Tuesday, August 12, 2014

20 Crockpot Meals under $7 each!

Here's another post from Organizer By Day that is all about the almighty Crockpot!! These meals are super delicious and will only cost you $7 a piece! Can't beat it!

Hey Hey and Happy Wednesday to you! If you're anywhere near the Midwest you probably have Cabin Fever like me! I've been stuck at home for about five days now. What did I fill my time with these past couple days being couped up in my house and having nothing but my dog and husband to entertain me?!?! Glad you asked. I made 20 new (and some old) crockpot meals to get us through the rest of the month!
Yep! There's 20 meals in there! I know it may not look like it, but I promise they're all there.
Each meal is made for 2 adults for dinner and we always have enough for at least one lunch the next day. If you have a small family use the recipes as is, if you have a larger family just try doubling the meat.

I know a lot of people say to thaw out the meals 24 hours ahead of time, I don't. They say to move the meal from the freezer to the fridge the night before...I don't. They say not to add chicken stock or shredded cheese, or uncooked pasta...I do. I take my bags out in the morning and run hot water over them if I need to in order to make sure everything fits in the pot. The hot water helps make the contents in the bag break into pieces and fit in the crock pot better. I never have a problem with cooking any of these this way and I want to share them with you because they are so.darn.easy.

This time I'll attach the shopping list to this post. Now I want to fully disclose here...I did get all the groceries for these meals under $140 ($140/20=$7), however I had several of these spices already. So if you are a super new cook with no seasonings other than salt and pepper, this might cost you a little more. But then your pantry will be stocked with awesome herbs that will last you (hopefully) a while. Now go grab your crockpot and lets get crockpotting!

I break this process down into a little more detail here, my first round of crockpot cooking. First thing I do is pick out my meals (duh!). Then I go through each recipe and put each menu item on a spreadsheet. Then I total up everything I need. Next I go in my kitchen and see what I already have and don't need to purchase and take it off the list. Then it's off to the store. 

Once everything's bought and home, the chopping starts. You'll want to chop up all your veggies (I left out onions again in all these meals, but feel free to add them if you like them), meats and cheeses so that everything is ready to be thrown in the bags. Lucky for me I had my wonderful husband to help me!
 Once everything is chopped, you'll want to label your bags with the name of the recipe and the instructions. That way you can just pull out the bag and know what you need to do. Drop in the meat you need in each bag and then go through each recipe dumping in what goes with it in each bag. You'll need to brown any ground beef and let it cool, I usually do that first. Fill your bags, lay them flat for easier storage, close it up, and freeze it until you're ready to make it. So go put on your favorite sweat pants, your comfiest shoes and pour a big ol glass of wine. Here we go!


BBQ Spareribs (makes 2 meals)
One of the bags got a hole in it, so I doubled it up.
2 lbs Country-style Spareribs, cut into large pieces
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

I serve these with Homemade Cheese fries and a green veggie.


Bean Tater Tot Casserole (makes 2 meals)
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb string beans, fresh or frozen
1 10 3/4 can cream of potato soup
1 Cup shredded cheese
21 oz bag frozen tater tots

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 2-3 hrs or low 4-6 hours.

*ignore the instructions on the bag

Cheesy Hash Browns (makes 2 meals)
1 smoked sausage, uncooked, cut into pieces
2 10 3/4 oz cans cheddar cheese soup
1 1/3 Cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lb frozen shredded hash browns
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp paprika

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crockpot and cook for 4-5 hours. I serve with green beans.


Golden Chicken and Noodles (makes 2 meals)
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 10 3/4 oz can broccoli cheese soup
1 Cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
Extra Wide Egg Noodles (used on day of serving)

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook for 5-7 hrs on low. Cook noodles and add to plate before adding chicken.

I serve these with mashed potatoes and a salad.

Lemon Garlic Chicken (makes 2 meals)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 Cup water
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 2 1/2-3 1/2 hrs or low 5-7 hrs. I serve this with macaroni and cheese and homemade bread sticks.
*I know the bag says 4-5hrs, I wrote down the wrong time.


Scalloped Potatoes & Chicken (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 potatoes, sliced
1 10 3/4 oz cream of celery
1 soup can of milk
1 1/2 Cups Velveeta, cubed
1 Green pepper, chopped or sliced
salt and pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 6-8 hrs.

I serve with Parmesan Garlic Knots
*again, ignore cook time written on the bag


Tex Mex Chicken (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
4 Tbsp taco seasoning
4 Tbsp flour
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 Can corn
1 1/2 Cups salsa

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hrs, or low 6-8 hrs. Shred and serve.

I serve with Mexican cheese, sour cream and Fritos scoops.

White Chicken Chili (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Cups chicken stock
2 Cans white beans, drained
1 Can chopped green chilies, drained
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp corn starch
4 tsp cumin
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt/pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hrs.

I add cheese and sour cream and serve with crescent rolls.


Macaroni and Cheese (makes 2 meals)
1 lb elbow macaroni
4 Cups shredded cheese
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T worchestershire sauce
1 package smoked sausage cut into cubes (not cooked)

Split all ingredients in half & place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, spray down crock pot with PAM really well, pour all contents into pot & cook on low 4-5 hrs, checking at 4 hours. Don't stir until ready to eat. I serve with broccoli & sub shredded chicken sometimes.


Loaded Potato Bacon Soup (makes 2 meals)
4-5 large russet potatoes, BAKED!
12 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped up
2/3 Cup butter
2/3 Cup flour
4 Cups chicken broth
3 Cups milk
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese
2 oz Velveeta, cubed
1 Cup sour cream
1 tsp salt and pepper

This ones a little extensive, but I made it the same day I made all the meals. I made the potatoes and bacon while chopping everything up. For full instructions go here. Once it's cooked and cooled, split into two bags and freeze. On day of serving, reheat in crock pot for 2-4 hrs, checking after each hour.
There they are! All 20 crammed into my now full-to-the-max freezer. I want to address some questions I received last time. If you find you are away from home more than 8 hours a day, try using an automatic timer (like the one you use for Christmas lights) to turn your pot on a few hours after you've left the house. I use a 4 qt crockpot and most of the meals barely fill it half way, but they all still cook up great. 

Here is the master shopping list, too. Sorry it's kind of crummy. Let me know if I forgot anything!

Ingredient                           Amount       Seasoning           Amount
Ground Beef                      1 lb              Salt                         5 tsp
Country Style Pork Ribs 2 lbs               pepper                 5 tsp
Chicken                            12                  seasoned salt    3 T
Smoked Sausage              2                     flour                      1 cup
elbow macaroni               1 lb                taco seasoning        1
evaporated milk               1 can              parsley                 1 tsp
worchestershire sauce  1  T                  basil                       1 tsp
egg                                    2                  garlic powder     1 tsp
bacon                            12 slices           paprika                 1 tsp
butter                           1 Cup             chili powder       4 tsp
green onions                 4                     cumin                    4 tsp
sour cream                         1 cup                                    
string beans                       1 lb                                        
Cream of potato               1 can                                     
cream of celery                 1 can
shredded cheese             11 cups                                
tater tots                             21 oz
green pepper                    2                                             
red pepper                         1                                             
Velveeta                              1 1/2 cups                                           
potatoes                              10
milk                                        11 Cups                                               
corn                                       1 cup                                    
salsa                                      1 1/2 cups
lemon juice                        3 T                                         
garlic                                      2 cloves                                               
broccoli cheese soup      2 cans                                   
noodles                          1 package
cheddar cheese soup     2 cans                                   
buttermilk                           1 1/3 cup
hash browns                      2 lbs                                      
parmesan cheese            1/4 cup                                
olive oil                                 4 T                                         
corn starch                          2 T                                         
chopped green chilies    1 can                                     
white beans                       2 cans                                   
chicken stock                     4 Cups                                  

Thanks for stopping by!

**I linked up to flusters muster, thursday style, tidy mom, kitchen fun, weekend potluck, creativity unleashed

3 comments:

  1. Awesome list of slow cooker recipes:) I use my slow cooker A LOT! Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think my guys would actually eat most of these meals. You have no idea the surprise that is. I'm physically disabled so doing all the chopping, etc.at once would be a challenge. Info for others with limitations, I cheat by buying chopped onions, peppers, potatoes, etc. Such a back-saver. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loving the new site!! Especially love these meal ideas!

    ReplyDelete