Crock Pot Freezer Meals with Friends

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We did it! I say we because there was NO WAY I would have succeeded in doing this all on my own.

Things I learned while making my first freezer meals for the crock pot:

1. Prepping over 45 freezer meals is best done with friends….and takes about 6 hours. Wine may have slowed us down a little bit…but it was worth it!

2. Everything is cheaper when making LARGE amounts of the same thing.

3. Costco is my friend.

4. Spend one afternoon finding 5 recipes to turn into freezer meals (we did 7 but that was A LOT).

5. Spend another afternoon creating a recipe list.

6. Spend ANOTHER afternoon grocery shopping for all said items. We hit up Costco for almost everything.

7. With the amount of items we needed to buy we would of had to make all freezer meals after the shopping trip except my lovely friend Michelle happened to have a large extra fridge so we kept everything in it until two days later when we could get together and tackle the task.

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8. Make sure you have an onion chopper…or goggles.

9. Doing this with friends makes it SO MUCH BETTER – ps – must add wine ;P

Need a good Crock Pot?

Just a heads up, I am not my crock pot’s biggest fan.

I need to use a toothpick to hold the lid up a tad so it doesn’t rattle from steam all day long.

I also would LOVE to have a crock pot that has a timer built in.

Lastly keep in mind the size of meals you will be preparing. Do you cook for 2 or 8? This should determine the size of the crock pot you purchase as well.

So if you haven’t already purchased one take that into consideration before making your purchase Image may be NSFW.
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Mine was a wedding gift that I will use till it dies….die crock pot…die!

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Clik here to view.*please take note of how your own crock pot functions as some need more liquid then others*

Recipes we used or recreated into freezer meals:

All crock pot meals are easy and even better….Dairy free, Nut free & Egg free so my son can eat them all!

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Beef Broccoli crock pot meal – We froze the meat with the seasoning mix in one bag and had the broccoli in a separate bag. Then we put the sealed meat bag into the broccoli bag to keep the two together. Serve on Rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore – Adjustments: We did not brown the chicken ahead of time and did freeze mushrooms in a separate bag to be added at the end. Serve over noodles or rice.

Crock pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken: Serve over rice with raw veggies as a healthy side.

Szechuan Steak Stir-Fry Recipe: Adjustments: We made this without the cilantro, peanuts & peanut oil. We also substituted the sesame oil with olive oil because that’s what we had. We put the strips of meat in a bag with the marinade to freeze. When we were ready to make this we added pre-frozen stir-fry veggie mix near the end & served over rice. With all these changes it still tasted GREAT!

Chunky Beef Stew: Premixed, included the raw cubed meat and freeze. Put it in the crock pot for 6-8hrs on low.

Jamaican Chicken Thighs: If you have the cookbook Eat, Shrink & Be MerryImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. by Janet & Greta Podleski congrat’s! This is my FAV recipe EVER, it is on page 86. Put the chicken in a bag with the marinade and freeze. Later crock pot it with an extra cup of water on low for 6-8 hrs. Serve with rice & a can of warmed green beans….or whatever veggie your family fancies.

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Clik here to view.Fun Sidenote:I just have to say that if you are looking for healthy recipe’s that taste amazing Janet & Greta have awesome cookbooks. I own three of them!Image may be NSFW.
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Clik here to view.My first one is their oldest cookbook The first LooneyspoonsImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. one (not sure they even sell it anymore) and I received it as a wedding present. I have been hooked ever since.They even tell your your caloric intake per serving per meal….can you say helpful!?!?Pulled Pork: Honest truth…I used a recipe from one of my super old cook books. I find this recipe works better in the oven then the crockpot. Maybe try a different pulled pork recipe to freeze instead?

This pulled pork recipe looks simple to prep.

And that’s that! DONE and prepared for half the winter….then I will do it all over again Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Great excuse to get together with the girls again.

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We each walked away with 20 freezer meals having only spent $210 per person!

That’s 7 different meals made to share between 3 families. We each went home with three meals prepared for each recipe. 7 times 3 is…..21!

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Considering Calgary’s crazy food prices I am guessing this could be done even cheaper if you live in an area where grocery costs are lower.

All in all I am THRILLED to have an array of meals prepped and ready to go for this busy family.

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Crock Pot Freezer Meals with Friends at ADOPTION MAMA.