Crockpot Beef Stew by Beth

Ingredients:
2 lbs. cubed beef stew meat
1 c. chopped onion
1 T. minced garlic
2 pkgs. beef gravy mix
2 c. water
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. baby carrots
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 c. frozen peas, thawed
Assembly:
Brown meat in small amount of oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Once slightly cooled, transfer to gallon freezer bag.  To the bag, add garlic, onion, and carrots.  Whisk together gravy powder, water, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour into bag and seal.  Freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw freezer bag in the fridge.  Dump into crockpot and add potatoes.  Cook on high 4 1/2 hours or on low for 9 hours.  Add peas during the last 10 min. 

Jackie's Not So Spicy, Spicy Beef Roast

Ingredients:
3 pound top round roast
1 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns (use 2 Tbsp. if you like it spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard

Assembly:
Combine pepper and garlic. 
Cut shallow slits in roast. 
Rub with pepper/garlic mixture.
Place roast in gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.
Combine remaining ingredients.
Pour over meat.
Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Place in slow cooker.  Pour juices over roast.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.  Cut thin slices against the grain. Return to au jus in crockpot until ready to serve.  Place meat slices on platter to serve.  If desired, pour au jus into gravy bowl to be drizzled over meat.

Tator Tot Casserole by Beth

Rerun:  https://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2015/05/tater-tot-casserole-by-beth.html
(the only thing I did different from this above recipe, was add a layer of American cheese between the beef mixture and tater tots)

Taco Bake by Jen

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 cups corn chips 
1 ½ pound lean ground beef
1 taco seasoning mix packet (from 1-oz package)
15 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz shredded cheese

Assembly:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 9x13 inch pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust.

Sprinkle with 1 cup corn chips.
In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning mix; simmer 5 minutes.
Spoon meat mixture in pan over chips.  Sprinkle with sour cream, cheese and remaining chips.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Served topped with lettuce and tomato.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Served topped with lettuce and tomato.

SLOW COOKER BEEF GYROS by Tiffany

https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-beef-gyros-recipe/

Ingredients:

FOR BEEF:

• 2 lbs beef stew meat or chuck roast (cut into bite size pieces or strips)

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Warmed pita folds

• Sliced tomatoes and lettuce, for serving

FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE (I chose to buy pre-made dressing instead of making)

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup diced cucumber, seeded and shredded
• 1 Tbsp dried dill or 2 Tbsp fresh dill
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper
  

1. Assembly:
2. Add beef to the freezer bag.
3. Combine ¼ cup olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt,pepper and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour over the meat and toss to coat, in the slow cooker. Toss in the sliced onions. Freeze.
4. 
   
5. On Serving Day:
6. Thaw completely.
7. Pour bag contents in slow cooker.
8. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-10 hours (depending on your slow cooker) or until beef is extremely tender. (If it’s not tender, it’s not done yet).
9. Remove lid and salt and pepper to taste. If desired, break up the meat into smaller bite-size pieces.

1. Make the tzatziki sauce (or use store bought). Combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt and garlic in medium bowl. Stir until creamy and combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Serve beef over pita folds with Tzatziki sauce, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

Jake's Backyard Burgers by Jackie

Ingredients: 
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1 1/2 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2  tbs Worcestershire sauce
                 
Assembly:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.  Divide mixture into 8 (1/2 c.) portions. 
Press into 8 burger patties.  Lay flat on a lined baking sheet.  Flash freeze. 
Place frozen patties into Ziploc freezer bag.  Place buns into Ziploc freezer bag. 

This pic is from different burgers I made.  Forgot to take photo of this recipe, so I thought this would suffice for now.  LOL!

Serving Day:
Thaw completely or cook from frozen.  Grill until done to your liking.  Enjoy! 

Cheeseburger Sliders by Beth

I got this recipe from a Facebook video around Super Bowl time.  It doubles as a good dinner or appetizer!  http://fox8.com/2016/01/29/super-bowl-snacks-heres-an-easy-cheesy-pull-apart-sliders-recipe/

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon paprika
2 cups diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10-oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, drained
12 slices cheddar cheese
12 dinner rolls
Glaze:
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Assembly:
In large skillet, brown the beef with onion and garlic.  Drain; return to skillet and add seasonings.  Stir in drained tomatoes until combined. Slice dinner rolls in half and place bottom half of rolls in 9x13 baking dish. Top with beef mixture & sliced cheese. Top with the top half of the buns.
Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a sauce pan over medium heat (or microwave about 40 seconds) and mix until melted, smooth, and combined. Pour evenly over the buns.

Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Meatball Sliders by Jen

Recipe adapted from: http://www.homemadeinterest.com/easy-meatball-sliders/

Ingredients:

• 12 -15 Slider buns
• 12 -24 Meatballs, cooked
• 2 -3 c Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 -3 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
  

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place the bottom half of the slider buns in a casserole dish.
3. Spoon a little sauce on each bun then place a meatball on each one, and add just a little more sauce over the meatballs.
4. Cover the meatballs in mozzarella cheese.
5. Place the top buns over the meatballs and brush them with a little oil.
6. Combine the Parmesan cheese and the Italian seasoning then sprinkle it over the buns.
7. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Serving Day:
Thaw, Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

Teriyaki Meatballs by Jackie

 Do you love an easy meal? As a mom of four active children, I sure do!   

My slow cooker saves dinnertime for us on a regular basis, especially now, with the busyness of summer! Freezer Friend, Jen, first made this recipe back in 2011, as a baked dish. I decided to try it in the slow cooker and it worked perfectly!  I hope you enjoy this delicious, colorful dish as much as we do!

Meatball Ingredients:

36 - 1 oz. frozen homestyle meatballs (I used Deluxe Meatballs from GFS.)

1 large can of pineapple chucks and juice

1 jar of Kikoman’s Teriyaki Baste and Glaze (Kroger brand works too.)

2 cups of frozen 3 pepper and onion blend  

Assembly ~ Meatballs:

Pour pineapple chunks and juice, teriyaki glaze, frozen vegetables and frozen meatballs into a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze bag standing up, so it can easily be put into slow cooker while still frozen. 

Serving Day ~ Meatballs:

Option 1: Cook from thawed:

Thaw completely. Pour meatball mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.  Bake covered at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Serve over the cooked rice.

 

Option 2: Cook from frozen:

Pour frozen meatball mixture into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 5 hours, until done.

Serve both options over prepared rice.

Rice Ingredients:

1 bag of  rice

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. salt

Assembly ~ Rice:  

Place rice, butter and salt into quart size freezer bag.  Freeze flat.

Serving Day ~ Rice: 

(Note to Freezer Friendz Swap Group: I already added butter and salt into your bags of rice.)

Stove Top Directions:

Add rice and 3 1/3c. water in a saucepan.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. 

Microwave Directions:

Add rice and 3 1/3 c. water to microwave safe container.  Stir and cover.  Cook on High (100%) power for 5 minutes.  Cook on Medium (50%) power for 30 minutes.  Remove from microwave and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf by Alicia

This recipe is from: http://astepinthejourney.com/2014/03/brown-sugar-meatloaf.html

After having my third child I was blessed with many meals from many friends.  This was one of my favorites and I had to get the recipe from her.  When she made this meatloaf, she made it with turkey and oh man was it delicious!!!  You can use ground beef or ground turkey in this recipe and both are yummy.  We pair this with chunky smashed potatoes and fresh red beets.  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 - 2 lbs of lean ground beef
• 1 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 pkg dry onion soup mix
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 
  

Assembly:

Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil for easy serving and clean up. 

Combine brown sugar, ketchup, and 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce, 
mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine ground beef, minced garlic, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, milk, 2 eggs, salt and black pepper, dry onion soup mix, and oatmeal. 
Mix well with your hand and then add 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture.

Pour enough of the brown sugar mixture to cover the bottom of the loaf pan.  
Add the meatloaf and top with the remaining brown sugar mixture. 

To bake:

Thaw the night before in the refrigerator.  

Preheat the oven to 350, bake for 1 hour or until the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.  

Pizza Meatloaf by Tiffany

https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/pizza-meatloaf/

8 servings

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon season salt
1 cup crushed saltines (I used bread crumbs)
6 oz pizza sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
additional 2 oz pizza sauce
additional 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, pepper, season salt, crackers/bread crumbs, 6 oz pizza sauce, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella and oregano.

2. Add beef and sausage and mix well.

3. Add mixture to loaf pan. Put additional pizza sauce and mozzarella in separate freezer bags. Place bag of cheese and sauce on top of meat in loaf pan. Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze.

On Cooking Day
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, bake 50 minutes.

2. Spread remaining pizza sauce over top of loaf and bake 10 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and return to oven for 5 minutes more.

Beefy Burritos by Jackie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 (10 oz.) can of enchilada sauce, divided
1 can refried beans
8 taco size tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese


Assembly:
Place beef in a bowl.
Mix in just enough enchilada sauce to coat beef.  Spread 1 Tbsp. of enchilada sauce on each tortilla.

Spread refried beans (1 med. Pampered Chef scoop + 1 sm. Pampered Chef scoop) and ground beef (2 med. Pampered Chef scoops) down center of each tortilla.  Fold tortilla in thirds and place in a greased aluminum foil baking dish seam side down. Cover burritos with remaining enchilada sauce (about 3 Tbsp.) and top with shredded cheese.
Cover with foil pan lid. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Uncover. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and inside is warmed through. 

Beef Stir-Fry by Beth

Ingredients:
1 lb. chuck roast,  thinly sliced against the grain             

3 T. cornstarch
3 T. soy sauce                      
16 oz. package frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 jar baby corn, drained and cut in half
1/2 jar bean sprouts, drained 
1 c. beef stock
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. ginger                 ___      
2 c. Jasmine rice

Assembly:
Place beef in quart size freezer bag.  In small bowl, mix cornstarch and soy sauce.  Pour over meat; seal; and mash up bag to mix.  In gallon size freezer bag, combine veggies, garlic, corn, and sprouts.  In quart size freezer bag, dump stock, brown sugar, soy and hoisin sauces, cornstarch, and ginger.  Seal and mash up to mix.  Freeze all bags flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw all bags in the fridge.  In large skillet, sauté veggies in a little oil over med-high heat until crisp tender.  Remove veggies.  Add a little more oil.  Cook beef in same skillet until browned, about 5 min.  Add veggies, pour in sauce, and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes until sauce thickens.  Serve over rice.
***For rice:  In saucepan, bring 3 c. water to boil.  Stir in rice.  Cover.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 min. or until all the water is absorbed***

Re-Run: French Dip by Jen

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2011/01/french-dip-by-jen.html

Grilled Beef Fajitas

The original recipe is found in Taste of Home-Busy Family Favorites, by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen.
Ingredients:
1 sliced sweet red pepper
1 sliced onion
4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) Olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless beef top round steak, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 cup spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
8 flour tortillas (8 inches)


Assembly:
Cut up and put in a gallon size ziplock bag, the first 7 ingredients.  I then double bag the bag and include the tortillas and cream cheese in the second bag.


Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  In a large skillet, sauté the beef mixture until the meat reaches desired doneness.  To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese off-center on each tortilla; top with beef mixture.  Fold in sides and roll up. 
You may also cook the rolled-up tortilla on a Panini maker or indoor grill for 3-4 minutes or until tortilla is browned.


Yield:  8 servings

Italian Steak Sandwiches by Jackie

*Adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/italian-steak-sandwiches/print#

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 + 1/16 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. sliced deli roast beef
3/4 c. beef broth
3 Tbsp. red wine or additional beef broth
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 + 1/16 tsp. pepper
6 sandwich rolls, split
6 slices provolone cheese

Assembly: 

Heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir 1 minute. Add roast beef, broth, wine and seasonings; heat through.  Cool.  Place meat and juices into quart size Ziploc freezer bag.  Place cheese slices into Ziploc sandwich bag.  Place package of rolls, meat bag and cheese bag into 2 gallon freezer bag.  Label.  Lay flat to freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw.  Heat meat in small pan.  Bake rolls until lightly browned.  Place beef slices on rolls; drizzle with broth mixture. Top with cheese.

Re-Run Meatball Subs by Jen

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2015/10/italian-meatball-subs-by-jen.html

Garlic & Herb Beef Bottom Round Roast by Jackie

**Adapted from http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/beef/beef-bottom-round-roast-perfection.html

Ingredients:

4-6 lb. beef bottom round roast

6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced onion flakes (can sub 2 tsp. onion powder)
1/4 c. olive oil



Assembly:
Place roast on a plate.  Mix all dry ingredients together.  Add oil until a paste forms.  Smear mixture on all sides of the roast.  Place in gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.  Label and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Place roast in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Optional:
Remove the roast from slow cooker. Combine drippings with 1-3 tablespoons
of flour.  Increase temperature to high until gravy reaches desired consistency.