How to cook once and feed your family for a week

One time cooking solution

Today, we are all busier than ever and anything we can do to help us save time is generally welcome. One of the things that consumes a lot of time is making meals every evening. However, this does not have to consume more than twenty or thirty minutes after you return home at night if you plan well!

Families love variety in their meals and we are interesting in providing them meals they love without spending hours each day slaving over a stove. This easy to prepare crock pot recipe can help you prepare a whole weeks worth of meals without spending hours each day cooking them individually. You will also find a suggestion for how to serve the meals throughout the week and keep dinner interesting and tasty as well as nutritious for your entire family. Enjoy!

Instructions

Step 1

Preparing Meat and Poultry

The first key to success using this preparation method of an entire week of meals is to prepare the meat and poultry properly.

Ground Beef — Prepare meatballs according to your favorite recipe, brown them and put them aside;

Sausage (hot and sweet) — Pierce the skin and brown in a skillet to release some of the fat (they can also be par-boiled if you prefer);

Kielbasa — Cut into 2 or 3 inch pieces;

Boneless chicken and pork chops — no special preparation required

Note: Make sure that you clean your cutting board and utensils properly between various cuts of meat.

Step 2

Peppers, Onions and Spices

Chop your onion into large pieces (avoid dicing) as they will shrink in the crock pot. Clean and chop peppers. The recommended size for pieces of peppers and onions are about 2 to 3 inch pieces. Feel free to add other vegetables keeping in mind that some cook faster than others and not all are suitable for crock pot use.

Step 3

Preparation Steps

Most people prefer that pork products are well cooked. When preparing this dish it is recommended that you place the sausage and boneless pork chops into the crock pot first.

Recommended order:

1. Sausage, boneless pork chops and 2 cans of crushed tomatoes should be mixed with peppers, onions and one half of seasonings of choice (1/2 will allow adjustments if it is too much). Cook on high for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2. Add browned meatballs to mix (stirring gently first) along with third can of crushed tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

3. Add boneless chicken breast, kielbasa and final can of crushed tomatoes to the crock pot. You can check the spice level and add additional spices if you desire.

Reduce heat to low and continue simmering for 4-6 hours (depending on watts of your crock pot).

Step 4

After Cooking

Once you are finished cooking, turn off the crock pot and allow to cool. Please note that if your crock pot has a plastic cover (which some do) you should tilt it to avoid creating a vacuum seal. If you are planning to use any portion of this for dinner on the day you are making it, you are all ready to serve after making your side dishes.

After everything has cooled to room temperature you can transfer it to freezer bags or to airtight plastic containers. You may chose to package the sauce separately.

Step 5

Freezing

After everything has cooled you can freeze all of your individual packages. If for any reason you think you will not use all of the items in one week, you should date them. These items may be packages on a «per person» or «per meal» basis depending on your preferences.

Things Needed