Freezer cooking has been single-handledly responsible for helping me be more sane and more frugal.  We are able to create monthly meal plans, follow them, and make dinner time a relatively low-stress time in our household while still enjoying healthy, home cooked meals.  Hopefully it works to bring these benefits to your family too.  Happy cooking!!!

In the first part of this post, I’ll detail how we store marinated meats for easy cooking (a true life saver for those crazy weeks or just a regular week where you don’t want to have to do all of the prep work for dinner time).

In the second part of this post, I’ll provide some of my favorite recipes for freezer cooking and how we store them.  All in all, this is how we’ve survived new babies, job changes, back to school, you name it!!!

(1)  Mark ziploc bags with recipe title, date, and cooking instructions.

(2)  Place ziploc bag in tall cup (wide mouth water bottle, really whatever will hold your bag open and steady as you add ingredients), folding over edges.

(3)  Fill with ingredients minus protein.  Remove bag from cup, shake slightly, and add protein.

(3)  Remove as much air as possible, seal, and place in freezer.

Recipes:

CHICKEN

Cooking instructions unless otherwise noted:

• Thaw
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

• Lemon Garlic Chicken
  • 1-1.5 pounds chicken breasts (approx 2)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• Lemon Herb Chicken
  • 1-1.5 pounds chicken breasts (approx 2)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Provencal Chicken
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 tsp stone ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• Barbeque Chicken (adapted from momtimeout.com)
  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 cup lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp stone ground mustard
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
• Crockpot Lime Chicken (adapted from mommysfabulousfinds.com)
  • 3 pounds chicken breasts (approx 4)
  • 4 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil (melt after measuring)
  • Dash pepper

Thaw and place in crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours.

• Balsamic Chicken (adapted from South Beach Diet)
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

PORK

Cooking instructions unless otherwise noted:

• Thaw
• Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes

• Orange-Herb Pork Chops
  • 3 boneless pork chops
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (roughly 1 medium orange)
  • 1 1/2 tsp orange zest (minced)
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large garlic clove (minced or pressed)
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (finely chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Chili Rub Pork Chops (reprinted from mommaaimone.com)
  • 3 boneless pork chops
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Marinated Pork Chops (reprinted from mommaaimone.com)
  • 3 boneless pork chops
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup
• Drushal Barbecue Pork Chops
  • 4 pork chops
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery seed
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/6 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 bay leaf
• Crockpot Green Chili Pork Tacos (reprinted from whoneedsacape.com)
  • 4 lbs boneless pork loin
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 16 oz jar salsa verde
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin

Thaw and place in crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours.

BEEF

• Cook ground beef in 1 lb increments for the following recipes:
  • Taco meat
  • Sloppy joe’s
• Lasagna
• Meatloaf
• Hamburgers
• Mom’s Vegetable Soup
• Crockpot Kielbasa & Sauerkraut (reprinted from lovingmynest.com)
  • 32 oz jar of sauerkraut
  • 1/2 head red cabbage
  • 1+ lb of beef kielbasa (cut into approx 1-inch slices)

Place frozen in crockpot on Low for 4 hours.

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