Is crock pot food going to win me any culinary awards? No. Is it healthier, cheaper and more appetizing than take out three nights a week? Yes.
Most important for me when I was working were meals that didn't have a lot of morning prep. My favorites were make-ahead freezer meals that thaw and go right into the slow cooker. Some people call these "dump" meals, as in "dump chicken" or "dump stew." Let's just be brutally honest here: In my brain dump = poop. I'm not referring to something we are going to eat as "dump," but I still like the concept. I would usually make 5 meals worth of a recipe and, if I was diligent about it, have a freezer stocked full of ready-to-go meals.
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| These men are attending a slow cooker festival. I just made that up. |
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| Reason #768 why we don't have a cat. |
Pineapple chicken enchiladas
This recipe requires some extra work once you're home, but makes up for it since you can make a bunch ahead. I line up 5 ziploc bags in an assembly line. Then they go into the freezer, thaw the night before and hop right into the slow cooker. You can also use leftovers for some delicious nachos. The recipe serves 4-6. Multiply as needed.
-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
-1 cup salsa
-1 pkg tortillas
-1 can (10 oz) GREEN enchilada sauce
-1 cup shredded cheddar, monterey jack or mexican blend cheese
-1 cup cooked rice (good if you have it on hand, find to leave out too!)
1. Place chicken, pineapple, beans and salsa into freezer bag. Freeze until ready to use, then thaw overnight. (I've read that you should never put frozen food into your slow cooker.) Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you are a working parent get yourself a slow cooker with a "keep warm" function. I left the house by 6:30 am, we would eat around 6 pm and none of us ever suffered any food-borne illness.
2. Remove food from slow cooker with slotted spoon and shred chicken.
3. Mix in cooked rice.
4. Fill tortillas and roll. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place burritos in pan. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
This recipe comes from a great site, Mommy's Fabulous Finds http://www.mommysfabulousfinds.com/2013/10/easy-crock-pot-freezer-meals-2.html
Cranberry Dijon Pork Tenderloin
This is another great assembly line freezer meal. It is NOT a slow cooker recipe, but I have served it for holiday dinners because it is that good!
-2 pork tenderloins (they usually comes in pkgs of 2)
-1 can whole cranberry sauce (The one with berries in it, not the disgusting, smooth gelatinous variety)
-2 T dijon mustard
-1 pkg onion soup mix
1. Combine all ingredients into a freezer bag. Close the bag and mush the sauce together (The fun part!)
2. Freeze, then thaw completely before cooking.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Slice and serve.
Orange Scented Pork and Veggie Stew
Yet another great assembly line, slow cooker freezer meal.
-Pork shoulder or butt (I don't even look at the poundage, whatever looks like it would fit in the slow cooker), cubed
-2 cups baby carrots, whole or 4 regular carrots, diced
-1 small white onion, diced
-1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes
-2 c chicken stock
-1/2 c orange juice (If you're feeling extra gourmet, add 1 T orange zest as well)
-1 c white wine (Fine to skip, just substitute extra OJ)
-1 T dark brown sugar (Regular brown sugar works fine too)
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine ingredients in freezer bag, thaw completely before cooking.
2. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4.
3. Serve over egg noodles.
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
I haven't tried to "freezer meal" this one yet, but I don't see why you couldn't. It can easily be vegetarian and gluten free too.
-1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
-1 white onion, diced
-1 carrot, peeled and diced
-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
-2 cloves garlic, mined
-1 spring fresh sage (Seriously, who has fresh sage?!?! Use dried sage or rosemary if you've got it)
-1/2 t salt
-1/8 t cayenne (or more to taste)
-pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
-1/2 c canned coconut milk (1/2 c of half and half is better, but you do you)
1. Place all ingredients EXCEPT coconut milk into slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4.
2. After cooking, add coconut milk (or half and half) and puree using an immersion blender. You could certainly dump everything into a real blender, but that seems messy and immersion blenders are super fun!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284008320229110635/
Peach Ginger Chicken
This is my newest find. I wasn't feeling the chicken thighs in the original recipe, so I substituted 2 boneless, skinless breasts. We ate this over brown rice with a side of SteamFresh Asian veggies. There are two other bags chillin' in the freezer. It would also be good as shredded chicken sandwiches.
-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 c peach jam (See original recipe for a homemade, slow cooker jam recipe if you're into that. I bought some Smucker's)
-1 T low sodium soy sauce
-1 T grated fresh ginger (Best Rachel Ray tip I ever learned: Keep ginger root in a baggie in your freezer for a crazy long time. Grate it frozen into recipes whenever you need it)
-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1. Add chicken to freezer bag.
2. In a medium bowl, combine jam, soy sauce, grated ginger and minced garlic.
3. Add sauce to freezer bag.
4. Thaw and add to slow cooker. Add 1/4 c water to slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-6 hours until chicken shreds easily.
5. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker to combine with sauce.
I hope these save you time and money! I'm always looking for delicious new recipes so please feel free to share your favorites with me.
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