I have been on this endless quest to streamline my life. Two things that I’ve identified as problems are my ability to procrastinate ( even though I know I shouldn’t) and poor time management skills. My extreme attention to detail can be a time killer. So, my mission is to conquer these two faults. Meal time falls into these areas. Ether I run out of time to make a wonderful meal or I wait till the last minute and realize that I can’t make what I wanted because it won’t be done on time. Now add in the busy school schedule and I basically had a recipe for disaster. Here is what I’ve implemented in my life and it’s been working like a dream! Freezer Meals for the Crockpot have helped me save family time, money, and my sanity. Here is how I do it:
- I check the store flyers and see what’s on sale that my family might enjoy and that I might be able to freeze. ( There are tons of recipes online for Freezer Crockpot Meals)
- When I come home I begin preparing my meals in a large bowl.
- I write the directions on my Ziploc Freezer bags and divide the food as I see fit.
- Lay them flat then freeze.
Literally it takes less than 30 minutes to put together some of the meals. You don’t need to cook anything. You freeze and then when you are ready to place in the crockpot, follow the directions and fill the crockpot and your set. Yes, I put the meals in frozen. I bang the bag against the counter to break the ice up a bit and then just place it right in and go. My family will have a nice hot fresh cooked meal for dinner. Here is a recipe for a freezer crockpot meal:
Sausage and Pepper Freezer Crockpot Meal: ( Makes two meals)
Ingredients:
6 Italian sausage ( I used chicken sausage)
2 Green peppers
1 Red pepper
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 large can of diced tomatoes (23 oz)
2 TBS Italian seasoning ( i mixed parsley, oregano and basil)
Salt and Pepper to taste
I cut the sausages in half and placed them in a separate bowl. I wanted to make sure that I had enough sausage when I split the bags.
I then mixed the rest of the ingredients all together in a separate bowl.
Next I labeled the bags with the directions. Which are: Drizzle with oil and cook on low for 6 hours. I also added that I would sere this with bread, noodles or rice.
I started by splitting the meat first so it would be equal. (The recipe is for two bags, but I doubled it and made four bags.) I then filled each bag and flattened them before I sealed them to get any air out.
I’ll be sharing other Freezer Crockpot Meals with you if you like. These have honestly saved mealtime for me. Plus, they can be as healthy as you want to make them unlike buying frozen prepared meals. Let me know what you think! Yum!
Penny says
Please share more- You KNOW I need new ideas!;)
Ruth says
YES!!! please share other freezer crock pot recipes. I run into the same exact issues when it comes to dinner!!! I am just curious, do your kids eat the sausage and peppers dinner? I can see that two out of my three will rebel.
beyourbestmom says
The boys will only eat the sausage. So, I pair it with rice ( Success brown rice in a bag takes 10 minutes in a microwave) and Steamed veggies.
Leanne says
Millie, do you drain the tomatoes?
beyourbestmom says
No, I keep the juice as well. That gives the peppers and sausage something to cook in.
Leanne says
Thanks–that’s what I thought. But your bags look so clean & clear in the photos! 🙂 Love these recipes and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog.