Freezer to Crockpot Meals

I am preparing for the next Great in 8 Weeks challenge, by taking some time to put together some Great in 8 approved Crockpot/Freezer Recipes.  Many of these are taken from New Leaf Wellness.  She has great recipes, tips, and also shopping lists.  Check it out.  Preparation is the key to success for busy people.

Here are the ones I am working on for this weekend.

**Vera’s Tip – I prefer to freeze mine standing up (rather than laying flat), in case I forget to put them in the fridge the night before, it is easier to get them to fit in the crockpot frozen.

Honey Dijon Chicken
Freezer-to-Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
Crockpot lime Shredded Pork
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Crockpot Balsamic Beef Roast with Carrots

Slow Cooker Spicy Beef & Bell Pepper

Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

Slow Cooker Apple Cider Braised Pork

Hamburger Potato Soup
Chicago Style Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Crockpot Italian Chicken

To Print All (9 pages)

Honey Dijon Chicken
Yields: 3 servings
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed • 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/2 cup water* not needed until day of cooking
MATERIALS
• 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag (you can use a quart-sized freezer bag, if you have one)
PREP
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your gallon-sized freezer bag, add all ingredients (except water).
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 freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add water.
3. Cook on low setting for 3-6 hours or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serve with rice and steamed broccoli or a salad.

Freezer-to-Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Ingredients

o   1 medium yellow onion (one cup), chopped

                  1, 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

                  1, 15oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed

                  1, 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (my family likes medium-heat)

                  1, 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

                  1 cup frozen medley of green & red peppers & onion strips

                  1 2/3 cup frozen corn

                  4 cloves garlic, minced

                  1 tablespoon paprika

                  3 teaspoons chili powder

                  2 teaspoons ground cumin

                  1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

                  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

                  1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

            Place onion, 2 cans of beans, 2 cans of tomatoes, frozen pepper medley, and corn into a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag.

            Add garlic and seasonings.

            Add chicken. (It’s important to add the meat last so it’s the first ingredient to go into your slow cooker.)

            Remove as much air as you can, and lay bag flat in your freezer. (If you have a standard freezer, the “use by” date will be 3 months from now.)

Cook

            Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

            Add to slow cooker and cook on low for 10-12 hrs or until chicken is tender.

Crockpot Lime Shredded Pork

From my No Cook Freezer Recipes Cookbook http://newleafwellness.biz/product/cookbook-ebook-bundle/
Yields: One gallon-sized bag of Lime Shredded Pork with 4-6 servings. (I doubled this recipe and made two bags.)
INGREDIENTS

·       2.5lb bone-in pork shoulder roast (sometimes labeled as a “Boston butt” or “pork butt”)

·       The juice from two limes

·       1 tablespoon honey

·       1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

1.    Label freezer bag.

2.    To your freezer bag, add lime juice, honey, cayenne pepper, salt, and pork shoulder. (Add the pork shoulder to the bag last, so it’s the first ingredient poured into your slow cooker.)

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 freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw.

2.    The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot, and cook on “low” setting for 8-12 hours, or until pork is cooked through and falls off the bone.

3.    Remove pork meat from the bone.

4.    Shred and serve with tortillas or rice, next day make lime pork quesadillas.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes Yield 6 servings Cook Time 8 hours, 5 minutes
Total Time 8 hours, 15 minutes

**One of my FAVORITES - A rich and meaty spaghetti sauce easily made in the crockpot - it makes enough to feed an army and you can freeze the leftovers! I combined all the ingredients with cook ground beef in a freezer bag.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil


1 pound ground beef


1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed


1 onion, minced


2 cloves garlic, minced


3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained


2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce


3 bay leaves


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1 teaspoon dried basil


Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic. Cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef and sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat. Place ground beef mixture into a slow cooker. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

Stir well and serve immediately.

  

Adapted from The Cooking Photographer http://damndelicious.net/2013/11/08/slow-cooker-spaghetti-sauce

Crockpot Balsamic Beef Roast with Carrots

Modified from The Chic Site http://thechicsite.com/2013/07/16/slow-cooker-balsamic-pot-roast/
Yields: One gallon-sized bag of Balsamic Beef Roast with 4-6 servings. (I doubled this recipe and made two bags.)
INGREDIENTS

·       2 pound boneless beef chuck shoulder roast

·       2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

·       1/2 cup honey

·       1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

·       1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·       3 cloves of garlic, minced

·       Zest of 1/2 an orange

·       2 cups of beef broth – NOT NEEDED UNTIL DAY OF COOKING

PREP

1.    Label your freezer bag.

2.    To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except beef broth. Add beef roast to the freezer bag last so it’s the first ingredient poured into your crockpot.

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 freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw.

2.     The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add beef broth.

3.     Cook on “low” setting for 8-12 hours, or until beef shreds easily and carrots are soft.

4.     Shred beef and serve.

SLOW COOKER SPICY BEEF & BELL PEPPER

2 lbs beef chuck, thinly sliced

2 cups chopped to 1 inch squares bell pepper

1/2 medium onion, peeled, cut in half, sliced

1 cup broth or 1 cup water + 3 bullion cube

2 Tbsp corn starch

2 tsp freeze dried garlic

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp – 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce

1.   Place the meat on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with sliced onion. For even better flavor, sauté onion in skillet until golden brown, then add it to the slow cooker.Top with cut up bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.

2.   Mix the broth with Sriracha, or water, bullion cubes and Sriracha. Pour over the peppers and beef.(if using bullion cubes, add only 1 tsp salt).

3.   Set on high heat for 3.5-4 hours.

4.   Mix ½ cup water and 2 tablespoons corn starch. Add 1 cup of liquid from the meat & pepper mixture and cook on medium heat until boiling, then cook 2 minutes past boil to remove the cornstarch flavor. Add this mixture back to the meat and bell peppers. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, stir and serve.

5.   Serve hot over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

Modified from The Taylor House http://www.thetaylor-house.com/slow-cooker-chicken-teriyaki/2/
Yields: One gallon-sized bag of chicken teriyaki with 3 servings. (I doubled this recipe and made two bags.)
INGREDIENTS

·       One pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

·       1/2 cup honey

·       1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

·       1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I subbed red wine vinegar)

·       1 small onion, diced

·       1 large clove garlic, minced

·       1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced  or ½ tsp minced ginger

·       1/4 teaspoon black pepper

·       One bag frozen stir fry veggies (Mine was 14.4 oz)

1.    Label your freezer bag.

2.    To your freezer bag, add all ingredients. Add chicken to the freezer bag last so it’s the first ingredient poured into your crockpot.

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.

3.    Cook on “low” setting for 4-8hours, or until chicken is cooked through.   

**Vegetables come out quite mushy, for firmer veggies microwave until tender and add the last hour.

More info can be found on http://www.NewLeafWellness.biz

Chicago Style Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Prep time: less than 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced or 3 tsp

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 (4 lb.) beef roast

1 tbsp. instant beef bouillon granules

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 c. water

green pepper slices (cooked)(optional)

sauteed onions (optional)

Whole Wheat rolls

8 slices provolone cheese

Assembly:

If Roast is not frozen – braise first and then freeze.  Or Cook as directed and divide up meat into portions and freeze, for a quick dinner. 

**Tip-The secret to tender meat is to brown it first on all sides in a little olive oil before putting it in the slow cooker.

Combine garlic, salt and pepper, bouillon granules, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper and water in slow cooker. Place braised roast in slow cooker and flip to coat both sides with sauce. Cook on low 8-10 hours until meat is easily shredded with fork. When meat is ready, cut buns open and spread with butter - toast in oven. Put meat on whole wheat roll. Add cooked green peppers and/or onions if desired. Place cheese on top. Place in oven on 350 until cheese is melted. Serve and Enjoy!!

Hamburger Potato Soup

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1.5 cups or 4 large carrots)

• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8oz or 1.5 cups)

• 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

• 28oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef

• 4 cups of fat-free lower-sodium beef broth* (not needed until day of cooking)

Materials

• 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep

1. Label your freezer bag.

2. Add all ingredients to your freezer bag (except broth). To keep potatoes from browning, chop them last and add them to the top of your freezer bag.

3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

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 add beef broth.

3. Cook on “low” setting for 8 hours or until beef is cooked through and carrots are soft.

4. Break apart beef, stir, and serve.

Serve with rolls.

Slow Cooker Apple Cider Braised Pork

INGREDIENTS:

1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 shallots, sliced 1 rib celery, chopped 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice

4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (Italian parsley, sage, or thyme)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Season pork with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear pork on all sides in the hot oil until browned, about 3 minutes per side. (At this point add all ingredients to Freezer Bag – and Freeze.) (Remove from freezer and put into slow cooker.) Transfer pork to the slow cooker.
2.	Reduce stovetop temperature to medium; cook and stir shallots and celery in the skillet until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in apple cider vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is nearly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.	Pour shallot mixture over pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add apple cider, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Cover, set slow cooker to Low, and cook until fork-tender but not falling apart, about 6 hours (or 8-10 if frozen). Turn pork over every 1 to 2 hours if possible. Remove pork roast to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
4.	Pour remaining liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan; place over high heat. Discard bay leaf. Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers http://newleafwellness.biz/2015/04/08/slow-cooker-stuffed-peppers-freezer-friendly/ Yields: 4 servings Ingredients • 1lb ground turkey • 1 onion, peeled and diced • 1 garlic clove, minced • 4 small green bell peppers, tops cut off and cleaned • 24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce (reserve 2T) • 1/2 cup water Materials • 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag • 1 quart-sized plastic freezer bag Prep 1. Label your freezer bag. 2. In large bowl, mix ground meat, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce. 3. Separate mixture into four equal parts and firmly stuff into peppers. 4. Add remaining pasta sauce to quart-sized bag. Add water to empty jar and shake it around to get all of the sauce and add to quart-sized bag. Seal. 5. Add bag of sauce to gallon-sized bag and add stuffed peppers. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months. Cook 1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw. 2. The morning of cooking, add stuffed peppers to bottom of slow cooker. 3. Cover with sauce. 4. Cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours or until meat is cooked through and peppers are soft. Serve with rice. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps Yields: 6 servings Ingredients • 2 pounds of ground chicken • 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, diced • 2 large carrots, grated (1 cup) • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce • 1/4 cup ketchup • 1 tablespoon honey Materials • 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag Prep Cook 1. Label your freezer bag. 2. Add all ingredients to bag. 3. Seal and freeze for up to three months. 1. Thaw. 2. Cook in slow cooker for 4-6 hours on “low” setting. 3. Break apart chicken and spoon onto lettuce. Serve on big pieces of iceberg or Boston bibb lettuce. Crockpot Italian Chicken http://newleafwellness.biz/2015/03/30/organic-crockpot-freezer-meals-from-costco-10-meals-in-60- minutes/ Yields: three servings INGREDIENTS  • 1 small onion, diced • 4oz fresh baby spinach (about 2 handfuls) • 2 cans of tomato sauce (15oz each) • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 1/4 cup honey • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts MATERIALS • 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag PREP COOK 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. 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. 3. Cook on “low” setting for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with spaghetti and a salad. Shopping List for all meals MEATS 7 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed 3.5 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast 6 pound ground beef or turkey 5 pound boneless beef chuck shoulder roast FRUITS & VEGETABLES 1 - 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 6 - 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained 1 cup frozen medley of green & red peppers & onion strips 1 2/3 cup frozen corn 6 medium yellow onion 4 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce 2 limes 3 lbs carrots 1 orange 5 green bell pepper  1 - 14.4 oz bag frozen stir fry veggies 2 small potatoes 1 rib celery, chopped 24oz jar of pasta sauce 1 medium-sized red bell pepper 4oz fresh baby spinach (about 2 handfuls) 16 ounces baby red potatoes, quartered ¼ cup pineapple BEANS 1, 15oz can black beans 1, 15oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans) SEASONINGS black pepper salt ground thyme ground cayenne red pepper red pepper flakes 24 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon paprika chili powder ground cumin oregano 3 bay leaves dried basil Kosher salt corn starch chopped parsley ginger root, peeled and minced  or ½ tsp minced ginger dried Italian seasoning dried oregano leaves chopped fresh herbs ·       (Italian parsley, sage, or thyme) 1 pkg Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix sesame seeds for garnish CONDIMENTS 2 cup honey 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard) 7 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 cup low sodium soy sauce 7 cups of beef broth – NOT NEEDED UNTIL DAY OF COOKING Sriracha sauce 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I subbed red wine vinegar) 4 cloves garlic, peeled ½ cup ketchup 3 tablespoons natural maple syrup MISC      8 slices provolone cheese     Whole Wheat rolls