Meal-prep mum makes 104 main meals and snacks for under $300 – here's how!
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Brooke Baker, a mum-of-two from New South Wales, has always had a difficult time finding affordable, wholesome food options that are suitable for her small family.
This year, she made the decision to put her talents in meal preparation to the test, leading her to discover a way to prepare 104 main meals and snacks for less than $300, which was enough to feed her entire family for an entire week.
"Having food already prepared and ready to go stops you from making not-so-healthy choices," said Mrs Baker, adding: "And when the evening rolls around, it means I'm not stuck in the kitchen and I can spend time with the kids."
Mrs Baker adhered to a meal plan called "3 Pot Meal," which calls for the preparation of three main bulk dishes on a rotating basis: chicken, chilli con carne, and cheesy veggie bake.
She went to Woolworths and spent less than $300 on all of her ingredients, which included fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, canned food, and snacks.
Mrs Baker used a '3 Pot Meal' strategy, which includes three main bulk dishes. Credit: 9Honey.
For the first bulk meal, Mrs Baker made three kilos of slow-cooked Asian chicken, and then used it in three different meals: A lunch with rice paper rolls, chicken with rice and broccoli, and satay chicken noodles.
"Making three different meals out of the one dish saved me so much money," the mum added.
The second recipe that Mrs Baker made in bulk was a batch of nutritious chilli con carne, which she made by using her own pantry staples, making it a good choice for both her wallet and her health.
She used this primary ingredient to serve it up with rice, as well as for chilli-stuffed capsicums, and a chilli nacho tray.
The last bulk meal that she prepared in quantity was a cheesy veggie bake that, thanks to the ingredients that she purchased from Woolworths, was able to be repurposed as a tuna bake and a sausage bake.
"I love cooking meals with similar ingredients," Baker gushes. "I find it really cost-effective and I find it makes the meal prep go smoother."
Mrs Baker was able to prepare 104 meals and snacks, enough to feed four people for lunch and dinner for an entire week. Credit: 9Honey.
Mrs Baker was able to prepare 104 meals and snacks, enough to feed four people for lunch and dinner for an entire week.
Of course, her shopping list included some delectable treats as well, such as peanut butter granola, bacon and egg muffins, chocolate-chip banana bread, and overnight Weetbix Biscoff.
If you are interested in meal prepping like Mrs Baker, here are some time and money-saving ideas and tricks that she absolutely cannot do without.
- To save money, use frozen vegetables in some dishes.
- With capsicums being so expensive right now, the tinned variety may be a better option.
- Use a slow cooker to save oven and stovetop space.
- Include the grandkids in the cleaning.
- Each dish's ingredients should be pre-cut.
- Some dishes have generous servings, so you can stretch them out by adding a few extra pieces to make other meals, such as the mashed potatoes with sausages and veggie bake.
- Use plastic Tupperware so that you can easily see what's inside and reuse it.
- Print out all of the recipes.
- Make a schedule for cooking times.
- Begin with the dishes that require the most time to cook, such as slow cooker dishes.
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