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Freezer Meal Recipes: Simple Cream Biscuits

May 19, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Make simple cream biscuits now and freeze them for later!

Freezer Biscuits1

What a wonderful idea! Make a bunch of biscuits when you have some time, freeze them, then simply pop some in the oven when you want fresh homemade biscuits. Love it! And yes, they taste wonderful too!

If you want your biscuits to rise properly when baking, it helps to cut them out with a sharp edge. So, a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or knife are some possible options.

Note: I must have made mine somewhere between 1/2- and 3/4-inch, rather than 3/4-inch thick. They still turned out great, but I ended up with 39 instead of the estimated 24. I’m ok with that. I also needed to watch the cooking time more closely. Thinner biscuits cook more quickly.

Freezer Meal Recipes: Simple Cream Biscuits

Yield: 25-35 biscuits

Ingredients

6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Stir in the cream until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch thick circle. Cut out biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter. Cut out as many as possible. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps of dough a knead together briefly, then pat out again and cut more biscuits. Repeat again.

Preparing For the Freezer:

Wrap the baking sheet tightly with greased plastic and freeze the biscuits for about 6 hours. Transfer frozen biscuits to a large resealable bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

Prepare after Freezing:

Do not thaw biscuits. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450. Place frozen biscuits on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake one baking sheet at a time, until puffed and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

To Serve Without Freezing:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450. Bake one sheet at a time, for about 15-20 minutes.

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Recipe adapted from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated.

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Filed Under: Bread, Freezer Cooking, Freezer Meal Recipe, Recipes
Tagged With: biscuit recipe, Bread, Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, Make Ahead Meals, recipe

Freezer Meal Recipe: BBQ Chicken Pizza

May 19, 2013 - Leave a Comment

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

Freezer Meal Recipe: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

1 pizza crust (store bought or Homemade Pizza Crust.
2 Cups mozzarella cheese
½ Red onion sliced
2 Chicken breasts
1-2 Cups BBQ Sauce
Cilantro

Instructions

TO FREEZE:

Cook chicken and cut into small slices or shred.

If you got a store bought dough let it warm to room temperature.

Roll out your store bought or homemade pizza dough, or hand press onto foil pizza pan.

Spread BBQ sauce over pizza, top with cheese, chicken, onion; and cilantro. Add a little more cheese on top.

Wrap with plastic wrap and then with foil.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:

Remove plastic and foil. It was super easy to take my pizza off the disposable foil pan and put it on my pizza stone. But you can bake it in the disposable pan as well. Bake @ 400 for 20 min (from frozen).

When we prep the pizzas as as group, we each put our own together, as some don’t want cilantro (this makes it delish though!), or I’ll only put onions on half, and so on.

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Recipe for Homemade Pizza Crust.

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA RECIPE

TO FREEZE

Cook chicken and cut into small slices or shred.
Roll out your store bought or homemade pizza dough, or hand press onto foil pizza pan.
Spread BBQ sauce over pizza, top with cheese, chicken, onion; and cilantro. Add a little more cheese on top.
Wrap with plastic wrap and then with foil.

FREEZER MEAL BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA FREEZER MEAL BBQ PIZZA

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING

It was super easy to take my pizza off the disposable foil pan and put it on my pizza stone. Bake @ 400 for 20 min (from frozen).
I just loved it! When we prep the pizzas as as group, we each put our own together, as some don’t want cilantro (this makes it delish though!), or I’ll only put onions on half, and so on.

More Pizza Recipes:

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Filed Under: Chicken, Chicken, Dinner, Freezer Meal Recipe, Recipes
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Freezer Meal Recipe: Rio Rancho Taco Meat

May 19, 2013 - Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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Filed Under: Awesome, Beef, Dinner, Freezer Cooking, Freezer Meal Recipe, Menu Planning, Recipes
Tagged With: Freezer Meal cooking, Freezer meal recipe, Freezer Meals, ground beef recipe, Make Ahead Meals, recipe, Recipes, taco meat, tacos

Freezer Meal Recipes: Honey Sesame Chicken {Slow Cooker}

May 19, 2013 - 2 Comments

honey sesame chicken

I LOVE this recipe! Everyone loves it, in fact. So, I keep the simple ingredients on hand and make it often. While it is already super easy to make, I recently decided it would be worth a shot to prep it as a freezer meal. And it seemed to work quite well. Score! I like to serve it with rice, including cauliflower rice (pictured above). Throw in a side of Garlic Broccoli and you’re golden.

Freezer Meal Recipes: Honey Sesame Chicken {Slow Cooker}

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tbsp water
sesame seeds

Instructions

Lightly season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes.

Preparing For the Freezer:

Put the seasoned chicken and sauce into a large resealable bag. Freeze.

Prepare after Freezing:

Let thaw in fridge for 24 hours. In a slow cooker, cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for 10 more minutes or until slightly thickened. Meanwhile, cut or shred chicken into bite-size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

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Recipe adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff and Baby Center.

freezer meal honey sesame chicken

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Filed Under: Awesome, Chicken, Chicken, Crock Pot, Dinner, Freezer Cooking, Freezer Meal Recipe, Recipes
Tagged With: Chicken Recipe, crock pot meal, Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, Make Ahead Meals, slow cooker

Freezer Meal Recipes: Scrambled Egg Muffins with Sausage

April 21, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Breakfast or dinner! Scrambled Egg Muffins with Sausage Recipe

scrambled egg muffin with ketchup

Super easy and quick, these egg muffins were a hit with my family. Especially yummy served with ketchup or salsa. I forgot to move my oven rack from the middle position with this batch, so my muffins peaked a little more than they should have. Oops. Still good though!

egg muffins

Freezer Meal Recipes: Scrambled Egg Muffins with Sausage

Yield: 12 Muffins

Ingredients

4 oz bulk breakfast sausage, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
24 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (Nabisco coupons)
10 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
4 oz (1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 scallions, sliced thin

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin (baking spray with flour is recommended).

Microwave sausage in uncovered bowl until fat begins to render, about 1 minute. Drain the fat. In a separate bowl, whisk crackers, eggs, half and half together until combined. Stir in cheese, scallions, and drained sausage.

Slowly pour egg mixture into prepared muffin tin. Bake until the tops are set and lightly golden, 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool slightly, then loosen and remove the muffins from tin. Serve plain, with ketchup, or salsa.

Variations: Scrambled Egg Muffins

...with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Boursin, and Basil

Sub 3 Tbsp chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry, for sausage; do not microwave tomatos. Substitute Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese (5.2 oz), crumbled, for cheddar, and 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil for scallions.

...with Kielbasa, Pepper Jack, and Scallions

Sub 4 oz kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/3-inch pieces, for breakfast sausage; microwave as directed. Sub 1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese for cheddar.

Preparing For the Freezer:

Let the muffins cool. Put them in a resealable freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze!

Prepare after Freezing:

Place 1 - 4 on a plate and microwave on medium-high (70%) power for 1 1/2 - 4 minutes (depending on how many) or until hot. For larger amounts, preheat oven to 325. Place muffins on baking sheet and reheat in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, until heated through. Keep an eye on them so they don't overcook.

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Recipe slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook.

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Tagged With: breakfast recipes, eggs, Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, Make Ahead Meals, Recipes, ritz crackers, sausage

Freezer Meal Recipes: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

April 21, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Freezing Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

biscuits and sausage gravy

Homemade biscuits and gravy is really quite easy to make. I put off learning how to make it for way too long! I wish I would have realized how easy it is to make!

Freezer Meal Recipes: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

Biscuits from a can or homemade biscuits

Gravy:

1 lb Sausage
1/4 cup Flour
2 cups Milk
salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bake the biscuits from the homemade biscuits recipe or from the can.

2. Brown sausage in a pan. In this photo I used sausage links because that is what I had on hand. It turned out great, but traditionally I have used ground sausage.

3. When sausage is fully cooked add flour. Stir until well mixed.

4. Slowly add milk. Stir on medium heat until sauces is thick.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve over warm biscuits.

Preparing For the Freezer:

If you do this as a freezer recipe you can freeze your biscuits. If they are in the tube do not freeze them in the tube. Remove them from the tube unbaked and freeze them in a freezer bag. Homemade biscuits can be frozen in a freezer bag after you bake them.

Gravy can be frozen after prepared, but it tastes a little better to make it the day you are serving it. To speed things up you can freeze the ground cooked sausage and make the gravy on the day you are serving this meal.

Prepare after Freezing:

Let your biscuits thaw. Bake tube biscuits according to tube instructions. Warm homemade biscuits in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

If you froze gravy. let it thaw and then warm it on the stove. If you only froze sausage put it in a pan over medium heat, warm it up and then make gravy. Or cook sausage and make gravy the day of serving.

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Mixing sausage and flour. I normally make this with ground sausage, but this day I only had links so I made it with the links instead and it turned out great!

sausage gravy recipe

Stir your sauce until thick. For a richer sauce use half and half or heavy cream instead of your milk or do 1 cup of each.

I LOVE my heat resistant non-stick nylon utensils:

This is a fabulous set! I love the utensil pictured in my gravy above. It is one of my favorite and I can not find it anymore. BUT the pink handled and green handled utensils in this set above would really do the trick if I have to replace the one I love! I LOVE these colors too! So fun. Oh and the elevated handles keep my counter from getting messy when I set the utensil down.

Joseph Joseph 6-Piece Heat-Resistant Utensil Set

6-piece utensil set includes a spaghetti server, slotted spoon, ladle, slotted turner, solid spoon, and flexible turner
Heat-resistant up to 480 degrees F; ideal for use with nonstick cookware and bakeware
Weighted handles elevate heads above surfaces to improve hygiene and eliminate messes
Soft grips in assorted colors offer comfortable and stylish use; gift-boxed; dishwasher-safe

Now this utensil I think I might have to have now! It looks like it will function much like my favorite, and it has FIVE different cool functions! Check it out!

Joseph Joseph Uni-tool, 5-In-1 Utensil, Grey

5-in-1 kitchen utensil
Slotted spoon, a turner, a solid spoon, a spatula and a cutting tool
Made from tough nylon
Heat resistant up to 240 degrees C / 480 degrees F
Dishwasher safe

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Tagged With: biscuits and gravy, Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, Make Ahead Meals, sausage gravy

Freezer Meal Recipes: Green Monster Smoothie Recipe

April 21, 2013 - 7 Comments

Perfect Green Smoothie for the Non-Veggie-Lovers!

I’ve tried a few other green smoothies and they actually tasted better than I expected, but they still didn’t taste great. If you know me, you know I’m not a big fan of salad, so drinking something that kinda tastes like salad just isn’t something I can stick with. I still liked the idea of a shake for breakfast that included a veggie though, so I tried a few more.

This recipe is the best one I’ve tried so far. You can barely taste the spinach at all! It almost just tastes like a vanilla shake, with a touch of banana and slight peanut butter flavor. I’m not really a peanut butter fan either, but this works for me! Also, it easily keeps me full until lunch. No morning snack needed. Score!

When I find a good sale (under $0.45/lb) or red-banded bananas, I definitely buy more than one bunch! Then peel, slice, and freeze them. I also buy a big bag of spinach at Costco and if it starts getting old, I portion it and freeze it too. I also tried portioning and freezing all of the ingredients, except the milk, to try to simplify the morning process and that worked well too. It is nice to have most items portioned out and ready to go in advance! But all of that frozen stuff was a bit of a struggle for my poor blender.

frozen green smoothie

So, I usually just stick with freezing the spinach and banana. I freeze them in one-serving portions, so I can just dump it in the blender. Also, the ingredients usually slide out of the bag pretty cleanly so the bags are easy to rinse and reuse.

spinach for smoothie

Freezer Meal Recipes: Green Monster Smoothie Recipe

1 Large Serving

Ingredients

1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or any other kind of milk)
about 4 cups baby spinach (more or less is up to you)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Start at a low setting, then increase speed until blended smooth. Drink up and enjoy!

Notes

It is best to use bananas with brown flecks on peel. You'll want to peel and slice your bananas before freezing them. If not using frozen banana, add ice. Chobani Greek yogurt tends to have a bit less sugar than some other brands.

Try using different greens, adding 1 cup berries or fruit, protein powder, flax, chia, or whatever your heart desires!

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I first found this recipe on Pinterest from Iowa Girl Eats. Thank you!

Here are a few more healthy smoothie recipes:

Please share your favorite combos, add-ins, and green smoothies in the comments!

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Tagged With: breakfast recipes, Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, gluten free, gluten free recipe, Gluten Free Soup, green smoothie, Make Ahead Meals, smoothie, smoothie recipes, smoothies

How to Cut and Freeze Mango

April 7, 2013 - 9 Comments

Mango Freezes Easily

I love mango! When I buy a big box of mangos my family can not eat all of them before they start to get old. So it works really well to freeze them. Then I can use my frozen mango to make smoothie recipes. When I was in the Philippines I learned how to properly cut a mango. It can be a little tricky because of the large seed in the center of the mango, so there really is a best way to cut a mango.

How to Cut Mango

Mango cutting tools:

If you love kitchen tools like I do here are some cool kitchen tools for cutting mangos. OXO Good Grips Mango Splitter $13.99 Amco 2 in 1 Mango Tool $11.84 how to freeze mango

How to Freeze Mango

Freezing mango is very simple.

Cut it out and arrange it on a baking sheet or a 13×9 pan depending on which pan fits in your freezer.
Cover the top and bottom of the pan with plastic wrap.
Let fruit freeze for 24 hours.
Then transfer mango from the pan to a freezer bag and return to the freezer for long term freezing.

Here are some more tutorials on freezing fruits and vegetables:

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Tagged With: Freezer Meal cooking, freezer meal recipes, freezing fruit, freezing mango, How to Freeze, Make Ahead Meals, smoothie fruit

How to Freeze Asparagus

April 7, 2013 - 2 Comments

I LOVE asparagus. I would eat it every day, all year round if I could. There’s nothing like it! And now is the time of year to STOCK UP! I scored 28 lbs of this lovely veggie for $27! Can’t beat that. Well, until I figured out just how much Asparagus that was! No way will my family be able to eat that before it goes bad without turning green! So, into the freezer it goes, which means awesome fresh(er) asparagus all summer, fall and winter, and no $4.99 a lb!

How to Freeze Asparagus

Ingredients

Asparagus
Ice
Ziplock Bags

Instructions

Start water to boil, in stockpot, place steamer basket in bottom of pot

Prep asparagus by cleaning thoroughly, and cut off ends, and sort by size (small (the thickness of a pencil or smaller), medium sized, and large (bigger than half an inch). We were doing 16 lbs, so this wasn't a small task. By the time we were done, the water was boiling nicely)

Place 1-2 lbs of asparagus in boiling water to blanch. Blanching time starts as soon as the pot begins to boil. Small asparagus blanches for 2 minutes, medium for 3, and large for 4.

When the time is up, remove from boiling water quickly and submerge in an ice water bath for the same time you blanched. Having the steamer basket in the bottom makes this easy. I just used tongs and grabbed it out.

Drain and pat dry

Place in resealable bag to freeze (about 4 lbs per gallon-sized bag)

Lay flat in freezer

Frozen asparagus will keep for 10-12 months

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I love these little Freezer Labels! Write on the label instead of the bag, and you don’t have to hunt for a sharpie!