24 Meals for $180

We made it. We moved. And we lived to tell about it. Even though we were without a refrigerator for 3 weeks. Thankfully we had our chest freezer with several meals to tie us over, making it feel like home. Still, there's nothing that makes me happier than fresh round of meals ready to go in the freezer.

Here's the menu for this round:

BBQ Chicken Over Smoked Sausage & Rice
Sausage Bake
Roast Steak Bites & Broccoli
Turkey Tacos
California Burritos
Fried Rice w/ Ham
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs
Turkey Chili & Cornbread
Ranch Chicken
Honey Garlic Chicken
Chicken 'n Dumplings

(I made 2 of each)

Grocery List:

Meat:
4 (3 lb.) bags of chicken breasts
4 smoked sausage links (or kielbasa)
4 lbs. beef chunks or stew meat (pork or beef)
6 lbs. of ground turkey
2 2-3 lb. round roasts, pre-sliced ("carne asada")
1 2 lb. ham block? (not sure what to call this)
2 bags of frozen meatballs

Produce:
1 sweet onion
2 green bell peppers
2 orange bell peppers
4 large carrots
1 bunch celery

Seasoning:
2 pulled pork BBQ seasoning packets
2 pot roast seasoning packets
4 packets of taco seasoning
2 fried rice seasoning packets
2 chili seasoning packets
2 ranch seasoning packets
Honey
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Bay leaves
Soy sauce

Canned:
4 cans of black beans
2 bags broccoli cheddar soup mixes
4 jars of marinara sauce
2 32 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cartons of broth
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cans of corn

Dried goods:
4 lbs. brown rice
2 boxes of taco shells
2 packages of tortillas
2 packages of spaghetti noodles
2 loaves of garlic bread

Frozen:
6 bags of broccoli florets
2 French fries
2 bags of peas and carrots

Refrigerator:
2 cans of biscuits

Other:
Slow cooker liners
Hefty gallon slider bags

Get home. Unload the loot. Begin browning all 6 lbs. of the ground turkey. Label bags. Then simply add the ingredients to the appropriate bag.

BBQ Chicken Over Smoked Sausage & Rice
1.5 lbs. chicken breasts
1/2 chopped sweet onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped orange pepper
1 pulled pork seasoning packet

Add 1 cup water upon cooking. 7 hours on low. Shred and serve on cooked brown rice with black beans and smoked sausage.

Sausage Bake

1 smoked sausage

1 bag broccoli florets.

Defrost sausage and slice. Add to sheet pan with frozen broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes and whatever other veggies you have on hand.

Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.

Roast Steak Bites & Broccoli

2 lbs. stew meat or beef chunks

1 packet pot roast seasoning packet

Add 1 cup of water upon cooking. 7 hours on low. Serve with Broccoli and roasted potatoes.

Turkey Tacos

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 taco seasoning packet

Warm in skillet. Serve with taco shells stored in pantry.

California Burritos

2-3 lbs. carne asada

1 packet taco seasoning

8 hours on low. Cook French fries to package instructions and serve in tortillas with cheese and pico de gallo.

Fried Rice w/ Ham

I store these ingredients in the pantry freezer and make the day of.

2 cups cooked rice, cooked

1 bag peas and carrots

1 fried rice seasoning packet

1 egg

Cubed ham

Toss together in a skillet.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I throw this together the day of and store the ingredients in the pantry and freezer.

1 bag broccoli cheddar soup mix.

Water (according to package instructions)

1 bag broccoli florets

7 hours on low.

Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs

2 jars sauce

2 bay leaves

1 bag meatballs

7 hours on low. Serve with noodles.

Turkey Chili & Cornbread

1 lb. ground turkey

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1 30 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 chili seasoning packet

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

8 hours on low. Serve with cornbread.

Ranch Chicken

1.5 chicken breasts

Season well with Ranch seasoning

Thaw. Cut into strips. Dip in egg wash then dip in flour. Fry in oil in frying pan over medium heat.

Honey Garlic Chicken

1.5 chicken breasts

¼ cup honey

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup water

1.5 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

30 minutes in the Instantpot. Add 1 Tbsp cornstarch to thicken. Serve over rice.

Chicken 'n Dumplings

1.5 lbs. of chicken breasts

1 can cream of  chicken

1 can corn

1 carton of chicken broth

2 chopped carrots

½ celery stalk, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

Season with salt and pepper

7 hours low. Cut biscuits (from refrigerator) into 4ths and add to soup and cook for 30 minutes to an hour more.

And that's it. 24 meals for $180.