40 Days of Freezer Meals?!?!

So I have been infatuated with the idea of 40 meals all ready to go in my freezer at a moments notice!! Wouldn't you be? I saw this on Pinterest.... the new bible for how to do / cook / make anything. And I am dying to get busy and fill my freezer with lots of delicious meals so that I can get more done at night.. spend more time with my kiddos.... or just be lazy and enjoy laying on the couch instead of trying to figure out the answer to a question not yet asked, "What's for dinner?".

I started my quest yesterday afternoon. I made Chicken & Mushroom Manitcotti, Pizzangna, & Mushroom and Caramelized Onion stuffed chicken breasts. It's not 40 by any means, but it's a start. They are all nicely tucked away in my freezer for one of those days when the kitchen and the dishes are not calling my name.

Chicken & Mushroom Manicotti

1 lb Ground Chicken
8 baby portebello mushrooms, diced into small chunks
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp garlic
1 16 oz tub of ricotta cheese
1 tub of Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Herbs Blend
3/4 cup cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 box of Manicotti
salt & pepper (of course)

1. Brown the chicken in a preheated deep frying pan with the olive oil, mushrooms, shallot & garlic over medium high heat. Stirring occasionally but making sure everything is getting a nice caramelized color.
2. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Cook Manicotti for 6 minutes and cool on a sheet of tin foil to prevent them sticking together. You want them tender, but still firm.
4. In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, cooking creme, cottage cheese, and 1/2 cup of the Italian cheese blend. Add the chicken mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a gallon size freezer bag Spoon your mixture into the corner. You will want to do about 1/3 at a time. Cut a hole about 3/4 of an inch from the corner.
6. I bought some disposable pans from Family Dollar, so that I could freeze them. Spray with non stick cooking spray OR spoon a little spaghetti sauce into the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. You could do an 8 x 8 and put 7 mannicottis in 2 pans, or put them all into a 11 x 9 baking dish. Depending on how large your family is.
7. Take your cooled Manicotti noodles and fill them with your mixture using the bag. This make it so much easier and less chance of breaking the noodles.
8. Line them into your pan, cover with spaghetti sauce and the rest of the cheese.
9. Wrap with plastic wrap and foil and write instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove Plastic Wrap and Foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until hot and bubbly.

I am not done with my Freezer meal Crusade. I am determined to have a freezer full of healthy delicious home-cooked meals, so that I can watch TV for once! Or... do laundry, scrub bathrooms, organize closets, pay bills, file paperwork, shovel driveways, WORK OUT?! ..........never mind!


P.S. The other 2 recipes are coming shortly... with pictures!

Rice Crispy Ranch Chicken Nuggets

My kids have been loving Eggo waffles, strawberry oatmeal, and pop-tarts lately. So I was about to throw out an old box of Rice Crispy Cereal that no one was going to eat when I thought.. hmmm I bet I could make chicken nuggets with this! So here they are:

Rice Crispy Ranch Chicken Nuggets

2 to 3 large Chicken Breasts
1 packet of Ranch seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups of Rice Crispy Cereal
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut chicken into strips. Crack 2 eggs onto a plate and mix thoroughly with a fork. In a bowl mix ranch seasoning, cheese, and cereal. Dip chicken into egg and then into the cereal. Make sure chicken is coated. Put onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes. Chicken is done when you stick a knife in and the juices run clear. Careful not to overcook the chicken, you don't want dry chicken! :)

I served these with boxed Au gratin Potatoes (hey we all need shortcuts once in a while!) Veggies and yes, those are pomegranate seeds. Carson and Canon saw the odd shaped fruit in the store, and wanted to know what is was.... they were way more happy about cauliflower and cottage cheese then they were with the seeds, but Jesse and I loved the sweet juicy treat. :) I think if they didn't have that little seed in the middle, they would be WAY more kid friendly.

 

 

 

Grammies Rolls

 

Ingredients:

2 T. yeast

¼ cup warm water

3 cups Buttermilk

3 cups flour
½ cup sugar, divided
3 eggs

2 tsp. salt
1 stick of unsalted real butter, melted
1 tsp. baking soda

5 cups flour + more if needed to make it not sticky

Directions:

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes until it's bubbly. Add the buttermilk & 3 cups of flour. Mix until well combined and no lumps remain. Cover and let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.

Add the rest of the sugar, eggs, salt, melted butter, baking soda and 5 cups of flour. Knead on a floured service until well combined. put in a big bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and put it in the fridge the night before you are going to bake them. Every few hours you will need to get up and punch down the dough. Remember this is a labor of love... ;)

The next morning divide the dough into 4 separate sections. Take one section and roll it over a floured surface into a circle. Cut the dough with a knife or a pizza cutter just like a pizza. I try to get 12 triangles out of each section of dough. Then take the triangles and roll them from the widest side to the thinnest. Put on a greased cookie sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until double in size.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Brush with butter...... OH YEAH BABY!

I have made these with gramma so many times, yet there is just something about her touch that made them extra special. :) I miss her cooking and sleeping over at her house and making all of her yummy chocolates and rolls with her. Keeping her traditions alive is really important to me. She is the greatest. :) Grandma always let them rise overnight in the fridge like that...that was one of my favorite memories getting up with her to punch down the dough. :)

Double Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Found this one on the Hershey's Chocolate Chip bag. :) My family loved them!

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter, sugar, and peanut butter in medium bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in both cups of chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

The recipe says to bake for 12 to 14 minutes.... I only bake them for 6. Take them out of the oven and let them cool before you try to move them to a plate. This way, they stay soft and chewy for WAY longer. I like my cookies soft and chewy, not crispy. :) Must have got that from my grammie.

My little boys helped me make these.... as usual. :) They love to help me in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Poppers

Okay, I found this one on Pinterest and can I just say .... OH MY WORD!!!! These right out of the oven dipped in butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar.... there isn't much better.

PUMPKIN POPPERS

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp, baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

Coating:

1 stick butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, & spices in a bowl and whisk to combine.

In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, & milk. Pour in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fill mini muffin tins until almost full & bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Melt butter in a small bowl. Mix sugar & cinnamon in a separate bowl. After poppers cool, dip in butter & roll in cinnamon sugar. They are like little donut holes.... SO GOOD!

Cowboy Caviar

I have made this recipe for poker night COUNTLESS times. Everyone loves it! And it is so easy!

2 cans of black beans (drained & rinsed)
2 cans sweet corn (drained)
2 cans of rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 ripe avocados (diced)
1/2 diced red onion (minced)
3/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
2 Tbsp of freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp of salt
Tortilla Chips

Mix everything together except chips in a big bowl, and devour with tortilla chips! YUM YUM!