Homemade Dinner-in-a-bag Ideas for Busy Weeknights

With the holidays upon us, weeknights are more hectic than usual: Between shuttling the kids around, shopping for gifts, attending office parties and family get-togethers, and putting a sparkling touch on holiday decorations, finding time to sit down as a family for dinner can seem impossible. But preparing several meals in advance will save precious time during stressful holiday months. Simply toss all of a meal's ingredients into a bag to store in the freezer. Then on a chaotic day, dump everything from the bag into a slow cooker or a baking dish in the oven for a home-cooked dinner the whole family can enjoy together. Here are three homemade dinner-in-a-bag ideas for those busy weeknights:

Creamy potato soup

On a chilly winter night, nothing warms the soul quite like a hearty bowl of creamy potato soup. To prep, peel and chop about 4 pounds of potatoes and one onion. Place in a gallon freezer bag and add two 14 oz. cans of chicken broth before freezing. On a busy day, place the frozen soup mix into a slow cooker for about 8 hours, adding a can of evaporated milk and mashing the potatoes 1 hour before serving. Top with cheese, bacon, and chives.

Apply the same tactic for multiple bags of homemade soup, like chicken noodle or tomato basil, for an easy weekly meal idea. The 4-door refrigerator from the Samsung Kitchen Suite provides plenty of freezer space for storing dinner-in-a-bag meals.

Teriyaki chicken

Plain chicken is boring, but marinating chicken consumes valuable time. By planning ahead, flavorful chicken is possible. Another time-saving, easy dinner-in-a-bag idea is teriyaki chicken. Freeze a pound of chicken coated in a favorite teriyaki sauce in a sealed freezer bag. Pull the chicken out to defrost in the refrigerator in the morning. For dinner, empty the chicken and the marinade into a baking dish. Bake until fully cooked and serve over rice and microwavable steamed vegetables for a simple stir-fry dinner. Try the same marinate-ahead approach with other sauces (like BBQ or basil pesto) for dinner next week!

Pot roast with mixed vegetables

When everyone is tired of turkey leftovers, pull out a pot roast from the freezer for dinner. To prepare in advance, chop celery, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and an onion. Put the roast in a gallon freezer bag, then add the vegetables and an onion soup mix packet on top. Seal and freeze until ready to cook. On the night before, defrost the pot roast and vegetables in the refrigerator. In the morning, dump everything from the bag into the slow cooker and add 1 cup of water. Cook for 8 hours. Serve with rice or store-bought dinner rolls for a delicious and nourishing family dinner.

Content by Ali Cherie.