Freezer Meals Prep

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Thank you for stopping by! I know most of you have come from Pinterest. I hope to make more posts related to meal planning and freezer meals in the near future. If you have a specific question or post request then leave a comment and I’ll help as best as I can.
Happy meal planning!
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I know how much all you mommies LOATHE meal planning. I love cooking, but dislike meal planning. In the beginning of January I finally got up the courage to do one of those freezer meal extravaganzas. I went to a few websites and found recipes that I liked. I made sauces, crockpot meals, marinades, and soups. We are already into March and I still have some meals left over and a few sauces. Obviously, we didn’t LOVE all of the recipes, but we tried them all. I am back and doing another day of freezer meal prep. This time I did a mini version of my January test run and stuck with marinades and a soup.

Before I begin, here’s what I learned from last time:

• We don’t really like crock pot meals. The only one that was good enough to do again was the Healthy Mama BBQ. I loved the convenience of it and the fact that I could start cooking it in the morning and forget about it until it was ready. Soups were our favorite go-to crockpot meal.
• Meats and Veggies never taste the same frozen as they do fresh. One time, the potatoes came out rubbery. Very unappetizing. Also, if you cook chicken in the crockpot with tomato sauce or anything too acidic, it changes the chicken. It falls apart easier and isn’t AS juicy. Sure, it’s in the crock pot and it’s in juices, but the chicken itself is not juicy.
• Whole chicken breasts and thighs are better left un cut and unshredded. Leave the chopping and shredding for after you cook it. It comes out better.
• Marinades are awesome. Freezing the meat with the marinades make sure it gets infused into the meat. plus, it gets to sit longer while you are thawing it.
• Prepping before-hand makes mommy’s life so easy.
• Making freezer meals is great if there is a worth-while sale on meat. Meat is usually pretty pricey and takes up the majority of our grocery bill. Wait until you can get a killer deal on meat before you try this.

Links (used this time and/or last time):

• http://lovingmynest.com/learning-activities/freezer-crock-pot-cooking-day/ — crockpot prep, recipe page, shopping list (VERY HELPFUL)
• http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/freezer-cooking-3-sauce-palooza.html — sauces
• http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/02/freezer-cooking-2.html — chicken pot pie, marinades, BBQ shredded pork, & twice baked potatoes
• http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/12/freezer-cooking-4-soups.html — soups
• http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html — more recipes

Here are the things I made today (I added some of my favorite marinades):

• Greek Chicken (2)
• Citrus Chicken (2)
• Sesame Chicken (2)
• Margarita Chicken (2)
• Oh So Easy Pork Chops (2)
• Marinated Pork Chops (4)
• Marinated Steak (1)
• Taco Soup (1)

Total of 16 Bags with over 50 servings!! **pictures of each cooked item to come later

Recipes:

Margarita Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts (4 breasts)
• 2 packages of Margarita mix with alcohol in it
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons of chicken seasoning (McCormick’s Grill Mates — Montreal chicken)

Preparing: Split chicken up between two freezer bags. Combine ingredients and split between the two freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred) or cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Citrus Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts (4 breasts)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice ( about two large lemons)
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1.5 inch section of fresh ginger (peeled & minced) or 1-2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• a few drops of tabasco

Preparing: Split chicken up between two freezer bags. Combine ingredients and split between the two freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred) or cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts (4 breasts)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (toast them if you would like)

Preparing: Split chicken up between two freezer bags. Combine ingredients and split between the two freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred) or cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Greek Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts (4 breasts)
• 2 tablespoons dill leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• 2 large lemons or 4 small lemons
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparing: Split chicken up between two freezer bags. Combine ingredients and split between the two freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred) or cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Oh So Easy Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 6 bone in pork chops
• 1.5 cups fruit preserve (I used apricot)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preparing: Split pork up between two freezer bags. Combine ingredients and split between the two freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred)

Marinated Pork

Ingredients:

• 10 bone in pork chops
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Preparing: place 2 pork chops in 2 bags and 3 pork chops in 2 bags. Combine ingredients and split between the four freezer bags. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred)

Marinated London Broil

Ingredients:

• London Broil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons italian seasoning
• 1.5 tablespoons died parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon tabasco

Preparing: place meat into freezer bag. Combine ingredients and pour over meat. Toss and knead into the meat. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: grill (preferred)

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped (i didn’t have an onion)
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (or broth)
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
• 1 package of taco seasoning (1.25 ounces)
• 2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I didn’t have that much, so I used less)

Preparing: combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: cook in crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-6.

Garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream, &/or crushed tortilla chips