Freezer Meals: Take 1 {reviewed}

I'm here to report on my freezer meal experience.  You can read back HERE where I detailed the process.  All of the recipes I used during Take 1 were recipes we had never made before, so I wanted to make notes, etc for when I try Take 2.  I'm going to grade each recipe on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best) on taste, give my general impressions, note any changes I'd make, and also report how many meals it lasted.  (Unless otherwise noted, each discussion is for one bag of the recipe, as several of the recipes made two bags)

Cilantro Lime Chicken: 
Grade: 5
Will I make it again: Yes 
Serving Count: 3 adult, 2 kid

This was very yummy.  During the prep portion I cut the chicken into smaller pieces so once it cooked it was more like a filling than a stand alone meal.  You would either have to put it in some tortillas, over rice, or in a bowl.  If you left the chicken breasts intact it would still work, with the corn, beans, etc making a sauce of sorts for the chicken.  I heated corn tortillas and we made tacos.  For toppings we only used shredded cheese and sour cream.  The chicken wasn't overly lime-y or cilantro-y...they were more or less just taste after thoughts.    The only thing I would change with this recipe is to add a few more veggies...like some peppers and maybe an onion.  

It was enough for Nathan, Miles & I for dinner and then Miles and I for lunch the following day. 

Cumin/Cinnamon Beef Stew: 
Grade: 1.5
Will I make it again: This recipe? No.  Beef Stew? Yes
Serving Count: 6 adult, 4 kid 

This was a major disappointment.  It smelled AMAZING while it cooked, but the taste was just....eh.  It was bland and the cinnamon and cumin almost seemed to just be left over spices that happened to be in the crock pot when I cooked the stew.  After we ate it the first night I added an onion soup mix packet, some dehydrated onions, salt & pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, more garlic...and the reheat the following day wasn't as bad.  But it was still not good.  I am not a fan of the cumin/cinnamon duel going on in the background of my stew.  Next time I'll add more carrots, sliced onions, an onion soup mix packet, salt & pepper, and add a can of beef broth when I cook it. 

The stew fed Nathan, Miles and I for two dinners plus Miles & I for two lunches.  


Teriyaki Chicken
Grade: 3.5
Will I make it again:  Yes...but leave the pineapple out (see edit below)
Serving Count: 4 adult, 2 kid 

The night I made this I hadn't planned well enough in advance to use the slow cooker so I ended up cooking it in a large pot for 15-20 mins.  I steamed some rice to go with it.  It was good...simple, but good.  We'll definitely do it again mostly because it was so easy!  
**EDIT** Ok - we made the second bag a different way.  I thawed it and cooked it in the crock pot and it cooked great EXCEPT the pineapple.  By the time the meat was cooked the pineapple had turned VERY bitter.  So if I do this again I'd leave the pineapple out until the last 20 mins, add it and then serve.  


Chicken Curry
Grade: 2
Will I make it again:   Yes, but not without modifications
Serving Count: 3 adult, 2 kid 

We love curry at our house so I had high expectations...that may be why this recipe gets only a 2.  It was just ok.  But not curry-enough and not spicy enough...and definitely not enough veggies.  I added another Tbs of curry powder, some minced dried red peppers, a good squirt of rooster sauce, and 1/2C peanut butter...and that made it a little better, but not good enough.  When I make it again I'll add snow peas, bean sprouts, I'll julienne my carrots instead of slice them, and add more veggies in general.  I'll also use a curry paste instead of curry powder.  

Chicken Chili
Grade: 4
Will I make it again:  Yes
Serving Count: 3 adult (6 adult when using both bags)

I made this one night when we had friends over.  I cooked up BOTH of my bags of this chili.  It served four adults dinner and then 2 adults lunch the following day.  And we had heaping bowlfuls.  The chili was VERY yummy...BUT I did add in another tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of chipotle, 1 tsp of chili powder, and a Tbs of dried onion.  It had been cooking in the crock pot for a couple hours and I decided to try it and check the flavor...it was mild.  (I'm sensing this to be a theme for these recipes)  We like full, bold, flavorful meals at our house...hence the additional seasonings.  But it was delicious.  I served it with fresh bread and topped it with shredded cheese and a dollup of sour cream.   The only thing I'd change for next time is adding in the spices at first instead of after.  

Veggie Soup
Grade: 5
Will I make it again:  Yes!!
Serving Count: 5 adult, 2 child

When I made this soup, I didn't use the crock pot.  I didn't want the veggies to get all soggy.  I just pulled it out of the freezer, put it in a large stock pot and added a carton of beef stock, one of these Knorr Beef Stock Pots, some salt & pepper and another 1/2C quinoa.  I let it cook until the veggies were done (about 20 minutes) and paired it with fresh baked bread.  Oh my...this soup is simple but OH. SO. GOOD.  Mmmmmm.  The quinoa gave it some protein, stay-full power and the little bit of beef flavor kept it from being bland.  It was delicious and will definitely be on the freezer meal list EVERY time!
**EDIT**  I made the second bag of this almost exactly the same, but I added one pound of browned ground turkey...and it was delicious.  This recipe is great!! 

Ginger Cranberry Pork Roast
Grade: 4
Will I make it again:  Yes
Serving Count: 4 adult, 2 child

I cooked this pork roast just as the directions said, paired it with some steamed broccoli and it was quite delicious.  The cranberry and ginger were a very nice compliment to the pork. 
 

Freezer Meals: Take 1

I've been wanting to do this for a while...but I haven't mostly because I was just too lazy to do the work: find recipes, make detailed shopping lists, and then spend an entire day in the kitchen.  

But then I realized I hate the "what should I make for dinner" dance.  So I bit the bullet and got to work.  First let me say that Pinterest is a godsend.  Seriously.  I scoured and scoured...until my scourerer was sore.  There are two types of freezer cooking.  The "make bags of stuff to heat in a slow cooker" kind and the "cook the meals and then freeze them" kind.  I love slow cooker meals in the winter, plus it seemed easier so I opted for the slow cooker version.  I looked for recipes that would work in the slow cooker and recipes that I knew we would eat.  I came up with a list of about twelve.  I pared that down to seven.  

Ok, so let me explain the process (in case there are other newbies like me) and then I'll post the recipes.  

Freezer Cooking Process:

First, decide how many meals you want to make.  Take into account your freezer size.  If we had a deep freeze I'd make 364 meals.  Ok, probably not that many actually.  Probably.  

Next, find your recipes.  I used Pinterest, and THIS website.  All the recipes I found (but 2) made two large ziplock bag portions.  Each bag is enough to feed us (2 adults and a toddler) for dinner and lunch (for hubby..and maybe me) the next day.

Make a DETAILED shopping list.  I do love lists.  But sometimes I get skimpy on the grocery list.  I'll put "tomatoes" not "6 large tomatoes" You need to bring out all your OCD on this list.  Trust me.  I had to go to the store three times because of things I overlooked.  Once you have your list, check it twice.  (ha ha...couldn't resist...tis the season!)  But seriously.  Check. It. Twice.  Be sure you have heavy freezer ziplock bags on your list.

Then go shop!  I didn't plan my shopping and prepping day for the same day.  It seemed like too much to do in one day.  (The base grocery store is 45 mins from our house...that's quite a hike) I did NOT freeze my meat when I got home from the store.  I didn't want it to thaw and then refreeze it.  Somewhere in my brain I think I remember hearing that isn't ok.  I used the packages of thinly sliced chicken breasts.  So on my recipes that's what it references.  

On your prep day, keep your recipes handy.  I started with my odd (single...not doubled, also my only non-chicken) recipes.  I was planning on one pork roast and one beef stew.  I bagged the roast, then started chopping carrots.  Almost every recipe had carrots, so I had a TON to peel and slice.  Then I moved to onions, and then garlic cloves.  Those were my most common ingredients.  After those three things were done I bagged the stew.  Then moved to the veggie soup (TONS of chopping there), and the remaining chicken dishes.  When doing the double recipes, I would chop all the veggies first (or chicken) and then split it between bags.  When it came time for the spices, I would just measure half of the spice listed directly into each bag.  The only ones I put meat in right away were the roast and the stew.  ALL my chicken ones I waited until the remaining recipes were complete except meat, then did the meat all at once.  I just filled the bags with the ingredients and lined them up on my counter until they were done.  Then I started on the chicken, adding it to each recipe as I went.  You can leave the chicken breasts whole, or chop them up.  I prefer them chopped...but it is a personal preference.  You will be able to stretch chopped chicken farther than a whole breast.  When the recipe is complete, squeeze the air out of the bag, massage it a bit to get them all marinating in their juices, and stack them in the freezer.  

Oh...and I made sure to label each of the bags; the name of the dish as well as the cooking instructions.  All of the info I found on these said to pull the bag out of the freezer the night before you want to use it, let it defrost in your fridge and cook it in your slow cooker the following day.  Cooking times will be 4-5 hours on high and 6-8 on low.  It depends on your slow cooker...so keep an eye on it!


Ok...now onto the recipes.  

Ginger Cranberry Pork Roast
1 pork roast
1 bag fresh cranberries, washed
1/2 C. fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs cornstarch

Cooking directions: add 1 C. water and cook

Cumin/Cinnamon Beef Stew
2lbs roast meat
3 C. chopped carrots
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne 
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cooking directions: add 1 C. water, 4 C. chopped potatoes, cook

Veggie Soup
2 onions, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (beans, corn, peas, carrots)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1 can diced tomatoes
2 C quinoa

Cooking directions: add 1 can of broth (veggie, chicken, beef...your choice) and cook.

Cilantro Lime Chicken
2 packages chicken
3 Tbs olive oil
2 limes, juiced
2 C. chopped cilantro
1 bag of frozen corn
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cans of black beans, drained
2 tsp cumin

Cooking directions: cook.  Serve with tortillas and sour cream

Teriyaki Chicken
3 packages chicken
1 C. carrots, chopped
1 red onion, cut into chunks
2 cans pineapple chunks
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bottle teriyaki sauce

Cooking directions: Cook, serve over rice

Chicken Curry
2 packages chicken
3 Tbs flour
4 Tbs curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2 C. sweet potatoes, cubed
2 C. carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Cooking directions: add one can of chicken broth and cook.  Serve with rice or noodles, garnish with peanuts. 

Chicken Chili
2 packages chicken
56 oz tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can black beans
30 oz frozen corn
2 onions, diced
1 can diced green chilies
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs flour
4 Tbs dried, minced onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 sugar
1 tsp cumin

Cooking directions: add a little bit of water if needed.