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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

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    20 Meals for $150 ~ Summer Pantry Staple & Freezer Friendly Edition

    June 8, 2015 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 4 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!

    Does it make you tired just thinking about planning and cooking meals this summer? We have the meal plan solution that will save you time and money. As much at $100 per month and 3 hours per week.

    Summer Friendly Freezer Meals Plan

    Summer is here and I don’t know about you, but I want to spend as much time as I possibly can with my kids and enjoying all the fun that summer brings!

    But doesn’t it feel like summer is busier than the school year?

    It’s a different kind of busy. It’s a fun-relaxed-kinda busy. It’s a busy-busy-fun-fun-busy-fun kinda busy.

    It’s about sneaking in a special afternoon at the movies…in the cool, cool air conditioning!

    It’s about running kids to and from camps – where they learn new skills and discover new things about themselves.

    It’s about spending hours and hours and hours splashing in the pool. (I already know that my phone will soon be loaded with all kinds of silly slo-mo and time lapse videos of the boys jumping and flipping off the diving board and shooting out the base of the water slide at the pool. I can hear the giggles now as they watch them over and over!)

    These are the moments that I want to cherish. These are the memories that will last a lifetime.

    What I don’t want to have to think much about this summer is what we will be having for dinner after a busy day at camps and the pool. I also don’t want to spend too much money running through the drive thru on the way home from the pool, because I’m exhausted from all the fun in the sun and don’t ‘feel like cooking!’

    Whether you are hanging out with the kids all summer shuttling them from camp to camp or from pool to pool, or you’re struggling to balance working from home while keeping the kids occupied, or if you are working through the summer and wanting a little more time with your family, I don’t want you to have to worry about dinner either. I want you to get through the busy-busy-fun-busy-fun summer without batting an eye about dinner or spending too much money on takeout or fast food.

    I want your meals this summer to be simple and easy, and I know you do too…

    That’s why I’ve pulled together another fantastic meal plan for you…this one featuring delicious, fresh meals that will get you through those hot, summer afternoons.

    This meal plan contains a ‘hodgepodge’ of different kinds of recipes, some freezer friendly, some potluck or cookout friendly, some for the grill. You’ll find:

    • Pasta Salads
    • Pre-marinated Chicken & Pork Chops for the grill (or oven)
    • Burgers & Kebabs for the grill
    • Slow cooker freezer packs & other freezer friendly meals

    Special Features in this Plan

    In addition to the regular shopping list, recipe list and assembly/video instructions for the plan, I also shot a new video explaining how to work with the different fresh ingredients and ingredients you might want to get at the grocery store.

    AND.

    We have included Gluten Free modifications to each of the recipes.

    AND.

    We have included Dairy Free modifications to each of the recipes.

    AND.

    We have included Whole30 & Paleo modifications on SOME of the recipes too. There are pasta salads and sloppy joes on this plan and those are hard to modify for Whole30/Paleo, but we have included simple modifications on the other meals to make them Whole30/Paleo compliant.

    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.

    {It only took just over 1 hour to put together 12 meals for the freezer…and you can watch the video of the assembly process so you don’t feel alone in your efforts. I also included cooking demos of the other 3 pantry-staple recipes for you in the assembly video! }

    Summer Meal Plan – Recipe List

    Below is the ‘hodgepodge’ of recipes, all written to serve a family of 4. Larger families or families with bottomless pits (also known as teenage boys!) can easily modify to make larger portions for a single meal. I’ve also included salad and veggie side options on this shopping list.

    Check out this delicious-ness:

    • 3 Italian Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Artichokes
    • 3 Greek Pasta Salad with Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette
    • 2 Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken
    • 2 Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
    • 2 Slow Cooker Caribbean Chicken
    • 2 Pineapple Bourbon or Teriyaki Pork Chops
    • 2 Feta Burgers with Grilled Red Onions
    • 2 Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
    • 2 BBQ Meatball Kebabs

    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 List

    • 6-pack 1 lb. variety pasta noodles – $8.89
    • 35 oz. jar sun-dried Roma tomatoes – $9.57
    • 2 – 33 oz. jars artichokes – $9.89
    • 24 oz. container crumbled Feta cheese  – $4.99
    • 2 – 25 oz. bottles Balsamic vinaigrette – $8.49
    • 3-pack English cucumbers – $3.49
    • 2 lb. container grape or cherry tomatoes – $4.99
    • 2 – 48 oz. bottles lemon juice – $5.09
    • 6-pack mixed colored bell peppers – $6.49
    • 6-pack green bell peppers – $5.49
    • 1 package (about 7 lbs. or 12 total pieces) boneless skinless chicken breasts – $22.37
    • 2 – 36 oz. jar BBQ sauce – $7.99
    • 1 package boneless pork chops (8-10 chops) – $14.89
    • 8-pack canned pineapple chunks – $9.69
    • 40 oz. Pineapple Bourbon Glaze OR 63 oz. Yoshidi’s Gourmet Asian/Teriyaki Sauce – $8.89 or $6.89
    • 1 – 6 lb. package ground beef – $ 22.40
    • 8 lb. bag red onions – $6.49
    • 24 count hamburger buns – $3.49
    • 42 slices Tillamook Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese OR 120 slices American cheese** – $8.89 or $9.99
    • 5 lb. bag frozen broccoli or other frozen vegetable – $5.99
    • 1 lb. clamshell organic spring mix – $3.99
    • 3 dozen dinner rolls or French baguettes – $3.99

    Total Out of Pocket $186.45

    Anticipated Leftovers

    • 1 bottle of the balsamic vinaigrette
    • 1 bottle of BBQ Sauce
    • 1 3/4+ bottle of the lemon juice
    • 1 jar artichoke hearts
    • ¼ jar sun-dried tomatoes
    • ½ bottle of the Pineapple Bourbon Glaze or Teriyaki sauce
    • ½ container Feta cheese
    • 2 cans pineapple
    • 36 slices cheese
    • Couple red onions
    • 2 green bell peppers

    Approximate leftovers total $39.50

    Final Price: $146.95

    Simple and Easy Meals All Summer Long…

    Let me make the experience of preparing these meals crazy easy for you. With this summer edition of the Costco meal plans, we have 2 packages to choose from…

    If you are new to my Warehouse store meal plans, I’d encourage you to take a peek at all the other meal plan options in the E-Store before you checkout!. Once you’ve chosen all the ones you need, you can checkout and get all the meal plans you need at once!

    After you choose all the plans you want, you can checkout. Once your payment has been processed, you will immediately receive an email with links to download your plan. If you purchased with a credit card, the plan(s) will be sent to the email address you used during the checkout process. If you purchased with Paypal, the plan(s) will be sent to the email address associated with your Paypal account.

    NOTE: 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!

    Interested in a weekly meal planning subscription service that takes all the headache and stress off your shoulders?! Sign up for a FREE 4-Week Trial at 5DollarMealPlan.com!

    Summer Friendly Freezer Meals Plan

    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!

    20 Meals for $150 Meal Plan #8 from 5DollarDinners.com

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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Meal Plans, Budget Friendly Recipes, Meal Plans Using Ingredients from Costco

    Comments

    1. Jan says

      June 14, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      I would really be interested in meals that do not contain mustard in any way. My husband has a severe allergic, not all pruducts give the full ingredients listings.

      Reply
    2. Michelle says

      June 26, 2015 at 6:12 pm

      which recipes can be frozen on this plan?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        June 26, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Michelle – all can be frozen except the pasta salads.

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. How I Found Extra Time to Spend With My Kids This Summer - Faithful Provisions says:
      June 10, 2015 at 9:01 am

      […] plan is a Summer Pantry Staple & Freezer Friendly Edition and contains a ‘hodgepodge’ of different kinds of recipes that are perfect for the […]

      Reply

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