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10 Freezer Crock-Pot Meals

10 Freezer Crock-Pot Meals: recipes, grocery list, and tips

About a month ago I decided to really start getting serious about what I was eating.  I’ve been working twice a week with a trainer and running regularly, but we all know by now that you can’t out run a bad diet. 

One of my girl friends and I had just started attending a workout boot camp together, and we were discussing our desires to change the way we eat.  We both decided that a big problem we had was preparing ahead.  It felt like every day dinner time would roll around and I would stare in to the pantry trying to decide what to make.  Later that night she sent me a pin for some make ahead meal ideas, and we decided to come up with this list of 10 Freezer Crock-Pot Meals!

  1. Taco Chili
  2. Chicken Chili
  3. Cheeseburger Soup
  4. Sausage, Peppers, & Onions
  5. Southwest Chicken
  6. Beef Stew
  7. Honey Sesame Chicken
  8. Cilantro Lime Chicken
  9. Chicken Fajitas
  10. Southwest Flank Steak

I do all of my grocery shopping at Kroger and was able to get everything I needed for right at $100.  She shops at Target and Sprouts, and spent a little more.  Keep that in mind when you look at the grocery list and map out which items you want to get where.  We purchased all organic produce, meats, and most canned goods.  You can save even more by shopping sales and buying bulk.  Also, read over the recipes and make sure you have the spices and pantry staples on hand before heading out to the store. 

10 Freezer Crock-Pot Meals: recipes, grocery list, and tips

She and I spent one afternoon prepping all of the meals.  We split it up to make it easier- she chopped veggies, while I trimmed the chicken breasts.  She assembled the bags, while I browned the meat.  In just a few hours we each had 10 meals ready to go.  I definitely recommend doing this with a friend!  (Remember to bring a large cooler to take all of your meals home!)  Also: write on the bags with permanent maker before you get started and keep the trashcan nearby.  It was a lot easier to clean as we went and reset between each bag.

We also found it a lot easier to do it in groups- raw chicken, raw beef, cooked beef.  We used disposable gloves and got a new pair each time we switched between different meats. 

10 Freezer Crock-Pot Meals: recipes, grocery list, and tips

Download the Recipes and Grocery List.

I’m super excited about the fact that I have TEN days worth of dinners sitting in my freezer RIGHT NOW.

If you try one of my recipes, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it works out for you in the comments.  I love hearing from you!  Be sure to follow me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST + subscribe to my newsletter.

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Comments

  2. I realize that the majority of the world loves onions and tomatoes but I am one who doesn’t. It would be great to see some recipes not using these two items.

    Reply

    • I hear you! I’m not a huge fan of either, but my family likes them. The trick to the onions is to use half of what the recipe calls for. Sometimes I chop them really TINY so I won’t notice them, OR I leave them in really big chunks so that I still get the flavor, but can easily remove them after cooking.

      Reply

  4. I LOVE crockpot cooking! It makes my life a million times easier. I was sick all this week and unable to get my crockpot meal prep done. we paid for it BIG time by having the hubs stop for meals on his way home from work. Hopefully this will get us back into routine!

    Reply

  6. What a fabulous idea – I really need to get together with some friends and do this! There are many days I’m scrambling around trying to figure out what we should eat that day, and then I usually make a poor choice about it 🙂 This would alleviate that problem for sure!

    Reply

  7. Thanks for sharing these recipes! I make freezer meals once a month, but this last month has been crazy busy, so I am making your list on New Year’s Day. Big plans for organized 2015!

    Reply

    • Just finished making these. It took 2.5 hours from start to finish, including all chopping and clean up. We did go ahead and used diced cubed hashbrowns for the potatoes so we could freeze them in the bags. We are excited to try some of these new recipes.

      Reply

  8. Do you have any other downloads like this available? We are learning how to eat healthier as well as how to cook on a budget. Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    • Hi Ruth Ann, I haven’t posted the last four recipes separately. They are included in the printable recipes and grocery list document though (located at the end of this post)

      Reply

  11. This is amazing! Thank you! The link at the bottom with the condensed shopping list is great! You’re my new, unofficial best friend!
    I’m a working mom with a toddler (and plans to expand our family) and I’ve never used the crockpot, but have always wanted to. These meals seem so easy and a great place to start! Thanks again!!

    Reply

  12. Thank you! This is awesome! I am a single mom with two high school daughters. I work two jobs, and I use the crock pot often. These recipes and the shopping list helps me with my budget AND cooking! Thank you thank you thank you!

    Peggy

    Reply

  13. hi i am trying make chicken fajits it says 3 bell peppers is tthat the green ones and it says shred juice what does that mean

    Reply

    • Hi Susan- you can use whatever variety of bell peppers you prefer (yellow, green, red). Shred in the juice just means don’t drain the juice before shredding the chicken, shred it all up together in the crockpot. Hope this helps!

      Reply

      • thinks your advice does help and i will let you know how it comes out do you have any desserts you can cook in crock pot my oven is not working thank you for your help and recipes.

        Reply

  14. These meals all look great! I have a question about the fajitas, do I need to put any sort of liquid in the crock pot with all the stuff? Thanks!

    Reply

  15. Do you have more meals like this? It was so easy and my picky family ate them. If you have another group like this I would make them both for the whole month or to switch off.
    Thank You

    Reply

  17. I am so excited to make these!! For the beef stew, are the garlic cloves left whole or minced? Also, I count 6 whole onions plus 1/2 cup, which makes close to 7 for the list. Thanks so much for sharing this!

    Reply

  20. This list looks awesome! It’s very rare that I see a list where I actually want to make more than half. Yay!

    Question – on the beef stew, it says to NOT freeze the potatoes. On the cheeseburger soup, you DO freeze the potatoes. Is there a reason why? I’d prefer to add them before freezing, (since I will never remember to have them on hand) but won’t if it’s not a good idea.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hey Dianne! I don’t add the potatoes to the beef stew because there is A LOT of liquid. Honestly, I haven’t tried adding them to see how it turns out, but I feel like with all the liquid they wouldn’t come out the same. You’re correct though- they are added to the cheeseburger soup and it works out perfectly.

      Reply

    • Hi Sara- definitely for a family. We are a family of four and we usually always have leftovers (though my toddler doesn’t eat much of it).

      Reply

  23. Maybe I’m overlooking something, but the grocery list calls for 8 cups of diced potatoes, however I’m only seeing 4 cups required for the cheeseburger soup. What other recipe needs 4 cups of potatoes? Thanks!

    Reply

  24. This is a great way to plan ahead! Do you thaw the bags before you cook? I am out of the house for work and wouldn’t be able to start it 4-5 hours ahead for them. Do you think if I put it all in frozen on low it would cook in like 10-12 hours?

    Reply

    • Hi Heather- I’ve never tried that so I can’t say for certain. Usually on low it only takes 8 hours though. You might look into a programmable crock-pot.

      Reply

  25. I was able to buy all the ingredients for under $80 at Meijer. I did get lucky with a couple sales and coupons and my spice cabinet is well stocked. The sesame seeds and all the stocks were a chunk of that. I’m thinking of making my own stocks for the day before next time. This gives me a great idea for my garden next year. I’m saving my seeds from the peppers. Thank you so much for the easy shopping list. You couldn’t possibly make it easier without coming over and doing it yourself. I got my teenage boys to help. I figured if they’re going to eat me out of house and home they can work for it. Again, thank you.

    Reply

  27. The shopping list calls for potatoes – 8 cups I believe. But I only see 4 cups used. Are there supposed to be potatoes in the beef stew too?

    Reply

  29. Hi, love your lists! And the ease of it all. 🙂 just a quick question. On the recipe for cheeseburger soup, you say add everything except cream cheese to freezer bag. Do you mean shredded cheese? I’m sure I shouldn’t read into as much as I am and just assume you mean the latter. Also, you have things such as rice and cream cheese on the shopping list, but you don’t add either of those to any recipe except after it’s all been cooked. Is that correct? Thanks for your help! I just know if I don’t ask these before I start making them, I’ll be stumped! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Samantha! Thanks for catching that, yes it should be shredded cheese. I removed the rice from the shopping list because it is optional, but the cream cheese is needed for the Southwest Chicken. I’ve updated the printable. Thanks!! 🙂

      Reply

      • Just made all these today, so excited to try them! Noticed on your shopping list you have only one black bean, when you actually need two. 🙂 thanks for putting this together for all of us! It was really so helpful.

        Reply

        • So glad you made them! I actually decided to leave the black beans out of the Southwest Chicken, so I must have forgot it on the list. Thanks for catching that! Updated 🙂

          Reply

        • Have you eaten each of these recipes yet? I’m curious which were you favorites? Were there any you or your family didn’t really care for?

          Reply

  30. Thank you for the recipes. Question with the Cilantro Chicken, do you slice up the chicken or cut up in chunks? It just says 1.5 pound of chicken. Thanks.

    Reply

    • I just put the whole chicken breasts in there because we shred it afterwards. You could also cut it into strips if you prefer that for tacos or however you will be eating it.

      Reply

  31. A friend and I are doing this today. I see where the recipes with hamburger call for browning the meat, but are the chicken, Italian sausage, and flank steak supposed to be frozen raw?

    Reply

    • They each serve about 4-6. It’s enough for my husband, daughter, and I to have and then eat leftovers the next day.

      Reply

  33. These are such great ideas! I might have totally missed this, but how many servings do the recipes cover? Thanks!! Candiss

    Reply

  36. I love this idea! I have friends that live back in west TX that have done this several times and make such a fun girl’s night out of it. I have GOT to get some girlies to do this with! I also really need to get a second fridge or deep freeze so I have room for all the goodies… With a family of (soon to be) 7, it’s practically a need at this point.

    Thanks for the great free printables, too!

    Reply

  37. I NEED these ideas!! I don’t use my crock pot nearly enough and I’m so happy every time I do. It’s the planning ahead part that gets me. I’m terrible at that. 😉

    Reply

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