Beginners Guide Freezer to Meal Planning with a Slow Cooker

A few weeks ago I started meal planning for my slow cooker and freezer and I prepared this Beginners Guide Freezer to Meal Planning with a Slow Cooker.

A few weeks ago I started meal planning for my slow cooker and freezer and I prepared this Beginners Guide – Freezer to Meal Planning with a Slow Cooker.

It has made a huge difference in our day to day life.

No longer does 4pm come and I’m scrambling to figure out what I’m going to make, and to have time to get it made without running too late into the evening.

Here is how you can get started meal planning for your freezer with me.

Now I simply take an hour or so to figure out what it is I want to make, Pinterest is great for this part, I have a board titled Slow Cooker Recipes where I have some ideas stored.

Then I create a shopping list for those meals taking note of what I already of have on hand. 

Freezer To Meal Plan With A Slow Cooker

Plan Your Shopping

I usually do my grocery shopping first thing in the morning, it’s slower in the stores, and my kids are usually behaving just a bit better.

Find the perfect time of day or day of the week for you when you’ll be less likely to be rushed and forget something.

Now that we are going to be living out of town I’m not going to waste my time (and gas) to run to the store for items for recipes or meals that I make on the spur of the moment.

This meal planning is not only saving my sanity come supper time but my money. And this makes me a happy Mom.

How Many Meals

I plan for at least 8 meals. The extras will add up for a “free” week.

If I have enough on hand I’ll throw together a quick extra meal.

Cooking Day

On “cooking” day, before you start cutting or dividing up ingredients, have freezer bags or roasting pans labelled with what it is as well as any instructions.

Sometimes I need to make rice to serve with it or to top it with shredded cheese before serving.

Cut up everything needed, so if one recipe calls for 3 carrots, another 2, and chop up 5 carrots. This goes for all the ingredients.

Chop up everything, each ingredient in its own bowl.

Then grab my freezer bag and recipe and just throw everything in.

For me, it’s a handful of diced onion, two of carrots and so on.

Use Your Slow Cooker For Extra Time Savings

My preference is to make all my meals for my slow cooker.

From the freezer, it’s a straight dump into my slow cooker. 

You can make you meals (casseroles) for the oven as well.

For the oven, you have the choice of storing and freezing in freezer bags or in tin roasting pans – super easy, simply throw it in the oven. 

It’s become routine now to grab a bag out of the freezer first thing in the morning. 

I love how relaxed the evenings and supper time have become.

Share your favorite Slow Cooker recipe below!

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