“Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two”

Today I’m bringing you another easy meal plan to help with your crazy work schedule and home life. Trying to find ways to cut corners but serve tasty and delicious food the whole family will love. Well, my Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two is that perfect plan. You asking, how it is possible? I know because I go through the same thing. All you need is a slow cooker, a beautiful pork shoulder, and seasonings to start this meal off right. How about a fabulous side? I have that for you, too.

The questions I get most often is how to pair foods and how to keep from serving the same old thing. I have your answers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re single, cooking for two or for many mouths. We all need to eat and want good food with great flavor. So checkout Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two for Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, Easy Coleslaw, and Turmeric Refrigerator Pickles. Don’t forget to throw in a side of your favorite potato chips as an added bonus especially for the kiddos. So let’s talk simple, easy prep of this make ahead meal.

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

The night before cooking the pork, you will rub the meat with a seasoning mix (recipe below) and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning before starting your day, place marinated meat in a slow cooker and top with your favorite barbecue sauce, cover and cook according to my recipe attached below. My pulled pork is more than just meat and barbecue sauce. You’ll remove pork from slow cooker, shred pork and add more seasoning to taste. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork is ready, full of flavor, moist and tender. The recipe calls for a 5-pound pork shoulder roast but don’t let the size intimidate you. I make this recipe quite often and freeze 1/2 cup portions for meals easy meals later on. All you’ll need is buns of your choice. Can’t get any easier than that.

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

Now the second part of this meal plan is ridiculously easy and contains two store-bought ingredients for my Easy Coleslaw. All you need is a bag of tri-color shredded coleslaw and Marzetti Original Slaw Dressing. You can shred your own cabbage for the slaw and make your own creamy dressing but why when these items are a time and life saver. Coleslaw is already prepped and the dressing tastes like the one my Mom made from scratch. This works for me and I know it will work for you.

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

The last part of Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two are my Turmeric Refrigerator Pickles. These pickles can also be made the night before when prepping the pork roast. The pickles need to sit in the refrigerator at least 4 hours but I think they’re better after sitting overnight and keep for several weeks. Perfect with any sandwich or barbecue, crunchy sweet goodness. Did I mention these pickles make a great snack?

When I say make ahead, I mean make ahead. This meal will come together in about an hour or less. Now that’s a time saver and no stressing about what to do for dinner. This is a perfect meal to prepare on a Sunday night and cook on Monday. I think I hear the dinner bell ringing. Enjoy one of my favorite meals anytime of the year. Oh Happy Day!

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

 

SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED PORK

½ cup packed light brown sugar, plus more for seasoning

¼ cup sweet paprika

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, more if you like more heat

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 (5-pound) boneless pork butt (shoulder) roast, quartered and trimmed

1 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite), plus extra for serving

Apple Cider vinegar to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, and ½ t. salt in bowl. Using a fork, prick pork all over. Rub sugar mixture over pork, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a large bowl, and refrigerate for at least 8 to 24 hours. Remove pork from refrigerator and place in slow cooker.

Spread barbecue sauce evenly over pork, cover, and cook until pork is tender, 9-11 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high.

Transfer pork to large bowl, let cool slightly, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding excess fat; cover to keep warm. Season with salt, pepper, brown sugar and vinegar to taste.

Add more barbecue sauce as needed to keep meat moist and to your taste. Serve with extra barbecue sauce if desired.

 

NOTE: Don’t shred pork to small at first, as a result the meat will get more shredding when adding sauce and seasonings.

I used very little salt as seasoning used in sugar mixture was plenty.

This recipe does make a lot but it freezes well. Freeze in ½ cup portions for quick lunches or dinners by heating small saucepan on the stove or in microwave.

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

Easy Coleslaw

1 – 14 oz. bag Tri-color Shredded Coleslaw or 6 cups fresh shredded cabbage

1 – 15 oz. jar Marzetti Original Slaw Dressing (1 cup for slaw; refrigerate the rest)

Pour coleslaw or shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Add 1 cup slaw dressing and mix until well combined.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead Weeknight Meals – Menu Two

Turmeric Refrigerator Pickles

5 – 6 pickling cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 t. ground turmeric

2 t. kosher salt

Mix vinegar, sugar, turmeric and salt in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add in cucumbers, stirring to coat completely. Cover bowl and let sit for at least 4 hours to overnight. Finally, stir pickles before serving.