I saw on Pinterest, which led me to www.whoneedsacape.com, that a mom prepared 40 meals in 4 hours. I was excited by this post because mealtime was becoming the bain of my existence. All I could wonder is what we were going to eat for lunch and dinner. None of my previous attempts to plan meals worked and I was willing to try anything.
I approached 40+ meals in 4 hours as a personal challenge. I made 37 meals in 5 hours but later realized that I used too much meat in some recipes and had a lot of leftovers. Think of it this way, an actual chicken only has 2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 wings so try not to use more than this in a recipe that calls for chicken.
Go to
www.whoneedsacape.com for a master grocery shopping list but you may have to do some of your own research to determine how long certain frozen items last in the freezer or deep freezer; the type of freezer makes a slight difference.
I've also included the
MASTER GROCERY list that I used
BELOW. All recipes can be cooked on low between 6-8 hours in a CROCKPOT.
My favorites are Mongolian beef, Curry Chicken, Pollo Guisado (Stewed Chicken) and Ropa Vieja. Those were the most delicious to date.
Ultimately, I spent $272 on groceries and made 37 meals. That's $7.35 per meal! I've attached the recipes.
BJs & Local
Supermarket Prices
- 3 cans of Diced Tomatoes 6 @ $6.29
- 72 Hefty 1-gal Storage bags $8.49
- Soyvay Teriyaki sauce $3.29
- Agave Nectar $6.49
- 1 Sweet Baby Ray Buffalo Sauce $1.99
- 2 Sweet Baby Ray BBQ Sauce $2.00
- 2 Real Lime $3.98
- Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb $4.99
- Lipton onion soup (4 or 6 pack) $5.99
- Italian
Dressing $3.00
- Pataks
Chicken Tikka Masala 2@ $4.99
- Grey
Poupon Dijon Mustard 2@ $6.99
- Goya
Sofrito $3.99
- Garlic
Stuffed Olives $6.99
- Brown
Sugar (4lb) $2.99
- 12
pk boneless chicken breasts $20.81
- 12
pk boneless chicken breasts $20.36
- 12
pk boneless chicken breasts $18.39
- 12
pk boneless chicken breasts $23.56
- 12
pk chicken thighs $10.14
- 30pk
chicken wings $17.04
- 4
Pork Tenderloins $15.09
- 2
split chicken breasts (4lb) $13.00
- 4
lb beef stew chunks $16.20
- Top
round steak $17.08
- Baby
back ribs (2 racks) $15.10
- Bag
of frozen peas $6.49
- bag
of frozen peppers and onions $5.99
Total: $271.68
Other spices needed (I already had):
- cumin
- ground mustard
- ground nutmeg
- ground thyme
- dried oregano
- salt
- pepper
- allspice
- soy sauce
- Worcestershire
sauce
- Ketchup
- All
purpose flour
- 2
c. plain greek yogurt
- 1
quart of heavy cream
- 2
cans (20 oz) diced pineapples
- Curry powder
- chili
powder
- cayenne
- paprika
- garlic
salt
- Onion
powder
- sesame
seeds
- 2
fresh onions
- 20
fresh garlic cloves
- 2
oranges
- fresh
ginger
- 3
bags baby carrots
- garlic
oil
- vegetable
oil
- olive
oil
- peanut
oil
- balsamic
vinegar
- white
vinegar
- Dried
Chipotle peppers
RECIPES: (REPLACED all HONEY with AGAVE)
· Agave Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin (See pic) X2
BBQ Ribs
(see pic) X2
- Cook on low 6-7 hours and then broil in oven for 5 min for char
·
Jerk
Chicken X2
- 2 skinless chicken breasts
- 1c. water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg & allspice
- 1 tsp salt, cayenne pepper & ground ginger
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 c. frozen onions and peppers
·
Curry
Chicken (my recipe) X3
o
4 breasts
o
3 tbsp curry powder
o
2 c. frozen peas
o
1 can diced tomatoes
o
1 c. heavy cream
o
1 tbsp garlic salt
o
1 tsp ground black pepper
o
1 tbsp garlic oil
·
Chicken
Tikka Masala X2
o
2 breasts
o
1 jar patak’s tikka masala mix
o
1 c. yogurt
1 tsp cayenne pepper or 8 oz of pineapple juice (it will cut the acidity)
Or you can follow recipe below.
·
Buffalo
Chicken Wings X3
o
Pour Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo sauce onto wings until they are covered
- Bake covered for 45 min at 350 degrees F
- Bake uncovered for 15 min (bake longer as needed so that skin is crispy)
- Broil for 5 min
·
Pollo
Guisado (stewed Chicken) X2
- 1/2 GOYA Sofrito container
- 1/2 can tomato sauce
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1-1 1/2 c. of water
o
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
o
small bag of baby carrots
o
1 20 oz cans of pineapple, undrained
o
4 garlic cloves, chopped
o
1 medium red onion, cut into chunks
o
1 cup Teriyaki Sauce
o
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
(cut into bite size pieces)
o
3 tbsp peanut oil
o
juice of 2 oranges
o
1 tsp fresh ginger
o
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
o
handful of cashews (as garnish)
· Chipotle
Lime Chicken X3
- 1 lb Chicken Breast
- juice of 4 small limes
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried chipotle pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 handfuls chopped fresh cilantro
·
Garlic
& Herb Marinated Chicken X3
o
4 breasts
o
1 c. Italian dressing
o
3 tbsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herbs
o
1 red pepper
·
Ropa
Vieja (old clothes)/Shredded Steak (see pic) X3
·
Peruvian
Beef Stew (see pic) X 1
o
1 lb. stew meat
o
2 tsp. olive oil
o
1 onion, thickly sliced
o
1 tbsp. minced garlic
o
1/2 cup soy sauce (I used wheat free
tamari)
o
1/2 cup water
o
1/2 cup brown sugar
o
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
·
Agave
Mustard Chicken Thighs (see pic) X3
·
Lechon
(pork tenderloin) (see pic) X2
GOOD LUCK!!!!
