10 Meals in an Hour™: Part 5

Need a simple dinner solution for busy weeknights? These 10 meals in an hour are freezer friendly and come together quickly.

As you’ve hopefully discovered by now, here at Living Well Spending Less my team and I are 100% committed to bring you easy recipes that taste great and don’t take a lot of time, effort, or expensive ingredients to throw together. As a busy mom, I also want meals that can be made and frozen ahead of time to save time on hectic weeknights, especially as part of a Sunday Prep plan. My goal is to spend less time in the kitchen, not more, but I still want to be able to provide tasty meals that my family loves (and avoid eating out when we can!)

Over the past year we have shared four different 10 Meals in an Hour™ plans, which have each included 5 great freezer recipes that can be prepared together in about sixty minutes. (You can find the previous plans here: Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4)  They have been a huge hit, not only with our own families, but with many of your families as well, and we’ve absolutely loved hearing how much you all are enjoying these tasty recipes!

Today I am super excited to share with you a new series of flavorful favorites.

As usual, in order to make the cut, each recipe must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Deemed delicious by both my kids and husband (plus additional testers!)
• No pre-cooking required (aside from browning ground beef)
• Freezer friendly
• Easy to cook
• Uses budget-friendly ingredients and pantry staples

In this one post you will find everything you need to prep 10 awesome freezer meals in about an hour of hands-on time (not including grocery shopping.)   Just think, in just one quick weekend session you could have almost two weeks worth of absolutely delicious, family-friendly meals all ready to go!

Before you begin, you will need to gather your tools & supplies and also make sure that you have all your groceries on hand. I find it is easiest to go grocery shopping the day before I do my cooking. To save time unloading, only put away the items that need to be refrigerated. Finally, make sure your kitchen counters are cleared of clutter and sanitized and empty your dishwasher and sink of any dishes. (Check out this post for more tips on freezer cooking like a pro!)

10 Meals in an Hour™: Part 5

Here are the five recipes we will be making:

• Freezer-to-Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
• Crockpot Beef Burritos
• Kale & White Bean Soup with Sausage
• Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops
• Honey Sesame Chicken

Here are the supplies you will need:

• 10 gallon size zipper freezer bags
• Avery 8163 shipping labels or permanent marker
• large mixing bowl
• cutting board
• sharp knife
• garlic press
• can opener
• dry measuring cups
• liquid measuring cups
• dry measuring spoons
• liquid measuring spoons
• 12 inch frying pan
• stand or hand mixer

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Produce

• 6 sweet onions
• 2 bunches green onions
• 3 green bell peppers
• 2 packages shredded lettuce (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 2 avocado(optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 1 bunch Italian parsley
• 5-6 large carrots
• 6-8 cups kale
• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 8oz package sliced mushrooms
• 1 lime

Pantry Staples

• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Ketchup
• Rice (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Honey
• Cayenne pepper
• Italian Seasoning
• Paprika
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• Sesame Seeds (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)

Canned/Dry Goods

• 4 15oz cans white beans or 1 pound dry white beans
• 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 packets chicken fajita seasoning
• 1  4oz. can green chiles
• 1 16oz jar of Salsa Verde
• 1 16 oz jar of Salsa
• 2 packets of taco seasoning
• 3 10oz cans of Rotel tomatoes or diced tomatoes with chiles

Bread

• burrito size flour tortillas (cooking day only)
• fajita size flour tortillas (cooking day only)

Dairy

• Sour Cream (cooking day only)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 package shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Meat

• 6-8 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 pound smoked sausage (optional)
• 2-2-3 pound chuck roasts
• 8 pork loin chops (not thin cut)

PRINT

Be sure to  print the following recipes:

• Freezer-to-Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
• Crockpot Beef Burritos
• Kale & White Bean Soup with Sausage
• Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops
• Honey Sesame Chicken

PREP

1. (The night before) If using dried beans instead of cans, soak beans in water overnight, then drain and set aside.
2. Prep your bags—either print labels using these ready-made printable labels or use a permanent marker to label each bag with the name of the recipe, date prepared, and cooking instructions. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!  While you might think that you’ll remember what is in every bag, I promise you will forget!
3. Chop smoked sausage and set aside
4. Chop onion and set aside
5. Chop green onion and set aside
6. Chop carrots and set aside
7. Slice green onions and set aside
8. Remove stems from kale; coarsely chop and set aside.
9. Chop parsley and set aside
10. Peel and mince garlic and set aside
11. Prep raw chicken if necessary

PREPARE

1. Prep Kale & White Bean Soup using instructions found here. Divide mixture into 2 freezer bags, press out excess air, and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
2. Prep Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops using instructions found here. Divide mixture into 2 freezer bags, press out excess air, and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
3. Prep Crockpot Beef Burritos using instructions found here. Place meat into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
4. Prep Crockpot Chicken Fajitas using instructions found here. Place chicken into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
5. Prep Honey Sesame Chicken using instructions found here. Place chicken into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
6. Once all prep is complete, place all bags in freezer until needed. After you’ve made your meal plan for the coming week, consider setting an alert on your phone to remind you to take your bag out to thaw the day before you plan to make it!

Want more 10 Meals in an Hour? Check out the entire series!

1. 10 Meals in an Hour
2. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 2
3. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 3
4. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 4
5. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 5
6. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 6
7. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 7
8. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 8
9. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 9
10. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 10
11. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 11

Have you tried making 10 meals in an hour yet? What tricks or tips can you share?

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