10 Meals in an Hour™: Part 6

Here at Living Well Spending Less we are 100% committed to bringing you easy recipes that taste great and don’t take a lot of time, effort, or expensive ingredients to throw together. As a busy mom, I also want meals that can be made and frozen ahead of time to save time on hectic weeknights, especially as part of a Sunday Prep plan. My goal is to spend less time in the kitchen, not more, but I still want to be able to provide tasty meals that my family loves (and avoid eating out when we can!)

Over the past year we have shared five different 10 Meals in One Hour™ plans, which have each included 5 great freezer recipes that can be prepared together in about sixty minutes. (You can find the previous plans here: Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4 and Part 5 )  They have been a huge hit, not only with our own families, but with many of your families as well, and we’ve absolutely loved hearing how much you all are enjoying these tasty recipes!

Today I am super excited to share with you a new series of internationally inspired recipes–we’re calling it “Global Flavors.” And believe me when I tell you it is our yummiest–and easiest–plan yet!

As usual, in order to make the cut, each recipe must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Deemed delicious by both my kids and husband
• No pre-cooking required
• Freezer friendly
• Easy to cook
• Uses budget-friendly ingredients and pantry staples

In this one post you will find everything you need to prep 10 awesome freezer meals in about an hour of hands-on time (not including grocery shopping.)   Just think, in just one quick weekend session you could have almost two weeks worth of absolutely delicious, family-friendly meals all ready to go!

Before you begin, you will need to gather your tools & supplies and also make sure that you have all your groceries on hand. I find it is easiest to go grocery shopping the day before I do my cooking. To save time unloading, only put away the items that need to be refrigerated. Finally, make sure your kitchen counters are cleared of clutter and sanitized and empty your dishwasher and sink of any dishes. (Check out this post for more tips on freezer cooking like a pro!)

 

10 Meals in an Hour™: Part 6

Here are the five recipes we will be making:

• Easy Thai Chicken
• Easy Pesto Chicken
• Grilled Steak Tacos
• Easy Greek Chicken
• Easy Freezer Bacon & Blue Cheese Burgers

Here are the supplies you will need:

• 10 gallon size zipper freezer bags
• Avery 8163 shipping labels or permanent marker
• large mixing bowl
• cutting board
• sharp knife
• garlic press
• can opener
• dry measuring cups
• liquid measuring cups
• dry measuring spoons
• liquid measuring spoons

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Produce

• 2 sweet onions
• 2 bunches green onions
• 5 limes
• 2 lemons
• 2 packages shredded lettuce (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 2 avocado(optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary
• 12 cloves garlic
• 2 plum tomatoes ( optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 1 beefsteak tomato (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 1 head lettuce (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)

Pantry Staples

• Olive oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• Ketchup (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• Mayonnaise (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• Rice (optional; only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• Black pepper
• Salt
• McCormick Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning
• chili powder
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• ginger(freeze dried or fresh)
• apple cider vinegar

Canned/Dry Goods

• 1 13.5oz can coconut milk
• 1 bottle fish sauce (found in Asian food section)
• 1 bottle Sriracha
• 1 can cola
• 1 16oz jar chunky salsa (only needed for cooking day, not for prep)
• 2  8oz jars pesto

Bread

• hamburger buns (cooking day only)
• taco shells (cooking day only)

Dairy

• 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese (optional,cooking day only)
• 5oz blue cheese crumbles
• 1 package shredded cheddar cheese (optional, cooking day only)

Meat

• 6-8 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 2-3 pounds lean ground beef sirloin
• 1 pound bacon
• 2 3-4 pounds skirt steak

PRINT

Be sure to print the following recipes:

• Easy Thai Chicken
• Easy Pesto Chicken
• Grilled Steak Tacos
• Easy Greek Chicken
• Easy Freezer Bacon & Blue Cheese Burgers

PREP

1. Prep your bags—either print labels using these ready-made printable labels or use a permanent marker to label each bag with the name of the recipe, date prepared, and cooking instructions. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! While you might think that you’ll remember what is in every bag, I promise you will forget!
2. Cook bacon and set aside
3. Chop onion and set aside
4. Chop green onion and set aside
5. Juice lemons and set aside
6. Juice limes and set aside.
7. Chop rosemary and set aside.
8. Peel and mince garlic and set aside
9. Prep raw chicken

PREPARE

1. Prep Easy Thai Chicken using instructions found here. Divide mixture into 2 freezer bags, press out excess air, and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
2. Prep Easy Pesto Chicken using instructions found here. Divide mixture into 2 freezer bags, press out excess air, and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
3. Prep Grilled Steak Tacos using instructions found here. Place meat into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
4. Prep Easy Greek Chicken using instructions found here. Place chicken into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
5. Prep Easy Freezer Bacon & Blue Cheese Burgers using instructions found Here. Place chicken into 2 freezer bags and cover with marinade, then press out excess air and seal well. Place bags in refrigerator.
6. Once all prep is complete, place all bags in freezer until needed. After you’ve made your meal plan for the coming week, consider setting an alert on your phone to remind you to take your bag out to thaw the day before you plan to make it.

Want more 10 Meals in an Hour? Check out the entire series!

1. 10 Meals in an Hour
2. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 2
3. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 3
4. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 4
5. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 5
6. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 6
7. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 7
8. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 8
9. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 9
10. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 10
11. 10 Meals in an Hour Part 11

Have you tried making 10 meals in an hour yet? What tricks or tips can you share?