Asian Flank Steak

So easy and super delicious. My 18-month old has been picky about her meats lately, but she kept asking for more of this!

1.5-2 lbs flank steak
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine all the marinade ingredients together. Place steak in a freezer bag and pour marinade over. Marinate overnight or at least four hours.

Grill steak over medium heat to desired doneness (it cooked well in a grill pan on the stove as well). Cut crosswise into thin slices.

To freeze: Freeze steak and marinade in freezer bag. Thaw in refrigerator before grilling.

Five Spice Cream Cheese Chicken

This was another dish I received via freezer meal swap - thanks, Elizabeth! My whole family devoured it and my husband and I fought over leftovers the next day!

2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless/skinless
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp mustard seed, ground
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

Season chicken with spices and salt. Combine the cream, milk, and cream cheese.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream sauce. Stir occasionally and let the sauce thicken for three minutes or so. Serve the chicken with the sauce over the top.

To freeze: Combine chicken with spices and salt in a freezer bag. Combine cream, milk, and cream cheese in a quart bag. Thaw in fridge before following cooking directions above. (Note: The cream sauce may seem a little curdled, but just whisk it.)

Chicken in Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This is a meal that looks like it took a lot of effort but it's pretty easy to put together. The flavor of this sauce is incredible. I served mashed red potatoes with it and used them to sop up extra sauce on my plate! I used boneless, skinless thighs but you could easily use bone-in. Mine crisped up enough without the skin and made it easy to devour, HA!

8-10 chicken thighs
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and diced
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil (I used fresh, just chopped a few leaves)

Preheat the oven to 400. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down if it has skin, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and herbs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.

Place in oven and roast until completely cooked through, about 20-25 minutes for boneless chicken, 25-30 for bone-in.

Chile Rellenos Casserole

This sounded delicious when I saw the recipe. I altered it a bit for easy prep and to make it large enough for my family. I'm glad I did, because there was hardly any left! The chilies do add a bit of spice so cut back to one can if you're afraid of that (my kids all ate it with the two cans).

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-7 oz cans diced green chilies
3 cups cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1.5 cups milk
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 375. Cook ground beef and onion. Drain, then add cumin, salt, pepper, and chilies.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Put in meat mixture. Top with cheese. Whisk together eggs and milk, then add flour and mix well. Pour mixture over cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

To freeze: Once assembled, cover with press-n-seal and foil; freeze before baking. Thaw in refrigerator and follow baking directions above - you might have to add 10 minutes or so to the cooking time.

Irish Potato Leek Soup

I've made both potato soup with bacon and cheese, and potato leek soup -- this recipe sort of combines both of those and is delicious! It helps to have an immersion blender, but a regular blender or food processor will definitely work to puree this -- just be sure to let it cool slightly first.

8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
1 onion, diced
3 leeks, halved & sliced
4 cups Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
48 oz chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup real bacon pieces
1 cup cheddar cheese

Melt butter in large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and onions and stir to coat; season with a little salt & pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes; cover and cook another 15 minutes. Stir in broth, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Stir in the bacon and cheese.

To freeze: Allow soup to cool completely. Put in gallon freezer bag and freeze flat. Thaw, then reheat on stovetop until warmed through.


**For gluten free, be sure to have gf chicken broth

Chicken Club Casserole

This was delicious and you could easily change it to suit your family's tastes (a couple of my kids grumbled at the tomatoes and spinach!). This would be wonderful with ham, broccoli, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes... so much! It completely fills a 9x13 baking dish, so if you have a smaller family you could divide it into two 8x8 pans.

1 lb rotini pasta, cooked a little less than al dente
2 lbs chicken breast, cubed and cooked
2 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup real bacon pieces
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
2 cups colby-jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

To freeze: Once in baking dish freeze. Thaw, or mostly thaw, before following baking instructions above. You will probably have to add 15-20 minutes to baking time.

Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros

We love gyros, but lamb can be expensive so I thought I'd give chicken gyros a try. This smelled amazing as it cooked!! I suggest topping them with tzatziki sauce, crumbled feta, and tomato. This will make 10-12 pitas, depending on how much chicken you like on yours.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Before serving, shred and let sit in juice for 10 minutes or so.

To freeze: Put all ingredients in freezer bag and squish to mix. Lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator then empty bag into slow cooker.

Cranberry BBQ Chicken Legs

This combination intrigued me and my family loves chicken legs. So easy to prep and cook, and such an easy freezer meal. My family devoured it! You can really use any amount of chicken that suits your family - I used 12 legs for my large family (I did have to add to the cooking time with that amount, so just be aware of that). I'd say if using 6 legs or less, make two batches at the same time -- meaning put 6 legs in each meal and divide the other ingredients in half, half in each meal.

chicken drumsticks (see note above about amount)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
16-oz can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce
salt/pepper

Place drumsticks in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine onion, celery, cranberry sauce, and BBQ sauce. Mix well and pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

To freeze: Place all ingredients in large freezer bag. Lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator then pour into baking dish and follow directions above.

Citrus Herb Chicken Thighs

Super easy to throw together and very family friendly. I used about 4 lbs of chicken thighs and didn't need to make more marinade -- one thing I love about marinades/dump freezer meal recipes! I suggest removing some of the skin to maximize the flavor, but the skin that is left crisps up so nicely in the oven.

2.5 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in with skin
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife, pierce a small hole in the chicken skin so marinade can soak through. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix around. Allow chicken to marinade for 2 hours, then place in baking dish with marinade. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until juices run clear.


To freeze: Once chicken is in marinade, lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator and bake as directed above.

Curried Coconut Chicken Soup

I love curries and love soups in the winter. I thought I'd give this one a try and it was delicious! I served it over basmati rice, which really just added rice to the soup. ;) Next time, I might omit some of the chicken broth to make it a creamier soup, but it is delicious as is.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed**
1 tsp salt
2 lbs diced, cooked chicken
14-oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add and saute onions, carrots and pepper until they begin to soften. Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook a minute more until fragrant. Pour in the broth and add salt and lemongrass. Bring to a boil then add to the crockpot with the chicken. Cook for 3-4 hours on low. At the end of cooking time remove the lemongrass, then mix coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, and brown sugar in a small bowl and add to the soup. Cook for 15-30 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.


To freeze: Cook as directed above, reserve cilantro for serving day.Cool soup and store in freezer bags. Thaw and reheat soup; stir in cilantro leaves.


**This was my first time working with lemongrass so I'll pass on the info I learned. These are long stalks, and inexpensive from my normal grocery store. You'll want to trim off the bulb end and the majority of the stalk, leaving you with only a 4-5" stalk left. Peel off the outer leaves (they come off easily) then crush with a knife or rolling pin, like you would a clove of garlic. Throw in whole like this when making a soup. (You can mince or chop for other dishes).


Just a note: If making gluten free, be sure to get gf soy sauce and chicken broth.