I have been wanting to dedicate a day to making freezer meals for YEARS now and just hadn't found the time. Then, last month when I ordered 40lbs of chicken (I only kept 20lbs and split with my friend) from Zaycon Foods I knew this was my time. I scoured all my "pins" from Pinterest and pulled what I thought to be the yummiest meals. Who am I kidding, I was also looking for the easiest with the least amount of ingredients. So Saturday I picked up my box of chicken and went to the store with my shopping list and Monday I got to work.
First I chopped all me veggies, lined them up on the counter in bowls. Then I labeled all my bags and lined them up according to like ingredients (helped save time when adding small things like a T of flour, those bags were next to each other, etc. Make sense?? Prob not.) Third I added the all seasonings (wet and dry), then veggies and then cleaned it all up. Next, THE CHICKEN! I was up to my elbows in chicken for a long time, needless to say I had no desire to cook or eat dinner so my family had cold cereal :) After adding the chicken, seal and shake the bags and voila! I double bagged the meals with lots of liquid, just to be safe.
And here are the recipes I used:
Hot and
Spicy Braised Peanut Chicken
IN THE BAG- 2
cups onions, 2 cups carrots, 2 cups zucchini, 1 red pepper, 1/2 t grated lime
peel, 2 T lime juice, 2 T soy sauce, 2 T flour, 4 garlic cloves, 2 lbs. cubed
boneless, skinless chicken breast.
TO COOK- Dump
contents of bag in slow cooker. Cover with 3/4 cup chicken broth and 3 T peanut
butter (whisked together). Cook on low for 5-6 hours. For the last five
minutes, add in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 bag of frozen peas.
TO SERVE- To
make it spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of red curry paste before serving (I kept our
unspicy for the kiddos). Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve over
rice.
Coconut Chicken
Curry by Martha Stewart
IN THE BAG- 3
pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 lbs. of chopped butternut squash, 2
medium onions,chopped, 8 minced garlic cloves, 1 oz fresh ginger, 2 T curry
powder,1 t ground coriander, 1 t ground cumin, coarse salt
TO COOK- Add the contents of the bag and a can of coconut milk to a slow cooker and cook on low all day. 25 minutes before serving, add another can of coconut milk and a bag of frozen peas.
TO SERVE-
Garnish with chopped cashews and cilantro.
BBQ Chicken adapted from this recipe by Mama and Baby Love
IN THE BAG- 2 cups sweet potatoes, 2 cups red and green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 2 cups onion, 3 cups zucchini, 2 T flour, 1.5 lbs chicken, 2 cloves garlic, 1 t salt
IN THE BAG- 2 cups sweet potatoes, 2 cups red and green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 2 cups onion, 3 cups zucchini, 2 T flour, 1.5 lbs chicken, 2 cloves garlic, 1 t salt
TO
COOK- Dump bag plus one bottle BBQ sauce into crock pot, cook on low for 6-8
hours.
Man-Pleasing Chicken modified from Witty in the City
IN THE
BAG- 2 cups red and green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 2 cups onion, 3 cups
zucchini, 2 T flour, 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 cloves garlic,
1 t salt
TO
COOK- Add the contents of the bag with 3/4 cup of dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup of
maple syrup and 1 T of rice wine vinegar to a foil lined glass pan. Cook at 450
until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Garnish with fresh rosemary and
serve.
- Split a large bag of Baby Carrots between the 2 bags
- Cut Red Onion into Large Chunks and split between the 2 bags
- (1) 20oz can pineapple in each bag (undrained)
- (2) Garlic Cloves chopped per bag
- (2) Chicken Breasts in each bag
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce in each bag
*TO COOK- Add 1/4 cup
teriyaki sauce to mixture. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve
over Rice.
“Pulled” Chicken Breasts
IN THE BAG-3 Whole Chicken
Breasts, 1 1/2 C Favorite
BBQ Sauce
TO COOK- Thaw and place
in your slow cooker with about 1/4 C of water for 3-4 Hours on High. Shred
chicken and mix back in with sauce, serve on crusty rolls with a slice of
cheese. This recipe is also pretty flexible and can be baked or grilled if you
don’t want to slow cook.
Ranch Chicken
IN THE BAG- 4 Whole Chicken
Breasts, 1 Packet Ranch
Dressing Mix (The dry kind)
- Dust the chicken with the ranch dressing – try to get the whole packet to stick. I found this worked a bit better if I didn’t try to do it in the bag, so I did it on a plate and put whatever didnt stick in the bag. Label and freeze.
TO COOK- Thaw and place
in your slow cooker with about 1 C of Water or Chicken broth for 3-4 hours on
High, or 4-5 Hours on Low. Serve whole or chop up for tacos or sandwiches.
Italian Chicken
IN THE BAG- 4 Whole Chicken Breasts, 1 1/2 C. Italian Dressing
TO COOK- Thaw and place
in your slow cooker with about 1/2 – 1 C of water or Chicken broth for 3-4
hours on high or 4-5 hours on low. This recipe can also be grilled or baked
with amazing results.
Chicken Fajitas
IN THE BAG-3 Chicken Breasts,
sliced into fajita strips
TO COOK- thaw and dump into the crockpot – cover and cook 4-5 hours on low
So there you have it! 10 bags of super healthy yummy crockpot meals! The total cost was about $6 per meal to feed 4 people (plus leftovers). Next time I will keep all 40lbs of chicken to myself and make more meals! Also, it took me about 5 hours from prep to full kitchen cleanup (factor in taking care of 2 kids, one with new stitches who needed lots of cuddles, serving dinner pouring bowls of cereal and putting kids to bed).
Totally worth it! Enjoy!
