Right now in the freezer I have Italian chicken, BBQ pineapple chicken, BBQ chicken, potato soup, taco soup, pizza pockets, ham and cheese pockets, peanut butter and jelly (4 different flavors) sandwiches, muffins (3 different flavors), pancakes and I have some stuff that I need to make the day of. I spent very little on all of the stuff I needed to make these. So here is how you start doing this and saving money!!!
Step 1 Recipe Selection
So this month I decided to go with new recipes. I always make my husband and kids try things they have never had. You can get your recipes from anywhere cookbooks, internet or even family recipes. Make 3 lists.
List #1
Prep no cook-
No cooking at all just throw it all together in a bag and toss in the freezer.
List #2
Prep Minimum Cook-
Very little cooking. Like maybe you have to cook the meat and then toss it all together and place it in the freezer.
List #3
Make the day of-
This is what you will have to make the day of and freeze any leftovers.
(Extra list) List #4
School Lunches-
This is a list of things you will need in order to make your little ones a lunch for school. Most of the time you will have sandwich stuff here. But don't forget that you can pack soups salads and more to change it up.
Step 2 Planning
Once you have your recipes chosen it's time to compile your lists!
List #1 consists of ingredients. I wrote/typed out every ingredient required for each recipe. This will help you start a tally chart for your grocery list. Using your ingredient list you can tally up all the different ingredients you will need to purchase.
List #2 the grocery list. Using your tally chart of ingredients you can compile a master grocery list. Once you have your grocery list ready you are good to go!
Step 3 Grocery Shopping
Buy in bulk to save some money, use coupons and take advantage of "discount days". Also don't forget if you shop at dillions look for manager specials you can get meat that way really cheap. Once you have done this a few times you will be able to cut the cost of your meals by a lot!
Step 4 Label and Plan
Now that you have everything it is time to label your freezer bags. Each bag will need to be labeled with the name of the meal, the cooking and serving instructions.
Step 5. Cook
You are about to cook a million dinners all
at once, and when it feels like the chopping, frying and grating will
never end, just remember you will get a whole month off of cooking. WARNING your kitchen will be a royal mess to help with this make sure you have a sink of soapy water so you can wash as you go along. 
MY RECIPES
Burritos
2 lb. ground beef
2 cans re-fried beans
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. minced onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
20 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Heat 3-4 tortillas at a time. Spoon 1/4 c. beef mixture down the side of each tortilla.
2 lb. ground beef
2 cans re-fried beans
1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. minced onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
20 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Heat 3-4 tortillas at a time. Spoon 1/4 c. beef mixture down the side of each tortilla.
Roll up. Wrap each burrito in a paper towel, then wrap in foil.
Refrigerate or freeze. I like to pack them in the tortilla zip lock bag. I can usually fit 10 per bag. Not such a good thing for burritos.
When ready to eat, remove foil and microwave for about a minute. The paper towel keeps the burritos moist. If you don’t use a microwave, skip the paper towel and just wrap in foil. Then heat burritos in the oven with foil.
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
10 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups chopped broccoli, lightly steamed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
To freeze: Divide into four zip lock freezer bags and seal tightly. Freeze flat.
To serve: Thaw overnight (or for 8 hours) in the refrigerator. Dump into a greased casserole dish (each bag will fill an 8×8-inch pan; two bags will fill a 9×13-inch pan). Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
This recipe makes around 15-18 servings. Each freezer bag serves 4-5 people.
10 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups chopped broccoli, lightly steamed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
To freeze: Divide into four zip lock freezer bags and seal tightly. Freeze flat.
To serve: Thaw overnight (or for 8 hours) in the refrigerator. Dump into a greased casserole dish (each bag will fill an 8×8-inch pan; two bags will fill a 9×13-inch pan). Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
This recipe makes around 15-18 servings. Each freezer bag serves 4-5 people.
BBQ Pineapple Chicken
4 - 6 pound chicken (or some pieces of chicken)
all purpose seasoning
one bottle of barbecue sauce
15 ounce can of diced pineapples, undrained
Rub pork shoulder all over with all purpose seasoning and place in slow cooker.
Rub pork shoulder all over with all purpose seasoning and place in slow cooker.
Dump can of pineapples (undrained) over pork.
Pour bottle of barbecue sauce over pork.
Lift pork a little to let the sauce get underneath.
Cook on high for six (6) hours or low for ten (10) hours.
Shred in the pot and mix with the juice.
Strain & serve!
Strain & serve!
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