Freezer Meals 2 & 3

To see my first post on freezer meals (meals 1 & 2) please click here: http://midwestgirlcooks.blogspot.com/2012/09/freezer-meals-1-2.html

This week’s focus is on chicken.  I made cheesy, chicken and rice bake and chicken parmesan meatloaf.  These were recipes I found on Pinterest and like always, altered them to fit my family’s needs.

Meal #1 for this session is Cheesy, Chicken and Rice Bake.  (I found the recipe here:  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/cheesy-chicken-and-rice-bake/ .)

In addition to chicken, this recipe calls for black beans, plain greek yogurt, frozen corn, cooked brown rice, rotel and cheddar cheese.

I will be preparing, freezing and cooking this meal in a foil casserole so I won’t be labeling any gallon freezer bags this session.

First, I bake 3 chicken breasts at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Once I place the chicken in the oven, I start cooking the brown rice.  I buy 10 Minute Boil in a Bag brown rice.  You simply put the bag of rice in some water and microwave for ten minutes.

Next, I drain and rinse the black beans to remove as much salt as possible.

Once the chicken is finished baking, I cut it in strips.  Then I put all the ingredients into a large bowl and combine.

Next, I put the mixture into my foil pans and top with more cheese (we like cheese in my house!).

Lastly, I put the lid (with the cooking instructions) on the pan and place in the freezer.  I do not thaw this meal before cooking.  I simply take it out of the freezer, remove the cardboard top and bake.  Easy!

Meal #2 is Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf.  You could make this as mini meatloaves in your muffin tin or as I did, a traditional meatloaf, in a foil pan.  (The recipe can be found here:  http://mommyimhungry.blogspot.com/2012/02/parmesan-meatloaf-gluten-free.html .)

In addition to ground chicken, this recipe calls for eggs, gluten free crackers (in place of breadcrumbs), basil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion, salt, pepper, parmesan, mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce.

First, I placed the gluten free crackers in a large ziplock bag and used my rolling bin to crush into crumbs.

Next, I chopped the onion.

Then I mixed it all (except for the mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce) together in a large bowl (handle as little as possible to keep the chicken from becoming tough).  Placed the mixture into the foil pans and topped with pasta sauce.

I baked the loaves for one hour.  When they were done baking I added the mozzarella cheese.  I didn’t bake it with the cheese because I didn’t want the cheese to burn during the initial baking and then get worse during reheating.

Once cooled completely, I wrapped the containers in aluminum foil with reheating instructions on the top.  Another easy and delicious recipe!

Enjoy!

Rachael

Cheesy, Chicken and Rice Bake

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups brown rice, cooked

1 package frozen corn

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup plain, greek yogurt

2 cans Rotel

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions

Bake chicken breasts at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Cook rice according to package directions. Drain and rinse the black beans.  Cut cooked chicken into strips. 

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and combine. Place mixture into foil pans and top with more cheese. Cover pan with the lid (with the written cooking instructions) and place in the freezer.

When ready to enjoy, remove from freezer.  Remove cardboard cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground chicken

2 eggs

1/4 cup gluten free crackers

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 small onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush crackers to crumbs.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce.  Place mixture into loaf pans.  Top with pasta sauce.  Bake for one hour.

Once done baking, add mozzarella cheese to top.  Cool completely.  Cover with aluminum foil with baking instructions on top.

When ready to enjoy, remove from freezer and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  Let set 10 minutes before cutting.

Freezer Meals 1 & 2

As promised…drumroll please….here is my first freezer meal post!  To give you a little insight into preparation I will start with my process of idea/recipe discovery and walk you through actually freezing the meal.

I usually prepare my family’s freezer meals for two weeks at a time on a weekend day during Kate’s naps.  Thursday night I went through my recipe collection (paper copy and Pinterest board) and made a list of the meals I wanted to prepare.  I normally try to incorporate at least one new recipe each session.  Then I created a shopping list of items needed for these recipes, inventoried my current supply and then added the needed items to my grocery list.

Saturday morning miss Kate and I went grocery shopping and once we returned home with our food she was ready for a nap.  This created the perfect time to start assembling a few meals.

The new meal for this session is Pepper Steak.  (I found the recipe here:  http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/simple-living/recipes .  This blog author has a lot of great recipes! You will find I changed some of the recipe components to meet my family’s needs.) I am lucky enough to get homegrown beef from my grandpa’s farm.  We recently received a freezer full of beef and I was anxious to put some new cuts I ordered to work.  One of these new cuts is beef stew meat….the perfect meat for pepper steak.

In addition to beef, this recipe calls for green peppers, red peppers, onion, garlic powder, soy sauce, diced tomato and sugar.

The first thing I do is label the gallon sized freezer safe bags with the name of the meal, date and cooking directions.

Next, I slice the veggies and add the spices.

Lastly, I add the meat, make sure it is mixed well in the bag and seal it up.  I lay it flat in my freezer and it is ready to go.

Make sure to pull out of freezer and place in refrigerator to thaw approximately 24 hours prior to cooking.

The second freezer meal I made today was BBQ Chicken.  This is a veggie-laden, delicious dish that can be cooked in the crock pot or baked in the oven.  I won't release the recipe since it is from an eCookbook I purchased from the developer.  I highly recommend you check out the ecookbook at:  http://mamaandbabylove.com/real-food/slow-cooker-freezer-recipes/ .  Doesn't it look delish?!!

Enjoy!

Rachael

Pepper Steak

2 lbs. Beef Stew Meat

2 cans diced tomatoes

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 green peppers (sliced)

2 red peppers (sliced)

1 large onion (sliced)

Garlic Powder (to taste)

Instructions

Split all items between two gallon sized freezer bags.  Seal bag and lay flat in freezer.

When ready to cook, place in slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours.  Serve with rice.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Whole Wheat Muffins!

I have been on the hunt for a delicious muffin recipe that incorporates fruit, is a bit healthier than the store mix variety and is freezer-friendly.  I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest (http://cathlincooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-muffins.html) and modified it to suit my needs.  This is not gluten free (to the dislike of my husband) but I wanted to experiment with a few things first and will eventually get to trying it gluten free.

Since I had a bag of organic apples in my fridge, I decided to make it apple cinnamon as the original recipe called for.  I also used cinnamon, whole wheat flour (my first time cooking with it), rolled oats, eggs, homemade peach/applesauce, milk, vanilla, salt, baking powder, brown sugar and sugar.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  (This smelled fantastic!)

In another bowl, mix together eggs (slightly beaten), milk, eggs, applesauce and vanilla.  The original recipe called for oil; however, I used a few cubes of homemade peach/applesauce instead to make it a bit healthier.

Stir the wet ingredients in with the dry. Peel and dice apples and add to the batter.

Add the batter to lined muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

To freeze; let the muffins cool completely.  Individually wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and then put in a labeled freezer safe bag. 

When ready to eat, remove from freezer bag and plastic wrap.  Microwave in 30 second increments until warm.

Enjoy!

Rachael

Apple Cinnamon Whole Wheat Oatmeal Muffins

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

½ cup rolled oats

1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

Cinnamon to taste

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

½ cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ - 2 cups chopped apples

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put liners in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, applesauce and vanilla until blended.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Peel and chop apples then add to the batter.

Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow muffins to cool completely and then wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer safe bag to freeze.  

When ready to eat, remove from plastic wrap and microwave in 30 second increments until warm.