Skip to main content

20 Meals for $150

(This will become 20 meals. I forgot to take an after picture. I was too excited to be on top of things after a fun girls weekend.)

This was way more manageable than my last round of 38 meals, let me tell you! I even did it with kids home and awake while the husband was at work. Success!

For this round, I made 20 total meals, 2 of each menu item. For other crock potting extravaganzas, use the blogger search bar in the upper left hand corner of the screen and search for "crock pot."

Menu |

2 Chicken Pot Pies
2 California Burritos
2 Sweet & Spicy Meatballs
2 Spaghetti Sauce
2 Tennessee Smokehouse Pulled Pork
2 Beef Stew
2 Chicken Enchiladas
2 Mango Salsa Chicken
2 Bacon Potato Soup
2 Italian Sausage and Peppers

Grocery List |

Meat:
2 bags of frozen chicken breasts
4 lbs. of beef chunks
2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
2 lbs. ground beef
2 pork loins (3-4 lbs. each depending on the size of your family)
2 packages of bacon
2 packages of Italian sausage links

Canned Goods:
6 cream of chicken soup
4 cans of corn
10 cans of broth
2 containers of grape jelly
1 jar chili paste
1 bottle of ketchup
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans crushed tomatoes (or diced)
2 cans tomato paste
2 cans green chilis (diced)

Dairy:
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
4 packages of cream cheese

Refrigerator:
1 container mango salsa
1 container medium salsa (or hot if that's how you roll)

Seasoning:
2 taco seasoning packets
2 Tennessee Smokehouse seasoning packets
Bay leaves
Basil
Cumin
Sea Salt
Pepper
Brown Sugar
Thyme
Garlic Powder

Produce:
1 bundle of celery
1 2 lb. bag of carrots
1 3 lb. bag of red potatoes
2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers

Frozen:
2 bags of French fries
1 large bag of frozen broccoli (or 2 broccoli heads)
2 bags of frozen meatballs
1 large bag of frozen hashbrowns

Other:
2 packages of pie crusts (total of 4 pie crusts)
4 packages of tortillas
1 bottle of red wine (I use pinot noir)
Gallon zip bags

Recipes |
**First label gallon bags, then dump the ingredients in each bag
**In a pan, cook the ground beef and ground sausage
**Prep produce by washing and chopping
**Make 2 of each meal

Chicken Pot Pie
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
2 large chicken breasts
3 large chopped carrots
2-3 chopped celery sticks
1 can of corn
**Freeze the pie crusts with this meal

Cook in the crock pot, 8 hours on low. When done shred the chicken and use the premade pie crusts in 9" pie pan. Place 1 crust on the bottom, fill with the crock pot ingredients and then top with the second one. Bake according to the package instructions (usually 30 minutes at 425).
Update: Yum. Add some potatoes to this if you want to make the filling thicker.

California Burritos
1 lb. beef chunks (can also use shredded beef or carne asada cuts if they have them)
1 taco seasoning packet
1 cup water
**Freeze the French fries and tortillas with this meal

Cook in the crock pot, 8 hours on low. When done, shred the meat. Cook French fries according to package instructions. Fill tortillas with the meat, fries and any other taco toppings.
Update: We love these. Great crowd pleaser too.

Sweet & Spicey Meatballs
1 bag frozen meatballs
1 jar grape jelly
1/4 c chili paste
1/4-1/2 c ketchup

3-4 hours on low.
Update: These are a great party hit. A little spicy for kids but they'll manage.

Spaghetti Sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes or diced
1 lb. cooked Italian sausage
1 lb. cooked ground beef
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Basil
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Sea salt to taste

8 hours on low. Remove bay leaf before serving over spaghetti or use to make lasagna. I always have spaghetti sauce in my freezer meals because in my house, spaghetti always sounds good or I can easily turn it in to lasagna. Easy, tasty, the kids eat it. This is my love language.

Smokehouse Pulled Pork
1 pork loin
1 Tennessee Smokehouse seasoning packet
1 cup water

8 hours on low. Shred and serve on buns with BBQ sauce.
Update: Good. My husband loves it.

Beef Stew
4-5 cubed red potatoes
2 large chopped carrots
2-3 chopped celery sticks
2 cans chicken broth
1 lb. beef chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 Tbsp. Thyme
2 tsp. Garlic
Salt & Pepper

8 hours on low. Remove bay leaf before eating.
Update: Almost every time I make this, I serve it with a parmesan crusted grilled cheese. Great for a cold night!

Chicken Enchiladas
3-4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
8 oz. sour cream
1 can chili peppers
Cumin (probably a couple of teaspoons)
Sea salt to taste
**Freeze tortillas with this

8 hours on low. Shred chicken, wrap in tortillas, top with extra sauce/filling and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until the top is bubbly.
Update: Yum.

Mango Salsa Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts
1 package cream cheese
1/2 container of mango salsa
1/2 container of medium salsa

8 hours on low. Shred chicken and mix well. Serve in tortillas, with chips, or over rice.
Update: Yum.

Bacon Potato Soup
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
1 package cream cheese
1 can corn, drained
1/2 bag frozen hash browns
Salt & pepper to taste
**Freeze bacon with this.

8 hours on low. Thaw and cook bacon separately, crumble on top with cheese, sour cream, and chives.
Update: Yum. This is Maci's favorite ever.

Italian Sausage and Peppers
1 package Italian sausage links
1 sliced green bell pepper
1 sliced red bell pepper
1-2 cups of red wine

8 hours on low. Serve with pasta, garlic bread, or stuff French bread with it. Top with parmesan cheese.
Update: Yum.

Enjoy!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

30 Gluten-Free Crock Pot Meals that Won't Break the Bank

In honor of my dad, this round of crock potting is gluten-free. Over the summer my dad was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and when I found out, I cringed for him. My dad, like me, loves food - all kinds of food but especially pastas, pizzas, bread. How on earth could we take out so many delicious foods that fall under the category of "gluten" and still be satisfied? Apparently it's not as hard as I thought. These recipes are REALLY good, completely satisfying, super easy, and very affordable. I did 30 meals for $168 (this includes a strainer I needed plus disposable trays for the two freezer meals). Keep in mind these recipes are NOT Paleo or AIP. They are simply GLUTEN FREE. That also doesn't mean fat-free or calorie-free. Sorry, folks! ;) You also won't find any cream of whatchamacallit or seasoning packets. Not because I'm completely opposed to them (though I do know they are highly processed and not good for us), but because most, if not all of them

How We Painted Our Cabinets {and Totally Transformed Our Kitchen}

About 9 months ago I took the plunge and painted our kitchen cabinets. I feel like this is the DIY project that most people are afraid to tackle because, hello! It is the kitchen. So much time is spent in the kitchen and it really is the focal point of the home – if it’s done sloppy, wrong or doesn’t turn out as expected it would be a huge headache and a lot of money to fix. However, this is probably the best DIY project our family has done. Not only did it make a HUGE impact on our home and main living space but it was extremely cost effective at only $150. Once upon a time, our kitchen looked like this: Now it looks like this: It was pretty yellow before. Maple was everywhere. Maple cabinets, maple floors. I walked in this room and it felt like it was constantly glowing (even after I painted the walls a beautiful shade of “perfect greige”). Anyhoo, I knew I wanted a white kitchen. I feel like white cabinets appear decade after decade. They are timeless and cla

Each Day Has Enough Trouble of Its Own

Sometimes we hear exactly what we need to hear. That's what happened to me this week. Along with motherhood, as many of you know, comes so much worry. Worry about the well-being of your child. Worry about doing things correctly. Worry about giving enough time to your children and enough time to your husband. Worry about finding enough time for yourself. Worry about being a good mom and a good wife. Worry about getting enough sleep tonight so I can have enough energy to get through tomorrow. The list of worries and anxieties go on and on. They don't tell you about this when we sign up to be parent. Or do they? Anyway, last week I was reading the Bible. While studying the book of Matthew I came across this verse: "But seek first His kingdom and all His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34 Isn't that script