The Crockpot Roast

The next most favorite thing to cook in my handy dandy crockpot, is the ever easy Roast.  You toss it in, toss the ingredients in, and poof, a delicious dinner for a family of 8 without breaking a sweat.

We are red meat eaters, so any chance to cook something other then chicken in the crockpot my husband jumps at.  I prefer chicken over the red meat, but eh, being married means we all make some sacrifices right? But this meal? This meal isn't a sacrifice.  Its delicious, and its almost always either half of all the way gone before the night is through.

I like this particular recipe because it makes a bunch of gravy (so if you accidentally cook it too long like we did, it has a good gravy to go over the top that helps).  I like the gravy to have to pour  over potatoes, veggies, and of course the meat.

This is one of my favorite roasts to cook as well as the 3 envelope pot roast (that will be in next month's recipes).    As you can see below the roast is only slightly pink, so a little bit more well done then I would have liked it to be. This was done after 4 hours.  My husband just happened to check on it (notice he does this a lot?) and said it was done (the recipe calls for 8 hours of cooking!).  So I left the crockpot on warm and went about the remainder of the day since we didn't want to eat dinner at 2pm (what is this Sunday?!).

So there's an important lesson in this, that is good to know (even us seasoned crock potters make mistakes, as you can see).  If you keep the crockpot on warm, it still will continue to cook your meal.  So, if your roast is just a teensy bit rarer then you like, switch it to warm if its still an hour or two till dinner.  It will cook but not as much as the low setting.

Remember, all crockpot's are different. Some cook at higher temperatures then others.  The key is to learn how your crockpot cooks.  If it runs warmer the times will be shorter, if it runs cooler the times will be longer.  Use the times with each of these recipes , but watch closely.  Watch bigger things (like the roasts) an hour before its scheduled to be done, see how its coming along.

Anyways, once you get down how the crock pot cooks, timing your meals will be a breeze! 

How many of you have tried the Roast?

Beef Roast

3lb beef roast (seared on all sides, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper prior to searing)

Pepper to Taste (I use a pinch of pepper)

1 packet of Dry Onion Soup Mix

1 small can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup water

Cook low 5-8 hours

Chicken Tortilla Soup... I may have been drunk.

Sooooo... Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my favorite freezer crock pot meals to make.  Its deliciously spicy and flavorful.  Its a few things tossed into a bag that makes a meal unlike any other.  I love tortilla soup, I have it 2-3 times a month that's how much I love it.

Then I had last night's debacle...

I still love it, don't get me wrong.  But next time I do believe that I should cut wine out of the equation while preparing the meal.

I tossed the meal in the crockpot around 1:00 pm so it would be ready around 6.  The smell that was emanating out of my crockpot was piquant. I couldn't wait to give it a try.  So as I am sitting at the dining room table with a few friends preparing our daughter's 1st birthday extravaganza, my husband shyly peeks his head into the dining room and asks if we want to order pizza as opposed to the soup.  It was at that moment that I wondered which one of us was presently enjoying giggles and an Arnold Palmer (I swear I'm not an alcoholic). I looked at him quizzically, and he responded, "you put large tomatoes in it, and there's chicken thighs, not breasts".  Sigh... Que banging head on table.

So sure enough, when I pulled what I thought was frozen chicken breasts out of my freezer (yes I keep a stash in the freezer, whenever they go on sale you gotta grab them up!), they turned out to be chicken thighs. And apparently, I dumped the wrong kind of tomato into the soup.  So now I have bony chicken, lumpy tomato's, and a soup that still smells the same.  My husband braved the first taste (if I screwed up two key ingredients, who knows what else I threw in there!), and alas, it tastes the same that it always does!

So, since the chicken thighs were cooked in the crockpot, they easily separated from the bone. My husband was kind enough to complete this process for me, because after 2 drinks I didn't trust myself near anything aside from a bubble. We just dealt with the rather large size tomatoes.  We have a bunch left over, so this afternoon when we heat it up, I believe I am going to add some rice to the mix as opposed to tortilla's and see how good it tastes.  Because we used chicken thighs, the soup was a little bit greasy, but still delicious.



All in all, the lessons learned are as follows:
-Label ALL chicken before you clean and freeze it.  And don't buy chicken thighs, especially when you're not a fan of them in the first place.
-I shouldn't drink wine while preparing these meals.
-Even with chicken thighs and chunky tomatoes, it still tasted delicious.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

14.5oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

11oz can corn with red and green peppers drained

10oz enchillada sauce

1 cup onion chopped

4.5oz can chopped green chiles

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Roasted Chicken - Deliciousness

One of my favorite go to recipes is the Roasted Chicken (recipe below). I like this recipe because it is simple, easy to prepare, and feeds the whole family with plenty of leftovers for relatively cheap (I can get 3 roaster chickens for $10 at the local wholesale dealer, they are normally about $5-7 a piece in grocery stores).  When I first started making this recipe, I was turned off by the appearance of the chicken.  Since there is nothing but spices and onions, it doesn't leave much in terms of coloring in a crockpot, however the taste is something delicious!  I was getting tired of pulling yellow chickens out of the crockpot (it looked like boiled chicken) so I tried to do my recipe different ways.

I discovered the easiest way to change the color of the chicken in the crock pot was to break the cardinal rule of crockpot cooking... opening the lid and basting the juices back over the chicken.  When I did this, it gave the chicken a brown looking appearance (although the taste remained the delicious same) which added to the appeal at dinner time.

So many people have asked me, don't you need to add liquid to cook the chicken? The answer is a resounding NO. The chicken, while cooking, makes so much of its own liquid that the lower portion of the chicken tends to get a boiled appearance and texture unless you position the onions directly under the chicken.

I tend to buy roaster chickens that have the "done button" that pops up when the chicken is cooked through.  I do this because each chicken I buy varies in size, shape, and weight (we cant always have the perfect 5lb chicken).  So I closely start monitoring the chicken (every 15 minutes) after 5 hours.  I do this so I don't overcook the chicken, some people don't mind the chicken a little on the more done side, our family prefers a regularly done chicken.  I find that a 5lb chicken in the crock pot takes a perfect 5 hours to cook (sometimes a tad bit more - but that's a rare occurrence).

Anyhoo, after the chicken is all done, I pull it out of the crockpot (be careful, the cavity of the chicken holds juices too, so don't spill any one yourself) and place it on a platter.  The good thing about cooking the chicken in the crockpot is you don't really need to carve it, it just falls apart with a fork (which makes cleaning it from the bone super easy).  I tend to serve with some yummy greens like broccoli or asparagus, and mashed potatoes.

Delicious!

Whole Roast Chicken

1 Roasting Chicken

2 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup chopped onion

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

Step 3, the most time consuming part out of all of it!

So step 3 has finally arrived! The daunting task of browning the chop meat, the roast, cutting all the vegetables, opening up an endless stack of cans, and dumping everything into your freezer bags! I am going to break it down to make it go the quickest for you (all people are different, I find this the easiest because it gets all the tedious and time consuming tasks done first). 

First things first, if you have a helper. this goes much faster.  This past day I am on crutches, non-weight bearing on my foot, so my husband had to go out and do the grocery shopping, and my mother had to help with the stuffing of the freezer bags.  Normally all the prep is done by me (including the grocery shopping).

If you don't have a helper, grab a glass of wine because this is going to take a while! But make it a spritzer, because if you have a glass of straight wine, followed by another, followed by another, people get pissed when you hope they don't mind that you have the 5 second rule as you're dropping food all over the place.  I myself had a glass of wine, because it was the better alternative to the pain medication I didn't take to accomplish this feat. 

First thing I did was prep the meatballs.  I do this simply because it is easier to mix up all those ingredients, roll the balls, then toss them in the oven for an hour while I complete the task of browning the remaining chop meat, roasts, and chopping all the vegetables.  By the time I am done browning, chopping, rinsing, and draining everything, an hour has passed, and the meatballs are done!  Baking meatballs is not always for everybody, I cook them at 350* for 30 minutes then flip them.  They still get brown and crispy on the outside just like you were frying them, just without all that extra grease. I use a ice cream scoop to make them relatively uniform in size so their cooking time will be the same.

 I find that tossing all the ingredients in before the chop meat helps me mix it better.  Note to self: remember to pull the awesome mixer we got for our wedding out of storage! Would definitely be better then hand kneading!

If you do decide to bake them, make sure they're not touching (they do shrink a little when you cook them, but they may shrink into each other).

And while all your meatballs are baking, start browning your meat away!

 Make sure when you choose your veggies, that you choose the best (I always choose organic - but that is just personal preference). Try to avoid bruised vegetables and potatoes.  If you must, just make sure you cut out any bruised or darkened spots on your vegetables completely. 

When you are done chopping all of the ingredients.  Set them out in bowls in front of you,  Once the meat has cooled completely, but all the meat in bowls too (or directly into the bags).  Remember, you do NOT need to cook the chicken.

Now, take the time to give yourself a bit of a breather.  The next part is really tedious.  Take a big sip of that wine and get ready to get to business! My recommendation for this part, is do one bag at a time.  Pull out all the ingredients that you need (for garlic, we used the minced garlic in a jar, tastes just as good and cuts out a ton of time!).  When I started doing freezer crockpot meals, I did 7 meals at a time.   So pace yourselves!

I prefer to open up all the cans at once.  Note to self: Buy electric can opener before hand falls off!

That way all you literally have to do is DUMP EVERYTHING IN! Its nice.  Since I am going recipe for recipe now, I don't tend to cross off the ingredients as they go in, since as soon as they are done, I yell to the husband and he runs then outside to our spare freezer (I will get to your freezer technique in just a minute). 

Once everything is said and done, the counter looks less and less messy, and then you begin to realize that you have slowly brought your kitchen back from the brink of madness. 

 Once you complete all your meals, you celebrate with a celebratory full glass of wine!  But don't get too sloshed! Now comes the ever awesome art of freezer stacking.  We have a spare fridge and freezer in our garage (an old fridge that we got rid of to update to a newer one that still worked).  We use this for my husbands beer stash, and my freezer and refrigerated coupon loot, and now more recently the freezer has been overtaken with my whole month's worth of freezer meals. 

The trick to stacking you meals is patience.  Remember, these freezer bags are not factory sealed, they can burst, rupture, or even split under the pressure.  I have a rule that the heaviest meals go on the bottom (normally the taco soups, roast, beef stew, and tortilla soup).  I then don't stack more then 3 unfrozen meals on top of each other.  As you can see this doesn't leave me with a lot of room.  I normally refrigerate all the remaining meals that I couldn't shove into here till the next morning (when I know everything in the freezer is frozen solid).  In the morning I go out and put the remainder of the meals in.  Once all the meals (like the soups and such) are frozen solid, you can stand them on end.  

I honestly feel my uncanny ability to beat Tetris each and every time made me able to stock my freezer.

Now enjoy each of the meals.  You DO NOT need to defrost any of the meals before you put them in the crock pot.  However getting them out of their bag may be a trick.  I tend to run them under hot water for a minute, and it unsticks all the insides from the bag.  I then just dump it into the crockpot.  Based on the size of your crockpot, you may not be able to fit the whole rectangular shape in so you will have no choice but to defrost to make it fit.  If you want to defrost, set it out the night before, and toss it in the crockpot first thing in the morning.

As for the 2 beef roast recipes, if you are not going to eat them within the first 20 days, the cream of mushroom soup wont hold well in the freezer.  If you want, like I did, leave the cream of mushroom soup out and add it the day of cooking.  

Ok guys!  Enjoy! Tonight's meal in the crockpot is going to be the Roast Chicken.  Photos and taste blog later.  As always, please feel free to send me a message with any questions you may have, and submit photos to the Facebook group.  Once we reach 1,000 likes, we give away a free Crockpot!

Day 2 of Freezer Prep Cooking

Good Afternoon all.  This afternoon, I decided to tackle adding the dry ingredients to all of my labeled freezer bags.  I do this for 2 reasons.
1) The day of the actual final preparation, my kitchen is so hectic, I would rather just dump the last big name ingredients into the bag and not have to worry about measuring teaspoons here, and half cups there. 
2) I can keep these stored for days or weeks until I want to add any of the wet ingredients, right in my pantry.  So if I find myself bored on a rainy day, and I have an hour or 2 to kill, I find myself making some bags for the next bulk cooking.

The trick to this part is organization.  I look at the ingredients on each bag and separate them into 2 piles.  The first pile is whatever recipes that have NO dry ingredients (meaning they would require freezing or refrigeration immediately). I tuck those bags away back into my pantry till I am ready to add the wet ingredients.  Once i have separated the piles I have what seems like a large stack of ziplock bags in front of me with a ridiculous task ahead.  Daunting... I know.





Once I finish that, I compile a list of the dry ingredients that I need to add to each of the bags.  I take that list into my pantry, and I do some shopping.  By the time I am done and ready to get started my set up looks a little like this.  I make sure that I have my entire set of measuring spoons, and cups right there on the table.  I also tend to dampen a cloth and have it on hand, that way when I have to reuse the same measuring spoon on a new spice, I wipe the spoon clean to prevent any mixing in my
spice jars.




Some people may think that it is faster to go through each recipe bag and dump the ingredients in as you go.  I prefer to go simply with one ingredient through all the bags.  So lets say that the onion powder is first up, I measure the 1/2 tsp in the first recipe and then I go over each bag till I have found every recipe that requires onion powder and I have added it to the bag.  That way once you are done, you can move the onion powder off the table and put it away, and give yourself more room to work.










As I go through each ingredient, I cross them out.  I do this so I know the ingredient has been added and I don't accidentally omit it, or put double the amount in (ask my husband about the time I tried to kill the family by tripling the chili powder in a Tortilla Soup recipe).

I keep going through the bags and cross off ingredients as I go.  I also use this time to double check my spice stock.  I tend to buy in bulk (that way I only have to do it once a year) from a wholesale dealer, and then place it into smaller more manageable containers for every day cooking.

Eventually when I have added all the dry ingredients, I seal up the bags and put them back in the pantry.  I sit back and marvel at how I managed to coat the dogs in onion powder and I am painfully aware of the garlic salt that was once on my hands and is now in my eyes. 

I take one last look at the ingredients that are not crossed out and make sure my grocery list matches what I need.  I take this time to celebrate in silent victory that the most tedious of the tasks (aside from writing all the ingredients on freezer bags) is done, and plan my shopping strategy for the next day.

Feel free to send in your photos loyal followers, I will post them on the Facebook page as they come in!

Excellent Terriyaki Sauce Marinade Recipe for your Crockpoting Needs!

A good friend of mine sent over a finger lickin recipe' that will add a whole new level of deliciousness to any recipe that requires Terriyaki Sauce.  This is a homemade recipe of his, and every bit of delicious! Way better then the store bought :


12 chicken wings
3/4 cup sake
1 1/2 cups mirin (most supermarkets will have Kikkoman Aji-Mirin. It's a sweet rice wine)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cup soy sauce ( I use so much of this I buy it in gallon cans)


Broil or grill chicken wings until they start to get good and brown. You aren't trying to cook them, just give them color, so high heat and a short time works fine.

In a medium pot, bring sake and mirin to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add sugar, and stir until dissolved. Add soy sauce and chicken wings. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and cook for about 30 minutes, until sauce looks slightly thick and glossy.

Eat the chicken wings. They were there to give the sauce flavor, and to impart their gelatin.

Strain sauce through a strainer or cheesecloth. Let sauce cool to room temp. Refrigerate for up to a month,

A recipe I just had to share

Last night my husband tossed in the Crockpot a 2 Bean Chicken Freezer meal that I had prepared sometime last month.  This was the first time we ever made the recipe and I wasn't sure if we were going to like it or not since the ingredients were so simple.  Turns out it was a hit!

2 Bean Chicken
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
15oz can pinto beans - rinsed
15oz can black beans - rinsed
28oz can diced tomatoes
1lb frozen corn
12oz jar salsa (your favorite flavor)
OPTIONAL: 1/2 TBS Chili Powder

Combine all ingredient in bag.  Seal. Cook low 5-6 hours.


I am sorry there are no photos, but this recipe really surprised us.  We served it over rice, and it was perfect.  Without the chili powder, the recipe has no spice but is still quite tasty. 

28 Recipes for you to write down!

And here it is, the meat and potato's of those recipes.  Each recipe is pretty simply prepared (ground beef and beef normally requires browning or thorough cooking before so that requires some more preparation) and all ingredients get tossed into the bag.  Please don't forget, the smallest bag you should be using is a 1 gallon freezer bag.  I STRONGLY recommend that you spend the extra dollar and get Hefty, Ziploc, or Glad freezer bags, these are the ONLY bags I find that prevent freezer burn, and don't burst under the weight. 

Beef Roast
3lb beef roast (seared on all sides, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper prior to searing)
Pepper to Taste (I use a pinch of pepper)
1 packet of Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 6-8 hours


Beef Stew
2lbs Stew beef cubed and coated lightly with flour
15 small red potatoes
1 small chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup red cooking wine
1 cup beef broth
14.5oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp allspice

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 9-10 hours.

Minestrone1 TBS Olive Oil
1 1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leeks
4 cloves garlic minced
3 carrots chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
16oz can diced tomatoes undrained
6 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp oregano
1.5 cups uncooked canellini beans

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Day of cooking ass 1.5cups uncooked long grain rice.  Cook low 4-6 hours.

Herb Wine Chicken
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup red wine
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lemon sliced thinly left in circles
2 TBS parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Creole Chicken
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 TBS Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic minced
14oz can whole tomatoes chopped
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

 Sticky Chicken
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 TBS smooth peanut butter
3 TBS Ketchup

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Garlic Dijon Chicken
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
4 TBS Dijon mustard
2 TBS Lime juice

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Zesty Chicken
Whole Roaster Chicken
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
2 TBS garlic

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 6-8 hours.

Chicken Fajitas
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Green Bell peppers sliced long and thin
1 onion sliced thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 taco seasoning packet
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 5-6 hours.

Teriyaki Chicken
3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 cup teriyaki
1 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic minced.

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Whole Roast Chicken
1 Roasting Chicken
2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 6 hours.

Taco Soup
2 cans kidney beans drained
2 cans pinto beans drained
2 cans corn undrained
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomatoes with green chiles
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1lb ground beef (cooked)

Combine all ingredients in bag. Seal.  Cook low 4-6 hours.

Apple Honey Chicken
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup apple juice
2 tsp garlic minced
1/2 cup honey
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Spicy Sweet Chicken
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp garlic minced
2/3 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
14.5oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
11oz can corn with red and green peppers drained
10oz enchillada sauce
1 cup onion chopped
4.5oz can chopped green chiles
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 5 hours.  

Spaghetti Meat Sauce
1 lbs ground beef cooked through
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 3-4 hours.

Sloppy Joes
2 lbs ground beef cooked
1/2 cup onion chopped and cooked with beef
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup ketchup
1 TBS brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cool low 5-6 hours.

Meatballs and Sauce
2 lbs ground beef
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
32oz favorite spaghetti sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with exception of sauce.  Mix well and form into desired size balls.  Fry or bake meatballs till cooked through.  Let cool.  Combine meatballs and sauce in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 6-8 hours.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs and Sauce 
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
32oz favorite spaghetti sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with exception of sauce.  Mix well and form into desired size balls. Make a hole in the ball with your finger and insert a cube of cheese. Re-roll the ball until no cheese is visible.  Fry or bake meatballs till cooked through.  Let cool.  Combine meatballs and sauce in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 6-8 hours.

Taco Chicken Bowls
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
16oz salsa
15oz can black beans drained
8oz frozen corn
1 TBS chili powder
1/2 TBS cumin
1/2 TBS garlic minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper to Taste

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal.  Cook low 8 hours.  Shred chicken prior to serving.

Honey Rosemary Chicken
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
3 TBS rosemary
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in bag.  Seal. Cook low 4-6 hours (if you feel like grilling, you can also grill this, just defrost everything first!).






OK! Those are all the recipes for the 28 meals! Pick and choose from what you want, or join me in the full 28 meal prep.  Tomorrow I will be posting the 2nd step to this prep that should make 28 days of meal prep a bit easier on all of you.

Your 28 Recipes

This weekend's preparation is going to be 28 recipes that we have either tried (21 of them), or found exceptionally interesting and wanted to try (7 of them).  The recipes are as follows:

Zesty Chicken
Whole Roasted Chicken (3)
Beef Roast (2)
Honey Rosemary Chicken
Taco Chicken Bowls
Meatballs & Sauce (2)
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs *Untried Recipe*
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti Meat Sauce(2)
Taco Soup (2)
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken Fajitas
Apple Honey Chicken *Untried Recipe*
Spicy Sweet Chicken *Untried Recipe*
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Garlic Dijon Chicken *Untried Recipe*
Sticky Chicken *Untried Recipe*
Creole Chicken *Untried recipe*
Herb Wine Chicken
Minestrone Soup *Untried Recipe*
Beef Stew (2)


Here are the supplies that you are going to need! I have organized them into sections that I would normally find them in my local grocery store. Each of the recipes has between 4-6 servings.  I would say most of them are closer to 4. But we always have a little left over for 1-2 people to have lunch the following day. Happy Shopping!
PRODUCE
(1) Lemon
(11) Onions
(30) Mini Red Potatoes
(2) Bags of Carrots
(1) Bag of Celery
(1) Leeks
(1) Lemon Juice
(4) Green Bell Pepper
(1) Lime Juice
ETHNIC FOOD
(1) Cannellini Beans
(2) 10oz Enchilada Sauce
(2) 4.5oz Chopped Green Chiles
(1) 16oz Salsa (spicy-medium)
MEAT
(4) Roaster Chickens
(4)lbs Beef Chuck or stew beef
(6)lbs beef roast (3lb each if possible)
(42) Chicken Breasts (or 21 big ones that you can split in half)
(12)lbs Ground Beef
CANNED GOODS
(2) Cream of Mushroom Soup
(2)cups Beef Broth
(6)cups Vegetable Broth
(2) 28oz Diced Tomatoes
(2) 14.5oz Diced Tomatoes
(1) 16oz Diced Tomatoes
(1) 14oz Whole Tomatoes
(4)cups Chicken Broth
(2) 14.5oz Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
(2) 11oz corn with geen and red peppers
(1) 15oz Black Beans
(4) Kidney Beans
(4) Pinto Beans
(4) Corn
OILS AND SAUCES
(1) Soy Sauce
(1) Olive Oil
(1) Worcestershire Sauce
(1) Balsamic Vinegar
(1) Red Cooking Wine
(1) Red Wine Vinegar
(1) Dijon Mustard
(1) Apple Juice
(1) Teriyaki Sauce
(1) Apricot Preserves
DRY STUFF
(2) Ranch Dressing Packet
(2) Dry Onion Soup Mix
FROZEN AND REFRIGERATED
(1) 8oz Frozen Corn
(1) Mozzarella Cheese Block (½ lb)
(12) eggs

I reserve my shopping for the ingredients the day of my actual cooking preparation.  I do this so I don't overstock my fridge with all the perishables and I have to fight for space.  I will provide the recipes in short order....

If you want to work off of your own recipes, and are looking for a more organized way to make your freezer meals, try to use a laptop and paper at the same time.  Go back and forth, double and triple check.  I find nothing more frustrating then having to run back to the grocery store for last minute things that I forgot to put on the list.  I also tend to save my grocery lists for tried and true recipes that we've enjoyed.  It saves me time in the future from having to go back through and recreating a list. 

How to get yourselves started for this week

Since I am kicked back, relaxed, and ready to go, I figure might as well start 2 days early on setting you guys up for your crockpot freezer cooking.

The real trick to making everything go smoothly, quickly, and efficiently? Span everything out over a period of 3 days.  I like to do 28 days of freezer meals, since I can buy the Hefty Freezer Bags 1 Gallon Size in 28 counts. This means I get to run out, and buy a box of them (or I buy the 3 pack at BJ's/Costco and save the other 2 in storage for later use). 

I compile the recipes that I want to try, those I know that work and that I like (I normally do 21 recipes I know and trust - and then do 7 new ones - like I say, you never know if you will like it or not unless you try it!). And then I get down to business.

I set up with my trusty cup of coffee, turn the phone on silent, and turn the music up and then I start to write.

Some people tend to label only what the name of the dish is and the cooking directions on their bags.  I tend to write the entire recipe contents as well as the directions.  I do this for 2 reasons.
1- I have adult ADHD.  I get side tracked easily and tend to jump around from task to task. When I do this, by the time I come back to the original task, I honestly forget what I was doing.  So by writing the entire recipe on the bag, I can cross off the ingredients as I add them to ensure that I am not missing or putting too much of one thing in the bag.
2- I sometimes save similar recipes with similar names, I like to be reminded on occasion of exactly which recipe I am cooking (taco soup, one of our favorites, has so many variations that I need to pay close attention to the ingredients).  I have certain family members who love spicy, while others cant stand it.  So I prepare my meal schedule around their taste buds (i.e. if Nonna is joining us for dinner, its not a spicy night).

I write all 28 of those recipes out (there are a few duplicates since a favorite of ours is the whole roast chicken, and chicken tortilla soup) and then sit back when I'm done and read through everything just to make sure I have written down any necessary directions along the way.

I use a permanent marker for this, This is the only type of marker that I have found that lasts, but yet doesn't seep through.

I then go through my recipes and compile my shopping list.  I find that the best way to buy ingredients is in bulk.  For olive oil, and seasonings, we always bought at BJ's so we have a year long supply (will cost you about $100).  Most of the ingredients that aren't the meat are things that you have around the house anyways.  I like to keep my own little stockpile just for my freezer meals that way I don't deplete my supply for regular cooking (yes I have a life outside of my crockpot).

To save ourselves a few extra pennies, we look at the store circulars for the week (our local grocery store is Stop and Shop).  They normally have Boneless skinless chicken breasts, roaster chickens, and ground beef sales every other week.  So sometimes it is cheaper to buy through your local supermarket (or your local meat market if you have one).  Other times its cheaper to buy boneless skinless uncooked frozen breasts from a Wholesaler (and a lot less messy).  I prefer fresh over frozen, because we can cut and trim the fat off of the unfrozen fresh chicken.  Frozen chicken breasts you CANNOT defrost then refreeze.  Its always a matter of preference though.

Once we have the grocery list compiled, and all the recipes written on the bags, I tend to call it a day.  After all I do have an 11 month old running around the house, and have to make some time for her in all this.

The start of something yummy.

Hello Everyone! Since I have such a hard time keeping up with the requests to post my crockpot freezer cooking shennanigans, recipes, trials and tribulations on my Facebook, I have decided to give in to the masses, and build a blog dedicated to the art, perfection, and failure of my freezer meals.



I get frustrated, day in and day out seeing the same mundane recipes, whether they are on Pinterest, or someone shared a link on Facebook.  I like to try new things, see how well they will cook in a crockpot, and spice things up in the kitchen (you will notice we like spicy as quite a few of the recipes I am going to share and complete are going to have a kick). 




Each time I blog, it will have recipes, photo's, how to's, and tips.  Some of them will even be reviews on new recipes.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as you claim you will.  For those that have been looking to me for a long time for recipe's and tips, please bear with me as I leave detailed directions for those that are new. Enjoy everyone!