Preparing for a Big Cook

I will be starting a work contract next week so it is time to fill the freezer. 

Step 1 was to defrost the freezer. I have not done this for 5 months so in order to fit my proposed 30 suppers into the freezer I needed to get rid of the frost build up.  

Step 2 is choosing the menu.  I am going to go out on a limb this time around and try a few new recipes.  The new recipes have come from my free time habit of Pinterest and then my family's favourites.  

Chicken Noodle Soup - family favourite

Crockpot Beef Roast -family favourite

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Turkey Chili

Lasagna -family favourite

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Salmon in Marinade

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

Step 3 was preparing my grocery list. In chicken scratch, I recorded all the ingredients I needed and compiled the shopping list you see below.  I could get all fancy and develop a spreadsheet of recipes and servings but I'm not the engineer in the family and am looking to make the job as fast as possible.  Saving time is the goal of batch cooking.  

I love using this grocery list. It is a pad that I found at chapters a few years ago. One will last almost a year if you get groceries once a week.  A strong magnet on the back lets it stick to the front of my pantry freezer and then I add as I discover what I need. When it is time to head to the store I have a list already to go without too much thought.  

That could really be another whole post!  I have headed to the store without a list before. I stood in my pantry prior to leaving and took pictures with my phone. It worked for wondering if I had the item or not once I was at the store. 

Here I am at the grocery store ready to shop!  My preference is to use the Real Canadian Superstore and Costco.  On this particular Big Cook I was able to purchase everything I needed at the Superstore.  

Why do I choose them?  I bring my own bags, they package meat in large serving sizes, their prices are significantly cheaper than Safeway and Sobey's, and with a $250 purchase I receive a $25. Gift card for the next time I shop.  That is another 10% off the already best price in town. I also enjoy the fact that I can pack my own bins or bags.  This way I organize it at the store for what needs to be put away immediately when I get home.  If I could, I would really prefer to scan my own groceries at the self scan but again that is probably a bit of my controlling issues showing through.

Step 4 is going to be getting those groceries into the kitchen.  Join me again when I have a minute to post  "Inside the Grocery Store" and then "The Cooking Part of a Big Cook". 

Have a Sunny Day, 

Danine

Preschool Meal Exchange

I had already been booked to do a Simply Supper Meal Preparation when I was asked to do this Preschool Meal Exchange.  I am always open to learning and gaining knowledge so I said yes and joined this meal exchange too. 

A group of 5 moms from my second son’s preschool decided to make 10 different meals.  Each mom made 2 different meals 5 times.    One mom was the organizer who decided the 10 meals, made copies of the recipes to distribute, and figure out a delivery schedule.  Once the email with all the choices came out we signed up for which we wanted to make.  I chose two pork meals.  There were also chicken and beef based meals.  

We were given a month’s notice and did the actual exchange in the cold (but really it wasn’t a cold day) at the preschool parking lot.  This worked well as we could pull the prepared frozen meals out of our freezer, run them to school with our kids, and then return home with the new meals for the freezer again.  

I did my meals up the day before.  I shopped in the morning with my regular weekly trip on monday mornings and then spent 2 hours in the afternoon preparing.  2 hours is all that it took to put 13 meals in the freezer and number 14 was what we ate for supper.  We were only required to prepare 10 meals but the portions I purchased allowed for a few extras to go into my freezer. 

In the end the 2 meals ( 5 of each recipe) that I had contributed to the exchange worked out to be $12.00 each.  All the ingredients as well as the ziploc baggies are included in that price.  I should also note that the $12.00 was based on the 10 meals and I did not include the other 4 meals that I got out of the portions I purchased.  With those included the price was even lower at $8.47 each.  That “meal” will feed 3 adults and 4 children with leftovers for the Daddy’s midnight snack.  For a smaller family the recipe would easily last for 2 suppers.

 Others in the exchange had expressed that their meals were more expensive to create.  It was agreed and expressed before doing the exchange that you were in full control of your meals.  It was your choice to shop were you preferred.  

My meats came from Costco and the balance of ingredients were from the Superstore. The meats were the same price from Superstore or Costco however the quality was higher from Costco.  

All of the meals were good.  There were a few that were exceptional!  We loved the sweet and sour meatballs so much that it is the first recipe added to the exchange I am preparing right now.  There is only 1 meal that I would not ever make again.  And that truly isn’t fair to say without adding that it was just the recipe that needs to be tweaked for my family.  We would use much less red wine vinegar.  It had much too much tart for our house.  

If you are hesitant to try a specific retail location for supper preparation but think the idea of it is cool start this way.  It does have more labour involved but the price is much cheaper.  

That’s my 2 cents for the day, 

Danine 

Simply Supper

Well after being told about this fabulous way of preparing suppers I finally put it higher on my priority list and made it happen.  

A few weeks back on a Friday night I took my oldest son with me on a special date.  

We attended Simply Supper in Edmonton, AB.  We made 12 suppers in 1 hour and 15 minutes! 

I chose from a long list of possibilities for the month that were being offered through their website.  They had a great list of meals with an explanation of ingredients listed beside each.  I narrowed my choices down to 6 and decided to double each one.  

I came home with 6 different meals to prepare 2 times.  

They were all transferred to the freezer and on those rushed evenings of activities I am not preparing food all day I simply need to spend 30-45  minutes of cook time without the preparation.  With 4 little boys at my feet, any time not needed in the kitchen is wonderful.  

I am very happy to have made the time to go and discover for myself what I had been told about.  

The meals have been wonderful and there is only one yet to sample.  


The price did scare me a little bit.  My budget is to stay inside of $15.00 for a supper which will feed 3 adults and 4 children.  I even try to go as low as $10.00 per meal.  The price per meal when broke out in the same manner is $25.00.  After, thought and tasting the great meals, the price is not expensive.  I am not spending time to plan what I am going to make, creating the grocery list, shopping, or prep time for the meal each day at home and I can turn the attention to the boys instead. 

The other wonderful thing is that my son had an awesome time being one on one with Mommy.  He even made a little video at a restaurant afterwards to tell me how much he enjoyed being on a date with me and not having to share me. 

More than the time I have saved in the kitchen my children are made the priority and that brings a very large smile to my face.  

Thanks for visiting,

Danine

Advent Book Calendar

This has been a fabulous idea for the past 2 christmas’s at our house.  Originally passed on to me as an idea from a friend who read about it at www.ohdeedoh.com   I rounded up all the Christmas books we had on our bookcase and started wrapping.  I did not have enough books to fill all 24 days required but that is where the library comes in.  A quick trip and I had all I needed.  

I wrapped the books using a kids craft paper roll from Ikea.  A $5.00 roll will wrap alot of books.  There was plenty left over, enough for maybe 3 years of wrapping books.  I marked the outside of the packages with an “L” for Library to be sure I used those books at the beginning of the calendar.  This way I was not going to pay for late fines once we reached our 3 week borrowing period.  

The kids then helped to stamp all the days of December on the upper right corner with Riding Hood Red ink from Stampin’ Up!  it was a fun way to get the kids involved without it being overwhelming for me (the oldest of my 4 boys is 6).  This project truly took an hour from start to finish.  There was the trip to the library but that is a regular activity for the kids anyway.  

It made it real easy to decide which book was going to be read at bedtime and now the kids look forward to the tradition of opening one book each night before bed during the month of December.   

Danine