Stocking the freeze with make ahead meals.

What meal prep looks like for my family and what I have learn along way. 

After me last blog post, I would say that I have accomplished my goal of “Meal Prep” with more freezer meals and crockpot meals. Yay! This is how it all when down, I pretty much followed the meal ideas from the last post, with some changes here and there.

Here is my wish list, I started from my last post: 

Beef Stroganoff

Italian Chicken

Cool Ranch Chicken 

Pork Taco 
BBQ Sandwiches with lefts from Pork Tacos

Eggplant Lasagna
Bean Burritos- make-ahead lunches

What really happed:

I was able to adding Chicken parmesan casserole and crockpot chicken stock to my list but the Cool Ranch Chicken did not happen on account of running out of ranch seasoning mix (It was a sad day in the Magner's house). 

Here is what I did. 

The most important things is to know what your family’s go-to meals are. For mine, we would be total happy with grilled chicken and some form of veggies. Next, I take note of what I have on hand and what meals I have left in the freezer. With those in mind, I head over Pintest for new recipes ideas that I know my family is going to eat. (I really mean recipe ideas, I’m not really a recipe following unless it involves baking.) I tried not to go crazy on new recipes that mine family is not use to eat- not curry eggplant marshmallow chicken (you get my point). I do this for a few reason, I don't want to waste my time (cooking the recipe and making a new one), money, and freeze space on something that my might not like. Instead I would save that recipe of a weekend dinner and if my family approves than it will go on the list of "Approved Dinners".  

Next, I made a shopping list of the items I need and hit the town with my ice crest in the back of my car (since I will be going to multiple store and it is 120 degrees outside) and my 2 Large Utility Bags (a most have!!). Aldi is our first stop, here is the place I get 75% of my items, followed my Sam’s club, and finally Walmart.  (Spend 2.5 hours shopping  and $207.71)

Here is a video of our shopping trip and a little more. (BY the way, this is our very first YouTube video!!) YouTube Shopping Haul or click on the video.

Friday was meal prep day, and I mean day. I dropped the kids off a nan’s. (thanks nan, there was no way I would have been able to get it all done in with the kids home) I really started around 11 am and finished up around 5pm. I did take a brake at 1pm to eat lunch and watch my show, General Hospital.

What did 5 hours get me:

• 6- Crockpot chicken stock (from the rotisserie we got at Sam’s)
• 2-Pork tacos
• 2- BBQ Pork Sandwiches 
• 2- Beef Stroganoff
• 3- Italian Ranch Chicken
• 1-Large pan-Eggplant Lasagna
• 1-White Chicken Enchilada
• 1-BBQ Chicken Legs
• 1-Parmesan Chicken Casserole
• 14- Bean Burritos (about 2-3 meals)
• 1-gallon size bag of rotisserie that would make a amazing chicken salad. (should have only gotten 1 rotisserie chicken)

All in all, I got 15 meals. Making each meal an average  $13.44. I call that a win, since I can't go to El Cunado for that price. They have amazing food and great prices, but does not complier to $13.44 per  meal. Disclaimer, a lot of these meals I will be adding veggie in some form. The $13.44 does not include the veggie cost, but in most cases those  meals will take care of my Stephen's lunch for the next day.  So it is a wash for my family. 

 Thinks I learned this day:

I love the aluminum foils pans I got at Sam's Club. You would pay around $1 per pans at Walmart, but Sam's sales them for $8 for 36. That is like .23 each or a saving of $28!!! 

Have something super easy for dinner. After 4 hours of cooking and 1 hour of cleans, I did not want to step foot back into that kitchen for the rest of the year.

Don’t deep clean your kitchen the week of meal prep day, it will be for nothing!! Just wait until after you done (aka the next day). 

One of the hardest things is remembering is to set the next day's meal out the day/night before.