Once a Month Meal Challenge

Once a Month Meal Challenge- Mission Completed
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE LIST (same order as below, you're welcome) 

I have been trying my hand at freezer meal cooking for some time and definitely found some meals that work and others that don't.  It is pretty much trial and error.  What I did find is that a significant amount of time gets put into planning, preparing, executing.  There's not a lot of advice out there on the entire process, just individual ingredients.  The first few times I did this I was a disaster, stressed over a messy kitchen, doing a million other things, and had a lot of wasted food.  

I put together this blog post as a guide for the entire process, using some of my own recipes and some from others.  In all, this once-a-month meal guide cost under $300 and from start to finish took about 6 hours (including eating time and a run to Kroger for a few ingredients I forgot).  I've created a master recipe list and shopping list for you.  Pay special attention to the order in which this all happens.  It will make your life easier if you just doing exactly what I tell you to do, trust me.  

Get your ingredients together: 
Shopping List: CLICK HERE- Cross off anything on the list you already have 
I am pretty strict about buying all organic animal products (meats, dairy, etc) which costs a little more than non-organic.  I encourage you to do your own research about what non-organic animal products are doing to our bodies.  As a mother of two daughters, I did a lot of research about what the hormones do (early onset puberty, prolonged estrogen exposure and increased breast cancer risk, etc).  Yes, my milk is $7 a gallon but oh well.   I only buy organic fruits and veggies if I plan on using/eating the skin.  

Side note: When you check out, people will probably look at you like you're part of the Duggers.  Who buys 20 chicken breasts? 

Ready?  

1.  Go to the grocery store.  Do not bring your children.  I repeat.  Do not bring your children.  I made this mistake and it resulted in me pushing the cart with my 1 1/2 year old and side-hip ninja carrying my other while she was kicking and screaming so I could take her to the bathroom in privacy to "correct" her behavior.  I ended up buying random items they threw in the cart without my seeing (pudding packs, whaaat?).  

2. Prepare your space
- Clean all of your surfaces (I use vinegar and lemon oil for cleaning my food surfaces...cheaper and non-toxic).  
- Get all of the clutter off your counters (flowers, toaster, candles, etc).  
- Put all cold items in the fridge, put dry ingredients on a separate counter so they are easily accessible.  
- I had two separate cutting stations setup- one for fruits/veggies/etc and one for meats.  This way I reduced any cross contamination and wasn't washing a million times.  
- Wash all of your veggies, place on cloth to dry.  

3. CRUCIAL STEP: Pour a glass of wine and get your kids out of the house. Hire a babysitter if you have to.  This is olympic style cooking, you have to be in the right mindset to compete.  Trying to find "Sofia the First", getting more juicy, finding Barbie's purple hair clip just doesn't fit into what we're doing here.  Bye Bye.  Now, put on your favorite music and try to enjoy this.  




4. Boil eggs- I boil 1 dozen.  (Leave water in pot, use it for pasta later).  You won't use all dozen but whatever I don't use, goes into the fridge for salad toppings.  

5. Put 6 chicken breasts in Slow Cooker (Shredded Chicken recipe) 

6. Get your Chop On
- Your life will be much easier if you get all of your chopping out of the way so you have the space to do what you need to do.  Most ingredients overlap between recipes so it's not that bad.  I use the empty egg carton to put small chopped stuff so I can just throw away when I'm done.  My husband thinks I'm a total hippie for doing this.  

7. Start your Lentil Soup

8. Salmon and Asparagus 

9. Kale Salad- Doesn't freeze, eat throughout the week with Grilled Chicken

10. Asian Lettuce Wraps

11. Szeshuan Steak- I do these in this order so I can use the same pan for the lettuce wraps and szeshuan sauce.  Similar flavors, less washing.  

12.  CRUCIAL STEP: 10 minute Quick Clean (Wipe counter, hand wash any bowls/tools used, place on counter to dry.  Pour Wine.  

Time Check: 2 hours in) 













13. Meatloaf

14.  Honey Garlic Chicken

15. Salmon Patties

16. Burger Patties

17.  10 Minute Quick Clean

18.  Chicken Piccatta

Time check: 4 hours in

19.  Shred Chicken (quesadilla's, BBQ, Quesadillas) 

20 . Grilling Chicken

21.  Calamari Pasta

22. Package your Lentil soup into containers, clean pot, set aside.  

22. Banana Dessert

23.  Garbage Salad- I put all unused veggies that have been chopped and prepared in a pyrex bowl to keep in the fridge.  Most days for lunch I pour over lettuce for a healthy salad.  No waste!

24.  Clean kitchen, pour wine.  I don't know about you but I was tipsy by the end.  

25.  Feed family calamari pasta, save and freeze other half.  

DONE! You did it! :) 

Helpful tip: I keep a small piece of paper on my fridge with a list of all of the meals in the freezer.  When I take one out, I cross if off the list.  That way I know what our dinner options are and I prevent freezer pile-up.  

PLEASE REMEMBER TO PIN THIS POST IF IT WAS HELPFUL FOR YOU

5 1/2 hours later this was my kitchen, back to normal.