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5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

Need healthy and easy prepare meals for busy weeknights? Here are recipes for 5 healthy slow cooker freezer meals.

As a 46 year old single parent with an 8 year old child at home, I find myself thinking a lot about what I can do to keep active and stay healthy. I need to be able to keep up for a lot more years, and let’s face it.. I’m not getting any younger. Being a parent has a way keeping things in perspective.

Now that a new school year is well underway, we are adjusting to our new schedule. Taking the dog for a walk every evening is one way that we sneak in a little exercise. With cooler weather on the way, I’m looking forward to hiking some local trails and hopefully shedding a few pounds, before the holidays.

Weekdays are super hectic. Those 4 1/2 hours after school, before bedtime, go by super quick. Healthy dinners are important, and I’ve tried very hard to not fall into the trap of doing fast food or convenience foods. Healthy freezer meals that can be prepared on the weekend have been a huge help. Today I’m sharing 5 of my favorite freezer meals that can be cooked in the slow cooker.

Related Recipe: Freezer-Friendly Lasagna

5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

My version of healthy is lots of vegetables and no “cream of” soups. For time’s sake I do take shortcuts and use things like seasoning packets. Below are recipes for 5 healthy slow cooker freezer meals that Tati and I prepared on Sunday afternoon.

Related Recipe: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Beef Enchiladas

Having kids help prepare these meals can be a great learning experience, and an opportunity to bond. With teamwor, Tati and I put these 5 meals together in less than an hour. Just one hour of our time, and we have a healthy dinner to put into the Crock-Pot slow cooker every day of the school week!

Here are the recipes:

Southwestern Hamburger Soup Freezer Meal for the Slow Cooker

Southwestern Hamburger Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds very lean ground beef
2 cups beef broth
14.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed well
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
11 (12 ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 cup uncooked large elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese or cheddar cheese

Directions: Place all but the last 2 ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag. Remove all air and flatten. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen remove the cookie sheet and store in the freezer until ready to cook. To eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cook in slow cooker on low for 6 to 7 hours. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Add pasta and cook an additional hour or until macaroni is al dente. Top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese.

I’d like to note the importance of using very lean ground beef in this recipe, since you won’t have a chance to drain it off after cooking. You do have the option of placing the meat in a separate bag, and cooking it off before placing in the slow cooker. If you do that you can reduce your cooking time by an hour or two.

Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetables Freezer Meal for the Slow Cooker

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup diced white onion
2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons water

Directions: Place all ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag. Remove all air and flatten. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen remove the cookie sheet and store in the freezer until ready to cook. To eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cook in slow cooker on low for 4 to 6 hours, until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender. I like to serve this with some brown rice.

Related Recipe: Freezer-Friendly Shepherd’s Pie

Meatball and Veggie Soup Freezer Meal for the Slow Cooker

Meatball and Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
22 ounce bag frozen meatballs
10 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

32 ounce container beef broth
2 cups water
12 ounces egg noodles or any other kind of pasta
shredded cheese for topping (optional)

Directions: Place all but the last 4 ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag. Since this soup has a lot of liquid, I prefer to add it at the time of cooking. Remove all air and flatten. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen remove the cookie sheet and store in the freezer until ready to cook. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Add contents of freezer bag to slow cooker, along with beef broth and liquid. Cook in slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours on low. Stir in pasta and cook an additional 30 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Top with shredded cheese when serving.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken Freezer Meal for the Slow Cooker

Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (12 once) bag frozen corn kernels
1/2 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions: Place all ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag. Remove all air and flatten. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen remove the cookie sheet and store in the freezer until ready to cook. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Place contents of freezer bag into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with rice or make tacos with flour tortillas.

Related Recipe: 4 Slow Cooker Sandwich Recipes

See Also

Beef Stew with Vegetables Freezer Meal for the Slow Cooker

Beef Stew with Vegetables

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
2 cups fresh green beans
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 beef stew seasoning packet
2 cups beef broth

Directions: Place all ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag. Remove all air and flatten. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen remove the cookie sheet and store in the freezer until ready to cook. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Place contents of freezer bag into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

Related Recipe: Make Ahead Freezer Mashed Potatoes

A few important freezer meal tips:

1. Freezer meals can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

2. Always write the cook by date, the name of the meal and cooking instructions somewhere on your freezer bag.

3. When freezing a recipe that calls for pasta, you can add the pasta to the freezer meal. However, I prefer my pasta to be al dente usually add it during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

4. I freeze all of my meals raw, so they are very easy and quick to prep. Plus, they’ll cook for the first time out of the freezer and won’t taste like leftovers. If you’re nervous about mixing raw meat and vegetables, check out this info from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. It’s totally safe.

Eating healthy foods is important for both kids and parents. These make-ahead slow cooker freezer meals are a great way to have a healthy meal on a busy weeknight.

5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

What are some ways that you are upgrading your lifestyle and living healthily?

You might also like this Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe from my friend, Tara!

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