Hey All!! I originally did this post on my old site Organizer By Day, but wanted to make sure all my new friends get to see this post. These are 10 of my most trusted and tried crockpot recipes. Hope this makes life a little easier for you! Enjoy!
Happy Saturday to you all! Hope your weekend is full of rest and relaxation because the holidays are now in full swing! We have the pleasure of hosting pretty much my husband's entire family tomorrow for an early Thanksgiving. That means 33 people will be running around here and there's so much to do! Luckily for me I have the world's best mother-in-law and she will be here all weekend to help...and the best part is I actually want her here! I truly feel bad for those who don't have as wonderful a relationship with their in-laws as I do. I am very blessed and I know it.
So since the holidays are breathing down my neck right around the corner, I decided to get some crock pot meals done and out of the way so this time of year isn't full of stress worrying what's for dinner and is full of where can I shop next! And I decided to share them with you so you can destress your holidays too (if that's really even possible :)
I 100% stand by each and every one of these recipes. I have successfully made and cooked and enjoyed all of these and the instructions that I give are exactly what I did. Each meal is made for 2 adults for dinner and always enough for at least one lunch the next day. If you have a small family use the recipes as is, if you have a larger family just try doubling the meat.
I know a lot of people say to thaw out the meals 24 hours ahead of time, I don't. They say to move the meal from the freezer to the fridge the night before...I don't. They say not to add chicken stock or shredded cheese, or things like that...I do. I take my bags out in the morning and run hot water over them if I need to in order to make sure everything fits in the pot. The hot water helps make the contents in the bag break into pieces and fit in the crock pot better. I never have a problem with cooking any of these this way and I want to share them with you because they are so.darn.easy. So go grab your crock pot, and let's get started!
For everything I needed I only spent $197 and got 20 meals out of it (not including leftovers). It was awesome. I shopped my local Meijer and used their mperks rewards to help save here and there. If you shop at Meijer and don't use mperks you're cheating yourself. Here's everything I got!
I actually group together each meal's ingredients as I unpack so it's easy to grab and go when I get to the part where all I have to do is dump everything in. I know it doesn't look like a lot, but that's not including all the meat and all the veggies. You can find the full grocery list at the bottom of this post. The first step is labeling all of your freezer bags with the name of the meal, the cook time and any special instructions. I use gallon size bags.
Next you'll want to chop all the veggies. I portion things out as I go so I know how much I need in each bag.
I chopped, and chopped, and chopped, and kept chopping even when my hand felt like it was going to fall off. You'll notice I don't have any onions. I hate onions. Pretty much all of these recipes could have onion added, so feel free if you're an onion lover.
Once you have all your veggies chopped and your bags labeled, you'll want to divide up your meat. You'll need to cook the ground beef and let it cool. Meat goes in the bags first. Once that's done you go through each recipe and pour in whatever goes with it. Seal it up, lay it flat for easier storage and you're done. Buwahaha I make it sound so darn easy. It's not actually "hard" but it is time consuming. I definitely wear sweat pants, a ratty old t-shirt and comfy shoes when I do this.
Chicken Fajitas (makes 2):
2 large chicken breasts
2 green peppers
1 Cup chicken broth
2 taco seasoning packets
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.
We serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream and Fritos scoops. My hubby adds refried beans...I pass :)
Pot Roast (makes 2):
3 T olive oil
2 lb beef roast (any kind, cut into large cubes)
3 Cups beef broth
5 potatoes, cubed
3-4 carrots, sliced
Sprinkle of rosemary, oregano, thyme (whatever seasoning you like...make this recipe your own)
Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
We serve this with green beans, a salad and dinner rolls
Honey Sesame Chicken (makes 2):
2 large chicken breasts
6 T olive oil
1 Cup honey
1/2 Cup soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
2 T sesame seeds
2 tsp salt and pepper
Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour in crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hrs. Remove chicken, shred and pour sauce from crock pot over it. We serve with rice.
Chili (makes 2):
So I can't disclose my Chili recipe entirely because it is a family secret, but I will give you most of it :) If you have a recipe you love, make it and freeze it.
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 Can hot chili beans (drained and rinsed)
2 Cans tomato sauce (small)
2 Cans tomato paste (optional if you like your chili thick)
1 green pepper cut into cubes
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T garlic powder/oregano
2 tsp cumin/hot sauce/basil/salt/pepper/cayenne/paprika/sugar
Brown ground beef, drain and cool. Split all ingredients in half & place in bags. Freeze. Day of cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 6-8 hrs. We eat with cornbread, sour cream and cheese.
Macaroni and Cheese (makes 2) adapted from my sister:
3/4 lb (12oz) elbow macaroni
4 Cups shredded cheese
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T worchestershire sauce
1 package smoked sausage cut into small cubes (not cooked)
Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, spray down crock pot with PAM really well, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hrs, checking at 4 hours. Don't stir until ready to serve. We serve with broccoli and sub shredded chicken sometimes.
Cheesy Garlic Chicken (makes 2):
2 large chicken breasts
2 Cans cream of chicken soup
1 Can cheddar cheese soup
1-2 tsp garlic powder
2 T butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours. We serve with angel hair pasta or mashed potatoes.
Sloppy Joes (makes 8-10 sandwiches):
2 lbs ground beef
1 (8oz) Can tomato sauce
1/2 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 Cup flour
1 T chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 T cider vinegar
2 T yellow mustard
1 T worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Brown ground beef, drain and cool. Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook low 4-6 hours. We serve with rolls and macaroni and cheese.
Buffalo Chicken (makes 2):
2 large chicken breasts
1 bottle hot sauce
1 package dinner rolls (for buns on day of serving)
Split ingredients listed above in half (except for rolls) and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hrs.
Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to pot and mix ingredients listed below in a small bowl.
1/3 Cup blue cheese or ranch (hub likes b.c., I like ranch)
4 stalks of celery sliced thin
Mix together the chicken and dressing mix. Split rolls and add chicken mixture.
Pulled Pork (makes 2);
2 lbs pork shoulder, butt or tenderloin
1 Can (12 oz) root beer
1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (used on day of cooking)
Split ingredients in half (except barbeque) and place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour contents into crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.
Remove and shred. Throw out sauce in pot and return meat. Add your favorite bottle of barbecue sauce to pot and stir. Serve. We serve on sesame seed buns with macaroni and cheese.
There they are! All 18 shoved into one shelf in my freezer. My last meal was my Broccoli and Cheddar soup that makes enough for two meals. You can find the shopping list at the bottom of that post, too.
What are your favorite crock pot recipes? I'm always looking for new meals to try. Hope you love these recipes as much as I do!
Thanks for stopping by!
**I linked up toflusters muster,thursday style,tidy mom,kitchen fun,weekend potluck,creativity unleashed
