Save Money, Prep Ahead

In my home I am the only vegetarian. I have to make separate meals just for myself that makes for extra time in the kitchen. I wanted to save myself the hassle and do some pre-made meals.
This idea can be used for anyone looking to shorten cook time or even save money for single meals. I use to do this when it was just my son and I. I would take ground beef in bulk, break it down into portions and make simple oven meals for us.

I wanted to share with you guys the steps to efficiently prep, portion, and safely freeze all with speed and low cost in mind.

Step One: Gather Recipes

The first thing that needs to be done when getting ready to do a large prep project is to gather recipes. You want to have an idea of what to make and how much of everything you need. 

In the culinary industry us cooks always follow the idea of mis en place. This is a French saying for everything in its place. Before starting you want to take out all ingredients you have already in the house. Compare products to recipe to deduce what you will need from the store.

After this is done write up your shopping list. Fun fact about me is I tend to write my list in order of how I walk around the grocery store instead of by category. This allows me to rarely forget items.

Italian Meat Vegan Meat Blend

Prep time: 15 minutes
Yield: Just over 1 pound
Ingredients

• 1 pound Vegan ground meat
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Thyme
• 1 Tablespoon Oregano

Preparation Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Portion as desired
3. Meatballs: 2 ounce portions
4. Burger Patty: 1/4 pound
5. Plan ground for lasagna meat: as desired
6. Meatloaf: Add 1/4 cup ketchup per pound and place in mini loaf tin. 

Printable Recipe

Taco Meat Blend: 

I like to use the pre-made blends. It’s nice because I can split half & half with regular meat for the family. 

Lasagna

Prep time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 Loaf Pan
Ingredients

• 1 pound Vegan ground meat
• 6 each Noodles, ready to bake
• 4 cups Red pasta sauce
• 2 cups Vegan cashew ricotta
• 3 cups Vegan shredded cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Cook, make all ingredients and allow to cool.
2. Spray glass loaf pan.
3. Layer Lasagna: Sauce, noodles, meat & cheese, more sauce. Do this until the pan is full.
4. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and freeze.
5. Bake as need at 350 degrees until 165 in the center.

Printable Recipe

Vegan Soup

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 5 quart pot
Ingredients

• 1 can Peas
• 1 can Carrots
• 1/2 pound Vegan Meat
• 1 cup Onions, diced
• 4 cups Vegetable Stock
• 4 cups Water
• 3 Tablespoons Dill
• As needed Salt & Pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Cook meat until fully done in a stock pot.
2. Add in veggies and cook until tender.
3. Add in stock, season, bring to a boil.
4. Allow to cool completely before freezing.
5. I chose to freeze mine in plastic bags, so when ready heat in a bowl and pour out of bag.

Printable Recipe

Step Two: Make a list & Prepare a budget

After this is done write up your shopping list. Fun fact about me is I tend to write my list in order of how I walk around the grocery store instead of by category. This allows me to rarely forget items.

Shopping List and Cost
Item	Weight	Cost
Seasoning	4-27 grams	$3.92
Bread Crumbs	15 oz	$1.50
Eggs	1 dozen	$2.67
Butter	1 pound	$2.98
Milk	1 gallon	$3.50
Ketchup	14 oz	$2.00
Pasta Sauce	24 ounces	$1.50
Onions	3 pound bag	$2.24
Canned Veggie	2 cans	$1.00
Stock base	8 ounces	$3.72
Noodles	9 ounces	$1.98
Vegan Ricotta	8 ounces	$5.00
Vegan Shredded Cheese	8 ounces	$4.00
Vegan Meat	5-14 ounces	$24.90
	Total Cost	$60.91
	Meals	24
	Cost per Meal	$2.54
Regular Meat	5-per pound	$12.50
Ricotta	8 ounces	$1.88
Shredded Cheese	8 ounces	$4.25
	Total Cost	$45.64
	Meals	24
	Cost Per Meal	$1.90

This is the most basic of costing. I took all ingredients and divided by how many meals I would make. The cost per meal will actually be less than a dollar because you will not use everything you bought.

Step Three: Production & Storage

As mentioned before stick to your mis en place. Have all ingredients out for your meal prep, as well as tools, bake ware, and storage.

I like to move down the list from easiest to hardest recipe. Make sure to have a soapy dish sink so you can easily clean as you go. When done with one product put away to allow more space on your counter.

Once you have everything ready to be frozen the pile might seem overwhelming. Do I have the space? Fortunately, I have these amazing metal containers that I can nicely lay my packages in.

Now that I have all these meals for myself, I feel a little weight lifted from my meals. I can easily pop most of these items in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes while I prepare everyone else’s meals. If it was burger night, I can pull out a patty and heat in a separate pan. I am not so particular to have special pans for my veggie meals, I just never cook it with other products.

At the end of the day I enjoyed the time creating a ton of meals for such a low cost. I can continue my vegetarian lifestyle without greatly impacting my budget, time, and frustration of double cooking every day. For those cooking for one you can perfectly portion meals just for you.