One Less Thing to Think About.

     Most of my mom friends are multitasking Superwomen who manage their household, care for their kids, husbands, maybe other family members, some work, some go to school, some leap tall buildings in a single bound, but the one thing most all of us women have in common is that we have to take time to figure out the answer to the inevitable question: "WHAT'S FOR DINNER?" 

I decided to try to be more organized and hopefully free up some time for myself and I came across a blog at www.whoneedsacape.com.  The blogger wrote a great blog entitled "40 meals in 4 hours".  I looked it up (see: http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/).  I thought it was brilliant!!  Now, when it comes to cooking, I'm not a "follow-the-recipe-exactly" kind of gal.  I love to cook and I almost always alter recipes to accommodate the tastes of my family, BUT some of the recipes sounded really good.  I took the recipes listed on the blog and added my own that I know my family loves to compile a list of 30 meals for the month.  I will continue to add to my recipe collection and change up the menu monthly. 

     I did things a little different than the blogger only because I am also trying to save $$ and I am not the most organized individual.  So, here's what I did:

While at Costco one day, I found this wonderful recipe book for $13.99 (as of 1/4/2014 they still have them at the same price).  Different colors and styles are available.

It is tabbed, comes with plastic inserts for your existing recipes and has recipe cards and plastic covers for your new recipes, plus it has helpful tips on the inside of the front and back covers. 

It is a binder so you can add and change as you wish.

Next...

     After visiting the blog and deciding to commit to trying this whole "meals for the month" thing, I chose the meals I wanted and compiled my grocery list.  I used her "master shopping list" and altered it based on our taste preferences and what was on sale based on the grocery store sale ads for this week.  Here is the master shopping list:

I revised the list because I can't handle bone-in stuff.  Blech!!  So, I only use boneless meats which means I had to increase the amount of chicken breast since I don't buy the thighs or legs.  I also substituted Herdez salsa for Rotel since my hubby is particular when it comes to tomatoes.  Here's the revised list:

Here is the list of meals I chose:

and here is the shopping list I made based on the foods on sale at the different grocery stores:

Tip: this week Albertson's has boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.67/lb, Fry's has beef roasts on sale for $2.99/lb (which isn't GREAT, but it was better than other places).

Yes, it was a MONSTER list and I went to five different stores (ended up being able to eliminate Safeway and Walmart because I found what I needed at other stores), but it saved me a good deal of money so it was worth it.  The breakdown was as follows:

Groceries: $363.71 ($300 went for food, spices, vegs, etc...for the dinners)
Saved:       $212.34 (Due to sales, not coupons.)

Each meal will feed 5 adults with some leftovers, which means based on 30 meals that equates to 10.00 per meal divided by 5 people = $2.00 per person per dinner.  That is much less than I would spend on last minute meals.  Although I prefer to make everything homemade, but I did opt to purchase frozen meatballs and ravioli from Costco. 

Here they are...

Here are some of the recipes I prepared.  Now, the blogger opted to cut up veggies first.  I did not.  I am crazy about contamination so I choose to clean, trim, and cut up all of the chicken according to the recipes first.  Then I clean and sterilized the counters and sink and cut up the veggies.  I made the sauces as I filled each recipe.  I made them separately so I could taste them and make sure they were good before adding veggies or chicken.  It is easier to pre-label the bags.  I dated them, added the crock pot cook time, and added what I would most likely serve it with.

*A couple of things:  I never use store bought chicken broth.  I think it is disgusting and has no taste.  I make my own using chicken or if I do not have time, I use Knorr's Caldo de Pollo, hot water (it dissolves better, onion powder and pepper to taste).  The taste is fantastic and I use if a lot!!!  Due to the fact that my husband hates onions, I use onion powder instead.  Some recipes were a little sour or bitter so I used 2 Splenda packets to sweeten them up. 

Crock Pot Garlic Pesto Chicken with Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

I actually combined the "for the chicken" and the "for the sauce" ingredients (excluding the extra olive oil and flour - which can be done when I cook the meal for thickness if needed.)  I used Kroger's Herb and Garlic Marinade (which was 1/2 the price) and NO half & half cream.  I will do that when cooking if needed.  The sauce was very tasty.

Crock Pot Coconut Curry Chicken

This is my recipe.  I sampled a taste of this sauce at Costco one day and loved it.  I am NOT a coconut fan (but my husband is), and I love curry (and he hates it).  This is DELICIOUS and we both love it!!!!  This is the sauce from Costco - Maya Kaimal's Madras Curry.  At Costco it is larger though and I used the whole container and 5 chicken breasts.

Here is the recipe:

Creamy Pesto Chicken & Pasta

I used Classico's Traditional Basil Pesto Sauce.  Only a 2-3 tblspns are needed. I opt for the gluten-free corn pasta from Trader Joe's ($1.37 per 1 lb bag) because my son has an gluten allergy.

This is DELICIOUS!!!

Island Chicken

This is very citrusy and very fresh tasting! 

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I use Herdez medium salsa instead of pico de gallo and I do not add salt since there is plenty in the salsa.

Buffalo Chicken

This is the blogger's recipe and she recommended Pete's.  My husband likes buffalo stuff. (I'm not a fan.)  Pete's was verrrrrrrry hot, so I added honey and a some honey BBQ sauce to cool it down.  I would recommend using a mild buffalo sauce if you are not a fan of pretty hot stuff, or perhaps a spicy BBQ sauce.

Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

 This is one of my new FAVORITES!!!!  The sauce was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  I bought regular applesauce, not specifically "chunky". 

Crock Pot Fajitas

I did not use cayenne, but used chili powder instead and onion powder instead of onions. I mix the peppers, sauce, and chicken all in the bag.

Crock Pot Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breasts

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

I used Kikkoman's Teriyaki sauce.

Those are some of the meals that I have prepared.  I look forward to not having to think each day about what to cook for dinner.  Today, I'll be prepping the beef and pork dinners.  I will post some of those recipes if anyone is interested.  PLEASE feel free to share your favorite recipes too.  There are never too many options!  Eat and be well. :)