A friend of mine shared this photo with me. She spent $350 and 4 hours putting together 40 crock-pot meals for her family of 6! Check it out:
She is a full time working mama of 4 busy boys. Coming home in the evenings after work, sports practices, school events, etc made dinner time kind of hectic for them. Being the resourceful mama she is, she made a plan that would allow for more quality family time in the evenings AND save them money. A trip to the grocery store and a few hours later, she has healthy, ready-made, meals to throw in her crock-pot in the morning. And will come home in the evening to a yummy smelling, home-made, family dinner …FOR 40 NIGHTS! I am in serious awe!
She shared a few tips:
- Select 20 recipes and double them. This cuts down on the initial meal planning and prep time.
- This is the perfect opportunity to buy in bulk. Do so and take full advnatage of the savings.
- Clearly label each bag, including any extra that need to be added at the end of cook time such as rice, noodles, etc.
- Use a food processor to assist with all that chopping.
- Use pintrest to find crockpot recipes that freeze well. My friend did a trial run with a few to ensure they would taste yummy once thawed.
After chatting with my friend about this, I know exactly what I am asking for for my birthday this month…a family sized crock-pot! 😉 Yep, believe or not I have never actually used a crock-pot. Although now I am super eager to try something like this for my family. What about you? 🙂
Do you use a crock pot to simplify family dinners? Any tips, suggestions, or links to share? Would love to hear from YOU!
-Sarah
