Stock Your Freezer: Nine Meals Under $3.00 Per Person!

This past Sunday, a friend came over and we worked hard for five hours to make this:

Well, in fact, we made more than what you see in this picture. This is just my half of what we made (and there's one chicken dish missing... 'cause we ate it right away)!

That's nine meals prepped for my freezer at a cost of $2.20 per person. Nine meals that, even with the addition of one or two side dishes and/or pasta, cost under $3.00 per person. Note that many ingredients, such as the tomatoes and chicken, were organic, so that's an amazing cost. The cost would have gone down even further if I had planned meals around sale items. Here's what I put in my freezer:

2 x Lemon chicken with carrots and olives (one not frozen because we ate it right away)
1 x Pepper-lime chicken
2 x Adzuki bean and yam burgers
2 x Tomato sauce
2 x Tomato sauce with meatballs that I prepped the day before (plus one more small batch of tomato sauce with meatballs just for mama... I'm dreaming of a delicious submarine sandwich...)

We also had some leftover boiled and mashed yam. I froze mine in one cup portions that I will use in muffins. We also made some mashed potato mounds that can simply be heated up to pair with a steak or one of the chicken dishes. We also had a couple of baked potatoes left over that can be defrosted, sliced and fried to accompany a nice weekend breakfast or breakfast for dinner on a busy night.

I have to say, this is really the way to go. I had a nice visit with a friend, we both stocked our freezers with a couple of weeks worth of meals and sides, we saved money and we freed up some time in the future. Having these meals ready to go means not having to spend an hour in the kitchen at the end of a long day. Yes, prep day was long and tiring, but it was just half of one day. It was also cheaper to prepare the food all at once - one trip to the store and no waste when you realize a meal you planned to make but had no time for has been in the fridge too long and needs to be thrown out. There is some work to do ahead of time to choose recipes, decide how many batches you will make, create the grocery list, buy the groceries and prep some of the food. For example, I boiled and mashed the yams the day ahead and my friend cooked the beans ahead of time. To me, it was totally worth it to not have to ask or answer the question, "What's for dinner?" for at least a couple of weeks!

You can find the recipe for the Roasted Chicken And Carrots With Olives And Lemons here:

Roasted Chicken And Carrots With Olives And Lemons

Happy cooking!

Sue

I'm linked up with:

HELP Lyme Disease Patients Receive Proper Diagnosis and Treatment SUPPORT Elizabeth May's Private Member Bill C-442

Canadians, please support Elizabeth May's Private Member Bill C-442 and help Lyme Disease patients to receive diagnosis and treatment.

Will you please sign a petition that, if passed, will result in a conference between ministers, medical professionals and patients to develop "a national strategy to ensure the recognition, timely diagnosis, and effective treatment of Lyme disease" in our Country? Currently we follow the American guidelines that do not adequately diagnose and treat this treatable disease while patients suffer more and more disability. If you are able to get additional signatures from friends, relatives and people where you work that would be helpful, but please know that even if you can only send in your own signature it will help. There is no charge for postage (mailing instructions are at the bottom of the petition). The cost to you is time, the cost to print the petition, and an envelope. The reward, in addition to my gratitude, is immeasurable in terms of the number of people that may be helped in the future, including perhaps even someone you know and love. This is something that would need to be done fairly soon. The bill is fourth in line to be presented at the House of Commons. It may be presented sometime this month, and perhaps even by mid-November. Thank-you so, so much!

Note that only signatures on paper count. Online signatures are a show of support only and are not counted as a petition signature.

Click on the following link to access and print the petition. Instructions can be found at the end of the petition. http://elizabethmaymp.ca/wp-content/uploads/bill-c-442-lyme-disease-petition.pdf


Lyme Disease Rally, May 2013, Victoria, BC Canada - Avery's speech from Graham Goertzen on Vimeo.

For more information on Lyme Disease, visit CanLyme.

Also see CBC's The Nature of Things documentary on Lyme Disease in Canada, Ticked Off: The Nature of Things.