Chicken and Rice Casserole - freezer meal

 

This is super easy and cheap to prepare.

 

This makes a QUADRUPLE batch!

 

I also have a fun and easy method for using up any leftovers, what I like to call "RISOTTO" CAKES... Just take leftovers and form into small hamburger shaped patties.  Pan fry in butter until nicely browned. Makes a nice crispy outside...yum.

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole - quadruple batch

 

Each batch serves 4-6

 

10 cups Cooked Rice

4 cups cooked chicken, chopped

4 cups chopped broccoli, lightly steamed

2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

4 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste. 

 

Combine all ingredients in huge bowl (I used my biggest stock pot)

Divide among four gallon-size freezer bags, label, and freeze.

 

When ready to prepare, thaw overnight. Please in greased 8x8 dish or similar-sized pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.

 

Italian Bolognese Sauce. (Freezer and crock-pot)

Again...bad pictures...

 

I was sooo excited about how this came out! 

 

I am not a huge pasta fan these days.  I usually consider pasta nights to be those when you don't have time to cook something decent or else you're trying to save money or stretch your grocery budget. I very rarely make my own spaghetti sauce because it seems like an awful lot of work when you can just buy some premade stuff, pop open the jar and dump it into a saucepan.  But this was SOOO good and definitely worth the small bit of effort.  I am not one to boast about my own cooking, but if I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was a little Italian lady who had been slaving over her stove all day on this sauce!

 

With regard to the herbs, I did not have Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence.  I just tossed in whatever herbs I had on hand that sound Italian-ish, and I had a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme that I tossed into the bag.

 

Italian Bolognese Sauce

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Pound Italian Sausage, removed from casings

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes

6 Ounces Tomato Paste

1 Cup Water

2 Tablespoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Herbs De Provence

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste...1 teaspoon gives it a good amount of bite!)

Bay Leaf

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

 

Brown Sausage, breaking into medium-ish and small-ish chunks

 

Add sausage to Ziploc bag along with remaining ingredients.  Label bag with your sharpie and freeze.

 

To cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight or 24 hours.

 

Dump contents of bag into crockpot. Cook on low approximately 6-8 hours (may be less depending on your crockpot)

 

 

Hamburger Noodle Bake (Freezer meal)

This is what I like to call a filler recipe.  Really simple and inexpensive.  You can make a triple or quadruple batch in no time and get your freezer filled up! One 8x8 pan lasted us for two meals, and there was no waste - we ate up all of it!

Yes, I know my pictures are awful.  It doesn't look tasty, but it tasted much better than it looks in this picture!

Hamburger Noodle Bake

 

NOTE: This recipe is doubled - it makes two 8x8 pans. I buy the cheap aluminum pans when they go on sale. You could also probably find good deals on them at a wholesale store. You can also find them at the dollar store, usually two for a dollar. They work fine, but just beware that the cheaper ones are flimsy, so make sure you hold from the bottom when placing or removing from the oven. Sometimes I will toss them in the dishwasher and reuse them once...sometimes I just toss them when I'm done.

 

Ingredients:

 

5 Cups uncooked egg noodles

2 pounds Ground Beef

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Green Pepper, Chopped

2 Cans Condensed Tomato Soup (Next time I might experiment with using tomato sauce instead)

2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1.5 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Ketchup or Chili Sauce

 

Cook noodles until just tender; drain.

Brown beef, onion, and green pepper in large pot until no longer pink.

Stir in remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

Divide amongst two 8x8 or similar-sized aluminum pans.

Allow to cool, then cover securely with aluminum foil. Use your trusty Sharpie to label write baking directions to the foil.

Place in Freezer.

When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight to 24 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Mine was still partially frozen when I put it in the oven. It took about an hour to cook.

Honey Rosemary Chicken (freezer recipe)

Honey Rosemary Chicken (Freezer Recipe)

I thought this recipe was pretty good. Not one of the best, but definitely a keeper.
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (Optional)
1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary

Add all ingredients to freezer bag. When you label the bag, be sure to put on a note that says add to crockpot along with one cup of water (of course you could add the cup of water before freezing, but I don't because it just takes up more space in my freezer.)

When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator. Add contents of bag to Crock Pot, along with one cup of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

*Note: My crockpot always seems to cook hot and fast. Mine was done in about 4-5 hours.

Introduction to Freezer Cooking

So I am finally getting around to doing this freezer cooking blog, which I have been wanting to do for awhile now.  Instead of starting an all-new blog, I've just brought back my old one from the dead, and added a new tab for freezer recipes.

I apologize ahead of time for my horrible photos.  Most of these are done on my iPhone. I'm working on it. But I'm lucky if I even remember to take a photo of a meal :-)



Anyone who has spent any time with me in the past few months had to listen to me prattle on endlessly about freezer cooking, and probably knows how passionate I am about it. So now instead of having to listen to me drone on about it in person, you can just read my blog to get updates and share recipes!

Freezer cooking in a nutshell:

• Buy foods in bulk or when it's on sale = Cost savings
• Prepare and freeze multiple batches of one recipe = Time savings
• Thaw and either bake or toss into the crockpot = Saves you time and lots of stress in the evenings!

I was first introduced to freezer cooking from a magazine article.  I committed to making a months' worth of dinners and seeing how it worked out. During that trial month, I was completely amazed at how much easier and less stressful it made evenings for me, and how much money it was saving our family. In addition, the fact that weekly grocery store trips were now fun and no longer the lowlight of my week.

I am a mom with a pretty busy evening schedule. Meal planning was my least-favorite chore. There were so many things I disliked about meal planning and cooking dinner. Here are my top ten:

1. Difficulty finding dinner recipes that are easy, inexpensive, and well-liked by everyone.
2. Making weekly shopping lists...and then inevitably forgetting to bring my shopping list to the store with me
3. Trying to cram the shopping cart full of everything I needed for weekly meals.
4. $$ The price of my weekly groceries..yikes! $$
5. Upon getting home from the store, realizing that I forgot to get at least one neceeesary item on my list, and having to head back to the grocery store later in the week.
6. Rushing home from dance class or a sports event and having to turn into what my husband calls the "kitchen tornado" in order to get dinner ready on time.
7. When dinner is finally ready, trying to enjoy it with your family, but always looking over your shoulder and knowing that that huge pile of dishes you just dirtied while making the meal is waiting...
8. Those nights when you JUST  DON'T FEEL LIKE COOKING, or you run out of time, and end up going out for an unhealthy (and expensive) meal at an Applebee's or Friendly's.
9. Additionally then ending up throwing food out at the end of the week because it's gone bad before you had a chance to use it. I absolutely hate throwing food away.
10. Not having time in the evenings to spend doing things I want and need to do with my husband and the kids; reading, writing, playing, LIVING!

Here are the positives that have come about since starting freezer cooking:

1. We are saving a lot of money each week on groceries, and hardly anything gets thrown away.
2. I do not have to turn into the "kitchen tornado" anymore, as all I have to do is either dump a bag into a crockpot or throw a pre-made casserole or dish in the oven. All that's left is to prepare a quick and healthy side.
3. I have more time in the evenings to spend with my family.
4. I don't need to fill my grocery cart to overflowing every week. I can focus on fresh, healthy foods since I don't have a mile-long list of ingredients to purchase for main dishes.
5. Far less mess and dirty dishes to clean up after dinner.

I am not going to lie and say that all of the meals I've made are absolutely wonderful. Some of them were just  so-so, and a couple of them have turned out pretty bad. But I'm excited to tweak and work the recipes to make them better and more adaptable to freezing. And for the most part the meals have been really, really good! I am excited to share my successes (and failures) with you and hope my freezer cooking adventure can help some other busy folks out there who are tired and frustrated with being trapped in the kitchen and not feeling like you don't have the time to do the things you need and want to do in the evenings :-)

I also plan to post other quick and easy recipes that aren't necessarily specific to freezer cooking, and maybe some other recipes or ideas I come across that I think are worth sharing

Apple Bars

 

• 1 cupsifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1/4 teaspoonsalt
• 1/4 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 1/4 cupbutter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cuppacked brown sugar
• 1/2 cupwhite sugar

• 1egg
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 1/2 cupchopped apple
• 1/2 cupfinely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoonswhite sugar
• 2 teaspoonsground cinnamon

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven; finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan, and cut into squares.

Witches Hat Treats

This is a fun kids activity I found in a Tatse of Home magazine.  The kids could help with pretty much every step and they had lots of fun.

Ingredients / materials:

1 Box Cake Mix (you choose flavor)
1 container white frosting
12 Sugar cones
12 chocolate wafer cookies
pastry bag for frosting
candies/sprinkles for decorating.
Food coloring

1.  To make a kind of holder for the ice cream cones, wrap a bundt pan with aluminum foil.  Poke one hole in the center and 11 holes evenly spaced around the pan.

2.  Push one ice cream cone down into each hole.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

5.  Place about 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp batter into each cone.  (The kids were even able to do this part using one of those ice cream scoops with the squeeze release handle....or whatever you call those things.)  The remaining batter you can use to make regular cupcakes.

6.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool.  If cakes have coked over the top a bit, trim it off (and then eat it)

7.  Mix frosting with food coloring to get desired color. (we did orange).  Place in pastry bag with desired attachment. (a smaller one works best)

8.  Place 12 cookies on work surface.  squeeze a dollop of frosting on each cookie.  Overturn cones and place on top of frosting. 

7.  Decorate with frosting and sprinkles as desired.

Sausage Ragu over Polenta ($)(*)

Really good! One of my new favorites!

Polenta:

1 Cup Polenta (Corn Grits)
3 Cups Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Butter
olive oil

Ragu:

20 ounces lean turkey sweet italian sausage
1 jar pasta sauce (low sodium if available)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 large onion
1 clove garlic

1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese

To make Polenta:

Bring water and salt to boil in mecium pot.  Gradually stir in polenta.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about 30 minutes.)

Spread polenta into medium bowl coated with olive oil.  Allow to set for at least 10 minutes.  Overturn bowl onto plate and polenta (hopefully) will fall out and hold its shape.

To make Ragu:

Heat medium pot over medium-high heat.  Cruble sausage and add to pot (remove casings if necessary).  Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about six minutes.  Remove sausage from pan and wipe pan clean. 

Add olive oil to pot and heat over medium heat.  add onion and cook until softened, about six minutes.  Add garlic and cook about one minute.  Add pasta sauce, water, and sausage.  Simmer over low heat approximately 20 minutes.

Place one serving of polenta on each plate and top with a generous scoop of ragu.  Top with cheese. 

Makes five servings.  Each serving approximately 420 caloreies.

Dump and Go Minestrone - Slow Cooker ($) (*)

*from the New Abs Diet Cookbook
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
32 ounces Chicken broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and risned
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomateos
5 large carrots, thinly cliced
1 Cup diced Celery
2 clovest garlic, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 package whole wheat rotini or similar pasta
1 ten ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.

1.  Dum all of the ingredients, except the pasta and spinach, into slow cooker.  Stir, cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

2.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Add to crock pot with spinach.  Cook for ten minutes.

makes 10 servings.

Beef and Blue Salad (*)

From The New Abs Diet Cookbook

2 Plum tomatoes, diced
5 Cups Chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup sliced onion (optional)
1 small clove garlic crushed (optional)
4 tablespoons lite balsamic vinagrette
grilled flank steak, sliced very thin
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese.

combine lettuce, tomato, balsamic vinagrette, salt and pepper (and optional garlic and onion).  Toss to coat.  Plate salad with thin-sliced steak and top with blue Cheese.

Romaines of the Day Salad ($)(*)

From The New Abs Diet Cookbook

2 Cups Chopped Romaine Lettuce Hearts
1 Avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 Cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (low sodium if available)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional: 2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro and 2 tablespoons diced scallion

Mix the lettuce, avocado, tomato, beans, in a large bowl.  Mix the oil, lime zest and juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Pour over the salad and toss well to coat.

Makes two servings.

Anything Quiche

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Eggs, Beaten
8 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Anything (Bacon, Frozen, chopped spinach - Thawed and squeezed dry, ham, Whatever!)
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 Cup Milk
Pie Crust

Mix all together and pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.

J.W. Lowell's Delicious Garden Vegetables

2-3 Squash and/or Zucchini
Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Slice vegetables lengthwise thinly.  Pour italian dressing over vegetables.  Add 2 Tbsp. Olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix and marinade for 30 minutes or so. 

Place vegetables on heated grill.  Cook until grill marks are dark brown.  Brush with marinade and turn over.  Once again, cook until brown grill marks show on down side.

Cheesy Potatoes

3/4 Pounds Potatoes, peeled and halved
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Grated Cheese (try Sharp Cheddar)
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Worcesteshire Sauce
1 Tbsp. cooking sherry (optional)

place potatoes in pot of cold water.  Bring to boil and boil for 20 to 25 minutes or until nearly cooked. 

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter over low heat in a heavy saucepan.  Blend in flour, salt and pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  Stir in grated cheese, dry mustard, worcestershire Sauce, and sherry.  Stir until cheese is melted. 

Cut potatoes into medium chunks and place into casserole.  Pour cheese sauce over.  Cook at approximately 350 until heated and cheese sauce is bubbling (cover with foil optional)

Turkey Burgers ($)(*)

1.3 Pounds turkey, Ground
Herbs, your choice of seasoning
1/8 tsp. garlic salt, optional
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 Cup Breadcrumbs
2 egg yolks

Mix all together and form into patties.  Cook in pan with a little oil until well browned on both sides.  Makes 6 burgers.

*leftover idea:  Heat leftover pasta sauce.  Simmer cooked burgers in sauce for 3-5 minutes until heated through.  Serve on bun topped with a spoonful of sauce.

Spider Johnnycake

3/4 Cup Cornmeal
1/4 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1-1/2 Cups milk + 2 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (Optional)
1 Egg, Beaten
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix Dry ingredients.  Add 1 cup and 2 Tbsp. Milk.  Add beaten egg and maple syrup.  Mix only to dampen ingredients.  Melt butter in cast iron pan or 8x8 inchdish.  Pour mixture into pan and pour remaining 1/2 cup milk over batter.  Do not stir.  Bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve piping hot

Recipe by Marjorie Standish

Guinness Bread

1 Cup Regular Rolled Oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt.
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 (12 fluid Ounces) can or bottle Guinness

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. 

Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In a seperate large bowl, stir together the butter, vanilla, buttermilk and Guinness. 

Pour the flour mixture into the beer mixture and gently stir until well blended.  Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with additional oats if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for approx 50 minutes. 

Good Old Cornbread

1-1/4 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Cornmeal
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup vegetable Oil
1 Egg, Beaten
1-3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (Optional)

heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8 or 9 inch square pan. 

Combine dry ingredients.  Stir in milk, oil and egg (and optional maple syrup).

Mix until ingredients are just moistened.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

No Beat Popovers

2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. Salt

Mix flour and salt.  Break eggs into seperate bowl.  Add milk.  Beat with wooden spoon.  Add flour mixture.  Beat with spoon just enough to mix.  There will still be a big lump of flour in the batter.  Liberally butter 12 muffin tins.  Fill each to 1/2 full.  Place tin in cold oven.  Turn to 425 and bake for 25 minutes.  Serve pining hot with butter.

Recipe by Marjorie Standish