​© T.B. Cooper

Of course, Meal Prepping, has a lot to do with it, as I'm sure you've already figured that out...

​The chopping & dicing, etc. that we do every month, helps out in immeasurable ways as far as ingredients that I don't need to buy/spend money on, or spend time prepping.

When it's time for me to make my grocery list, I use the same logic and categories as I do with my regular Meal Prepping, but I also account for what I already have in my freezers, before that list is final.


See Lesson #2
How to Make a Grocery List for review,
if needed.

​When I discovered roaster ovens, almost 10 years back…
​My way of cooking changed forever.

Again, I would just say that I have perfected my method, and hope that you don't insist that I give you all of the details of the journey that has led me to where I am now.

Yes, I have three roasters, and I use all three. Two contain a turkey each, with the stuffing. One contains two half-hams, since one group likes a honey brown sugar ham and another likes a Dijon mustard one. I mentioned I have three ovens. One is a wall oven with two racks. The other two ovens are part of a stove/oven unit, that has a smaller one rack oven on top, and a larger two rack oven on bottom.  

I've mentioned before that for Meal Prepping I use an electric skillet. Two years ago for Christmas I asked for an additional one, because I found it was necessary. You will also see that I have listed “stove & oven.” This is for meals such as the sweet potatoes, yams, and stuffing that doesn't go in the bird, that will be cooked on the stove and then later baked.  

Lastly, you will see “make & freeze,” and “night before.” These should be self-explanatory, but to illustrate-- the pies and cheesecakes I make and freeze days before the dinner, and stuff like the potato salad,
​I cook the night before and refrigerate it.

**Clicking above might financially benefit me if your click becomes a purchase. Above (Amazon) links are Affiliate Links. Just FYI.

Down in the “Cook Where” section,
you'll see 'dots' above or below each method.
These dots represent each item & where each one is cooked, so I can see what appliances are used & when.

For example, Stoves #1 & #2 have 4 dots above= representing use of the stove top in the early part of the day, and then 2 & 1 dots underneath= representing use of the stove tops later, closer to dinner time.

*One more thing, the letters to the far right of some of the lines-- like “corn” (has a 'D'), represent which family member (other than me)is in charge of that dish.

As I start each item to cook, I put a check mark next to it.

Once that item is done, I then cross it out, all with an eraser marker of a different color other than the one I used to write in the codes.

I don't write anything in next to cranberry sauce, because all I do is open the can.
​
Anything I'm not making/using I automatically line through them/it.

​​Cut, Dice, Chop, Spiralize, or Shred

Diced Red Bell Pepper: red pepper – diced
Diced Green Bell Pepper: green bell pepper – diced
Chopped Celery: celery – chopped up
Shredded Carrots: carrots – shredded
Non-peeled/Cut Carrots (for dogs): carrots – cut, not peeled
Shredded Zucchini: zucchini – shredded
Cabbage Steaks: cabbage – cut into flats
Thin-cut Cabbage: cabbage – cut into thin strips
Diced White Onion: white onion – diced
Diced Potatoes: potatoes – diced
Shredded Potatoes: potatoes – shredded
Green Beans: fresh green beans – ends trimmed off, and then cut in half or thirds
Cut-up Sausage Patties: frozen breakfast sausage patties – cut up into squares/cubes
Cubed Pork Tenderloin: pork tenderloin – cut into cubes/chunks
Cut-up Chicken: chicken thighs – skin and deboned, and cut into chunks
Cut-up Bananas: bananas – cut into pieces for smoothies
Cut-up Kielbasa: kielbasa sausage – sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced again into pieces
Sweet Potato Noodles
Zucchini Noodles
Carrot Noodles
*Ground Eggplant(yes, I know this one doesn't fit, but as noodles Eggplant sucks. But ground like meat, it makes an excellent meat-alternative. Just drain and let sit in fridge for 24 hours before cooking)

Mix/Make
Pepper/Onion mix: green peppers, green onion, white onion – diced and mixed together
Onion/Cilantro mix: white onion, green onion, and cilantro – diced and mixed together
Sausage/Pepper/Onion Mix: Cut up sausage patties, pepper/onion mix – mix together equal parts
Broccoli/Cauliflower/Carrot mix: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots – cut up and mixed
Zucchini/Yellow Squash mix: zucchini, yellow squash – cut into half circles and mixed
Celery/Onion/Sage mix: celery, white onion: diced and seasoned with Sage (for dishes like Pot Pie)
Biscuits – homemade biscuits put on cookie sheet (raw), then frozen, then put in freezer bag
Rolls – homemade rolls put on cookie sheet (raw), then frozen, then put in freezer bag
Hamburger Patties: ground beef/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Tuna Burgers: tuna/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Salmon Burgers: salmon/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Chicken Patties: ground chicken/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Pork Patties: ground pork/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Black Bean Burgers: black beans/homemade patties – placed on cookie/frozen, then put in freezer bag
Chili/Taco mix: canned-- diced tomatoes, diced green chilies, tomato sauce, black beans, taco or chili seasoning – mixed together in a bag, labeled and then frozen
Veggie Soup mix: one or two handfuls of assorted vegetables from whatever is being prepared, such as peppers, onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini/squash, cabbage… Also add frozen spinach, mushrooms, one or two cans of diced tomatoes (if desired), and garlic
Smoothie mix Packs: assorted frozen berries, frozen banana chunks, yogurt ice cubes – mix together into sandwich baggies and store in a separate basket in the freezer, to pull out as needed to make one really large breakfast smoothie for two small/medium ones
Separated Tortillas: package of tortillas – opened and separated with waxed paper in between each tortilla, then put back into the package and frozen, to use as only a tortilla at a time
Separated Bread: package of bread – opened and separated by two slices into one sandwich ziploc baggy, then put back into the bread loaf bag and frozen in the freezer door shelves, to use as necessary, one sandwich at a time.
Separated Thin Bread: package of thin bread – opened and waxed paper inserted in between each “bun,” then taken out and warmed in the toaster for one minute… Then with a knife, separate top piece from bottom, then toast again if so desired (two minutes – for my husband's sandwiches)
Yogurt Ice Cubes: tub of plain or flavored yogurt – spoon into ice trays and then freeze, then store in empty yogurt tub. Yes, you will have extra that doesn't fit-- put into the Smoothie Mix Packs.

 Cook & Freeze
Beef Meatballs
Sausage & Beef Meatballs
Chicken Salad
Honey Sesame Chicken
Lime & Cilantro Chicken
Grilled Garlic & Herb Chicken (for my sister's lunches)
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken (for my sister's lunches)
Grilled Southwestern Chicken (for my sister's lunches)
Meatloaf Muffins
Ground Beef
Ground Pork
Ground Chicken
Boiled Chicken
Rice Bread
Breakfast Muffins: Leftovers from breakfast, individually wrapped in plastic wrap then put into a labeled ziploc gallon bag
Pasta Noodles: egg noodles, shells, elbow macaroni – boiled and strained for about an hour, then frozen
Sloppy Joe/Beef Mix: Cooked ground beef, tomato sauce, Sloppy Joe seasonings
Pancakes (leftovers from breakfast, separated by wax paper and layered into a ziploc bag & frozen, then heat in toaster like Eggos)
Waffles (leftovers from breakfast, separated by wax paper and layered into a ziploc bag & frozen, then heat in toaster like Eggos)

 Okay, that leaves us with three more sections, that are not frozen goods...

Dry Goods
Bisquick-type mix
Muffin mix
Pancake mix
Ritz Cracker Crumbs
Breakfast Flats mix
Rice flour
Cream of Rice cereal
*recipes for this section, I will post soon. Of course, you can always do a search online or visit me on Pinterest and check out my Breakfast board, or Mixes & Spices board for recipes/ideas.

Cook & Can
Chicken Broth- Made from boiling chicken and/or chicken bones and veggie end pieces/clippings
Chicken Stock- (unflavored)for dogs
Leftover Soup (soup that didn't get eaten as leftovers, the next day)

Weekly Pre-Makes
Lunchables: lunch meat, cheese, crackers-- cut up and divided into square “lunchable” inspired containers
Salad mix: red lettuce, green lettuce, romaine, spinach – broken up into salad-bite sizes, and then mixed together and put into Ziploc gallon bags WITH a paper towel inside to absorb moisture, then rolled and squeezed to get excess air out
Breakfast Flats (like Belvita or Quaker Breakfast Flats)

 So… I have this list in a sheet protector
(yeah, I know – I said that already),
and I do the same thing I do regarding my Menu/Calendar--
​
I write on the paper (w/pencil, that you of course, can use a fine tip eraser marker if you want) next to each item how much I need of each.

Or, like the Pepper/onion mixes – I already know how much I make by now--
Example:
6 green bell peppers
2 bunches of green onions
8 white onion
1 bunch cilantro etc. etc.

CLICK BELOW to download your FREE Pre-make PRINTABLE!

​© T.B. Cooper

Okay, the other day when I announced this Meal Planning Course, I told you to print out the Cover Sheet and Spine Label, and to grab (at least 12) tab divider thingies, for your new Meal Planning Binder. Which hopefully you currently have it--a (Clear-View) Binder, ready to go.

If not, we'll wait 'til you catch up....
.........
(Download them below, if you didn't get a chance to)vvv
.........................

Breakfast has these options:

• Casserole/French toast
• Muffin
• *Cold Cereal
• Muffin
• *Cold Cereal
• *Oatmeal
• Pancakes or Waffles

*For these options, I just write (“) in the days beneath them, because these are days the kids/family get to pick what they want from store-bought cereal and oatmeal (Gasp! Don't worry, you can buy organic or cardboard – that's all your choice).

• Casseroles
• ​French Toast
• Pancakes
• ​Waffles

>For these, I like to alternate the choices, one week this – one week that, but I also take into consideration what is for breakfast on the weekend that my family will be staying over… Also in respect to whose birthdays we might be celebrating, and what are their preferences..etc.

>For recipes, you can Google them, go to allrecipes.com, or visit Pinterest. Here's a link to my Pinterest Breakfast Board. And a link to my Allrecipes Profile. (Although, I'll admit--even though I've had an Allrecipes account for MANY moons, I have poorly added to it, but some of MY FAVORITES are on there...)
​
And here's a few great Sunday Breakfast Ideas…

Crunchy French Toast
Overnight Praline French Toast
Breakfast Lasagna
Biscuits & Gravy Casserole
................................................................................

*For Muffins – again, check out some recipes.

​**But, I also have some “tricks” that I'll cover in a semi-later lesson (since I don't do store-bought muffins). So for now, just fill in what you like/what your family likes.

The Snack Calendar (2 snacks per day)

The Snack Calendar gets a lot of (“)'s, also.
Only the Cereal Bars do I fill in.
(And you'll notice, that Cereal Bars come after Jell-O/Pudding/Applesauce days so that they(my family members)
get only one Cereal Bar and one J/P or A)
The choices for cereal bars include: Coco Krispies, Fruity Pebbles, Rice Krispies, or Honey Bunches of Oats, & sometimes a Seasonal Cereal.

When fruit or yogurt is the available choice, they have a variety of different yogurts to choose from and/or
a banana, apple, orange, or whatever seasonal fruit is available.

When it's Jell-O/Pudding/Applesauce, I have my daughter make both the Jell-O (generic/store brand)and pudding, and fill small containers with them. I myself, dump a jar of applesauce into small containers as well, and all of it stays on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. This also helps out with snack options for my husband, when I make his lunch.

Chips – I buy one bag a week of 20 snack sized chip bags – everyone gets two bags each. This is probably one of the ONLY things I buy that is a Main Brand...

The Dinner Calendar
For now, start brainstorming what kinds of food you'd like to have for your dinner meals next month.

***Bonus (-ish) here is a list of some meals I make for dinner, to give you a few ideas…
​
(You'll see we use more Rice than Noodles etc. & we eat A LOT of Cabbage, I'll explain in a later lesson, why)

​Casseroles
Broccoli Chicken & Rice Casserole
Beef Mac & Cheese Casserole
​Chicken Enchillada Casserole
Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
Chili Dog Casserole
Cowboy Casserole
Meatball Marinara Casserole
Meatball Sub Casserole
​Mexican Lasagna
Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
Ravioli Bake with French Bread
Seafood Lasagna
Shepherd's Pie
Sloppy Joe Casserole
​Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Tuna Casserole
Chilis
Beef Taco Chili & Rice
Black Bean Corn Chili
Chicken Taco Chili & Rice
Chicken Tomatillo & White Bean Chili
Shrimp Cajun Chili
Soups & Chowders
Beef Vegetable Soup
Cabbage Soup
Chicken Fajita Soup
Chicken, Corn & Potato Chowder
Clam Chowder
French Onion Meatball Soup
Hearty “Everything” Soup
Meatball & Spinach Soup
Non-Creamy Tomato Soup
Potato & Onion Soup
Shrimp Wonton Soup
Split Pea & Sausage Soup

​Main Type Dishes (Meat, Starch Veggie)
Beef Roast with Carrots & Potatoes
Beef, Cabbage & Noodles
Bourbon Pork & Rice
Cat Yetis(Ground Beef-Patties), Mashed Potatoes & Veggies
Chicken, Broccoli, Cheesy Shells
Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Fajitas
Ghetto Pylamani (Frozen Raviollis cooked like Pylamani)
Greek Turkey & Zucchini Meatloaf Muffins
Ground Eggplant & Sweet Potato Noodles
Hawaiian Pork(or Spam) Cabbage & Rice
Honey Sesame Chicken & Rice
Italian Chicken Pasta or Rice
Lemon Pepper Chicken & Rice
Lime & Cilantro Chicken & Rice
One Pot Pasta (Vegetarian)
Orange Chicken & Rice
Pork Carnitas
Pork, Sausage, Cabbage & Rice
Pork(or Beef) Stroganoff
Salisbury Steak Meatballs & Rice
Salmon Asparagus & Rice
Salmon, Rice & Veggies
Sloppy Joe's
Swai, Rice & Baked Cabbage
​Teriyaki Chicken & Noodles
Tilapia, Broccoli & Rice
Sandwiches
French Dip & Au Jus
Barbecue Pork Sandwiches
Ground Chicken Burgers
Ground Pork Burgers 
Salmon Burgers
Tuna Burgers with Steamed Green beans