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Many of you had questions about how this method of cooking works exactly, so today I invited the author, Stephanie, to share all of the details with us so you can create your own "Freezer to Slow Cooker" recipes at home. Or better yet you could just pick up a copy of her book* if you'd rather someone else do all the work for you!
Guest post by Stephanie Brandt Cornais
Hiya! My name is Stephanie and I am the Founder of MamaAndBabyLove.com. I am dedicated to helping women heal, nourish and love themselves so they can nourish and love their families and live their best life.
I have been on a personal journey to learn how to be healthy and cook for over ten years now, and it's been a loooong and arduous process. I used to watch The Food Network and get inspired to get off the couch and try a recipe, but the end result was usually something my dog wouldn't even eat. Then about six years ago I bought a slow cooker and it changed. my. life.
Later when my daughter was born, time was of the essence so I therefore needed a really efficient way to make lots of slow cooker meals at one time. So I combined my old love of slow cooking and my new love of freezer cooking into something that was incredibly time saving, manageable and most importantly, healthy.
In about 2 hours or less, I chop all my meat and vegetables and put them in Ziploc freezer bags. Then I add my spice combinations and mix it up a bit. I get all the air out of the bag and lay it flat like a brick so that it doesn't take up a lot of space in my freezer. Then the morning I want a home cooked, healthy meal, I take a bag out of my freezer and dump it into my slow cooker, totally frozen. By dinner time I have a real, healthy and nourishing meal awaiting my family and me.
This way of cooking solved my problem of scrambling in the early evening to figure out what healthy, homemade meal I would serve my family. It frees up time so that I can enjoy my afternoons and evenings with my family. So instead of muttering to myself in the kitchen with resentment coming out of my ears, I am chilling with my family, most likely with a glass of red wine in hand and giving myself a little pat on the back - because the made from scratch meal I just put on the table took hardly any effort at all.
Here are some of my favorite slow cooker freezer recipes. You can find many more in my cookbook, From Your Freezer To Your Family.
Ginger Cranberry Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 2 pork roasts (left whole)
- 12-oz package cranberries (fresh, or 2 jars of whole cranberries (cans have BPA in them))
- 1 cup ginger (fresh, peeled and sliced or minced)
- 2 tablespoons rapadura sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca (or some other thickening agent like whole-wheat flour or arrowroot powder)
Instructions
- Label 2 one-gallon freezer bags.
- After chopping, evenly divide all ingredients into the two bags and lay flat in the freezer.
- Day of cooking: Pull one bag from the freezer and lay it on the counter for several minutes to slightly thaw. Peel away the bag, dump the contents into your slow cooker along with ½ cup of filtered water, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until fully cooked.
Remember each slow cooker is different, so the first time you make a recipe, really watch it closely so you don’t over or under cook the dish. - Serve with broccoli sautéed in butter. I cook frozen broccoli this way - no need to thaw, just dump frozen broccoli into a hot pan with hot butter and it is delicious.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken
*Note this recipe makes two complete meals/bags
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potatoes (unpeeled and cut into ½" pieces)
- 2 cups green bell peppers (cut into strips or cubes)
- 1 cup red bell pepper (cut into strips or cubes)
- 2 cups zucchini (chopped into circles 1 thick)
- 2 cups onion (chopped into 1" pieces)
- 2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca (or some other thickening agent like whole-wheat flour or arrowroot powder)
- 2 pounds chicken thighs (or drumsticks, kept whole)
- 2 - 15-oz jars tomato sauce (plain (cans will work but may be lined with BPA))
- 4 tablespoons rapadura sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ground mustard
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced (about 2 tablespoons))
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Label 2 one-gallon freezer bags.
- After chopping, divide everything into the two bags. Shake them up, seal, and lay flat in the freezer.
- Day of cooking: Pull one bag from the freezer and lay it on the counter for several minutes to slightly thaw. Peel away the bag, dump the contents into your slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low 6-8 hours, depending on your specific slow cooker.
- Serve with a salad and a grain like brown rice (if you eat grains).
Notes
Nutrition Facts
I hope you enjoyed learning about this cooking method. My cookbook further answers any questions you would need to know about how to get started and how the assembly process works. I also have a FAQ page and sometimes host a free Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes Webinar where you can learn all about my tried and true tips and secrets and have an opportunity to ask me your questions directly. I am also really good about answering all questions on the blog or the M+BL Facebook page, so if you ever need help, just shoot me a question and I am happy to answer!
Stephanie Brandt Cornais is the Founder and Creative Director of Mama and Baby Love, a real food, natural parenting and lifestyle blog. She is the author of From Your Freezer To Your Family, Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes, The Mama and Baby Love Guide to a Conscious Childbearing Year and Grain-Free/Gluten-Free Baking-A Healthy Baking Cookbook for Mama's Who Don't Know How To Bake. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram.
Stephanie Brandt Cornais is the Founder and Creative Director of Mama and Baby Love, a real food, natural parenting and lifestyle blog. She is the author of From Your Freezer To Your Family, Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes, The Mama and Baby Love Guide to a Conscious Childbearing Year and Grain-Free/Gluten-Free Baking-A Healthy Baking Cookbook for Mama's Who Don't Know How To Bake. You can also find her on *Stephanie's book is no longer for sale, but not to worry - this is another favorite e-book of ours featuring real food slow cooker recipes.
Katie says
I tried the BBQ chicken and it tasted more like plain tomato sauce. Smelled like Chef Boyardee. My boyfriend hated it.
Kara Lilya says
You should NEVER put frozen meat in a slow cooker. The meat can sit at a temperature called the "danger zone" for too long and grow unsafe bacteria.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/448921-is-it-safe-to-cook-chicken-in-the-crock-pot/
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf
It might be good to share this with readers so they are aware of the danger.
Becky says
I have cooked frozen meat in a slow cooker for over two decades years. Never once has anyone became sick.
Kara Lilya says
That doesn't mean there's no risk. Not every piece of meat you cook is contaminated, therefore you aren't going to get sick every time. Bacteria can still grow when the meat is in the danger temperature zone. Not all bacteria can make you sick but some can. There is a reason the FDA doesn't recommend it, there's research to back it up.
Kara Lilya says
Just a warning that you should NEVER put frozen meat in a slow cooker. This is a food safety hazard as the meat can sit at a dangerous temperature for too long and have unsafe bacteria.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf
http://www.livestrong.com/article/448921-is-it-safe-to-cook-chicken-in-the-crock-pot/
It might be a good idea to stress this point to your readers so they are aware of the danger.
Rose Freie says
Just a thought here for good freezer ahead meals. dont use candied potatoes. I did this in casserole. When I thawed and baked 2 them they were very watery. It had to because its the only thing they had in camon was canned potatoes
Kelly says
The USDA does not recommend putting frozen meats into the slow cooker. Please thaw the bags first before dumping in the slow cooker in the morning. You could get very sick!
Reference: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/appliances-and-thermometers/slow-cookers-and-food-safety/ct_index
Jennifer says
I love this idea and the recipes sound great. My question is regarding the ziploc bags. Do you or anyone else have a more eco-friendly/reusable container idea? I'd love to not have to toss that many bags.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. I use freezer safe mason jars in various sizes as well as freezer safe pyrex or similar containers.
Michelle says
I tried the cranberry ginger dish as well and it turned out the same as the previous comments. Taste of the pork was good though but no sauce. For the leftovers I put the "sauce" mixture in a sauce pan and added a little extra maple syrup and took out the ginger. I allowed it to simmer until it became a sauce. Then I heated up the leftover pork and served on top. It was great. The added step isn't huge as long as you are expecting it. ;)
Stephanie says
Hey Michelle, thanks for sharing. I share a similar tip in my cookbook and accompaning audio class, about to adjust sauce to your families liking (some people are actually the opposite and like a thinner, more liquid sauce, because they are fans of drinking bone broth daily for good health) and spooning out the sauce to reduce it on the stove top is a great trick. Lots of love to you!
Chicken Thigh Gluten Free Recipes says
chicken thigh recipes gluten free
Chicken Thigh Gluten Free Recipes says
Love your ideas about freezing foods and Mama BBQ Chicken idea!! This will be a BIG help on those nights when we are rushing home after kids practices and still have homework, dinner and baths to complete before bed!! Great meal ideas! Thank you, Cindra
Stephanie says
You are so welcome Cindra! They really are a lifesavor and I don't know what I would do without them! Even after all these years, I love my slow cooker and my slow cooker freezer recipes for how much saner and calmer my life is! And healthier! It makes it so much easier to eat healthy, on the nights I am totally exhausted and wiped out. Lots of love to you!
KF says
Just made the Ginger Cranberry Pork exactly as the recipe stated. I agree with April- It did not come out well at all. The 'sauce" was gingery water with whole cranberries bobbing around in it. Disappointing- It sounds so good- but I will still be open to trying other recipes. I love the concept of assemble-ahead meals.
Stephanie says
Hey KF, this is what I just replied to April, but wanted you to see it too. Sorry to hear that, sometimes there is a learning curve with a slow cooker recipes. Slow cookers are all so different in the way they cook, some cook fast on low, some cook higher on high, etc. So really take the time to get to know your slow cooker settings.
Next time, just give the cranberries a really good stir/mash about the last hour or half hour.
Or take a look a the thickening agent you used and make sure that got really mixed in well. Sometimes it can get stuck to the side of the bag and not actually into the slow cooker, so be sure to scrap all the little bits of seasoning and thickner into the slow cooker. My cookbook goes over this in mucho detail, all kinds of little tips and tricks like this, as well as includes an audio class going over similar questions, so that your recipes come out perfectly each time!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi April. This was a guest post and I've not tried this recipe. Hop over to: http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/ and let her know your question. Best of luck. ~Amy
April says
The Ginger Cranberry Pork definitely did not come out looking anything like the picture. I had no sauce to put on top. I used fresh cranberries like it said. What did I do wrong? The cranberries were still whole floating around.
Stephanie says
Hey April, Sorry to hear that, sometimes there is a learning curve with a slow cooker recipes. Slow cookers are all so different in the way they cook, some cook fast on low, some cook higher on high, etc. So really take the time to get to know your slow cooker settings.
Next time, just give the cranberries a really good stir/mash about the last hour or half hour.
Or take a look a the thickening agent you used and make sure that got really mixed in well. Sometimes it can get stuck to the side of the bag and not actually into the slow cooker, so be sure to scrap all the little bits of seasoning and thickner into the slow cooker. My cookbook goes over in mucho detail all kinds of little details like this as well as includes an audio class going over similar questions, so that your recipes come out perfectly each time!
CJ says
We tried the Orange Beef Stew...My family didn't like it and neither did I. The taste was all wrong, and the liquid was soupy...not impressed at all. I feel as though I just wasted some perfectly good ingredients on an absolute culinary mess!
Crystal says
I bought the cookbook a while back and I've tried 3 recipes out of it. The beef stew was soooo good and different! The second time I made it I took the cloves out, but if I think next time I'd actually tie the cloves and coriander up in some cheesecloth or something so the taste still comes through into the broth.
Cheri says
I LOVE this concept! From all of these ideas, I'm going to need a bigger freezer.
Lorena says
I've read that you're not supposed to put any kind of potatoes in the fridge or freezer because it turns the starch into sugar... Is this correct?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lorena. I found this article which should answer your question: http://extension.psu.edu/food/safety/food-preservation/news/2012/potatoes-fresh-and-frozen. ~Amy
MO says
Hi my husband is also not a sweet potato person.
At our local market when we get a potato sale, I actually bake half of the potatoes on a Sunday and use them two or three nights during that week. Store them after they cool and put a paper towel lightly on top when they are stored in the fridge.
Gina says
My family wasn't crazy about this recipe, but they don't like sweet potatoes, so I could only expect so much :-) I LOVE sweet potatoes, and thought this was a decent recipe, but I'd probably stick with other beef stews I like better. Even being a sweet potato lover, I thought it needed some variety in the veggies.
Jose says
If you don't like your kids eating the coloring in Kraft M&C and think it causes them problems (which are probably really your problems), don't feed it to them. It is your choice.
Just because you have a problem with it doesn't give you the right to inflict your beliefs on the rest of the world. We don't have the problem - you have the problem.
Dani says
This is not a case of "inflicting beliefs". The point of this is to make people aware of the dangers in everyday foods that we might otherwise be not understand. If you had knowledge that some food could have bad long term effects on you, why would you be upset that people were sharing this knowledge? And even if people choose to continue eating these additives, at least they do it with the knowledge that it could be harmful in the same way that smokers have that informed choice.
Annemarie A. says
Hi, I'm a big fan of make ahead and freeze meals, so this post is great and I love this blog (I'm a newbie to it)! But I'd like to add a thought about the convenience factor, whether preparing and freezing your own real foods in plastic bags or purchasing factory packaged "real foods", "organic" foods -- think about the packaging (yogurt pops in plastic tubes, apple sauce in non-reusable plastic cups? Oh Pleeze). While you're doing a good thing for your body by choosing better foods, how you or the manufacturer wrap them up also matters to the environment which ultimately matters to how that food is produced and how good it ends up being for you. So..Cook On! with yummy, real food make ahead meals for your freezer, but try to use reusable storage containers.
Eve says
The thing that concerns me about this is that I read a while back that freezing food in plastics has basically the same effect as cooking in plastics. Evidently the freezing process releases just as many toxic chemicals into the food it contains as cooking in the plastic would release. I try to always freeze in glass, though I know this is difficult (at best) sometimes.
Alina says
The Ginger cranberry pork roast was AMAZING! I added a bit of garlic and orange juice and it was absolutely delicious. It also couldn't be easier. I will be adding this recipe to my rotation.
Mary Nelson says
I'm retired and live alone but cook for friends a lot. I don't have a slow cooker and I don't need to prepare ahead of time. BUT... these recipes sound so good, I'm going to use them, one by one, just the old fashioned way, like pot roasts.
Wish me luck.
Kathy M says
Are these recipes in the book?
Matt G. says
Why not cook first, then freeze? That's what we usually do. Is it because the object is to create many bags at one time?
Allyson says
I am having difficulty with the discount code...is it still valid? I entered it in paypal under coupon codes and it is not accepting it. Any tips? Thanks!
Heather says
Sound great, excited to try them all! Tried to get the book but hit "Shopping Cart temporaily unavailable" and the sale ends tonight! Ack! Will sign up for the class this weekend for sure.
Heather says
I was able to get it by crusising around M+BL site and trying other links. Also signed up for the class. Thank you to both Lisa and Stephanie for the info you provide. I am hoping to get this family on a better food track. With your help and info, I think we can do it!