fbpx

Free Tastes Good!

Saving and Sharing for Christ


tagline

MAKE AHEAD FREEZER MEALS

make-ahead-freezer-meals

Find all the Best Freezer Meal Recipes Below.

Who has time to cook every night!! Not us, so for those nights we know there is NO way dinner is getting made we have FREEZER MEALS!! Everybody knows when their schedule is going to be CRAZY! We do, soccer nights or other extracurricular activity nights. Whatever your family has to do in the evenings, don't let it handcuff you at dinner time. Just a little planning and a free day to prepare everything can bring simple, but good, hearty food back to your dinner tables.

After spending a day preparing 13 recipes (26 meals) we found that spending a little time at the beginning slicing and chopping the vegetables and meat makes assembling them much easier.  Grab a recipe, place ingredients and bag and move on to next recipe.  Also, ALWAYS put potatoes in the bottom of the freezer bags so they do not turn black. We snuggle the meals nicely in our freezer ready to be put in the oven or slow cooker, and WOW dinner, not fast food is on the menu tonight. In addition, these meals are so much healthier than eating fast food :-) All you need are freezer bags, a permanent marker, a crockpot, and some freezer space!

Tips for Successful Freezer Meals:

  • Always mark your bags with the important information. Such as, which recipe it is, prep date, and cooking instructions.
  • Organize your freezer so you have room for your freezer meals to lay flat or stand together.
  • Make sure to take your meals out the night before to thaw so they are ready to be dumped in the crockpot the next morning. 

Once we realized how beneficial the freezer meals were, we decided to invest in a programmable crockpot.  You program it for the specific cook time and once completed, it will automatically switch to warm mode and be ready to serve when you walk in the door (and it also makes your house smell AMAZING). It is not over cooked or undercooked, but just right :-) 

The one pictured below is my favorite.  You can order this Crock-Pot SCCPVL610-S Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker by CLICKING HERE.&lt1=_new

slow-cooker-recipes
We also realized that having the Hands-Free Baggy Rack Clip Food Storage Bag Holder would help alleviate trying to hold the bags with one hand while putting the ingredients in the freezer bags. They are reasonably priced so it is a great addition for your freezer meals and really helps if you are preparing these meals alone :-) 

amazon-deals-hands-free-baggy

Freezer to Crockpot BBQ Ribs!

by

There is NO easier meal to prep than this one! All you need is a couple simple ingredients and a freezer bag. Purchase  BONELESS country ribs. I emphasize boneless because as they get shuffled in the freezer, the bone could puncture or even rip the bag. This will cause freezer burn or worse, make a mess when you thaw them out (maybe we learned this first hand lol). We like to serve this meal with mashed potatoes and corn. So delicious they melt in your mouth.

 

freezer-to-crockpot-bbq-ribs

Freezer to Crockpot Barbecue Ribs 

This meal was super easy to prepare! Place the ribs in the bottom of the bag and add the BBQ sauce, apple sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and onion, close and freeze. WINNER!! WINNER!! RIB DINNER!!

For all freezer meals make sure to label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and prep date.  Freezer meals can be frozen for up to 3 months.  

Serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry everyone is 🙂 
 
freezer-to-crockpot-bbq-ribs-ingredients
 
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs boneless pork country-style ribs
  • 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (or 3 cloves fresh garlic) 
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups BBQ Sauce 
  • salt and pepper
Freezer meal directions:
  1. Mix all ingredients in a gallon-size freezer bag.
  2. Label with name of recipe, cooking instructions, and prep date (Can freeze up to 3 months)
  3. Allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
  4. Dump in crockpot and lightly salt and pepper ribs on both sides.
  5. Gently mix it all up.
  6. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
  7. Remove meat from slow cooker. Top with fresh BBQ sauce and serve

We love to serve this with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and dinner rolls – YUMMY!!

freezer-to-crockpot-bbq-ribs

Here are some other awesome things about freezer-to-crockpot meals:

  • Most of these meals require no cooking ahead of time, so that means the recipes are very easy to prep.
  • The meals cook for the first time out of the freezer so they don’t taste like leftovers (BUT leftovers are okay right?!)
  • For us that coupon, we can take advantage of all the sales and freeze a couple at a time. (Most freezer meals will last for at least 3 months.)
Freezer to Crockpot BBQ Ribs
Serves 6
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
5 hr 5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
5 hr 5 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 lbs boneless pork country-style ribs
  2. 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  3. 1 tsp minced garlic (or 3 cloves fresh garlic)
  4. 1/4 cup brown sugar
  5. 1/2 cup applesauce
  6. 2 cups BBQ Sauce
  7. salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients in a gallon-size freezer bag.
  2. Label with name of recipe, cooking instructions, and prep date (Can freeze up to 3 months)
  3. Allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
  4. Dump in crockpot and lightly salt and pepper ribs on both sides.
  5. Gently mix it all up.
  6. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
  7. Remove meat from slow cooker. Top with fresh BBQ sauce and serve
Notes
  1. We love to serve this with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and dinner rolls.
Free Tastes Good! https://www.freetastesgood.com/

Have you ever frozen a meal for your crockpot before?  Please share your thoughts in a comment below!




This post may contain affiliate links. Read my complete Disclosure Policy Here

Freezer to Crockpot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

by

We are a meat and potato kind of family so we LOVE this meal 🙂  It takes less than 10 minutes to prep.  Freezer meals are such a great way to save time and money.  So many of us are so busy on a daily basis that we run to fast food just because we don’t have time to cook a meal.  Freezer meals you can prepare in one day (a few hours) and have enough for a few weeks.  In addition, your family will be eating much healthier food.  This meal always reminds me of my mom and dad.  We had this meal almost every Sunday.  I can still remember the smell of the house while it was cooking 🙂 

freezer-to-crockpot-pot-roast-finished-pic

Freezer to Crockpot Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots 

I think pot roast is a comfort food to many of us.  All you have to do is pull out of the freezer, put it in the crockpot, and within 6-8 hours it is ready to eat.  For all freezer meals make sure to label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and prep date. Freezer meals can be frozen for up to 3 months.  

Recipe Makes 2 Meals
Each Meal Serves: 6
 
freezer-to-crockpot-pot-roast-ingredients
 
 
Ingredients:
  •  3 T olive oil
  • 2 lb beef roast (any kind, cut into large cubes)
  • 3 Cups beef broth
  • 10 potatoes, cubed  (we LOVE potatoes), blanched (Click HERE to learn how to blanch vegetables) 
  • Bag of baby carrots, blanched 
  • 1 medium onion, sliced (optional)
  • Sprinkle of oregano and any other seasonings that you like own)

freezer-to-crockpot-pot-roast-prepped

Freezer Meal Directions:
  1. Split all ingredients in half and place in Gallon Size Freezer Bags (makes 2 meals.  Place potatoes on bottom so they do not turn black. 
  2. Take out of freezer morning of and dump in crockpot.
  3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We like to serve this meal with a salad and dinner rolls. 

freezer-to-crockpot-pot-roast-final-pic

Here are some other awesome things about freezer-to-crockpot meals:

  • Most of these meals require no cooking ahead of time, so that means the recipes are very easy to prep.
  • The meals cook for the first time out of the freezer so they don’t taste like leftovers (BUT leftovers are okay right?!)
  • For us that coupon, we can take advantage of all the sales and freeze a couple at a time. (Most freezer meals will last for at least 3 months.)

 

Freezer to Crockpot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Serves 4
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
6 hr
Total Time
6 hr 10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
6 hr
Total Time
6 hr 10 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  2. 2 lb beef roast (any kind, cut into large cubes)
  3. 3 Cups beef broth
  4. 10 potatoes, cubed (we LOVE potatoes)
  5. Bag of baby carrots
  6. 1 medium onion, sliced (optional)
  7. Sprinkle of oregano and any other seasonings that you like own)
Instructions
  1. Split all ingredients in half and place in Gallon Size Freezer Bags (makes 2 meals. Place potatoes on bottom so they do not turn black.
  2. Take out of freezer morning of and dump in crockpot.
  3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
  1. We serve with a salad and dinner rolls - Delicious!!
Free Tastes Good! https://www.freetastesgood.com/

Have you ever frozen a meal for your crockpot before?  Please share your thoughts in a comment below!

 



This post may contain affiliate links. Read my complete Disclosure Policy Here

Joni-Family-SmallMy name is Joni Meyer-Crothers and I run this couponing/money-saving blog along with my husband, Jamie. We love to show others how to save money in a BIG way! We do all the work for you. . we do the matchups and show you where to get the coupons, many FREE printable coupons. Sit back and follow the blog and watch your savings increase! Couponing is a ministry for our family as we we love to show others how to save and share from their couponing harvest!

I just recently wrote a book called “Extreme Couponing” (released March 5, 2013)  that gives step-by-step directions on how to coupon.  We have been featured on TLC “Extreme Couponing” five times, The 700 Club, 20/20, Today Show, GMA, HLN, Rachael Ray, AOL “You’ve Got”, Fox News, CNN Money, Huffington Post ~ to see a complete list you can click on the right-hand sidebar and the clips and articles are listed there.

I continue to challenge everyone weekly to donate 5 nonperishable or hygienic items to a local food bank/pantry and/or family you may know in need.  Don’t ever discount the smallness of any act of kindness. . it matters!