Cheesy Chicken and Rice--Not a freezer meal

This isn't a freezer meal, but it is one that we have tried, and liked!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice (from: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/cheesy-chicken-and-rice-bake/)

Ingredients:

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

To make this process easier, I always have cooked chicken on hand, and use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. If you have those two things, this can be throw together in a matter of minutes! It can also easily be made ahead of time and reheated.Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
• ¾ cups Frozen Corn
• 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
• 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
• ½ cups Salsa
• 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish

We used the plain greek yogurt for this.  Didn't use Uncle Ben's Ready rice.  We used whole grain organic brown rice.

Crock Pot Chicken Philly Sandwiches

This wasn't labeled as "Freezer Meal."  But, once again, I turned it in to one!
I just put everything in a Ziploc bag (except the cheese and bread--duh)!  Make sure you put the bag inside a pitcher.  Makes life easier.

She (the lady from the blog) used a special seasoning (that she says is actually a sauce).  I didn't have it, nor did I take the time to find it.  So I just used whatever spices I felt like.  Like, I seriously can't remember what I used.  Whatever sounded good from my spice cabinet!)  Also, I didn't freeze 2 tablespoons of butter.  Don't think I even added it when I dumped the bag of stuff in the crock pot.  I did add a little chicken broth because I was afraid it would burn.

Chicken Philly Sandwich (from: http://foodfamilyfinds.com/slow-cooker-chicken-philly-sandwiches-recipe/)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 3 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Dale’s Steak Seasoning
• sliced Mozzarella cheese
• hoagie rolls

Instructions

1. Spray a 3 – 4 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn to LOW heat.
2. Add butter, onions and green peppers.
3. Toss chicken with steak seasoning, salt and pepper, then add to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook for 5 hours.
5. Serve on hoagies with a slice of cheese melted on top.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

This one wasn't labeled as "Freezer Meal."  However, I turned it in to one! :)  So, I'm giving you my instructions.  But you can look up the original post and recipe if you don't want to freeze it first.  

Label your bag (Cheeseburger Soup.  Cook low 7 hours.  Add 1/4 cup flour and 1 cup milk.  Add 2 cups shredded cheese) and put it inside the pitcher, like we talked about here.

Put the bacon on a cookie sheet and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  

While the bacon is baking, brown the beef.

Chop up the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes.  Put those in the bag. 

Add the broth and diced tomatoes to the bag. 

Once the bacon is done, let it cool before crumbling it up.

Add the cooled beef and bacon to the bag.

Add the spices to the bag.

Freeze everything.

Pull it out to thaw the night before.

In the morning, add cream cheese when you put everything in the crock pot. Cook on low for 7 hours.

10 minutes before eating, thicken the soup by adding the milk and flour from the original ingredient list.  Also add the shredded cheese at this point.

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup (from: http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/03/crockpot-bacon-cheeseburger-soup.html )

Ingredients:  

1 lb ground beef (or soy crumble for vegetarians)

1 cup onions, diced

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

5 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or soy bacon for vegetarians)

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, shredded

2 cups potatoes, cubed

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth for vegetarians)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

Sweet Garlic Chicken

Harp has dance on Mondays and Carter has gymnastics on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Because Adam is at softball practice everyday, there physically isn't anyone to cook dinner on those days.  So, that's why I started the crock pot meals during football season.  I have this one in our freezer right now.  However, the snow days have messed up our routine.  We haven't tried it, yet.

Sweet Garlic Chicken (from http://myfridgefood.com/viewrecipe.aspx?recipe=21084)

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (diet or regular) (I didn't add this)
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken (frozen, thawed or fresh) inside slow cooker. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker (mine basically fell apart) and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).

Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired. This can be served over rice or noodles, I also like it with a baked potato on the side (It's good on top of the potato too!)

Update:  We tried this tonight.  Was really good!  Totally forgot to add the corn starch and water.  Oops! 

Taco Chili

Ok all of my previous posts were "old" recipes.  Most of you have been given those recipes in an email from me.  However, I decided that I needed a place to keep all of those recipes together.  Every time I plan my menus, I have to pull up Pinterest, Microsoft Word, printed recipes, Ziplist on my Kindle.  Blahblahblah. Takes me forever.  (However, I will admit that I LOVE planning menus and grocery shopping trips.  I know, I'm crazy.)  (Also, do you have a Ziplist account?  If not, get one!  When you see recipes on Pinterest that have a little blue button that says "Save Recipe," you click that button and the recipe is saved to your Zip list account.  And then you can get an app and see all of your saved recipes.)  Anyhow.  Moving on.

This recipe is a "new" one.  I haven't emailed it to you. AND I can give you the website it came from!  :)
We have been trying our best to eat clean for over a year now.  Obviously, we aren't perfect.  Obviously, the holidays so totally messed us up.  However, we are back to it.  I try very hard to buy organic.  And I don't use recipes with "Cream of" soups in them.  With that being said... here you go....

Taco Chili (from: http://www.graciouslysaved.com/2013/08/12-easy-paleo-ish-crock-pot-meals.html)

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked ground beef (I buy hormone/antibiotic free from Greenland Farms at Lowe's Foods)

1 medium onion chopped

1 can corn drained

1 can black beans drained

1 can navy beans drained

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 small can diced green chiles

1 package taco seasoning (I used the homemade recipe that's listed below)

Directions: Place all ingredients in freezer bag and freeze until ready. 

Write on bag: 1 can diced green onions, shredded cheese (I didn't add the green onions)

   1. Thaw slightly, place in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 

   2. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped green onions and fritos. (I didn't add fritos, either.)

 

     Taco Seasoning (from: http://cavemanfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/taco-salad-and-homemade-taco-seasoning.html)

         ingredients:
2 T chili powder
1-1/2 T cumin
1-1/2 T paprika
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Just put everything in a container and shake to combine! To make taco meat, mix 3 T of the mixture with 1 lb of ground meat and salt to taste. Just brown the meat, add the seasonings and 1/4 cup of water, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Do-Ahead Chicken Enchiladas

I don't know where this one came from originally.

For this one, you have to cook and assemble everything, let it cool, and then freeze.

·         1 (6.8 oz) box Spanish rice (I used sun-dried tomato quinoa instead)

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         1 (15.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained

·         1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

·         2 (8 oz) blocks Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, shredded and divided

·         1 (8 oz) block Colby-Jack cheese, shredded (I just used one bag of “pizza” cheese, instead of these two different kinds.  Cheaper that way.  And we don’t like the “spicy” stuff)

·         1 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         2 tbsps ground cumin

·         2 tsps ground coriander

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         4 cups shredded cooked chicken

·         16 burrito-size flour torillas

·         1 (19 oz) can enchilada sauce

·         Garnish: fresh cilantro

1.    Prepare Spanish rice according to package directions. Add onion to hot rice. 

2.    In a large bowl, combine cooked Spanish rice, pinto beans, cream cheese, 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, Colby-Jack cheese, lime juice, cumin, coriander, and salt. Add chicken, stirring to combine. Spoon about 1/2 cup filling into center of each tortilla; roll up tortilla tightly.

3.    Place enchiladas, seam side down in a single layer in extra large Ziploc bags. Write the name of the dish on the Ziploc and the following baking directions: Thaw in refrigerator overnight - Place enchiladas in a 13x9 baking dish, seam side down - Top with enchilada sauce and cheese - Bake @ 350 for 40 - 50 minutes.

For me, I divided this into two different bags with 6 enchiladas in each bag.  That gave us two different meals.  And there were two left over, so Adam will take those for lunch (without the sauce).

Pizza Bake

I don't have the original website this came from.

Pizza Bake

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef 

1 medium onion (optional), diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

8 oz sliced pepperoni

4 oz (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz Rigatoni noodles, cooked                 

15 oz pizza sauce

26 oz Spaghetti sauce

1. Brown meat, onion and pepper in frying pan.

2. Drain grease and add pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce

3. Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot (spray with non-stick spray first).

4. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes and then LOW for 2 or 3 hours until the cheese melts.

Note:  This makes a lot of food, so I usually freeze half before cooking it.  Later it can be thawed and cooked in the slow cooker as directed above.  

(I divided this into two freezer “Tupperware” dishes and stuck them in the freezer.  I didn't add the cheese yet. Add the cheese when it's time to cook it.  I didn't cook them in the crock pot because the noodles always burn when I do it that way. I baked it until it was heated through.  Make sure you remember to thaw it out in the fridge the day before, otherwise it will take forever to cook.)

Cheeseburger Wraps

http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2011/09/grilled-cheeseburger-wraps.html

Cook this one and let it cool before putting it in the bag to freeze.  One of my favorites! 

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 Onion powder to taste

Brown beef.  Drain.  Add rest of the ingredients and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Let cool before placing in a bag.  When read to eat, thaw out in the fridge overnight.  Heat in a pan over the stove.  Put sliced cheese in the middle of a wrap or tortilla.  (We use spinach wraps.) Place some meat over the cheese.  Bake in the oven until cheese melts.   (Or, I place mine in a grill pan and “grill” them until the cheese melts)

Sloppy Joes

I don't know where this recipe came from originally.  

For this one, fix the recipe as if you are going to eat it.  Let it cool, and then fill it in the freezer bag.  (You could even double the recipe, have it for dinner and then freeze the other half.)

This is our favorite Sloppy Joe recipe!

1 ½ pounds of ground beef

Chopped onion and green pepper

1 ½ cup of ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Brown beef, onion, and pepper together.  Drain.  Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.  Simmer about 20 minutes.  Let cool and then add it to a Ziploc bag to freeze. 

On the day you want to eat—thaw overnight in the fridge.  Heat on the stove in a pan and serve with hamburger buns. 

Mexican Casserole

I don't have the original website that this recipe came from.

Write on gallon-sized Ziploc bag: Mexican Casserole,  Cook on low 4-6 hours

Put Ziploc bag inside a large pitcher and wrap the edges of the bag around the pitcher.  Put all of the ingredients inside the bag.

1 pound ground beef (cooked)

1 medium onion (chopped) 1 small green pepper (chopped) 16 oz can kidney beans (drained and rinsed) 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 8 oz tomato sauce 1/4 c water 1 pkg taco seasoning 1 T chili powder

1 1/3 c. uncooked instant rice (or 3 c. cooked rice)

1 c. cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients (but instant rice and cheese) in freezer bag.  Put cheese in extra bag and staple onto casserole bag along with bag of rice of using instant.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you’re using the instant rice, you’ll want to add the rice about an hour before you’re ready to eat and don’t put in original freezer bag.  Top with cheese a few minutes before serving. 

We didn't add the rice.  Just used this as taco night filling.

BBQ Meatballs

Author/Source: Jimmie @ onceamonthmeals.com

Write on gallon-sized Ziploc bag: BBQ Meatballs,  Cook on low 6-8 hours

Put Ziploc bag inside a large pitcher and wrap the edges of the bag around the pitcher.  Put all of the ingredients inside the bag.

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. 99% lean ground turkey breast

·         1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

·         1 egg

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1 cup ketchup

·         1/2 cup white vinegar

·         1/4 tsp. garlic powder

·         1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

·         1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Stir together the turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to roll them into small meatballs. Place meatballs in crockpot. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients for the sauce. Pour over meatballs. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until done.

This was really good, but really annoying to make

Teriyaki Chicken

I don't have the original website that this recipe came from.

Write on gallon-sized Ziploc bag: Teriyaki Chicken,  Cook on low 4-6 hours

Put Ziploc bag inside a large pitcher and wrap the edges of the bag around the pitcher.  Put all of the ingredients inside the bag.

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 

1 cup teriyaki sauce 

1 cup water

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

a few sprinkles of ginger

Made this one once, never made it again.  Not our favorite.

Hawaiian Chicken

I don't have the original website that this recipe came from.

Write on gallon-sized Ziploc bag: Hawaiian Chicken,  Cook on low 6-7 hours

Put Ziploc bag inside a large pitcher and wrap the edges of the bag around the pitcher.  Put all of the ingredients inside the bag.

2-3 chicken breasts (or whatever works for your family)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs soy sauce

1/2 can of large pineapple chunks

1/2 cup of pineapple juice (from can) 

This isn't one of our favorites.  Not sure why we didn't like it, just know that I made it once and never made it again.