Week 4 and it is
working! Whoo hooooo! I am loving this!
Saturday morning I did
my shopping for the week ahead, but because of the long holiday weekend I
didn't meal prep until Sunday. I did,
however, take a big pot roast and a package of ground turkey out of the deep
freezer to thaw.
Sunday morning I put
coated both sides of the pot roast with a packet of Au Jus seasoning mix. Then I placed it in my large slow cooker and
set it to cook for 6 hours on high. When
the time was up I added four good sized red potatoes cut into quarters, about
two thirds of a bag of baby carrots and a roughly chopped onion. I let that cook an additional two hours.
On Labor Day I
finished meal prepping, simply because I could.
If it had been a regular work day I'd have finished on Sunday
instead. I browned the turkey burger and
seasoned it with taco seasoning. Half of
the leftover pot roast was divided. I
placed part of it in a casserole dish with the leftover vegetables or an
additional supper. The remaining roast
went into the freezer to use next week in stroganoff.
Cheeses for mac & cheese |
Easy béchamel sauce |
I boiled up a box of
mini penne pasta. I made my easy béchamel recipe and added some sharp cheddar and a package of bacon cheddar cheese
to make a creamy sauce. After mixing the
cooked and cooled pasta with the cheese sauce I put it all into a casserole
dish and into the refrigerator to wait its turn. Then I chopped up the veggies I needed for the
crab cakes.
Sunday - After
removing the pot roast from the slow cooker I poured those delicious juices
into a saucepan, added a cup of water and thickened it with a little
cornstarch. I sautéed some green beans
too. We enjoyed a delicious Sunday
supper.
Monday - Despite
that it was Labor Day, which usually calls for barbeque, we stuck to the menu. I reheated the taco meat and served it with
cheddar, shredded lettuce, refried beans (from our freezer) sour cream, salsa
and some street-size flour tortillas.
Tuesday - Leftover pot
roast and vegetables took a spin in the microwave for about 8 minutes. In the meantime I reheated the leftover gravy
in a saucepan. It was ready by the time
the microwave shut off. Dinner was on
the table in 10 minutes.
Wednesday - I placed
the macaroni & cheese in the microwave to heat thru about 5 minutes. I splashed a touch of milk in it and gave it
a good stir then back into the microwave for another 3 minutes. Once the macaroni was done I put a dish of
peas & carrots in for a few minutes.
When they were done I stirred them with a little butter and dinner was
served.
Thursday - The
oldest and I pulled out the crab and the chopped veggies in the refrigerator to
make up the crab cakes. I decided not to
make the drop biscuits or the salad because we had a lot of leftovers. Instead I served the crab cakes with the
leftover macaroni & cheese and some steamed green beans.
Friday - Friday I
heated up chili from the freezer that had been thawing in the refrigerator the
night before. While it heated in the
microwave I cooked hot dogs in a skillet and put together a quick salad out of
leftover veggies. By the time the chili
was hot everything else was ready.
Another dinner on the table in 10 minutes.
Saturday - We had so
many leftovers in the refrigerator so we decided to have a mini buffet. It doesn't get much easier than that!
I still can't get
over how much less time I spend in the kitchen cooking and yet we seem to have
more food and plenty of variety too. Putting
our lunches together has been a snap. Keeping
the kitchen tidy throughout the week is much easier too.
So dang cool!
Wowzers! you girls eat so yummily good! You are an A+++ mom!
ReplyDeleteOh Bless your heart! Thank you! :)
DeleteAll of the meals look great!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :0)
DeleteThis is inspiring...I feel like I spend so much time in the kitchen every night. Literally, from the time I feel home from work until I get ready for bed - cooking and washing dishes, making lunches, etc. Someone once told me about a woman who would get up at 4:30 every Sunday morning and prep all the meals for her week. I should really consider doing that - it appears to make everything easier during the week.
ReplyDeleteI do not get up that early on Sunday, lol, but I do spend about an hour and a half to prep everything for the week ahead. It is working out far better than I ever imagined. Much less time in the kitchen for sure! I hope you give it a try. :)
DeleteYour meals always look so delicious! I need to try your meal prep method :)
ReplyDeleteD.
Yes indeed! You won't regret it. ;0)
DeleteNice menu plan!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne!
DeleteEverything looks so good!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It was a delicious week! ;)
Delete