The 6-Piece Kit Behind Our 15-Minute Freezer Meal Prep
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Freezer meal prep always sounded like a Pinterest board I'd never actually pull off, an entire Saturday, a stack of recipes, a sink full of dishes by 2pm. What actually got it working was smaller than that. Six things I already reach for, fifteen minutes of bagging while something else is in the oven, and three dinners are handled before the week even starts.
None of this requires a cooler of meat or a spreadsheet. It's a crockpot, a couple of tools that make the shredding part not miserable, and a way to fill a freezer bag without needing a third hand.
Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel
The whole method starts here. Dump a frozen bag in, turn it to low, and dinner cooks itself while you're doing literally anything else.
$44.99Shop it
SURETIVIAN Chicken Shredder Tool Twist
Two twists and a whole chicken breast falls apart into shreds, no standing over a cutting board with two forks like it's 2019.
$22.99Shop it
TAYDOIBAN Silicone Slow Cooker Divider
Splits the crockpot in half so two different freezer bags cook at once, one kid-approved meal and one that's actually for the adults.
$19.99Shop it
Ruibo Baggy Rack Holder, Pack of 4
Holds the bag open and hands-free while you dump ingredients in, so freezer bag day doesn't turn into a wrestling match.
$9.99Shop it
Alpha Grillers Meat Shredder Claws
For the cuts that don't want to shred nicely with a fork, chuck roast, pulled pork, anything that spent all day in the crockpot getting tender.
$9.98Shop it
AROMA 8-Cup Digital Rice & Grain Multicooker
Set it going around the same time as the crockpot so rice is actually ready when dinner is, no babysitting a pot on the stove.
$36.99Shop it
3 Dump-and-Go Freezer Meals, 15 Minutes Each
Freezer Bag Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
1.5 lbs boneless chicken breasts or thighs, 1 sliced bell pepper, 1 sliced onion, 2 tbsp fajita seasoning, 2 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lime
Bagging it (day one)
Set a labeled gallon freezer bag in the bag stand so it stays open hands-free. Add the chicken, peppers, onion, seasoning, oil, and lime juice. Press out the air, seal, and lay flat in the freezer.
Cooking it (day of)
No thawing needed, dump the frozen bag straight into the crockpot. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4. Shred right in the pot with the chicken shredder twist tool. Serve in tortillas.
BBQ Pulled Beef
Ingredients
2-3 lb chuck roast, 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup beef broth, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder, salt and pepper
Bagging it (day one)
Bag stand holds the bag open. Add the roast, BBQ sauce, broth, Worcestershire, and seasonings. Seal and lay flat.
Cooking it (day of)
Frozen bag into the crockpot, low for 8-9 hours (chuck roast needs the extra time). Pull the roast out and shred with the Alpha Grillers claws, this cut is tough enough that the claws out-perform the twist tool. Stir the shredded beef back into the sauce and serve on buns or over rice.
Teriyaki Chicken & Rice, Two Ways at Once
Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken thighs, 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garlic, optional second bag of broccoli and carrots with a splash of water
Bagging it (day one)
Bag the chicken with the teriyaki sauce, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. If doing the veggie side too, bag those separately.
Cooking it (day of)
Fit the silicone divider into the crockpot, chicken bag on one side and veggies on the other, cook on low 5-6 hours. Start the rice cooker on the White Rice setting about 30 minutes before serving so it's hot at the same time as everything else. Shred the chicken with the twist tool and serve over rice.
Six tools, fifteen minutes of bagging, and three dinners already handled before the week starts. That's the whole point of a kit like this, the work happens once, on a day you actually have a little extra time, instead of getting redone from scratch every single weeknight.
Common questions
- Do I need to thaw freezer crockpot meals before cooking?
- No, that's the point of a dump meal. Frozen bags go straight into the crockpot; just plan on the longer end of the cook time since it's starting from frozen.
- How long do freezer meal prep bags last in the freezer?
- Most raw meat and sauce combinations hold up well for about 3 months. Label each bag with the date so nothing gets lost in the back.
- Can I cook two freezer meals in one crockpot at the same time?
- Yes, with a silicone divider insert splitting the pot in half, works well for a kid meal and an adult meal, or a main and a side, cooking at once.