A few weekends ago I had absolutely no plans and didn't know what I wanted to do. My husband headed off to an auction early Saturday morning and I didn't have aerobics. While surfing on the Internet I came across something I had pinned on Pintrest about making freezer meals. I searched the site and found several meals I wanted to make. I then found another site with several different meals to make. With nothing else to do I hopped in my car and drove to the nearest Sam's Club which is an hour away in Morgantown, WV.While at Sam's Club I bought all the meat I would need way cheaper then I would have gotten it at the market. I also bought large bags of onions, peppers, carrots, and freezer bags. After my trip to Sam's I headed over to Giant Eagle while I picked up the rest of the ingredients for my freezer meals. The bill was just under $100 but for 11 freezer meals I thought that was a good price.
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In addition to the freezer meals I had 1 pound of chicken, 1 pound of beef stew meat, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and some other veggies left over for other meals. Not bad for a few hours work of work and $100! I've since tried most of the recipes and they are all very tasty. I like that some of the meals are prepared in the crock-pot and others can be made on the stove top. The variety of soups, stews served over rice or noodles, and one dish meals is great as well. I've included the recipes and a grocery list, including pantry staples, at the bottom of my post.
Teriyaki Chicken (2 bags) adapted from The Test Kitchen of Melissa Falls
4 c. baby carrots divided between 2 freezer bags
1 large red onion cut into chunks and divided between 2 freezer bags
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, undrained, in each bag
2 garlic cloves, minced, in each bag
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders divided between 2 freezer bags (about 5-6 in each)
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce in each bag
1 t. black pepper in each bag
1 t. ground ginger in each bag
1. Place all ingredients in the two freezer bags. Seal and freeze.
2. Directions: Add 1/4 c. teriyaki sauce and cook on low in a crock-pot for 8 hours. Serve over rice.
Healthy BBQ Chicken (2 bags) adapted from The Test Kitchen of Melissa Falls
2 green bell peppers, cut into thin slices, divided between 2 freezer bags
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices, divided between the 2 bags
1 zucchini, chopped, divided between the 2 bags
3 onion, chopped, divided between the 2 bags
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided between the 2 bags
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders divided between 2 freezer bags (about 5-6 in each)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce in each bag
1 T. brown sugar in each bag1 T. Worcestershire sauce in each bag
1 T. mustard in each bag
1 t. vinegar in each bag
1/2 t. salt in each bag
1 t. black pepper in each bag
1. Place all ingredients in the two freezer bags. Seal and freeze.
2. Directions: Cook on low in a crock-pot for 8 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles.
Goulash/Beef Stew (2 bags) adapted from The Test Kitchen of Melissa Falls
1 green bell pepper, chopped, divided between the 2 bags
1 onion, chopped, in each bag
1/2 c. carrots, chopped, in each bag
2 garlic cloves, chopped, in each bag
3 lb. beef stew meat, divided between 2 bags
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, divided between 2 bags
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, divided between 2 bags
1 c. beef broth in each bag
2 t. paprika in each bag
1/2 t. black pepper, in each bag1. Place all ingredients in the two freezer bags. Seal and freeze.
2. Crock-Pot Directions: Cook on low in a crock-pot for 8 hours. Add 1/2 c. sour cream, stir, and heat for 10 additional minutes. Serve over egg noodles.
3. Stove Top Directions: Bring to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Add 1/2 c. sour cream, stir, and heat for an additional 10 minutes. Serve over egg noodles.
Hawaiian Pork (2 bags) adapted from Dreaming of Poultry
3 lb. boneless pork chops, cut into 1 inch pieces, divided between 2 bags
1/2 c. ketchup in each bag
1/2 c. orange juice in each bag
3 T. soy sauce in each bag
3 T. lemon juice in each bag
1 t. nutmeg in each bag
1/2 t. paprika in each bag
4 T. brown sugar in each bag
1 green bell pepper, chopped, divided between 2 bags
1 onion, chopped, divided between 2 bags
1 T. cornstarch in each bag
1/4 c. water in each bag
1. Place all ingredients except the cornstarch and water in the two freezer bags. Seal and freeze.
2. Directions: Cook on low in a crock-pot for 8 hours. Pour 1 cup of the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix in the cornstarch and water. Cook until thickened. Pour over top of the pork.
Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini (2 bags) adapted from Dreaming of Poultry
1 lb. Italian sausage, divided into 2 bags
1 large onion, chopped, divided into 2 bags
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided into 2 bags
4 c. beef broth, divided into 2 bags
1 c. water, divided into 2 bag
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, divided into 2 bags
1/2 c. carrots, chopped, in each bag1 t. oregano in each bag
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce divided into 2 bags
1 zucchini, chopped, divided into 2 bags
1 t. parsley in each bag
1 green bell pepper, chopped, divided into 2 bags
1 t. black pepper in each bag
2 (1 lb.) bags frozen tortellini
Parmesan cheese
1. Brown the sausage in a large skillet. Allow to cool and divide between the bags. Place all remaining ingredients, except the tortellini and Parmesan cheese, in the bags. Seal and freeze.
2. Directions: Bring the soup to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (1 bag) adapted from Dreaming of Poultry
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 box long grain and wild rice
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
4 c. chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
4 T. almond slices1 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. half and half
3 T. flour
1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. Set aside. In a small pan saute the onions in the butter until they are translucent. Place all the ingredients except the half and half and flour in a freezer bag. Seal and freeze.
2. Directions: Thaw soup and place in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and half and half. Heat for an additional 5 minutes.
Grocery List:
5 lb. chicken breast tenders
3 lb. beef stew meat
1 lb. Italian sausage
3 lb. pork chops
7 c. baby carrots (2 bags)
1 red onion
4 oz. mushrooms
16 garlic cloves
5 green peppers
1 red pepper
2 zucchini
9 onions (I bought a 5 lb. bag)
6 c. beef broth
4 c. chicken broth
2 (20 oz.) cans diced pineapple
4 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
4 T. sliced almonds
1/2 c. orange juice
1 c. teriyaki sauce
1 box long grain and wild rice
1 c. half and half
2 (1 lb) bags frozen tortellini
Pantry Staples:
Black Pepper Mustard
Salt Ketchup
Parsley Vinegar
Oregano Soy Sauce
Paprika Worcestershire Sauce
Ground ginger Lemon Juice
Nutmeg Parmesan Cheese
Brown Sugar Butter
Cornstarch Flour
This post linked to:
Foodie Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Foodie Friends Friday, Shine on Friday,
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