Taco Friday
Tonight, we had tacos for dinner. Taco meat is super easy to make and it freezes really well! Ground beef was on sale at Publix so I picked up 3 lbs. After cooking and mixing in the taco seasoning, I added a few cans of refried beans (one can per pound of meat). Not only does this stretch the meat a bit, but it makes for a slightly more nutritious taco. ;) We had enough to eat for dinner and I filled two quart-sized freezer bags with meat for two more dinners!
The tortillas were BOGO so I couldn't pass up getting two bags. However, that means we now have 20 tortilla shells and we'll never eat all of those before they spoil. I divided the bags into sets of five tortillas and flash froze them between sheets of Glad Cling Wrap. I've never frozen tortillas before. Here's hoping they thaw well!
I spent $40 on ingredients for the tacos and made enough to feed three people three times (including taco toppings and sides)...$4.44 per person. Not too bad!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Surf and Turf
Today started a new circular for our local grocery stores so I checked to see what meat went on sale. There wasn't much that I typically cook for our family. However, one store had chicken at a ridiculous price and the other had shrimp BOGO. I can't pass up either of those deals! I almost always buy seafood when it's on sale, anyway. I spent right around $55 and will prep 5 meals for 3 people (one to eat tonight). That comes to $3.67 per person. Not my lowest price, but two of those meals involve seafood and there's no way we could get a good shrimp dish at a restaurant for $4! Here's what I'm making:
Simple Italian Shrimp from Just a Pinch & Creamy Dreamy Grits from Food.com (this one's to eat tonight)
Creamy Shrimp Skewers from Once a Month Meals -- This will make enough for two meals for us. When you make this recipe, wrap the pointy ends of the skewers with plastic wrap or aluminum foil so they don't pierce the freezer bag!
Easy Cheesy Mexican Chicken from Thriving Home -- I'm doubling the recipe so we get two meals from this one as well. It will be a new one for us but I'm looking forward to enjoying it! I'm going to wait and prep this one tomorrow so it can cook all day in the crock pot.
I was a little disappointed when I first saw the grocery ads but now I'm really happy! These dinners are going to be delicious!!!
Update: We loved the Easy Cheesy Mexican Chicken! Doubling the recipe made a LOT. We would have had plenty for two meals by following the recipe as-is.
Today started a new circular for our local grocery stores so I checked to see what meat went on sale. There wasn't much that I typically cook for our family. However, one store had chicken at a ridiculous price and the other had shrimp BOGO. I can't pass up either of those deals! I almost always buy seafood when it's on sale, anyway. I spent right around $55 and will prep 5 meals for 3 people (one to eat tonight). That comes to $3.67 per person. Not my lowest price, but two of those meals involve seafood and there's no way we could get a good shrimp dish at a restaurant for $4! Here's what I'm making:
Simple Italian Shrimp from Just a Pinch & Creamy Dreamy Grits from Food.com (this one's to eat tonight)
Creamy Shrimp Skewers from Once a Month Meals -- This will make enough for two meals for us. When you make this recipe, wrap the pointy ends of the skewers with plastic wrap or aluminum foil so they don't pierce the freezer bag!
Easy Cheesy Mexican Chicken from Thriving Home -- I'm doubling the recipe so we get two meals from this one as well. It will be a new one for us but I'm looking forward to enjoying it! I'm going to wait and prep this one tomorrow so it can cook all day in the crock pot.
I was a little disappointed when I first saw the grocery ads but now I'm really happy! These dinners are going to be delicious!!!
Update: We loved the Easy Cheesy Mexican Chicken! Doubling the recipe made a LOT. We would have had plenty for two meals by following the recipe as-is.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Sweet Barbecued Pork Chops
Tonight I made super yummy pork chops from Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers Cookbook. I cut up a pork loin, seared the chops, and then simmered them in a mixture of onion, brown sugar, ketchup, barbecue sauce, french salad dressing, and honey. We enjoyed them with mashed potatoes and veggies. I cooked 8 chops but we only ate 3, so I have enough to freeze for two future meals! I'm placing the chops in a freezer bag along with the sauce they simmered in. After thawing, I'll only have to simmer them until they're heated through! A quick, delicious dinner after a long day. Perfect.
Update: my husband and daughter loved these!
Tonight I made super yummy pork chops from Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers Cookbook. I cut up a pork loin, seared the chops, and then simmered them in a mixture of onion, brown sugar, ketchup, barbecue sauce, french salad dressing, and honey. We enjoyed them with mashed potatoes and veggies. I cooked 8 chops but we only ate 3, so I have enough to freeze for two future meals! I'm placing the chops in a freezer bag along with the sauce they simmered in. After thawing, I'll only have to simmer them until they're heated through! A quick, delicious dinner after a long day. Perfect.
Update: my husband and daughter loved these!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Back to School 2016
School starts back in just a few more weeks so I'm using these last few days of summer to fill the freezer! It will be amazing to lay out a dinner to thaw the night before, then come home to minimal prep and a hot meal after a long day.
First, I checked out the grocery flier to see what meat is on sale because that is usually the most expensive part of my shopping trip. This week, it was chicken breast, boneless pork chops, and ground pork. I spent about $78.00 on ingredients and prepped 10 meals. Each meal will feed all three of us so that means we're eating for about $2.60 a person!
Here are the recipes for this round:
Creamy Italian Chicken from Mommy's Fabulous Finds. This recipe is just one of 10 on this page. It's one of our favorites! I serve it over farfalle pasta and Jason likes the leftovers over toast.
Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops from Creations by Kara. This is another of our all-time favorites. They're delicious served over my mom's signature mashed potatoes.
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti from Living a Changed Life. We've never tried this recipe before but the ingredients look great so how could it go wrong? ;)
Tator Tot Chili Bake Casserole from The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook. This is another one that's new to us but I've made plenty of recipes from this book and they've all been amazing!
Any time I prep a crock pot meal, I put all the ingredients into a gallon-sized ziploc bag and write the cooking instructions on the outside of the bag before freezing flat. If it's a casserole or something cooked in the oven, I grab an aluminum pan. Then, I prepare the recipe as if I'm going to make it that night for dinner, but instead of putting the pan in the oven I cover it with cling wrap and pop it in the freezer. I write the cooking instructions on the plastic lid.
Here's to a great school year and two weeks of dinner ready to go!
Update: The Tator Tot Chili Bake went over really well! I ended up dividing it into two smaller pans instead of one 9x13 dish. We had plenty for dinner and just enough for lunch the next day.
First, I checked out the grocery flier to see what meat is on sale because that is usually the most expensive part of my shopping trip. This week, it was chicken breast, boneless pork chops, and ground pork. I spent about $78.00 on ingredients and prepped 10 meals. Each meal will feed all three of us so that means we're eating for about $2.60 a person!
Here are the recipes for this round:
Creamy Italian Chicken from Mommy's Fabulous Finds. This recipe is just one of 10 on this page. It's one of our favorites! I serve it over farfalle pasta and Jason likes the leftovers over toast.
Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops from Creations by Kara. This is another of our all-time favorites. They're delicious served over my mom's signature mashed potatoes.
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti from Living a Changed Life. We've never tried this recipe before but the ingredients look great so how could it go wrong? ;)
Tator Tot Chili Bake Casserole from The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook. This is another one that's new to us but I've made plenty of recipes from this book and they've all been amazing!
Any time I prep a crock pot meal, I put all the ingredients into a gallon-sized ziploc bag and write the cooking instructions on the outside of the bag before freezing flat. If it's a casserole or something cooked in the oven, I grab an aluminum pan. Then, I prepare the recipe as if I'm going to make it that night for dinner, but instead of putting the pan in the oven I cover it with cling wrap and pop it in the freezer. I write the cooking instructions on the plastic lid.
Here's to a great school year and two weeks of dinner ready to go!
Update: The Tator Tot Chili Bake went over really well! I ended up dividing it into two smaller pans instead of one 9x13 dish. We had plenty for dinner and just enough for lunch the next day.
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