Yep, that is MY freezer full of 54 meals and a few side dishes. I got a few "how?" comments, a few "wow" and some "recipes!" comments. I really just posted it because I was done and was pretty happy that it was over. I tend to forget how impressive it truly can look because I have done this for over 2 years.
Losing It Daddy and I talked about it (after he told me a few people at work wanted some recipes after he brought in his lunch) and we thought it may be helpful for me to share how I do this. For now I will give you the run down of how I got 54 meals accomplished during nap times but I will also post how YOU can get started.
I start by writing down the recipes we would like to eat over the next few months. Sometimes things are removed or added after a discussion with everyone (kids included) but most of the time I know what they would like to eat. I take the recipes and write a master grocery list of what I would need to accomplish the cooking.
I like to line up the cooking by making 4 recipes a day. I "cook" during nap time for the most part and that gives me 2 hours of uninterrupted time to get things done. When I put stuff together I place meat items to be completed within 2 days of the shopping day.. Nothing like getting to your 4th day to discover your chicken should have been cooked 2 days sooner. This has happened and I was not happy to waste $20 of chicken.This time I was lucky and got chicken that gave me a week to complete my meals. I also look at cooking method. For example putting a crockpot meal (because they require little to no effort to do) with one that needs to use the stove top.
For this meal plan I had:
Saturday:
4 Lasagna (needed to cook the meat and assemble) I had the ingredients before shopping so I did this one early
Sunday:
Shopping (took 2 hours and spent $234.29)
Monday:
4Crockpot Cherry Apple Porkloin (dump in a bag and you are done) - I make it with dried cranberries. Saves on cost and I can use them in other recipes.
4 Crockpot Chili(needed to cook meat, then dump in a bag)
1Crockpot Beef Stroganoff (dump in a bag, leaving out the cream cheese and you are done. Add the cream cheese when cooking the last few minutes or so)
Tuesday:
2 Mini Shepherds Pie Cups and a Large Pie too (we ate some this day and decided we didn't like them much. I will not share this recipe because of this)
4 Hearty Beef Stew (chop and put in a crockpot to cook up before freezing)
2 Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops (dump in a bag)
2 Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops (a bit of grating of a lime and some spices. About 5 min of work)
Wednesday
3 Taco Pasta (made fully and then portioned out. Ate some for lunch)
4 Beef (I throw some garlic and soy sauce to use up the beef I had for stew and stroganof. It is a base for beef and broccoli)
4 Chicken Fajita (clean chicken, cut into strips. Pour marinade over)
4 Crockpot Potato Soup (not a favorite and I have a better recipe)
Thursday:
4 Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Tator-tot Casserole (just clean chicken, layer and go) For OAMC recipe, read below. Click the link for crockpot recipe.
4 Chicken Corn Chowder (made a BIG batch and ate some for lunch)
2 Diced Cooked Chicken (I use this for fried rice or pasta dishes. Just nice to have to toss in things)
4 Chicken Enchilada Puffs (Make fully and freeze)
Friday: (and I had a horrible cold so I had to scrap the plan and just throw stuff together to get it in the freezer)
5 Chicken Strips (I needed to use up about 5 chicken breasts that I bought for something else, but got sick and couldn't make them)
3 mash potatoes
*note when dealing with potatoes. All recipes that have potatoes in the dish should be reheated slowly, using a stove top or oven. Even if they state you can microwave I have never found a recipe that doesn't come out gritty tasting.
In total 54 meals and 3 side dishes (plus we had 3 meals we ate while I was cooking them) all in about 10 hrs time. I bought stuff to make 2 other meals but when I got ill I knew I wouldn't get to them. The ingredient that I knew wouldn't be shelf stable, the chicken, was made into strips and I will be able to make the items another day.
Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole {Freezer}
Adapted from The Country Cook
Ingredients:
1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of a foil pan.
Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces.
Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Add diced chicken on top. Season with salt & pepper.
Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese.
Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.
Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.
Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top.
Place in freezer. To cook: Take out of freezer and bake covered for 1hr 30 min at 350 degrees. Take cover off and bake for 30 more minutes to get a crispy top.
Serves 6 around 568 calories, so serve with a salad or some green beans ;)
You wanna learn how to do it? Come on back for a breakdown of every little step and instructions how you can get started. Remember this has taken over 2 years and I have spent over 10 years working in kitchens as a pre-cook and line cook. Going slow is the way to not get burned out and make this truly a way to save you time and energy in the long run.
Nice breakdown.
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