26 Meals for $195

One of the common misconceptions I hear when I tell people about the crockpot/freezer meal prepping I do is that the meals must be heavy and soupy. I rarely make a lot of soups or casseroles and always incorporate fresh ingredients when I cook them so they aren't super heavy or unbalanced. The most important thing to consider when creating your menu for meal prepping is whether or not you would cook that meal for your family even if it weren't sitting in the freezer. Every family eats differently. Your meal prep menu will probably look different too.

Here's what I made this round:

Mongolian Beef

Sausage Skillet

Chili

Spaghetti

Tacos

Southwest Chicken Bowls

California Burritos

Meatball Subs

Zesty Herb Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

Greek Meatballs

Italian Mini Meatloaves

I made 2 of each meal.

For this round I also used Walmart grocery pickup instead of shopping at Winco, because sometimes life punches you in the face and you need to cut corners and spend an extra $10 so you can save time and get things done.

Grocery List:

ORDERED Great Value Beef Broth, 32 oz 1 × $1.44 $1.44 SUBSTITUTED Great Value Beef Broth, Family Size, 48 oz 1 × $1.44 $1.44 ORDERED Great Value Traditional Pasta Sauce, 24 oz 7 × $1.50 $10.50 SUBSTITUTED Great Value Traditional Pasta Sauce, 45 oz 7 × $1.50 $10.50

Not a fan of your substitution. Tell an associate. We'll remove it and you won't be charged.

FULFILLED 42 items ITEM QTY or WEIGHT PRICE OTHER ITEMS Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, 8.5 oz 3 × $0.47 $1.41 Reynolds Kitchens Premium Slow Cooker Liners, 13 x 21 inches, 8 Count 2 × $3.97 $7.94 Great Value Slider Zipper Storage Bags, Gallon, 30 Count 1 × $3.12 $3.12 Red Bell Pepper 2 × $1.78 $1.78 Sam's Choice White Greek Style Pita,16.8oz, 6 count 2 × $2.50 $5.00 Mint Fresh cut .75oz 1 × $1.98 $1.98 Great Value Clover Honey, 12 oz 1 × $3.08 $3.08 Mr. Yoshida's Sweet Teriyaki Original Gourmet Marinade & Cooking Sauce 17 fl oz Bottle 1 × $2.88 $2.88 Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix 0.6 oz Envelope 2 × $1.26 $2.52 Great Value Deli Style Sliced Non-Smoked Provolone Cheese, 12 count, 8 oz 2 × $2.22 $4.44 Franz Rolls Original Hoagie, 6 ct, 16 oz 2 × $2.98 $5.96 Great Value Fully Cooked Homestyle Meatballs, 32 oz 1 × $5.94 $5.94 Beef Carne Picada 1.48-2.48 lb 1 × $13.59 $13.59 Great Value Regular Cut French Fried Potatoes, 32 oz 2 × $1.92 $3.84 Mission Soft Taco Flour Tortillas, 10 Count 2 × $2.28 $4.56 Great Value Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 48 oz 1 × $5.94 $5.94 Great Value Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 10.0 lb 1 × $18.83 $18.83 Pace Chunky Salsa Medium, 16 oz. 1 × $1.98 $1.98 Great Value Taco Seasoning Mix, 1.25 oz 2 × $0.44 $0.88 Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, 15 oz 2 × $0.50 $1.00 Great Value Taco Shells, 12 count, 5.8 oz 2 × $1.00 $2.00 Great Value Thin Spaghetti, 1 lb 2 × $1.00 $2.00 Great Value Chili Seasoning Mix, 1.25 oz 2 × $0.74 $1.48 Great Value Tomato Sauce, 28 oz 2 × $1.24 $2.48 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Rope, 14 Oz. 2 × $2.98 $5.96 Great Value Dark Red Kidney Beans, 15.5 oz 2 × $0.72 $1.44 Great Value Pinto Beans, 15.5 oz 2 × $0.58 $1.16 Great Value Black Beans, 15.25 oz 6 × $0.58 $3.48 Great Value Broccoli Florets, 12 oz 2 × $1.00 $2.00 Great Value Brown Rice, 32 oz 3 × $1.37 $4.11 Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, 9 oz 1 × $1.76 $1.76 Great Value Light Brown Sugar, 2 Lb 1 × $1.50 $1.50 Great Value Less Sodium Soy Sauce, 15 fl oz 2 × $1.62 $3.24 Great Value Chicken Broth, 32 oz 2 × $1.44 $2.88 Beef Stew Meat Family Pack 2.15-2.60 lb 1 × $15.55 $15.55 Great Value Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, 16 oz 1 × $4.22 $4.22 80% Lean/20% Fat, Ground Beef Chuck Roll, 3 lb 1 × $9.64 $9.64 73% Lean/27% Fat, Ground Beef Roll, 10 lb 1 × $21.24 $21.24 Johnsonville Mild Ground Italian Sausage, 16oz 1 × $3.48 $6.98

The store substituted my pasta sauce (24 oz) for a double sized jar (eerr....jug) so I ended up with extra sauce and extra broth. If you follow this list to a T, you don't need to get the larger size.

Other items:

Feta cheese

Garlic powder

Oregano

Cinnamon

Italian Herb and Garlic seasoning

Bay leaves

Salt and Pepper

Cajun seasoning

Bread crumbs

Eggs

My total was about $195 for 26 meals, averaging at $7.50 each meal for a family of five. The first thing I do is label bags and sort according to type of meat. Then I start browning the ground Italian sausage and all EXCEPT 4 lbs. of the ground beef. Then just start dumping.

Mongolian Beef

1 lb. beef chunks

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 c brown sugar

A few dashes of sriracha (or more depending on your preference)

1 tsp garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

4 hrs on high. Add 1 TBSP cornstarch the last hour. Add steamed broccoli last and serve over rice.

Sausage Skillet

1 smoked sausage sliced and sauteed

Add 1 can black beans

1 cup brown rice cooked

Seasoning with EVOO and cajun seasoning

To prep freeze sausage and store beans and rice.

Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomato sauce

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 packet chili seasoning

1 TBSP brown sugar

8 hrs low. Serve with prepared cornbread.

Spaghetti

1 lb. cooked ground beef

1 lb. cooked ground Italian sausage

24 oz. marinara

1-2 bay leaves

8 hours low. Serve with spaghetti noodles (store in pantry)

Tacos

1.5 lbs. cooked ground beef

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

Warm in a skillet. Serve with hard shell tacos.

Southwest Chicken Bowls

1.5 lbs. chicken breasts

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1/2 jar of salsa

2 cups chicken broth (add day of cooking)

2 cups brown rice (add day of cooking)

20 minutes in Instapot. Serve with taco toppings.

California Burritos

1 lb. carne asada

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

Store tortillas and fries. 7 hours low. Prepare French fries and make the best burritos of your life with all the fixings.

Meatball Subs

1/2 bag prepared meatballs

12 oz. marinara sauce

Freeze hoagies and provolone cheese. 7 hours on low. Thaw hoagies, fill them, add cheese and broil for 3 minutes.

Zesty Herb Chicken

1.5 lbs. chicken

1 packet zesty Italian seasoning packet

Drizzle with EVOO, thaw, and grill.

Teriyaki Chicken

1.5 lbs. chicken

1/4 c Yoshidas

1 tsp garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Thaw and grill. Serve with rice and add extra Yoshida's.

Honey Garlic Chicken

1.5 lbs. chicken

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1.5 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

17 minutes in the Instapot. Switch to saute and add cornstarch to thicken.

Greek Meatballs

2 lbs. ground beef

1 bunch mint, chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp oregano

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 package feta

1 egg

Mix with hands in a large bowl, roll meatballs and divide into 2 bags. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce (plain greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper).

Italian Mini Meatloaves

2 lbs. ground beef

1-2 diced bell peppers

1 cup mozzerella cheese

1/4 bread crumbs

1 TBSP Italian Herb and Garlic seasoning

1 egg

Mix with hands in a large bowl, roll large meatballs or "mini meatloaves" and divide into 2 bags. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

And your done. If you'd like to see my step by step process for this round, follow me on instagram: @thecaitlinmossblog.