Freezer Meals Part 1

In the endless hours I've spent browsing pinterest (Yes I have a problem!) I've seen many posts talking about freezer meals, and while it's something I'd heard about before I'd never really considered. But after seeing the pictures and the stories I decided it was something I had to try for myself! I picked out a few of the meals that sound the best to try it out, and we'll see how it goes. If they're really good, I might just have to pick up the book "Dinners in the freezer" (not to sound like an advertisement, but it's only $8 on amazon if you're interested). A few tips I learned along the way, first off, don't buy pre-frozen chicken! I don't know exactly what I was thinking, but next time I will buy the regular chicken so it can marinade while freezing and frozen more, but I hope they still turn out alright for me. Also write the directions on the bag before filling it, it's so much easier (I learned this after the teriyaki chicken, so those bags are a bit messy, sorry!). Also I added a bit more meat to each bag than is asked in the recipe because we love meat in this family! I haven't cooked any of these meals yet, I'm saving them for when Nik gets home so I have easy meals that require little cooking, but I fully intend on doing a post after we've tried some with pictures and how we liked them :) The only thing I wish I could change in all of this is my freezer size!

The best way to do this is to buy everything you need and do it all in one go. Cut up all of the veggies, mince the garlic, label the bags, put the meat and veggies in, let out the air, seal, lay flat and freeze! Pull the bags out the night before you want to use them so they can thaw (Or if your fridge works like mine, a few days before you're going to use it!)

Teriyaki Chicken 

• Medium-Large bag of carrots
• 1 red onion cut into chunks
• 2 large cans of pineapple (undrained)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup of Teriyaki sauce

Split between the two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Add an additional 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce to crock pot. Cook low for 8 hours or high for 4, serve over rice.


Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

• Approximately 36 meatballs (homemade or not)
• 16 oz grape jelly
• 20 oz bbq sauce

Split between the two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Cook on low 2-4 hours, serve over hot rice with a side of veggies.

Sausage and Peppers

(The next two I forgot to get pictures of thawed so I had to pull them out frozen to get a picture)

• 6 italian sausages
• 2 green peppers
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cans of italian diced tomatoes
• 2 T. italian seasoning

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Add a drizzle of olive oil, cook on low for 6 hours and serve over noodles or crusty bread with mozzarella cheese.

Savory Chicken

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 4 Tbs white wine (or extra chicken broth)
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups of broccoli (added while cooking, don't put in bag!)

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for bag: Cook on low for 6-7 hours, add broccoli during the last 30 minutes and remove bay leaves before serving.