Freezer Cooking

This week was rotten… it was wet, muggy and dreary. The weather had me feeling down and out by the end of the day and it is all I could do to manage to get home at the end of the day, let alone cook! So as a result my kids ate out way more than I wanted them to and we spend way more on food that what was in the budget. Weight Watchers is not going well with all this eating out and frankly, we could use the money for better things like a trio to Disney and potential shopping trip to the states for mama and her lady friends!  So on Saturday I planned, shopped and cooked. Just over $200 and 4 hours later my freezer was stuffed with 25 meals and all but two are slow cooker meals. I spent a few minutes meal planning using Eat at Home, My Baking Addiction, Martha Stewart and my own recipe box and then edited my grocery list. Can I just say how much I love Ziplist? All I had to do was add the recipes to my recipe box and then add to my list. Once I had everything decided on, I edited the list to remove everything that I already had and combined ingredients. Made shopping SO MUCH EASIER! Oh and I also love my Food Saver...you need one if you learned to cook from a Newfoundlander and have no idea how to cook for less than 12 people at a time...

This is what 18 meals vacuum sealed and ready for the freezer looks like! (I made more on Sunday)

Here’s what I made:

• Stew- divide root veggies and your favorite seasoning between bags (I made three) and stew meat vacuum seal and you’re done. (add broth on cook day)
• Roast- one roast went in a bag with potatoes and carrots, one went in a bag by itself. Divide a package of reduced sodium onion soup mix between the bags (or use one eat) and salt and pepper, seal and done!
• Chicken stir fry (add sauce when you get home and serve over rice)
• Chicken Shwarma
• Veggie enchiladas (I used 8oz fresh baby spinach, chopped, 14oz fresh peaches and cream corn, and part skim mozza cheese. I added some chili pepper and a dash of cayenne to kick up the spice)
• Pork and apples (this will be my first attempt at these in the slow cooker...everyone but the rice and nuts are in the pool...I hope it turns out!)
• Slow cooker lasagna
• Pumpkin spice muffins (I made half the recipe- used 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 0.5 cups splenda brown sugar baking blend and 0.5 cup sugar. I added 0.5 cups of applesauce and did not increase the oil- perfect little muffins!)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Apple pear crisp
• Pumpkin brownies* (no frosting on ours)
• Triple chocolate chip cookies* (I added 1 cup oatmeal, used 1/2 whole wheat flour and threw in whatever chocolate chips we had kicking around!)

{*These were made and frozen to give me a head start on Super Mario’s birthday party…Oh Pinterest will have me drove with that child’s dreams and wishes for his party…so my own fault but I don’t think there will be a 6ft lego Mario at his party…much to the little man’s chagrin! Maybe searching Pinterest for Mario party ideas while he's on my lap wasn't the best idea I ever had!}

So I was exhausted but I figure at about $8.50 a meal for the four of us I did pretty good. I just need to add some fresh veggies with each meal and a way we go! I still have a ham and rice dish to make but I ran out of steam. Maybe I'll just make that for supper tomorrow...tonight we're having Veggie enchiladas and no dishes to clean!

I just figured out another good thing about this...I took a Sharpie and wrote what it was, how to cook it and what to add. So in the event I am not around to throw something in the slow cooker G should be able to do it no problem and my kids will eat something other than scrambled eggs and toast (I appreciate that you feed them honey!)