Paleo Freezer Meals [Round 1]

Okay so this was our first attempt at making Paleo freezer meals as a group.  I had done it once by myself and it was AWFUL and took FOREVER.  I’m not even prone to exaggeration.  We made 56 meals (18 for each of us, some were doubles so it was 11 unique recipes) and the prep/assembly took about 5 hours.  We are obviously hoping to shave time off of that but it was our first time and we were down a wife so we consider it a win!

This post has our recipes that we made today plus pictures we took of the process.  I’m not gonna lie, I got especially messy towards the end.  Oh and our total cost for this project was $130 each.  We got the bulk of the meats and canned goods and liquids at the military commissary ($112 each) and the spices and produce at market ($18 each).  That even includes the ziploc bags!  We packaged everything in gallon freezer bags and then put those bags and the cooking instructions in another gallon freezer bag.  We also used a jar of minced garlic instead of taking the time to peel and mince it ourselves–totally worth it!

Crockpot Paleo Chili

• 2 lbs. ground beef
•  1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup celery
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp basil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Instructions: cook in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.
  • We divided this recipe in half so we each got two meals from it.

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice (juice of one lime)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp dried cilantro
  • Instructions: thaw and grill or broil.

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup cashews (bag separately, add when ready to serve)
  • Instructions: cook in crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.  Add cashews and serve.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 cups BBQ sauce
• 1 small can diced pineapple
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp black pepper
  • Instructions: cook in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Slow Cooker Chicken Balsamic

• 6 chicken breasts
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
  • Instructions: cook in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken 

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp black pepper
  • Instructions: thaw then grill or broil.

Crockpot Beef Stew

• 2 lbs stew meat
• 1 onion
• 2 tsp beef soup base (Better Than Bouillon for example)
• 1 1/2 cups V-8 juice
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup celery
  • Instructions: cook in crockpot with 2 cups of water and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
  • We divided this recipe in half so we each got two meals from it.

Honey Sesame Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 cups soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
  • Instructions: cook in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.  Remove and shred, then return to sauce.  Serve loose or in lettuce wraps.

Crockpot Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions

• 1 lb Italian sausage (we used kielbasa instead)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
  • Instructions: cook in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.

Thai Chicken with “Peanut” Sauce

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
  • Cook in crockpot on low for 5-6 hours.

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• zest of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp chili powder
  • Instructions: thaw and grill or broil.

WHEW!  Okay that’s all the meals we did.