Freezer to Crockpot meals May 28th, 2013

What's for dinner? yep I get that a lot too.  Mostly from myself.

Prepared ahead these freezer meals can be a life saver for those days you know are going to be crazy.
Here are the tips I gave at the Test Kitchen May 28th:

Preparation:

-Plan ahead, make sure you have all you need to finish

-Make only what you have room for or can eat in a timely manner

-Do multiple batches of the same thing, easier to streamline

-Do what is on sale or in season, to save money

-Pick what you like, it doesn't save you money if you don't eat it

-Assembly line: do all of one task at a time, washing veggies, chopping, opening cans, adding spices etc

-Use your food processor for chopping or slicing

-Cut zucchini and other quick cooking vegetables larger than carrots etc.

-Place your gallon sealing bag in a gallon pitcher to help stabilize it while you fill it

-Put the meat in last, so that it has more time in the refrigerator

-it's ok to add liquid when you cook, as there may not be enough room in your bag or freezer

-Do it with a friend, this is not a quick process.  This takes considerable time, just like preserving

Freezing:

-Remove as much air as possible to reduce freezer burn

-Aluminum foil helps to avoid freezer burn, more likely to happen in an auto defrost freezer

- Items in the shelves on the door get greater temperature fluctuations so are more susceptible to separation or freezer burn.

Cooking:

-You can thaw it overnight in the fridge if you want.  There is some worry about food born illness if trying to cook from frozen, so please use your best judgement.

-If you put it in frozen lean towards the higher recommended cooking time.

-Make sure your meats reach the recommended minimum temperature

-To help it release from the bag place the bag, still sealed in warm water for 30 seconds to 1 minute to soften the sides so it can slide out

-Every slow cooker cooks differently so experiment.  Newer crockpots usually cook at a higher temperature than older ones

-Or throw it in the pressure cooker, make sure you know how long to do that.

Here are the recipes we tried.

All are from http://www.lovingmynest.com/learning-activities/cooking/freezer-crock-pot-recipes/

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw and put into a slow cooker add 2 cups water and one 14 oz can of chicken broth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot after cooking is done.

Serve with:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices
1 can (28 ounces) whole stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup nonfat, low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Combine ingredients minus broth and add to gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw add broth and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6-8 people.

Chicken Curry with Cabbage and Peppers

1 to 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken, cubed
2 cups of milk (use a dairy free option if needed)
2 tsp curry powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped

Add all ingredients except milk to a gallon zip lock bag. Freeze flat. On day of cooking add milk and cook on low for about 4 hours or until done.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

5 assorted bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
1 pound of ground Italian hot sausage.
1/2 head of cauliflower, grated or chopped into a rice consistency.
1 small (8 ounce) can of tomato paste.
1 small white onion, medium dice.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano.
2 tsp dried thyme.

Mix all ingredients and stuff into seeded bell peppers. Place in gallon zip lock bag and freeze. On cooking day, place in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

4.5 Cups sweet potatoes (mashed if adding on cooking day, raw, grated if freezing)
1.5 lbs ground beef
3 cups frozen peas and carrots, or any frozen veggie mix
2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp herbs de provence
3/4 cup beef broth (or water)

Brown beef with onions and drain excess fat. For the best results add all ingredients to gallon zip lock bag, except the sweet potatoes. On cooking day, cook and mash sweet potatoes and add to the top of thawed veggie meat mixture. Alternatively, grate sweet potatoes in separate bag and freeze together. On cooking day add meat and veggie mixture to crock pot and top evenly with grated sweet potatoes. Cook on low 5-6 hours

More to try:

Mac n Cheese
http://www.thetipgarden.com/2011/09/one-pot-mac-and-cheese.html

Cookbook:

http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/

Beef and broccoli:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/04/crock-pot-beef-and-broccoli/