, or 3-4
hours on High. Serve over cooked rice.
Taco Soup
(8-10 servings – this one will also need to
be mixed in a bowl and then placed in at least 2 bags, or cut the recipe in half)
1 lb. COOKED ground beef
1 large can corn
1 large can diced tomatoes with
juice
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch
powder
1 packet taco seasoning
You can either drain the cans
before adding them or not, it’s your preference. Draining them makes this more
like a chili than a soup. Either way, don’t drain off the juice from the
tomatoes. Cook in crockpot 6-8 hours on low.
Ingredient list:
- 24-30 chicken breasts, depending how large and how much
chicken you want in each meal.
- 1 (2.5 lb.) chuck roast (or whatever kind of roast you have)
- 1 pound smoked turkey or pork sausage, sliced
- 1 large pork roast (unless you choose to do BBQ chicken
instead of pork)
- 1 lb. COOKED
ground beef
- 2 cups COOKED chicken
pieces (or 2-3 cans of precooked chicken)
- 1 cup COOKED rice
- 2 peppers (your favorite)
- 2 large onions
- Lime juice
- Lemon juice
- 6-7 cloves garlic, minced (or a jar of pre-minced garlic)
- 1 pkg frozen broccoli spears
- ½ can of large pineapple chunks
- ½ cup of pineapple juice (use what’s in the can)
- 2½ - 3 cup chicken broth
- 1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
- 2 cans cream of chicken
- 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 large can corn
- 2 cans kidney beans
- 2 cans black beans
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Dijon mustard
- 20 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1 cup mayo
- ½ cup grated cheddar
- Dried minced onion flakes
- 2 taco seasoning packets
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Bay leaves (optional)
- Thyme (optional)
- Cumin
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
- Cajun seasoning
- Cayenne pepper (or regular red pepper flakes)
