HAPPY MONDAY!! I am hoping that your Monday is starting out GREAT so far. This week is a crazy busy week for us …because its the week before Mardi Gras and we are getting ready to leave TOWN and head to DISNEYWORLD for 7 days!! And on top of getting all packed up and leaving…the kids have EXAMS this week and wrapping up the final week before the nine week ends. So….this week I am I have a SUPER easy menu and meal planning for YOU!! I did my WAL-MART pickup yesterday …if you haven’t tried it…you NEED TOO…it is such a TIME SAVING method and you won’t be OVER SPENDING! I picked up 10 pounds of lean ground meat this week for all my meals.
I would take out a HUGE pot…usually I take out my Le Creuset Dutch Oven and throw in the whole 10 pounds and cook it up. I would seasoning the whole pot of ground meat with garlic powder, pepper, salt, onion powder. I usually try to season it with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, onion, salt per pound….and 1/4 pepper per pound. Once the meat is cooked…I would then portion it out to individual meals. MAKE SURE that if you have hamburger in your weeks meal plan you leave that meat uncook and season the meat then make the hamburger patty and store in an airtight container…and KEEP in the refrigerator if you are cooking it in the next day…if NOT…STICK the uncooked MEAT in the FREEZER!!! Only keep it in the refrigerator if you are cooking the UNCOOKED meat in 1 day or 2.
After the meats are cooked and have been PORTION out…let it cool then keep it in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator.
Now that I have all my meats precooked….all I have to do is on the day of…I just put the cooked meats in the pot and add the seasonings that is needed….for EXAMPLE: TACO…I would just add the taco seasonings in the precooked meats.
I have been meal planning this way for the past few years. I would buy 2 protein and just rotate it throughout the week.
This week:
Monday: Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce (spaghetti sauce and seasoning)
Tuesday: Beef Enchiladas and Taco (just needed to add the taco seasoning…I used 1 pound of meat for my beef enchilada)
Wednesday: Bake Spaghetti (I used my left over bolognese sauce and pasta. All I had to do is add the cheese to the top and bake)
Thursday: mini Hamburgers (I freeze 3 pounds of UNCOOKED lean ground beef —I just seasoned it with garlic powder, pepper, salt and onion powder. Then I form 12 little hamburger patty. Store in an airtight freezer container.
Friday: Chili with beans (added my chili seasoning, tomato cans, bean cans, onions, garlic, beef stock)
Doing it this way…cuts down my cooking tremendously. Even if you don’t want to USE the SAME PROTEIN the whole week..you can always precook the ground meat and use it the following weeks…for when you do have a HECTIC SCHEDULE. I also cut my veggies ahead of time too… I would cut 2 onions, minced my bag of garlic, celery, bell pepper and PUT them all in an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator. So, all I have to do when I am preparing dinner is just throw everything in the pot…not having to STOP and chop or minced SAVES so MUCH TIME!!
Bolognese Sauce
CHILI with beans (I used 2 cans of beans)
Beef Enchilada
Beef Enchiladas with Mexican Blend Cheese
Taco
TACO
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