Homemade Heather

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

 
Crock Pot Freezer Meals
Crock Pot Freezer Meals??!?
Epic idea!  Why have I never done this before?  Seriously!  
It was a lot of work to put these together but I have to say that the peace of mind that it has given me over the last two weeks has been brilliant!  
 
I made eight great meals that I could just pull out of the freezer to defrost the night before putting it into the crock pot the next day.  Truly amazing for those busy days between work and kids activities!  
 
I used some of our favorite crock pot recipes and modified a few new ones to add to our meal planning.  Be sure to join the conversation on Facebook – I have been sharing even more recipes over there!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Here are the numbers… 

4 hours of total prep time {1 hour planning, 1 hour shopping, 2 hours preparing}  
8 meals {5-6 servings each}
$160 total 
$20 average cost per meal
100% peace of mind

I did not shop the sales.  So you could save a ton of money too if you planned to stock up and shop whenever there were sales in store.  For us this saves a lot of money because I am not throwing away produce or ingredients that I had intended to use but forgot about.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

I had planned meals that used a lot of overlapping ingredients which made preparation even easier.  I cut up all of our ingredients and just scooped out the required amount into each recipe. 
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Before I could begin putting recipes together I grabbed a Sharpie (aff links) and labelled each large Ziploc bag with the recipe and directions. 
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Then I filled each freezer bag with all of the required ingredients for each recipe.  Tip:  place the bag into a bowl or large measuring cup before dumping ingredients into it.  Finally I squeezed all of the air out of the bag and stuck them into the freezer.  

Tips for making Crockpot Freezer Meals:

  • Use 1 gallon, large freezer bags (aff link).  Label bags with the date, recipe and cooking instructions.
  • Lay ingredients flat in the bag for easier storage in the freezer.
  • Defrost meals in the refrigerator or place frozen into the crockpot.  If the meal is defrosted, reduce the cooking time accordingly (subtract two hours for most crockpot meals).
  • Crockpot meals can easily be converted to Instant Pot recipes using this handy guide from Taste of Home – How to Convert Slow Cooker Recipes for the Instant Pot.
  • Store meals for up to three months in the freezer.

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Recipes:

{**update – I wrote some of the temperatures and times on our Ziploc bags incorrectly so be sure to follow the written recipe}…

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

 
Honey Teriyaki Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 5-6 chicken breasts
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 2 tsp diced garlic
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • add to sauce at the end
  • 4 tsp cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup water
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe

 
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
 
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Prep time
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Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg cooked meatballs
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cup diced green pepper
  • 1 cup diced red pepper
  • 1 bottle sweet and sour sauce
  • add one hour before serving
  • 1 can pineapple tidbits
  • Rice, cooked
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook on low for 4 hours.
  3. Serve over rice.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

BBQ Chicken Recipe

 
BBQ Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 5-6 chicken breasts
  • 2 cups cubed potatoes
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • ½ cup diced onions
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 bottle BBQ sauce
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Salsa Chicken Recipe

 
Salsa Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 5-6 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 can diced tomatoes {14 oz}
  • 1 diced onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup diced carrots
  • 1 pkg taco seasoning
  • add when serving
  • 3 Tbsp sour cream
Instructions
  1. Place ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Teriyaki Pork Chop Recipe

 
Teriyaki Pork Chops
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 6 pork chops
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup chicken broth
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Butter Chicken Recipe

 
Butter Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 5-6 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup diced green pepper
  • 1 cup diced red pepper
  • 2 cups diced mushrooms
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 bottle butter chicken sauce {340 ml}
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe

 
Coconut Curry Chicken
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Slow Cooker
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 5-6 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced red pepper
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 Tbsp red curry paste
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 can coconut milk
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
  2. Cook 6-8 hours on low.
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

My favorite so far has to be the Salsa Chicken.  
But the rest have been pretty amazing too!
#nomnom
 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

This was a huge time and sanity saver this month.  I am hoping to plan more crock pot freezer meals in the future.  Do you have any recipes to share?  Ones with more red meat?  Ha ha.  Thanks for reading!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Heather Painchaud

      I usually put them in the fridge the night before to thaw. Sometimes I forget and place them in the crockpot frozen.

      Reply

  5. Shannon Zelinka

    For the coconut curry chicken, do you wait to add the coconut milk until 30 minutes remain in the crockpot? Thanks!

    Reply

  8. jessica

    Most of these have 5-6 chicken breasts… How many is this serving? or is it doubled? I would regularly only use 3 chicken breasts in a meal.. so thought I would ask.

    Reply

  9. Donna

    Thank you for sharing! Your portion sizes are perfect for our family, as hubby takes leftovers for lunch the next day as well. We voted on which recipe to try first. It was a close race, but we’ll try the Salsa Chicken first (tomorrow 🙂 ) and the Teriyaki Pork Chops the following day!

    Reply

  12. c

    These look so easy and yummy. But I have a new picky eater/3 yr old. He used to be such a good eater, veggies especially. How do these recipes fair with picky eaters?
    Also, it’s just me, hubby, and little guy. Would it be a good idea to half these recipes? Next day lunch leftovers are always welcomed, of course.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Lisa

    The post says 8 meals, but I am only counting 7…did I miss one? Or should that read 7?
    1.Honey Teriyaki Chicken
    2. Sweet & Sour Meatballs
    3. BBQ Chicken
    4. Salsa Chicken
    5.Teriyaki Pork Chops
    6. Butter Chicken
    7. Coconut Curry Chicken
    8?

    Reply

    • Heather Painchaud

      I made 8 meals total in 4 hours – I think during this meal planning day I doubled the Sweet & Sour Meatball recipe and put two ziploc packets of that one in the freezer. You are right there are 7 recipes… you can find more recipes for crockpot freezer meals by searching the blog! Including crockpot lasagna! #nomnom

      Reply

  15. Nicole Martin

    Is there enough liquid in the pork chops to cook them in the crock pot that long. Seems like there should be more or do you find yourself adding more?

    Reply

  16. Elisa

    I’m confused! You replied to add water and cornstarch before you freeze the meal. Then, you replied later, to add it at the end after it cooks to thicken the sauce.? HELP!

    Reply

  17. JennyF

    Hi, I was going to write on the bag for the Teriyaki Chicken. I noticed your recipe indicates cooking on low for 4-5 hours. But the bag of food you showed as an example was “4-5 hrs high, 6-7 hrs high”. I just wanted to confirm how long these should cook.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  18. Becky

    Just wanted to clarify…for the Curry Chicken recipe does the coconut milk go in prior to freezing or during the last 30 minutes of cooking time? The bag in the picture appears to have the coconut milk already in it. Thanks! I’m a teacher and can’t wait to try these out!

    Reply

  19. Lauren

    Do you think these could be halved and still be ok in the crockpot? It is just my boyfriend and I so we wont eat this much.

    Reply

  20. Jon

    Possibly a dumb question…
    Once I have prepped the ingredients do I freeze them raw? Or cook them and then freeze them?

    Please and thank you.

    Reply

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