If I wait another few weeks it will have been a whole year since I have posted. It has been an up and down kind of year as far as our health is concerned and as for right now... we are doing great. It's Easter Sunday today and the day is warm and sunny, the kind of day everyone wishes for when laying plans for Easter egg hunts and spending time with family.
And speaking of family.. One of my cousins has posted on facebook a terrific way to beat the heat, pressure and stress of summertime meals... and I asked her if I could plagiarize it..lol And she said yes..
As our summers get super busy with kids, camping, sports, activities, etc I always try to do a big freezer meal prep. All of these meals go into gallon sized ziplock bags that I label and get frozen flat in our chest freezer. The night before I pull one out and put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Each one cooks in the crockpot so it’s very simple and doesn’t heat up the house or require me being in the kitchen when I don’t have time. The initial investment for all the groceries is quite a bit but if I calculate it out per meal this is very reasonable for a large family. The amount I prep usually lasts us 6-7 weeks and dinner leftovers get used for lunches or the next night’s dinner. I’ve perfected a list that our family really likes and are cost effective with not too many ingredients. Hope this helps some others looking for budgeting in the kitchen!
Sloppy Joes:
1 lb. Ground turkey or beef
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 15oz. Can tomato sauce
1 packet Sloppy Joe Seasoning
Add all ingredients to a freezer bag and seal. Mix the bag to incorporate ingredients. Cook in the slow cooker on HIGH 3-4 hours. Serve on buns or rolls.
Sausage and Lentil Soup
2 packages of sausage or kielbasa, sliced
1 bag baby carrots
3-4 stalks of celery diced
1 onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 15oz. Can diced tomatoes
1T. Italian Seasoning
Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in the crockpot on HIGH 4-5 hours. Serve with bread or rolls.
Hawaiian Meatballs
2 lbs. Frozen meatballs
1/4c. Brown sugar
1/4c. Soy sauce
1/2t. Garlic powder
1 jar sweet and sour sauce
1 red pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
1 onion diced
1 can pineapple chunks with juice
Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in the crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts or thighs
Juice from 2-3 limes
1 small bunch cilantro chopped
1 bag frozen corn
1 onion chopped
1 can black beans
Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve over rice or in burritos.
Broccoli Chicken Alfredo
3-4 chicken breasts or thighs cut into chunks or strips
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 bag frozen broccoli or fresh chopped broccoli
Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Cook in a crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over fettuccine noodles.
Pepperoncini Pork Roast
2-3 lb boneless pork or beef roast
1 jar sliced pepperoncinis with juice
Add to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Shred meat and serve over rice or potatoes. Leftover meat is really good in breakfast burritos!
Chicken Fajitas
3-4 chicken breasts cut into strips.
1-2 green peppers sliced
1-2 red peppers sliced
1 onion sliced
1 pkg. Fajita seasoning
Add all ingredients to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or in tortillas for fajitas.
Chicken Cacciatore
3-4 chicken breasts or thighs
1 jar chunky veggie style spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini chopped
1 green pepper diced
1 onion diced
Add all ingredients to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.
Teriyaki Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 onion sliced
2 cans diced pineapple with juice
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1c. Teriyaki sauce
Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.
Sausage and Peppers
2 packages sausage or kielbasa sliced
2 green peppers sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 15oz. Can Italian style diced tomatoes
2T. Italian Seasoning
Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Drizzle with olive oil and cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles.
Don't forget each recipe is for a single bag. Double the amounts if you'd like 20 meals 
*Edited to add I had NO IDEA how wildly popular this would be 
I’m sorry there’s no way to respond to all 3,000 + comments and messages I’ve received but THANK YOU. I simply do what works for our large family/budget. I allow these to thaw overnight in the fridge before putting in the crockpot and it’s perfectly safe to cook veggies and meat combined in the crockpot together as long as they reach the appropriate cooking temp. I’ve never had an issue with these and I’ve been doing freezer meals many years. Each bag serves approximately 4-6 depending. I do not pre-cook any of the meat or ingredients. Press all the air from the bags before sealing to help avoid freezer burn. Hope this answers some of the questions!*
I’m sorry there’s no way to respond to all 3,000 + comments and messages I’ve received but THANK YOU. I simply do what works for our large family/budget. I allow these to thaw overnight in the fridge before putting in the crockpot and it’s perfectly safe to cook veggies and meat combined in the crockpot together as long as they reach the appropriate cooking temp. I’ve never had an issue with these and I’ve been doing freezer meals many years. Each bag serves approximately 4-6 depending. I do not pre-cook any of the meat or ingredients. Press all the air from the bags before sealing to help avoid freezer burn. Hope this answers some of the questions!*Follow Easy Cooking Ideas for more delicious recipes!
I am definitely going to try some of these. We are not pressured by youngsters and their sports all summer, but we do try to beat the heat by using the crockpot and cooking on the porch as much as possible. I usually fill the crockpot and plug it in on the back porch.. check it occasionally and voila'.. supper... no mess, no fuss.
I hope your Easter Sunday is filled with hope, love and lots of family hugs. Have a very Blessed Day!
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