How to make 15 Crockpot Freezer Meals in 2 Hours is simple and you will have 15 dinner recipes that will be ready to throw in your crockpot. It took me only 2 hours from starting the process to cleaning up my whole kitchen. I love to make freezer meals to help save me time in prepping and preparing dinners for my family.
My three boys are constantly on the go with school and after school activities. My oldest son has high school football every day of the week except Sunday. I have to pick him up at the local high school at 6pm and that is when I am usually when dinner is being put on the table. So I decided to to some research and find freezer meals that sounded good for my family. I ended up picking out the following freezer meals listed below.
15 Freezer Meals in 2 Hours:
Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Easy Crockpot Meatloaf
Crockpot Bean Stew
Slow Cooker Mexican Chili with Cornbread Topping
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken
Crockpot Philly Cheese Steaks
World's Best Chicken Crockpot Freezer Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Ranch Taco's
Slow Cooker Honey Lime Ginger Pork
Slow Cooker Maple Bacon Chicken
Slow Cooker Potato and Corn Chowder
Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Crockpot Freezer Recipe
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops
Slow Cooker Ranchero Chicken
By choosing these meals I did not have to cook any of the meat or poultry in these freezer meal recipes. That is a huge time saver when prepping freezer meals! I made a list of what I needed for each recipe. Next I went to my kitchen and pulled out what I already had for each recipe. Then I made a shopping list of what I needed to get at the store.
I had most of the spices and meat in my kitchen. So when I went to the store I mostly had to buy fruit, vegetables and freezer ziploc bags. When I got home I arranged on the ingredients on my table. Got out my cutting boards and knifes. Put my apron on and started with labeling the ziploc bags first. I had each recipe pulled up on laptop and would write the instructions on the bag along with the date. I spent $100 on my groceries but if you don't have the spices and meat I would think you would spend $150+ depending on if you find them on sale. It does depend on the prices you are paying for groceries of course which varies depending on where you live.
Next I started with a recipe and followed step by step the directions from the recipe and filled the bag. I would then move on to the next one. I just followed each recipe and then I laid the crockpot freezer meals flat in the freezer. That week when I wanted to make them I would pull them out the night before and let thaw in the fridge overnight except for the Easy Crockpot Meatloaf. I put it in the slow cooker still frozen and cooked it, but you can do it either way.
Master Shopping List for these 15 Back to School Crockpot Freezer Meals--->15 Back to School Freezer Meal Shopping List
By preparing these 15 Freezer Meals saved me so much time for the week and we had wonderful family dinner meals every night. No fuss in trying to get homework done and dinner on the table. This is perfect for expecting mothers or if you are preparing for surgery. It really helps busy working Moms and homeschool Moms stay ahead of the game by prepping in advance and using your slow cooker you menu planning woes are over!
Another great plan is this 20 Freezer Meals in 4 Hours Plan (with printable shopping list).
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Shelley is a boy mom, marine wife, and is blessed with an amazing family. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
Carrie Walls
Is the master shopping list just what you had to buy minus what you already had in your pantry/freezer? Because I'm looking at it and I don't see ground beef or fresh cilantro or black beans which are all in the first or 2nd recipe...
Or am I printing out the wrong list? Confused...
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
You caught an error on the shopping list - thank you!!! It is fixed now.
Jenny
We made these today...so excited! I don't see dumplings on the list. When it came time to do that bag, we skipped it and got creative with some of the leftovers:)
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Thanks for letting us know that was missing! Enjoy!
Lauren
I'm also seeing some things missing from the list:
Tortillas X2
Bread crumbs
Shredded cheese
Dumplings
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Thanks for finding that! Sorry for the confusion.
Gina Stegner
I swear I'm going to try to do this on the next free Sunday I have. I have meal planned like this once and it made life so much easier. I need to do it again. Thanks for the great recipes
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
You are welcome! Once you do it you will never regret it that is for sure!
Casey
When do you put the meal in the slow cooker? How long for each? I rarely use the slow cooker because I'm at work by 7:30 and home at 5:00. Could I use the pressure cooker instead?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
It varies per meal but most of the time I would put it in at 7:30 and walk into a meal that is complete at 5:30.
jennifer
is it possible to use a timer that is set to cook. I have one of the ones you use on holiday lights or when you go away on holiday. I leave the house at 530, the time turns on the crock pot at 9, turns off the crock pot at 5 just as we are walking in the door... change out of our uniform and dinner is served...
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Does your slow cooker turn to warm after it is complete?
Nicole
They make crockpots with built in timers. For instance I can set mine to low for 6 hours and when times up it switches to warm.
Sheri Vick
If you double the recipe, is the cooking time the same or would you need extra time? Thank you for making this seem fairly easy to get together! 🙂
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
You don't need to add time just be sure it is in a large enough slow cooker.
Jody
Is there a breakdown anywhere for nutrition purposes? We have some dietary issues in our family, so just want to check totals before I do this. I am so excited to try it though 🙂
Shanda
Are these portions good for a family of 5?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Yes. Depending on the appetite of your family 🙂
Ailena
I'm curious your thoughts on how each meal turned out. I.e. Which ones you would make again and which ones were just okay and would sub out something else for.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
They are all delicious! Our personal favorites: CROCKPOT CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN, EASY CROCKPOT MEATLOAF, CROCKPOT BEAN STEW, SLOW COOKER CREAMY RANCH CHICKEN, CROCKPOT PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, SLOW COOKER CHICKEN RANCH TACO’S, SLOW COOKER MAPLE BACON CHICKEN and CHINESE CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI CROCKPOT FREEZER RECIPE.
Amy
How much did it all cost?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
About $100 depending on if you have the meat and spices on hand.
Shari Clark
I see now that the serving sizes are listed on each recipe. Thanks for all the work you have put into this site! This is going to make things so much simpler for this large, very busy, homeschool family!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
You are welcome!
Rachel
I can't see the video or shopping list. Would you be able to email it to me?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
There is no video but here is a link to the shopping list - https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Shopping-List-15-Freezer-Meals-1.pdf
millamomma
write the instructions on a index card, put into a sealed ziplock and then place into your gallon bag, stays dry and you can reuse again, , & check fruit stands for best deals on produce,
millamomma
instead of "boneless pork chops: you can cut loin into chops it the same cut of meat and cheaper if you buy whole
Beef roast also be cut into strips,, cubed or ground,
double things you like and freeze extras, you can also heat on low in your cookers,anything you see frozen you can also do at home:)
Sara Pangborn
If I cut these recipes in half, what would you recommend I change the cooking time to?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
I would suggest a small sized slow cooker. 🙂
Julie
How do I adapt this to cook in an indtapot?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
I am not sure about that, sorry!
Amy
How long will they stay good in the freezer?
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
2-3 months.
Kami
What size freezer bags did you use? Quart or gallon? Thanks!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Gallon
Barbara Stallings
Did you realize you actually have 16 recipes? lol...not a problem, actually better for me. But I'm so anal I just needed to point that out 🙂
Stephanie C
What is the enchilada sauce/ranchero sauce used in? Can't find it in any of the 15 recipe ingredient lists? Thank you! Super excited to try it all!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
The Slow Cooker Ranchero Chicken - https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2016/09/slow-cooker-ranchero-chicken/
Amy
What is powder Butter? never heard of that before!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Which recipe?
Angela Scott
None of the recipes list this ingredient, however it is on the Shopping List. The only recipe I could find that had butter in it was for the Slow Cooker Potato and Corn Chowder.
Wendy
How much water goes into the Chicken and Dumplings? There's no listed amount.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
It says in the recipe directions that you add enough water to cover the ingredients when you place in slow cooker. Can't list an amount because it really depends on what size crockpot you use, will determine the amount. Hope that helps you!
Angela Scott
Hello! These all look amazing, I can't wait to start prepping. Thank you for posting these. I have a question and also noticed some ingredients were off or missing.
With all of the recipes is it ok to freeze the chicken raw?
Then I noticed that dried parsley flakes, chicken bouillon and 1 red onion were missing from the list. The list also has you buying a 15 oz bag of dumplings but the recipe says 12 oz. There should also be an additional 4 carrots and 2 celery ribs, which are needed for the Dumpling recipe.
Again thank you so much for these!
Josie Ells
I have been trying these recipes in a power pressure cooker. So far each receipe had turned out wonderfully.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Do you have tips for each recipe you have tried (timing). We get asked this question all of the time on how to convert to an instant pot.