Last week, I was inspired to plan ahead a ton of meals. A few weeks ago, my husband and I were in Longo’s in Burlington, ON, and were looking at the prepared cold salads. The variety and array of selections made us greedy. We purchased a few and brought them home.
It was amazing to open the refrigerator and see selections of great healthy items. That same weekend, I made a Roasted Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, Turnip and Parsnip cream soup that was to die for- and I enjoyed it all week for my lunches.
It made me get inspired to create a cooking day to make and prepare 2 weeks worth of amazing meals – that would entice my husband and I, instead of saying with fatigue at the end of the day – … what should we order? We both have busy jobs, and often find it hard to have dinners ready on time.
Enter the crock pot. This wonderful appliance keeps popping up with new people discovering the joys of using them. The trick however, is to find amazing recipes that are outside the regular applications. Enter “Dump Dinners”, a phenomena on Pinterest.
These were my final selections – taken from my Pinterest Boards
Make Ahead Cold Salads for Meals
Crock Pot Ideas for Fall
Soup is a Meal
Once I compiled the list of recipes, I created a shopping list and then a “Work Plan”. Shopping was done on a Thursday evening, and on Sunday at 6:30 am I began. It was completed by 3:30 pm – and the kitchen was clean, and all food put away. Exhausting but such an accomplishment!
The Grocery List can be found HERE
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Many of these items – serve 4 – 6 – so you can break things down into smaller containers, or consider using the leftovers. I would recommend that you eat the cold salads the quickly. Starting with the Cucumber items. I find that cucumber when in a salad – does not last as long as other heartier vegetables in salads.
The soups can be stored in Mason jars – or you can prepare them in Rubbermaid or Ziplock Containers.
You will need a fair amount of salad bowls, pots and pans, and Ziplock bags, and Containers, sharp knives, cutting boards, measuring spoons, measuring cups, whisks, and mixing spoons. I also washed every single thing as I went along. So once a Salad was mixed and in containers the bowl was cleaned and either put away – or (IF it was larger – used for another salad that was ready but in a bowl that did not allow for mixing – too small)
Go through the Grocery List – and knock off items you might already have in your home. This particular list of items – was inspired by items that I had on hand and needed to use and finish. My total investment was $180.00 dollars, and this should provide delicious, healthy meals for my husband and I for 2 weeks.
The Final Selections were:
COLD SALADS:
Cucumber and Celery Tuna Salad
http://www.marthastewart.com/355328/cucumber-and-celery-salad-tuna
Apple and Celery Pasta Salad with Light Caesar Dressing
http://www.marthastewart.com/355328/cucumber-and-celery-salad-tuna
Roasted Beet Salad with Feta and Dill
http://www.thelifejolie.com/roasted-beet-salad/
Quinoa, Edamame and Black Rice Salad
http://www.ciaochowbambina.com/quinoa-edamame-black-rice-salad-2/
Quinoa Mango Black Bean Salad with Spiced Pipits and Chipotle Lime Dressing
http://vanillaandbean.com/quinoa-mango-black-bean-salad-with-smoky-pepitas-and-chipotle-lime-vinaigrette/
DUMP DINNERS:
Slow Cooker Korean Beef Tacos
http://www.laurengreutman.com/slow-cooker-korean-beef-tacos/
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
http://www.laurengreutman.com/crockpot-ropa-vieja/
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
http://www.laurengreutman.com/slow-cooker-mongolian-beef/
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
http://www.laurengreutman.com/white-chicken-chili/
Slow Cooker – Mushroom Barley Stew
Slow Cooker Lentil Butternut Squash Curry
Slow Cooker Sausage Lentil Soup
http://helloglow.co/slow-cooker-freezer-meals/
SOUPS:
Easy Thai Carrot Soup
http://www.veganfamilyrecipes.com/easy-thai-carrot-soup
Mushroom and Kale Soup
http://www.the36thavenue.com/mushroom-kale-soup-recipe/
Curried Cauliflower Rice Kale Soup
http://www.cottercrunch.com/curried-cauliflower-rice-kale-soup-paleo/