26 Meals, 2 hours, $190

Our hospital bags are packed. All the baby items are washed and ready. The car seat has been installed. And now, meals have been made. We can have a baby now - you are welcome to come anytime, Emmie. ;)

$190 worth of groceries.

26 meals.

For this round, I made 26 meals for about $190. (Averaging less than $7.50 per meal.) Each time I complete a round of meals I typically make 24-26 meals and it will last our family about 6-8 weeks. We don't necessarily eat a freezer meal every single night - I can cook other things without my crock pot, believe it or not - so spending between $150-200 on dinners every couple of months is very worth it for us.

If you're interested in the process I go through each time I bulk cook, check out this post. Here's how this round went:

Menu |

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches
Zuppa Tuscana
White Chicken Enchiladas
Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs
Sweet 'n Sour Meatballs
Philly Cheese Steaks
Zesty Herb Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken Pad Thai & Egg Rolls
Dirty Rice
Brown Sugar Salmon
Chicken Alfredo Tortellini with Garlic Bread
Chicken & Veggie Sesame Noodles

(I made two of each)

Grocery List |

Meat:
2 2 lb. chuck roasts (or one 4-5 lb. roast cut in half)
2 2 lb. beef roasts (or one 4-5 lb. roast cut in half)
4 3 lb. bags of frozen chicken breasts
6 small bags of prepared meatballs (24 count)
2 lbs. ground beef
1 bag salmon
2 cooked rotisserie chicken
2 lbs. ground Italian sausage

Dairy:
16 oz. sour cream
2 small cartons of whipping cream

Canned/Jars:
1 16 oz. jar of pepperoncini peppers
2 cans French onion soup
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cans diced green chilis
4 jars marinara sauce
2 bottles grape jelly
2 BBQ sauce
2 cans pineapple chunks (no sugar added)
2 bottles of teriyaki sauce
1 bottle rice vinegar
1 bottle fish oil
4 jars Alfredo sauce
1 bottle soy sauce
1 16 oz. carton of chicken broth

Produce:
2 green bell peppers
2 zucchinis
2 large carrots
1 bunch green onions
6 red potatoes
1 small bag spinach
2 lemons

Seasoning:
2 ranch dip packets
2 zesty herb seasoning packets
2 black peppercorn packets
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Pepper
Cumin
Oregano
Garlic Powder

Dried goods:
2 packages of tortillas
3 packages of spaghetti noodles
2 packages of hoagies
4 cups brown rice (from bulk section)
2 packages rice noodles
1 small bag brown sugar
2 lbs. cheese tortellini (from bulk section)
2 loaves garlic bread
2 packages of pub buns

Freezer:
2 bags frozen stir fry veggie mix
2 packages of egg rolls

Other:
1 box gallon Ziploc bags
4 slow cooker bags

When you get home, 1 package of spaghetti, all the tortellini, the ground beef, and ground sausage all need to be cooked. Cook 2 cups of rice and store the rest in the pantry. The rotisserie chickens need to be de-boned. Freeze all packages of tortillas, buns, bread, and egg rolls. Spaghetti and rice noodles are to be stored in the pantry. Label all Ziploc bags. Then just work through each meal at a time.

Recipes |

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

2 lb. chuck roast

1 can French onion soup

1 packet ranch seasoning

1/2 jar of pepperoncini peppers

8 hours on low. Serve on pub buns with provolone cheese.

Zuppa Tuscana

16 oz. chicken broth
1 package Italian sausage (cooked)
3 handfuls spinach (could also use kale or swiss chard)
3 potatoes cubed
1 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp oregano
 Pepper to taste

8 hours on low. Add 1 cup whipping cream the last 30 minutes.

White Chicken Enchiladas

1/2 bag of chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken

1 can diced chilis

8 oz. sour cream

1 tsp cumin

8 hours on low. Shred and roll in tortillas and top with extra sauce. Top with cheese and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs

2 jars marinara

1 bag meatballs

7-8 hours on low. Serve over spaghetti.

Sweet 'n Sour Meatballs

2 bags meatballs

1 bottle grape jelly

1 bottle BBQ sauce

4-6 hours on low.

Philly Cheese Steaks

2 lb. beef roast

1 packet peppercorn seasoning

1 sliced green bell pepper

Add one cup of water upon cooking. 8 hours on low. Shred, Serve on hoagies with cheese.

Zesty Herb Chicken

1/2 bag of chicken breasts

1 packet zesty herb seasoning

Add one cup of water. Thaw and grill.

Teriyaki Chicken

1/2 bag chicken breasts

1 can pineapple chunks (drain most of the juice)

1 bottle teriyaki

Add 1 cup of water upon cooking. 7-8 hours on low. Serve on rice.

Chicken Pad Thai & Egg Rolls

Bag 1:
2 chicken breasts sliced thinly
1 large carrot sliced thinly
1 zucchini sliced thinly (season with garlic powder, salt, & pepper)
(make two)

Bag 2: {the sauce}
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
(this is doubled from my original recipe...I like extra sauce)

Store rice noodles in pantry. To prepare: soak rice noodles in hot water. Thaw sauce and chicken and veggies. In a small pot, warm sauce. In a large wok or skillet, add 3 Tbsp. olive oil and sauté chicken and veggies until cooked through. Scramble an egg. Drain and add noodles. Toss. Add sauce. Toss. Add a squeeze of lime and top with chopped peanuts. Serve with egg rolls prepared according to package instructions.

Dirty Rice

1 cup rice cooked

1 lb. cooked ground beef

1 tbsp. montreal steak seasoning

Drizzle with Olive Oil

Thaw and warm in a skillet.

Brown Sugar Salmon

3 Tbsp. Brown sugar
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. Garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste (I use about 1 tsp. of each)

Chicken Alfredo Tortellini with Garlic Bread

1 lb. cooked tortellini

2 jars of Alfredo sauce

1/2 of the chicken from a rotisserie chicken

Warm in a skillet.. Serve with prepared garlic bread.

Chicken & Veggie Sesame Noodles

1/2 package of cooked spaghetti noodles

1 bag frozen stir-fry veggies

1/2 of the chicken from a rotisserie chicken

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Warm in a skillet.

Remember to make two of each meal & enjoy!