Crockpot freezer meal HELP!!!

[Jolene Green]

HI there. I have a few questions about freezer meals, crock pot cooking and preperation. I have tons and tons and tons going on September-December. So I have menu planned and most of it is crock pot cooking..I have a very large family and thought this would be the best way to go..since Ill be very busy and its also something hubby can handle. LOL.

So..while I already menu planned and planned out my grocery list for the next 4 months...I got to thinking. It would be even better if I took one day and made these all into freezer meals..that way if I really just didnt have time..to chop, prepare etc..I could just pour a bagful of stuff into the crock pot and that would be great. So I need some tips and pointers on what Cant be frozen or how I should freeze things.

Here are the things that I planned on making in the crock pot but would like to switch them over to freezer meals..

zucchini, sweet potatoe and black bean stew
chicken and sweet potatoe in the crockpot
slow cooker potatoe soup
cheesy quinoa bowl
crockpot beef stroganoff
crockpot chicken and biscuits
Chicken artichoke lasanga
sweet potatoe, kale and chic pea stew
Slow cooker Ham and white beans
Kale and quinoa soup
Fall veggies with Lentils
Spinach chicken and artichoke casserole
roasted pumpkin apple soup
Squash and quinoa chili
Slow cooker sloppy joe
sausage with peppers and onions..which I plan on serving over pasta
crock pot chicken pasta
slow cooker pizza
baked penne with roasted veggies
hearty slow cooked been stew
crockpot broccoli and cheese soup
crockpot BBQ meatballs
crockpot carmelized onion beef stew
homemade beef and broccoli on rice
chedder chicken bacon ranch pasta
philly cheese steak sloppy joes
slow cooker musheroom and onion pot roast
crockpot italian meatballs
crockpot stroganoff meatballs
Baked cream cheese spighetti casserole
cheeseburger soup
lazy unstuffed peppers..freeze peppers uncooked?
chicken and rice a roni casserole
slow cooker chicken taco meat
cranberry chicken in crockpot
chicken stuffing bake
crockpot sweet n tangy meatballs
crockpot butter beef
crockpot ravioli casserole
slow cooker shredded beef tacos
slow cooker honey parmasean pork roast
lasanga soup
slow cooker king ranch chicken
crock pot hawian meatballs
crockpot chicken taco chili
crockpot chicken and stuffing
honey bbq meatloaf
slow cooker honey sesame chicken on rice
best chicken noodle soup ever
Red bean Jambalaya
marsala chicken, musheroom and rice bake
stuffed sweet potatoes (these are stuffed with fresh veggies..onion, zucchini and squash I believe )
crock pot mac and cheese
zucchini, corn and quinoa taco salad
twice baked butternut squash (this wont be crockpot..but in oven)


Id love to premake these into freezer emals...in ziplocks so I cna just thaw and pour into crockpot. If u need recipe please let me know and I casn post them but please help me with the obvious (LOL) Ive never done freezer meals before..Im really mainly not sure about any of the grains...cooked or uncooked..meats..cooked or uncooked before freezing? Just not sure. Thansk so much!!!!

[duonyte]

Crockpot manufacturers say you can use frozen meat in the crockpot as long as you include at least 1/2 cup of liquid with it. I have used frozen chicken parts, cubed meat, and meatballs but not whole frozen roasts- that makes me nervous, so large a piece of meat trying to cook/thaw at the same time.

Just in general, potatoes don't freeze well in my opinion. If I am making soup that I intend to freeze, I add potatoes only to the part of the soup I am serving, and not to the rest.

I am not sure whether you intended to thaw the meal in the fridge prior to cooking - at least partially thawing is likely to give you more consistent results and reduce the likelihood that the meal would stay at an unsafe temperature for too long a time.

So I think quite a lot of the things you are interested in freezing would work well. A lot of the veggies if diced small would work well. For me the prep work is what takes longest - I would definitely do things like brown meat, cube it, whatever and freeze it that way.

[dianegrapegrower]

I don't use my crockpot a lot, but some of the meals you're proposing could be made ahead (with or without crockpot) and frozen, but don't need the crockpot for reheating. Things like taco meat, sloppy joes, and meatballs in sauce can also reheat easily on the stove or in the microwave. And casseroles could be baked in the oven. Just a thought.

I know from experience that cooking rice a long time in the crock pot makes it too soft for my tast. I'm betting that pasta would be similar. It will be even softer if frozen first - something to consider.