Meal Prep & Quality Time

One of the best ways I have been able to reduce costs is to not dine out and to buy and cook in bulk. Typically, I on Saturday morning, I plan what I am going to eat for the week and go to the store to get the needed food. This plan involves taking a good inventory of what I already have and determining as I look at my recipes what I need to get versus what I already have or can use as a substitute in my weekly meals. At the store I typically purchase store brand items to save on cost and buy bulk for this I use frequently, like pasta. Of course living in a small RV I am always careful about not getting too much and cluttering our lives. 

This week my daughter told me she wanted pot roast so I picked out a 2.5 pound roast, some small potatoes, baby carrots, an onion, and a pot roast seasoning pack. This feeds the two of us about four days, so that is what we will have for dinner Monday-Thursday. We made this on Saturday and it was a great activity for my daughter and I to prep this together. She really enjoys helping me cook and I really enjoy the company. My daughter washes the potatoes and mixes the seasoning with water (2 cups) while I sear the roast and cut the onion. I rub the roast with olive oil, sea salt, and cracker black pepper for 40 seconds on each side. We put the onion in the bottom of the crock pot and put the roast on top of it. Then my daughter adds the potatoes and the seasoning mix. We cook on low for eight hours. At the four hour mark we add the baby carrots, any longer than that and they turn to mush.

For my lunches I like to make pasta in my crock pot. Last week we did baked ziti, this week I am making Spaghetti with Polska Kielbasa in vodka sauce. For this I already had pasta, onion (1/3 onion left over I did not put in the roast), and Kielbasa so I needed vodka sauce and diced tomatoes. My daughter puts the jar of pasta sauce in the crock pot along with 3 cups of water while I open the can of diced tomatoes. She then adds the diced tomatoes and the onion. You can also add garlic, Italian seasoning, and hot pepper flakes if you like, we have these on hand so we always add them. She stirs it up while I cut up the Kielbasa. We cook on low for six hours. About two and a half hours in, I brown up the Kielbasa and add it at the three hour point. I then break up the spaghetti into thirds (I read online for crock pot pasta that short pasta works best so I make my pasta shortish). At the six hour point, I turn the crock pot to high and add the pasta. It cooks on high for 20-30 minutes. The pasta handily feeds the two of us all week. 

For breakfast, I my daughter likes to eat fruit, sausage, and carrots. Why carrots, I don’t know but she’s four years old so if this is what makes her happy then I support it. She goes through phases with fruits. Last week it was bananas and oranges. This week it is apples and bananas. On occasion she likes to eat some shredded cheese which I always have on hand because I love cheese. For me, I eat some toasted Italian bread from the Wal-Mart bakery with my breakfast as well. We really like it and an entire loaf costs $1. 

My grocery bill, included other household and toiletry items needed for maintaining a home costs me about $75 per week. K-cups typically being my largest single line item. I was getting the Dunkin Brand hazelnut K-cups but this week I transitioned to the Wal-Mart hazelnut K-cups and they are an adequate replacement and just over half the price. I work hard to stay away from single use items.

I hope this has been useful and I would love to hear what you all use to keep that grocery bill in check. As a portion of my monthly expenses it is nearly 25% at approximately $300. I look forward to your tips and tricks.