Freezer Meals Week 1 Plan- Lasagna

 

It has been a long while since I have actually had a freezer meal session.  But today I was feeling ambitious after returning from the store.  I spent 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours preparing the meals and here is what I ended up with.

Menu for Week 1
Lasagna
Spaghetti Sauce
Chili
Rio-style Pork
BBQ. Pork

That's 5 very yummy meals I can now pull out of the freezer any night of the week for our family or a neighbor.  My goal is to get a few extra ahead so that when my son returns from his LDS mission next month, we will just be able to sit back and enjoy him and not have to fuss to much in the kitchen.  Sounds like a worthy goal to me.  So here was my plan and the recipes I used today

I actually began last night by putting a 5 lb. pork roast into my crock pot on low for 10 hours.  When I woke up I shredded it and put it in a bowl in the refrigerator. Most I used for the Rio Style Pork but I reserved a bit for BBQ. Pork sandwiches (just using sauce I bought at the store).

I browned 4 lbs. of ground beef,
then used my food processor to dice all of my peppers and onions. 
At this point I was ready to begin assembling my recipes, starting with . . .

Easy Cheesy Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce ( I like Ragu) + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 and 3/4 cup of small curd cottage cheese
1 egg beaten slightly
1/2 tsp. basil leaves (optional)
3-4 cups of Colby/ monterey jack cheese grated ( I just buy it this way)
American Beauty oven ready lasagna, uncooked
1/4 cup Parmesan

Take 1/4 of your ground beef and simmer together with spaghetti sauce and brown sugar, (today I had a 45 oz. jar of sauce so I just added half of my meat and saved extra for spaghetti sauce later in the week).

In a small bowl mix together cottage cheese, beaten egg, basil and grated cheeses.

Spray a glass 13 x 9 inch baking dish with non stick spray. Then add a thin layer of meat sauce.  Over this mixture place 3 uncooked  lasagna noodles running cross wise.  The pieces shouldn't overlap or touch the sides of the pan since they will expand when baked ( I love these noodles they make it so easy!)

On top of  the noodles place  1/3 of meat mixture, then 1/3 of meat sauce.

Repeat this step two more times.  Then sprinkle the top with Parmesan.
Cover tightly with foil then freeze. 
To bake remove Lasagna from the freezer the night before to defrost. 
Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 min. or if you didn't have time to defrost it bake for 1 hour and 30 min.  Remove foil the last 10 min. of baking

*For a saucier version add 1-  8 oz. can of tomato sauce to your meat mixture.


 

Rio Style Sweet Pork, Rice and Beans

So I don't have a picture of this yet.  But this recipe is so easy and delicious.  You can serve it on tortillas with beans and cilantro rice. Top it with more green salsa and cheese (place in broiler on low to melt)  and serve with guacamole, sour cream and  your favorite salsa. . . Yum!  Or serve this as a salad over lettuce with black beans salsa, sour cream, guacamole and rice. 

Rio Style Sweet Pork
1 3-5 lb. pork roast (boneless)
2 cups of green chili salsa (bottled not fresh)
2 cups of brown sugar

Place in a greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.  Shred pork with a fork before serving. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 min so juice will thicken.  If freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.

Cilantro Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lime zest
1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In sauce pan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 min., until rice is tender.  Remove from heat.  In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c. tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it.  Add beans, tomato juice and salt.  Continually stir until heated through.  Just before serving stir in the cilantro. 

Quick Quiche

The scene outside our door this morning looked like a winter wonderland, perfectly ordered for Christmas Day! We were lucky that everyone was able to make it out to our house for another tradition we all enjoy together, Christmas Breakfast. Matt loves to cook, and breakfast is his specialty. We were joined by Nanny and Papa, aunts and uncles and all of our fun cousins. We are so blessed to have so many people on both sides of our families who love us and want to share the holidays together. This year our menu was simple:

Cinnamon French Toast

Ham

Fresh Fruit

Quiche

Caramel Apple cider and Milk

The quiche seemed to be a big hit and was made that much easier by preparing it a day ahead of time and simply warming it in the oven. I love this recipe, from one of my favorite sites http://allrecipes.com/. I use all of the ingredients suggested in the recipe and make the addition of ham and mushrooms to it. It is heavenly delicious.

Quiche

8 slices bacon

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

4 ounces shredded swiss cheese

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. ( I brown my onions in a little of the bacon grease).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate.

3. Line bottom of pie plate with cheese, bacon and anything else you would like to add in. Combine eggs, butter, onion, salt, flour and milk; whisk together until smooth; pour into pie plate.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35- 40 minutes or until set. Serve hot or cold.

* If using as a freezer meal bake first according to recipe.  Freeze. When ready to eat defrost in refrigerator and reheat in the oven 20-30 min. May also microwave.

Breakfast Smoothie Delight

 

 We have been making this recipe for many years now.  I have tried a lot of different versions but this is by far still my favorite combination of flavors.  I like to make several batches of this smoothie mix and freeze it in containers so that we have an instant healthy breakfast whenever we need to run out the door quickly. ( Recipe makes 2 servings)

 

1/2-1 cup yogurt, nonfat, any flavor

1 banana, ripe, sliced and frozen

1/4 cup fruit, sliced and frozen

(any type of fruit you would like- I just buy mixed berries)

1/4 cup orange juice (when I don't have juice I just add extra milk)

1 cup of milk

optional: 1/3 cup oatmeal or 2 heaping Tbsp. flax seed

 

Blend ingredients together in a blender for about 1 minute.  Be creative and try a variety of fruits combined with different juices.

 

To Freeze: Add the first 4 ingredients into 2 cup serving containers.  For the juice I put in 1 Tbsp. of juice concentrate (no water).  When ready pull mix out of freezer. You may want to defrost a bit.  Dump into a blender and add milk and oatmeal or flax before blending. 

Mmmmmm-So refreshing and healthy!

 

*Always save your over ripe bananas by peeling, slicing and freezing them in baggies.  The riper the banana the sweeter the taste.  Also if you are making this on the fly and don't have frozen fruit on hand just add in a handful or two of ice cubes then blend.



SNICKERDOODLES

The perfect cookie in my book. Soft and sweet and simple to make. Served with a scoop of your favorite sherbet or better yet a sherbet float made with sprite, makes a very refreshing summertime treat.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 and 1/3  cup sugar
2 eggs
(cream above ingredients together)
2 and 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
(mix dry ingredients together then add to wet mixture)

Roll dough into 1-2 inch balls then roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture. Smash slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes (I take mine out right at 8 min. even if they look a little under done.) Let sit 1 minute on pan and then place directly on a cooling rack. They come out perfect every time. Yum!
Recipe source: my friend Lori

All American Apple Pie

Okay, this apple pie recipe has become an all time favorite at our house. The smells from the oven are enough to make your mouth water and then when you taste this pie with it's tart and sweet flavors you will truly feel like you've gone to heaven. Top with vanilla bean ice cream. YUM!


-PASTRY FOR DOUBLE CRUST-
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter-chilled and cut in small pieces
4-6 Tablespoons ice-cold water

-FILLING-
3 Granny Smith apples
2 Fuji or Gala apples
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice

1. To make the crust, stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with ice water, a tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork to moisten all the dough. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out the other half and set it aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Peel and core the apples and cut them into thin slices into a large bowl. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl and toss with the apples. Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.

4. Position the top crust over the pie and seal the edges. Cut steam vents in the top crust in a. Trim and flute the edges.

5. Beat one egg with a fork, brush it over the crst, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Cover edges with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield. Bake for 25 minutes; remove the foil. Bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

A Master Plan

Since day one of my homemaking career I have found it to be of the greatest help to always have a plan when it comes to preparing meals for the family.  This plan can be scribbled on a paper, written on a chalkboard or you may choose to print copies of the meal/shopping planner  I use (I print one of each on front and back, so that I have just one copy), or go to http://www.enlightenedhomemaker.com/ where you can print off some cute free to use menu planners.  Planning meals for a week or two should take no longer than 5 minutes, just begin jotting down meals your family enjoys.  Add an additional 5 minutes and you've got your shopping list.  I always hang my plan inside the cupboard door when I get home, so that I can easily see what's cooking each night.  This saves both time and money and prevents you from having to run to the store for that one ingredient you may be lacking.  If you haven't already done so try it. . . I promise your life will run so much smoother and your family mealtime will be much less stressful.  I have done it since I was married 22 years ago and it really does work!


*About my theme nights. This is just a fun take on the menus, not at all necessary though.   I got this idea from a favorite of mine Liz Edmunds aka. "The Food Nanny".  I love knowing that each night of the week we are cooking a variety of things and it's easier to remember that Monday is Comfort Food Night, Tuesday is Italian Night and Wednesday we have Breakfast for Dinner etc.  You can customize this by selecting your own families favorites.