NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Freezer meals – Slow cooker wins and fails

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You probably remember that I’m trying to double recipes I’m already making to try to fill the freezer with future meals. So far, it’s been pretty darn simple and has given me an opportunity to have ready-to-make meals in the freezer. Which keeps us away from eating out on weeknights. The ultimate goal is to eat at home as much as possible.

So I have two freezer meal reviews for you today. One is awesome. One was kinda bad. It was tolerable. But nothing we’d ever make again.

Of course, I doubled the recipe and ended up with three of them for the freezer. So we ate it three times. Ha. That’s the bad part of doubling (or tripling) recipes for freezer meals.

But, at least I’m giving you the full story, right? Full disclosure.

First, the bad:
Beef stew – this recipe was a combination of stewed meat, tomatoes, beans and potatoes. I think it just cooked to long in the slow cooker which made it turn to mush. And it wasn’t very flavorful. Plus, the stew meat was a bit pricey, which didn’t make it worth it.

File that under never make it again. After the next two times. Cause God knows I’m not wasting food.

And the great:
Sausage and peppers via Ring Around the Rosies

(It is very hard to take a good picture of a sausage. And I cannot wait to see who finds NewlyWoodwards with that line.)

Combine 6 italian sausage, 2 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 1 large red onion, 4 garlic cloves, 2 cans italian diced tomatoes and 2 tbs. Italian seasoning. Split between two gallon freezer bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze.

To cook, add a drizzle of olive oil, cook on low for six hours and serve over hot noodles.

This was one of those meals that I never would have thought of and probably wouldn’t have chosen. But, I thought I’d give it a try. And it was delicious. And simple.

(As an aside, I bought a 12 pack of italian sausage to make this. So I used 6 for this recipe to make two meals and then split up the others to marinate in beer for grilling. That’s four meals, folks. Winning.)

What’s your favorite freezer meal?

Comments

  3. I LOVE SAUSAGE! Hmmm…do people find blog posts by comments, as well? 🙂

    Freezer meals aren’t my thing but the crockpot sure is! My favorite crockpot meal is French Dip. I just pour a cup of wine, a beer, 5 cups of beef broth, a couple of garlic cloves, some sliced onion and a big hunk of meat (whatever you have on hand – rump roast works great) into the crockpot and let it cook for 5 hours on low. Mmmm. 🙂

  4. It’s so funny that you posted this…I have that sausage and peppers recipe printed out and am headed to Walmart to get all the ingredients! Glad it came out good!! I already made the Chicken teriyaki that she had listed on the site (with a few changes), but I haven’t cooked it yet.

  6. Oh I love the sausage recipe! I’ll have to remember that next time I’m looking for Crock Pot recipes. That sounds delicious!

  7. I have decided that I need to get myself a crock pot … this cooking dinner at 8 (the kids have to go to bed at 8) is not working for me.

    Love italian sausages!

  9. This is not a freezer recipe, but I was able to successfully make an eggplant lasagna in the crockpot last night and Andy liked it – Score! No real recipe, just layer ingredients: a couple peeled and sliced eggplant in place of noodles, spaghetti sauce, sausage sauteed with onions & mushrooms, diced tomatoes, black beans, spinach, cheese. Cook on low for 4 hours. Delicious!

  12. Live and learn, right? I love using the crockpot for whole chicken recipes, as well as soups and bean dishes. Fall’s right around the corner!