Freezer Cooking 101

I have always loved working with food.  When I think about cooking, fond memories come to mind of baking with my mom and learning my way around a kitchen.  I enjoy shopping for fresh ingredients....perusing local farmer's markets and grocery stores.  For these reasons and a few others, whenever, I would see a post about freezer cooking, I would kind of just skip over it, not giving it a second thought.  However, as my days have gotten busier with a preschooler and and toddler, the thought of having dinner planned out and prepped has become more and more tempting.  About a month and a half ago, I decided to "try out" freezer cooking.  I have adapted some of my own recipes as well as tried lots of new ones.  In all, I've been really happy with the results.  Below are some of the recipes that my family has enjoyed.  I'll try to come back to this post at some point and add pictures.  I grocery shop every 2 weeks and try not to step foot in a grocery store in between.  On average, I've been spending about 2 hours every two weeks freezer prepping/cooking, but the payoff is huge!  No food prep or worry about what's for dinner for the next two weeks.  Happy freezer cooking!


Breakfasts:

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

1 roll breakfast sausage
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a green pepper, diced
8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 package 10 inch flour tortillas

In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown sausage together with peppers and onions.  drain grease from sausage.  Add eggs together and scramble with sausage, onions, and peppers, until eggs are cooked.  Top the sausage and egg mixture with cheese.  On a griddle, heat the flour tortillas(I heat them one at a time, filling them as I go).  Fill tortilla with egg and sausage mixture(I use one ice cream scoop per tortilla), then roll up tortilla.  Keep working until all 10 tortillas are filled and rolled up(I put the burritos in a 9x13 pan, just to keep them rolled up tightly).  Wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag.  To reheat:  Heat frozen burrito in microwave for 2 minutes, turning over halfway through.  This is my husbands favorite freezer breakfast!

Freezer Sausage Egg "McMuffins"

While I'm making my breakfast burritos, I cook 6 sausage patties or 12 slices of bacon, whichever I have on hand, and fry 6 eggs.  I use wheat English muffins to build breakfast sandwiches with egg, breakfast meat, and a slice of cheese.  Then, package each sandwich in plastic wrap and place them all in a freezer bag.  To reheat from frozen:  Cook in microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds, turning halfway through.

Freezer Oatmeal

I used this freezer oatmeal idea to inspire my freezer oatmeal cups.  However, instead of using chex oatmeal, I used my very favorite Butterscotch Oatmeal Recipe , topping some with raspberries and almonds, some with pecans, chocolate chips, and coconut, some with blueberries, and come with raisins and cinnamon.

Breads

I make some kind of muffins or quick bread every two weeks and freeze half so that they are ready to go.  Here is the bread I made this week, Pumpkin Swirl Bread from Taste of Home.  When making waffles or pancakes, I usually double my recipe, then freeze the leftovers for later.

One of my favorite freezer sweet breads has been Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls .


Lunches:

I don't do a whole lot of freezer cooking for lunches, except for these delicious chicken nuggets and  these calzones from The Pioneer Woman.. :-)  As a sidenote, The Pioneer Woman is my hero...


Dinners

A few Pioneer Woman Favorites... here is a link to Pioneer Woman's post about freezer cooking.

Chicken Spaghetti  I use cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom
Sloppy Joes
Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Chicken Pot Pie

Below are more freezer dinners we have enjoyed.  I'm sure I have forgotten some, but this is the bulk of the ones I have tried so far.

I prepare taco meat and freeze, brown my ground beef for things like chili or spaghetti, just to cut prep time.  Some of the meals below, I have found on Pinterest and some of them are meals that were already our favorites that I adapted for freezer cooking.

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs  I cut up the chicken and placed the chicken in a freezer bag with the marinade, I then cut up fresh pineapple, placed it in a freezer bag, then placed the bag with the chicken inside the pineapple bag.  To cook:  1.  Thaw overnight in the fridge.  2.  Grill

Greek Chicken Kabobs  We love this marinade/dressing.  Look in the comments on the recipe for a scaled down version/measurements.  1.  Cut chicken into kabob size pieces, cut up 1 onion and 1 green or red bell pepper.  2.  In a freezer bag, mix chicken, onions, pepper, and marinade.  Freeze until ready for use.  When ready to use, thaw and grill.

Meatloaf:  I use my mom's recipe and freeze it.

Hamburgers:  I just  make up nice patties and freeze

Spaghizza...the kids like this one a lot

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Crockpot Cheese Tortellini...one of my favorites

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers...My husband's favorite  Freeze chicken pieces in marinade.  Thaw.  Grill.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Slow cooker Hawaiian Chicken:  1 bottle of Archer Farms Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce, 1 can crushed pineapple in juice, 4 chicken breasts.  Mix together in freezer bag.  Thaw.  Cook on low in slow cooker for 6 hours.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole from Six Sisters  Six sisters have a good post here about freezer cooking.

Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, and Butternut Squash  Jury is still out on this one.  It is sitting in my freezer for next week.  I thought it sounded fallish.  :-)

The Taco Soup and The Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans from this Six Sisters Post

Chicken Stuffed Shells

Spinach Lasagna Rollups  I added homemade meatsauce on top.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Apple Pie Pork Chops

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Brown Sugar and Maple Pork Roast

Martha Stewart's Baked Penne with Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes



  

Feeling Like an Italian Chef While Keeping the Waistline of an American Girl

I am loving this light Italian recipe! This recipes comes together fast and is delicious.

Tortellini Primavera

Prep/Total Time: 30 min
Yield: 5 Servings

1 pkg. (19 oz) frozen cheese tortellini
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. butter
2/3 cup fat free milk
1 pkg. (8 oz) fat free cream cheese, cubed
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in milk; heat through. Stir in cream cheese until blended. Add spinach and Italian seasoning; heat through.

2. Drain the tortellini; toss with the sauce and tomato. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Facts: 1 1/4 cup equals 341 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 671 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 23 g protein.

Minestrone

Minestrone

This is a great veggie packed version of the Italian favorite, minestrone. I modified this recipe by adding a small can of tomato paste because I thought it would make the soup more hearty. Yield: 8 servings.

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups shredded green cabbage

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, sliced diagonally

2 celery stalks, sliced diagonally

1 purple turnip, peeled and chopped

1 (14.5 oz) canned whole tomatoes, undrained

1 medium potato, peeled an chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups water

1 cup chopped trimmed green beans (about 1 inch lengths)

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 cup cooked ditalini (very small pasta)

1/2 cup canned red kidney beans

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. In a dutch oven, combine the broth, cabbage, onion, carrot, celery, turnip, tomatoes, potato, and spices with the water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

2. Stir in the green beans and zucchini; cook, covered, 15 minutes longer. Stir in the ditalini and kidney beans; heat to serving temperature. Serve, sprinkled with parmesan and parsley.

Nutritional Information: 186 calories, 3 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 31 grams carbs, 5 grams fiber, 8 grams protein, 145 mg calcium

WW Points - 3

Lean Mean Burgers and Strawberry Dream Cake

Today we celebrated Ron's birthday with family. Ron loves burgers, so I planned the menu around burgers and fries. I found this burger recipe in Women's Health Magazine - so healthy and delicious at the same time. I topped the burgers with fat free cheese and center cut bacon. I can exactly say the same for the cake. :-) It is super delicious, and very moist but not so healthy. I'm thinking about trying to modify the cake recipe, but didn't want to do that for the first time on a special occasion. I also served Buffalo chicken burgers, sweet potato fries, fruit salad and pepper slaw. A little note about the pepper slaw - Growing up in Pennsylvania Dutch Country (near Lancaster County) one of my favorite Amish dishes was Pepper Cabbage (or Pepper Slaw). I recently found a recipe for Pepper Cabbage, which I modified by using splenda to make it a yummy, o WW Points salad. Pepper Slaw makes a great alternative to coleslaw. I love the sweet and sour taste!

Lean Mean Burgers

1 lb. lean ground beef (I use the 95/5)

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped baby spinach

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Make into patties. Grill to desired doneness.

Pepper Slaw

INGREDIENTS

VEGETABLES
1 pound green cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup grated carrot

DRESSING
1/2 cup cold water
5 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup splenda
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper and Celery Salt to taste

Combine the cabbage, green pepper, celery and carrot in bowl. Toss well.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until the splenda dissolves. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss together. Cover bowl tightly and marinate in refrigerator for several hours before serving. Toss and taste for seasoning.

Strawberry Dream Cake

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 1/2 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, pureed
12 ounces cream cheese
8 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
2.Make cake per directions except substitute the 1 1/2 cups of strawberries for the water and add 1 extra egg, (if cake mix calls for 2 eggs add 3), and 8 ounces of the cream cheese at room temperature. Beat well and pour into the prepared pans.
3.Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean when this cake is done since it is so moist. Let cake cool fully before frosting.
4.To Make Frosting: Let the cream cheese come to room temperature, dice the cream cheese and place in the blender. Heat the heavy cream until it just comes to a boil, add the white chocolate and stir until melted. Add the cream/white chocolate mixture to the cream cheese in the blender and blend until smooth. Cool, then fold in the cool whip. Use to frost cooled cake and garnish with sliced fresh strawberries.

Ron's Birthday Breakfast

I got up very early this morning to make Ron a special breakfast in celebration of his birthday. "Blueberry French Toast" is similar to one of my mother in law's recipes. This breakfast is one of Ron's favorites from his growing up years. The recipe (as is) would not win any awards for nutritional value. I have taken on this recipe as a challenge to "lighten up" while still maintaining the delicious flavor. I will repost with my "makover recipe" once I have tried it out. For Ron's birthday, I made the full fat, scruptious version. :-) To top it off, I made Ron's favorite Coffee Times coffee and Orange-Pineapple Julius Breakfast Smoothies.



Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients:
12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

SAUCE:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Cut bread into 1-in. cubes; place half in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cut cream cheese into 1-in. cubes; place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and syrup; mix well. Pour over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until golden brown and center is set.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve with French toast. Yield: 6-8 servings (1-3/4 cups sauce)



Orange-Pineapple Julius Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange-pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 to 12 ice cubes

Directions
In a blender, combine the orange juice, milk, water, sugar and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, through the opening in lid. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-5 servings.


Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 156 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 31 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.

Sunday Night Soups

For the past several weeks, I've been making a different, low calorie soup on Sunday nights. I think this is going to become a tradition for us. What I love about making Sunday night a soup night: 1. Easy and quick recipes are easy to find, 2. My ideas for low calorie, veggie packed, delicious soups are endless. 3. There are always plenty of leftovers for lunches. Tonight's soup was 7 Ingredient Chicken Fiesta Soup ~ a new recipe that one of my buddies at Weight Watchers shared with me. I'm not sure of the exact nutritional information, but I do know that it is 2 WW points per serving(1 cup = 1 serving).

7 Ingredient Chicken Fiesta Soup

1 can chicken breast, drained
1 can refried beans
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 can chicken broth

Mix together all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Garnish Idea:
1 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
2 tbsp 2% shredded cheddar
Cut several flour tortillas into strips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

Traditional Sunday Dinners

Growing up, mouthwatering, belly busting Sunday dinners were a tradition. Sunday dinners were always a time of laughter and fellowship. Sometimes, it was just our family, but many times our family entertained others as well. My husband and I have kept the tradition of big Sunday dinners. More times than not, Sunday dinner is our most formal meal of the week. The big and delicious Sunday dinners are great for family bonding but not so kind on the wasteline. It can be a bit of a challenge to transform a meal that is typically "a big spread" to an adequate but healthy dinner.

This Sunday I made Apricot Mustard Glazed Pork Roast. I served herb roasted red potatoes, steamed yellow squash, and a salad on the side. For dessert, I made Oven Roasted Peaches.

Apricot Mustard Glazed Pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 (1 1/4 pound) boneless center cut pork loin roast, trimmed

2 tablespoons apricot jam

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a roasting pan with nonstick spray.

2. Stir together the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the pork. Place the pork in the prepared pan and roast for 30 minutes.

3. Stir together the jam and mustard in a small bowl and brush all over the pork. Continue to roast the pork for about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Cut roast into 12 slices.

Nutritional Information: 237 calories, 10 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 79 mg cholesterol, 696 mg sodium, 8 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 28 grams protein, 46 mg calcium (6 WW Points). Serves 4.

Oven Roasted Peaches with Raspberries and Sorbet

4 ripe peaches halved and pitted

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 pint lemon sorbet

1 (6 oz) container raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Arrange the peaches on a baking sheet, cut side up, and sprinkle evenly with the sugar. Roast the fruit until softened, about 20 minutes. Set aside until just warm.

3. Place 2 peach halves on each of 4 plates. Place a 1/4 cup scoop of the sorbet in each peach half. Scatter the raspberries around the peaches.

Nutritional Information: 229 calories, 1 gram fat, 59 grams carb, 6 grams fiber, 2 grams protein (WW Points: 4) Serves 4.