10 Meals in an Hour™: Part 3

Need simple dinner solutions for busy weeknights? This awesome 10 Meals in an Hour guide will help you plan your meals quickly and stay organized!

As you all probably know by now, I am pretty much hooked on 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!

Over the past few months I have shared two 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 those plans plan 1 and plan 2.)  They have both been a huge hit, not only with my own family, but with many of your families as well, and I’ve loved hearing how much you all are enjoying these tasty recipes.

Today I am super excited to share this Comfort Foods Edition of 10 Freezer Meals in One Hour, which includes five delicious home-cooked meals that are perfect for fall.

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
• 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 3

Here are the five recipes we will be making:

• Grandma’s Sloppy Joe’s
• Herb Roasted Chicken Breast
• Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Easy Tomato Parmesan Chicken
• Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin

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

 

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Produce

• 14 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch Fresh parsley (optional)
• 2 large sweet onions
• 2 16oz bags baby carrots (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 4 pounds baby red potatoes (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)

Pantry Staples

• Olive oil
• Seasoned salt
• Black pepper
• Dried minced onion
• Chili powder
• Brown sugar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ketchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• Soy sauce
• Dried Italian seasoning
• Dried thyme
• Dried rosemary
• Dried ground sage
• Dried oregano

Canned/Dry Goods

• 1 24 oz jar tomato/pasta sauce (I like Ragu)
• 2 15 oz cans diced Italian tomatoes
• 2 boxes dry pasta, your choice (only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 1 can chicken gumbo soup
• 1 can tomato rice soup
• 4 envelopes dry onion soup mix
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups Red wine
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans condensed cream of celery soup

Dairy

• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Meat

• 2-2-3 pound pork tenderloin roasts
• 3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 8 bone-in chicken breasts with skin
• 2-3-5 pound chuck roasts
• 4 pounds ground beef

Bread

• 2 packages of hamburger buns (only needed for cooking day, not for prep)

Deli

• 1 package deli coleslaw (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)

Be sure to print the following recipes:

• Grandma’s Sloppy Joe’s
• Herb Roasted Chicken Breast
• Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Easy Tomato Parmesan Chicken
• Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin

PREP

1. 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!
2. Brown ground beef and set aside
3. Chop onion and set aside
4. Chop parsley and set aside
5. Peel garlic and set aside, (or mince if not using garlic press, then set aside.)
6. Prep chicken if necessary

PREPARE

1. Prep Grandma’s Sloppy Joes using instructions found here. (Use only 1 cup or about half of the already chopped onion.) Divide mixture into 2 freezer bags, press out excess air, and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
2. Prep Easy Freezer Pot Roast 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.
3. Prep Easy Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin using instructions found here. (Use remaining chopped onion.)  Place meat into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
4. Prep Easy Herb Roasted Chicken Breasts 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 Tomato Parmesan Chicken using instructions found here. Place chicken into 2 freezer bags and cover with cream cheese mixture, 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?