I love Freezer or OAMC (once a month cooking) meals. I fill my freezer with meals that are ready for the crockpot, no defrosting necessary. This really cuts down on the urge to eat out, since I have 15+ meals ready to go in the freezer. I stock-up on meat when it is on sale and then spend 1-2 days a month preparing these meals. I put them in Ziploc Freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer. When I am ready to prepare a meal for dinner, I take it out of the freezer and run some hot water on the Ziploc bag (just enough so I can break it into a couple of pieces to fit in the crockpot). I then cook the meal in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. This really simplifies dinner. I can put the meal in the crockpot while I am preparing my son's lunch and then at dinner time I make a side dish and/or veggie to go with the meal. I am amazed at how this has cut down on eating out. The main reason we were eating out was not because we really liked restaurant food but because I didn't plan ahead for dinner. This has also cut down on our grocery bill since I plan the meals ahead of time, stick to my grocery list and buy everything at rock bottom prices. My husband jokes that we could go without grocery shopping (except milk and produce) for at least 6 months because of my Freezer Meals & stockpiling!
Here are some of my favorite freezer meal recipes:
Asian Lemon Pork Tenderloin (sometimes I substitute chicken in this recipe)
Go here for more great Freezer Meal Recipes.
For more great frugal ideas, visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom!
I can't wait to try out your recipes! Thanks a million!
ReplyDeleteWe can totally relate--We eat out mostly on a whim and because there is "nothing' at home, not because we actually enjoy it. For the most part anyway. And, we can go forever without doing a lot of grocery shopping, too! Isn't that a great feeling?
thanks for sharing your tips! I love that so many of them can be put in the crockpot to heat :)
ReplyDeleteYour recipes for garlic chicken and Italian pear sound fabulous. I might have to give these a try.
Thanks for sharing your freezer recipes-that helps so much!
ReplyDeleteMaria
Genius..thanks for sharing! I have heard a lot about people doing this but wasn't sure about how to handle the bags when you want to pull one out for dinner. I appreciate all the details!
ReplyDelete:)
Oh this is so awesome. I have been thinking more about freezer meals. This is a great post. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHow long can you store the mealsa in the freezer?
ReplyDeleteMarie-Anne
If you store the meals in the freezer on the refrigerator they will keep about 6 months. If you store them in a large freezer that is super cold they will keep for 1 year.
ReplyDeleteSorry if this is a stupid question but for your freezer meals do you just mix all ingredients together raw? or are they cooked and then put in the crock pot to be heated up?
ReplyDeleteBetty,
ReplyDeleteI put all of the ingredients in the bag raw and then it cooks in the crockpot. The only ones I cook ahead of time are the Dream Spaghetti Casseroles.
I love all these recipes! I am very very new to all this and it will be my first time and I dont want to sound stupid in some but I seem to be confused a little. For the homemade gourmet seasonings do you buy those in the grocery store? and are all these recipes listed to be used in crockpot? I am noticing some of the recipes have almost no liquids? like I said I am sorry I am new but would really love to do these recipes!.. Thank You
ReplyDeleteAngel,
ReplyDeleteHomemade Gourmet went out of business so those seasonings are no longer available. I prepare the recipes in the crockpt but they could also be done in the oven. All of the recipes that I use contain enough liquid for cooking so I am not sure what you mean by that question. This post is one of my older posts for more current information:
http://cuttingcouponsinkc.blogspot.com/2011/12/freezer-meal-recipes.html
I hope this helps but let me know if you have more questions.
Just curious what seasonings you use if the Homemade Gourmet blends are no longer available. I am especially interested in the Burgundy Beef Tips recipe. Thanks!
ReplyDelete