Freezer Cooking Day {10 Meals in 1 Hour!}

With it being so hot around here lately (it’s suppose to be 109 tomorrow – yikes!), I’ve been cooking a lot of meals in my Crock-Pot. But, I’ve also been busy enough, that I’ve been forgetting an ingredient, forgetting to put the meal in the Crock-Pot, etc. So frustrating!

While I’ve dabbled in freezer cooking for quite awhile now, it’s been quite some time since I’ve done it on a consistent basis. Usually I just end up with a meal here or there, when I’ve doubled a recipe that I’m making (one to eat that night and one to freeze).

Like me, most of you have probably become addicted to used Pinterest. If not, you should check it out! I’ve found lots of recipe inspiration on Pinterest, but my latest discovery combined the best of both worlds – freezer cooking AND slow cooking. Basically, these meals are in the form of make-ahead “packs”.

So, I gathered a few recipes, did my grocery shopping and went to town making these pre-made slow cooker freezer meals. Now I have TEN meals in the freezer, ready to go whenever I need them.

Another great thing about slow cooking, that I’ve found in the past, is that if you forget to thaw something, it’s usually no big deal. I’ve cooked stuff from frozen before, with very good results.

Here’s what I made:

• 4 packs of Italian Lemon Chicken (I only planned on making 2 packs, but I accidentally doubled the (already doubled) marinade. Good thing I bought extra chicken!)
• 2 packs of Italian Beef & Potatoes (only 1 shown in photo)
• 1 pack of Black Bean, Corn, Salsa Chicken
• 1 pack of Beef Stir Fry
• 1 pack of Mongolian Beef
• 1 pack of Chicken Curry (I will add the plain yogurt after I cook this, as stated in the instructions)

I’ve found that doing all of the prep work and measuring ahead of time makes this process go a lot quicker. I didn’t this time – I cut meat and veggies and measured spices as I went – and it took a little longer than it probably would have if I had done the work ahead of time. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, this hour included gathering ingredients, rinsing veggies, washing dishes between meals and cleaning up. So, not too shabby overall.

What are your favorite freezer meals??