If you've had the chance to follow the blog for a little while you know I love to prepare quick, easy, nutritious, healthy, flavorful, and colorful meals. I take a lot of pride in preparing a meal for Adam and I. This is because I know what ingredients I'm putting into the meal and I'm also saving our family money because we aren't going out to eat every night.
The main reason I've wanted to put together a few freezer meals is because when I'm busy with school I live in Kansas City during the week and come home on the weekends. This leaves Adam to fend for himself for five days. He's a good cook and he can usually come up with something, and I also try to make a few meals on Sunday before I head back to KC so he has something to eat. However, when he's busy calving, planting, or with harvest he doesn't have time make a meal when he gets home late. Having a few freezer meals prepared will allow him to throw something in the crock-pot when I'm not home.
The meals I made today can be found at the blog All Things Katie Marie. I went shopping on Sunday for all of the ingredients and I was able to make six meals, which contain at least four servings per meal. In total you should have 24 servings with the meals listed below.
For these meals I wrote the meal in permanent marker on the bag with the preparation instructions. I prepared all of the ingredients and dumped them into a Ziploc freezer bag and then placed them in the freezer. When you are ready to eat the meal, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw for a day, then place it in the crock-pot for the specified amount of time and you have a fantastic meal ready to go. How easy is that?
I didn't cook the chicken for these meals, I put the frozen chicken breasts in the bag as is. They will cook through in the crock-pot. However, I did cook the hamburger and pork. This is because I wanted to drain what little fat there was off of the meat before I placed it in the bag.
Disclaimer: I have not tried all of these meals, but they all sound delicious!
Southwestern Two Bean Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 15 oz. can of pinto beans
1 15 oz. can of black beans
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 lb. of frozen corn
1 12 oz jar of salsa
The Ziploc bag was pretty full once all of these ingredients were in the bag. I would recommend dividing the ingredients into two bags and freezing it.
Thaw and cook in the crock-pot on low for 5 to 7 hours.
Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:
6 to 8 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup of teriyaki sauce
1 cup of water
2/3 cup of brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic
Thaw and cook in the crock-pot on low for four to six hours.
Sweet BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
4 to 6 boneless chicken breasts
12 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of vinegar
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Thaw and cook in the crock-pot on low for four to six hours.
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. of pork sausage
1 onion
1 bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
32 oz. of chicken broth
2 Tbsp. of oregano
2 Tbsp. of basil
2 15 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
The Ziploc bag was pretty full once all of these ingredients were in the bag. I would recommend dividing the ingredients into two bags and freezing it.
2 cups of dry pasta (do not put this in the freezer bag)
Thaw and cook on low for six hours on high for 3 hours. Thirty minutes before the dish is done add the two cups of dry pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese when ready to serve.
Super Food Rotini
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium zucchini
2 medium carrots
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 cups of raw spinach
1/2 lb. of whole wheat rotini (do not add to freezer bag)
Thaw and cook in the crock-pot on low for six to eight hours. Thirty minutes before done add the 1/2 lb. of rotini noodles and top with Parmesan cheese.
BBQ Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients:
2 green peppers, chopped,
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 red potatoes, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 chicken breasts
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
12 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce
Thaw and cook in the crock-pot on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
Shopping list:
Protein:
- 22 frozen chicken breasts (approximately 3 bags)
- 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
- 1 lb. of pork sausage
Vegetables:
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 bag of frozen corn
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 3 white onions
- 2 cups (16 oz.) raw spinach
- 1 red pepper
- 6 red potatoes
- 3 zucchini
Canned Goods:
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can of black beans
- 1 15 oz. can of pinto beans
Pasta:
- 1/2 pound of Whole wheat rotini
- 2 cups of your choice of dry pasta
Miscellaneous:
- One 12 oz jar of salsa
- 1 bottle of teriyaki sauce
- brown sugar
- Two 12 oz. bottles of BBQ sauce
- Vinegar
- 32 oz. of chicken broth
- Olive oil
Most everyone has these on hand, but it's always good to check before heading to the store.
- Basil
- Cayenne pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Oregano
Approximate grocery bill for the ingredients I needed: $65.89
This does not include the spices, corn, ground beef, or pork sausage. I had these things in my pantry and freezer.
Total Bill: $65.89
Cost/Meal: $65.89/6 meals= $10.98/meal
Cost/Serving: $65.89/24 servings= $2.74/serving
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