Low cost slow cooker meal plan January

[MikeRafone]

I’m planning my January meals and want to cut costs, have decent home cooked meals and cook cheaply.
So have decided to choose 7 slow cooker meals for 4 and then double the recipe and cook each recipe twice in the month
So have picked a selection of slow cooker meals ive made before

Taming twins spa bog www.tamingtwins.com/slow-cooker-bolognese/
Slimming world dal www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/carrot-and-coconut-dhal
Taming Twins www.tamingtwins.com/beef-stifado-recipe/
Bbc chicken thighs recipe www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-chasseur
Bbc chilli con carne www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chilli-con-carne
Taming twins curry www.tamingtwins.com/slow-cooker-chicken-curry-recipe/
Bbc vegetable stew and dumplings www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spring-veg-stew-cheddar-dumplings not sure ill make dumplings?

I thought by cooking the first week, and tripling the quantities that I can freeze the other two portions each night for the following two weeks. That way I only have to cook once and get 21 meals but only cook 7. I have already made a shopping list and started purchasing all the dry good I don't have in the cupboards. The week between Christmas and new year I shall buy the meat ready to cook each of the first 7 days of `January. Hoping to keep the cost lowish but still eat some great meals. Will be strict on meal portion sizes - but taming twins is generous size portions. Slow cooker is pennies to cook so keeps electric use right down. Reheating in microwave is also low cost.

It'll be porridge and frozen fruit for breakfast, homemade soup and bread for lunch.

Anyone one to join me for an easy low cost slow cooked meal plan for January ?

After 21 days I plan to cook the same meals for another 3 weeks, by repeating the same meals it means I will have most of the store cupboard herbs and spices, its just the meat, pulses and vegetables to purchase - which keeps the cost down.

I generally find that with all things “January planning” related it is incredibly important to make room for nuance, flexibility and change. Because without that the drudgery hits, in the depth of darkness of February, and the routine becomes really hard to maintain.

Not sure you want advice but if it were me I would actively plan for variety and surprise in such strict regimentation - the odd day when you want the crunch of a non-wet meal, the surprise pizza or crunchy chicken wrap one day, the break in the monotony.

otheriwse all regimentation - not just food - becomes quite hard to sustain.

I love the taming twins recipes! I've started adding in exciting lunch soups to stop the rut, which will hopefully mean we can plan in a couple of treats too. (Soups I've tried include a chorizo and chickpea and minestrone with pancetta)

Sounds lovely op, I just wish I could be as organised as you planning for January, I find beyond a couple of weeks hard enough!

Thanks for sharing. I don't think I'll be as organised as you, but really helpful to read. I need to cut back financially and actually feel inspired by your post and your ideas.

Add in a pasta bake/carbonara/tomato and cheese - I usually do sausage and mushrooms - this will even out the weeks - and pasta is cheap.

I think there’s room for some fish -
even jacket potatoes and tuna - or swap jacket potatoes in for the Spag bol

I tend to switch up between pasta rice jacket potatoes chips - Sunday dinner and a freezer meal

Shamelessly bookmarking this

Combusting 😳 these are some of my favourite comfort foods! I love pasta, curry, and a good beef casserole, I’ve picked out favourite meals purposely for the drudgery of January & February. Each to there own. I’m sure as the food will be frozen if we really fancied something different it’d be easy to be flexible

Scarletttulips. We’ve got spaghetti bolognaise in there, but could swap one mince meal for enchiladas if needed

If I were you, I’d actually start now. And borrow someone’s slow cooker so you can cook quadruple quantities at once.
Starting tomorrow, prep and cook 8 portions of one of the recipes and freeze in single meal sized portions. Next weekend cook 2 different 8 portion meals, repeat the following weekend and the one after. So by 17th Dec you’ll have all the meals you need for January. All this, however, assumes youve got enough freezer space!!

Thanks, but I don’t want to do extra cooking, I just want to cook once and then freeze the extra portions. if I start cooking tomorrow it’d mean I’d be cooking extra meals - as I already have groceries and meals for this coming week. I don’t have all the ingredients either, so would need to make a trip to the supermarket

This is very organised! Taming twins meals are always lovely!

January is bleak enough without slimming world dahl! I'd chuck a nice chickpea curry in there like this one https://meerasodha.com/recipes/workers-curry/

Nice idea though rotation of
7 recipes will drive you bonkers after a couple of weeks. Make a 3 wk rotation I'm sure you can find enough slow cooker freezer type stuff. If it's gets boring you are more likely to fall off the wagon and order take out.
Been there got the tshirt

Great idea OP - I have loads of the Simply Cook boxes to use up, I'm hoping to find the time to make plenty of meals with those and freeze what we don't need. Our freezer is old and on its way out really but there's no money at the moment to replace it

NoCloudsAllowed. It’s my favourite dal recipe, that’s why I choose it

KateLawsonDidIt I thought most people eat 6/7 meals on repeat? Tbh we do eat meals on repeat, we will often make something and there is plenty left over it’ll last 2/3days. So for us 7 different meals in a week will be variety 😂

i went to Iceland yesterday to get frozen fruit & nioticrd they have frozen chicken thighs, mince meat and diced stewing beef. All three for £10. Does anyone know if this meat is any good?

Personally we don't like Iceland or similar frozen meat. Have a look at your local butcher if you have one ours is quite reasonably priced, does 3 meats for £12, also look out for things like value packs or trays, hard to explain but ours does "winter warmer" packs of various prices so it might have a joint of something, some chicken thighs, some mince, some sausages etc for around £20 then goes up in price for larger ones.

Decafflatteplease our local butcher closed about 2 years ago, and the one in town ripped me off one xmas with a four rib of beef - he cut it so it was just over 2/3 ribs and consequently ive never been back.

I now have a choice of the major supermarkets, Morrison, Sainsbury, M&S, Iceland and Aldi and Lidl

Aldi is very good for meat.

Also for slow cooker ideas have a look on YouTube. I like watching a lady called "sopherina" and she does 5 meals from Aldi for £25 regularly.
Search on YouTube for "sopherina" or "sopherina autumn" or "sopherina slow cooker". All super cosy lovely videos to watch too!

I think this idea needs a bit more variety. Either by adding 2 quick meals each week (pasta, pesto and peas or baked potatoes with cheese and beans and red cabbage slaw) or just increase the meal rotation to about 14 recipes, so it's every two weeks.

Thank you for the YouTube recommendations @Decafflatteplease! The videos will be really useful - I think I genuinely have some sort of recipe blindness, no matter how many times I read the instructions they just don't go in

@MikeRafone you could also try Muscle Food for meat, decent quality and they often have special offers/ discount codes available if you sign up - the Plenty for £20 hamper is useful, shame the delivery is £6 on top of it though! I haven't bought any of the Iceland meat but DS1 (enormously fussy eater) is very fond of their frozen chicken strips and chunks...

Looks interesting. Hope all the recipes turn out well.

I made this on Sunday- went down well with the family after a very busy day out in the rain & cold.
Only thing I have to say is: I added some diced potato, some green beans, leek and a coconut milk powder.

I can also imagine butter beans or chickpeas instead of lentils.

the extra veg was left overs that simply needed using up

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-spiced-root-lentil-casserole

That looks good 👍🏻 ChristmasBarginShop, I may well have parsnips left over from Christmas 🎄

shall book mark that recipe, thanks

Decafflatteplease. Really liking the look of the black bean and sweet potato chilli, that’s going on trial this weekend 👍🏻

ElizaBalfour. Thanks, I’ll take a look