20 Crockpot Meals each under $7!

Hey Hey and Happy Wednesday to you! If you're anywhere near the Midwest you probably have Cabin Fever like me! I've been stuck at home for about five days now. What did I fill my time with these past couple days being couped up in my house and having nothing but my dog and husband to entertain me?!?! Glad you asked. I made 20 new (and some old) crockpot meals to get us through the rest of the month!

Yep! There's 20 meals in there! I know it may not look like it, but I promise they're all there.
Each meal is made for 2 adults for dinner and we always have enough for at least one lunch the next day. If you have a small family use the recipes as is, if you have a larger family just try doubling the meat.

I know a lot of people say to thaw out the meals 24 hours ahead of time, I don't. They say to move the meal from the freezer to the fridge the night before...I don't. They say not to add chicken stock or shredded cheese, or uncooked pasta...I do. I take my bags out in the morning and run hot water over them if I need to in order to make sure everything fits in the pot. The hot water helps make the contents in the bag break into pieces and fit in the crock pot better. I never have a problem with cooking any of these this way and I want to share them with you because they are so.darn.easy.

This time I'll attach the shopping list to this post. Now I want to fully disclose here...I did get all the groceries for these meals under $140 ($140/20=$7), however I had several of these spices already. So if you are a super new cook with no seasonings other than salt and pepper, this might cost you a little more. But then your pantry will be stocked with awesome herbs that will last you (hopefully) a while. Now go grab your crockpot and lets get crockpotting!

I break this process down into a little more detail here, my first round of crockpot cooking. First thing I do is pick out my meals (duh!). Then I go through each recipe and put each menu item on a spreadsheet. Then I total up everything I need. Next I go in my kitchen and see what I already have and don't need to purchase and take it off the list. Then it's off to the store. Once everything's bought and home, the chopping starts. You'll want to chop up all your veggies (I left out onions again in all these meals, but feel free to add them if you like them), meats and cheeses so that everything is ready to be thrown in the bags. Lucky for me I had my wonderful husband to help me!

Mmm...nothing is as sexy as a man who's not afraid to get his hands dirty doing something that's considered "girly"! Does that even make sense?! Ha. Cabin Fever people...I apologize. Moving on. Once everything is chopped, you'll want to label your bags with the name of the recipe and the instructions. That way you can just pull out the bag and know what you need to do. Drop in the meat you need in each bag and then go through each recipe dumping in what goes with it in each bag. You'll need to brown any ground beef and let it cool, I usually do that first. Fill your bags, lay them flat for easier storage, close it up, and freeze it until you're ready to make it. So go put on your favorite sweat pants, your comfiest shoes and pour a big ol glass of wine. Here we go!

BBQ Spareribs (makes 2 meals)
One of the bags got a hole in it, so I doubled it up.
2 lbs Country-style Spareribs, cut into large pieces
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

I serve these with Homemade Cheese fries and a green veggie.

Bean Tater Tot Casserole (makes 2 meals)
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb string beans, fresh or frozen
1 10 3/4 can cream of potato soup
1 Cup shredded cheese
21 oz bag frozen tater tots

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 2-3 hrs or low 4-6 hours.

*ignore the instructions on the bag

Cheesy Hash Browns (makes 2 meals)
1 smoked sausage, uncooked, cut into pieces
2 10 3/4 oz cans cheddar cheese soup
1 1/3 Cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lb frozen shredded hash browns
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp paprika

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crockpot and cook for 4-5 hours. I serve with green beans.

Golden Chicken and Noodles (makes 2 meals)
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 10 3/4 oz can broccoli cheese soup
1 Cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
Extra Wide Egg Noodles (used on day of serving)

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook for 5-7 hrs on low. Cook noodles and add to plate before adding chicken.

I serve these with mashed potatoes and a salad.

Lemon Garlic Chicken (makes 2 meals)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 Cup water
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 2 1/2-3 1/2 hrs or low 5-7 hrs. I serve this with macaroni and cheese and homemade bread sticks.
*I know the bag says 4-5hrs, I wrote down the wrong time.

Scalloped Potatoes & Chicken (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 potatoes, sliced
1 10 3/4 oz cream of celery
1 soup can of milk
1 1/2 Cups Velveeta, cubed
1 Green pepper, chopped or sliced
salt and pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 6-8 hrs.

I serve with Parmesan Garlic Knots
*again, ignore cook time written on the bag

Tex Mex Chicken (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
4 Tbsp taco seasoning
4 Tbsp flour
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 Can corn
1 1/2 Cups salsa

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hrs, or low 6-8 hrs. Shred and serve.

I serve with Mexican cheese, sour cream and Fritos scoops.

White Chicken Chili (makes 2 meals)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Cups chicken stock
2 Cans white beans, drained
1 Can chopped green chilies, drained
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp corn starch
4 tsp cumin
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt/pepper

Split all ingredients in half and place in bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour into crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hrs.

I add cheese and sour cream and serve with crescent rolls.

Macaroni and Cheese (makes 2 meals)
1 lb elbow macaroni
4 Cups shredded cheese
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T worchestershire sauce
1 package smoked sausage cut into cubes (not cooked)

Split all ingredients in half & place in bags. Freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, spray down crock pot with PAM really well, pour all contents into pot & cook on low 4-5 hrs, checking at 4 hours. Don't stir until ready to eat. I serve with broccoli & sub shredded chicken sometimes.

Loaded Potato Bacon Soup (makes 2 meals)
4-5 large russet potatoes, BAKED!
12 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped up
2/3 Cup butter
2/3 Cup flour
4 Cups chicken broth
3 Cups milk
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese
2 oz Velveeta, cubed
1 Cup sour cream
1 tsp salt and pepper

This ones a little extensive, but I made it the same day I made all the meals. I made the potatoes and bacon while chopping everything up. For full instructions go here. Once it's cooked and cooled, split into two bags and freeze. On day of serving, reheat in crock pot for 2-4 hrs, checking after each hour.

There they are! All 20 crammed into my now full-to-the-max freezer. I want to address some questions I received last time. If you find you are away from home more than 8 hours a day, try using an automatic timer (like the one you use for Christmas lights) to turn your pot on a few hours after you've left the house. I use a 4 qt crockpot and most of the meals barely fill it half way, but they all still cook up great. Get to know your crockpot before you use it, if it's brand new. I learned a ton of helpful tips and found so many great recipes from this book I got for Christmas:

Here is the master shopping list, too. Sorry it's kind of crummy. Let me know if I forgot anything!

Ingredient                           Amount                               Seasoning           Amount

Ground Beef                      1 lb                                         Salt                         5 tsp

Country Style Pork Ribs 2 lbs                                       pepper                 5 tsp

Chicken                                                12                      seasoned salt    3 T

Smoked Sausage              2                                              flour                      1 cup

elbow macaroni                                1 lb                         taco seasoning  1

evaporated milk               1 can                                      parsley                 1 tsp

worchestershire sauce  1  T                                              basil                       1 tsp

egg                                         2                                     garlic powder     1 tsp

bacon                                    12 slices                           paprika                 1 tsp

butter                                   1 Cup                                chili powder       4 tsp

green onions                     4                                           cumin                    4 tsp

sour cream                         1 cup                                    

string beans                       1 lb                                        

Cream of potato               1 can                                     

cream of celery                 1 can

shredded cheese             11 cups                                

tater tots                             21 oz

green pepper                    2                                             

red pepper                         1                                             

Velveeta                              1 1/2 cups                                           

potatoes                              10

milk                                        11 Cups                                               

corn                                       1 cup                                    

salsa                                      1 1/2 cups

lemon juice                        3 T                                         

garlic                                      2 cloves                                               

broccoli cheese soup      2 cans                                   

noodles                          1 package

cheddar cheese soup     2 cans                                   

buttermilk                           1 1/3 cup

hash browns                      2 lbs                                      

parmesan cheese            1/4 cup                                

olive oil                                 4 T                                         

corn starch                          2 T                                         

chopped green chilies    1 can                                     

white beans                       2 cans                                   

chicken stock                     4 Cups                                  

**I linked up to simple supper tuesday, buns in my oven, designed decor, coastal charm, nap-time creations, epic mommy adventures, dwellings, the heart of your home, between naps on the porch, by stephanie lynn, diy hshp, the chicken chick, made from pinterest, a little claireification, the country cook, tatertots and jello, serenity now, tidy mom, the jenny evolution, the self sufficient homeacre, bloom design, a glimpse inside, sweet bellaroos