Meal Plans

Meal Plans for Non-Supper Swapping Cooks

** People who are supper swapping, need to create meal plans based on selecting recipes together due to the complicated preferences of various families. However, this page will suggest good ideas.

The Concept for Non-Supper Swappers

If you do not have a supper swapping buddy, you may cook and freeze food in bulk. The concept here is to select a cooking day once a week. On that day, you will make your food for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in sufficient portions so that you have extra to freeze.

The "Five Week Meal Plan" is designed to last for three cycles, so that you are serving 1/3 of what you cook now and freezing the rest for two more cycles. Theoretically, you would not need to cook very much once the first cycle is completed because of all the frozen food you would have accumulated.

Trying to cook a whole week of food in one day was just not feasible for me. That’s why I’m only recommending cooking three meals in one day. For the rest of the week, I recommend making quick meals on Thursdays, such as a pan seared fish, and eating out on Fridays.

How Much to Cook

If you have a family of four, like I do, many of these recipes can be doubled and then divided into three meals, because most of the recipes serve about six adult-sized portions. If you have a larger family, just triple the recipes.

The Format

A. Mondays – Soup, Stew or Chili to Freeze

B. Tuesdays – Slow Cooker Meal to Freeze

C. Wednesday – Entrée to Freeze

The Menus – Unless stated otherwise, the recipes are in Supper Swapping.

Week 1 

1. Texas Beer Chili
2. Chicken Cacciatore in Crockpot
3. Thai Lettuce Wraps –(Note: Only freeze meat and sauce, not fresh ingredients)

Week 2 

1. Chicken Noodle Soup -Freeze without noodles added
2. Meatballs (not in cookbook - Use a half bag frozen meatballs from Sam’s. Place in Crockpot with 2 jars Chili Sauce and 2 (15 oz.) cans Cranberry sauce.)
3. Creole – (Note: Use canned tomatoes instead of fresh, it’s better and quicker)

Week 3

1. Brunswick Stew
2. Marinara Sauce –You may add cooked ground beef to this shear sauce.
3. Pork Chops with Mustard and Dates

Week 4  

1. Chicken Chupe
2. Pork Chops and Sauerkraut (Not in cookbook. Salt and pepper Pork chops. Add one can of chicken broth to Crockpot. Using two cans of Sauerkraut, layer pork chops (enough for three meals) and Sauerkraut in crockpot. Cook on low all day.
3. Peppered Brisket

Week 5  

    A.    Black Bean Soup
    B.     Southern Pot Roast – Use ingredients from cookbook, but cook in Crockpot
    C.     Chicken with Cranberry Mustard Sauce