I pinned it and did it. Now I'll review it.

Ever since we bought our freezer last year I've been working on finding good freezer meal recipes to stock the freezer with. I've also come to love my crockpot, so when I came across this pin I just had to try it out. The recipes seemed to fit the parameters of what my family will eat (after eliminating any onions or peppers in the recipes) and seemed to give a reasonable amount of variety.

I had the brilliant idea to try this during our first month on a budget. I compiled my grocery list substituting a few ingredients for those listed (adding in veggies when I needed to replace an "off limits" veggie, etc). And I doubled the recipes so we ended up with 24 meals (I think that's right, but I could be off by a few).

I logged them all into an excel spreadsheet so I could keep track of what was in the freezer and jot down our thoughts on each meal. Here is what I wrote down for each meal (in the order that we tried them) along with any other thoughts that come up right now :)


*Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken - The perfect amount for the 3 of us! Serve with rolls and you're done.    

This was one of my favorite recipes from the line up. I really liked that we didn't have leftovers and that it was so healthy and flavorful. Don't let the "BBQ" fool you. It isn't like traditional BBQ. Honestly, I'm not sure why it's called "BBQ Chicken" since it's more like flavorful, fall apart chicken with veggies.

*Chicken Taco Soup - Makes a LOT. Maybe cut recipe in half? We've already gotten nearly 2 full dinners out of it so I ended up freezing the other half for later. Also, if chicken breasts are large (.7lbs or larger) you only need 2.

This is a great meal for a large group of people. I wonder if you could split the recipe in half before freezing but I'm not sure if/how that would affect the cooking time?

Bean Stew - A good meal for Friday. Will and Joseph liked it (with black beans), and I thought it was fine for a Friday meal but not something I would be asking for otherwise.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew - I didn't have any, but everyone at the potluck seemed to like it. Makes A LOT.

This is the only meal that I never actually tasted because I gave my second batch of it as an extra meal for a new mom. I got lots of compliments on it at the potluck I took it to, though.

*Sausage and Bean Supper - Very good, but pretty similar to the New England Baked Bean Stew I make. Be sure to use *non-spicy* sausage next time :)

The non-spicy sausage is so Joseph can eat it with us (without tears, because he still gobbles up the sausage even if it's spicy and causing him pain).

Pork and Veggies - Good. Will and Joseph really liked it, but I was just so-so on the meal. We have a decent amount of leftovers, but I don't think quite enough for 2 full meals.

Meat Stew - Good, but not super flavorful. A good simple meal.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - This was very similar to the Chicken Taco Soup, but much more soupy. Very good.

*Creamy Farmhouse Chicken and Garden Soup - I loved this. A good, hearty soup for a cold day.


Overall I was very happy with my experience preparing a bunch of freezer meals at one time. I will likely continue to prepare meals using this method as it made meal planning much easier.

Also, while the woman who wrote the post with the recipes I used this time did all the prep work in one day it took me nearly a week because I couldn't find one full day to do prep without any distractions (aka - Joseph). But it was still worth it to me.

I plan on making all of the *starred recipes again in preparation for baby #2 as they were my favorites. I also plan on trying a few recipes from here this time around. Eventually I hope to have a list of recipes tailored to my family's tastes. It's a slow process trying out new recipes, but I think it will definitely be worth the effort.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 48)

1) Countdown to my due date: t - 4weeks 5 days (assuming I go into labor on my due date). I can't believe how close I am. I remember counting the days with Joseph, but with this pregnancy it seems like the whole thing has flown by. I've barely managed to keep up with my bi-weekly pregnancy photos (I actually missed my picture holding "the sign" yesterday, but I did get a quick shot with photo booth). I have an inkling that this baby is going to come early - although I'm not sure how early I think he'll come. But I also thought our boy was a girl, so we'll see how this prediction pans out.

ready to go down the big slide

2) My patience has been somewhere along the lines of non-existent lately. I'm not sure why. Probably because I haven't been getting as much sleep. Joseph has been waking up early and I haven't been resting at all during the day because I feel the need to get stuff done. I'm going to try to take it a little more easy for a few days to see if my patience improves.

3) Nesting is in full force. I'm really glad I've been able to get a lot of things checked off my to-do list. And I'm starting to feel prepared for the baby, which is good just in case my early-arrival prediction is correct. Unfortunately, all the baby-related tasks have taken precedence over my regular cleaning schedule. I'm hoping to remedy that and do somewhat of a "deep clean" this coming week.

4) Does all the bickering about attachment parenting vs. non attachment parenting drive you nuts? It drives. me. crazy. Why can't people just parent however they like and move on with their lives? This goes for a lot of parenting stuff. All families aren't the same. There isn't a one-size-fits-all way to parent. I do enjoy a good, respectful discussion, but please no judging or assuming.

giving the Great Goofini a kiss

5) I'm going on a retreat February 1-3 before the baby arrives (assuming he doesn't make his appearance before then), and I can't wait! I'm really looking forward to having some time to relax and work on my spiritual life before the craziness of two kids hits. It will also be a good "trial run" for Joseph being away from me for a couple days. Not to mention it'll be good father-son bonding time.

6) I recently stumbled upon this blog and wanted to pass it along. I am Kristy's aide for Kindergarten CCD and I've really enjoyed getting to know her and her family this year. They're currently trying to adopt a second child, but are stuck until they can raise about $20,000. You can check out their website to find out more about them. Even if you can't contribute financially would you please join me in praying for them?

7) I can't believe Joseph is already 18 months old! He continues to grow at a crazy pace and amaze me with all the new things he learns every day. Happy 18 months little man!

Thanks Jen for hosting this week even though you're under the weather!

See? See?

We're in full nesting mode over here. There are lists. Lots and lots of lists. And there is organizing, purging, reorganizing, ideas and the rehashing of said ideas with the hubs.

It all started right around the new year when I realized that #2 would be here in less than 2 months and I didn't even have Joseph's new room ready yet. Actually, I hadn't even started working on his room. Oh, I had talked about what I would do - what I needed to do. I had talked a lot about that, but I hadn't actually done anything. Then we got home from Christmas vacation and I realized we needed a little more action and a little less talk.

I ordered the crib and started searching for dressers online. Once those two items were taken care of I moved on to organizing aaaaaaall the baby clothes. So far Joseph and I have spent two afternoons organizing everything. I think one more afternoon and I'll have everything sorted into its appropriate bin and stored in its proper place.

The crib came yesterday afternoon which made me crazy happy. The store said it was going to take 2-3 weeks to come in then another 1-2 weeks to be delivered. That time line made me a little nervous because I want to transition Joseph into his new room before #2 arrives. Now all I have to do is assemble Joseph's new crib and move his clothes into his new room. We should be able to start the transition this weekend once all the essential stuff is done (the crib is the final piece of "essentials"). I can't wait!

35 weeks

In other news Joseph's vocabulary is exploding. I won't even try to list all the words he knows now (or will I?). It's really nice that he's learning so many words so quickly. It makes communicating with him much easier. I do a lot less guessing to figure out what he wants because he can (generally) verbalize his wants.

One of his favorite things to ask for/do lately is "See? See?" whenever I'm in the kitchen and especially when I'm cooking. It was really cute at first, but it's pretty impossible to actually cook while holding him so he can See? See? everything. And I'm afraid to show him how to pull up a chair to the counter so he can watch because I'm pretty sure he'd do more than just watch and we'd end up in the ER. So, for now I've whipped out the trusty old high chair (which had been retired until recently) in order for him to have a better look at what I'm doing. It usually buys me a solid 5 minutes (and sometimes even up to 15 or 20 minutes!!!) to get things done without having to constantly pick him up or hear him say See? See? a million times in a row.

A couple other cute words he's picked up are melmo (Elmo), fway (tray), pway (pray), cahm down (calm down), and pweece (please).

He can also climb in and out of his booster seat without any help now which is a huge relief for my back/ginganto stomach. So, whenever he wants to eat he just climbs in and asks for his fway (or fwoot (fruit) or whatever food it is that he wants).

Sorry guys, but I'm starting to feel the nesting itch again, so I'm off to get stuff done. Have a lovely afternoon!

Ten Minute Tuesday - The Need for a Budget Edition

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much I haven’t been blogging. I’ve realized that it isn’t as high of a priority for me as it was before. That, and I’ve started reading about a zillion other blogs and by the time I’ve read them I’ve basically used up my computer time. I am only able to write this right now because a) I know that it’s only 10 minutes and b) Will and Joseph are having some quality bonding time right now.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that budgeting post (or posts) I said I was going to do. And I still plan on doing them. So, maybe this would be a good place to give a little background as to why we started budgeting in the first place.

Shortly before Labor Day I finally decided we needed a couch for the front room (the play room). I had been pondering it for several months and wavered back and forth whether it was something that needed to be purchased now or if it was something that could wait a year (or two or three). But the more I thought about it the more I realized how nice it would be to have somewhere to sit (not the floor) while nursing baby #2 and watching Joseph play. So, I started looking for a couch.

I told Will about this and informed him that it would likely use up the rest of my “for the house” budget for the year and likely dip a little into next year’s budget. He had forgotten we had even set a limit for me. But when it comes to spending money I need clear limits. When he realized how much this was going to cost he started looking at our bank account. I had mentioned before that I thought we were spending more than we were taking in, but he brushed it off saying that he gets paid every 2 weeks so occasionally we would have a 3-paycheck month that should cover the monthly decrease.

It wasn’t until the couch purchase was almost a done deal that he took a closer look at our bank account, and we were, indeed, spending more than we were taking in….to the tune of approximately $100/month (eeks!!!). So, we sat down that same weekend and made a budget. As with most families (I think) food and household supplies are our biggest monthly expenditure (behind mortgage/rent).

My time is running out, but let’s just say our first month with putting a limit on our food/household supplies budget was a bit of a challenge, but a really good learning experience. I think it’s going to take a little time to get used to, but I’m up for the challenge.


Now go see Rachel at Testosterhome for more!

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 41)

1) Have you been watching the Olympics? And when I say Olympics I really mean, gymnastics (because, seriously, that's all anyone really cares about). I've been losing a lot of sleep lately staying up to watch, but wasn't team USA awesome? And isn't Gabby Douglass the cutest!? USA! USA! USA!

2) My sister's wedding last weekend was beautiful! I took some pictures, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I hope to do a post on the wedding weekend soon. Congratulations Jeannette and Tom!

All the sister's at the rehearsal dinner - Dinora, Alyse, Betsy, Jeannette (the bride!) and Julia.

3) I've been pretty lazy this week. I started getting annoyed with myself sometime yesterday that nothing was getting done. Then I realized it's because I haven't made a to-do list lately. I didn't even make a grocery list this week and that resulted in my going to the grocery store 4 times this week (I have to go today for the 4th time - le sigh). You better believe that I'll be making a to-do list this afternoon.

4) My cousin talked to me a little bit about cloth diapers this past weekend and how much she loves them. I've been a little lazy using mine and have recently only aimed to use them once a week (so, about 16 cloth diapers a week). She inspired me and I decided after our conversations that I'm going to try to be more conscientious about using the diapers - I mean I spent all that money to buy them and now I'm just going out and buying disposables, it doesn't make much sense. My goal is to not have to buy any more disposable diapers until September.

5) Joseph just keeps getting more and more creative/persistent. He now knows how to move the kitchen island (it's on wheels, but they stay locked) so he can get into the cabinet. He has also discovered another cabinet that hasn't been child-proofed (it's in the corner behind out kitchen table, so it took him a while to discover it) and enjoys pulling random stuff out of there. I guess installing more child-proof locks will be on my to-do list for next week.
And did I mention that he can now reach a full hand-length onto our kitchen table and is thisclose to reaching onto the kitchen counters? Yikes.

6) The quickest way to get Joseph interested in a toy is to start cleaning it up. This is especially true of puzzles, mega blocks, linking rings or his stacking blocks. What's up with that?

7) Since I still haven't done a post for Joseph at 12 months (becausew I haven't uploaded those yet either...and I'm not so technologically advanced that I have a smart phone) I thought I'd share with you a few photos from our trip to HIlton Head this past June.

Hangin' with Auntie Dinora and Auntie Alyse

Meeting the indian with dad before our (very long, one-hour)
carriage ride (where Joseph was required to stay in one place.
for one hour - did I mention that already?)

Reading books with Grandpa.

Headed to the pool with Nanna.

Have a lovely weekend, ya'll!

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 39)

1) We recently bought a freezer to replace the ancient refrigerator in our basement. I've been researching freezers for almost a year now and I finally decided what I wanted then waited for it to go on sale. I'm so excited to finally have space to be able to make (more than just one or two) meals to freeze. I'm also really excited to be able to stock up on staples when they go on sale now. So far I've only got blueberries and blueberry muffins in there, but I have big plans for filling it up.

2) Now that we have the freezer space, I've been contemplating buying half a cow from a local farmer. I don't have any farmers in particular that I'm thinking about I just like the idea. Although, I'm not sure where to go or how to figure out how much of each cut of meat to buy. When I think about it we seem to mainly use ground beef and beef tips, but I'd like to explore cooking with other cuts of beef. Do you have any tips for buying large amounts of meat from a farmer?

3) Joseph has a fetish for crawling into things...and these are only the times I've caught him on camera! It makes me smile every time I see him in a basket or container of sorts.

4) I started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred a couple weeks ago in an attempt to lose these pesky 5 pounds that are keeping me from getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And, more importantly, I'd like to finally fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. It's going well so far, but I don't seem to have lost any weight. My clothes are fitting a little better though, but I'm still not quite where I was pre-pregnancy. Hopefully I'll see even more of a difference once I'm completely through the 30 days (or shortly thereafter).

5) Joseph likes that I've been working out, too. He especially enjoys playing with my massive 2-lb weights.

6) After poking around Jen Fulwiler's pins on Pinterest I decided to follow through on one of the pins. She pinned this idea for "Blessing Bags" where you put together bags of useful items for homeless people. You keep them in your car for any time you come across someone who is homeless and asking for money. I love this idea because I always feel like I need to do something, but don't really like to just give them money. I can't wait to hand them out, and I look forward to one day making these with Joseph.

7) Head on over to conversiondiary.com for more quick takes. Have a great weekend!!

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 33)

1) Apparently my husband and I are the only people on this planet without a Netflix account. I keep seeing friends who recommend movies and several of them have said something like "and it's on netflix, so no one has an excuse not to watch this." Umm, well. I guess I do have an excuse because I don't have Netflix. Is it really worth the monthly fee? We don't really watch movies all that much.

2) How do you keep all the piles of papers and things in your house at bay? I constantly feel like I'm clearing things out and I never seem to get all the way through stuff before there's another pile (or two or three) to deal with.

3) Inquiring minds want to know: do you iron all your/your husband's dress shirts? I have this habit of letting the ironing sit for long periods of time. I just really don't enjoy ironing. I feel like I put all this work in then that work is completely dismantled within a day. It's so frustrating to me. Luckily, my husband usually wears polo shirts and when he does wear a dress shirt it's one of the "wrinkle free" shirts so I don't have to worry about it too much. Except for one of his dress shirts that he loves that definitely isn't wrinkle free. Am I an awful wife for letting him wear the shirt even when it hasn't been ironed? Because I do....most of the time. *sigh*

4) Joseph turned 6 months old this week! I can't believe how much he has changed and grown in just 6 months. Here are a few pictures I took to mark the occasion.

5) I took Joseph to get professional pictures taken this week. This was the first time I had professional pictures taken of him (other than when we had family pictures taken over Christmas). I didn't go crazy or anything - we just went to the Se.ars Portrait Studio because I had a coupon for a free sitting fee + 40% off my entire purchase. The photographer got some really good shots. The only problem is now I have to choose which pictures I want, and you can only get one pose per sheet. So, it gets pretty pricey pretty fast.

6) Even though Joseph isn't crawling yet he sure can get around the living room. Every. single. time. I put him down with the pillow behind him (because he still falls back every once in a while) he gets away. I'm not exactly sure how - he isn't really scooching anymore and he definitely isn't crawling. But somehow he manages to get away from the pillow and to whatever toy or object he finds appealing. And he does it pretty fast. I turn my back for 1 minute and he's already moved. I've basically given up expecting that he'll actually stay with the pillow anywhere near him.

7) Want to keep your (non-walking) baby entertained? Put them in a laundry basket with a small toy. You may not even need the small toy at first. The basket itself will be entertainment enough. But after about 5 minutes or so you'll have to throw in a toy to keep baby occupied :)
Joseph loves being in the laundry basket so whenever I need 10 minutes to myself or a few minutes to accomplish something that's where I stick him. I do have to keep a pretty close eye on him though because sometimes he tries to stand up using the side and ends up tipping the basket over (and you can imagine what happens to him).

Guest Post: Two Weeks of Homemade Freezer Meals

Dear Readers,

In the weeks (days?) before giving birth I have this amazing sense of urgency about everything in life. I really like this attitude and wish I could keep it throughout the year. One big project I've been working on that might be of use to others is cramming two weeks of prepared, quick fix meals into our pantry and freezer. This is my first attempt at homemade freezer meals and I learned a lot. Enjoy!

- Meghan

Guiding Principles: The menu was designed for a family with a newborn. Each dish is a complete meal with protein, vegetables, and starches. I was especially interested in including vegetables since these are often low or omitted altogether in food from restaurants. Once frozen, each meal takes minimal effort to complete and serve; meals generally only need to be moved to the refrigerator to thaw then moved to the oven or slow cooker for baking. Recipes are for 8 servings each. For a small family like ours (2 small kids), each meal gives as dinner with enough for an unexpected guest and lunch the next day.

Two Methods: While researching and choosing methods for prepared meals, I found two methods that I thought were particularly helpful: slow cooker and double dish. For the slow cooker method of making prepared meals, you do a monster grocery shopping trip, label zip-lock bags for each meal, assemble corresponding dry and fresh ingredients in the bags, freeze fresh food, and store dry food. No cooking is done in advance. When you want to eat one of the prepared meals, you simply dump the frozen and dry ingredients in the slow cooker and turn it on. There is substantial (unattended) cooking time but minimal preparation time. For the double dish method, you make double portions of meals you prepare throughout the week, eat one portion, and freeze the other portion for later. Naturally, some meals lend themselves to freezing better than others. Baked, one-dish meals generally seem to freeze well (shepherd's pie, lasagna, jambalaya, etc.). The double dish method is not "once a month cooking" but with planning, over the course of a week, you can have a good stash of prepared meals in the freezer with minimal additional effort. When you want to eat one of the prepared meals, you thaw it in the fridge and finish baking or warm in the oven for a relatively short amount of time - minimal cooking time and minimal preparation time. For best results, freeze food as quickly as possible and thaw food as slowly as possible. 

Below is a list of meals with corresponding thawing and cooking times. I posted this in the pantry so we could cross off meals as we ate them and leave comments for next time.

Meal                                                         Thaw Time       Cook Time            Comments

Beef Stroganoff                                          24 hours            8 hours

Chicken Tortilla Soup                                  none                 8 hours

Beefy Lasagna                                           24 hours            1 hour

Pot Roast with Drop Biscuits                       24 hours            8 hours

Vegetarian Chili                                          none                  8 hours                  yum!

Shepherd's Pie                                           24 hours             1 hour

Salsa Verde Enchiladas                              24 hours             1 hour                    yum!

Jambalaya                                                 24 hours             30 min

Bean Soup with Kale and Drop Biscuits        none                   8 hours                  yum!

Meatloaf with Spinach and Mushrooms         24 hours             1 hour                    yum!

Pulled Pork BBQ                                        24 hours             10 hours

Mushroom Barley Lentil Stew                      none                    8 hours                 hearty

Chicken and Rice Casserole                        24 hours              1 hour

Chicken and Butternut Squash Risotto          24 hours             30 min                    ok

Before Cooking Day: Roast Chickens and Chicken Stock

In the stock pot, brown 2 diced carrots and 2 sliced onions per chicken in a bit of oil. Place a cheesecloth bag in the stockpot. Place chicken organs in the cheesecloth bag and rinse each chicken with 6c water into the stock pot. Bake each chicken uncovered at 350F for 1 hour 15 min until internal temperature is 180F. Remove and cool. Pick meat from the bones and place skin and bones in cheesecloth bag in the stockpot. For each chicken, also add 1 bulb garlic cut in half, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp dried basil to the cheesecloth bag. Add water to cover the chicken bones, about 6 cups per chicken. Simmer for at least 4 hours over low heat. Remove cheesecloth bag and discard contents. Refrigerate chicken stock. When cool, skim most of the fat from the chicken stock. Cold chicken stock should gel.

Method 1: Slow cooker extravaganza. Huge grocery trip followed by several hours in the kitchen assembling fresh and dry ingredients in labeled zip-locks. Freeze fresh ingredients and store dry ingredients. No cooking.

Beef Stroganoff

2lbs cubed beef stew meat

2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed mushroom soup

1c chopped onion

2tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/2c water

1/2lb cream cheese

1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Combine meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water and freeze.

Thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Stir in mixed vegetables and cream cheese shortly before serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 bag kidney beans

1/2 bag black beans

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 bag frozen corn

2 cloves garlic

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

2 (10oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)

1 can beer

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 tbs cumin

shredded meat from 1 roasted chicken

4c chicken broth

1 bag shredded cheddar

1 bag tortilla chips

Combine dry ingredients, label and set aside with canned ingredients. Chop and freeze onion and other perishable items.

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours. Serve with shredded cheddar and tortilla chips.

Pot Roast

2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg dry onion soup mix

1 1/4c water

5 1/2lbs pot roast

2 carrots, diced

3 potatoes (or a bag of little fingerling potatoes)

1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies

Freeze vegetables and pot roast bundled with frozen mixed vegetables.

Thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Coat meat with soup mixture. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve with biscuits and mixed vegetables.

Drop Biscuits

2c white flour

2c wheat flour

1/4 c sugar

3 tbs baking powder (slightly less than 3 tbs)

1 tsp salt

1 c butter

1 1/3 c milk

2 eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk milk and egg then stir into crumb mixture until moistened. Drop heaping spoonfuls 2" apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 10-12 min until golden brown. Makes 16-24 biscuits. Cool then freeze. 

Vegetarian Chili

1/2 bag black beans

1/2 bag kidney beans

1/2 bag pinto beans

1 (14.5 oz) can chopped tomatoes in puree

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 bag frozen corn

1 heaping tbs dried parsley

1 heaping tbs dried oregano

1 tbs basil

1 tbs dried garlic

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

6c worth vegetable bullion

5c water

1 pkg shredded cheese

Combine dry ingredients and set aside with canned ingredients. Chop fresh vegetables and freeze with corn, bundled with shredded cheese. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours. Serve with shredded cheese.

Pulled Pork BBQ

1/2 bag black eyed peas

1/2 bag collard greens

5lbs pork butt

1 bottle BBQ sauce

1 bag frozen mixed veggies

1 bag hamburger buns

Bundle ingredients above and freeze or store as appropriate. Thaw pork butt in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Layer black eyed peas and collard greens on the bottom of the crock pot. Wrap pork butt in cheese cloth and place on top of beans and greens. Pour BBQ sauce on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve on hamburger buns with additional BBQ sauce.

Mushroom Barley Lentil Stew

2 qts vegetable broth

2c sliced fresh button mushrooms

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1oz dried shitake mushrooms

3/4 c uncooked pearl barley

3/4 c dry lentils

2 tsp dried summer savory

3 bay leaves

1tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

Freeze fresh ingredients and store dry ingredients. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours.

Method 2: When making dinner, make double portions. Eat one and freeze one.

Beef and Vegetable Lasagna

12 no boil lasagna noodles

1 (24 oz) container 4% small-curd smooth-and-creamy cottage cheese

1 (16 oz) container ricotta cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2c pesto or 1 pkg dry pesto mix

1 pkg frozen spinach or collard greens

 (10 oz) shredded mozzarella

1lb lean ground beef

1/2c chopped onion

2 (24 oz) jars tomato-and-basil pasta sauce

1 small eggplant, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

Cook ground beef and vegetables in a skillet over medium, drain and stir into pasta sauce. In a separate container, stir together cottage cheese, ricotta, eggs, greens and pesto. In a lightly greased baking dish layer 1c beef, 3 noodles, 2 1/2c cheese mixture, 3 noodles, 2c beef, 3 noodles, remaining cheese mixture, 3 noodles, remaining beef. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Bake, covered at 375 for 45 minutes then uncover and bake 20 minutes until cheese is browned.

                 

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground lamb

1c chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1c frozen peas, thawed

1 can chickpeas

1 carrot

1 stalk celery

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp dried thyme

1/4tsp ground pepper

1tbs flour

1(14 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

2tbs red wine vinegar

2 1/2lbs potatoes

1c milk

1pkg cheese

Boil then mash potatoes with milk and cheese. Brown beef in skillet over medium-high heat. Using beef drippings, saute onion, carrot, celery, until soft. Stir in beef, peas, and other ingredients and cook briefly on medium high stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, and vinegar and cook 5 min until slightly thickened. Transfer to a lightly greased 3qt baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes and cheese. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Bake at 400 loosely covered for 25 minutes, uncovered for 25 minutes.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 (6.9 oz) pkg uncle ben's wild rice

1tbs butter

2c chicken broth

shredded meat from 1 roasted chicken

1c sliced mushrooms

1/2tsp garlic powder

3/4c sour cream

1/4tsp pepper

1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4c crushed multigrain crackers (about 6 crackers)

1tbs butter, melted

Cook wild rice with chicken broth, stopping with rice a bit undercooked. Saute mushrooms, garlic. Mix chicken, vegetables, rice mix, sour cream, and spices. Spoon into a lightly greased 2qt casserole dish and freeze. Freeze separately cracker crumbs and 1 tbs shredded frozen butter. Thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. Add cracker crumb topping and bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

           

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

1 roasted chicken, shredded

1 jar (8 oz) mild salsa verde

1 can refried beans

1/2 c chicken broth

6 green onions (thinly sliced)

1/2 c cilantro (chopped)

1/4 c lime juice

1 pkg frozen spinach

16 corn tortillas

1 (8oz) container sour cream

1/2 pkg (8oz) queso fresco

Grease 2 aluminum baking dishes. Shred meat from chickens (6 c). Stir in 1/2 c salsa verde. Boil remaining salsa verde, green onions, lime juice, and 2 tbs cilantro for 2 min then keep warm over low heat. Use tongs to dip each tortilla into salsa mix for 10 sec, place on wax paper, fill with some spinach, 1/3 c shredded chicken, and some refried beans, roll up and place seam down into greased baking dish. Stir sour cream and broth into salsa verde mixture and spoon over filled tortillas. Sprinkle 1 c cheese and 1tbs cilantro over each. Cover with aluminum foil, cool and freeze. To reheat, loosen cover and heat at 350F for 45 min then uncover and heat 15 min longer.

Butternut Squash Risotto

4c cubed butternut squash

shredded meat from 1 roast chicken

1/4 c butter

1 onion, minced

2c Arborio rice

2/3 c dry white wine

5 c chicken stock

1/2 c grated parmesan

salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and roast squash at 350 for 20 min or until tender. Remove and mash with a fork. Saute onions in butter on medium high until soft, stir in rice and cook about 5 min until rice is glossy and onion begins to brown. Add white wine and cook stirring constantly until evaporated. Add mashed squash and 1/3 chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium, and cook about 7 min until broth is absorbed, add 1/2 remaining chicken stock and stir until absorbed. Remove from heat with rice under-cooked, add remaining stock, shredded chicken, parmesan, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cool and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator at least 24 hours. Reheat by sautéing until smooth and creamy.

                 

Jambalaya

1 tbs olive oil

1 lb smoked sausage (cut in 1/4" slices)

1 onion (chopped)

1 green bell pepper (1c chopped)

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1c uncooked rice

2c chicken broth

1 tbs minced garlic

1/2 tsb Cajun seasoning

3 bay leaves

1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves

salt to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in cast iron skillet. Add sausage and cook for 2 min then add onion, and bell pepper. Season with salt and Cajun seasoning. Stir 6-8 min until vegetables are soft. Stir in rice until evenly coated with veggie mixture. Pour in tomatoes with juice, garlic, chicken broth, and herbs. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat then reduce to medium low, cover, and simmer 20 min. Cool then freeze. Thaw in refrigerator at least 24 hours. Reheat on medium heat in cast iron skillet.

Meatloaf with Spinach and Mushrooms

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 c ketchup

1/4 c brown sugar

4 tsp vinegar

2 large eggs

1/2 c milk

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp Tabasco

2/3 lb ground beef

2/3 lb ground pork

2/3 lb ground lamb

2/3 c crushed saltines

1/3 c minced fresh parsley

8 oz mushrooms

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach

Saute onion in oil until translucent then add thyme and garlic for just a moment and set aside to cool. Saute mushrooms with spinach and set aside to cool. Mix ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar, label and set aside. Thoroughly mix ground meats, parsley, sautéed onions and remaining wet ingredients. Roll into a rectangle approx. 18"x8". Spread vegetable mixture evenly over meat leaving 1/2" edge. Roll up meat and veggies. Freeze loaf bundled with ketchup topping. Thaw at least 24 hours in the fridge. Pour topping over loaf and cook in baking pan at 350F for 1 hour or until browned and juices run clear.