Creative Mess: freezer meals

Photo Source: Creative Mess 2013

A while back I made some freezer meals for my slow cooker. It is easy and quick. All you do is put all the ingredients in a zip lock bag, label it, and put it in the freezer. When you are ready to make it, you pull it out of the freezer at least 24 hrs to thaw out in the fridge. Dump it into the slow cooker, set it on low or high, and let it cook for the recommended time. Easy peasy!

This recipe is part of the series that the Six Sister's Stuff did on Slow Cooker Freezer Meals which can be found here.

I have freeze all of the meals and so far so good they have been turning out great! As of right now, this is the third freezer meal and the rest are still frozen. You can check out my post on Slow Cooker BBQ Cranberry Meatballs, which is awesome! My other post is the Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Stew. I would suggest that you pin it for later when it is winter. I think it doesn't sound good for the up coming warmer months.

I have made some of my own adjustments of the recipe which will be in the parentheses.

Slow Cooker Chicken Salsa

Photo Source: Creative Mess 2013

Ingredients:

2 - 14 oz cans of black beans, drained & rinsed ( I only used one can )

2 - 14 oz cans of corn, drained ( I used approximately 2 cups give or take of frozen corn )

1 - 1 oz package of taco seasoning Note: I did used one in the mild flavor, but I think next time I am going to add another package or use a spicier mix.

4-5 skinless chicken breast

1 cup of salsa ( I used a mild flavor)

3/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in a gallon sized resealable bag. Mix together in bag and zip lock it. Be sure to label what it is and the date.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw for at least 24 hours.

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours. The chicken will shred easily when done.

Suggestions:

Serve over rice, with tortilla chips, over a salad, in tortilla shells, or wrapped in a soft tortilla. This dish is so versatile. You can ggarnish with cheese, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and hot sauce.

I put onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, mashed avocado, and sour cream in a whole wheat soft tortilla. It was delicious! The only thing I would do differently is to use more seasoning preparing it for the freezer.

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Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Stew

Photo Source: Creative Mess 2013

This hearty beef stew is part of the slow cooker freezer meals that I wanted to try. This meal is easy and it tastes great. I like being able to throw all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag then put it in the freezer. When I am ready, I just pull the beef stew out the night before to thaw and put it in the slow cooker in the morning. By dinner time, I have this great aroma of the old fashion beef stew! I made some corn bread muffins to go with it. This meal was a hit with my family! Definitely will be making more of this.

This recipe was adopted from the Six Sisters Stuff and is a part of their 8 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in One Hour. I did all of the eight freezer meals which the beef stew is the first that my family and I have tried so far. As we try each of the freezer meals, I will share my results.

The recipe:

1lb beef stew meat (I cut mine up from bottom round)

4 carrots, cleaned and sliced

4 red potatoes, cleaned and cut into large cubes. (I left the skin on, but you can peel if you choose)

1 package of dry onion soup mix

2 cans of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup (I used fat free low sodium)

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 10 ounce package frozen green peas

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a resealable gallon sized freezer bag. Mix it up, close the bag, and place it in the freezer.

When ready to use, remove from freezer and thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours.

Empty the beef stew into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7-10 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours

Serve with some warm corn bread muffins.

This meal fed 2 adults and 1 child. We had left overs for the next day.