Prepping Food for the Week #2

Prepping food ahead of your week is one of the easiest ways to save time and money throughout the week.  I love freezer crock pot cooking, and find that it makes my life SO much easier, especially with our current summer schedule (which involves 3 evenings of swim lessons for my big 3 kids, 2 nights of gymnastics team for daughter #1, one night of gymnastics for daughter #2, one night of karate, a church night, and one music class that I teach).

Last night while I cooked dinner (this one pot pasta dish...a delicious past meal that costs less than $5 to make), I prepped food for the week.  In total, I probably spent around 2 hours prepping yesterday.  Here's what I prepped for the week:

Passion Tea Lemonade

Drinks

*Half gallon of Passion Tea Lemonade (one of my favorite summer drinks)

Homemade Peanut Butter

Sides & Snacks

*4 cups brown rice for meal sides

*6 cups of crock pot refried beans for enchiladas and/or tacos in the coming week

*Granola bars

*2 cups peanut butter

Breakfasts

*8 cups of granola for cereal of yogurt add-ins

*Biscuits

Freezer meals, granola, and granola bars

Dinners

*Black Bean & Salsa Chicken ($8...I crock pot this and shred it for tacos)

*Teriyaki Chicken ($10...Crock pot meal, served over rice)

*Stuffed Bell Peppers ($9...Enough for two separate meals)

Also on this week's menu is Lentil tacos, a favorite meatless meal, and enchiladas since I never cooked them up the last time I put them on my menu :) 

Do you cook ahead for the week? What are your favorites to prepare ahead of time? 

This Week's Menu (8/19/13)

I'm trying to use what's in my fridge/freezer/pantry this week.  I made a produce run at Trader Joes earlier this week and spent just under $20.  I'm going to try to make it through the week without spending any grocery money so I can put this week's grocery budget into our savings to pay for the new baby (arriving in October)!

Here's what we will be having for our dinners:

1.  Stuffed Bell Peppers (using the pre-made stuffing I have in my freezer and fresh bell peppers)

2.  Lentil tacos (also in my freezer) with homemade tortilla shells

3.  Crock Pot- Smokey Chicken & Black Bean Soup (from the freezer)

4.  Pulled Pork Sandwiches (from the freezer) on homemade ciabatta rolls

5.  Dinner with our church

6.  Something easy-maybe sandwiches-as we'll be driving during dinner time and then at a meeting

7.  Salad and leftovers night

Yay for freezer cooking!

Breakfasts will be the usual...oatmeal with chopped fruit or dried cranberries or raisins most mornings, with a baked peanut butter oatmeal on one morning.  I do actually plan to use my bread machine to make cinnamon rolls one morning as a special treat.

Lunches will mostly be sandwiches (pb&j, pb& honey, grilled cheese, turkey & cheese), homemade mac and cheese, salads, and fruits and veggies.

Snacks are fruit or veggies for one snack, and homemade granola bars for the other (morning & afternoon).

All the smoke in the air from the fire is tricking me into thinking it's fall (it's just dark outside).  I have fall candles burning, and am thinking it's time to start making some homemade syrups for making lattes.  I LOVE fall!

Weekly Menu

What's on your dinner menu this week?  I am utilizing lots of my crock pot freezer meals, which reduces my cooking and planning time by A LOT this week!  Yipee for me!

Although it's already Tuesday, here is our dinner plan:

1. Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Oven-Baked Mixed Potatoes

(Pulled pork is already cooked and in the freezer)

2. Chicken Tortilla Soup topped with Trader Joe's Black Bean & Quinoa Chips (yum!)

(Soup is in the freezer from a previous crock pot freezer cooking session)

3. Teriyaki Chicken with brown rice

(freezer crock pot meal)

4. Stuffed Bell Peppers

(Inside stuffing is in freezer)

5. Homemade Pizza

6. Spaghetti with steamed carrots and broccoli

7. Leftovers night

When I menu plan, I do not typically assign days to my meals.  What if I don't feel like spaghetti on a Tuesday night?  Easy...just switch it!  When we get to a night where there are all sorts of leftovers in the fridge, I forego the cooking (minus maybe some veggies or a salad) and we use up all the leftovers in our fridge.

I also scored a brand-new, in box bread maker at Goodwill this week for $20!!!  It's usually $70, so I really scored!  We used it to make cinnamon raisin bread for breakfast this morning.  We are also going to use the brand new ice cream maker that I also scored at Goodwill (for just $8) to make ice cream for dessert one night this week.  We will be incorporating it into one of our school math activities. 

What fun meals are on your menu this week? 

Tomato Soup

 I love tomato soup.  Not so much from a can, but real, homemade tomato soup.  Yum.  I also like easy recipes, and recipes that can be frozen.  Here is our family favorite, easy tomato soup recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4-6 tomatoes (I use Roma)
• 1-2 TBL butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juice)
• 1 14.5 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes (with juice)
• 32 oz. of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1-2 TBS honey or agave
• 1/8 tsp liquid hickory smoke
• salt & pepper to taste
• cilantro & corn for topping

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Slice 4-6 tomatoes in half, and lay them with the open side up in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place dish with tomatoes in oven for 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a pan, melt 1-2 TBL Butter.  Once melted, 1/4 cup finely chopped onion and 1 clove of garlic (or some garlic powder).  Cook until onions soften.  
3. In a large pot, combine 1-28 oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice) and 1-14.5 oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes.  Pour in 32 oz vegetable or chicken broth (I have done both and they both taste great; I use Better Than Bullion brand Chicken most of the time).  Add in 1-2 TBS of honey or agave, as well as 1/8 tsp. liquid hickory smoke (my friend Claire's idea-it's awesome, and she's amazing).
4. When the ovened tomatoes are done, toss them in the pot, too (whole).  
5. Let it simmer 10-20 minutes.  
6. Scoop out the larger chunks of tomatoes into your blender.  Blend for a few seconds.  Repeat as necessary until your soup reaches your desired consistency.  
7. Serve war with corn &/or cilantro on the top!

I just froze my first batch of tomato soup.  Tomato pastes and such always freeze well (as have all soups that I've tried), and so I don't anticipate that it wouldn't freeze well, but I'll update this post later if I find the opposite to be true.  

How do I freeze my soups?  I pour 2-3 cup portions into Quart sized Freezer Ziploc baggies.  Seal.  Lay flat in the freezer.  Once frozen, I place them upright in a bucket in my freezer...keeps it tidy and I can easily find what I'm looking for.  Don't forget to label them!  To defrost, either run under hot water or place it in the fridge overnight.

This Week's Menu Plan

Another week, another menu!  I'm trying to use what is in my stockpile to keep costs down.  I have a ton of Ragu, so I think I'll use that in a few meals.

Sunday: *Bake granola bars
Monday: *(B) Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal using fresh pumpkin puree (my whole family LOVES this recipe!)
*(D) Spaghetti with meat sauce, asperagus, garlic bread
*Bake Pumpkin Scones 
Tuesday: *(B) Pumpkin Scones
*(D) Chicken Stir Fry
Wednesday: *(B) Oatmeal or cereal
*(D) Lasagna (make a double batch and freeze one for later)
*Bake pumpkin bread muffins
Thursday:  *(B) Pumpkin Scones
*We eat dinner at youth group on Thursdays
Friday : * (B) This is Nevada Day, so there is no school (and no work for me!)  Maybe we'll do some homemade biscuits and eggs
*(D) Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup (thinking I will modify this recipe a bit)

We eat a lot of oatmeal in our house. I buy organic rolled oats at winco for less that $1 a pound.  We add a little brown sugar and then things like dried cranberries, bananas, strawberries, or blueberries.  It's cheap and tastes way better than store bought packets (healthier too!).  Baked oatmeals usually have a bit more sugar in them, so we eat it as a special treat for breakfast.  You can eat it plain or with a bit of milk poured over it (any milk variation is good...we drink almond milk at our house, so we use that).