Meal Prep Monday : 4/2/18

Pot Roast, Barley, Peas & Carrots

2.81 lb pot roast ($7.78)

12 oz beer (Sam Adams Boston Lager)

1 lb pearled barley ($1.29)

2 lbs carrots ($1.79)

24 oz frozen peas ($2.00)

1/2 large sweet onion (1 @ $0.71)

5 oz mushrooms (8 oz @ $1.99)

1/4 c whole weat flour

1/4 c brown sugar

salt

garlic powder

($15.56)

=15 lunches @ <$1.04 ea

Pot Roast :  Mix flour & sugar in the bottom of a crock pot, then add the roast and roll around to coat with flour/sugar mixture.  Pour beer around the roast, then cook on high for 5.5-6 hours.  Once done, shred the roast into the liquid, then remove the meat and divide up into lunch containers.

The barley : Add 6 cups of water to a large pot along with barley and approx 1/2 tsp salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer with lid off until soft.  The package said 45 minutes...I forgot to watch the clock so I have no idea how long I cooked it for.  

The veggies : Chop the carrots and steam/saute with some olive oil and garlic powder.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Chop the onion and put it in the pan with olive oil.  When browned, add the peas and steam til peas are almost done.  Add chopped mushrooms, cook til done.  

The meal : Approx. 3/8 cup cooked barley, 2 spoonfuls carrots, 1.5 spoonfuls peas, a few pieces of shredded roast. I would normally put a bit more meat in each meal, but the roast wasn't quite big enough.  These meals are vegetable-heavy instead...probably healthier that way!

I started with 1/4 c each, but had some left over, so added another 1/8 to each meal.  Double meal containers got 1/2 c total. 

Pot Roast & Tomato Stew

1 pot roast c. 2.5 lbs

2 cans of diced tomatos (your choice of flavor)

a can of corn

3/4 yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic

flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder

barbecue sauce (your choice of flavor)

coat the meat with flour, cinnamon, and cocoa, place it in the bottom of a crockpot

saute the onion and garlic, then add to the crockpot

add a bit of barbecue sauce

dump in the contents of the cans, water and all

cook on high for 7 hours

shred the meat

Goes well with yellow corn tortilla chips

Crockpot Chicken Stew

3 b/s chicken breasts

4 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger root

1 small onion

5 celery sticks

7 small carrots

1 can of corn

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 1/2 c pumpkin

1 1/2 c veggie stock

basil

oregano

turmeric

cumin

Mince the garlic and ginger and saute them in bacon grease.  When they are browned, add the onion and cook til translucent.  Put the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, add the garlic, ginger, and onion on top.  Chop the celery and carrots, add them to the crockpot.  Add the corn, then the tomatoes.  Mix together the pumpkin with 1/2 c veggie stock, then pour it over the contents of the crockpot.  Mix the rest of the veggie stock with herbs & seasonings, then add to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours. When done cooking, shred the chicken and mix well.  

This made a tasty lunch on a stormy day.  I ate it with a gouda and spinach grilled cheese sandwich.

Pot Roast Sandwich

For the Pot Roast:

Sprinkle whole wheat flour and brown sugar across the bottom of a crockpot.  Roll a 2.5 lb roast around in the flour and sugar.  Mix together 1/2 c pumpkin, 1/2 c orange juice, and 1 c cranberry juice, then pour the mixture over the roast.  Cook on high for 6 hours, then shred the roast.  

For the Sandwich:

Toast a whole wheat bun.  Put a handful of arugula on the bottom half of the bun.  Cover with pot roast.  Add some tomato slices and avocado. Add the top bun.  

Eat. Devour.

Cranberry-Beef Stew

2 lb pot roast

(coat with wheat flour, cinnamon, and cocoa powder)

5 carrots

(chopped)

1/2 onion, 4 cloves garlic, big chunk of ginger

(chopped and sauteed)

1/2 c cranberries

1/2 c pumpkin, 1/2 c beef broth, 1 c cranberry juice

(blended)

5 large mushrooms, chopped

Place the coated pot roast in the bottom of a crockpot.  Put the sauteed stuff on top.  Dump the carrots on top, then the cranberries.  Pour the liquids over the contents of the pot, then scatter the mushrooms on top.  If you have a bunch of extra flour/cinnamon/cocoa coating like I did, sprinkle some on top.

 Cook on low for 7.5 hours. 

(My pot roast was pretty thin.  If yours is thicker it may take more time.)

When the meat is cooked through, remove it from the pot.  Shred the meat, discard the fat.

Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir well.

I ate mine with some barley.  Delicious.

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Ok, I'll be honest.  This probably shouldn't be called a chili...because there are no chilis in it.  But that's just because I don't eat spicy things.  If you try out this recipe, all ya gotta do is throw some chilis in the pot and then it can qualify as a chili.  Or maybe that's not how it works...I have no idea.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast 

1 giant scoop of pumpkin (probably 3/4+ c)

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can sweet corn

1/2 c veggie stock

1/2 c beef stock

3 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger root

small chunk of onion

4 radishes

Directions

Chop the onion and mince the garlic & ginger.  Brown them in a skillet.  Trim skin and excess fat off of the chicken, then place it in the bottom of the crockpot.  Don't worry about the bones for now.  Dump the onion/ginger/garlic on top of the chicken.  In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, tomatoes, corn, and stocks, and stir well.  (I used beef stock because that's what I had...I'm sure chicken stock would work just as well).  Add seasonings, stir again.  I used oregano, turmeric, garlic powder, and ginger powder.  Chop the radishes and add them to the bowl.  Mix it up.  Dump the contents of the bowl on top of the chicken.  

Put the lid on the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6.5-7 hours.  

Now for the fun part...removing the chicken bones.  The chicken should fall apart when you try to lift it out with a fork.  If you want to be more thorough than me, I suggest you use a very large spoon to get the chicken out.  Then shred it, remove all bones, and return the chicken to the crockpot.  I ended up shredding the chicken without taking it out of the crockpot, and then I had to go fishing for the bones.  I think I got them all...but I'm not positive....

I was going to make some cornbread to go with this chili, but I was too hungry after my run today to wait for it to cook, so I just ate a bowl of chili by itself.  (Ok, not entirely by itself, I had a bowl of pasta next to it).  I will hopefully make some cornbread tomorrow to go with it.  

Cider-Whiskey Pot Roast

2 large gold potatoes, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 c chopped cabbage

1/2 c mushrooms

2.5 lb pot roast

1/2 c Jameson Irish Whiskey

1 c apple cider

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

flour

cinnamon

Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a crock pot.  Layer the carrots on top, then the cabbage, then the ginger.  Coat the roast with flour and cinnamon, then place it on top of the vegetables.  Scatter the mushrooms around the roast.  Mix the cider and whiskey and pour it over the roast.  

Cook on high for 7 hours.

When done, shred the roast to be used in various dishes throughout the week. 

I think it will make a nice pulled-beef sandwich.  

I think I will also use some of it for home-made lo mein later this week.

Here's tomorrow's lunch.

Crock-Pot Ginger Veggies

I've been thinking about buying a crock-pot for a little while now, and yesterday I finally went out and bought one.  I'm hesitant to use it on school days because the idea of leaving it on all day while I'm away is rather scary.  But I think I will have fun with it on weekends.

For my first-ever attempt at crock-pot cooking, I made veggies, potatoes, and pork chops.

2 stalks of celery, chopped

3 small carrots, chopped 

1/3 yellow onion, chopped 

4 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, chopped

small handful of cranberries

1/4 c chicken broth

1/2 c apple cider

ginger root, grated

soy sauce

rice vinegar

olive oil

3 pork chops (seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, sage, thyme, mustard powder)

Spread the chopped veggies in the bottom of the cooker, then spread the potato chunks on top.  Mix in the grated ginger.  Sprinkle with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and olive oil.  Pour in cider and chicken broth.  Rub the pork with the seasonings and then lay it on top of the veggies & potatoes.  Cook on high for 3.5-4 hours.

It did turned out on the broth-y side.  It would probably be fine with half the amount of cider and chicken broth.  I wanted to err on the side of too much because I wasn't sure how much liquid was needed to ensure everything cooked properly.

It was a great meal for a chilly fall day!  I loved the flavor that the ginger gave to the veggies.