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As most of you know, I am very pregnant right now. 38 weeks, 3 days, to be exact. And while I know everyone is talking Halloween this week, and trying to get in one or two more Halloween posts before the fun holiday, I have baby on the mind. It’s only natural, right?
So, since I am just days away from welcoming a new baby boy, I thought I’d deem this week baby week. I’ve got a few posts that are a little different this week, but I think it will be fun!! (And make sure and check in on Thursday for a new feature – not baby related, but it should be fun. And start collecting your turkey recipes – you’re going to want them!)
I have to admit – I’m not a big freezer meal fan. In fact, I don’t really like them. And maybe it’s because I haven’t had very many good ones. (I do love to freeze soup, but I think it falls into a different category.) I know someone – who will remain anonymous, who belonged to a freezer meal group. Every month, they would all make several servings of a freezer meal, then exchange, and so they all had a freezer full of meals, just waiting to be popped into the oven. Well, I tried a few of those meals. And frankly – I didn’t like them at all. Most of them were casseroles that just ended up mushy.
So I’ve been kind of turned off. But, with baby #3 coming any day, and knowing that I’m not going to want to cook for at least a little while, I decided to try out a meal or two. I seriously had very little expectations for this meal. I figured the easiest kind of freezer meal would be one that I could bag up and then just throw into the slow cooker in the morning, and have a warm meal ready that night. I prepared everything, packaged it up, and stored it away in the freezer. A couple of days later, I took one of those bags out to test it. (I couldn’t share it with you all if I hadn’t tested it yet!!)
I was completely surprised. I loved this. Full of veggies, and full of flavor, I couldn’t believe this came from such little work. The only complaint I had was that my veggies were super soft by the time we ate, but my slow cooker cooks so hot, and I had it in there the full 8 hours. So I would start checking it at 6 hours – I think it would have been perfect then for me. This also makes enough to feed an army. I divided it into 2 freezer bags, but wish I would have split it 3 ways, knowing how much my family eats. But I’m just excited that I have this in my freezer now for when baby boy does decide to show up!
BBQ Chicken and Vegetables {Slow Cooker/Freezer Meal}
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 large bell pepper cubed
- 1 onion diced
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons mustard powder
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- fresh cilantro for serving
- prepared rice for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Transfer to 2-4 freezer safe bags, label and freeze.
- When time to cook, dump contents of one bag into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If not frozen, reduce cook time by 1-2 hours. Top with chopped cilantro and serve over rice.
Rachael Harris says
Have you tried putting the rice in with the meal in the slow cooker? I am making this for a freezer meal swap and kind of want to dump the uncooked rice in with some extra liquid for the rice 😉
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it before, so I don’t know how it would turn out. Sorry!
Kelly says
Does this meal need any thing to keep it from burning? Like a broth since it has very little liquid. Thanks. I am new at cooking and always nervous about leaving crockpot on while working all day.
Deborah says
@Kelly, the chicken and vegetables will start to give out liquid as they cook, so nothing additional is needed!
Kerri says
I love slow cooker recipes, but slow cooker is by far the category of recipes that fail with the family come from. However this one was really good. My husband and kids loved it, too. And I just realized while typing that I even forgot to put the brown sugar in it. This will definitely be a keeper.
Deborah says
@Kerri, I’m so glad to hear that you all liked it! And it’s good to know that it’s even good without the brown sugar!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
Freezer meal and a slow cooker meal!?! Double score! This is perfect for when you can’t or don’t have time to cook! PS: I hope that your baby boy comes soon and that you have an easy delivery!
kristy says
I’m with you. I usually don’t like freezer meals (desserts hidden away in the freezer are another story though). So it’s good to hear this one works because it would be nice to have this option available for when I inevitably need it. 🙂 Have a great Halloween and I’ll be thinking of you these next few weeks. So excited for you!
Donna says
Sending good vibes your way ~ can’t have too many freezer meals stashed away with a baby boy coming!
Becky @ Project Domestication says
Freezer meals do get a bad rep. I’d totally try this one. I know I’d love it with that awesome flavor combo.
Good luck!
Jen @ Savory Simple says
What a delicious dinner, Deb! Added it to my recipe box to try sometime soon.
Kim Bee says
You rock, I was probably moping with my feet up when I was pregnant. You are so organized. Love it. And love this meal. It looks sort of like a stir fry which I love so I’m all in.