Hello! I apologize for my absence. I've been under the weather, and I'm still recovering ... but that has made these freezer-cooking bags even more invaluable around my house! I have been unable to really do much, but throwing the prepped bags into the crock-pot has made it a little easier on my family while I'm laid up!
What you've missed that's new:
For each recipe you simply put all ingredients into a gallon zip-lock bag and freeze. When you're ready to cook, just place the bag into the refrigerator the night before and in the morning, dump contents of bag into crock-pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours.
Maple-Dijon Chicken: Yummy!
1.5 pounds chicken thighs (skinless, bone in or out)
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Balsamic Drumsticks: Very good - and my husband and son would grab the leftovers straight from the fridge cold for lunch or snack!
6-8 drumsticks, skinless
3 tbsp oil (recipe calls for coconut, but I used extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp tamari
1/2 to 1 tbsp honey
Applesauce BBQ Pork (or Chicken): The sweet apple and tangy BBQ was delicious! We used pork, but you can sub chicken breasts if you prefer!
4 boneless porn loin cuts
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
2/3 cup spicy/tangy BBQ sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
Happy Cooking!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Freezer-Cooking: Mongolian Beef
Excellent! The beef was really tender, and the sauce was delicious. I served this over rice and steamed a bag of broccoli to mix in as well. Although the cacciatore still reigns number 1 on our favorite list, this is definitely a close second!
Mongolian Beef: (Gluten-free)
-1 lb. stew meat
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1 onion, thickly sliced
-1 tbsp. minced garlic
-1/2 cup soy sauce (I used wheat free tamari)
-1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
-1/2 cup hoisin sauce
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice. Steamed veggies are a great addition as well!
Mongolian Beef: (Gluten-free)
-1 lb. stew meat
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1 onion, thickly sliced
-1 tbsp. minced garlic
-1/2 cup soy sauce (I used wheat free tamari)
-1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
-1/2 cup hoisin sauce
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice. Steamed veggies are a great addition as well!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Freezer-Cooking: Honey-Garlic Chicken
Once again, I am the "goodest cheffer" of chicken! According to the three year old.
The hubby and I agreed that while this chicken was really good, it wasn't knock-your-socks-off good. Don't get me wrong - it was tasty, and if you're looking for a new and EASY way to do up chicken, this is a good one. Just a side note; the honey taste gets a little lost in the soy sauce, but we just used a little extra honey to thinly glaze the chicken when we plated it. I threw a bag of Steamfresh broccoli in the microwave to serve with the chicken. I opted not to make a starch because, quite frankly, I was lazy today. But you certainly could make some mac-and-cheese or rice to go with it as well.
Honey-Garlic Chicken
-4 boneless, skinless thighs (we used breasts)
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp. dried basil
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/2 cup ketchup
-1/3 cup honey
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6 hours. Serve with steamed veggies.
Happy Cooking!
The hubby and I agreed that while this chicken was really good, it wasn't knock-your-socks-off good. Don't get me wrong - it was tasty, and if you're looking for a new and EASY way to do up chicken, this is a good one. Just a side note; the honey taste gets a little lost in the soy sauce, but we just used a little extra honey to thinly glaze the chicken when we plated it. I threw a bag of Steamfresh broccoli in the microwave to serve with the chicken. I opted not to make a starch because, quite frankly, I was lazy today. But you certainly could make some mac-and-cheese or rice to go with it as well.
Honey-Garlic Chicken
-4 boneless, skinless thighs (we used breasts)
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp. dried basil
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/2 cup ketchup
-1/3 cup honey
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6 hours. Serve with steamed veggies.
Happy Cooking!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Freezer-Cooking: Chicken Cacciatore
YUMMY!
We all agreed that this was even better than the teriyaki - and since my son raved about my mad teriyaki skills, that should tell you something! We served ours with fettucini pasta, but you can use rice or polenta as well. If you use brown rice or whole wheat pasta (1/2 cup per serving, cooked) this meal is only 5 weight watcher points per serving!
Heads up for those of you with picky eaters - my son eats raw green pepper like it's going out of style, but cook it and it's a no-go. But no biggie; I just put a little butter, salt, and parmesan on his noodles, then spooned on the chicken and tomatoes, leaving the peppers out. I confess ... a few red peppers made it in with the tomatoes, but he didn't know it and he ate every bite!
Chicken Cacciatore:
-8 chicken thighs, with bone, skin removed
-28 oz. can crushed tomato
-1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
-1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips
-1/2 large onion, sliced
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 bay leaf
-salt/pepper to taste
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours. To thicken your sauce, you can either add a little flour or cook on high without the lid for the last hour. Serve over rice, pasta, or polenta. We also sprinkled just a touch of parmesan cheese on top!
Happy Cooking!
We all agreed that this was even better than the teriyaki - and since my son raved about my mad teriyaki skills, that should tell you something! We served ours with fettucini pasta, but you can use rice or polenta as well. If you use brown rice or whole wheat pasta (1/2 cup per serving, cooked) this meal is only 5 weight watcher points per serving!
Heads up for those of you with picky eaters - my son eats raw green pepper like it's going out of style, but cook it and it's a no-go. But no biggie; I just put a little butter, salt, and parmesan on his noodles, then spooned on the chicken and tomatoes, leaving the peppers out. I confess ... a few red peppers made it in with the tomatoes, but he didn't know it and he ate every bite!
Chicken Cacciatore:
-8 chicken thighs, with bone, skin removed
-28 oz. can crushed tomato
-1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
-1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips
-1/2 large onion, sliced
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 bay leaf
-salt/pepper to taste
You can either put the ingredients directly into the crock-pot, or into a gallon freezer bag for later. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours. To thicken your sauce, you can either add a little flour or cook on high without the lid for the last hour. Serve over rice, pasta, or polenta. We also sprinkled just a touch of parmesan cheese on top!
Happy Cooking!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Freezer Cooking: Teriyaki Chicken
Let me tell you how nice it was to come home from our Thanksgiving vacation and not have to immediately start wondering what to feed my family this week - because it's all in the freezer waiting to be thrown into the crock-pot!
Tonight's menu was Teriyaki chicken and Rice. Well, first of all let me admit that I completely forgot to take the bag out of the freezer and put in the fridge to thaw last night. But no worries! I set it on a paper towel in my microwave (off) at 9am, and about 1:30pm threw it in the crock-pot on high for 4 hours and at 5:30pm we were eating dinner!
Peyton (3 years old) said, and I quote, "Mommy, this is the goodest chicken I never had before. You are the best cheffer of chicken."
My husband and I thought it was pretty good, too!
Teriyaki Chicken -
This is a recipe that has been doubled for the Freezer Cooking series, so if you aren't freezer cooking just halve the recipe, or go ahead and make two bags and put one in the freezer for next week!
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-medium or large bag of carrots
-red onion, cut into large chunks (I used sweet onion)
-2 large cans pineapple rings or chunks, do not drain
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 cup teriyaki sauce
Split the ingredients between two bags, unless you halved the recipe. Mix well. Cook in crock-pot on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-7 hours; add 1/4 c. of teriyaki sauce. Serve over rice.
*See A Real REAL Housewife of Clark County for the Freezer-Cooking Beginning.
Tonight's menu was Teriyaki chicken and Rice. Well, first of all let me admit that I completely forgot to take the bag out of the freezer and put in the fridge to thaw last night. But no worries! I set it on a paper towel in my microwave (off) at 9am, and about 1:30pm threw it in the crock-pot on high for 4 hours and at 5:30pm we were eating dinner!
Peyton (3 years old) said, and I quote, "Mommy, this is the goodest chicken I never had before. You are the best cheffer of chicken."
My husband and I thought it was pretty good, too!
Teriyaki Chicken -
This is a recipe that has been doubled for the Freezer Cooking series, so if you aren't freezer cooking just halve the recipe, or go ahead and make two bags and put one in the freezer for next week!
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-medium or large bag of carrots
-red onion, cut into large chunks (I used sweet onion)
-2 large cans pineapple rings or chunks, do not drain
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 cup teriyaki sauce
Split the ingredients between two bags, unless you halved the recipe. Mix well. Cook in crock-pot on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-7 hours; add 1/4 c. of teriyaki sauce. Serve over rice.
*See A Real REAL Housewife of Clark County for the Freezer-Cooking Beginning.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Freezer-Cooking: Cilantro-Lime Chicken
10am 11/20 - Well, so far I'm loving this freezer cooking thing.
See my other blog - A Real REAL Housewife of Clark County for the full Freezer-Cooking Venture.
Last night I threw my bag of Cilantro-Lime chicken into the fridge to thaw; and when I got up this morning I dumped the contents of the bag into my crock-pot. Dinner is on it's way to ready and I have not even changed out of my pajamas yet.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Recipe:
This makes 2 bags so if you aren't Freezer-Cooking just cut the recipe in half or make the 2 bags and throw one in the freezer for next week!
-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-3 tbsp. olive oil
-2 limes, juiced
-2 cups cilantro
-1 lg bag frozen corn (or 2 small bags)
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 finely chopped red onion (I don't like red onion, so I used sweet onion)
-2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
-2 tsp. cumin or chipotle powder (I used cumin)
Divide all ingredients evenly between 2 one gallon Ziploc bags. Shake it up. At this point you can either freeze the bag(s) for later, or go ahead and dump the contents of the bag into the crock-pot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Shred your chicken or slice into thin strips and serve on warm tortillas. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, guacamole...whatever your heart desires!
2pm - My house smells amazing!
Dinner was a hit! The sweet onion worked out great (instead of the red onion); and I didn't have to cut the chicken - it was so tender that when I got ready to serve it, I just used a fork to break it apart. Peyton (my three-year old) and I rolled ours up in tortillas with cheese and sour cream. My husband doesn't really care for tortillas so I made some Minute Rice and he had his "naked" burrito style. The only complaint about this dish was from Peyton - he said it was kind of sour from the lime. That didn't really deter him too much though! So if you have young ones, maybe use 1/2 a lime in each bag instead of a whole one. So far the Freezer-Cooking Venture is off to a great start!
See my other blog - A Real REAL Housewife of Clark County for the full Freezer-Cooking Venture.
Last night I threw my bag of Cilantro-Lime chicken into the fridge to thaw; and when I got up this morning I dumped the contents of the bag into my crock-pot. Dinner is on it's way to ready and I have not even changed out of my pajamas yet.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Recipe:
This makes 2 bags so if you aren't Freezer-Cooking just cut the recipe in half or make the 2 bags and throw one in the freezer for next week!
-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-3 tbsp. olive oil
-2 limes, juiced
-2 cups cilantro
-1 lg bag frozen corn (or 2 small bags)
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 finely chopped red onion (I don't like red onion, so I used sweet onion)
-2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
-2 tsp. cumin or chipotle powder (I used cumin)
Divide all ingredients evenly between 2 one gallon Ziploc bags. Shake it up. At this point you can either freeze the bag(s) for later, or go ahead and dump the contents of the bag into the crock-pot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Shred your chicken or slice into thin strips and serve on warm tortillas. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, guacamole...whatever your heart desires!
2pm - My house smells amazing!
Dinner was a hit! The sweet onion worked out great (instead of the red onion); and I didn't have to cut the chicken - it was so tender that when I got ready to serve it, I just used a fork to break it apart. Peyton (my three-year old) and I rolled ours up in tortillas with cheese and sour cream. My husband doesn't really care for tortillas so I made some Minute Rice and he had his "naked" burrito style. The only complaint about this dish was from Peyton - he said it was kind of sour from the lime. That didn't really deter him too much though! So if you have young ones, maybe use 1/2 a lime in each bag instead of a whole one. So far the Freezer-Cooking Venture is off to a great start!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
EASY Crock-Pot Tenderloin with Apples
To Kyle...hope you still aren't waiting to ... you know. :)
This recipe is so easy and is actually two meals in one! We tried it for the first time last week, and it was delicious. Throw this together in the morning, and in 15-20 minutes you'll have a meal in the crock-pot ready to eat by 6pm when you walk in the door from work (and the house will smell amazing)!
You'll need:
2 to 2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin; trim the fat and slice into 1" pieces
2 large granny smith apples; peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup appplesauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Place the pork in the bottom of a crock-pot, cover with remaining ingredients and stir to coat the pork. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serves 8, and you can pair it with steamed veggies and rice or mashed potatoes. The pork dish is only 5 weight watcher points per serving!
When we finished supper, I took the leftover pork (which was falling apart tender) and shredded it, tossed it with our favorite BBQ sauce, and put it in the fridge. The next day we had delicious pork BBQ sandwiches!
This recipe is so easy and is actually two meals in one! We tried it for the first time last week, and it was delicious. Throw this together in the morning, and in 15-20 minutes you'll have a meal in the crock-pot ready to eat by 6pm when you walk in the door from work (and the house will smell amazing)!
You'll need:
2 to 2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin; trim the fat and slice into 1" pieces
2 large granny smith apples; peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup appplesauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Place the pork in the bottom of a crock-pot, cover with remaining ingredients and stir to coat the pork. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serves 8, and you can pair it with steamed veggies and rice or mashed potatoes. The pork dish is only 5 weight watcher points per serving!
When we finished supper, I took the leftover pork (which was falling apart tender) and shredded it, tossed it with our favorite BBQ sauce, and put it in the fridge. The next day we had delicious pork BBQ sandwiches!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Easy Summer Pasta Salad
I LOVE this recipe. And it's perfect in the summer because you can toss it together, have it for supper, and then lunch again the next day. We sometimes eat it for three or four days!
Cook a box of tri-color spiral noodles and drain. Throw them in a big bowl. Add two to three cups of cubed, cooked, boneless/skinless chicken breast. You can use leftover chicken from another time, cook it fresh, or buy it already cooked and chopped. Chop up:
1 sm/md green pepper (seeded)
1 sm/md yellow/orange pepper (seeded)
1 sm/md red pepper (seeded)
1 large cucumber (sometimes I use two because I LOVE cucumber)
and add to bowl. Add a bag of shredded cheddar (2 cups). Then pour in a bottle of ranch dressing (I like Kraft Cucumber Ranch...) and toss it all until coated. Throw it in the fridge and you can eat that for lunch and/or supper whenever you don't feel like cooking!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
It's too HOT to cook. But unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees, and fast food isn't the healthiest option even if you do order the "salad." And I can't not feed my family. My three-year-old, Peyton, is perpetually hungry these days ... which doesn't bode well for those teenage years--for our food budget anyway. Guess that new mini-van savings account might turn into a Teenage Boy Food Savings Account.
I digress.
In hot weather, your slow cooker is your best friend! What? She's crazy, you say? I'm not -- slow cooking isn't just for chili and cold-weather stews! Google slow cooker recipes and the hits you get will overwhelm you. At least, they did me. Did you know you can make desserts in a slow cooker? Apple dumplings. That's about all I knew of...but there's so much more! And the best part is, you throw it all in the pot in the morning, forget about it, and Voila! At supper-time, you just fill your plate! No more turning on that hot oven, or standing over the stove burning up over the frying pan.
One of my new favorite recipes for the slow cooker is BBQ chicken. That's right. Take three-four cuts of boneless, skinless chicken (thawed), and put in the slow cooker. Then mix up your favorite bbq sauce ... or take the easy way out (which I do) and just pour in the ready-made BBQ sauce straight from the bottle. We like Stubbs BBQ sauce around here. But feel free to use your own favorite. :) Let it cook for 3-4 hours on high, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. When it's finished, you have two choices:
1) Eat it as is. Throw some steamfresh veggies in the microwave, and dinner is served.
-or-
2) Take the chicken out, shred it up, and throw it back in for a few more hours on low so the sauce and chicken can simmer together to get that extra flavor. Serve on a bun with some chips and a salad.
Enjoy!
I digress.
In hot weather, your slow cooker is your best friend! What? She's crazy, you say? I'm not -- slow cooking isn't just for chili and cold-weather stews! Google slow cooker recipes and the hits you get will overwhelm you. At least, they did me. Did you know you can make desserts in a slow cooker? Apple dumplings. That's about all I knew of...but there's so much more! And the best part is, you throw it all in the pot in the morning, forget about it, and Voila! At supper-time, you just fill your plate! No more turning on that hot oven, or standing over the stove burning up over the frying pan.
One of my new favorite recipes for the slow cooker is BBQ chicken. That's right. Take three-four cuts of boneless, skinless chicken (thawed), and put in the slow cooker. Then mix up your favorite bbq sauce ... or take the easy way out (which I do) and just pour in the ready-made BBQ sauce straight from the bottle. We like Stubbs BBQ sauce around here. But feel free to use your own favorite. :) Let it cook for 3-4 hours on high, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. When it's finished, you have two choices:
1) Eat it as is. Throw some steamfresh veggies in the microwave, and dinner is served.
-or-
2) Take the chicken out, shred it up, and throw it back in for a few more hours on low so the sauce and chicken can simmer together to get that extra flavor. Serve on a bun with some chips and a salad.
Enjoy!
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