Salsa Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot (Repost)

This is a repost of the most popular recipe from this blog, so far.  Please forgive the reposting, as I am still sick, not feeling well, and my blog posts are lagging.

This is another easy and yummy freezer to crock pot meal.  Salsa Chicken can be made many different ways by substituting or adjusting the ingredients.  Once finished, it has a taste that resembles chicken chili and is a great meal for cold, blustery nights. 
This recipe makes one 5 quart crock pot full.  Here's the recipe:

Salsa Chicken

3, 4, or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many work for your family)

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can of corn, drained 

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes or any brand tomatoes with green chiles

1 small jar of salsa of your choice (around 15 oz.; size varies by brand)

1 packet taco seasoning 

When ready to serve add:  Cheese, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. 

Place ingredients in a 1 gallon zippered bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock and cook on low for 8 hours or high 6 hours.  Serve in bowls with cheese and tortilla chips, or scoop into tortillas and add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

(Note:  The photo above is midway through the cooking process.  It thickens up as it cooks further.)  

Crock Pot Cooking for One - Freezer to Crock Pot

I love freezer-to-crock pot recipes because they are such a time saver.  However, most of the recipes make a ton of food.  That's difficult for one person because they either end up eating the dish for several days or have to try to freeze it to keep it for later.  

My mother is nearly 80 and lives alone in a home next to us.  We help her with meals, but if she cooks for herself she tends to eat ready-to-eat meals or a bowl of cereal or whatever is easy because it's hard cooking a bunch of food when only one person is going to eat it. 

I decided to try my hand at crock pot cooking for one.  I got Mom a 2-quart crock pot with removable crock (pictured above and link HERE).  Then I bought groceries and got to work. I made 12 meals (2 meals per recipe) with each of the recipes listed below.  

I made enough quantities that if she wanted a larger meal, it would be just enough for her, or if she wanted a smaller meal, there would be enough left over for lunch or dinner.  Depending on how much she eats and which meals she chooses, these can stretch anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.  So far, she has been thrilled, and I have peace of mind knowing that she's eating good meals. 

Here are the recipes I made, below. While these are recipes I have posted previously, I had to modify them to take into consideration the smaller amounts.  Click on the title for each recipe to see the original post for a full-size, 5 quart version of this recipe. 

Use quart size Ziploc bags for storage.  I split each recipe between two one-quart bags.

Butter Curry Chicken (Have not posted this as a large recipe yet, so no link)

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 very large chicken breast  cut in half to make 4 pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

3-4 green onions, chopped and including bottoms and green tops OR 2 tablespoons finely minced onion 

1/2 cup tart fruit juice such as pineapple, orange, or white grape OR dry cooking sherry

4 tablespoons of butter 

2 teaspoons of curry

salt and pepper 

Divide ingredients between two quart size Ziploc freezer bags.  Squish to remove air, then seal and massage to distribute ingredients.  When ready to cook thaw in refrigerator or place frozen chunk in crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken 

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 very large chicken breasts cut into 4 pieces

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers 0R 1 can diced tomatoes with 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in sauce 

1/4 cup lime juice 

2 garlic cloves minced (2 teaspoons of minced garlic if you buy the type in a jar)

1/4 cup dried cilantro

Divide all ingredients between two quart size zippered freezer bags.  Squish out air, seal, and massage bag to distribute ingredients.  Freeze.  When ready to eat, either thaw overnight and place in crock pot the next morning or put entire frozen chunk into crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with rice or steamed vegetables.  This is also great on a tortilla with pico de gallo.

Smothered Pork Chops 

4 pork tenderloins/chops 

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 package dry onion soup mix 

salt and pepper 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Ranch Crock Pot Pork Chops 

4 pork tenderloins/chops

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 package ranch dressing 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Roast Beef 

One 4 pound roast cut into 2 pieces that are 2 lbs each

1 package dry Italian dressing mix 

1 package dry onion soup 

1 package dry brown gravy mix

4 potatoes peeled and cut into very small chunks (I prefer red potatoes)

1 cup carrots

1/2 of a medium onion, cut into chunks 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours. Do not add water to this, as the roast will make its own juices.  A note:  Normally I do not put potatoes in the freezer, but if you use small red potatoes, they seem to work well and the recipe comes out fine. 

Beef Stew

2-3 lbs stew meat, browned in batches with olive oil 

1/2 medium onion, diced 

1-2 carrots cut into chunks

1/2 clove minced  garlic 

1 stick celery cut into small chunks

3/4 to cup chicken broth  OR 3/4 to 1 cup beer (yes, chicken broth; don't substitute beef)

2 tablespoons bouillon 

1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 can RoTel diced tomatoes with chiles 

1 small can (4oz) tomato paste 

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon sugar 

2-3 red potatoes peeled and cut into thin/small chunks 

In a skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Pour just enough water in bottom of skillet and stir to deglaze the pan. About 2-3 tablespoons of water. Place meat and deglazed mixture in bottom of 2 quart freezer bags.  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT POTATOES.   Squish out air and massage to distribute ingredients.  Open then add potatoes to top.  Seal and freeze.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with cornbread, crusty bread, or fry bread. This is best when cooked low and slow. 

To make this a stove top recipe, follow instructions, except you will need to add approximately 1 to 1-1/2  cups of water to the mixture and allow it to simmer on the stove top for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Watch carefully and add water if the stew becomes too thick. 

 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot

This is the time of year where it seems like heavy meals abound.  There's the office party with prime rib or steak.  There's the blustery days with chili and stew.  Sometimes you're sick of heavy meals and just want something good, filling, but not too heavy.  Lemon Rosemary chicken is a wonderfully light meal that can easily be made in the crock pot.  The citrusy flavor is the perfect compliment to the rosemary.  This tastes great served with rice or served alongside a salad and crusty bread.  

I used chicken tenders in this recipe, but you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or even a whole, cut up chicken to make this recipe.  If you use bone-in chicken, be sure to place it in the bottom of the crock pot, bone side up, so that the meat cooks through.  

Lemon Rosemary Chicken: 

1-1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders

1/2 C lemon juice 

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Lightly brown chicken in a nonstick pan or pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Place in bottom of 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Remove air, seal, and then massage to distribute ingredients.  To cook in crock pot, either thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours or place entire frozen contents of zippered bag into crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  If cooking from frozen, increase cooking time by 1-2 hours. 

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew - Freezer to Crock Pot

Wow, how about our weather?!  Winter here in Oklahoma has been crazy!  It went from 80 degrees one day to 20-something with a windchill in the teens the next day.  That type of cold, blustery, chilly weather makes me hungry for a warm, rich beef stew.

This recipe originally started out as Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  However, as I'm known to do, I have modified it to suit our tastes and lifestyle (you'll see why below).  Sometimes I'm not in the mood for beer in my stew, and sometimes I am going to share this with others who may have either dietary, religious, or other personal reasons for not consuming beer, so the recipe below reflects that.  I've also added extra tomato products because, honestly, stew just doesn't seem like stew to me without some form of chunky tomato in it, and we like our stew a little spicier than the original recipe.

Since Pioneer Woman is an Oklahoma girl herself, I'm paying tribute to our shared heritage by renaming it slightly to reflect the changes. The name is also reflective of the fact that I have modified this to be a crock pot recipe (if you wish to cook this stove top, see instructions below recipe). 

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 whole medium onion, diced

1 cup rinsed baby carrots or 3-4 whole carrots sliced into medallions

2 cloves minced garlic

1 can of beer, 12 oz. OR 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth (not beef, though it's tempting)

4 cubes beef bouillon or 4 tablespoons buillon granules

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can RoTel tomatoes with green chiles (or other diced tomatoes with green chiles; this is about a 14 oz can)

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 Tablespoon of my All-Purpose Seasoning, second recipe, HERE 

1-1/2 teaspoon sugar

 3-4 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks

In a skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Pour just enough water in bottom of skillet and stir to deglaze the pan. About 2-3 tablespoons of water. Place meat and deglazed mixture in bottom of 1 gallon freezer bag.  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT POTATOES.   Squish out air and massage to distribute ingredients.  Seal and freeze.  When ready to cook, place cut up potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot and put the frozen mixture on top (or thaw in the fridge the night before before adding to crock pot).  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with cornbread, crusty bread, or fry bread. This is best when cooked low and slow. 

To make this a stove top recipe, follow instructions, except you will need to add approximately 1-1/2  to 2 cups of water to the mixture and allow it to simmer on the stove top for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Watch carefully and add water if the stew becomes too thick. 

Ranch Crock Pot Pork Chops - Freezer to Crock Pot

Finding new ways to cook pork chops can be challenging.  A friend told me about this, and I just had to try it.  Ranch Crock Pot Pork Chops are a great way to cook pork tenderloins in the crock pot and have a savory gravy to serve over potatoes, rice, or on toast.  

When I was told about this, I had one of those forehead-slapping moments that was like, "Really?  Three ingredients?  Why didn't I think of that!"  The ingredients were so obvious.  I don't know why I hadn't put them together before.  Plus, just about anything with ranch is awesome. 

Without further adieu, here they are:  

RANCH CROCK POT PORK CHOPS
4-6 thick cut pork tenderloins or chops (I prefer tenderloins)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 package powdered ranch dressing mix

Put the powdered ranch dressing mix in a gallon zippered bag.  Put the chops in the bag, and shake to coat the chops with the dressing mix.  Add the can of chicken soup and enough water to "wash out" the can.  Remove air from bag, seal, and then massage to distribute the ingredients.  When ready to use, remove frozen block from bag and place in crock pot.  Cook approximately 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 on high.  You might need to remove the chops and whisk the gravy with a wire whisk in case lumps have formed.  Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or toast.  

If cooking immediately, just place chops in crock pot along with cream of chicken soup, and sprinkle dressing mix over the top.  Stir until blended then cook for 6-8 hours on low.  

The gravy that this makes is excellent, so if you want extra gravy, you might consider doubling up on the cream of chicken soup and ranch dressing mix.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Lime Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot

Chipotle lime chicken is a zesty dish with bold flavors that compliment one another well.  Tomato sauce, cilantro, vegetables, and spices kick this up a notch beyond ordinary.  

Put this in the crock pot in the morning, and come home to a flavorful and satisfying meal without a lot of effort. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken

**This recipe makes two meals.  Cut ingredients in half to make just one recipe.**

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
Canadian/Montreal steak seasoning
2 cups diced onion

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

2  14 oz. cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

4 garlic cloves

3 Tablespoons dried cilantro

Divide chicken breasts into two 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.  Season both sides of each chicken breast liberally with steak seasoning.  Add remaining ingredients, squeeze air from bags, and seal.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-9 hours.  Serve over rice or noodles.   

Freezer to Crock Pot - Smothered Pork Chops

Crock pot smothered pork chops are a nice change of pace from the usual fried or grilled pork chop.  These come out tender and fall apart (as evidenced by the photo!).  This is a flavorful recipe that brings out the flavor of the pork chops while providing a satisfying and savory gravy to serve over noodles or toast.   

This was part of a post showing make-ahead crock pot meals.  See the original post  HERE.

Smothered Pork Chops

3-4 boneless pork tenderloins/chops 

1 large onion, cut into rings

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

About 1 tablespoon Montreal/Canadian Steak seasoning 

4-6 peeled and sliced potatoes when ready to cook

Season pork tenderloins with steak seasoning, and layer with onions in 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Add cream soup and remainder of steak seasoning.  Squeeze air out of bag and seal.  Freeze.  When ready to cook peel and slice 4-6 potatoes and place them in the bottom of the crock pot.  Then place the entire block of frozen food on top of this in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.   Serve over noodles or toast. 

Freezer to Crockpot - Pepper Steak With Noodles

Pepper Steak with Noodles is a wonderfully rich dish that is easily made in the crock pot.  Put this on to cook in the morning, and come home to the wonderful aroma of peppers and spices.  This beef dish makes its own rich gravy, and is excellent served with noodles, over rice, or mashed potatoes.  

This recipe was originally noted in my post HERE, but I wanted to feature this as its own post, as this is one of our favorites. 

Pepper Steak

2-3 pounds beef stew meat or cut up round steak (See earlier post regarding saving on meat)

½ cup flour

1 tsp. pepper

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic (I use the already-minced garlic and use 2-3 teaspoons)

2 green/bell peppers, cut in strips

2 14 oz. cans Italian or plain diced tomatoes with ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cubes beef bouillon or 2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules

4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. Montreal/Canadian steak seasoning

2 Tbsp. A1 steak sauce

Place flour and pepper in zippered freezer bag.  Shake to mix.  Add stew meat and shake to coat pieces thoroughly. Leave flour and meat in bag. Add remaining ingredients, remove air, and seal.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8.  Stir well before serving to allow sauce to blend and thicken.  Serve over noodles or rice.  

Freezer to Crock Pot - Pork Green Chili

We love spicy food.  This recipe for pork green chili fits the bill.  It is not a heavy chili but is very flavorful and uses broth and other spices to create interesting and satisfying flavors.  

This works well in the crock pot  and can be cooked straight from the freezer.  It also works equally well when made stove top.  Serve it with tortillas or spoon it over rice.  Top with a dollop of sour cream, and you'll be in heaven. 

Pork Green Chili

2 Tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil

3 lbs. pork, cut into medallions (I used pork tenderloins)

Ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped

2 minced garlic cloves

2 green (bell) peppers, chopped

2  (4 oz.) cans green chiles, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons dried cilantro (If using fresh cilantro, increase to ½ cup).

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water and 1 chicken bouillon cube)

Lightly brown meat in oil over medium heat.  Lightly pepper meat and place in the bottom of a 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Add remaining ingredients.  Squeeze air out, seal, and massage ingredients to distribute. 

When ready to cook, place in crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours or low for approximately 8 hours.  Serve with rice, tortillas, and sour cream. 

Stovetop version:  Lightly brown meat in oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and peppers and saute until onions are translucent.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1-1/2 hours. Stir periodically and check liquid level.  Add water as needed.  

Freezer to Crock Pot - Margarita Chicken

Margarita Chicken is another yummy, spicy dish that can be made ahead of time by mixing the ingredients, then storing it in the freezer until it's time to cook.  Place this in the crock pot, and come home to a tasty meal. Despite its name, it does not have an overt citrus taste.  The flavors blend nicely to make this a terrific main dish.  

This would be a great meal to also add veggie packets.  See THIS POST for information on how to make foil packets for the crock pot. 

 

Crock Pot Margarita Chicken

4-5 frozen uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

1 T soy sauce

2 minced garlic cloves

3 T liquid margarita mix

Mix sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Place chicken in the bottom of the 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Cover with sauce.  Squeeze out air, seal, and freeze.  When ready to prepare, place frozen block in crock pot.  If using packets, prepare and then place on top of chicken and sauce, then cover with lid.  Cook on high for 7-9 hours.   

A little side trick:  When this comes out of the crock pot, the chicken may still look white.  If you would like a little bit of a bark/grilled effect, place the chicken on a foil covered cookie sheet and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown.  Then slice and serve.  

 

Freezer to Crockpot – Taco Soup

There are a million variations on taco soup. It’s easy, it’s tasty, it’s filling, and you can often ad-lib the ingredients to compensate for items you don’t have or use variations to suit your taste if there are ingredients you don’t like.   

Most recipes I have seen say to use a specific type of meat.  Realistically, you can use anything that you have or omit the meat completely  I like either browned ground beef or browned steak pieces/stew meat, but you can also use chicken and even kielbasa that’s been cooked prior to adding it to the pot.

Here’s the recipe. 

Taco Soup

DO NOT DRAIN CANS OF INGREDIENTS. 

1  to 1.5 lb. meat of choice (if fatty meat such as hamburger meat, cook beforehand)

1 small chopped onion

1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes (or other diced tomatoes with green chiles)

1 can plain diced stewed tomatoes

1 can kernel corn (not cream corn)

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 pkg. taco seasoning

(These are all the regular small-sized cans (around 14-17 oz.), not the large cans.)

Again, do not drain cans of ingredients. Combine all ingredients in 1 gallon zippered bag and freeze.  When ready to eat, add to crock pot and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. 

Stovetop variation:  Combine all ingredients in 5 qt pan, adding dry ingredients last.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Serve with crackers, tortillas, or Indian fry bread. 

 

SUBSTITUTIONS: 

Vegetarian:  Omit meat completely or substitute cooked lentils, tofu, or TVP.   

Meat:  Use browned hamburger meat, stew meat, or cut up pieces of round steak, boneless skinless chicken breasts, or even cooked shrimp.  You may also use thinly sliced and browned Kielbasa or smoked sausage alone or added with the other meats for an interesting taste combination.  Just make sure when using any fatty meat, such as hamburger meat or sausage, that it’s browned and drained before adding it to the recipe.

Beans/corn:  My hubby isn’t a fan of corn but will eat it in stews.  I sometimes substitute navy beans, garbanzo beans, or black-eyed peas. 

Tomatoes:  Use any canned tomato combination that suits you based on what you have.  I like Ro-Tel tomatoes because they already have peppers in them, and we tend to like our food very spicy.  However, you may substitute tomatoes with chipotle peppers for an interesting combination or even tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic.  If you do not have tomatoes with chiles in them, you can use regular diced stewed tomatoes and add a couple of tablespoons of chopped canned green chiles.  I have also used fresh tomatoes but added a small can of tomato paste to thicken up the soup, as fresh tomatoes tend to have more liquid.  

Freezer to Crockpot - Mexican Casserole

This is a fun, simple, and easy Mexican casserole that tastes great.  It's easy to throw together, and it works great for a freezer to crockpot recipe.  It's spicy comfort food that's a hot, filling meal.  

We usually make this in the oven, but our schedules have been so busy lately that the crock pot has been our go-to cooking venue.  I decided to try this for the crock, and it was easy as making it in the oven*.  

MEXICAN CASSEROLE 

1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef, browned, drained, and rinsed 

1 15-17 oz. can Ranch Style beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 14 oz. can RoTel tomatoes ( or diced tomatoes with green chiles)

When ready to cook, about 1-2 cups crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Do not put the tortilla chips in until right before you're ready to serve.  Otherwise, you'll end up with a soggy mess! 

Brown ground beef, drain, and rinse.  In 1 gallon zippered freezer bag, place ground beef, ranch style beans, chicken soup, and tomatoes.  Squeeze out air and seal, then "massage" bag to mix ingredients well.  

When ready to cook, place mixture in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Approximately 10 minutes before serving, top with crushed tortilla chips.  Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa.  

*The oven version of this is the same, except when you're ready to cook it, divide the crushed tortilla chips and place a layer on the bottom of the pan, top with casserole mixture, then top with more crushed tortilla chips.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, top with cheese, then return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Freezer to Crock Pot - Pot Roast with Veggies

The combination of pot roast and veggies is a yummy, satisfying, and comforting meal, especially after a long day.  Walking into your house and smelling the wonderful aroma of a hot meal is like a little slice of heaven.  This is an easy recipe and can be prepared ahead of time, put into the freezer, then cooked in the crock pot for a hearty meal.  (See my confession about this roast below.*)

SLOW COOKER POT ROAST

One 2-3 pound roast, trimmed of excess fat (see below for substitution)**

1 packet Italian dressing mix

1 packet onion soup mix 

2-3 carrots cut into medallions 

1 small onion cut in large chunks (optional) 

2 cubes beef bouillon or 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

1/2 cup water

 

When ready to cook, 3-4 potatoes cut in chunks.

Trim roast and cut slits in meat.  This is important, as the meat starts to cook it tends to contract and can take longer to cook.  Place roast in 1 gallon zippered freezer bag and add all ingredients except potatoes.  When ready to cook, add potatoes to crock, along with frozen roast and veggies.  Allow to cook for 8-10 hours on high (necessary to get the internal temperature of the roast up where it needs to be). 

*Here's my confession.  The poor roast pictured above had a real workout.  I put the chunk in the crock pot, turned it on, and went on my merry way.  The problem is that the crock pot wasn't plugged in!  D'oh!  I found it about 1-1/2 hours later. Aacck!!  I plugged it in and turned the crock on high, but even at 11:30 last night, it still wasn't done.  I ended up taking everything out of the crock pot, putting it into a large bowl, and sticking it in the fridge because cooking it overnight would have been too much.  I got up this morning, put everything back in the crock pot, and cooked it 4 more hours.  Luckily, it was ready to go by lunchtime.  Unfortunately, some of the carrots and potatoes were worse for the wear, but everything still tasted good! 

** If you do not have roast, another inexpensive cut of meat can work, such as round steak.  What I have done in the past is to get approximately 2-3 pounds of round steak and cut it into medallions.  Use the rest of the ingredients, as directed.  Cook on high 6-8 hours, and check doneness of meat.  This comes out more like a stew than roast but can be a great way to use a less expensive cut of meat. 

Freezer to Crock Pot Cooking Tips

• Link to post with above photographed recipes is HERE.
•  I use 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.  They are more durable than regular zippered bags.  The 1 gallon size is usually equivalent to a 5 quart slow cooker.
•  When you’re ready to cook your items, always start with a cold crock pot.  Do not preheat the crock.  If you put cold items into a crock that’s already heated, the crockery insert could shatter or crack. This is also true for items that have just been in the refrigerator.  Cold+hot=Shatter. 
•  I cook items straight from the freezer.  It takes longer to cook, but I’ve never had a problem.  Some people prefer the recipes are thawed first.  If so, thaw the entire bag of ingredients unopened for 24 hours in the refrigerator, and then add to the crock.  Adjust cooking times as necessary. 
•  Write what’s in the zippered freezer bag on the outside before adding ingredients.  Include cooking times, directions such as to add potatoes, serve over rice or noodles, etc.  You may think you’ll remember what’s in that bag, but two weeks from now you might not. 
•  Crock pot cooking temperatures vary.  When in doubt, allow more time to cook rather than less. 
• When using meat, you will need to precook meats with a high fat content such as hamburger meat or certain cuts of stew meat.  If in doubt, precook.  I also recommend rinsing these meats before adding them to the freezer bag.  Since you will be cooking them again in the crock, there might be more fat that comes out during the cooking process. 
•  Place meats in the bottom of zippered bags and place ingredients on top.  Once everything is added, squeeze out air, seal the bag, and massage slightly to distribute ingredients well.  This ensures meats are surrounded by ingredients.  This is important when you’re ready to cook because sometimes the meat can stick together as it is cooking, increasing time needed for everything to cook evenly.
•  Less liquid is better than more.  The funny thing about cooking in a crock pot or slow cooker is that it generates liquids from the items that are cooking, since condensation is trapped.  You can always add more liquid later if the recipe seems dry or thick.
•  If at the end of cooking your recipe seems to have more liquid than intended, turn the crock pot on high, remove the lid, and allow some of the liquids to simmer/boil off until it’s the desired thickness. 
•  You can make almost any crock pot recipe a freezer-to-crock recipe.  Just remember that potatoes and pasta do not freeze well.  I’ve seen recipes that say you can use both of these items, but my experience is that the potatoes and pasta come out mushy, with the exception of lasagna.  I add potatoes at the time I put ingredients in the crock.  I cook pasta separately and add it just prior to serving, as we tend to like our pasta al dente.
•  Almost any casserole can be adapted for cooking in a crock pot. 
•  Almost any soup can also be adapted for the crock pot.  Just decrease the liquid significantly (by at least 1/2 if not 2/3).  When I make soup in the crock, I start with as little amount of liquid as possible then add liquid toward the end, if needed. 

I will be posting more freezer-to-crock pot meals in the coming days and weeks.  I just need photos.  Photographing food is a lot harder than it looks! 

Freezer to Crockpot - Salsa Chicken

This is another easy and yummy freezer to crock pot meal.  Salsa Chicken can be made many different ways by substituting or adjusting the ingredients.  Once finished, it has a taste that resembles chicken chili and is a great meal for cold, blustery nights. 

This recipe makes one 5 quart crock pot full.  Here's the recipe:

Salsa Chicken

3, 4, or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many work for your family)

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can of corn, drained 

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes or any brand tomatoes with green chiles

1 small jar of salsa of your choice (around 15 oz.; size varies by brand)

1 packet taco seasoning 

When ready to serve add:  Cheese, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. 

Place ingredients in a 1 gallon zippered bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock and cook on low for 8 hours or high 6 hours.  Serve in bowls with cheese and tortilla chips, or scoop into tortillas and add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

(Note:  The photo above is midway through the cooking process.  It thickens up as it cooks further.)  

Freezer to Crockpot or Grill 2

Sunday night, I hurriedly whipped up a batch of 3 freezer to crock pot recipes and 1 freezer to to grill recipe. Some notes about making these recipes:  I show these packed flat, but when I put them in the freezer, I tend to stand the bags upright and make them as round as I can so that they will fit the shape of the crock pot.  I use a 5 quart crock pot/slow cooker.  If you have a smaller, 1-2 quart slow cooker, you might want to divide these into two bags.

I cook these recipes straight from the freezer.  I do not thaw them first, as I've found that sometimes the recipes with flour in them will clump.  It's perfectly safe to cook from frozen, and the food comes out just the same as if it were thawed.

To remove the frozen chunk from the bag, I either run hot water over the outside enough to loosen things, or run hot water into a plugged sink and submerge the bag for a few seconds to loosen the contents.

Finally, it helps to stir things and let it cook just a little bit more right before you're ready to serve.  This distributes all the ingredients well and makes sure nothing is clumped. Some of these recipes make their own type of gravy, so it's important to stir before serving to make sure everything's where it should be. 

Here are the recipes I used:

Mango Chipotle Chicken for the Grill

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle Kraft Mango Chipotle Dressing and Marinade

2 tablespoons Poultry/Chicken Seasoning

Place chicken in a 1 gallon zippered freezer bag, add ingredients, squeeze air out of bag, then seal and “massage” to distribute seasonings well.  When it’s grill time, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator, then place on grill, cook to desired doneness and enjoy!

Smothered Pork Chops

3-4 boneless pork tenderloins/chops (See earlier postregarding savings on meat)

1 large onion, cut into rings

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

About 1 tablespoon Montreal/Canadian Steak seasoning 

4-6 peeled and sliced potatoes when ready to cook

Season pork tenderloins with steak seasoning, and layer with onions in 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Add cream soup and remainder of steak seasoning.  Squeeze air out of bag and seal.  Freeze.  When ready to cook peel and slice 4-6 potatoes and place them in the bottom of the crock pot.  Then place the entire block of frozen food on top of this in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.   Serve over noodles or toast. 

Easy Beef Tips

3 pounds stew meat (See earlier post regarding saving on meat)

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon pepper

1 packet onion soup mix

½ medium onion, chopped

1 can beef stock (or 1 cup water plus 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 Tbsp. bouillon granules)

Place flour and pepper in 1 gallon zippered bag.  Shake to mix.  Add stew meat into bag, reseal, and shake to coat stew meat well.  Reopen bag and add in remaining ingredients.   Squeeze out air, and seal. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.  If this seems a bit thin/watery, remove the lid from the crock pot, turn the crock on high, and cook another hour to allow some of the water to evaporate. Serve over noodles or rice.

Pepper Steak

2-3 pounds beef stew meat (See earlier post regarding saving on meat)

½ cup flour

1 tsp. pepper

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic (I use the already-minced garlic and use 2-3 teaspoons)

2 green/bell peppers, cut in strips

2 14 oz. cans Italian or plain diced tomatoes with ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cubes beef bouillon or 2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules

4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. Montreal/Canadiansteak seasoning

2 Tbsp. A1 steak sauce

Place flour and pepper in zippered freezer bag.  Shake to mix.  Add stew meat and shake to coat pieces thoroughly.  Add remaining ingredients, remove air, and seal.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8.  Serve over noodles or rice.