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Slow cooker meal plans

Over winter a slow cooker can be your best friend. Popping a meal on at lunch time or in the morning means that when dinner time rolls around, all the work is done!

We asked Kathrine Lynch at Busy Happy Kids to put together a few easy weekly meal plans to get you through the month while keeping dinner interesting. Kathrine was able to put together these affordable recipes for feeding four adults, or two adults and three kids. All of these recipes can be prepared on the weekend and then frozen, so you simply need to defrost the night before and pop the thawed ingredients together in the slow cooker a few hours ahead of dinner.

You’ll find a full shopping list for each weekly meal plan below, just copy it down or print it out and take it with you when you swing by your nearest PAK’nSAVE.


Slow cooker meal plan: Week 1

1. Monday: Slow cooker mince bolognese

This Italian classic isn’t what you typically expect from a slow cooked meal, but it packs loads of comforting, familiar flavour. With very little prep time and affordable ingredients, this is a staple for many Kiwi households made even easier thanks to the crock pot.

2. Tuesday: Curried sausages

Sausages are a great way to feed a crowd on a budget, and this curried sausages recipe helps you keep dinners exciting and new. Because this recipe only uses four ingredients, it’s perfect for cooking on a budget and feeding a lot of hungry mouths.

3. Wednesday: Crock pot chicken casserole

Chicken drumsticks are an affordable cut with lots of rich flavour, and the addition of bacon pieces means this casserole is teeming with tasty morsels. This is the ideal recipe for a midweek pick-me-up!

4. Thursday: Beef casserole

Use your favourite stewing cut for this tasty beef casserole. The addition of frozen veggies makes this extra simple to put together and easy to customise - just use your favourite mixed bag.

5. Friday: Beef stew

End the week with a treat. This beef stew brings flavour from every direction and makes sure to warm you from the inside out. Serve it up with your favourite mash, a few slices of bread or in a crispy pie shell.

Week 1 shopping list

Quantity

 Item

Recipes

Sides

Fresh Produce

 5  Onions  1,2,3,4,5  2
 19  Mushrooms  1,3,4,5  2
 4  Carrots  1  
 2  Kumara  3,4  
 1/4  Pumpkin  4  
 16  Potatoes    2,3,4,5
 1  Broccoli    5
 2  Garlic Cloves  5  
Meat & Seafood 
 400g Beef Mince  1  
 8  Sausages  2  
 8  Chicken Drumsticks  3  
 200g Bacon  3  
 800g Stewing Beef  4,5  
Frozen
 2 cups Frozen Mixed Veges  4  
Canned and Packaged
 3 tins Tomatoes  1,4,5  
 1 jar Pasta Sauce  1  
 400g Dried Spaghetti   1
 1 can Creamy chicken soup  3  
 1 can Whole kernel corn  3  
 1 packet Mushroom soup mix  3  
 1 packet Beef bourguignon mix  4  
 Pantry Items
 1 tsp Curry powder  2  
1/2 tsp Sugar  2  
1 Tbsp Soy sauce  5  
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce  5  
 2 tsp Brown sugar  5  
1 tsp Mixed herbs  5  

 

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 2

1. Monday: Lamb casserole

Start the week with something comforting like this slow cooked lamb casserole. After just 5-6 hours, the meat will be wonderfully tender and gently coming away from the bone.

2. Tuesday: Sweet and sour pork

This Chinese-inspired sweet and sour pork recipe shows just how much variety you can get in your slow cooker meal plan. The sauce should thicken up nicely in the slow cooker, giving you sticky sweet and sour goodness. 

3. Wednesday: Chicken teriyaki

From China to Japan, your Wednesday night should get you pumped for the rest of the week. This slow cooked chicken recipe is sweet, tangy and full of flavour. Serve with udon noodles or a warm bowl of rice.

4. Thursday: Burrito mince

This tasty Mexican-style burrito mince makes little-to-no effort to prepare and can be used in all sorts of ways. We recommend wrapping it up with veggies and cheese but you can also serve it on top of corn chips for nachos, or layered between wraps for a savoury tortilla stack.

5. Friday: Beef stroganoff

Settle into a warm bowl of creamy mushroom and beef stroganoff and kick up your feet on Friday night. Stir in a bit of sour cream just before serving to add richness and creaminess to the stroganoff sauce.

Week 2 shopping list

Quantity 

Item

Recipes

Sides

 Fresh Produce
 5 Onions 1,2,3,4,5  
 8 Mushrooms 5  
 4 Carrots 1 2
 1  Kumara 1  
1/4  Pumpkin 1  
 4  Potatoes   1
 2  Parsnips 1  
 2  Broccoli   3,5
 1  Lettuce   4
 3  Tomatoes   4
 6  Garlic Cloves 2,3,5  
 1 Red Capsicum 2  
 2 tsp Fresh Ginger 3  
1 Tbsp Parsley 5  
Meat & Seafood
 6 Lamb Shoulder Chops 1  
 400g Pork, diced 2  
 400g Chicken Breasts 3  
 400g  Beef mince 4  
 400g Stewing Beef 5  
 Canned and Packaged
 2 tins Tomatoes 1,4  
1 packet Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks Mix 1  
1 can  Whole kernel corn 3  
1 small can  Pineapple pieces 2  
1 tin Baby corn 2  
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar 3
 1 packet Burrito spice mix 4  
2 cups  Rice   2
400g  Pasta   5
400g  Udon Noodles   3
 8  Wraps
4
Beef stock cube 5  
Pantry Items
 3 Tbsp,2 tsp Brown sugar 2,3  
1/4 cup Vinegar 2  
3 Tbsp, 1/4 cup Soy Sauce 2,3  
 2 tsp Honey 3  

 

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 3

1. Monday: Meatballs

Who’d have thought you could even make meatballs in the slow cooker? After rolling your meatballs, place them in a snaplock bag with the sauce ingredients and freeze until you’re ready to cook. 

2. Tuesday: Honey garlic chicken

Using bone-in thighs for this sticky, sweet and savoury chicken recipe means you get succulent pieces of chicken even after four or five hours of cooking. The meat should fall off the bone and pick up all of that delicious sauce on the way to your mouth.

3. Wednesday: Italian sausages

Use your favourite type of sausages to make this delicious Italian-inspired sausage casserole. If you prefer, skip the frozen vegetables and instead steam some fresh veggies to plate up just before dinner.

4. Thursday: Sweet chilli chicken

With just a little bit of heat and loads of sweet, gooey flavour, these sweet chilli chicken drumsticks will have everyone coming back for seconds. With capsicum, carrots and baby corn, there’s plenty of veggies to help you hit your 5+ A Day.

5. Friday: Black bean beef

There’s no mistaking the salty, sweet and funky flavour of Chinese black bean sauce. Celebrate the start of the weekend with this unbeatable slow cooker recipe for black bean beef - it’s almost too easy.

Week 3 shopping list

 

Quantity

Item

Recipes

Sides

 Fresh Produce
 4 Onions 1,2,3,4,5  
 4  Garlic cloves 2,3  
 2 Capsicums 4,5  
 4 Carrots 4 1
 4  Potatoes   3
 2 cups Green beans   2
 1/2 Spring onion  

5

 1  Broccoli   5
 2  Courgette   1
 Meat & Seafood
 400g Beef mince 1  
 4  Chicken thighs, bone in 2 8
 8 Sausages 3  
 8 Chicken drumsticks 4  
  400g Beef strips 5  
Frozen
 2 cups Frozen mixed veges 3  
 Canned and Packaged
 1  Egg 1  
 1 packet Onion soup mix 1  
 3 tins Tomatoes 1,3  
 1 jar Pasta sauce 1
 1 packet Sweet Chilli Stirfry sauce 4  
 1 tin Baby corn 4
 1/2 cup Black bean sauce 5  
 400g  Dried Spaghetti   1
 4 cups Rice   2,4
 400g Udon noodles   5
Pantry Items
 2 tsp Mixed Herbs 1,2  
 1/2 cp, 2 1/2 Tbsp Soy sauce 1,2,3,5  
 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1,3  
 1/4 cup, 1/2 Tbsp Tomato Sauce 1,2  
 1/2 Tbsp  Sweet Chilli Sauce  1  
 2 Tbsp  Flour 1  
 2 Tbsp Honey 2  
 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar 2,3,5  

 

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 4

1. Monday: Green chicken curry

Thai green curry is spicy, bright and fresh, and so easy to make in the slow cooker. This flavourful curry will help to wake you up and get the blood pumping for the rest of the week.

2. Tuesday: Red beef curry

Red curry is a staple in Thai cuisine and often made with chicken - but there’s no reason you can’t use beef. Any cut of stewing beef to lend lots of extra flavour to your curry sauce.

3. Wednesday: Vegetarian curry

A vegetarian meal every now and then ensures you’re eating plenty of healthy veggies. Serving this vegetarian red curry up alongside some freshly steamed green beans will have you feeling fit as a fiddle for the rest of the week.

4. Thursday: Apricot chicken

Apricot chicken is sticky and sweet, and goes down a treat with the whole family. We’ve managed to get this recipe down to just three ingredients, so if you’re struggling to get past Thursday this will be sure to take some stress off your shoulders.

5. Friday: Chicken hot pot

At the end of a long week, it’s so comforting to be able to sit down and dig into a warm bowl of chicken, veggies and super tasty broth. This hot pot recipe is easy to make and hard to put down. 

Week 4 shopping list

 

Quantity

Item

Recipes

Sides

 Fresh Produce
 3 Onions 1,2,3  
 2 Garlic cloves 1  
 1 Capsicum 2  
 5 Kumara 3,5  
 2 Carrots  5  
 6 cups  Green Beans   1,2,3
 2  Broccoli   4,5
 4  Potatoes    5
 Meat & Seafood
 400g Chicken breast 1  
 400g Beef 2  
 4  Chicken thighs, bone in 4  
 8 Chicken drumsticks  5  
 Canned and Packaged
 2 Tbsp Green curry paste 1  
 3 tins Coconut cream 1,2,3  
 4 Tbsp Red curry paste 2,3  
 1 can Chickpeas 3  
 1 packet Onion soup mix 4  
 1 can Apricot halves 4  
 1 can  Creamy chicken soup 5  
 1 packet Chicken noodle soup mix 5  
 8 cups Rice   1,2,3,4
Pantry Items
 2 1/2 Tbsp Sugar 1,3
1 Tbsp Brown sugar 2  
3 Tbsp Soy sauce 1,2,3