7 more freezer to crock pot recipes

The first attempt at bulk buy and freezer-to-crock-pot meals was a huge hit in our house. I spent another day of recipe research and list writing before our next big grocery trip. This time, I got husband involved! He did most of the prep chopping, while I did the mixing. 6 of these recipes are new, 1 is a repeat from the first time around because it was such a hit. Most of the recipes were taken from Kraft's slow cooker website

These recipes serve 4-6 people. Generally I calculate a large portion around 1/4lb of meat.
Dinners:

Savory Chicken
Sweet & Tangy Meatballs
South African BBQ Chicken
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Beef Barley Stew (this is a repeat of last go around, but we loved it so much we wanted more)
Cheesy Chicken and Potatoes
Curry Chicken

Shopping list:
zip freezer bags (find a brand you can trust not to leak. I use freezer bags from Aldi)
Staples: (at least in our house)
brown sugar
soy sauce
onion soup mix (1env)
barley
curry powder
rice
dried parsley
worchestershire
white wine
Veg:
ginger root
4 onions
2 bags baby carrots
1 rib celery (I usually get hearts because they take less prep)
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1lb red potatoes
1 jar minced garlic or 7 gloves fresh garlic minced
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
Cans, jars and condiments:
2 cup chicken broth
29 oz beef broth
10 3/4oz cream of chicken soup
14 1/2 oz diced tomato
2 can stewed tomato
1 jar salsa (mild, med, hot- your choice depending on how hot you like it)
2 med jars grape jelly
1 bottle Catalina dressing
32oz BBQ sauce
8oz chunked pineapple
velveeta or similar easy melt cheese (I use cheese dip found in chip aisle with salsa)
Meats:
12 lbs chicken breast
1 1/2lb stew beef
 Freezer:
1 lg bag of meatballs
1 md bag frozen broccoli


South African BBQ Chicken 
3 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1-1/2 cups Barbecue Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 Tbsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups hot cooked rice

Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice (Crock pot rice: 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, 3 tbs butter, 1 tbs salt. Cook on high 2 hours)


Cheesy Chicken & Potato
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 lb. red potatoes (about 3), very thinly sliced
1 tsp. paprika
2lb chicken breast
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley - (I subbed dried parsley)
When making freezer back add everything but the cheese. Cook 6 hours low. Add cheese and cook high for 5 minutes. Stir melted cheese in.

(sorry its upside down!)
We ran out of chicken.  I put all the ingredients together anyway.
Ready to just add chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup KRAFT Classic CATALINA Dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. grated gingerroot
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1 each green and red pepper, cut into strips
3 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice

Cook low for 6 hours. Serve over rice. For thicker liquid make a roux, add to crock and heat on high for 30 minutes until thickened.


Curry Chicken
2-3/4 lb.chicken breast
1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa
1 onion, chopped
2cTbsp. curry powder

Cook low 8 hours. Serve over rice with steamed vegetables. To take some heat out add sour cream when serving. (for us, this was mild enough that we didnt add sour cream. we also used mild salsa


Beef Barley Stew
2 cup carrot
1.5 lb cubed beef
1 envelope onion soup
29 oz beef broth
14.5 oz diced tomato w/ liquid
2 cup water
1 cup uncooked barley

Cook low 8-10 hours


Sweet & Tangy Meatballs
1 lg bag frozen meatballs
2 md jars grape jelly
20oz BBQ sauce
Cook low for 2-4 hours. Serve over egg noodles with vegetables


Savory Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
2 cans stewed tomatoes
4 tbs white wine
4 cloves minced garlic
1 lg onion
1 c chicken broth
2 tbs salt
*4c frozen broccoli (do not put into freezer bag with rest of ingredients)

Cook low for 8 hours. Add broccoli for last 30 minutes of cooking time

14 dinners and yeast on a diet

Today, the day that we get our grocery money, husband and I went to get shopping.  Not only did we get the usual work lunches and snack but also bought the ingredients to make freezer to crock pot dinners.  I had to make a couple major changes, mostly that I had to switch out turkey breast for chicken.  

We started out trip at Aldi's.  Aldi's is a fantastic store when you are on a tight budget.  A large portion of the groceries are the same as the major brands, just off label.  Some of the savings are passed on due to some of Aldi's cost cutting measures.  You must rent a grocery cart for 25 cents which encourage people to put their own carts back, cutting the need to have an employee gather carts strewn all over the lot.  They neither provide free bag nor bag the groceries for you.  You can bring your own bag, grab an empty box or pay a small free to buy bags, even thermal-freezer bags.  Aldi's does carry your staple groceries but they also have some odds and ends other groceries including pet food, flowers, vitamins and energy drinks.  When husband and I switched to Aldi's our grocery bill was cut almost in half.  We still have to go to a name brand market for out cat supplies because Boo (our 3 year old tuxedo princess) will not eat anything other then Friskies canned food.  She'll turn her nose up, wasting it rather then to lower herself to generics.

14 Dinner:

An extra trip to Price Chopper market was needed to get some of the remaining ingredients for the freezer dinners.  All together, between the two stores, the bill came to just about $90.  The cost per meal is about $6, each meal serving 3 to 4 people making a serving around $2.  As soon as I got home I started by separating what was husband's lunch stuff, what was general groceries and what was for the freezer dinners.  You'll see that I got generic freezer bags.  I dont recommend it!  You will not see the meats because those went right into the fridge.  I started with the poultry recipes, cleaned off my surface, washed up the dishes, then took a break before moving on to the beef recipes.  Just the meal prep too me about 4 hours.  It could have taken less time had I bought different meat but the beef  I bought need some butchering to remove larger pieces of fat.  I suggest that people plan their freezer space ahead better then I did.  We have a fairly small freezer so there was a lot of finagling that needed to be done to get everything in the freezer.  Because I didnt get the best quality of freezer bags I had to stand a couple up in a casserole dish until it was hard frozen.  I made sure to write on the bag in Sharpie not only what it contained but also how long to cook it in the crock pot on what setting and if a side dish was needed.  (You'll notice the large quantity of pot pies.  Husband loves them every day for lunch at work.  And I mean EVERY day at work)

Yeast on a diet:

Last night I had planned on bruchetta and fresh made Italian bread for dinner.  I made a delicious bruchetta with plum tomatoes then started to gather ingredients for Italian bread.  There was no sugar.  Being experimental and knowing that bread in my machine is not expensive, I tried to see if the yeast would eat Splenda.  Apparently, yeast are diet free.  The dough never proofed.  They do say that bruchetta taste better when it has had a chance to sit for a while.  It is still sitting.  I made sure that we picked up sugar today.  Time to go try make Italian bread again, this time giving those little yeast bugs real sugar instead of substitute.

Of course, I had to add a picture of my Boo Radley, my princess.  

Make ahead freezer to crock pot recipes

I'll post all that blah, blah, blah, background stuff another time.  Wanted to get right to my first post.

Between my health and the soon to be sauna-like temperature in my apartment, I wanted to make ahead a bunch of recipes that I could put everything together, freeze, then throw into the crock pot whenever we wanted.  So far, I have collected 7 dinners (each making 2 freezer bags) and 1 breakfast recipe.

Meals: Onion Turkey, Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew, Mediterranean Chicken with Wild Rice, Beef Barely Stew, Teriyaki Chicken, Goulash/Beef Stew, Turkey & Cranberry and Freezer Oatmeal.

Shopping List:

     *meats: Turkey Breast: 6-8 lbs

                 Chicken Breast: 2-3 lbs 

                 Cubed or Stew Beef: 4-5 lbs 

     *veg:    baby carrots: 4 bags (could also use regular carrots.  But this is all about ease)

                 celery: 2 ribs 

                 potatoes: 6 md 

                 sweet potatoes: 2 md

                 onions: 3 md
                 green pepper: 1
                 minced or crushed garlic: lg jar  (again, you can crush yourself but its about ease)
                 lemon juice: 1/2 c fresh squeezed (usually about 2 lemons)

     *seasonings : onion soup mix: 3 envelopes
                          garlic powder
                          paprika
                          celery seed
                          cinnamon
                          nutmeg
                          teriyaki sauce (enough for 1 cup)
                          extra virgin olive oil (enough for 1/4 cup)
                          honey

     *the rest:  stewed tomatoes: 1 (28oz) can
                     sun-dried tomatoes: 1/2 cup
                     diced tomatoes: 1 (14.5 oz) can
                     tomato paste: 2 (6 oz) can/tube
                     chicken broth: 1 cup
                     beef broth: 29oz
                     wild rice blend: 1 cup uncooked
                     barley:  1 cup uncooked
                     rolled oatmeal (not quick oats!): 4 cups
                     canned pineapple: 2 (20oz) cans
                     whole cranberry sauce: 15oz
                     orange juice: 1/2 cup
                     milk (I use soy or almond): 4 cups
                     frozen or canned fruit

     *sides:      egg noodles
                     rice of choice
                     instant stuffing or mashed potatoes

DONT FORGET FREEZER BAGS!


Each recipe makes 2 freezer bag with aprx 2-3 servings.  When prepping, unless it says otherwise, divide ingredients between 2 bags.


Onion Turkey:
4 lbs boneless/skinless turkey breast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope onion soup mix
4 md potatoes peeled & cubed
1 bag of baby carrots
2 ribs of celery peeled & chopped
*Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve over rice or pasta

Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew
4 chicken breasts cut bite size
2 md sweet potatoes peeled & cubed
2 md potatoes peeled & cubed
2 md or 1 bag carrots
1 (28oz) stewed tomato w/ liquid
1 tsp each: paprika, salt, celery seed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg
1 cup chicken broth
*Cook low 6-8 hours.

Mediterranean Chicken w/ Wild Rice
1 lb chicken breast
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
10 cloves (or equivelent) crushed garlic
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato (if using dry, rehydrate first)
2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup EVOO
*mix liquids together before adding to chicken & rice.  Cook low 8 hours

Beef Barley Stew
2 cup carrot
1.5 lb cubed beef
1 envelope onion soup
29 oz beef broth
14.5 oz diced tomato w/ liquid
2 cup water
1 cup uncooked barley
*Cook low 8-10 hours

Teriyaki Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 bag baby carrots
1 md onion chopped large
2 (20oz) cans on pineapple, drained
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup teriyaki
*Cook low 8 hours.  Serve over rice

Goulash/Beef Stew (for the record, I found this recipe online. this isnt the way I make stew)
3 lbs stew beef
1 green pepper, sliced
4 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of chopped garlic
2 (6 oz) can/tube of tomato paste
4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
*Cook 8 hours on low.  Serve over egg noodle with (optional) sour cream

Weeknight Thanksgiving Dinner
6 turkey breasts
15 oz whole cranberry sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup orange juice
salt & pepper to taste
*Cook 6-8 hours on low.  Serve with instant stuffing or potatoes

Freezer Oatmeal
4 cup rolled oatmeal
4 cup "milk"
4 cup water
*Cook in crock pot on low until done to desired softness.  Allow to cool.  Place into single serving containers.  Top with honey, syrup, or frozen or canned fruit.  Freeze.  When serving, microwave until desired temperature.



Full disclosure, I havent made any of these myself at this time.  I also cant claim that they are my recipes.  Some recipes I got online (I'll add links to the sites later) or from the "Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook".