Crockpot Freezer Meals

Ok so here are my favorite make-ahead super easy crockpot freezer meals! With all of them you just put all the ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and then label it with the date and what it is. They can stay frozen for up to 3 months before you make them. Most of the recipes say to take it out and thaw it in the fridge the night before you cook it but I almost never do. I just pop it into the crockpot frozen and it turns out fine! (Unless the ingredients have frozen into a brick that is too big to fit in the crockpot! This has happened to me haha)

Crockpot Hamburger Vegetable Soup

• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1.5 cups or 1/2 pound)
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8oz or 1.5 cups)
• 1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
• 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 teaspoons beef bullion granules
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 cups of water (not needed until day of cooking)

Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup

• 4 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1.5 cups or 1/2 pound)
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8oz or 1.5 cups)
• 2 ribs celery, diced (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (one teaspoon)
• 1/2 cup uncooked medium barley (not quick cooking)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
•  1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
• 4 teaspoons chicken bullion granules
• 8 oz bone-in ham steak, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1 cup diced)
• 6oz evaporated milk 
• 4 cups of water (not needed until day of cooking)

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 
• 1, 6oz can of tomato paste 
•  1, 13.5oz can of coconut milk 
• 1 small onion, chopped (about one cup) 
• 2 cups of frozen peas (Add day of, 10-20 min before serving otherwise they'll be mushy)
• 1, 14.5oz can of tomato sauce (about 1 3/4 cup) 
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced 
• 3 tablespoons honey 
• 2 tablespoons curry powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

These below are my favorite crockpot recipes that I have never tried freezing but I am sure you could prep them before hand and then freeze them! Or even if you don't they are all pretty easy to just make day of. I make one of these every Sunday and like them all! They're great!

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

• 10 red potatoes, cubed (I make it with plain old Russet potatoes and its still delicious)
• 3 TB flour
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 packet of ranch dressing mix
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 3 cups water (Add day of, when you put the frozen ingredients in the crockpot)
• 1 cup half n half (Don't Freeze! Add about 10-20 min before serving)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (Don't Freeze! Add about 10-20 min before serving)

I like to make bacon and put it on top. It's delicious :)

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• 1 1/2 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless raw
• 1 3.8 ounce can Black olives
• 10 Corn tortillas (cut into strips- Add after the chicken has cooked)
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese, grated (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)
• 1 28 ounce can Red Enchilada sauce

Slow Cooker Chicken and Corn Chowder

• 1 lb Chicken thighs, boneless skinless
• 3 Carrots- diced
• 2 stalks Celery- diced
• 4 cups Chicken broth 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp Chives, fresh
• 2 cups Corn, canned or roasted frozen kernels
• 1 Onion- diced
• 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
• 12 oz Red potato- cut into cubes
• 1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
• 1 Pinch Cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp Butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup Half and half (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)

I also like to add bacon to the top of this recipe after it has cooked!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1 lb Chicken breast
• 1 15oz can Corn, sweet whole kernels
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 3/4 cup Green bell pepper- diced
• 3/4 cup Onion- diced
• 1 Serrano pepper- diced
• 1 15oz can Tomatoes
• 5 cup Chicken stock- (Don't freeze- Add with frozen ingredients day of)
• 1/4 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp Pepper, ground
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1  cup of shredded Monterey jack cheese (Don't freeze- Add as topping just before serving)
• Tortilla chips to crush on top when done

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

• 1 1/2 lbs Chicken
• 2 tbsp Cilantro
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp Ginger
• 1/2 cup diced Red onion
• 2 Tomatoes- diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 3 tbsp Butter, Unsalted
• 2 tbsp Half and half (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)
• 1/3 cup Yogurt (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)

Slow Cooker Parmesan Chicken and Orzo

• 4 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless
• 2 tsp Garlic
• 1 cup Mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 White or yellow onion, medium, diced
• 3 cups Chicken broth, low sodium- (Don't freeze! Add to frozen ingredients day of)
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• 3 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Orzo pasta- (Don't freeze! Cook separately day of and mix in once chicken and mushrooms are cooked)

Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken

• 2 lbs Chicken breast, skinless boneless halves
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Lemon, zest of
• 3 tbsp Onion
• 1 tsp Oregano, dried
• 1 tsp Parsley, fresh
• 1 (15 oz) can Chicken broth - (Don't freeze! Add to frozen ingredients day of)
• 6 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh- (Don't freeze! Add to frozen ingredients day of)
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 (8 oz) package Cream cheese- (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)

Garlic Butter Chicken and Pasta

• 1 1/2 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless
• 1 tsp Basil, dried
• 3 cups Carrots- diced
• 1 tbsp Garlic
• 1 cup Peas, frozen- (Add day of, 10-20 min before serving otherwise they'll be mushy)
• 1 tsp Thyme, dried
• 1/2 cup White onions- diced
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb Rotini pasta- (Don't freeze! Cook separately day of and mix in once other ingredients are cooked)

Slow Cooker Chicken Parm Casserole

• 2 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless
• 1 tbsp Basil, dried
• 1 tsp Garlic
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (large)
• 12 oz Pasta - (Don't freeze! Cook separately day of and mix in once other ingredients are cooked)
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 cup Mozzarella cheese (Don't freeze! Add 10-20 min before serving)
• 1/4 cup Water -(Don't freeze! Add to frozen ingredients day of)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil- (Don't freeze, use to brown breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top day of)
• 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs (Don't freeze, brown and sprinkle on top day of)

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

• 4 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless
• 1 can Pineapple
• 1 bottle Barbeque sauce (probably don't freeze this, just add it day of)

I usually serve this over rice cooked day of. 

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken 

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 16 Ounce Bottle of Italian Dressing (probably don't freeze this, just add it day of, I don't use the whole bottle, maybe half-ish)
• 1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 1-2 tsp Italian Seasoning 
• 4-6 Potatoes scrubbed cut in half or wedges (you can peel if desired)
• 1/2 bag of mini carrots- or diced regular carrots

And if you want even MORE variety you can always check out this link: Freezer Meal Prep Sessions  which has links to 17 more recipes! I haven't tried most of these so I can't say whether or not they are any good :P

The Grouchy Ladybug

So The Grouchy Ladybug is Levi's favorite book right now. And he likes to skip straight to the page with the gorilla on it. Why? So that he can pound on his chest, and my chest and act like a gorilla! Haha. He's gotten pretty good at animal sounds. He makes the sounds for gorilla (by pounding on his chest and going "ahhh") and for elephant (by waving his arm in the air and fluttering his lips) and for cow (mmmm instead of moo). I also feel like Levi's language has just been exploding lately! He went from having no words to seeming to have many almost overnight! Here are Levi's words:

banana (usually just "nana" but sometimes the whole word!)

shoes

juice

cheese

keys

gigi (binkie)

woof (which he repeats over and over any time he sees a dog!)

bye

ba (ball)

uh-oh

And, as I have mentioned before, Levi does some signing. Here are Levi's signs:

more

all done

please

up

We have been working on the sign for "help" but it's a tricky one so it's taking him a while to pick it up.

Anyway, life has been pretty good around here. Here's a little snapshot of our life in pictures:

Levi is obsessed with climbing onto the kitchen table and chairs. He may have said he was all done with dinner but if Eric or I are still eating, he will do his darndest to climb up on a chair and eat some of our food too!

Whenever I open our front door, Levi beelines it for the stairs. He would love it if I just let him climb up and down them over and over instead of whisking him off to wherever we happen to be going. 

Out for a family walk!

I took Levi up to the OMSI on Thursday and he had a blast playing in the water area!

He was so cute in the little smock!

I love that it's finally warm enough for shorts and keens outside! It's supposed to be in the 90s tomorrow and Tuesday which will be amazing. Spring and summer are a long time coming here in OR so I really appreciate them when they finally arrive. 

Anyway, so that's what's been going on! I love our little family and our life. My mom comes again this week and I can't wait to see her! There are good times ahead :)

Here Comes the Sun... Hopefully!

So today was my first time fasting in almost two years! I can hardly believe how long it's been. I was worried that it would just be insanely difficult since I'm not used to it anymore but I prayed a lot and it worked! It hasn't been too difficult at all. And I am really grateful for this chance to fast again and thank Heavenly Father for all of the amazing blessings I have. I am so grateful that I am healthy enough to fast and for Eric and Levi and for my job and Eric's job. I love our life, I love that I don't have to work every day. I love Levi's little duck curls in the back. I love how much he is learning and growing. He knows how to go down the slide by himself now and he also (unfortunately) has learned how to take off his own diaper! Yikes! Haha.

I was trying to think of anything interesting to share in this post, but our life has been pretty normal. Emma came to visit us this weekend which was a lot of fun. Wish we got to see her more often! And we got Levi a big boy carseat so he is finally out of his infant bucket seat! He looks more grown up than ever in his new carseat and I love how much leg room he gets. We got the Graco Extend2Fit and so far I like it! Also we finally had a few warm days this week! Levi and I spent like two hours at the park on Wednesday and it got hot enough to get a bit of a sunburn!

So yeah, I haven't taken many pictures over the last couple weeks but what I do have sums things up pretty well so here you go!

My car is once again being reclaimed by nature. Yes those are real life plants growing on my car! 

I used some of my birthday money to re-do our back porch and I LOVE how it turned out! I especially love the lights! And my mint is super happy and growing like crazy. 

Love my boys!

So I feel like it's been winter FOREVER but we finally had two super warm days this past week so Levi got to wear his super cute new shorts for the first time! So so cute!

I just love this picture of Levi and Arlo. I feel like Levi is showing Arlo the way like, "Follow me!"