Slow Cooker Freezer Meals on a Budget
If you are on the hunt for slow cooker freezer meals that will make dinner on busy weeknights easier, this is for you! Freezer cooking is such a great idea.
These crockpot recipes are going to take your life from hectic, to manageable, I promise!
The best part is, all of these recipes are budget friendly and will not break the bank.
Freezer Friendly Recipes
We have put together an instant download of 30 recipes that are all slow cooker friendly, budget friendly and include instructions for preparing them as freezer meals.
You do not have to prepare these recipes for the freezer if you do not want to. If you want to cook them one at a time, at your leisure, these recipes are perfect for that too. While they were created for those wanting to freezer cook, they do not have to be prepare this way.
Crock Pot Recipes That Are Family Friendly Meals
Also, while each of these 30 recipes give you instructions for cooking them in the slow cooker, I want you to remember anything that can be cooked in the slow cooker can be cooked in the oven, on the stove top or in your Instant Pot. You simply adjust cook times and/or liquid levels.
This pack gives you instructions for preparing these meals for the freezer and then defrosting them and cooking them in the slow cooker, but you have the freedom to change that up if you want to.
Budget Friendly Recipes
We are a large family, on a budget.
These recipes are not just for ppl who have a large family, as you can adjust the amount of food a recipe is making by cutting the ingredients in half, for example.
That said, all of these recipes are made with saving money in mind. No matter the size of your family, many of us are on budgets these days!
What Meals Can I Make and Freeze?
Some of our favorite meals to make for the freezer are recipes like:
- spaghetti sauce
- pulled pork
- chicken or ground beef casseroles
- smothered pork chops
- ground taco meat
- chicken fajitas
- chicken breasts or thighs with marinades on them
- soups and stews
- seasoned roasts with veggies
- meatloaf
- creamy chicken dishes
- lasagnas and other pasta dishes
Here is a list of the recipes you will freeze in this instant download pack.
DOWNLOAD OUR 30 SLOW COOKER FREEZER MEALS HERE.
And, our download comes with a printable freezer meal label for each of the recipes. This is super handy! Now you will know what is in each bag, but you will also know how to prepare it when you’re ready to thaw and toss it in the slow cooker.
Here is what these labels look like.
How Long Do Meals Last in the Freezer?
The meals you prepare for the freezer can last anywhere from three months to six months. The better they are covered and protected, the longer they will last.
You should be able to store freezer meals closer to six months when using a deep freezer.
What Supplies Do I Need to Prepare Freezer Meals?
The things that I always keep on hand for preparing freezer meals are:
- gallon size and half gallon freezer bags
- disposable metal trays (but, I also use my glass 9×13 casserole dishes)
- freezer bag holders
- meat chopper
- a good knife
- flexible cutting boards
- permanent marker
- kitchen scissors
- mixing bowls
Here is a shopping list of all of my favorite freezer meal supplies over on Amazon.
How Do You Make Freezer Meals?
Freezer meals are super easy to assemble. For each recipe we give you instructions that tell you step by step how to assemble them.
Essentially, you want to set out all of your ingredients for the recipes you will be making with the bag or container you will be freezing them in.
I group the ingredients, instructions, bag/container and label together in their own little area on the counter. Then, I repeat this for each recipe giving them their own little area on the counter. You can see this in my video below.
Then I begin assembling according to the directions provided for each recipe that tell how to combine the ingredients.
As each meal is assembled and labeled, I pop it in the freezer. I continue this until all of the meals are assembled and in the freezer.
How to Assemble Freezer Meals
Here is a video of me assembling seven of the recipes in pack.
Do You Have to Thaw Crockpot Freezer Meals
This is 100% up to you.
I like to thaw them first before throwing them in the slow cooker. This is simply my preference. I take my meal out of the freezer the night before and pop it in the fridge to start defrosting.
Then in the morning I will remove it from the fridge and put it under my thaw board for a bit. Then I toss it in the slow cooker and begin the cooking process.
Many people toss meals right into the slow cooker frozen and love the way they turn out. It is defiantly a time saving way to cook!