~ 5 Jan 2014
The crock pot is a working mother's best friend. And the efficiency of cooking in bulk (freezer cooking) is too. So why not combine the two?! CROCK POT FREEZER COOKING?! Ahhh, a military mom's dream!
There are many pros to crock pot freezer cooking. First of all, money is saved by buying in bulk. Ingredients are more completely utilized, since they are split between several meals. No more buying a whole ginger root for a teaspoon needed in one receipe....yes! Also, ingredients can be bought and frozen while they are abundant and cheaper. Buying produce when they are in season will allow for enjoyment year round. Woot woot!
Although several hours are put into chopping and food prepping initially, freezer cooking can ultimately save time. There is only ONE shopping trip. Make the list and buy....Boom! There is only ONE clean up. Consider the time that is used to chop, prep and wash dishes....now multiply that 15 times. Doing everything once, (even in a larger scope) is still a fraction of the time it would be if it were separate events. A trick to being more effective in freezer cooking is to find multiple recipes with similar ingredients. This way once all the ingredients are chopped and prepped, an assembly line can be created.
By trying this crock pot freezer venture, not only will this save time, but it will also decrease my stress level. My 2 year old expects her meal immediately when we get home. If I do not have left overs or order out, she fusses at me the whole time I cook. I usually give in and give her snacks. Hopefully, this will eliminate all that drama! I love the idea that dinner is cooking while I work...and ready to go as soon as we arrive home after a busy day. It's almost as glorious as someone else cleaning my house, sigh a girl can dream!
So how does one tackle such a daunting task? First, research and choose recipes. Try to pick ones with similar ingredients. I chose all chicken meals which called for boneless, skinless thighs. Keep in mind, if the freezer meals are going to be crock pot meals, use thigh meat vs breast. The thigh meat can with stand the prolonged cooking and still maintain its texture/taste (more so than breast). Another hint...make sure to use skinless chicken thighs and cut as much fat as possible. The skin/fat can make excess grease which can burn the meat and compromise the deliciousness of the meal.
Next, make the shopping list! I took 4 recipes and tripled the ingredients. To simplify things, I bought 5 chicken thighs per recipe. This is sufficient for my family of 5 (I still have little eaters), but if your family is smaller/larger adjust as needed. In doing this, I completely ignored the suggested amounts per the recipe because they differed. Trying to figure out the different amounts made my head spin, so I standardized the meat portions. If feasible, buy in bulk where you can to save $$$.
Once the shopping is done, begin the food prep. This takes several hours...so ensure that you allow enough time. I turned on some relaxing classical music and peeled, washed, chopped and measured the night away. Once all ingredients are prepped, make an assembly line to label and fill the freezer bags. In addition to the name, write additional cooking instructions. Voila! There is really no skill to it, it's just a lot of hard work, patience and organization. One reason why I think freezer cooking is perfect for the working mom is because she can dedicate her weekend (or whenever she has time) to prepare for when times will be hectic. I spent one free evening and now I have 2 weeks worth of dinners! Believe it or not, we have LEFTOVERS from these recipes, so technically it made 30 meals. I heart this!
I have heard of some establishments having this kind of set up...but I have never been to one, nor even seen one. There is no doubt about it, doing it at home is a lot cheaper, time consuming, but definitely more fulfilling. I felt like I had conquered an enemy when I was finished
Would you like ideas of what to make? Here are the recipes that I tried and where I got them from.
Recipe adapted from Spoonful
Ingredients: 5 chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Cups carrots
5 minced garlic cloves
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Orange Marmalade
2 T Ketchup
1/4 Soy Sauce
2 T Flour
salt and pepper
Combine all in a freezer bag.
To Cook: Pour all ingredients into crock pot, cook on low all day (about 8 hours).
BBQ Chicken
Recipe adapted from Mama & Baby Love
BTW, she has cookbooks that are absolutely FABULOUS!!!
Ingredients: 5 chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Cups sweet potatoes
2 Cups carrots
2 Cups onion
3 Cups Zucchini
2 T Flour
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t salt
Combine all in a freezer bag.
To Cook: Dump bag + bottle BBQ sauce. Cook low 6-8 hours.
Coconut Chicken Curry ***Sweeny approved***
Ingredients: 5 chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Cups chopped butternut squash
2 Cups onions
5 minced garlic cloves
1 oz fresh ginger or 1 t ground ginger
2 T Curry powder
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
course salt
Combine all in a freezer bag.
To Cook: Add contents of bag + I can coconut milk into slow cooker. Cook on low all day (approx 8 hrs). 25 minutes before serving, add another can coconut milk and a bag of frozen peas. Stir. Serve with rice.
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie
Ingredients: 5 chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 oz mushrooms
1 Cup onion
1/3 flour
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
Combine all in a freezer bag.
To Cook: Dump ingredients into crock pot, cook for 7-8 hours on low (4 hrs on high). 30 minutes before serving, make biscuits/pastry.
10 minutes before serving, add 1 Cup frozen peas & 1 Cup frozen green beans.
To serve: Place mixture in bowl and top with pastry rounds.
What is the final product? 15 meals! 15 nights of stress-free cooking! Now I'm struggling to find room in my freezer...
*Sigh* Cupcakes…I have such a love-hate relationship with them. After a cake decorating class, I learned how to make the beautiful over frosted treats that people pay for. It was great for my coworkers…not so great for my PT score. While experimenting, I stumbled upon one of my favorite flavor combinations…Chocolate Buttercup!!! Any flavor of mix can be used…. but personal feedback from friends say chocolate cake and frosting is the best. Yes, its chocolate overload, Yum! Anyway, as you will see making these cupcakes is so simple. Infact, I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of it earlier in life.
