Crockpot Meals for a Month.... Let the Crocking begin!



Everything was split between two freezers. 

If you read my previous post, I am trying out something I saw floating around facebook.  I am trying out a month of crockpot meals.  My meals are prepped and frozen, check out it out!  Seriously, make sure you have a lot of room in your freezer(s).  I  once all the recipes were made, I had 14 gallon sized freezer bags and one crockpot full of food. 

I found another blog on Pinterest that had a shopping list prepared for all the recipes.  It was a great starting point, but as I was putting everything together, I notice it was missing a couple items.  I decided to put together my own list of items, following the original recipes posted here.

Meat:

·        4-6lbs Pork Shoulder

·        8-10lbs Chicken

·        1 pkg Peperoni

·        2 pieces Italian Sausage

·        4 Pork Chops (thick cut)

·        4lbs Stew Meat

·        1lb Ground Beef or Turkey

Canned Goods:

·        15oz Diced Pineapple

·        2 15oz cans Stewed Tomatoes

·        1 bottle BBQ Sauce

·        2 jars Pasta Sauce

·        2 cans Chicken Broth

·        1 bottle Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

·        2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans

·        2 cans Pinto Beans

·        2 cans Corn

·        1 lrg can Petite Diced Tomatoe

·        1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce

·        1 jar Pizza Sauce

Produce

·        3 Green Peppers

·        1 bag of Onions

·        1 sm Red Onion

·        3 Zucchini

·        1 Yellow Squash

·        2 packages of Baby Portabellas, Sliced

·        1 bag Frozen Spinach

·        1 container Grape Tomatoes

·        2 Sweet Potatoes

·        2 bags Baby Carrots

·        1 Mango

·        1 bag Frozen Broccoli

·        1 bag Celery

·        1 bag Red Potatoes

·        Garlic

Dairy:

·        Butter

·        1pkg Cream Cheese

·        Optional: Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese

Mis.:

·        Chicken Bouillon

·        Salt

·        Pepper

·        Cajun Seasoning

·        Dried Basil

·        Dried Oregano

·        Red Pepper Flakes

·        Curry Powder

·        Cumin

·        Parsley

·        1pkg Taco Seasoning

·        1pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

·        Olive Oil

·        Brown Sugar

·        Quick Cooking Tapioca

·        1pkg Dried Lima Beans

·        Lemon Juice

·        Gallon Size Freezer Bags

·        Optional: pasta, rice, raisins/peanuts/ cashews

The list is close to the original, but I added a couple items that were missing or that I found I was short on.  I also tried to organize it a bit more to make it easier while grocery shopping. 

Lazy Day Stew

Tonight I decided to start our month of Crockpot meals off with Lazy Day Stew. 

4lbs of Stew Meat
4c of Red Potatoes, chopped
10oz pkg of dried Lima Beans
4tsp quick-cooking Tapioca
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 15oz can of Tomato Sauce
2tbs Brown Sugar
4c Baby Carrots
2 Onions, chopped
2c Celery, chopped
2c Water

Divide all ingredients between 2 gallon sized freezer bags. 

Defrost in fridge.  Dump bag into crock pot, and cook for 4-6 hrs. 

**On the original blog post, the author omitted lima beans, and he tapioca.  Lima beans help make the dish more filling.  The tapioca is used as a thickening agent, and if you prefer a thinner broth stew, leave this step out.

I used all ingredients listed in the recipe, and it turned out amazing. It is super filling, and very tasty.  The family loved it, and we have plenty of leftovers for another meal or two from just 1 freezer bag.  Overall, I'd say that this recipe was a success!