Recipes! Freezer Meals/ Crock Pot/Other

[watermelonseed]

Let's get this started! Share your recipes. LadyNymeria do you think this could be a stickie?

[watermelonseed]

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs stew beef
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 tsp pepper
8oz sour cream
1 block of cream cheese

Egg noodles or rice


Throw everything in the crock pot except sour cream, cream cheese and egg noodles/rice. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Stir in cubed cream cheese and sour cream after finished cooking. Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice with crusty bread.

Yum!

[hurricanerek]

My go-to freezer meal is Chicken Potpie. This recipe makes 2 pies!

2 c. diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 c. sliced carrots
2/3 c. chopped onion
1 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
4 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn
2 pkg. refrigerated pie pastry
2 pie tins (for freezing)

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered 8-10 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender; drain.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, peas, corn + potato mixture; remove from heat.

3. Unroll a pastry sheet into each of 2 pie plates; trim pastry even with rims. Add chicken mixture. Unroll remaining pastry; place over filling. Trim, seal + flute edges. Cut slits in tops.

To freeze: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 425. Place pie on baking sheet; cover edges with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 350. Bake 70-80 minutes longer.

If you want to eat your pie right away (aka not frozen), bake 35-40 minutes at 425.

[caz1221]

I went on a serious meal planning kick last year and built up a huge recipe list. Here are some of my favorites that should freeze well (and have been given the stamp of approval by my DD, though she will eat almost anything).

Crock Pot
Santa Fe Chicken
Chicken Taco Chili
Kalua Pork
Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili
Quinoa Chicken Primavera
Sesame Honey Chicken
Thai Peanut Chicken
Sesame Ginger Chicken

Casseroles
BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Casserole

Other Quick/Easy Stuff
Asian Turkey Stir Fry
Taco Gnocchi Skillet

[merryrissmas]

This is one of my favorites, homemade cheeseburger helper. I mentioned it in a thread a while back and pismoduo asked for the recipe, so here you go:

1lb lean ground beef
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons paprika
1teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place dry pasta and all dry ingredients in a mason jar with airtight lid (I make several jars at a time to keep on hand)

To prepare: brown ground beef, add milk and hot water, then add contents of the jar bring to a boil,then simmer on low (stir occasionally) for 10 minutes (or until pasta is almost done). Turn off heat, stir in cheese and let stand for 5 minutes.

[pismoduo]

Jun 10, 2016 14:59:56 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

My go-to freezer meal is Chicken Potpie. This recipe makes 2 pies!

2 c. diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 c. sliced carrots
2/3 c. chopped onion
1 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
4 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn
2 pkg. refrigerated pie pastry
2 pie tins (for freezing)

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered 8-10 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender; drain.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, peas, corn + potato mixture; remove from heat.

3. Unroll a pastry sheet into each of 2 pie plates; trim pastry even with rims. Add chicken mixture. Unroll remaining pastry; place over filling. Trim, seal + flute edges. Cut slits in tops.

To freeze: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 425. Place pie on baking sheet; cover edges with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 350. Bake 70-80 minutes longer.

If you want to eat your pie right away (aka not frozen), bake 35-40 minutes at 425.

I have a similar recipe, but add some white wine and use half & half instead of milk. The half and half helps make the sauce a little creamier, and the white wine gives it a really nice flavor.

[pismoduo]

I think we'll be trying out merryrissmas's cheeseburger helper and watermelonseed's stroganoff next week. Unless the weather gets hot and sunny again, then it's BBQ all the time.

[pismoduo]

Meatballs! I always make meatballs in the crockpot. These freeze really well. Add some pasta or just some crusty bread for sammiches and you're set.

1lb ground beef (do yourself a favor and DO.NOT.USE.TURKEY)
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs (italian seasoned, preferably, otherwise add herbs to taste)
Splash of Worchestershire sauce
Salt & pepper

Mix it all together (use your hands, don't be a wimp). Roll into balls on baking sheet. I vary the size depending on what I want - you can go super small and use them in a wedding soup, or go bigger and use them in a meatball sub. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (depends on size).

In crockpot, put your sauce. I've used tons of different sauces - BBQ, teriyaki, any type of spaghetti sauce. The only sauce I do not recommend is anything with cream in it. Let simmer in crockpot for at least 3 hours on high, 6 hours on low. No more than 8 hours on low or they start to sort of fall apart.

Chili!
1lb ground beef
1 large sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large green bell pepper
1 medium sized clump of cilantro
1 can crushed chilis or jalapenos (or both, your call)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 large can chili beans (or any type, really)
Chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt - to taste

Brown hamburger separately with garlic, onions, bell pepper, chilis/jalapenos and half the cilantro. Add to crockpot with remainder of ingredients. Season to taste.

[watermelonseed]

This is a good one if you have leftover ham. Great lunch!

Potato Ham Chowder

2 tbsp real bacon bits
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 c butter
1 chopped onion
1 1/2 c frozen corn kernels
2 tsp thyme
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c heavy cream
3 c whole milk (or more)
2 russet potatoes, diced
1 c chopped cooked ham
Salt & pepper

Sour cream & shredded cheddar for topping garnish.

Directions

Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in corn and thyme until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in heavy cream & milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes or more. Stir in ham, salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached. Add bacon bits.

Serve immediately or cool and freeze.

Garnish with sour cream and cheddar before serving.

[bennikki]

I found this website: bakedinthesouth.com (sorry, I can't get the link to work from my phone, but search her freezer meals, she has a 5 part series on them) when I was on mat leave with my first. I didn't make any freezer meals before I went on leave, but I made a lot while I was on leave for when I went back to work. I really like this website because it gives shopping lists, and it didn't have a lot of crap ingredients.

I made a lot of these recipes while on leave, cooking half for the day, and freezing the other half (the recipes feed 4-6 people) for when I went back to work.

Some freezer meal/crockpot meal tips:

Freeze sauces and proteins separate, searing the meat before it goes in the crockpot creates a better flavor and texture.

Some "crockpot" meals are better as a casserole, so instead of dumping it into a crockpot in the morning, dump it still frozen into a baking dish in the morning, it should be thawed by mid to late afternoon, stick it in the oven for 1-1.5 hours for dinner. I found this to be true with things like sausage and peppers or anything with meatballs.

Beware of overcooking in the crockpot. You'll end up with unflavored mush.

When I did eat noodles, I never found a tasty way to make noodles in the crockpot, but rice usually comes out fine, just be aware that it can't be in there the whole time or it turns to mush.

Dairy goes in no more than 1 hour before serving.

I don't use cream of...soup in anything I cook. I've found homemade broth/stock thickened with some arrowroot starch to be much more flavorful and healthy.

I have a smaller crockpot that I like to cook potatoes in. Wash, poke, and wrap in tinfoil. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. It's great for loaded baked potatoes (the loaded part is leftovers from earlier in the week), or sometimes I slice and fry them for amazing french fries.

[mc13]

I made this Turkey Quinoa Chili for dinner today and it's really good. It also has freezing directions at the bottom.

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quinoa-turkey-chili

[merryrissmas]

Here is the other homemade hamburger helper-type meal I make alot. I like to make several jars of the dry ingredients to have on hand in the pantry.


Skillet Lasagna Hamburger Helper



1 lb hamburger

1-1/2 c. water

1/2 c. milk

1 can stewed or diced tomatoes

1 c. shredded mozzarella



Jar contents:

1-1/2 c. penne, bowties, or any other small noodles

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. Italian seasoning (or just any Italian herbs you have on hand)

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar



Brown meat, add milk and water. When hot, add tomatoes and jar of noodles/seasonings. Bring to a boil, simmer on low, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are almost done, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, sprinkle mozzarella on top and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

[rufus426]

I spent the last 2 weekends prepping freezer meals and this list was a major life saver so I thought I would share

newleafwellness.biz/2016/01/31/40-pre-baby-freezer-meals/

[rufus426]

Aug 24, 2016 20:55:50 GMT -5 pippacricket said:

Aug 21, 2016 15:13:22 GMT -5 rufus426 said:

I spent the last 2 weekends prepping freezer meals and this list was a major life saver so I thought I would share

newleafwellness.biz/2016/01/31/40-pre-baby-freezer-meals/

Ooooh thanks for sharing! The author mentions that she likes recipes that she can just throw it in a bag then throw it in the freezer. For the ground beef recipes, did you cook the beef and then put it in the freezer? I'm assuming since she doesn't specify on the recipe to cook it, that you don't have to?

No you don't need to cook it. It will cook when you put it in the crockpot when you actually make it.

[kerbear]

Chili recipe (prep and cook time about 20 mins total)

· 1 can Bush’s Best Chili Beans

· 1 lb of ground turkey (or beef)

· 1 small can of tomato sauce

· 2 cans Rotel tomatoes with chilies, drained

· Frank’s Red Hot to taste (1/4 cup to ½ cup)

· 1 packet of chili seasoning

· 1 full onion, chopped



Add ground turkey and onion to large pot and cook turkey through. Add in everything else. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Let cool to room temp and then freeze.

[kerbear]

Easy Crockpot Mongolian Beef

• 1 lb stew meat
  
• 1 onion, thickly sliced
  
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger (I do it without this bc I never have ginger on hand)
  
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  

Dump it all in a bag and freeze.

I made two batches. I've had this before and it pairs well with rice and broccoli. About 15 mins before I want to serve it, I'll put rice on the stove and throw some frozen broccoli straight in the crock pot

[kerbear]

Crockpot ranch chicken tacos

• 1 chix taco seasoning packet
• 1 packet ranch dressing seasoning
• 2 lbs chix breast
• 2c fresh pico de gallo (I am lazy and use a small jar of salsa)

Add chicken to freezer bag. Add both seasoning packets to coat chicken. Add salsa or pico last. Freeze. 30 mins before chicken is fully cooked in crockpot, take it out to shred it. Pair with normal taco fixings

**I also like to throw some onion in the crockpot about 30 mins prior to it being done for extra flavor

[kerbear]

Crockpot beef tips and gravy

• 1 1/2 lb stew meat
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (cream of anything will do)
• 14 oz can of beef broth
• Salt and pepper