Are you ready for a fresh new start to the year? Meal planning and preparation can help you achieve many healthy eating or healthy living goals that you may have set. I love to make large batches of freezer meals to include in our meal planning. Most often I use our crockpot to cook easy weekday dinners in. Be sure to follow along on Instagram or Facebook for real-time recipes, inspiration and tips!
I start by determining what ingredients I might already have at home and that I want to use up. For example, I knew that we had about 10 pounds of ground beef in the freezer so I planned around that. Then I cooked all of the meat the night before and stored it in the fridge so that it would be ready the next day. I like to drain the hamburger meat and rinse it as well to reduce the fat content.
Then I select which recipes that I want to make, create a shopping list and purchase groceries. Next I chop up ALL of the vegetables that I will need for all of the recipes. I try to choose recipes with similar ingredients so that I don’t have a ton of different bowls and vegetables to chop. This often takes the most time for me. A food processor is my next investment for sure!
For quick clean up in the kitchen I simply tuck a garbage bag around a drawer to act as a catch all.
When I am making recipes I love to know what each ingredient looks like. So here is our selection of goods from the pantry ready to be added to each meal.
For freezer meals that can be baked in the oven I use these large tin casserole pans found at the dollar store.
Baked sausage pesto pasta and lasagna get built right in the pan with all of the ingredients including pasta and cheese.
Then I wrap them in tin foil and label each meal before storing it in the freezer. Each of our freezer meals is eaten within 30 days of preparing. Now for a few of our crockpot freezer meal recipes! This Sausage Pesto Bake is the same as the recipe listed below only I cooked and added the pasta to our casserole before freezing whereas for the crockpot recipe, I add the pasta at the end. Oh! And be sure to check out our other Crockpot Freezer Meals!
- 1½ lbs ground beef, browned and drained
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 5½oz can tomato paste
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ½ cup green pepper, diced
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. Parsley
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- Place all ingredients in a crockpot.
- Stir at the half way point to ensure that all of the noodles are covered in sauce.
- Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1-2 Tbsp of red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup red peper, diced
- 1 cup zucchini, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
- ½ cup carrots and celery, diced
- Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
- Cook 8 hours on low or 6 hours on medium.
- Serve over rice {optional}.
- 250g pkg ground sausage, cooked
- 10 oz container of pesto
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16 oz pkg pasta, cooked
- Place all ingredients {except pasta} into a crockpot.
- Cook 6 hours on low.
- Serve over pasta.
This taco meat is great because it can be used as a starter for a variety of meals! Keep it as is for Taco Night with the family, add pasta sauce for easy spaghetti or check out the delicious chili recipe below!
- 2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup bell peppers, diced
- 1 cup carrots and celery, diced
- 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
- Place all ingredients in a crockpot.
- Cook 4 hours on low.
- Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe
- 14 oz can chick peas
- 14 oz can beans in tomato sauce
- 10 oz can tomato soup
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 pkg chili spice
- Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
- Cook 8 hours on low.
Do you have a favorite freezer meal recipe? Please share!
Michelle says
Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve seen several plan ahead and yours are simple and easy to fallow and great ideas 🙂
Michelle
Heather Painchaud says
Thanks Michelle! Glad to hear it 🙂
Britney says
Hey! Excited to try the taco meat and lasagna!
When freezing and then putting into the crockpot do you need to thaw first?
Thanks!
Heather Painchaud says
Nope! Straight from the freezer 🙂
tasia says
Are the cook times for freezer meals for thawed or still frozen food?
tasia says
Oops! Saw your previous reply. Frozen it it! I love frozen meal and am excited to try this one!
B says
Just to make sure u throw the cheese in from the beginning also?… 38 weeks Prego w my 3rd and Gna do some of these so I can relax w the new baby!.. thanks!
Heather Painchaud says
Yes! Congrats! xo
Kelly says
So how do you prepare sausage pesto pasta in the casserole – not the crockpot way?! Would love to know. I’ll check back or watch at [email protected]!
Heather Painchaud says
Search “pesto pasta” on the blog and you should find the casserole xo
Alice says
For the chicken coconut curry do we mix all the ingredients in a mag and freeze it?? Including the coconut milk? I didn’t see where it says how to freeze.
Heather Painchaud says
Yup! All into the bag and freeze until ready to use.
Amanda says
Do you freeze the pasta sauce for the lasagna in the bag?
Heather Painchaud says
Yup