Freezer Meal: Breakfast Grilled Cheese

April 21, 2013 - 1 Comment

Breakfast Grilled Cheese Recipe

This recipe could be used as a freezer meal if you use Eggos or if you make your own waffles and freeze them.  It is really easy, yummy and quick!

Breakfast Grilled Cheese

Use your frozen waffles to make this recipe!

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Breakfast Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup small-curd cottage cheese
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for topping
  • 4 frozen waffles (untoasted)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons jam (any flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more if needed
  • Ground cinnamon, for topping

Instructions

Mix the cream cheese, cottage cheese and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Spread 2 waffles with the jam, then top with the cream cheese mixture; cover with the remaining 2 waffles.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sandwiches and cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side, adding more butter to the pan if needed. (Adjust the heat if the waffles are browning too quickly.)

Let the sandwiches rest 1 minute before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/breakfast-grilled-cheese-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/04/freezer-meal-breakfast-grilled-cheese.html

Recipe Credit: Food Network!

waffle maker

 West Bend Rotary Waffle Maker

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Breakfast Burritos

April 21, 2013 - Leave a Comment

A healthy choice for an on the go breakfast!

Breakfast Burritos

These burritos are great for mornings on the go! I often warm them up for my husband as he’s getting ready for work. You could also send them off with your kids before school. Customize them however you like, there are all kinds of options!

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Breakfast Burritos Fill Burritos

Breakfast Burritos Freeze

 

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Breakfast Burritos

Yield: 12-18 burritos

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1 lb. frozen cubed Ore Ida potatoes
  • 12 eggs, beaten
  • 2 T. milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 2 T. butter
  • 2 10 oz. cans green chili sauce
  • 12-16 burrito sized flour tortillas (I used regular size whole wheat tortillas this time and was able to make about 10 burritos.)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

To prep the burrito ingredients:

In a large skillet, brown the sausage. Remove from heat and drain excess fat. Set aside. Brown potatoes in oven by placing them on a baking sheet and broiling according to package instructions until crisp. Meanwhile, mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper together in a medium mixing bowl. Over medium heat, melt the butter in separate large skillet. Add egg mixture to skillet and scramble the eggs, removing from heat once the eggs are cooked but still moist. Warm green chili sauce over medium heat in saucepan until warmed through.

To assemble the burritos and prep to freeze:

Warm the flour tortillas on skillet or in the microwave until soft and flexible. Fill tortillas with 1/3 cup scrambled eggs, 2-3 T. sausage, and 1/3 cup potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese and green chili sauce according to taste. Fold tortillas snuggly into burritos. Wrap each burrito in plastic wrap, then place in freezer bags. Freeze.

On serving day:

Remove burrito from freezer and remove plastic wrap. Wrap in a paper towl and place in microwave on defrost for 3 minutes, then on high for 1 minute. Let cool and enjoy with sour cream or salsa!

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/04/freezer-meal-recipes-breakfast-burritos.html

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Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead

Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead {Paperback}

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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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Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

March 17, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Homemade Marinara Sauce in less than 45 minutes!  It’s fast, easy, fresh, and delicious!  I’m in love with these whole food recipes (this is another one from my mom’s group).  They take hardly any prep time, and are SO full of flavor, and you can pronounce every ingredient!

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Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

  • 106 oz. large can of crushed tomatoes from Costco (it costs $2.65!)
  • 1 head of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press (yep, the WHOLE head)
  • 1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
  • 25 fresh basil leaves, julienne or chopped (or 3 TBSP Dried)
  • Crushed Red Pepper, to taste (powder, not flakes)
  • 2 tsp Salt (optional)
  • 2-3 TBSP Olive Oil

Instructions

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil

Add cooked onions and garlic to tomatoes in stock pot

Add basil, salt and red pepper

Simmer on low heat for 30 to 40 min

Allow it to cool and divide into freezer bags

Note:

Crush dried basil by rubbing it between the palms of your hand to release oils in it.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/03/easy-homemade-marinara-sauce.html

 Easy Ideas

  • Add a pint of heavy cream and 2 cups Parmesan cheese for a heavenly Tomato Basil Soup!
  • Or serve over 2 heads cauliflower (just the florets) brushed in Olive Oil, tossed in salt and pepper and Roasted for 15 minutes at 400 degrees!

Heuck 36003 4 Piece Stainless Steel Stock Pot Set

Heuck 36003 4 Piece Stainless Steel Stock Pot Set

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs

February 24, 2013 - Leave a Comment

 Easy Freezer Meal Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs

BBQ spareribs freezer meal

 

This is a super easy and delicious recipe that you can thaw and throw into the crockpot on low for 6 hours!  It goes well with Funeral Potatoes and a vegetable of your choice.

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Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lbs of country-style pork ribs
  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground mustard

Instructions

Place pork in resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.

Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over pork.

Mix together in bag and zip closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/02/freezer-meal-recipe-slow-cooker-bbq-spareribs.html

Hamilton beach slow cooker

Hamilton Beach 33141 4-Quart Oval Slow Cooker $19.98 (was $27.99)

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Freezer Meal Recipe: Sassy Sloppy Joes

January 20, 2013 - 4 Comments

Sassy Sloppy Joes Recipe pic 1

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I am a big freezer meal fan. They can be a life saver when you’re short on time or not in the mood to cook. This Sassy Sloppy Joe recipe is one of our family favorites. I got it from Don’t Panic, Dinner’s In The Freezer, a recipe book full of excellent make ahead freezer meals!

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Sassy Sloppy Joes

Yield: 15 Sandwhiches

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbs. butter
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 7 oz. ketchup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs. brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar)
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Instructions

Saute the chopped onion in butter. Add ground beef and brown lightly. Drain off any excess fat. Add all of the remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Cool mixture and freeze using the freezer bag method.

For those new to the freezer bag method...

When using the freezer bag method for freezing, you place your meal in a freezable bag, (like a Ziploc or FoodSaver bag) then remove as much air as you can, and seal. Then take a cake pan, or a pan that has sides, and lay the bags flat, stacking them on top of each other. The cake pan will freeze your meals in a nice flat shape giving you more freezer room and also ensure that any leaks stay within the pan. You then place the pan in the freezer. Once it has been flash frozen, (frozen just enough to hold it's shape) remove the items from the pan and store it however you like in your freezer. It is also a good idea to place your meal back in a pan in the fridge while thawing so you don't have leaks then either.

To Prepare After Freezing:

Remove from freezer and let thaw. Heat mixture slowly in a skillet or saucepan until warmed all the way through and ready to serve. (We like to eat it on fresh warmed whole wheat hamburger buns!)

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/01/sassy-sloppy-joes.html

Don't Panic, Dinner's In The Freezer Cookboo, Amazon

Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead [Paperback] $10.19 {Reg. $14.99}

Go here to get the Kindle Edition for only $8.54!

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Chicken and Okra Gumbo

January 20, 2013 - 2 Comments

Chicken & Okra Gumbo

 

 

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I love fresh homemade Gumbo! This is a recipe my husband got when he spent time in Louisiana & it’s so authentic. The recipe is doubled so you can have some tonight for dinner & freeze the other half for another night.

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Freezer Meal Recipes: Chicken & Okra Gumbo

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs chicken breast (can use whole chicken then de-bone but I prefer all white meat)
  • 5 cups cut okra (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 (15.5 oz) cans of tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning (add more to taste, depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 6 cups cooked rice

Instructions

Cut chicken into pieces and boil in about 1 1/2 gallons of water. Remove and de-bone.

In a big skillet cook okra, onions, bell pepper, garlic and tomatoes in oil slowly on medium for about 30 minutes or until the okra is not slimy.

Start your rice cooking using package directions.

Make a roux, in a small sauce pan melt butter.

Remove from heat then mix in flour until clumps are gone.

Add roux, vegetables and chicken to hot chicken broth.

Add Creole seasoning and simmer for about 2 hours.

Serve over rice.

Serves 12.

Eat half tonight then put half of the gumbo in an air tight container to freeze for later.

The rice does not freeze well so only freeze gumbo.

Make 6 cups of fresh rice while you reheat from your freezer.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2013/01/freezer-meal-recipes-chicken-okra-gumbo.html

 

12 cup rice cooker/ food steamer

My favorite tool for this dinner is this Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer.

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Chicken & Veggie Mini Pies

August 19, 2012 - Leave a Comment

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Ingredients

Meat & veggie mixture

  • 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 2 large uncooked chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (I use Zaycon chicken!)
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 cup frozen peas (we like peas at our house so I used 2 cups! You can pretty much use whatever veggies you like.)
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I only used about 1/2 a cup in this batch because that’s all I had)
  • 1 tsp. parsley flakes (optional)
  • 1 tsp. garlic, minced (optional)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Baking mixture

  • 1/2 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs

A few coupons that might be helpful…


$.50/1 Bisquick


$1 off any brand cheese, 2lbs+


$.75/1 any brand milk, 1 gallon

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray regular size 12 ct muffin tin with cooking spray.

2) In a non-stick skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium/high. Cook chicken 5-7 minutes or until there is no pink left in the middle. Add chopped onion and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Add corn and peas until mixture is heated through. Cool 5 minutes then stir in grated cheese and let melt.

3) In a medium bowl, stir baking mixture ingredients with a whisk until blended. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the baking mixture into each muffin cup. Top with about 1/4 cup of the chicken/veggie mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the baking mixture on top of the chicken/veggie mixture in each cup.

4) Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are slightly golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the pies from the pan and place on cooling rack. Cool another 10 minutes and serve! I topped mine with a little more grated cheese to melt. Delish!

I haven’t done it myself yet, but Betty Crocker says these little babies can be frozen! Perfect for quickly heating up in the microwave on the go, after school snacks or last minute dinners! You could even make a breakfast version. I’m thinking I’ll try a taco version next time…

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How would you customize these?

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker 

 

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Sweet & Sour Meatballs Recipe

May 20, 2012 - 2 Comments

I love this dinner. Easy and delicious! I must confess that I have never made meatballs from scratch though. The frozen meatballs from Costco are sometimes about the same cost as ground beef. So, I just whip up the sauce recipe below and pull out big bag of delicious frozen meatballs for this meal. If the next time I need some meatballs, the frozen ones are not comparable in price, I would not hesitate to try this meatball recipe though. ;)

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Meatballs:

  • 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 3/4 c quick oats
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 c finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 c milk
  • 1 tsp salt Salt Coupons
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire Coupons

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Form into about 12 balls, each about 2 inches in diameter. Place in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce (below). Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6.

Sauce:

Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat in a small saucepan until combined and sugar is dissolved and pour over meatballs. (If you enjoy things a bit saucier, double the sauce ingredients.)

Freezable Meal: After covering the meatballs with sauce, cover the pan with two layers of aluminum foil and freeze. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake covered without thawing for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes more, until meatballs are cooked through.

I also love this Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe.

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