One BIG day, many meals!

The other day I was at Felt Artistic and her post was about a cookbook called "The Big Cook."   I was intrigued.  I watched the video and immediately bought the book.  I also printed out their free sample recipe, Saucy Chicken, and made a mental note to buy the chicken the recipe called for.

When I drove my niece home to Abbotsford I picked up the chicken I
needed and made six meals.  I've cooked one, Hubby took three to camp,
and I still have 2 bags left.  He can throw them into a crockpot
(actually it will be J.R. 'cause Hubby doesn't cook) or they can be
cooked in the oven.  A side of rice and veggies and the guys will be
happy campers and they won't have to eat take-out or go to the
restaurant.

The book arrived the other day and I was pleasantly surprised that all three authors had signed it, nice touch :)  But I had to drive Hubby to the airport in Kamloops before I could see it.  I asked Dallas, who picks up my mail, to snap pictures and email them to me so I could write up a grocery list.  While I was in Kamloops I picked up a whole lot of chicken, pork, and other fixin's so I could create when I got home.

The book is really well put together, including detailed nutrition facts at the end.  There are 73 beef, chicken, and pork recipes with colour pictures, as well as tips and hints for each recipe.  Also included are serving suggestions so you won't draw a blank when you need to know what to make with the main meal.  I'm pretty sure all three women hail from Alberta, the province next to mine, so it seems "local" to me ;)

You can make 1, 4, 6, or 8 meals that serve between 4-6 people for each meal (although I think if Hubby were home I might have to cook two packages, he likes leftovers).  You basically make a large batch, divide it equally between large ziploc bags, and then freeze them for later use.  The recipes are down-home ingredients, and nothing you have to fly to another country to find.  I think the most exotic thing I've found in the whole book so far is mangoes :)  Very few of the recipes are cooked before freezing, making them very quick to prepare.

With my Kamloops shopping trip, I made up Chicken Fettaccine (4 bags), Sweet & Sour Pork (8 bags), and 2 bags of Amazing Chicken, the sauce for the Amazing chicken, which is made with apricot jam, was truly delish, yum!  So I currently have 16 meals in my freezer, most can be cooked in under an hour if I put them in the oven, or I can throw them in a crockpot in the morning and they will be delicious for supper that night.  Some of them you can stir-fry or barbecue too, great for summer meals.

What a great timesaver, and buying in bulk helps with the cost.  They also suggest getting together and cooking with three other friends and in one day you would have over 200 meals in your freezer!