12 Dinners for $60!

I have only been recently doing freezer meals but, man, am I HOOKED! It all started with a few gal pals and our freezer meal swap club. Then a post came around about 20 Costco Meals for $150 and my immediate thought was "I can do that" and my next thought was "I'm gonna try and do better!" The outcome was a freezerful (I have a small freezer) of meals ready to go....and I am super excited about it! I now want a BIGGER freezer!

My freezer almost looks organized!

I know prices range a ton regionally so totals may vary for yourselves but this is what I was able to do in Northern VA. I also added 10-20 cents for each spice that I used (that price is probably way overstated but I wanted to make sure and include the cost) and for full disclosure, I found my meat discounted for quick sale because it was nearing it's "use by/freeze by" date. I buy a lot of my meat that way, it can save you an average of 50% off regular price!

12 meals for $60 (each meal serves 4-5)

Split Pea Soup (recipe for 1 dinner, just double for 2 meals)

1 1/2 cup dry split peas                     $1.20
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon               .10
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning             .10
1 bay leaf                                              .10
3/4lb cubed ham(I used turkey ham)  2.00   
1 carrot, diced                                        .14
1-2 celery stalks, diced                          .20
1 med. onion, diced                               .26    
                                                $ 4.10 x 2= $8.20 for 2 dinners          
Place all ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag and freeze.
To cook: Place contents of bag into slow cooker with 4-5 cups water, stir. Cover and cook on high for 4-5hrs or low for 8-10hrs. The soup can be cooked first then frozen, I just prefer it this way.

Corn bread recipe (makes 2 - 8" loaves)
1 1/4 cup corn meal                    $0.50
1 cup flour                                      .20
3 tablespoons sugar                        .10
2 tablespoons honey                       .20
1 tablespoon baking powder          .10
1 teaspoon salt                                .10
2 eggs, slightly beaten                    .28
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted       .70
1 can creamed corn                         .49 
                                                     $ 2.67  for 2 loaves

Preheat oven to 425. Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add the honey, eggs, butter and creamed corn. Whisk ingredients for a minute or two, making sure it is all incorporated. Divide into two 8in aluminum loaf pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before freezing.
To freeze: wrap once with plastic wrap then twice with foil. This will help retain its moisture.
To serve: I just let it thaw while soup is in the crockpot.

Chicken Pesto Alfredo (makes 2 - 8x8 cake pans)

1 box of penne pasta                       $0.89
1 - 15oz jar of alfredo sauce              1.09
3/4 cup pesto sauce                            1.89
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder                 .10
2lb chicken breast                              4.09
salt and pepper                                     .20
1 package frozen broccoli                    .98
1/2 cup pasta water                              .00 
                                                        $ 9.24 for 2 meals
Cook pasta according to directions making sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. While pasta is cooking, cut chicken breasts in half so that you now have 4 thin breasts. Season with salt and pepper and broil for 3-5 minutes until no longer pink in the middle. In a very large bowl add both sauces, garlic powder and pasta water, stir. Add pasta, chicken and broccoli, toss gently until everything is coated in sauce. Divide mixture into two 8x8 aluminum cake pans. Cover with a double layer of foil and freeze.
To reheat: Place covered frozen pan oven. Heat for about 45 minutes at 400.
Note: This is not a saucy pasta dish, if you want a creamier dish, add more sauce.

Beef and Broccoli (makes 2 meals)
1/2 cup oyster sauce                   $0.93
1 tablespoon sesame oil                 .45
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar           .60
2 tablespoons sugar                       .10
1 tablespoon soy sauce                  .20
1 tablespoon cornstarch                 .10
1 tablespoon grated ginger            .25
2 garlic cloves, minced                 .10
2 bags frozen (keep in bags)        1.96
2lbs thin sliced beef                     5.02  
                          $9.71 + 1.50(rice) = $11.21 for 2 meals
Divide meat into two quart sized freezer bags. Mix remaining ingredients (except broccoli) in a small bowl. Divide between the two bags and freeze.
To cook: thaw bag overnight(this also marinates the meat), heat saute pan and cook contents of bag until meat is almost cooked through. Add broccoli and continue to cook until broccoli is desired softness. Serve over rice.

Beef Stroganoff (makes 2 meals)
2lbs of stew meat, 1/2"cubes                   $5.05
1 onion, chopped                                         .26
1 can cream of mushroom                           .79
1 pack of onion soup mix                            .40
1-8oz container of mushrooms, sliced      1.09
1/4 teaspoon black pepper                           .10
1/2 cup milk                                                .12
8oz cream cheese                                      1.09
8oz sour cream                                            .65
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard                        .25
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce             .10 
                      $9.90 + 1.34(1.5 boxes of pasta) = $11.24 for 2 meals
 Place meat, onion, soups, mushrooms, pepper and milk in pot of slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5hrs. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Let cool before dividing into 2 freezer bags and freezing.
To serve: Thaw in fridge for a few hours. Cook pasta according to directions, while pasta is cooking reheat on low heat, stirring occasionally. When heated through, serve over pasta (can serve over rice too).

Lasagna (makes 4 - 8x8 cake pans)

1 lb ground beef                               $2.33
1 lb italian sausage                            1.19
2 onions                                               .52
4 garlic cloves, minced                        .20
16oz tomato sauce                               .50
28oz crushed tomatoes                        .99
1 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning      .20
1 box lasagna noodles                       1.49
24oz cottage cheese                           2.29
2 eggs                                                  .28
1/4cup Parmesan cheese                     .30
1/4 teaspoon black pepper                  .10
16oz shredded mozerella                  3.99 
                                                      $14.38 for 4 meals
Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking brown the meats with the onion and garlic in a medium/large saucepan. Drain the grease then add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and italian seasoning, bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl mix the cottage cheese, 2 eggs, parmesan cheese, pepper and all but about a 1 1/2cups shredded cheese. When pasta and sauce are done, start assembling the lasagnas. Here is how I did them:
Pour 1/4 cup sauce in each pan, fit one layer of pasta, spread 1/8 of cheese mixture over noodles, then spread 1/8 of sauce, then repeat pasta, cheese mixture and sauce. After second layer, top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover each pan with a double layer of foil and freeze.
To cook if frozen: Place in oven and cook covered at 400 for about 1 hour, remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
To cook if thawed: Place in oven and cook covered at 375 for about 40 minutes, remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Here is a very basic outline for my order of operations.

1. Start cooking beef stroganoff in slow cooker.
2. Make corn bread
3. While corn bread is baking, assemble split pea soup bags and beef and broccoli bags.
4. Take corn bread out and cool on racks. Cook penne pasta.
5. While pasta is cooking, cook chicken for the Pesto Alfredo.
6. Mix sauces for Pesto Alfredo, toss in cooked chicken, broccoli and pasta, divide into pans.
7. Start cooking sauce and pasta for lasagna.
8. Shred cheese (block cheese is cheaper than pre-shredded) and prepare cheese mixture.
9. When sauce and pasta is ready, assemble lasagna
10. Add remaining ingredients to stroganoff, let cool slightly before dividing into bags.

Cost breakdown
Split pea soup                  $ 8.20
Corn bread                          2.67
Chicken pesto alfredo         9.24
Beef and broccoli              11.21
Beef Stroganoff                 11.24
Lasagna                             14.38
TOTAL                           $56.94

I hope this gives you an idea of what I did. I purchased most of my ingredients at Aldi, with a few things from Giant and Wegmans. If you have any questions, just holler! :-)