Freezer Meals- A First Try

After being asked to cook a freezer meal for a new mom, I came across the Happy Money Saver blog for 50 freezer meals in a day.  I decided to give it a try.  Since it is the first of the month and the beginning of summer break it seemed like a good time to test it out.
This is what I ended up with:

• 1 pan of chicken enchiladas
• 2 bags of beef barley stew ready for the crock pot
• 2 bags of honey glazed pork chops ready for the grill
• 7 twice baked potatoes (one half failed to make it)
• 2 chicken pot pies (one became tonight's dinner)
• 2 dinners of beef for sandwiches similar to this recipe for french dip sandwiches
• 4 chicken burritos with chicken, Spanish rice, and cheese individually wrapped in waxed paper to be microwaved 
• 2 bags of dough for pizza

I still have a pork roast to cook tomorrow for BBQ sandwiches.  I already froze one meatloaf this week and one chicken tetrazzini.  

I will need to figure out what I spent but for a few meals that are already stocked and ready to go, it was worth it.

And thankfully my husband cleaned up most of the kitchen while I was working.

I started out this morning by cooking the potatoes while I was cooking sausage balls for breakfast Sunday at church.  It was exactly the amount of time to cook breakfast as was needed to cook my potatoes.  Then I put 6 chicken breast in the crock pot with salt and pepper and two beef roast into the oven with a can of coke at 200 degrees before church.  They cooked about 6 hours and were done when we got home for lunch (yes, we ate out right before my cooking marathon).  I also started the pizza dough first thing so I could let it rise twice.  When I got home, I divided the pizza dough into two portions and got it into the freezer.  (By the way, my husband also had to clean out the freezer for me.  With a side by wide freezer, this was tricking getting everything in plus the freezer items we already had.)  

After lunch, I let the meat cool and start assembling one recipe at a time.  It probably took me 4 hours to complete everything.

I am way excited and hoping this will decrease the amount we eat out over the next few weeks.  We will still have breakfast for dinner one night and probably eat out once a week, but I certainly do not have an excuse to eat out for a few weeks!

Somewhat Healthy? Fried Okra

I know, fried and healthy should not be in the same title! But this is a healthier version of fried okra, if only because of the whole wheat in the breading.

2 slices whole wheat bread (I look for bread without HFCS in it)
1 cup honey nut cheerios
2-4 eggs
1 cup olive oil
okra

Wash and dry the okra and cut into cylinder pieces. Lightly beat eggs in bowl. Add bread and cheerios to food processor and pulse until they are a bread crumb consistency (here I added a few whole wheat crackers because I had them lying around). Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees. Dip okra and cover with egg. Dip into bread crumbs. Cook until golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes). They get nice and crispy if you let the oil heat and not over heat! Turn it down if it starts getting too hot or your okra will not cook!

I used the leftover bread crumbs/egg mixture and made little whole wheat hush puppies (without the rest of the seasonings)- hubby loved them!

Easy Banana Cake Recipe

My friends at Confection Connection gave me this recipe- an easy fix with over ripe bananas (I added the extra sugar)!
1 box yellow cake mix
2 over ripe bananas
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat oven according to box directions. Smash the bananas in a medium size bowl. Add box mix and add water. Stir all together. Add nuts, reserving 2 tablespoons for topping.

I used a bundt pan for my cake (greased well with olive oil spray). I added the brown sugar and the 2 tablespoons of nuts to the bottom of the pan. Then add the cake mixture. Make sure it is even. Cook according to package directions for a bundt pan.

My son loves this with peanut butter on top.

A Great Chicken Salad

This Southwest Chicken salad was so yummy! The chicken, bacon, onions, mayo, and bbq sauce made a great warm dressing sitting on lettuce, with grape tomatoes, the avocado, and blue corn chips, it was delicious. A good flavor combination and an even simpler preparation. And with the grocery list tool on this website, you actually use one click to add the ingredients for your shopping list.

My mom is on the phone and she said hi!

Family Fun: Easy Recipes for All Occassions

Family Fun sends great emails with tips for crafts and recipes. While I do like the meal planner I found elsewhere, there were some great recipes on today's emails that look like fun!
My favorites from today were Easy Egg Rolls and Scrumptious Pretzels, both things I have wanted to try the past few weeks.
If you try them out, let me know!

Some Great Brownies

I made homemade brownies this weekend for a party- so great! And so easy!

Then I took it and made it a "deceptively delicious" recipe today...

1/2 salted butter, melted
1/2 cup pureed butternut squash or sweet potato
1 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour (unbleached flour)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp wheat germ
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Melt the butter. Cream with the puree and sugars. Add the eggs, flours, wheat germ, vanilla, and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add chips and gently combine. Using a 9x9 pan (I used a stone), cook in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

Yummy and almost healthy! My kids and hubby love them. And you cannot taste the squash at all!

My Savings Inventory:
1 box that the brownie mix would have come in
1 plastic bag the mix would have come in

The cost was probably close to buying brownie mix in the store since I used higher priced products. But I had everything in the pantry, fridge, and freezer already, so that saved the gas of going to the store. :)

Food Connect for Recipes

This is the coolest thing- I submitted a recipe on my free account to Food Connect. It was a recipe I mixed together with a combination of an old cookbook and some healthy substitutions. I call them Whole Wheat Oatmeal Griddle Cakes. Food Connect did all the nutritional analysis so I know now that one serving is 244 calories. That is too neat. It fits right into my diet!

Share your recipes and find out what you are eating!

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Chewy Granola Bars

My friend Amber at Homeschool Diva gave me this recipe for chewy granola bars:
3 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla
2/3 cup butter, softened
½ cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips or M&Ms
Optional: raisins, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, and baking soda. In another bowl, combine vanilla, butter, honey, and brown sugar; add to oat mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Lightly press mixture into the pan with the back of your spoon. Bake at 325 for 22 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

You can also mix molasses and the honey to give it a different taste. I used whole wheat flour too.

A nutritious healthful snack!

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A True Summertime Experience- Home Made Ice Cream

I made ice cream yesterday. I make home made no cook ice cream at least one time per year for our church annual ice cream social. It was soooo good to me, but no one at church hardly ate it. That is okay though, since I brought home the rest and saved it for myself!

I always use a no cook coconut ice cream recipe- this time was Almond Joy. If you like coconut, this is for you. It was quite rich so you can only eat a little at a time.

To read more about the recipe, you can see my Preschool Activities Everyday blog with the whole kitchen fun recipe. Make some ice cream with your family!