Crock Pot Freezer Meals Part 1

I keep forgetting to take pictures of these - so I haven't been posting the recipes.  Finally decided to just post the recipes and try and remember to upload pictures later!

A few notes:
1. Any of these can be assembled in the crock pot the day of.

2. If you assemble the ingredients ahead of time and put them in the freezer, they can be put in the crock pot frozen or you can thaw them out prior to putting them in the crock pot.  If you want to just throw everything in froze (EASY PEASY!), put the zip lock in some hot water for a few minutes to get the bag unstuck from the ingredients.

3. For easy morning prep, label your zip locks with the name of the recipe, cooking time, and any extra items that need to be added to the crock pot.  This is also super helpful if you forget to start the crock pot in the morning and ask you 16 year old son to do it when he's home from school on his lunch hour...not that I would have ANY experience with that ;-)

4. I've found most of these recipes online, and have modified them to my families tastes.  Feel free to follow to a T or be creative!

5. I've found that when stocking the freezer with meals, it's best to chose a few recipes with lots of chopping and a few that don't involve much chopping that way you can do a bunch without killing yourself.


 TERIYAKI CHICKEN

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2 lbs bone-in or boneless chicken (I like thighs, but you can use whatever kind your family prefers)
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced (or more depending on how much you like garlic! If I'm in a hurry, I just use garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- OPTIONAL: 1 can pineapple chunks

Day of cooking: Add 1/2 cup chicken broth

Cook time: 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestions: cooked white or brown rice and green veggies (can top with sesame seeds)

Serves: 4 to 6


BBQ RIBS

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2 lbs boneless ribs (I've also used bone in and it was yummy!)
- 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Cook time: 8 to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestions: mashed potatoes, veggies, or favorite BBQ sides

Serves: 4


SALSA CHICKEN

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2.5 to 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken (breast or thighs or combo)
- 16 oz jar of favorite salsa
- OPTIONAL: sprinkle in some cumin and lime juice to kick up the flavor

Cook time: 6 to 8 hours on LOW

Serving suggestions: use as meat for rice bowls, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, or burritos

Serves: 4 to 8 or more, depending on how it's used after cooking

Jim's Famous Ribs

Truth be told, they are actually Jim Smith's famous ribs. In 1972, 38 years ago, at our first duty station in our first apartment in Rota, Spain, our downstairs neighbor, Jim Smith, used to invite us for his spare ribs, and we've been making them this way ever since. Coincidentally, we also use Jim's wife's recipe for potato salad to this day.

Here's how he taught us to make his famous ribs:

For our barbecue last night, we served 18 people with the following:

16 lbs of Spare Ribs (We have found the meaty ribs at Costco to be quite satisfactory)

Separate the ribs and cover with marinade.

The ingredients for the marinade are as follows:

Equal portions of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and White Vinegar. For some reason, it has to be Kikkoman brand. We don't know why, but the taste just isn't the same with any other soy sauce.

Here are the quantities we used to serve 18:

9 cups Kikkoman Soy Sauce

9 cups White Vinegar

4 bulbs Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Marinate the ribs overnight. We keep it in a bucket in a cooler to keep the meat from spoiling.

Grill on the barbecue until done. Jim also used to sprinkle (pour?) some garlic powder on the ribs as they cook. (The picture below shows just a few ribs because I kept forgetting to take a picture of the grill when it was full.)

The finished product, succulent and delicious.

Finally, serve to a bunch of your friends.