Frugal Friday: Freezer Meal Recipes

In the past few months I have received several requests from blog readers & those that attended the Money Saving Methods Workshop asking for my Freezer Meal Recipes. I have avoided this question as much as possible and I am finally going to come clean. I don't really have written Freezer Meal Recipes. I do have a few resources I use and I have posted a few of my recipes (I will include links to these at the bottom of this post). For the most part, I make-up recipes using ingredients I have in my pantry. The basic recipe for a Freezer Meal is : raw meat, 1 can cooking soup, 1 soup can water (sometimes milk) & seasoning. Place all of the ingredients in a Ziploc freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer. To prepare, run warm water on the bag until you can break it into several pieces. Place in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. For example, one of the basic recipes I use is for Sunday Chicken. This consists of 1 lb. raw Chicken Breasts, 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 soup can water & 2 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Sunday Roast Seasoning (or substitute 1 packet dry onion soup mix). I serve this with either mashed potatoes or rice and a veggie (usually green beans).

Some of my favorite cooking soups are:

• Cream of Mushroom



• Cream of Chicken



• Cream of Onion



• Cream of Chicken & Mushroom



• Cream of Chicken with Herbs



• Cream of Celery



• Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic



• Golden Mushroom



• Cheddar Cheese



• Fiesta Nacho Cheese



• French Onion



• Tomato



• Cream of Shrimp

You can also use Tomato Sauce, Chicken Broth or Beef Broth.

A Freezer Meal does not have to be complicated. You can add 2 cups Spaghetti Sauce (homemade or store bought) to a ziploc bag and add 1 lb. of raw chicken. Now you have Chicken Parmesan. Simply add the contents of the bag to your crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over pasta and top with cheese. I have also taken 2 cups of salsa and added 1 lb. raw chicken. This makes yummy Chicken Tacos or can be served with Mexican Rice. There are no limits to the Freezer Meals you can create. Use ingredients your family likes and combine with ingredients you have in your pantry. One time I made a Freezer Meal & labeled it Itailan Chicken. It was delicious!! Unfortunately I had no idea what was in it. I am guessing that I probably had some leftover ingredients and I just tossed them in the bag and labeled it so you might want to include a list of ingredients on the ziploc bag so this doesn't happen to you!

My best advice is to get creative & don't be afraid to experiment. There are no right or wrong recipes, just use your families taste to determine what ingredients you use in a Freezer Meal.

Here are some of my Resources:

• Homemade Gourmet (click on Easy Recipes, then Recipe Search, then select 4 Meals in 4 Minutes under Cooking Style/Method)



• Campbell's Kitchen



• Once a Month Mom
  

Here are links to some of the Freezer Meal Recipes I have posted:

• There is a list of Homemade Gourmet Freezer Meals here.



• Spiced Cranberry Turkey



• Easy Cheesy Dump & Go Chicken



• Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

For more frugal ideas, visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.