When a Teacher has NO time: Freezer Meals!

Hi guys!! I am having such a fun October so far! Enjoying pumpkin spice and flavored everything.

And Hocus Pocus, of course. 

And the fact that Trader Joe's has everything you never knew you needed until you saw it there.

There is always so much to do this month. We've got homecomings and hay mazes and birthdays and trainings and all sorts of things so tha means, there's pretty much no time for anything else. 

So I've also been freezer meal prepping! I made about 12 meals in 4 hours and when I posted the pic I got so many requests for the recipes that I decided to write a post. Here goes!

These are the ones I made: (I linked to the original recipes)

Crockpot Pizza
Creamy ranch chicken and potatoes
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
Chicken Alfredo tortellini
Pot roast and potatoes
Cheeseburger soup
Cheese stuffed meatballs and potatoes
Bacon wrapped chicken
Sausage and peppers - my own recipe
Italian chicken
Chicken fajitas
Honey Dijon pork
Pizza Muffins

I also precooked ground beef and seasonings. 

I did do some tweaking to a few recipes to make them freezeable or healthier. Even though I am well aware that Velveeta is not at all healthy. Ever. Not even a little. But it's really good!!

I also make homemade cream of chicken soup because it is sooooooooo easy and sooooooooo good. (see below)

Crockpot Pizza

Label the bag: Cook on low 3 hours. Add biscuits when 30 minutes left.

Place in bag: 

1 Pound of cooked Ground Beef

6 oz pepperoni
1 Green Pepper Chopped
1 Onion Chopped
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1 Clove of Garlic Minced
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
24 oz pizza sauce
2 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

Cut regular size biscuits into quarters. Place in separate bag. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning mix. Freeze. 

Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

Label bag: Cook on low 8-9 hours. 

I used the recipe to the T, except I made homemade cream of chicken soup (I use Pinch of Yum's recipe) and used the Whole 30 Ranch Dressing spices recipe. 

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

This one is a bit different. I mix the sauce and spices and freeze that. Can't really freeze the pasta and cheese. 

Label bag: "Mix cheese blend with Ricotta. Layer in crockpot - 1 pasta, 2 sauce, 3 cheese. Repeat; top with mozzarella; cook on low for 3-4 hours"

Put in bag: 

2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 jars alfredo sauce (I use Trader Joe's, but Ragu makes a yummy one!)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. minced garlic

Other for cooking day:
2 cups Italian cheese blend

15 oz ricotta

9-12 lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
Label bag: "Cook on high 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Add tortellini 15 min before serving."

Place in bag:

1.5 lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3½ cups Alfredo sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp black pepper

For day of:

4 cups refrigerated three cheese tortellini

Pot Roast and Potatoes
Label bag: "Pot Roast and Potatoes: Add water to cover roast. Cook on low 6-8 hours."
I sometimes have to use two bags, one for the meat, one for the veggies. 

Place roast and veggies in bag. Mix stock, water, and seasonings. pour over roast in bag.
2 to 3 lbs Chuck Roast
5 Potatoes cut into chunks
1 Onion cut into chunks
4 Carrots
2 cups Beef Stock or broth
2 cups Water
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
¼ tsp Real Salt to taste
¼ tsp Pepper to taste

Cheeseburger Soup

Label the bag: "Cheeseburger Soup: Cook on low 6-8 hours; Add roux and cheese 30-45 min before serving." 

Place in bag: 

4 small potatoes, peeled and diced

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cups chicken broth
COOKED 1 pound ground beef

In a smaller bag I premade the roux

3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (16 oz.) package Velveeta processed cheese, cubed OR 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

I labeled the bag: "Bacon Wrapped Chicken: Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken, beat sauce with whisk and pour over chicken."
4-8 bacon slices (I use turkey bacon)
4-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp garlic powder
½ cup flour

Instructions
Wrap bacon around each chicken and place in bag. Blend soup, sour cream, garlic powder and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Spoon over chicken. Lay flat to freeze.

Sausage and Peppers

Label bag: "Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with french bread or noodles."

Put in bag: 

Sliced bell peppers, all colors

Sliced turkey sausage

1 can Italian diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Italian Chicken
Label bag: "Italian Chicken: Place in crockpot, top with 1 cup Parm cheese. Cook on low 6-8 hours."

Place in bag:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
16 Ounce Bottle of Italian Dressing (I used non fat)
Italian Seasoning
4-6 Potatoes scrubbed cut in half or wedges (you can peel if want)
1/2 bag of mini carrots

For day of: 

1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

Chicken Fajitas
Label bag: "Chicken fajitas: Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Mix honey and lime juice and add to crockpot with shredded chicken. Toss and serve."

Place in bag:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper

For day of cooking:

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp honey

And serving:
Flour tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese

Honey Dijon Pulled Pork
Label bag: "Place in crockpot. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred pork. Serve with rice."

Put in bag:

Pork loin

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard)

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

Pizza Muffins

These are just so quick and simple and yummy. I'll make a double batch and freeze them in gallon bags. Pull out, reheat, and serve with pizza sauce. Delicious!

And that's it. One very busy day of shopping and prepping and baking, but it makes life easier during the month. We eat on these for a few nights and have leftovers for lunch. 

HERE IS MY SHOPPING LIST for these meals. 

I pin a lot of my meals on my Crock Pot Board on Pinterest. You can find and follow it HERE.

Thanks for reading!!