Paleo freezer meals...

A lot of people do once a month meal preparations, and I have done it myself in the past as  way to save both time and money.  You assemble crock pot friendly meals in gallon sized freezer bags, stow them in the freezer, and when you are ready to use them, take them out the night before, put into the refrigerator overnight to thaw, and dump them in your slow cooker in the morning.

A lot of these recipes incorporate beans, and other non-paleo foods.  I miss the convenience of being able to do that, so I am making it a mission to gather together more paleo-friendly crock pot meals.  I have been watching youtube videos about saving money on food.  A lot of rice and pasta dishes in these, but I have stumbled on a vlog that I like.  This family is not Paleo, by any stretch of the imagination, but a lot of their recipes - if you take out the rice or pasta, are easily converted to Paleo.  They also have a FB page (debtisdum) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiLbQqVodII

Their vlog on youtube had a link to another page www.lovingmynest.com , where they got a lot of the recipes they utilize, meal plans, and grocery lists.  I followed her link, and found this recipe... (I really hope that I do not offend the sweet lady at www.lovingmynest.com by cutting and pasting her recipes here. - Keep your fingers crossed!)

Meat Stew

2 lbs Meat (beef, pork, whatever is on sale), cubed
2 Onions, chopped
5 Carrots, sliced
3 Zucchini, sliced
2 Celery stalks, chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, chopped
2 tsp Salt
.5 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Minced Garlic
1 14 oz can Canned Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Sauce

Put all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and freeze. Thaw bag and add contents to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. Stir occassionally.
Serve with warm cornbread. Serves approx 5-6 people.

Forget the cornbread, and this is a good, solid, Paleo meal!  :-)  I also got the following recipe from www.lovingmynest.com

Pork and Veggies

1 lb Pork Roast, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
4 Carrots, sliced
½ pound Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
1.5 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Combine ingredients in a large ziptop bag, freeze. Thaw contents of bag and place in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

DO NOT serve over rice, and still enjoy!  :-)

The great potato debate of 2013 (as Sarah Ballantyne has called it - how CUTE is that??) has shown that some potatoes are perfectly acceptable on a Paleo plate.  Right now, Husband and I are in the weight loss mode, so Sweet Potatoes are the only ones we are allowing ourselves right now.   So, make the following recipe ( www.lovingmynest.com ) and add extra carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices
1 can (28 ounces) whole stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup nonfat, low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Combine ingredients minus broth and add to gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw add broth and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6-8 people.

OKAY - THIS ONE sounds REALLY GOOD!  I plan on leaving out the corn and the green peas, but everything else sounds SO YUMMY!!!!

Creamy Farmhouse Chicken and Garden Soup

1/2 package (16 ounces) frozen pepper stir-fry vegetable mix
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium zucchini, sliced
2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half (or non-dairy milk for dairy allergies)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free chicken broth

Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag except chicken broth and milk. Freeze. Thaw and put in slow cooker and add chicken broth and milk. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in 3 cups prepared noodles. Serves 7-8 people.

Also, I will not be serving over noodles ;-)

Another one that I will be trying is Chicken Curry with Cabbage and Peppers.  This brings me to 5 crock pot recipes that I can make Paleo friendly with very few problems.  

Chicken Curry with Cabbage and Peppers

1 to 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken, cubed

2 cups of milk (use a dairy free option if needed)
2 tsp curry powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped

Add all ingredients except milk to a gallon zip lock bag. Freeze flat. On day of cooking add milk and cook on low for about 4 hours or until done.

I will definitely be checking out www.lovingmynest.com repeatedly to find recipes that I want to try.

I will be making posts about freezer meals for the slow cooker as I make them.  I am also doing my green smoothie stuff.  Starting again as of today, as a matter of fact.

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