Cooking Day 1

I decided to show you my tips and tricks during cooking day. I am prepping for Week 1: Cheeseburger Soup, Burritos!, Breakfast Cassarole, and Chicken Yum Yum.

Step 1. FEED YOUR FAMILY! (you can't have them hungry while you're cooking all this food smelling up the house... they'll eat your work!)

Step 2. Get a trash bag in place near your chopping and prep area... my trash can is by the stove. The counter I chop on.. is NOT. So I hung a bag on a hook so I could keep the trash out of my way as I chopped and worked my veggies.


Step 3. Chop everything at the same time! I chopped nearly a whole bag of onions. I will freeze whatever I don't use in a rubbermaid container (**top the onion with plastic wrap to keep the smell down in the freezer!)and use the frozen chopped onion on my other cooking days. Here is how I chop an onion, simple and easy...

*click on the picture to view a larger image!
1. Cut the ends off of the onion.
2. Stand the onion on a cut end, and cut it in half.
3. Peel the halves, put trash in bag.
4. Peel all of your onions that you are going to chop.
5. Lay the cut side down. Make a bunch of slices across the onion. Do not SLICE all the way to the end... leave some room so the slices stay together.
6. Slice going the other direction to chop. Onion will naturally fall apart in small pieces because of the layers :)
7. Place in container. Use what you need and freeze the rest!

Step 4. Brown all of the hamburger that you purchased (I bought the biggest package... 3 or 5 lbs?). Season with your typical seasoning mix... This is mine:


If you like onions like we do... brown the hamburger with about a cup of onion (more or less to taste)



Allow the hamburger to brown while you're chopping more veggies. When it is done, drain it well, and allow it to cool.



Step 5. Chop green peppers. If you're like me, when I started cooking... I had no idea what to do with a green pepper. Thank heavens for Rachel Ray and the Food Network! Here is how I chop a green pepper...

*click on the picture to view a larger image!
1. Wash the peppers well.
2. Pat them dry (you want to try to keep your veggies as dry as possible. you are freezing them... water + freezer = ice... I'm guessing you don't want too many ice chunks in your food!)
3. Cut peppers in half long ways.
4. Pull out the seeds and stem over your trash bag. Try to remove most of the white ribbing and all of the seeds (that's what gives you heartburn...)
5. Lay the halves CUT SIDE UP (this will prevent ACCIDENTS!), slice into strips.
6. Gather the strips and chop.

Step 6. Saute 2 c. onions, 2 green peppers, and a tbs of minced garlic on medium heat until transparent. I use the jar of minced garlic (I'm not ashamed either!). A head of garlic in my house grows stems and leaves before I get it used! Of course, with this cooking plan maybe it wouldn't... but whatever you like. I like the jar because it lasts forever, it's already minced and waiting. Keep it in the fridge! Use a CLEAN spoon to get garlic out of jar.. you don't want to cross contaminate!




Step 6. Chop 5 potatoes, 1 c. carrots, and 3 stalks of celery.

I leave the peel on the potatoes (gasp!). I scrub them really well...

It's rustic, there's vitamins in the peel, I just know it.. haha and it's easy. Peel your potatoes if you're feeling frisky, or have an older child who's itching to help. Chop potatoes in equal sized pieces (not my strong suit).

Put chopped potatoes in baggie labeled (Cheeseburger Soup).
Rinse and dry your baby carrots (about a cup) and cut them in half short ways if they're chubby. Roughly chop celery. USE the middle of the stalk.. leaves and all! It's where all the flavor is! :) Save that other stuff for a peanut butter scooby snack later... Put carrots and celery in Cheeseburger Soup baggie.


Top with COOLED browned hamburger. Try to squeeze as much air out as you can, and seal the baggie. FREEZE. Cheeseburger soup.. CHECK!

Step 7. (If you're thinking ahead... feed your people bacon for breakfast and sneak 6 to 8 strips for this next step. If not, crisp some bacon.) Chop the cooled bacon.

Put in baggie labeled (Breakfast Casserole). Add cooled sauteed onion, green pepper, and garlic. Air out of baggie, seal, and FREEZE. Breakfast Casserole.. CHECK!


Step 8. To get liquids and other tricky things inside baggies without any help... put the baggie into a bowl and fold the sides over... press the baggie down. The bowl holds it for you! :) Place a baggie labeled (Chicken Yum Yum) over a bowl.

Add 2 cans of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, 1 pkg of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, 1 c. long grain rice, 1/2 c. of milk. As the bowl gets more full... pull up the sides of the bag. Stir with a spatula to mix. Air out of baggie, seal, and FREEZE. Check on your chicken plans. If you are thinking of doing a whole chicken and it's frozen.. PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE NOW! You can't get the neck and innards out of a frozen chicken.. it's too hard! lol literally.. If you're using breasts, get them out of the freezer the night before so they're easy to work with. Chicken Yum Yum... CHECK!


Step 9. The burritos take some extra prep on eating day. Not much, but a little prep. Here are the ingredients... freeze your stew meat (or leave it fresh if you're eating it soon..)You can chop the tomatoes and shred the lettuce now or wait till eating day (if you choose those toppings..)

Burritos... CHECK!

Step 10. Put the extra browned hamburger in a baggie! It is ready to add to future CPRs! Put the extra onion in the freezer!

And that's it. Have your husband clean off a shelf in the freezer (or do it yourself.. sigh) he did it for me :D LOL He also ate part of my browned hamburger.. ahem. haha If you're lucky... he'll load the dishwasher for you too :) I'm so lucky!

Step 11. Do the dishes! Remember... you'll only be loading and unloading the dishwasher and washing the croc pot during the week.. easy peasy! Use paper plates if you want. I may break out the real plates! lol With so much less prep time daily, I don't mind doing a little more dishwasher-ing.


Now.. you have a weeks worth of meals ready to go! See other great resources... detailed recipes (what to do on cooking day and eating day), menus, and grocery lists on the right sidebar! :)