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.

Egg 'McMuffins'

Homemade Egg, Cheese, Candian Bacon and English Muffins!

Our mornings, like everyone else’s, are so rushed I normally default to a Luna Bar or sometime…drive thru (eek, I know!) for breakfast.  While searching Pinterest for recipe ideas I came across several for an imitation egg mcmuffin and though about what a great idea it would be to make a batch of these, freeze them and have them at hand when the idea of another Luna Bar for breakfast doesn’t cut it.

Another great perk of this handy, delicious sandwich….they are right at 300 calories each and nothing is fried!

Okay…on to the recipe.  You will need eggs, cheese slices, Canadian bacon (already cooked) slices and butter.  First, I cracked the eggs into a greased muffin tin.  I baked them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While the eggs are baking I cut the English muffins in half and put them in the oven to toast for 10 minutes.

When the muffins were done toasting, I buttered the top half and assembled;  bottom of muffin, two slices Canadian bacon, one slice of cheese, an egg ‘cup’ and the other slice of muffin.  Yum!

For the muffins I want to freeze (yes, I ate one for breakfast this morning once they were done), I let them cool completely once assembled.  When completely cooled, I put the tray in the freezer for one to two hours.  Then I take them out of the freezer, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag.  

When you want one to eat, simply take it out of the freezer, remove plastic wrap and microwave for 60 seconds.

Enjoy!

Rachael

Egg ‘McMuffins’

6 English Muffins (I used whole wheat)

6 eggs

6 Slices of American cheese

2 packages pre-cooked Canadian Bacon

Pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Crack one egg in each muffin cup.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Cut each English Muffin in half.  Place on cookie sheet and put in oven to toast with eggs.

When muffins are done toasting, butter top of muffin.  Place two slices Candian Bacon and one slice of cheese on bottom muffin.

When eggs are done, let cool for 5 minutes.  Take a sharp knife and run it along the sides of the cup to loosen from tin.  Pop the egg out and place on top of cheese slice.  Top the egg with the muffin top.

Mini Corndogs

Mini Corndogs!

Okay, so first I want to apologize for the amount of time since my last post.  My day job is in higher education and as anyone remotely involved in education realizes, August is the busiest time of the year.  This also has inspired me to develop a more comprehensive recipe collection of freezer meals…stay tuned…I promise I have plans for a series of posts about freezer cooking.

Now…on to today’s creation.  In my house, we LOVE hotdogs!  We love them so much that I don’t keep any in the house for fear that the ease of preparation would make this tube of meat our dinner every night!  (I know…it’s bad).  One of my main concerns is the amount of sodium in these little bits of meat-as well as the obvious calorie concern.  Although I want to make sure we don’t eat them every night, I don’t mind Kate enjoying them in moderation (as long as it is the right hotdog and right coating).   So…in an effort to make a freezer-friendly, gluten free, toddler size meal I married a couple recipes I have together and created this…a mini corndog-esque dinner.

To start, all you need is Bisquick (gluten free if you are like me), all beef Hebrew National hotdogs without any fillers or preservatives, milk and eggs.

In a bowl, whisk together the Bisquick, milk and eggs.

Cut up the hotdogs.  As you see I made mine toddler size- cut in half length-wise and then again into bite-sized pieces.

Grease a muffin tin.  Add the hotdog slices and then the Bisquick mix.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove.  I let mine cool completely on a plate and then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  When ready to serve, remove from plastic and microwave for 60 seconds. (Kate likes hers with ketchup for dipping!)

Toddler approved!

Enjoy!

Rachael

Mini Corndogs

½ cup Gluten-Free Bisquick

½ cup Milk

2 eggs

3 All Beef Hebrew Nation hotdogs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Whisk together Bisquick, milk and eggs.  On a separate surface, cut the hotdogs lengthwise and then again into bit-sized pieces.  Put several pieces of hotdog in each muffin tin.  Spoon Bisquick mix over hotdogs.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes and remove from tins.  

Healthy, Freezable Quinoa Casserole

Veggie & Quinoa Casserole (individual servings)

Once Kate transitioned from baby food (purees) to toddler-friendly table food, I researched various recipes for meals that could be frozen and reheated easily while still maintaining good texture and taste.  This recipe is great because it combines one of my new favorite grains (quinoa) and veggies for a nutritional punch.

Speaking of quinoa. . . I was very intimidated by this grain before I started cooking with it regularly.  Now it is one of my favorite, go-to grains . . . especially since it is gluten-free!  I highly recommend you try it if you haven’t had it before.

As you know, I am a working mom and try to prepare meals on the weekends for the week ahead so I can spend more quality time with Kate and TC between work and bedtime.  During Kate's two-hour nap I usually cook the meals and place in freezer bags or containers, labeling with cooking instructions so it is easy for TC to prepare as well.  I prepare this dish in muffin cups for individual servings and then place in large freezer bags to take out one at a time as needed.  This also makes it easier to take to the babysitter’s for Kate to have for lunch.

I start by preparing the quinoa according to the package directions.  This typically consists of one cup of quinoa and 2 cups water.  I bring it to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

While the quinoa is simmering, I steam a package of frozen broccoli and carrots (or whatever veggies you like).  Once the veggies are steamed, I place them in the food processor and chop to fine bits.  I do this because I use veggies that Kate is not fond of eating in whole form.  For instance, she loves eating peas and green beans so I do not include them in this dish since she will eat them whole.  For some reason, she doesn’t mind the veggies diced in this dish.

Once the quinoa is done simmering, I add the diced veggies and combine.

Next, I add the mozzarella cheese.  The cheese is not necessary but I think it gives it a nice creamy texture.

I place muffin tin cups in my muffin pan and then fill with the mixture. I bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Once completely cooled, I place in a large freezer bag and take out as I need.  Delish!

Enjoy!

Rachael

Veggie & Quinoa Casserole

1 cup Quinoa

1 package frozen broccoli

1 package frozen carrots

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place muffin cups in a muffin tin.

Add quinoa to 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.  While quinoa is simmering steam the veggies in the microwave.  Place steamed veggies in a food processor and chop until fine.

Once quinoa is cooked and veggies are chopped, mix together.  Add mozzarella cheese.

Put mixture into muffin cups.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Let cool completely and then transfer to freezer bags and freeze.  Take out as needed.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

America’s Favorite Cookie . . . Chocolate Chip!

This is a family recipe that I make anytime I need to take a sweet treat somewhere (hello, office food days!).  They always get rave reviews and are usually requested in advance.

In the past, I have altered this recipe to include dark chocolate mint chips, white and milk chocolate chips and plan to add nuts to them sometime soon.  When I am in the mood for just a good ole’ cookie I use Nestle Milk Chocolate Chips (not semi-sweet).  This makes a big difference, to me anyway.

First, I blend the shortening and brown and vanilla sugars. Then, I beat in the vanilla and eggs.

In a separate bowl, I sift the flour, baking soda and salt.

Next, I slowly add the dry mixture to the sugar/egg mixture while mixing.

Once completely mixed, I add the milk chocolate chips and fold them in by hand using a spoon.

I drop large spoonfuls of dough onto a baking pan covered in foil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes.

Once done, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eat as many as you want!  I enjoy sampling the dough as well . . . but that’s just me!  J

Enjoy!

Rachael

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Butter Crisco

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 ½ cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Slowly add flour mixture to the egg-sugar mixture until completely combined.  Add chocolate chips and mix by hand with spoon.

Spoon onto foil-lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 11 minutes.  After cookies are done baking, let cool for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.