As we get closer to the arrival of Baby Waters, I’ve started prepping and freezing meals to help ease the transition into “Waters, Party of FIVE”. Instead of putting the ingredients below into a crock pot or slow cooker and setting the timer. I’ve put the ingredients into a plastic bag and frozen them for future use. That way I can simply thaw the meal, dump into slow cooker, and eat a few hours later.

One thing that I LOVE as a mom is having already prepared dinners ready and on hand. I’ve found that when I am tired, sleep deprived, and have a newborn attached to me 24/7, the last thing I wanted to do (or COULD do) was go to the grocery store and then spend hours in the kitchen to make a healthy meal.

Having easy freezer meals on hand is a lifesaver!

The following meals are designed to be prepared (but not cooked) and frozen, and then transferred to a crockpot for effortless cooking the day you need your dinner.

Before you get started, here are a few tips:

1. Use “freezer” bags, not “storage” bags for storing food in the freezer. Freezer bags are thicker than storage bags and will keep the food fresh longer.
2. Speed freezing and hasten thawing by freezing foods in a thin, flattened shape in freezer bags. A rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to the middle. Flatter packages will also stack better in your freezer.
3. To avoid mystery meats and other foods of unknown age and possibly origin, label foods using a permanent marker. Be sure to include the name of the meal as well as the date it was made. If you’re bringing this to a new mom, add any additional helpful information on cook time, serving instructions, etc.

 

Easy Meals to Make Before Baby!

 

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

– 1 fresh pineapple, stalk, skin, and core removed and fruit cut into pieces

– 2 T coconut sugar

– 2 T liquid aminos

 

Directions:

– Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date

– Add all ingredients

– Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months

 

Cooking Instructions:

– The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw

– The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender

– Serve with rice and broccoli, and enjoy!

 

Crockpot Beef Jambalaya

Note: The ground beef in this recipe can easily be replaced by sausage – I just didn’t have it on hand.

Ingredients:

– 1 pound lean ground beef

– 2 chicken breasts

– 2.5 cups of water

– 1 (or 2 tsp) chicken bouillon

– 1/2 cup chopped onion

– 1 cup chopped red or green pepper

– 2 15-oz cans tomatoes

– 3 cloves crushed garlic

– 2 cup uncooked brown rice

– 1 tbsp paprika

– 2 tsp oregano

– 2 tsp thyme

– 2 tsp cayenne pepper

– 2 tsp seasoning salt

– 1 cup raw shrimp (needed on day of cooking)

Directions:

– Add all ingredients except for shrimp in a large plastic bag and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

– Thaw overnight. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “high” setting for 4 hours. After 4 hours, add shrimp, stir, and turn slow cooker to low heat. Cook for 2 more hours or until liquid is almost gone and rice is tender. ENJOY!

 

 

Caribbean Citrus Chicken Thighs

 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

– 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
– 1 red pepper, sliced
– 1 yellow pepper, sliced
– 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1 T honey
– 1 T apple cider vinegar
– 1 T chili powder
– 2 t cumin
– 1 t paprika
– 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

– Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date
– Add all ingredients
– Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months

 

Cooking Instructions:

– The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw
– The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 6 hours or until chicken is tender
– Shred chicken
– Serve on salad or tortillas with cooked onions and peppers, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole

 

Crockpot Easy Pork

Ingredients:

– 1 lb pork sirloins
– 1/4 C honey
– 2 T dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard)
– 2 t black pepper
– 1/2 t salt
– 1/2 t ground thyme
– 1/2 C water (not needed until day of cooking)

Directions:

– Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date
– Add all ingredients to your freezer bag
– Remove as much air from the gallon-sized freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer

Cooking Directions:

– The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw
– The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add water
– Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or until pork is tender
– Serve with rice and veggies

 

 

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak

Ingredients:

– 3 T corn starch
– 1 C chicken broth
– 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips
– 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
– 3 medium-sized bell peppers, cut into strips (I used two green and one red pepper)
– 1/2 t black pepper
– 1 clove of garlic, minced
– 6 slices of provolone cheese (not needed until day of cooking)

Directions:

– Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date
– Add all ingredients to your freezer bag except cheese
– Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer

Cooking Instructions:

– The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw
– The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender
– Add sliced cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until melted

 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

– 2lb boneless beef chick shoulder roast
– 2lbs carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
– 1 stick butter, unsalted
– 4-6 pepperoncini peppers plus a couple tablespoons of juice from the jar
– Au jus seasoning: 4tsp beef bouillon granules, 1tsp liquid aminos, 1/4tsp garlic powder, and 1/4tsp pepper
– Ranch seasoning: 1T dried parsley, 1tsp garlic powder, 1tsp onion powder, 1tsp dried onion flakes, 3/4tsp dill, 1/2tsp pepper, 1/2tsp salt

Directions:

– Combine all ingredients in gallon sized plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to three months

Cooking Instructions:

– Thaw overnight in the refrigerator
– Dump bag into slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 8 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork
– Shred meat and return to slow cooker to mix with juice. Serve with mashed cauliflower

 

Low Carb Chili