Monday, May 16, 2011
Moroccan Lamb, Italian Beef and Cranberry Chicken Freezer Meals
The menu I did recently was Moroccan Lamb Stew, Italian Beef Stew and Cranberry Chicken.
A trick that I have learned, for an even speedier assembly of meals, is to group all ingredients first. Sometimes you have items that overlap, like chopped onions, that go into to different recipes. Just separate them out as much as you can, and then go down the line.
First, I assemble all dry ingredients and vegetables in the gallon bags. Then I add the raw meat last. This time I bought my meat already cubed, so that save me a bunch of time.
Doing my big cooking day this way (with only slow cooker meals), I do this about every two weeks. I do three different recipes and double each recipe for a total 6 bags of food. Each bag, is two dinners and lunch, so that leaves several days that we can use to eat out, or if I get inspired to cook something not in our freezer meal rotation, like a roast chicken.
Not including grocery shopping time, it takes me less than two hours to chop all the veggies, assemble the bags and clean up.
Pretty awesome, right?!
Here are the recipes, and remember we always buy all organic ingredients.
Cranberry Chicken:
2 medium apples, cut into wedges
1 medium onion, chopped
2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs
2 lemons cut into wedges
2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons honey
1 can of cranberry sauce (or you can use fresh cranberries if they are in season)
Dump everything into gallon freezer bag and label. When ready to cook, dump into slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with rice or couscous.
Moroccan Lamb Stew:
2 pounds boneless lamb
2 large onions chopped
1 can/1 cup chopped tomato
2 cups carrots
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of red pepper
.5 cup of raisins
Dump everything into gallon freezer bag and label (except broth, just add that the day you cook it). When ready to cook, dump into slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with couscous.
Italian Beef:
4 pounds of beef sirloin or rump roast, cubed
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 red peppers, thinly sliced.
Dump everything into gallon freezer bag and label (except broth, just add that the day you cook it.) When ready to cook, dump into slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with couscous, or on rolls to make a sandwich or even on a pizza and add some cheese.
Enjoy!!
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Even just the titles sound so yummy- great combo. You are so wonderfully organized! I strive to do this one day. Do you worry about the food being stored in plastic bags?
ReplyDeleteOkay. I'm officially ganking your moroccan lamb recipe and substituting chicken. It sounds yummy!
ReplyDelete@Tara, thanks! I mean, I wish they were in glass containers, but really I don't worry about it because the food goes in cold and goes straight to the freezer and I take it out of the plastic to put it in the slow cooker...so the food is never heated in the plastic.
ReplyDelete@eidolons...oh, I bet chicken would be tasty too! Let me know how it turns out.
That is what i was thinking too but I have heard of BPA free freezer bags. I guess there is no difference in the fact that EVERYTHING is stored in plastic at the store. Once again, buying local is best so it isn't shipped in plastic.
ReplyDeleteThese all sound so good. Maybe I should know this, but how much broth for the italian beef recipe?
ReplyDelete@Ashley, 2 cups!
ReplyDelete@Tara..I will have to look around for those.
Just checking - do you defrost the bag first, or put the ingredients in the slow cooker frozen?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen
@anonymous...i put the bag on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes before dumping it the slow cooker. It defrost just enough to slide out of the bag easy and enough to be able to break the block of ice into to pieces so that it fits into my slow cooker.
ReplyDeleteafter 2 hours, I give it one good stir. If you continuously take the lid off to stir it, you loose too much heat.
Aaahhhh! It was so very yummy with chicken! I didn't have chicken broth so I used beef (we use the Better Than Bouillon stuff). I used three fresh tomatoes (because measuring isn't something I do often), a handful of frozen cauliflower, and several handfuls of frozen carrots (I bought a mess of veggies to freeze recently). About ten minutes before we sat down to eat I threw a bunch of couscous into the crock and turned it off. Even my picky eight year old is eating it (the Beast *devoured* his) - though he's picked out the onions.
ReplyDeleteSo yes! Wonderful! I think it'll become a new staple around here - thanks for the recipe!
@eidolons...so glad to hear, thanks for letting us know!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting and sharing your freezer meal tips. I'm so excited to try this! Two questions: 1: what type of apples do you use for the cranberry chicken? 2. Did you ask the store to cube the meat for you or did the store have pre-cubed meat already packaged? If so, which store? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh! I just use any old apples, whatever is cheapest at the time. I bought the meat already cubed, at New Leaf, but you could certainly ask to have the butcher cube it for you. Let me know how it all goes for you!
ReplyDeleteQuick question! you mention you add in the chicken broth in your cooker the day you cook the moroccan lamb stew and italian beef... can you tell me how much chicken broth i should put in? Thanks!! I cant wait to try this out! :) Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea so much! I just made all of your recipes to stock my freezer - I'm due in 3 weeks with baby #2, so these will be a lifesaver in the next couple of months!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
I'm confused ... You said you do three different recipes and double each recipe for a total 6 bags of food ... The recipe you write down for us is not already doubled is it?
ReplyDeleteHi Anastasia, so sorry for the confusion. I will be more clear the next time I post a slow cooker freezer recipe. I honestly can't remember, but I am pretty sure the amounts I put in the actual recipe in the post have already been doubled.
ReplyDeleteOK ... I've got my apron on and I'm STARTING! (I know I said I was going to do this on Wednesday BEFORE the semester started ... then I realized I had today OFF) Here I go ... SO EXCITED!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness that was AMAZING and easy! I have so much FOOD! When I made my list I doubled what you had written down. I have lots of READY TO GO MEALS! =o) Thanks so much for your website! I just got a new freezer ... plugged it in last night ... filled it up today!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1909642502401.2101983.1282014275&l=99bf33e439&type=1
I just found you through pinterest and am in love and so inspired! I love freezer slow cooker meals and was making them monthly with Homemade Gourmet spices. Now that they are gone I have been looking for more ideas. My only ? is about the vegt. Do you chop those up fresh and add them in or add them the day of? I've never froze potatoes so I was wondering if they turned colors or anything.
ReplyDeleteyay! anastasia! so happy to hear!
ReplyDelete@tiffany, my potatoes didn't turn colors or anything wierd at all. I just chop the veggies and throw them in the bag to freeze. Some people have talked about blanching them first, but I am way to lazy/busy for that. They come out tasting fine to me. I could imagine that you could chop them and add them the day of if you wanted to though. :)
So each recipe is enough for one bag, right?
ReplyDeleteIf I wanted to make more than one bag, I would need to double it?
Thanks, Stephanie! I can't wait to try this. :)
@Joanna...each recipe should yield you two bags, at least it did for me. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen you say to add 2 cups of broth, that would mean 1 cup for each seperate bag? Just making sure as these recipes are on my list to put together this weekend. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is so great!! One question, though--what does the abbreviation "PD" mean (as in "2 pds boneless lamb")? Is that packages?
ReplyDelete@Deanna, yes pd means pounds. :)
ReplyDeleteThese look wonderful. How many servings does each bag make? Are you freezing raw meat mixed with the other ingredients?
ReplyDeleteAll of your freezer slow cooker meals look so amazing and yummy. Can't wait to try them! I'm just curious--do you think you save money by doing once or twice a month cooking this way?
ReplyDelete@AnneElizabeth...Each bag makes two dinners and a lunch most of the time. We are a small family of two plus our toddler daughter. And yes, raw meat with the other ingredients. The comments on the original thread answer that in detail, if you want more info.
ReplyDelete@FarmMom...if I was super organized and made menus based around meat that was on sale, then yes, you would probably save money. I do think I go to the grocery store less this way and I save a little that way too. I always end up buying crap I don't need every time I go to the store, so the less I go, the better!
I ran across your blog via pinterest! Love the recipes, thank you so much for posting them. We are expecting our 2nd child any day now so I am prepping meals like crazy and your crock pot recipes were the easiest of them all! Can't wait to throw one in the CP and taste it :)
ReplyDeleteJust made my first batch of freezer Crock-pot meals! My fiancee and I have no kids, but during the week I work a few nights. I'm excited that I will be able to set one up in the morning before I leave and he will have dinner ready when he gets home. He can't cook is tired of grilled cheese.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks so yummy! I have a question, though. When you say it makes 2 dinners and a lunch is that just 2 adult dinner servings or is that 2 separate nights of dinners?
ReplyDeleteThat is great to hear Heather and Kelly!
ReplyDelete@Eden...we are a two parent and one child household, so we usually get dinner and leftovers. The leftovers will give us another full dinner or several lunches.
These 3 recipes seem to have less in them then the other set of 3 that yielded 2 meals each. Are these recipes already doubled or do they need to be to make 2 meals? The other post I am referring to is the one with the bbq chicken, chicken curry and goulash. I am making a shopping list to try these out and wanting to know for sure before I start...thanks!
ReplyDelete@Call Family...they have a little bit less veggies, but they still yield about the same as the others, for us anyway! The recipes do not need to be doubled, unless you wanted to make 12 bags instead of 6.
ReplyDeleteFound your site through Pinterest. Hubby & I made the Cranberry Chicken tonight for dinner & found it to be really sour. Has anyone else tried it?
ReplyDelete@Karen...hmmm, I don't know about others, but that is one of my favorite recipes! Maybe add more sugar next time to sweeten it up?
ReplyDeleteHow much water do you add to these recipes?
ReplyDeleteYour ideas are so interesting. I can't wait to try the lamb..The raisins are what caught my eye in this recipe.
ReplyDeleteTraditional canned cranberry sauce is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. To swap out a can of cranberry sauce for fresh cranberries would require significant additional sweetener.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 1..I don't add any water. You could probably add several tablespoons to the cranberry chicken to make the sauce thinner if you wanted.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 2...thanks! let me know how you like the lamb.
@Anonymous 3...I buy organic canned cranberries, so they do not have high fructose corn syrup. If you use fresh, I am sure a little sugar, preferably in a healthier form like Sucanat or Rapadura would be fine.
what is the cooking time on low if you cook from fresh ingredients (not frozen)?
ReplyDeletethanks!
thanks so much for posting your recipes. i tried the Cranberry chicken tonight and it came out really bitter. i tasted it halfway and noticed so i removed the lemon wedges thinking it is from the rind. did i have a brain-dead-mom moment and should i have taken the lemon peel off? thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say thank you thank you thank you. I am ssooo happy i found this site. I have Monday free and i am going to get started. We have been struggling for the last year trying to cook dinner thats good and healthy for the boys. Its hard when both of us work and go to school.
ReplyDeleteI made the Cranberry Chicken tonight. It did have a slightly sour taste, but I liked it. The kids did not like the apples being so sour and I think next time I will add a little more honey to the recipe to make it more kid-friendly recipe. I served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli. Thanks for your recipes and hope that you will post more freezer/slow cooker meals in the future.
ReplyDelete