I did another Freezer Cooking session on Wednesday and it was really successful!
I love that cooking and baking ahead cuts down significantly on the time I need to spend cooking and baking and cleaning up the kitchen each week!
Here are the recipes I made this week:
- Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Crockpot Baked Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
- Egg & Sausage Breakfast Bites
And here are lots of pictures, videos, and details on how it all went down:
First off, I made Egg & Sausage Breakfast Bites. I used ground turkey instead of sausage since I got such a good deal on ground turkey when I went grocery shopping and I left out the veggies because we didn’t have them.
These were SOO good. SOO good! And they were incredibly easy to make!
I shot a video here while I made them if you want to watch it. And you can see how crazy simple these are to make!
Also, I used the Silicone Muffin Cups for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with how well they worked and how easy they were to clean and wash! I’m definitely sold on using these — especially because they kept the muffin pan so clean and easy to wash!
Next up, I made the Crockpot Baked Potatoes. This was my first time to make baked potatoes this way and it was so easy, as well.
The only thing I will mention is that they took longer to bake through then the recipe said they would. This would be such a great way to make Baked Potatoes if it’s hot in the summer or you’re having a big group of people over for a Baked Potato Bar!
If you’re interested, I shot a quick video here while I was making them. You can laugh at my exercise shorts and how I got my shirt all wet while washing the potatoes!
I also made the Pumpkin Spice Waffles (and forgot to get a picture of them once they were baked!). These were good, although they were almost too sweet for me. If I make them again, I’d cut back on the amount of sugar in them.
And last but not least, I made Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken. This recipe was the BOMB. So, so, so easy. And it turned out beautifully and incredibly moist and delicious. I’d highly recommend this recipe!
I also threw together a pan of the French Toast Bake using eggs I got for $0.49 at Aldi and Bread I got marked down at Kroger. I didn’t get a picture of this, but I’m going to have to make it again soon and take pictures and share how I’ve tweaked the recipe because it is SOO good!
Did you do any freezer cooking this week? Tell us about it in the comments!
P.S. See Last Week’s Freezer Cooking Session here.
I haven’t done ant freezer cooking in a couple of weeks but I have a huge veggie garden and fruit trees so I have been doing a lot of freezing and canning with all of that. We are going on vacation this month so I will have a whole week that we won’t need to buy groceries so I decided to use that weeks grocery budget for extra freezer meals! So next week I will definitely be doing about a months worth of freezer cooking… Yay!!
You can bake potatoes without foil. Saves time and money and you avoid the aluminum! In the crockpot I put them on my rack that came with it, but if you don’t have one, I guess I’d put a layer of foil on the bottom. That said, some people are picky about their baked potato skins. Some prefer no wrapping, some say foil is necessary, some say rubbing with oil is best. I guess I just prefer the laziest way! lol.
One thing I’ve done a lot is stick a chicken in the crockpot with some potatoes right on top. Viola! Chicken and baked potato dinner! Will only work with a smallish chicken and a large crockpot, though. : )
Thank you so much for this information!!
How do you reheat your egg muffins? I tried freezing some and they were chewy when reheated 🙁
We just re-heated them in the microwave. They were delicious!
Thank you SO much for posting this! I was going to do crockpot breakfast casserole last night but fell asleep during a show instead and was totally bummed when I woke up this morning & realized that I’d forgotten.
Then I checked your blog and BOOM, the perfect answer!! I doubled the recipe and only a dozen made it to the freezer because they are so delicious!
Then I felt so awesome that I made brownies, chocolate cake, and baked beans for parties we’re going to today, and put a ham in the crockpot & rice in the rice cooker for dinner when we get home (nixing that temptation to grab dinner out!).
Thank you so much for this inspiration!!
WOOHOO!!!! This comment made me so happy and put a big smile on my face!!
Did you actually freeze the sausage/egg cups? Just curious if they tasted good after being frozen and reheated or if they got soggy….thanks!
I was impressed with how they held up and they reheated really well — no sogginess at all!
I am going to try to make these egg bites today! My husband and I have two different work schedules, and I really struggle with cooking him breakfast before he heads to work. (He leaves earlier than I do.) Maybe this will do the trick. 🙂 Thanks!
Love this! I am making a salad box, a couple baked oatmeal’s for breakfasts and several other items this afternoon during naptime. I have found if I spend a couple hours prepping food on weekends then we eat healthier throughout the week. Im definitely adding the egg and sausage bites to the list… And maybe the baked potatoes too! Thanks for sharing!
I always overcook on Sundays and reuse leftovers to make other dishes throughout the week. Some things make it to the freezer, but not much. By Friday, we have a grazing meal , every man for himself. Cleans out the fridge for Saturday restocking. Thanks for the potato in a crockpot ideas. Too hot for summer cooking in the oven and I love to eat baked potatoes. Use them in many ways during the week.
I love the idea of freezer cooking, and am even beginning to do it on a regular basis. Today as I was putting some breakfast burritos in the freezer, I found some kind of freezer burned bag of food I had put away!?? Any tips on not losing/forgeting my meals and ultimately wasting food!?
Those breakfast bites are a great idea. In fact the concept could be used across many variations of that recipe using egg as the binder. Going to do a batch and pop them in my lunch box this week.
I wonder if your potatoes took longer because your casserole CrockPot is shallow. A regular deeper CrockPot may have cooked them faster. CrockPots also vary in how hot they cook. I have two that are about 20 years apart in age and the older one cooks hotter; it will simmer soups on the high setting.
Am really curious to know how those silicone muffin cups do when you bake muffins. Will they still be easy to clean? Waiting for you to try…. Please post when you do!
I’ve been doing some freezer cooking every week as well! This was my post for this week: http://www.myjoyinchaos.com/home/2016/8/food-prep-week-4-peanut-butter-jelly-banana-bread-banana-muffins-and-30-minute-rolls-recipes
I made baked potatoes too this week (although not in the crock pot – what a great idea!). I am loving your freezer cooking posts!! Today I thought, “I wonder what Crystal made this week?!!” It’s so fun to get new recipe ideas and to see what you make and whether or not you liked it. Thanks so much for all the work of putting these posts and videos together!
When you made the crockpot chicken, did you cover it at all with foil? And was the lid still secured? When I looked at the recipe you used, the pictures make it appear that the lid is not on tightly and that there is a gap. If so, does the crock pot provide enough heat? Thanks!
Jen,
When we cook a ham in the crock pot, it is too tall so the lid doesn’t fit on it. We use foil and create a seal around the crock. We usually do a double or triple layer of foil. My friend showed this to me years ago, and it works perfectly. If you seal it correctly with foil, there is no leakage. You can always place an old towel under the crock pot if you need to.
Crystal,
We made bake potatoes in the crockpot. We don’t use foil.
Soak potatoes overnight in a tub or sink with water and a tablespoon of sea salt. Coat the potatoes with olive oil. Prick the skin with a fork.
If the potatoes have soaked overnight in water, you don’t need to add any water to the crockpot. The crockpot will steam the potatoes.
We do this with sweet potatoes, too!
Yum!
Love this tip! Thanks
Why would you need to add water to the crockpot? I have never heard of doing that with baked potatoes or soaking them.
When you soak the potatoes, they naturally become swollen with water and then they are steamed in the crock pot inside their skins. It tastes really yummy that way.
Are you just making the potatoes for the week or is there a way that you can freeze them?
I made them for this week. Potatoes don’t freeze well, usually.
IME, baked potatoes do freeze well, and then can be microwaved to heat them. I tend to throw potatoes in the back/sides of the oven while baking other stuff, so I’m not using any extra energy.
Thanks so much for letting us know you’ve had good success with freezing baked potatoes!
I like doing crockpot baked potatoes. Usually, I cook them “all day”, or about 8-10 hours on low. Turn out perfect every time and as a bonus, it doesn’t heat up my kitchen.
Thanks so much for the tip about cooking them on low for 8-10 hours.
Is the texture the same as oven baked potatoes?
This is my question, too!
Did you freeze the French toast casserole? Or was it just a make ahead for the next day?
I just made it ahead, but it definitely could be frozen, too.
I made some chicken gravy this week and froze the leftovers in an ice cube tray. I know we can’t make a meal from gravy, but even having stuff like the gravy already made is a time savings. I sometimes buy the already cooked rotisserie chickens so we can use the gravy with that.
I love this! Thanks so much for sharing!
I like to freeze left over gravy for biscuits & gravy. I love it with steamed broccoli or green beans for a quick, easy supper!