Freezer Meal Recipe: Rio Rancho Taco Meat

May 19, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Rio Rancho Taco Meat

This is one of my favorite taco meat versions. It’s also great for burritos, taco salads and nachos. I especially like to make it with my homemade salsa which gives it lots of flavor! It’s quick and easy to make a big batch. Just divide it into meal-sized portions and store in the freezer.

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Rio Rancho Taco Meat

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 cup mild or medium salsa
  • 2 Tbs. taco seasoning
  • 1 4 oz. packet ranch dressing and seasoning mix (I like Hidden Valley)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper, ground or flakes (sometimes I just use hot sauce)
  • 3/4 cup water

Instructions

Cooking Day Instructions:

Brown the onion and ground beef in a skillet. Drain any excess grease. Add salsa, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, brown sugar, green chiles, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Add the water and simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes until mixture has thickened. If the meat mixture is too thick, you can always add more water and adjust the seasonings. Let cool. Freeze in meal-size portions. I like to use my Food Saver or just put the mixture in a gallon bag and shape it flat so it's easier to store in my freezer.

Serving Day Instructions:

Remove meat mixture from the freezer and thaw or defrost in the microwave. Heat through and serve in taco shells or warm tortillas. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream or any of your favorite toppings.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/05/freezer-meal-recipe-rio-rancho-taco-meat.html

Rio Rancho Taco Meat Mix

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Honey Lime Enchiladas

March 31, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Honey Lime Enchiladas Recipe

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My littles love this sweeter version of enchiladas because it’s not “picy” which makes it a regular at our house!  Sometimes I sneak in corn, beans and even finely chopped bell peppers as well. It makes a great freezer meal too!

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Honey Lime Enchiladas Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef (you can also use cooked shredded chicken)
  • 1/2 Cup Onions, finely chopped
  • 4 Tbsp. Honey
  • 4 Tbsp. Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
  • 1/2 Tbsp. Paprika
  • 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 10 oz. Can Red or Green Enchilada Sauce
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 10 oz. Cheese, grated
  • Green onions or chives for garnish, (optional)
  • Tortillas (I like to use whole wheat :))

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 and spray pay lightly with cooking spray.

2. Brown ground beef and onions together in large skillet. Drain excess grease.

3. In a large bowl, combine cooked ground beef, onions, honey, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder.

4. Spoon the mixture into the tortillas. Roll them up and place the seam side down on the bottom of the pan.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the heavy cream and enchilada sauce. Pour over tortillas.

6. Spread the grated cheese evenly over the top and garnish with green onions/chives. (optional)

To bake immidiately

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min. Remove foil and bake an another 5 minutes until cheese is completely melted and bubbly.

To Freeze:

After placing cheese on top, cover dish tightly with foil (I use two layers) and freeze for up to two months. To prepare after freezing, remove from freezer, let thaw completely then bake at 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes or until warmed all the way through.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

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Pyrex Easy Grab 4-Piece Value Pack

Pyrex Easy Grab 4-Piece Value Pack

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Homemade Beef Stew

March 31, 2013 - 1 Comment

Freezer Meal Recipes save so much time and money!

We love freezer meal cooking!

Beef Stew Freezer Meal

I love beef stew, but we are trying to eat more whole foods, and get away from canned, so I had to find a recipe I liked and was not expensive to make.  Plus, I’m trying to fill my freezer for when this little guy decides to make an appearance.  My mom shared this recipe with me, and it’s  GREAT!

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Homemade Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef stew cubes
  • 4 carrots, sliced
  • 4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (10 oz) package frozen green peas
  • 3-4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium beef bouillon granules
  • 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • Note
  • I'm allergic to onions, so used my "exchange" for dry Onion Soup Mix. You can substitute Dry Onion Soup Mix for all the spices (including the garlic).
    • For 6 Meals
  • 6 lbs beef stew cubes
  • 24 carrots sliced
  • 24 red potatoes
  • 12 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 6 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
  • 6 (10 oz) packages frozen green peas
  • 18-24 cloves garlic
  • 12 tablespoons low-sodium beef bouillon granules
  • 1.5 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • ¾ teaspoon celery seed
  • ¾ teaspoon paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preparing For the Freezer:

Place beef stew cubes into gallon sized ziplock bag.

Toss with Dry Onion Soup Mix or the other spices until meat is coated.

Add tomato sauce and mushroom soup, mix.

Layer sliced carrots, frozen peas, then cubed potatoes on top. Seal bag, and place directly in the freezer so potatoes don't brown.

Prepare After Freezing:

Thaw in fridge overnight or run warm water over ziploc until it will come out from bag.

Cook in crockpot on med-low heat for 8 hours, or high for 5 hours.

Prepare without Freezing:

Because I'm usually over cooking after prepping all my freezer meals, I usually just pick one and pop it right in my crockpot so I don't have to mess with it. This one works well to do that. You can reduce the time for cooking to 5 hours on med-low, or to 3-4 hours on high if it's not frozen.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/03/homemade-beef-stew.html

Beef Stew Recipe Freezer Meal

Norpro Cut-N-Slice Flexible Cutting Boards, Set of 3I love this cutting board set!  It’s perfect for chopping on, then funneling into your bag or pot!  And they are only $6.84 for a set of 3!

 

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

January 20, 2013 - Leave a Comment

mongolian beef

 

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With freezer meals, it is easy and time efficient to make more than one meal at a time. I had all the stuff, so I doubled the recipe below to get two bags.

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
  • 1/4 c corn starch
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 3/4 c low sodium soy sauce
  • 3/4 c water
  • 3/4 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c shredded carrots
  • 3 medium green onions, chopped

Instructions

Cut the steak into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then slice across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. (You can use skirt, hanger, or flatiron steaks as a substitute for flank. I have also used top round.) Coat steak pieces in cornstarch.

Add remainder of ingredients to slow cooker and stir well to combine. Place coated flank steak into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice or noodles, if desired.

To Freeze: Combine remaining ingredients and place in freezer bag. Add coated steak to bag. Label and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Serves: 5-6

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/01/freezer-meal-recipes-slow-cooker-mongolian-beef.html

mongolian beef freezer meal in bagmongolian beef meal

Recipe from Onceamonthmom.com; adapted from Let’s Get Crockin

victorinox chef knife

This is the Chef’s knife that I use, Victorinox Fibrox 8″. It is recommended by America’s Test Kitchen too.

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Homemade Lasagna

January 20, 2013 - 10 Comments

Freezer Meal Recipes save so much time and money!

We love freezer meal cooking!

freezer meal lasagna

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It is fun to get a group together to cook freezer meals. Sometimes I just double or triple a favorite recipe so I can put some in the freezer for a busy night.

freezer meal ingredients lasagna

You can see that I cooked the noodles here, but you can get away with baking your lasagna with hard noodles if you add extra water to the sauce. So that is the way I wrote the recipe. I will save you time, dishes and hassle!

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 24 pieces lasagna noodles, uncooked
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 pound sausage
  • 2 jars (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I like Prego)
  • 32 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Cheese Coupons
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons oregano
  • 4 teaspoons basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

This recipes is for two 13x9 pans of Lasagna.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat.

Mix 2-1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta cheese, parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.

Drain meat; return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add 1 cup water to empty sauce jar; cover with lid and shake well. Add to meat mixture; stir until well blended. Spread 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and cheeses. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 1 lasagna right away for 1 hour or until heated through, removing foil after 45 min. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve. Serve that night.

Cover the second lasagna with plastic wrap and then foil and put in your freezer. To prepare after freezing let thaw and cook for 1 hour or cook from frozen for 1.5 - 2 hours.

TIP: We added extra water to the sauce so we would not have to cook the noodles and the extra water would allow them to cook while baking. My picture shows pre-coooked noodles because I forgot about this tip the day I made these.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/01/freezer-meal-recipes-homemade-lasagna.html

freezer meal homemade lasagna

Freezer Cooking Links

More Lasagna Recipes

 

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Chicken and Beef Fajitas

April 7, 2010 - 4 Comments

freezer cooking http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-recipes

CHICKEN AND BEEF FAJITA Freezer Meal Recipe

1 FAMILY

3 Chicken breast, &/or 1 med steak, sliced thin and frozen
½ Red onion, sliced
2 Bell peppers (variety of colors if wanted)
Fajita spice packet
Oil
1 c. grated cheddar
Sour cream
8 Flour tortillas
Black olives

6 FAMILIES

18 Chicken breasts (9lbs), &/or 6 med steaks, sliced thin and frozen
3 Red onion, sliced
12 Bell peppers
Fajita spice packet
Oil
6 c. grated cheddar
Sour cream
48 Flour Tortillas
Black olives

TO FREEZE:
Put meat, cheese, onions, olives, and peppers into 5 separate bags. Put these bags into a gallon-sized bag along with spice pack and tortillas.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
Thaw. Sauté meat in oil, if any meat pre-cooked, sauté the uncooked meat first, then adding other just before spices. Add spice pack, onions, and peppers, Serve with sour cream, cheese, and olives. Avocados or mangos may be added as well.

**If both chicken and beef is used, may decrease number bought for this dish as it provides several fajitas.

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