Freezer Meals

About three weeks ago I was preparing to make another five week meal menu (I'm telling you this is the BEST thing ever! Not having to stress about what we will be having for dinner for five weeks is AmAzING!!) my friend told me about this site (six sisters' stuff). She had told me that she had been on there looking at some recipes and they all looked delicious. SO I decided to go and check it out...I think i`m safe to say that the majority of my meals on the latest menu are from this website.

I found recipes for 8 freezer meals! (that apparently you can put together in 1 hour...but whoever did this did not have three children at home, one of which is the most adorable little boy you have ever seen...who (at the time) never seems to sleep, considers naps to be 45 min or less, and just wanted to be held)

It took me the better part of the afternoon...all afternoon to put them all together. I went shopping in the morning & got everything that I needed. They also provide a printable shopping list, & a suggested side dish...very nice, no `thinking`required! I was amazed at how in expensive it was. When you think about it, I was purchasing groceries for the entire week, plus all the items for the eight freezer meals (I already have the chicken and spareribs in the freezer...so I didn`t have to buy them) annnd also purchased some items that were on sale! I spent just over $100 (that is almost enough food for two full weeks...not fresh fruit & veggie wise, but dinners for sure)

Needless to say, I`m LOVING prepping dinner this month!!

So far we have eaten two of the freezer meals. The BBQ Spareribs & the Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken. Both were good, not amazing, or oh my goodness I have to make this again...but they were good...and my kids ate it (always a bonus)

Pizza bites

I LOVE trying new recipes! I came across this one on Pinterest a couple months ago and finally put it on my meal menu. Let me tell you, it was a HIT! Everyone loved it (Gotta love a crowd pleaser!)

This is what I did:

Made my pizza dough and rolled it out on the counter. Sliced it into squares and sprinkled the toppings all over the top (I figured it would easier this way, rather than try and place the toppings on each individual square)

I did two different kids: 1) Cheese, Pepperoni, and Pineapple 2) Cheese, Pepperoni, Pineapple with Sauteed Mushrooms, Zucchini, & Peppers.(Divine!!)

Then you roll up each square, pinch the seams/sides together and place the pizza bite seam side down in a greased dish

Then brush the top with either Olive Oil or melted Butter and sprinkle Garlic powder, seasoning of your choice (I used an Italian blend) and Parmesan Cheese

Bake in the oven as per directions for you pizza dough

We then dipped our into Prego Pasta sauce and enjoyed every bite! I will be making these again!!

Here is the link to where I found the recipe:http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/02/stuffed-pizza-rolls-recipe.html
(There are a lot of yummy recipes on this site!!)

Yay for being organized :)

I've always been one for meal planning! Most of the time I just do a week at a time. I like to get all the groceries I need for the entire week in one shopping trip. It saves me time, money, and then I don't feel like I'm running around like a chicken with it's head cut off in the late afternoon trying to decide what we are going to have for dinner!!

During summer time things kind of become a little more slack. Bed time isn't always that consistent and dinner is not always planned.

In the past I've always just written out our meals for the week on paper. Over the weekend I bought a whiteboard calendar. Now I have five...yes that's right five weeks of meals planned.

 

On Sundays we have Pancakes with Strawberries and Whip Cream YUM...the best part is that Irish makes dinner for us!! 

For the next little while Tuesday is going to be our Crock-Pot night, as the kids have swimming lessons just before supper time, and this will make tuesdays a little less hectic!

So here it is:

Week 1

Sunday: Pancakes

Monday: Shepard's Pie

Tuesday: Sausage Minestrone

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas

Thursday: I don't have to make anything as it's our Stake Fall Fair

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: We are going to Waterton with my S-I-L and her family...so I'm assuming we're going to eat out ;)

Week 2

Sunday: Pancakes

Monday: Homemade Pizza

Tuesday: Hamburger Soup

Wednesday: Lemon & Herb Salmon with Rice & Veggies

Thursday: Freezer Meal

Friday: Warm Lemon Pepper Salad

Saturday: Left Overs

Week 3

Sunday: Pancakes

Monday:Creamy Beef & Noodle Bake

Tuesday: Turkey Meatball Soup

Wednesday: Chinese Sundaes

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Left Overs

Saturday: Irish has a big date planned for us this night...so I'm assuming NO cooking for me!

Week 4

Sunday: Pancakes

Monday: Chicken Burgers

Tuesday: Chunky Pizza Soup

Wednesday: Beef & Bean Chimichangas

Thursday: Lemon & Herb Salmon with Rice & Veggies (we are not the biggest fan of fish, but we like the recipe I do for this...so it's the same)

Friday: Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

Saturday: Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Week 5
Sunday: Pancakes
Monday: Hamburger Stroganoff
Tuesday: 3 Bean & Lentil Soup
Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan Cutlets with Rice & Veggies
Thursday: Freezer Meal
Friday: Left Overs
Saturday: Cajun Chicken Pasta

 I always write down where I'm getting the recipe from so I know where to look on the day that I'm making it! If it's from somewhere on the internet and we like it, I add it to my Binder!!

Feel free to use this as your new 5 week meal menu!! Enjoy :)

Delicious Orange Chicken

OH.MY! Was this EVER Delicious! I love finding new recipes to try, and it's even better when they are a hit! Although it took a little bit of prep, it was SO worth it! Pair it up with some Rice and Broccoli and you've got one great dinner!!

I found this gem on 'The Noshery' blog (go and check her post out, because she has some mouth watering pictures to go along with the recipe.

Here is my mouth watering picture :)

Here is the Recipe and Instructions:

Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-1/2” cubes
• 1 ½ cups corn starch
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs **I just used regular bread crumbs**
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ginger root, minced
• ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes **even with only 1/4 tsp this adds quite the kick, so if you don't like the spice, don't add so much :) **
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper.  Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, another with panko bread crumbs and another with corn starch. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs and finally in the panko bread crumbs, set aside.  Heat pan with vegetable oil to 375 degrees, fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.
In a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired garnish with green onions.

Now I know what you are thinking, "where is my pad of paper and pen, I need to make a grocery list"...so GO, GO, GO!!
Enjoy!!! :) 

Tortellini with Creamy Butter Sage Sauce

Irish and I came across this recipe just the other day, it looked so good we decided to try it! And you know what?!? It was pretty good! When I make it again I think I will change a few things though. First I'll give the recipe, and then add what I would change for next time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs fresh tortellini, cooked according to instructions (I used 4 cheese)
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped ( just used the white ones that you put in the brown bag at the store)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 5)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I just used pizza mozzarella...because that's what I had in my fridge)
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.
Sauté mushrooms until browned.
Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes more.
Add the butter to the pan and melt.
Add the cream and grated cheese and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and add the fresh chopped herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over the tortellini.

*Things I would do differently*
-I would at least double the mushrooms, they were soooo tasty and just soaked in the flavour!
-I would use LESS butter, we found it to be just a bit too much.
-I would like to try it with the Fresh spices and also use the Pecorino Romano

Here is the link to where we found the recipe, you should check out this guys website, he's got some other really yummy looking recipes!! Tortellini with Creamy Butter Sage Sauce

Japanese Cabbage Salad

This salad is a winner!! It's so quick and easy, and oh so tasty! This particular recipe comes from my Aunt Diane. Every time we have a family gathering, I look forward to this Salad!

The Recipe is as Follows:

1 medium cabbage shredded

1 pkg. of bean sprouts

2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced

1 small bunch gr onions chopped

1/2 pkg. chow mein noodles

1-2 ichiban noodles (beef) broken up

1/2 c. roasted, salted sunflower seeds

1/4 c roasted sesame seeds

1 c slivered toasted almonds

Mix the above together

Dressing:

3/4 c oil (canola)

1/4 c soya sauce

1/4 c vinegar

seasoning pkg. from ichiban soup

1 T white sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper   

Mix together in a shaker style container and pour over salad right before serving.

This makes a very large salad, perfect for pot-lucks! Although it can easily be halved, ENJOY!! :)

P.S. I am sorry, but there is no picture to go with this...it was devoured before I even got a chance to take one....I guess I will just have to make it again and take a picture then! 

Stained Glass Jello

I recently came across this cute blog called Our Best Bites, which is where I came across this recipe.
This was FUN to make!! Yes it takes TWO days...but it was fun! If you have patient kids that can wait two days to eat this goodness, they would love making this too!

Cranberry-Topped Chicken with Baby Potato Sage Toss

 

Doesn't this look amazing!! ...I thought it was!!

I love trying different recipes! I LOVE the Company's Coming recipe book series! This recipe comes from their book 'Healthy in a Hurry'

Cranberry-Topped Chicken

1 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 cup Finely chopped onion

1 Garlic clove minced (or 1/4 tsp powder)

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries *(I used craisins)

1/4 cup low-sodium prepared chicken broth

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp parsley flakes

1/8 tsp dried sage

salt, sprinkle

Cayenne pepper, sprinkle

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Seasoned salt, sprinkle

pepper, sprinkle

Preheat gas barbecue to medium. Heat olive oil in small frying pan on medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened.

HINT (If it's too cold to barbecue, you can place the chicken on a greased broiling pan and broil on the top rack in the oven for about 5 minutes per side until it is no longer pink inside.)

Cranberry Sauce

Add all 7 ingredients. Stir. Bring to a boil. Boil uncovered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries split and sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.

Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook on greased grill for about 5 minutes per side until no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serves 4.

Baby Potato Sage Toss

1 lb Baby red potatoes, quartered *(I used the potatoes I had on hand)

2 Tbsp Chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Honey Dijon Dressing

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp White Vinegar

2 tsp Liquid honey

1/2 tsp Dijon (or prepared) mustard

4 cups chopped or torn green leaf lettuce, lightly pakced *(I used a mixture of romaine and spinach)

1 cup Sugar snap peas, trimmed in half

1/3 cup Chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Toss Well. Spread in single layer in ungreassed 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes until tender.

Honey Dijon Dressing: Meanwhile, whisk all 4 ingredients in small bowl until combined. Makes about 1/4 cup dressing.

Combine remaining 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes and dressing. Toss well, serves 4.

ENJOY!! :)

Tortellini Soup

This weeks recipe comes from my Mother-in-law, therefore you know it's gonna be delicious!

 

Tortellini Soup

1 # Italian sausage  - remove meat from casing (Unless you buy just the sausage meat), 

 Brown & drain.  

Add the remaining ingredients & simmer 30 minutes

1 c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

5 c. beef broth

1 c. water

2 c. canned tomatoes

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1 c. tomato sauce

1/2 t. each basil & oregano

Then add: 2 t. chopped parsley

1 1/2 c. diced zucchini

2 c. cheese filled tortellini

1 green pepper chopped

Simmer 40 minutes or until tortellini is tender.

Enjoy!

 

*This time we made it we didn't have any tortellini. Instead we used 3/4 cup of Barley and 3/4 cup of Orzo noodles. It was OH.SO.GOOD!

 

I'm linking up over at Itz Mitz, go check out the other yummy recipes!

Weeknight cheesy pasta skillet

My Friend Michelle has this wonderful idea! She is calling it SAMM (Share a Meal Monday). Every monday you post a meal that you had the previous week. Then when it's almost supper time, and you can't think of anything to make...just hop on over and check out all the yummy meals!! I'm really excited about this!

So here it is, my first SAMM!


weeknight cheesy pasta skillet
what you need:
3 cups rotinit pasta, uncooked
1.5 LBS boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
3 cups frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots,) thawed and drained
1 cup salsa
2.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you feel like using)


make it:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken in large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until chicken is done.
Add vegetables and salsa, cook on medium heat for 3 minutes or until heated through.
Drain pasta, add to skillet with cheese, stir until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

(This particular time we just added the cheese on top instead of mixing it in the whole dish)