Freezer Life Savers

We had a bit of an odd week unfold recently. My husband was working ridiculous, unpredictable hours, and I was gearing up for a business trip. I simply didn't have much time to meal prep, so I cheated! When you're craving something like soup or a roast, I find it's really quite difficult to scale back these recipes for two. Fortunately, these types of leftovers freezer really well. And even more fortunately for me, I found both pulled pork and tortilla soup stashed away in the freezer!

This week we needed 1 lunch (Tues) and 4 dinners (Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs), so the freezer fixing weren't quite enough to get us through the week. To the drawing board!

Since we were pulling a few freezer items, I wanted to balance the week with plenty of fresh ingredients as well as mix up the flavor profiles. Since I knew I'd be in a bit time crunch, I landed on a few of my tried and true recipes.

• Sunday: Thai crunch salad
• Monday: pulled pork stuffed sweet potatoes with coleslaw
• Wednesday: taco bowls
• Thursday: tortilla soup with cheese quesadillas 

I find making both a Thai-inspired meal in addition to something Tex-Mex-like within the same week works really well from an ingredient utilization perspective. I can grab a bunch on cilantro and between the two meals, I'll be sure to use it all up. Same thing goes for limes or scallions!

Despite leveraging some of my freezer safety stock, I found my pantry staples were running low! So I still pulled together a fairly exhaustive grocery list.

• limes (2)
• bananas (5)
• mango (6) - these have been on sale and made for a delightful snack!
• avocado (3)
• scallions 
• nappa cabbage
• romaine
• cilantro
• red pepper
• cucumber
• san marzano tomatoes
• sweet potatoes (3)
• shredded cabbage
• berries - shop the sales for these guys; they're expensive!
• peanuts
• coffee
• tortillas
• BBQ sauce
• ground turkey
• salt

Thai Crunch Salad

It's very infrequent that my husband will truly enjoy a salad for dinner. But my Thai crunch salad really does the trick! There is no shortage of tasty toppings, and the homemade peanut dressing puts it over the top. It satisfies that Asian craving without all the extra calories that typically come with fried rice or curries.

Taco Rice Bowls

Taco bowls are a typical go-to. They are quick to prepare, well-balanced, and delicious. Why incur the overcharge for guac at the nearest Chipotle, when you can create your own tex-mex bowl at home? You can truly make this your own - whatever toppings you typically crave can certainly find their way into this bowl. For me an my husband, I like to keep it simple - really deliciously seasoned ground turkey, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, and of course, avocado! 

Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Coleslaw

For an exceptionally easy weeknight meal, I often plan on baked potatoes. Until moving to Texas, I hadn't realized what an awesome vehicle potatoes make for all types of tasty meats! I hit the jackpot and found pulled pork in the freezer. Considering the smokiness of the pulled pork, I really enjoy pairing this protein with baked sweet potatoes. For an easy veggie and extra element of crunch, I like whipping up a quick coleslaw. This meal is nothing fancy, but it sticks to your ribs!

Total Grocery Cost: $96.45