Crock-pot Freezer Meals are perfect for easy weeknight dinners. All the ingredients are prepped ahead of time, just dump and go, the crock-pot does all the cooking.
Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’ve been slacking in the dinner department. There’s been a number of days where I just don’t feel like sitting in the kitchen for an hour prepping dinner or we have plans and don’t get home until 630pm. There’s also days where I simply just don’t know what to cook, and we end up with something unhealthy or eating out, which we’re trying to cut back on.
After finding a few recipes online I decided on 5 easy crock pot recipes that I could freeze. I made a grocery list solely for those crock-pot recipes and on one afternoon I prepped all the meals to put in the freezer. I tweaked the recipes around a little to fit the serving size for our family, each of the meals I placed into two ziplock freezer bags, besides the chili which I put into one. Within an hour I had 9 crock-pot freezer meals prepped.
I can throw one in the fridge the day before, and in the morning empty it into the crock-pot. By dinner time we have a hot home cooked meal ready. I love coming home at 6pm and not having to worry about making dinner, dinner is already made!
5 Easy Crock Pot Recipes
Make Crock-Pot Freezer Meals on a budget:
- Search & print out recipes.
- Make a grocery shopping list of the ingredients needed.
- Prep meals in one setting – Take gallon zip lock bags and write the names and directions on each one in permanent marker.
- Lay everything out on the counter, wash/cut/slice up all the veggies. I also cut the fat off the chicken breasts & thighs.
- Start filling the bags with ingredients. I usually do one at a time, but you can start with putting veggies in all the bags, then the meats, then the spices & sauces.
- Place in freezer.
- When ready to use, thaw in fridge over night. Empty contents out of the Ziploc bag and into the crock-pot.
I don’t have the estimated cost for all meals as I stock up on meats and canned food when on sale. You can always add in extra ingredients/change the recipe to your family’s liking, these are meals and ingredients that our family enjoys. Between my husband and I’s work schedule, the 4-6 hour meals work best for us which is why most of the recipes are not for 8-10 hour days, I also always have never placed the ingredients in frozen – always thawed, so I’m not sure the cooking time if frozen.
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo:
(Split into 2 bags = 2 meals)
Crockpot Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 16 oz bag frozen broccoli florets
- 2 16 oz jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)
- 1 large green pepper chopped
- 1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
Instructions
- Split ingredients in half.
- Place all ingredients in 2 gallon size freezer bags. Zip closed, and place in freezer.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
Slow Cooker Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken:
(Split into 2 bags = 2 meals)
Ingredients
- 2 14 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 14 oz cans corn, drained
- 1 1 oz package taco seasoning
- 4-6 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 cup salsa
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Split ingredients in half.
- Place all ingredients in 2 gallon-sized freezer bags. Zip close, and place in freezer.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours.
- When finished cooking, shred chicken and serve over rice, with a salad,or in a wrap. Top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, tomato.
Slow Cooker Chili:
Slow Cooker Chili
PrintIngredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion dices
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 15 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 can 28 ounce diced tomatoes
- 1 can 15 ounce red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink ground beef. Drain & set aside and let cool.
- Once ground beef is cooled, add all ingredients into gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Zip the bag close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty the contents into crock-pot, stir together and cook on low 6-8 hours.
Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken:
(Split into 2 bags = 2 meals)
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Salt & Pepper optional
Instructions
- Split ingredients in half.
- Place all ingredients in 2 gallon-sized freezer bags. Zip closed & place in freezer.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
Chicken Teriyaki:
(Split into 2 bags = 2 meals)
Ingredients
- Large bag of baby carrots
- Red Onion sliced into large chunks
- 2 Cans of crushed pineapple 20 oz. un-drained
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
Instructions
- Split ingredients in half.
- Place all ingredients in 2 gallon-sized freezer bags. Mix together in bag and zip closed. Place in freezer.
- When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Serve over rice.
*Chicken Teriyaki Recipe found at Ring Around the Rosies all others found at Six Sister’s Stuff