For anyone following and wondering what all this Freezer - Slow Cooking system is or looks like, hope fully this explains it better.
Yesterday was my prep day. Here is a couple of pictures of my before and after
Here is some of the meat, vegies, etc, prior to bagging it all up.
A couple of hours later here is a sample of what they became .....
All labelled, chopped up and bagged, ready for the freezer.
Generally my pre "prep" day is finding the recipes I want to use (from blogs, Taste.com.au, forums, etc) I usually add these to my favourites bar for a quick reference. I then cut and past the ingredients into a word document, then collate the ingredients list, then removing items I might already have on hand - usually spices, sauces etc. Then it's off to the shops! I usually shop at Coles - it's down the road. But my meat I get from the Gawler River Cattle Co, they have a few wholesale butchers around Adelaide. There's also an awesome Foodland at Thebarton which often has great meat prices and bulk vegies.
I usually look for Bulk Rump - $7-9kg, Chicken Breast $ 6.50-9.00kg Lamb $12.00kg, Pork $5.00-8.00kg That will help keep the $$ down, along with Vegies from a local F&V place. Foodland is often great for vegetable prices, local and well priced. Usually Capsicums $3-4kg, Potatoes 5kg $5, Carrots $1-2kg, etc.
I also buy brown onions in bulk. A 10kg bag costs $8, and lasts for ages without the onions going bad. Our last bag lasted us 4-5 months. Rice in bulk is also great. A 10kg bag can often by picked up for around $7.00
In the end I was able to prepare 16 meals and with the few left over vegies, I've chopped them up for a vegie soup.
Here is the next fortnight's meals
Chicken Korma with Chickpeas
Beef Casserole
Butter Chicken
Chilli Con Carne
Vegie Pasta Bake
Beef Rogan Josh
Beef pies
Beef Ragout x2
Lime Salsa Chicken
Roast Pork
Roast Chicken x2
Lasagne
Thai Red Chicken Curry
Garlic & Herb Lamb
This is saving me so much time and money and a great way to build up to Once a Month Cooking Shopping.
