If you are like me, when I first started the Keto Diet, I kept an assortment of Atkins dinners in the freezer for those crazy times in life when you just couldn't cook. At almost $4 each, that could get expensive, so I looked for a cheaper way to solve the cost problem.
Cooking for one
When Larry was still alive and our son and DIL still ate with us, I was cooking for 4 at least several times a week. But, larry is gone now and since I started the Keto Diet, the kids just don't eat with me anymore. They both eat a high carb diet and consume more carbs in one meal that I do in most weeks, lol.
Cooking for just one is not easy. Buying individual servings of foods can cost as much as buying enough to feed a family of four. So for about the same amount of money, I can cook a big meals and make my own frozen dinners.
Freezing individual portions
At first, I simply placed individual portions in a resealable bag, wrote the macros on each bag and tossed into the freezer. That meant I had to defrost at least 2 packages for each meal and since they were an odd shape, it was often hard to put a full meal on a plate until after each item had been microwaved individually.
The container you see in the photo above is from Amazon. They are called Bento Lunch boxes. I caught a package of 50 on sale for just $20. They come with tight sealing lids that are perfect for taking your lunch to work. Prices vary greatly and they come in a few different colors, so shop around.
The containers are BPA free and both dishwasher and microwave safe.
Cost per meal
The cost per meal will of course vary depending on what you are making. I found the pork loin on sale for $1.29 a pound and bought several HUGE ones. In this case, I cooked part of one in the crock pot over night till if fell apart and put about 8 ounces in this container. For $1.49, I bought a bag of frozen asparagus that contained 6 servings. The meal without the gravy cubes cost just $1. The gravy was 1/6 of a jar that was on markdown right after the holidays last year for just $0.50. So the whole meal was less than $1.10. Much better than the almost $4 per meal for Atkins dinners.
With part of the pork loin, I cut into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick and individually froze them on a cookie sheet before storing in a resealable bag. This makes them easy to take out one at a time and cook into stir fry or pan seared until done (tastes like pork chops).
I do the same type things with boneless chicken breasts except I tend to buy them through Zaycon. (note, I will make $1 on any purchase you make if you join through my link)
The trick to get the best prices with Zaycon is to wait until they go on sale at at least 25% off. Their regular price tends to be slight cheaper than local grocery stores, but when they go on sale, it makes it much cheaper than I can buy locally.
Mix and match your veggies
By making in batches, it allows me to switch up the veggies as much as I want. I made 6 dinners with asparagus, 4 with green beans, and a few where I left the veggies out so I could add some coleslaw after heating the meat.
My next Keto adventure
I have a couple of dishes I am working the kinks out of the recipes. Namely a Low Carb breakfast muffin and a Low carb pizza crust. Soon as they are ready to release to the public, I'm going to work on a few casserole recipes. The casseroles will be the perfect food to use these containers for.
I'll keep you updated on the progress and release recipes as soon as they are tweaked to perfection!