Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam posted the above video on her blog for Tasty Tuesday and I was so inspired by it that I asked if I could share it here. She walks you through some simple and practical ideas for creating meals in minutes as soon as you come home from the grocery store.
I’m definitely going to try this out more as I believe it will be a lifesaver for our family on busy days. Plus, having food handy and ready to stick in the crockpot straight from your freezer can eliminate having to fall back onto fast food or carryout when you’re out of time and ideas for dinner.
we always divide meats, but duh! never thought to season and mark it as the meal it is (or can become)!
Thanks for the post!
I dont know that I can do 4 meals in 4 minutes, but I do this after grocery shopping. Last week I put 2 seasoned roasts, 1 package of burrito meat, 2 bags of seasoned steaks, 1 bag of seasoned pork chops, and 1 meat loaf in the freezer. So easy.
Thanks for another inspiring tip!
I LOVE freezer meals, and I swear by this wonderful cookbook for bulk/freezer recipes: Fix, Freeze & Feast (Kati Neville). Some of them are super easy, others require a little more prep work, and all of them I’ve tried so far are awesome.
Loved this! Thanks for the tips! I already divide my chicken before freezing but I need to add the seasonings before freezing!
hi ladies – In answer to your question about the crockpot…it’s best if you can remember to take the ziplock out of your freezer the night before and let it slowly thaw in the fridge, but I I have thrown it in first thing in the morning and let it cook ALL day. Make sure your crock pot is full 2/3 of the way with that…add some extra sauce something based on how large your crockpot is.
Bridget – the reason you have burned something is due to not having enough liquid to offset it. If your meal is in there all day and there’s nothing to “burn off,” it will end up burning.
All of these ideas can be implemented with the oven as well. Just take it thawed out of the bag and dump it into a 9×13.
Say you put the meat in the crockpot like she says, does it have to cook for longer because it is frozen? I’m a little scared of using my crockpot because I can never tell how long to cook things and I’ve ended up burning a few meals.
Thanks for sharing. I love doing this kind of stuff! I’ll purchase burger when it is on sale and brown it all. I then separate into different pans and make BBQ, Taco seasoned, and leave some plain. I place them in small freezer containers and we’ve got a hot meal in a matter of 3 minutes (atleast the meat portion)! And when I do a lasagna in the crock pot, I’ve already got meat browned and ready to go…it saves so much time and money. You can do this with Chicken as well! Love your site.
love it!
This video was helpful. The idea of seasoning before freezing is brilliant. I would be cautious, however, about putting raw meat into a crockpot. The temperature may not get hot fast enough to prevent microbial growth.
That is so amazing!! I’m running out of freezer meals (I stocked up before my baby was born), and have been trying to think of how to fill it back up without spending a ton of time on baking days. Thanks for posting!
Great Video Blog! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Jana
I’ve done this in the past with ground beef; lately I’ve been such a slacker…Jen’s enthusiasm has inspired me to try freezer prepping for meals again.
Thanks, these are the reasons I love your blog.
Thanks for posting that.
Thank you! About the seasoning – I am wondering what “great grandma’s Sunday roast seasoning” is and also “Homemade Gourmet SW seasoning” – I would LOVE to institute these tips – with fall sports this would be a HUGE blessing to my fam.
thank you!
[email protected]
sally jane
This is GREAT! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely be trying this. I usually do buy meat in bulk at Sam’s Club and divide it up, but I’ve never made it into meals right away before freezing! Love this idea!!
Like most families with teenagers, we are super-busy, which makes meals a challenge! Planning meals according to what’s on sale, processing the main-dish meats into meals, and filling the freezer is a lifesaver on busy nights. I have some super-easy recipes on my site that take you from grocery store to freezer in no time. Just posted a dump chicken recipe today!
Glad we are all here on the web to help each other out!
Leslie
http://www.menumakermom.com
Yes, I have done this a few times and it really does make a huge (!) difference in our meal time chaos! I am due for buying beef and chicken soon and I need to do this again.
What an awesome video. Even thought it saves money, I hate dividing all the raw meat you get in those big packages. This time saving idea is so motivating I don’t think I’ll mind it as much anymore. Plus, now I know how to use all those bottles and packages of spices I’ve been collecting:)
This is SO cool and I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing MSM…this is the greatest blog eva!
Good ideas there! My husband and I have a little system we made up years ago that works much the same way, and man, does it save time; on the day we plan to do the Costco run, I get the kitchen all set up before we head out, so that the second we get home, we can get started. If we get chicken, we usually get it on the bone, skin-on, and then skin and bone it ourselves, to save $$. I have the cutting boards out and the boning knife sharpened, and he will skin and bone the breasts, and then I pound the breasts into 1/4 to 1/2 inch paillards between wax paper. Then I’ll put a single meal’s worth of pounded chicken breasts into a litle packet, divided by wax paper or parchment, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. They thaw super-quick at room temp, take very little time to season or marinate and cook on the grill or stovetop in less than 3 minutes. We always have a few packets in the freezer, and they are our go-to item for a busy weeknight dinner.
I love this! I just divided out 11 lbs. of ground beef, last night. Next time I will season it up before freezing. Thank you!
What a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing!