A few years ago my SBesty challenged me. I love a challenge! The challenge was to post my grocery bills and show what we eat for a week while keeping to a $100 weekly grocery budget. I totally did it and posted our meal plans including how much I spent on the groceries each week for a month! It is something that I have maintained over the years. You can check out those posts below!
With inflation this challenge has taken on a whole new meaning! Every week I go in with my shopping list and every week I try to stay as close to $100 as possible. How? We have definitely cut back on meat. Another way, instead of making weekly meal plans, now I make monthly meal plans! This is so I know what I will need for the entire month and I can pick up items while on sale or while they have extra PC points! Points have been very helpful with keeping me to my budget! Instead of using all my points at once, if I happen to go $20 or so over my weekly budget of $100, I use points to bring me down to as close to my goal as possible.
A few weeks ago I asked everybody what kind of meals they would like to see on the blog and my Sis suggested freezer meals! I am so proud of my Sister! She has worked her entire life as a front line worker supporting children, teenagers, and young adults. When she moved to BC she had to give up the career she loved in order to look after herself and have a better work/life balance. Doesn’t everybody want that? The real question is how do we do that? My Sister spent the past year asking herself some big questions and deciding what career path she would like to embark on in this next chapter of her life. For most people that would be scary AF! But my Sis, she kept on looking and applying for the career she wanted. She didn’t stop until she got it! I am so goddamn proud of you Kari ❤️. This past week was her first day of work! It’s so scary starting a new job let alone a new career! It’s even scarier in a new place without a village. I mean, I’m here but I’m also 4 towns away! But, I wanted to help! This is the first year that both of her kids have afterschool activities and have joined the swim team, Brownies, Sparks, and other afterschool activities! It’s daunting when both parents have full-time careers, the kids have afterschool activities, and you still need to get dinner on the table!
So, I combined my love for saving money and my Sister’s need for healthy, fast dinners!
I found 8 recipes that I think are unique, fast enough to get on the table in a short amount of time, family friendly, and within my $100 a week budget, in fact… I bought the ingredients for all 8 meals for $83.61!
The reason I did 8 meals is because I wanted to make sure there were enough meals for 2 weeks worth of weekday dinners! Everybody deserves a bit a break on Friday 😉!
To make sure that I’m being completely honest, I want to let you know that there were a few items I had in my pantry. Not many but a few.
I had the garlic, all the spices, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, orange juice, onion, margarine, red curry paste, brown sugar, macaroni, peanuts and olive oil.
So if you don’t have those things in your pantry, it might be a bit more expensive than it was for me.
Below are the 8 freezer/crockpot meals that I made for my Sis,
Thai Peanut Chicken Satay
Adapted from Happy Money Saver
2 pounds chicken thighs
14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons curry powder yellow
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Whisk until smooth. Add chicken.
From thawed, transfer chicken and sauce into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6 hours.
Serve in lettuce cups with chopped fresh cilantro and peanuts on top, or serve over rice, in burritos, or on a salad.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Adapted from Happy Money Saver
4 chicken breasts
1 cup orange juice
1 cup vegetable broth
juice of 2 fresh limes
2 teaspoon garlic, pressed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1 tablespoon cumin
Add all ingredients to a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
From thawed or freshly made, transfer into slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6 hours.
Serve with rice, sour cream, guac and cilantro for a super delicious meal. Tacos and nachos are great ways to serve this as well.
Chickpea Wild Rice Soup
Adapted from Happy Money Saver
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic, pressed
1 cup wild rice, uncooked
1 can chickpeas, drained
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I used sage apple stuffing mix from Epicure)
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
Add all ingredients to a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
On serving day:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cornstarch
2-1/2 cups milk
From frozen, transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
From thawed, transfer into slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours.
In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add cornstarch and whisk for 30 seconds until smooth. Add in whole milk and whisk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add to soup and stir gently until all blended together and creamy.
Loaded Potato Soup
Adapted from Happy Money Saver
32 oz bag frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 cup carrots, shredded
4 cups vegetable broth
3 teaspoons garlic, pressed
4 tablespoons margarine
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
Add all ingredients to a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
On serving day:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz ham, diced or cubed (optional)
From frozen, transfer to slow cooker, and add ham. Cook on high for 5 hours or low 7-8 hours.
From thawed, transfer into slow cooker, and add ham. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6 hours.
Add in heavy cream and stir until well combined. Serve topped with cheddar cheese, bacon bits or sour cream if desired.
Cauliflower Curry
half of an onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups cauliflower florets (I used frozen)
2 cups butternut squash, cubed (I used frozen)
1/2 cup red lentils
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Add all ingredients to a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
From frozen, transfer to slow cooker. Add 1 cup water to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Serve with rice and cilantro.
Korean BBQ Beef
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
1 15-ounce can pears, drained
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 lbs. beef chuck or top sirloin, cut into 6-8 pieces
Blend all the ingredients, except the beef, into a puree.
Add all ingredients plus the 2 lbs. of beef into a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
From thawed, transfer into slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-5 hours.
Serve in rice bowls or fusion-style tacos with kimchi, rice, slaw, spicy mayo, etc.
Adapted from The Girl on Bloor
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 sweet potato, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Add all ingredients to a Ziplock freezer bag or container for freezing.
From frozen, transfer to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
On serving day:
2 cups spinach
Minestrone Soup
Adapted from The Girl on Bloor
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup dry macaroni pasta (I used Ditali)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 yellow onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup frozen veggies
1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper
From thawed, transfer to slow cooker. Add 4 cups water to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #301 Ready for Winter HERE! This week, we get together before an impending snow storm. Topics: editing, manipulation, tonsils, 7 Things About 🇨🇦 Winter, BMW, the neuro, Aaron Carter, & tickets to Tay Tay.
