Since I’ve made hundreds of freezer meals, the number one question people ask me is, “Do you have a huge freezer?!?” The short answer is “no.” I have the same refrigerator freezer combo as everyone else.
Here’s how I keep my freezer clean and organized…
- I buy very little frozen food. (Besides homemade freezer meals, the only items you’ll find in my freezer are ice cream, chicken nuggets, garlic bread, frozen fruit, and opened bags of frozen veggies that were needed for other recipes.)
- I keep a running list of what’s in my freezer so I can use it before it expires.
- We eat homemade freezer meals almost as quick as I make them.
- Every so often, I brainstorm how to use leftover frozen ingredients in new meal plans. (Like today’s post!)
Here are the six freezer crockpot meals that I made with items from my freezer and pantry…
- Two batches of crockpot Mexican chicken chili with cornbread topping
- Two batches of crockpot shredded BBQ chicken (from my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and shared for free below)
- Two batches of crockpot beef and lime chili (from my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and shared for free below)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE RECIPES AND GROCERY LIST
By taking advantage of the produce, sauces, and spices that I had on-hand, I was able to keep my kitchen clean and save money at the same time. I ended up buying the meat and remaining ingredients at Aldi for $30. That works out to only $5 per meal!
All of the recipes are very simple, so it’s likely that you have a lot of the ingredients too.
These budget-friendly meals were all frozen raw so they’re very easy and quick to make. That means they won’t taste like leftovers at all when cooked. Yay!
I can tell you that we’ve eaten all of these recipes many, many times before. They’re absolutely delicious!
Here’s how I prepped all six freezer crockpot meals in 50 minutes…
- I printed my recipes so I wouldn’t have to search for them on my phone/tablet/computer.
- I labeled my freezer bags so I’d remember how to cook them. (I use these simple printable labels.)
- I chopped the peppers and used a food chopper (affiliate link) for the onions.
- I opened all of the cans and filled all of the bags in an assembly line, adding the meat last so it would be the first item dumped into my crockpot.
- I squeezed the air out of my freezer bags (affiliate link), sealed them, and stacked them in my freezer (so it stays neat and organized!).
When we’re ready to eat, all I need to do is thaw in my refrigerator or in cold water, cook in my crockpot, and serve!
Hello,
I was wondering if you had a printable for the labels you have on your freezer bags. Thank you!
It’s included in my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook. I also sell it as a separate download for .99 cents:
https://thefamilyfreezer.com/product/printable-freezer-meal-labels/
Thank you for the suggestions! I would love to see a few recipe alternatives for those like myself with allergies to garlic and onions. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your feedback. I will think about that.
My MIL can’t eat onions – I usually sub in radishes…
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much–again! 🙂
I’m curious how you use your crockpot. Cooking for 4 to 8 hours hardly seems like a leave it and go kinda time scale. If it needs cooked for 4 and I leave it on while at work it will be far overcooked…I don’t quite understand how there is such a large range in cooking times for many crockpot meals.
The time varies quite a bit between sizes and brands of slow cookers. My larger 6-qt one cooks chicken breasts in 3-4 hours, but my smaller 4-qt one needs at least 6. If you need to be away all day, I’d recommend considering a slow cooker with a timer. That way you can set it to switch to the “warm” setting at some point.
Hope this helps!
Hi ladies, I’ll share my little secret with you. When I have cooking time issues I use an inexpensive lamp timer from Home Depot(they have a big round dial and 2 little pins to set the on and off feature). It’s the kind you would use to turn your lights on and off to make it look like you’re at home, when you’re actually on vacation. It works beautifully either as a delay start ( allows some time to defrost) or as a little leeway time to get home without over cooked food. Also great to use in an RV/… Read more »
I love this idea! I’ve avoided making many meals because the meat and vegetables are over cooked and have been thinking of the best way to time my cooker. I will definitely try this idea soon!
Thanks for sharing
I plug my crockpot into a wall timer. That way my food doesn’t overcook.
Just curious if you’ve ever “dumped” the additional ingredients to a recipe in with already frozen meat? Is that even doable? Most of my meats (specifically chicken) are already in my freezer because I buy large quantities fresh from a farm and portion them and freeze immediately. I have just recently come across your blog and these recipes\ideas and love them but am a bit perplexed as to what I could do since my meat is already frozen…
Yes! That’s not a problem at all. You can either add the frozen meat to the bag with the rest of the ingredients or add it the day of cooking.
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