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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

    Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

    Join Erin's 5-Ingredient Challenge in 2023

    20 Freezer to Slow Cooker Meals for $160 – 3rd Edition is Here, Just in Time for Busy Back-to-School Season

    August 10, 2015 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 24 Comments

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    Sign up to receive FREE weekly emails with recipes, coupons and other money saving tips right into your inbox. Become a friend on Facebook too AND/OR join the $5 Meal Plan Family and get meal plans delivered to you each week!

    Have you ever wished you could make enough dinners to last a month in less than 2 hours, and then let dinner cook itself in the slow cooker while you go about your busy day?

    Let me introduce you to the newest meal plan in the series…

    With the busy back to school season upon us, I’m here to equip you with a game plan for the dinner hour as you head into these busy months. I’ve compiled a fantastic set of recipes that you can “load up” into the freezer and make later in the slow cooker. I pulled all the meals together in less than 2 hours and all the ingredients only cost me $160!

    All of these new recipes are “Freezer to Slow Cooker Recipes” with very minimal prep. Just load up all the bags with the ingredients and freeze them. Then you can take the meal you want, thaw it partially in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of warm water on the counter for 20 minutes and drop all the ingredients into the slow cooker.

    Come home at 6 pm from a crazy day and dinner’s waiting for you in the slow cooker!

    Yes, it’s that simple. You’ll feel amazing knowing dinner is already taken care of and you can use cruise control through your afternoon activities…

    In this brand new meal plan, you’ll find 6 chicken recipes, 8 ground beef recipes, 2 pork chop recipes and 4 stew beef recipes. We have a mix of flavors from TexMex to Asian and Tropical Island too.

    And as always, we have a new twist with this plan. With this plan, you get access to 3 different types of shopping lists for you as part of the Complete Package:

    • Warehouse Store Shopping List – one shopping list for the warehouse store and what you might need from the grocery store (although most ingredients are pantry staples or spices you already have on hand.) – you can use this list to
    • Grocery Store Shopping List – one shopping list for the grocery store, if you plan to shop for all the ingredients at once from the grocery store. We have adjust quantities to what you will actually need.
    • Grocery Store “by Meat Type” Shopping List – one shopping list for the grocery store, broken down by type of meat…so that when that meat is on sale, you can buy just what you need for those recipes and assembly those meals. getting the meat when it’s on sale can cut at least $20-$30 off your total bill for all these ingredients. This shopping list can also be used to make just a few meals at a time, say if you have a limited freezer space, or the thought of putting together 20 meals at once feels overwhelming! 

    Please note that the Basic Package only comes with the complete recipes and warehouse store shopping list.

    Now…for the amazing recipes and other goodies and new twists you’ll find in this plan! 

    Freezer to Slow Cooker Recipe List

    20 Freezer to Slow Cooker Meals from $5 Dinners

    Each pack in this plan is DOUBLED except for the pork chops, so these 11 recipes make 20 packs total! Each pack is portioned to serve a family of 4. Larger families or families with bottomless pits (also known as teenage boys!) can double or use 2 packs for 1 meal!

     

    I’ve also included suggested side dish ideas on the recipes and shopping list!

    • (2) Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
    • (2) Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
    • (2) Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
    • (1) Slow Cooker Orange Pork Chops
    • (1) Slow Cooker Islander Pork Chops
    • (2) Slow Cooker (Ground) Beef Stroganoff
    • (2) Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
    • (2) Slow Cooker Beef & Black Bean Chili
    • (2) Slow Cooker Tamale Pie
    • (2) Slow Cooker Beef ‘n Broccoli
    • (2) Slow Cooker Sweet ‘n Sour Beef

    Can I get a YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Did you know that I’ve developed a super cool software that will allow you to create your own Costco plans?!? Click to learn more!

    Ingredients

    The total for all the ingredients after the leftovers $158!

    Videos, Assembly Instructions, Printable Labels & More

    In addition to the regular shopping list, recipe list and assembly/video instructions for the plan, we’ve also included a special notes section about the ingredients and how to make stretch your budget with the different ingredient options!

    AND.

    We have included Gluten Free modifications to each of the recipes. And the 2 recipes with dairy can be easily adapted to be dairy-free.

    AND.

    We have included Whole30 & Paleo modifications to each of the recipes too.

    AND.

    Here’s a new twist for you…I know not every has a slow cooker or likes how their slow cooker cooks food, so I’ve included cooking instructions to make these recipes in the oven or on the stovetop! (This will also come in handy if you forget to start the slow cooker and need to make dinner in the afternoon, as often happens to me!)

    As always, you can expect the same great shopping list, recipes list, printable labels, assembly instructions and access to exclusive video of yours truly assembling all the meals.

    AND………….

    It took me LESS THAN 2 HOURS to get them all together and into the freezer…and you can watch the video of the assembly process so you don’t feel alone in your efforts!

    So, it’s time to grab your meal plan and get your freezer loaded and you’ll be all set for this busy back to school season! 

    Simplify with one of these 2 options…

    Let me make the experience of preparing these meals simpler and easier….I’ve done all the work for you, you just have to follow along and get your meals into the freezer! 

    Find the New Work & School Lunches Meal Plan Information here!

    You can find the all of the other 20 Meals for $150 Meal Plans and more in the Erin Chase Online Store. Once you’ve chosen all the ones you need to make life in the kitchen easier, you can checkout and get all the printable at once!

    NOTE: Once your purchase is complete, you will automatically receive an email with the links to download your meal plans. The links will be sent to the email you used during the checkout process or to the Paypal email address you used to pay. Please download these files directly to your computer within 72 hours, then you can add to your e-reader/phone/tablet. If you have issues with the download, PLEASE EMAIL ME! I’ll be able to help you out!

    Did you know that I’ve developed a super cool software that will allow you to create your own Costco plans?!? Click to learn more!

    Disclaimer: I have no formal relationship with Costco and am not paid by them to share these plans. I am not affiliated with them and am not endorsed by them. I created these plans to help myself (and you!) spend less money at Costco, while using up all the bulk ingredients without them going to waste. Hope they help your family as much as they help our family!
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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Meal Plans, Budget Friendly Recipes, Feature, Grocery Savings Coupons, Meal Plans Using Ingredients from Costco, Savings

    Comments

    1. Corrie says

      August 10, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      Hi!

      I’m trying to purchase the $8 plan and I’m not having any luck on either my smart phone or laptop. Can you send me a separate link to purchase please?

      Thanks!
      Corrie

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 15, 2015 at 2:45 pm

        Email Erin: https://www.5dollardinners.com/contact/ and she’ll get you all fixed up! 🙂

        Reply
      • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

        August 19, 2015 at 5:39 pm

        You can also try this link on mobile: 5dollardinners.ecwid.com 🙂

        Erin

        Reply
    2. LeAnne says

      August 14, 2015 at 5:48 pm

      I paid and have not received an email download yet…

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 15, 2015 at 2:45 pm

        Email Erin: https://www.5dollardinners.com/contact/ and she’ll get you all fixed up! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Dani says

      August 14, 2015 at 11:26 pm

      i too am having trouble purchasing the $8 plan. Can you send me a link as well?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 15, 2015 at 2:33 pm

        Are you trying to purchase on mobile or computer?

        Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 15, 2015 at 2:46 pm

        Email Erin: https://www.5dollardinners.com/contact/ and she’ll get you all fixed up! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Erica says

      August 15, 2015 at 9:22 pm

      I too am trying to purchase on laptop and smartphone and cannot.

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 16, 2015 at 3:35 pm

        Try this link from your mobile: http://5dollardinners.ecwid.com/ or if you are on a laptop then try a different browser to see if that helps. If neither helps, then be sure to contact Erin here: https://www.5dollardinners.com/contact/

        Reply
    5. April says

      August 18, 2015 at 9:25 pm

      Is there a list of what meals are included with the lunch plan?

      Reply
    6. Colleen Kowalczyk says

      August 23, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      How do I unsubscribe from your site, I don’t have the money to pay for what you have to offer

      Reply
    7. Mama Squirrel says

      September 4, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      My husband and I put the dinners together this afternoon (photo post at the link given). It took us about three hours, working together, which seemed reasonable. We put some of the meals into half-size packages for times when it’s just the two of us..

      Looking forward to cooking some of them, now that our freezer’s full!

      Reply
    8. Maggie Unzueta says

      September 14, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      I know that I just need to plan these out. You have no idea how many times I wish I had a freezer meal, and I don’t mean something from the grocery store. Thank you for putting me in gear. 🙂

      Reply
    9. natasha says

      October 20, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Do you provide a chart of how much of each ingredient to add?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        October 20, 2015 at 3:02 pm

        We have specific instructions in the printable package, yes! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Amber says

      January 16, 2016 at 11:33 am

      Are all the ingredients whole foods, not processed foods?

      Reply
      • Heather says

        April 26, 2016 at 2:41 pm

        I would like to know this too!

        Reply
    11. Anne Zimmerman says

      May 28, 2016 at 12:15 pm

      I purchased 2 book in March 2016 and as of yet have not received them. Who do I contact to find out some information or a refund.

      Reply
    12. Dawn Rhymer says

      June 4, 2016 at 7:36 pm

      We just got done making the Plan 9 recipes this morning, and we are having the Slow Cooker (Ground) Beef Stroganoff tonight. I find this site a little hard to navigate, as I can’t seem to find the recipe for it anywhere. My understanding was all the recipes were on the site for if someone wanted to piece things together on their own. I do own the recipe because I purchased the plan, but I’m trying to find a picture of what this should look like, and I was hoping if I could find the recipe, I would see what it should look like. How it turned out is not what I was expecting as it is much more of a soup than anything similar to Stoganoff. There is a TON of liquid–between 15 tomato sauce, 2 c. broth, and 1 c. milk. (And I doubled ours since we are a larger family.)

      Reply
    13. Dawn Rhymer says

      June 5, 2016 at 7:48 pm

      I figured out how to find recipes. But the recipes from this plan don’t seem to be in it. I couldn’t find the ground beef stroganoff or the tikka masala. Are the recipes for this plan in the main recipe index? I’m trying to compare what my meals look like to a picture.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Make Meal Prep and Planning Cheap and Easy says:
      August 12, 2015 at 9:02 am

      […] just released a new set of recipes designed to make meal prep and planning cheap and easy that looks […]

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    2. 20 Freezer to Slow Cooker Recipes for Back to School - Faithful Provisions says:
      August 20, 2015 at 7:01 am

      […] of the recipes are “Freezer to Slow Cooker Recipes” with very minimal prep. Just load up all the bags with the ingredients and freeze them. Then you […]

      Reply
    3. Meals that keep the bank full and your stomach happy! – tayssliceoflife says:
      August 1, 2016 at 2:57 pm

      […] I started reading a blog by a woman Erin Chase otherwise known as the $5 dinner mom . She has a ton of recipes that I have come to love to make and my stomach/bank loves her for sharing them with the world. My favorites are the slow cooker recipes, because who doesn’t love to come home from a busy day and already have dinner made (I know I do)!  These dinners take minimal prep and with school right around the corner I cant wait to break out my crock pot and start making these delicious dinners again! There are a variety of recipes out there for your $5 dinner budget, you can find these on Pintrest or Erin’s blog.  Here are recipes for chicken dinners, pork, and beef (click here to check them out ). […]

      Reply

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