Add to the long list of reasons to love slow cooking easy family meal planning. Even while lives get busier and households have less time to prepare home-cooked meals, the desire to eat at home sharing thoughts of the day is growing. What is a time-conscious family to do? Look no further than to a freezer bag and your slow cooker for the answer.
Known as “freezer dump meals” these meals require minimal prep and can be done up to three months in advance. Pull all the ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag, label the bag with the meal and cooking instructions, then freeze it. Simply pull the bag out of the freezer to thaw the night before and dump the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning for an effortless dinner.
We’ve chosen the 10 recipes below for their rich flavor, though you can feel free to adjust the spices as suits your tastes.
Ginger-peach chicken
Freeze in a bag:
2-lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
12-ounce bag of frozen peach slices
1 red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Serve with rice.
Beef fajitas
Freeze in a bag:
2-lb boneless beef chuck shoulder roast
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
Juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred beef with two forks.
Serve with warm tortillas, fresh sour cream and guacamole.
Potato and corn chowder
Freeze in a bag:
24-ounces red potato, diced
16-ounce package frozen corn
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
You also need:
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pour in chicken stock and mix. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in butter and heavy cream.
Serve with warm bread
Beef stroganoff
Freeze in a bag:
1-lb stew meat
1-lb sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 onion, diced
½ cup apple juice
1 tablespoon beef stock base
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Add 1 cup of water to ingredients, and cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream.
Serve with egg noodles or rice.
Chicken with apple and sweet potato
Freeze in a bag:
1-lb boneless chicken, cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with rice.
Chicken alfredo
Freeze in a bag:
3-lb Chicken Breasts
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Italian Dressing Mix
8 oz Cream Cheese
Add 2 cups water to the ingredients and cook on low 6-8 hours.
Serve with fettucini noodles.
Split pea soup
Freeze in a bag:
1 lb dry split peas
2 cups of diced bacon
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
You also need:
32-oz of chicken broth
Add 2 cups water and chicken broth to ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Meatballs and tomato sauce
Freeze in a bag:
One bag frozen or homemade meatballs
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
Cook on high 3-4 hours
Serve with spaghetti noodles.
Shredded beef tacos
Freeze in a bag:
2 1.5-lb chuck roast
2 tsp chicken bullion
1.5 tbsp Chili Powder
½ tbsp Cumin
½ tsp Garlic Powder
salt and pepper to taste
Add 2 cups of water to ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred beef with two forks.
Serve with taco shells, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and shredded cheese.
Chicken noodle soup
Freeze in a bag:
1-lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
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You also need:
8 oz wide egg noodles
8 cups chicken broth
Add 8 cups of chicken broth to ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add 8 oz of wide egg noodles and cook for additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Happy freezing!
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