Summer should be about soaking up the sunshine—not sweating over the stove. As a nutritionist and busy mom, I know how hard it can be to feed your family well without spending hours in the kitchen. That’s why I’ve put together this collection of healthy, freezer-to-crockpot recipes that make nourishing meals as easy as thaw, dump, and go.

Hot Honey Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/3 cup Bragg liquid aminos

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to crockpot.
  2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  3. Use 2 forks (or hand/stand mixer) to shred chicken and mix with sauce in crockpot.
  4. Serve over rice with a salad, in lettuce wraps, or in your favorite tortillas.

To Freeze and Cook Later

  1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and use-by date (three months from when you prepped the meal).
  2. Add all ingredients to your freezer bag.
  3. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to three months.
  4. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight or in morning in water and then follow cooking instructions above.

Modified from: https://thefamilyfreezer.com/2017/03/13/5-ingredient-crockpot-honey-sriracha-chicken/

Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or a mix
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (and their juices)
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup uncooked brown rice
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • Optional toppings: shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, hot sauce, diced green onions, shredded lettuce

Instructions

  1. Combine the chicken, diced tomatoes and their juices, black beans, corn, chicken broth, chili powder, salt, and cumin in a 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Make sure the chicken is covered with liquid, adding additional broth as needed. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours.
  2. Uncover and stir in the rice. Cover and continue cooking on the LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours more. Check the rice periodically in the last hour of cooking, stirring once or twice to make sure the rice cooks evenly and adding more chicken broth if the mixture seems dry. Cooking is done when the rice is tender — if the rice is done but there is still liquid left in the slow cooker, uncover and cook on the HIGH setting to let the liquid evaporate.
  3. Use 2 forks (or hand/stand mixer) to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can do this either in the slow cooker itself and then mix it into the rice, or you can transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board if you prefer to keep it separate. Taste and stir in more salt or other seasonings as needed. Serve burrito bowls with a selection of toppings.

To Freeze and Cook Later

  1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and use-by date (three months from when you prepped the meal).
  2. Add all ingredients aside from chicken broth and rice to your freezer bag.
  3. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to three months.
  4. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight or in morning in water and then follow cooking instructions above.

Modified from: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-slow-cooker-chicken-burrito-bowls-207333

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Grass-fed Ground Beef
  • 1/2 cup Yellow Onion (Chopped)
  • 3/4 Green Bell Pepper (Chopped)
  • 1 cup Tomato Sauce (Canned)
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsps Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 Garlic (Minced)
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 5 Pitted Dates
  • 2/3 cup Water (reserved)
  • Russet or Sweet Potato, baked (one per person)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours.
  2. Crumble beef (I like to “mash” it with a potato masher!)
  3. Stir to combine.
  4. Serve on baked russet or sweet potato with your choice of vegetables on the side.

To Freeze and Cook Later

  1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and use-by date (three months from when you prepped the meal).
  2. Make sauce: in a small pot, bring 2/3 cup of water to a boil and add the dates. Boil 30-60 seconds, just long enough to soften the dates. Remove the dates from the pot. Place the dates into a food processor or blender, then add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Blend well.
  3. Add all ingredients to your bag and massage to combine.
  4. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to three months.
  5. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight or in morning in water and then follow cooking instructions above.

*You can add all of the ingredients to a large saute pan on the stovetop and cook for 10-15 minutes or until ground beef is cooked through.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
Slow Cooker

  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 ½ lbs; see *)
  • 38 oz white beans (2 cans; 540mL; cannellini or great northern; drain & rinse first)
  • 4.3 oz can green chiles (127 mL)
  • 11.5 oz can of corn kernels (340 mL; drained)
  • 1 jalapeño (optional; seeds removed and finely chopped)
  • 2 ribs celery (chopped)
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chicken stock

Just before serving

  • ¼ cup cream cheese (2 oz; roughly ¼ of a block; cut into small cubes)
  • 1 lime (juiced; 2 tablespoons)

Toppings

  • Greek yogurt
  • Avocado
  • Tortilla chips
  • Cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place all ‘slow cooker’ ingredients in the base of a large slow cooker. Stir and cook on low for 5 hours.
  2. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a bowl. Shred with two forks or using a hand mixer. Keep chicken in the bowl while you complete step 3.
  3. Remove 2-3 cups of the chili (excluding chicken) and transfer to a blender. Add the cream cheese, then blend until smooth and no bits of cream cheese remain.
  4. Transfer the blender contents and shredded chicken back to the slow cooker along with the lime juice. Stir to combine.
  5. Serve with suggested toppings.

To Freeze and Cook Later

  1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and use-by date (three months from when you prepped the meal).
  2. Add all “slow cooker” ingredients aside from chicken stock to your freezer bag.
  3. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to three months.
  4. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight or in morning in water and then follow cooking instructions above.

Modified from: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/healthy-slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili-assemble-ahead/