Sometimes the idea of cooking from scratch can be pretty daunting. First you need the recipes, then you make a list, then there’s the shopping, then preparation, then the actual cooking itself. And by the time you’re done, you’re too tried to even eat. May I suggest a great solution – Crock-Pot cooking!

Recently there have been several pins on Pinterest that trump the idea of one shopping day and one prep day for anywhere from 7-10 meals. With the help of the Crock-Pot recipes on DaVita.com, I took this one step further.

Below you will find a complete grocery list and prep ideas to prepare seven kidney-friendly meals for your crock pot in one afternoon. Yes, really.

The following recipes were prepared:

• Green Chili Stew
• Creamy Crock-Pot Beef and Noodles
• Crock-Pot Fruited Pork Loin Roast
• Crock-Pot Oriental Chicken
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Low Potassium Potatoes
• Italian Beef with Peppers and Onions
• Crock-Pot Chicken and White Bean Chili

Often times when a person is diagnosed with kidney disease, many friends will offer their help. This is a great way to take them up on their offers. I have a friend who loves to shop, so I pulled her in to grocery shop for me. She and her husband went to Wal-Mart early on a Saturday morning, and I think they had a ball! There were some foods that they had never purchased before, but with the help of friendly co-shoppers, they were able to easily find the items. With two people, they said it took them no longer than an hour. They spent approximately $130, which comes to $18 a meal. This is a bargain when you consider each Crock-Pot meal is meat-based and feeds 4 to 6 people.

The next day, another friend came over and we commenced separating, chopping and bagging. We found it easy to separate the jobs; I prepared and cut up the meat while she chopped all of the vegetables. To keep things straight, we worked together on one recipe at a time. It did take us three hours, but we are good friends so there was a lot of talking going on.

After three hours, I had seven Crock-Pot meals ready for my freezer. We put each meal in a Crock-Pot bag, closed the bag and placed it in a freezer bag. Two of the recipes had items that needed to be added on the day the meal was cooked; I simply wrote on the freezer bags what was to be added that day. For example, the Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Low Potassium Potatoes needed to have the potatoes soaked the day the roast is made and added toward the end of the cook cycle and the Creamy Crock Pot Beef and Noodles needed to have sour cream added toward the end of cooking. Another note: the Green Chili Stew should be made within a week of freezing, as fresh lettuce, cilantro, the tortillas, and sour cream are purchased with the rest of the foods and served with the stew but not frozen with it.

Food safety is always a priority, especially for people with kidney disease. Check these slow cooker food safety tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

This is truly a project that you can have fun with; you can catch up with your friends, and have seven delicious meals waiting for you in your freezer!

Grocery List

Meats

• 10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 lbs. pork loin
• 1 lb. lean pork chops
• 2-1/2 lbs. beef brisket
• 3 lbs. lean beef roast
• 1 lb. top round steak

Canned Goods

• 8 oz. bamboo shoots
• 8 oz. water chestnuts
• 1-4.5 oz. can AND 1-8oz. can diced green chilies
• 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 Tbsp. low sodium tomato sauce
• 1 cup canned white beans
• 15.5 oz. can golden hominy
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini juice
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth

Miscellaneous Items

• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup rice
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 6 flour tortillas, burrito size
• 1 cup low fat sour cream
• 12 oz. lite beer
• 8 oz. egg noodles
• 7 crock pot liners
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce

Produce

• 1-3/4 cups carrots
• 1 small bunch green onions
• 5 stalks celery
• 4 large onions
• 6 white pearl onions (may buy frozen)
• 1 large apple
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 3 large russet potatoes
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large yellow pepper
• 1 large red pepper
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms

Spice List

• Crushed red pepper flakes (1-1/4 tsp.)
• Black pepper (5 tsp.)
• Garlic powder (6-1/2 tsp.)
• Ground cumin (2 tsp.)
• Chili powder (2 tsp.)
• Oregano (3 tsp.)
• Cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp.)
• Ground ginger (1/4 tsp.)
• Ground mustard (1/2 tsp.)
• Dried rosemary (1/2 tsp.)
• Dried parsley (3 Tbsp.)
• Allspice (1/2 tsp.)
• Dried dill (1/2 tsp.)
• Balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup)
• Worcestershire sauce (1 Tbsp.)

Staples

• Vegetable oil (2 Tbsp.)
• Brown sugar (2 Tbsp.)
• Cornstarch (1/4 cup)
• Flour (1 cup)
• Olive oil (1 Tbsp.)
• Beef bouillon granules (1 tsp.)
• Dijon mustard (2 Tbsp.)