Freezer Meal Recipes: Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

February 24, 2013 - 9 Comments

Freezer Meal Recipes save so much time and money!

We love freezer meal cooking!

crock pot scalloped potato dinner

One of my favorite, and probably the easiest Freezer Meal recipe I make, Ham and Scalloped Potatoes is simple, fast and nutritious!

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

    For 1 Meal
  • 6 Potatoes, Fresh, Sliced (about 1/4 inch thick)
  • 1 10 3/4 oz cans Cream of Chicken Soup (can substitute any Cream of Soup you have, it all tastes great!)
  • 1 1/3 C Water
  • 1.25 lbs Ham
  • 2 cups broccoli (this is 1/2 bag frozen broccoli (16 oz) if you want to save time)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 4 oz Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • 1 Gallon size Freezer Bags
    • For 4 Meals
  • Because this is so simple, it only takes about 5 extra minutes to make 4 instead of 1, so I always do 4 at a time
  • 24 Potatoes, Fresh, Sliced (about 1/4 inch thick) about a 5 lb bag
  • 4 10 3/4 oz cans Cream of Chicken Soup (or 2 Large Cans-you'll have about 3 TBSP left over)
  • 5 1/3 C Water
  • 5 lbs Ham
  • 8 cups broccoli (or 2 bags 16 oz frozen broccoli)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 lb Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • 4 Gallon size Freezer Bags

Instructions

Preparing For the Freezer:

Place 2 cups Broccoli in each gallon bag

Add 1 can (or 1 1/3 cups, if from the big cans) Cream of Chicken Soup to each bag

Add 1.25 lbs cubed ham to each bag

Add 1 1/3 cups (or one can, if you used the little cans of soup) water to each bag

Place 6-7 sliced potatoes (we like yellow or red-and leave the skins on for quicker prep) on top.

Seal and lay flat to freeze.

Preparing after Freezing:

To cook, defrost slightly (enough to get out of Freezer Bag), place entire contents in Crock Pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

In the last hour of cooking, add 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (or if like me, you forget this step, add it at the end and stir gently)

Notes

I do all the the other work in the same time it takes my sweet hubby to wash and slice the potatoes. Doing all four meals takes the 2 of us about 15 minutes.

I like to buy a 5 LB ham, and cut in in half, and then the halves in half (so each quarter looks identical), it saves time and measuring :)!

You can add the cheese into the bags if you want to save a step, I just personally think it tastes better added at the end of cooking time

If you don't add the potatoes at the end, and freeze right away, they may turn brown/black. This doesn't mean they are bad, it just is what they look like if left in the air to long.

Cost for all 4 Meals

Broccoli $0.78 each ($1.56)

Cream of Chicken soup $1.98 each ($3.96)

5 Lb Ham $9.28

Potatoes $2.50

Cheese $4.99 2 lb Brick (Albertsons Round Up-Ends Tuesday.) ($2.50)

Final Price: $19.80 or $4.95 per meal!

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipe-ham-and-scalloped-potatoes/

crock pot meal crock pot potatoes crock pot scalloped potato crock pot scalloped potatoes

Crock-Pot 38501-W 5-Quart Round Smart-Pot Slow Cooker, White Crock-Pot 38501-W 5-Quart Round Smart-Pot Slow Cooker, White

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Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

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Sweet & Spicy Hot Wings Recipe

January 27, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Sweet & Spicy Hot Wings Recipe pic 1

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Sweet & Spicy Hot Wings

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. chicken wings (I use a 4 lb. bag of frozen drumettes & wing portions)
  • ground black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce (I like Frank's original)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbs. honey
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch

Instructions

Spread wings out a baking sheet and season with black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Bake at 375, turning frequently until crispy and golden. Baking time will vary depending on size of wings and whether they are thawed or frozen when you place them in the oven. If you want your wings to be a little crispier, you can turn your oven to broil for approx 8 minutes turning once after 4 minutes.

While the wings are baking, in a medium size sauce pan, combine ketchup, hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, honey and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Add cornstarch and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Remove wings from oven and transfer to a large mixing bowl or crock pot. Pour sauce mixture over wings and lightly toss to completely coat. Serve while hot or keep warm in a crock pot until ready to eat.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/sweet-spicy-hot-wings-recipe/

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Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker

Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker

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Easy Crockpot Healthy Vegetable Soup!

January 6, 2013 - 1 Comment

Healthy Vegetable Soup

This time of year I tend to not feel like myself especially after eating all of that rich, usually unhealthy holiday food. This soup is loaded with fresh vegetables and is an excellent way to get rid of toxins that tend to build up. It is so healthy, delicious, and perfect for a cold day!

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Easy Crockpot Healthy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

  • 1-3 leeks, cut off dark green part, cut in half, washed, and cut into small pieces
  • 4 carrots, clean, skins on, sliced
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 (16 ounce) can or fresh tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed
  • 6 cups fresh kale, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 8 cups vegetable stock or broth
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Instructions

Combine all of the vegetables, beans, seasonings (except garlic), and top with stock or broth in the crock pot. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. Add garlic an hour before soup is served.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/easy-crockpot-healthy-vegetable-soup/

Bon Appétit!!

Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker
Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker $29 Shipped!

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Crock-Pot Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Broth

November 25, 2012 - Leave a Comment

After Thanksgiving there are endless possibilities of making various dishes with turkey. The first thing that comes to mind is homemade turkey noodle soup. It is so healthy and delicious! This is such an easy dish to make especially when you make it in the crockpot, and it can be made with either turkey or chicken.

Ingredients

  • Turkey bones, bits of meat, and skin
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon chicken base or chicken bouillon
  • Water

Directions

Step 1: Make sure you save all of your turkey bones, bits of meat, and skin, and place into the crockpot. Fill enough water to cover the bones, and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. The vinegar will draw the nutrients out of the bones. Let it cook over night on low for 12 to 14 hours.

 

 

 

Step 2: Strain it in a large bowl.

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Place the bone and the meat on plate and cool slightly before separating them. Once cooled, separate the bone and meat. Discard the bones. Transfer broth and meat back in the crock-pot.

 

 

 

Step 4: Chop up 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, and ½ onion, and transfer to crock-pot. Add 2 cups water, and 2 tablespoon of chicken base (I like Better Than Bouillon), or chicken bouillon to soup. Stir.  Cover and let it cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

 

 

Step 5: Right before the soup is done place 2 cups of extra wide noodles into crockpot. Cook until noodles are soft (about 14 minutes).

 

 

 

Bon Appétit!!

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Crock-Pot Herb Garlic Chicken with Potatoes

November 11, 2012 - 1 Comment

I absolutely love this chicken recipe! Not only because it is cooked in the Crock-Pot, but you can make endless meals with it! You can make chicken salad sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken enchiladas, chicken broth, chicken noodle soup, chicken tortilla soup, and the list goes on. Depending on how many people are in your family will determine how long you can spread out the meals.

Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 3- to 3 ½- pound whole broiler-fryer chicken
  • ¼ – ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on plate; set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and paper. With basting/pastry brush, spread mixture all over bird. Transfer bird to Crock-Pot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Optional Potato Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 5-8 red potatoes, quartered
  • ¼- ½ cup of olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 shakes dried oregano
  • 5 shakes dried basil
  • Hand full rosemary, crushed
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  1. In a large Ziploc bag or large bowl, add potatoes, olive oil, garlic, herbs, and spices; mix. Transfer potatoes to Crock-Pot, and pour over bird. Cook with bird as directed above.

Bon Appétit!!

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Crock Pot Italian Soup

September 9, 2012 - 4 Comments

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Ingredients

  • 1Ib Ground Turkey
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 (15 oz) can or dried kidney or navy beans
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can or fresh diced tomatoes
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
    I LOVE this mandolin slicer for nice, even cuts
  • 2 small potatoes, diced
  • 10-12 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon each dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Directions

In a large frying pan, cook the meat and onions (I’m allergic to onions, so I leave this out, but it still tastes amazing without it!) over medium heat until the meat is cooked through. Transfer to the Crock Pot, add remaining ingredients, mix well, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. You may have to add more water towards the end, to get it to the consistency you like.

Bon Appétit!

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Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork {crockpot meal}

July 19, 2012 - 6 Comments

When I’m not crafting I LOVE to cook. I am always trolling blogs and Pinterest for new recipes. I saw one for pulled pork with diet Pepsi {nasty!} and thought I’d try it with Dr. Pepper {the nectar of the Gods}. It turned out so good. We had some friends over for dinner and they loved it! It makes a ton and we had plenty of leftovers.

dr pepper pulled pork

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The great thing about this recipe is it is only 4 ingredients!

dp pulled pork ingred

Pork {I used a tenderloin, but you can use what ever cut you want}

BBQ Rub or seasoning salt

A can of Dr. Pepper

BBQ Sauce

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Sprinkle the BBQ rub liberally all over the pork and rub it in. You can do this the night before and it makes it even better. I just did it right before I put it in the crockpot.

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I had to cut mine in half to fit in my crockpot.

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Place it in your crock pot

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Pour the can of Dr. Pepper over the pork. You can use whatever kind of cola you like, I think Dr. Pepper is the best so that is what I use.

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Simple Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

July 8, 2012 - 2 Comments

Because it’s sweltering hot outside, I have no desire to use my oven or even my stove top! But I still want to prepare a homemade healthy meal for my family. Jenn to the rescue! We had this crock-pot chicken meal last week and LOVED it! Kid & husband approved!

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp safflower oil or extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp sesame seeds (I did not add these!)
Put chicken into crock pot. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and mix,
Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker leaving the sauce.  Whisk the  cornstarch into liquid in the crock pot, cover and cook the sauce on high for ten more minutes or until it just starts to thicken.

Shred chicken or cut into bite size pieces, return to the sauce and stir together.  Serve over rice and with your favorite green vegetable.

Thanks for the recipe & photo A Cook’s Quest!

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Crock Pot Chicken Ole

March 25, 2012 - 3 Comments

crock pot recipe chicken ole This recipe was posted on our site as a freezer meal recipe HERE. I originally found it in a old cookbook passed down from my mom. I modified it and we’ve been cooking it (and loving it) for years. I realize it looks like a big pile of mush, but it tastes so good it’s forgiven for being ugly! I’ll post the recipe with my little tips for how I make it in pink:

Crock Pot Chicken Ole

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup Cream of Chicken soup coupons (you can also use 1 can of C of C and 1 can of Cream of Mushroom if preferred, tastes great both ways)
1 7 oz can green Chile salsa (I will occasionally add 1.5-2 cans if I want it to have more of a kick)
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs grated onion (I never measure the onions I put in, so it usually ends up being a bit more than this)
4 cups boiled, Zaycon shredded chicken (I shred my chicken with a hand mixer. It is the simplest way I’ve found to shred chicken!)
12 corn tortillas cut into 6 strips each (use large tortillas and cut with kitchen scissors)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese cheese coupons (again I don’t measure, so I probably end up adding a bit more than the recipe calls for)

Combine 1st 5 ingredients and set aside.

Lightly grease crock pot. Arrange alternating layers of tortillas and chicken mixture, finishing w/ chicken mixture on top (do not leave any of the tortilla pieces exposed because they dry out).

Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Sprinkle w/ cheese and cook for 10 more minutes (I will sometimes add sliced black olives on top at this stage with the cheese).

We serve this with black beans, homemade salsa, rice or salad for a full meal!

This recipe can be made as a Freezer Meal Recipe…

freezer meal chiken ole making freezer meals
Get full instructions for Freezer Meal Chicken Ole.

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