Friday, November 8, 2013

Breakfast Burritos (Basic)

Ingredients:

Eggs
Milk
Sausage
Shredded Cheese
Flour Tortillas

Directions:

Cook your sausage according to package directions and chop up.

Mix eggs with milk and then scramble the eggs.

Mix in sausage and cheese and heat until cheese is melted.

Roll in flour tortillas.

Freezer ready once wrapped in plastic wrap or foil.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)
12 flour tortillas
Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt

Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 pounds boneless pork chops
1/3 cup honey
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill or griddle to medium heat.  In a small mixing bowl, combine honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.  Brush each pork chop with prepared sauce on both sides.  Place pork chops on hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side (or until cooked through), basting frequently.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Chocolate/Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar or brown rice syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 cups plain granola
1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Process:

Line two 9×5 loaf pans or one 11×7 inch baking pan (see tip #4 above if you want to use 9×13) with foil or parchment. Lightly butter or spray the foil.

Combine butter, honey and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pans and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down with the spatula.

Let sit for 15-20 minutes or until mostly cooled and set*; lift out of the pan and cut into bars.

Recipe Note:

If the bars are sticky but not quite holding together, place them in the fridge to harden for 10-15 minutes. I’ve noticed that on very warm days, the bars don’t always harden at room temperature, this is especially true if you use brown rice syrup.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

These are supposed to be close. To McDonald's breakfast burritos.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
18 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped ham
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
20 flour tortillas

Directions:

Saute onions and bell peppers in butter. Beat eggs and milk together and pour into skillet with the onions and peppers.

Add the ham, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set. Mix in cheese and let melt.

Scoop 1/2 cup egg mixture onto tortillas. Fold ends under and roll up. Freeze (see instructions below) or put all burritos in a baking dish, top with cheese (if you'd like) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with salsa.

Freezer Instructions:

Wrap burrito in a paper towel then in a sheet of foil. Seal tightly and place in freezer bags. When bag is full, remove air and seal. Freeze.

Serve:

Remove foil and put paper towel wrapped burrito in microwave. Reheat for around one minute. Serve with salsa.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Easy Cheeseburger Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups (6 oz) Penne Pasta
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef (95% lean) - or you can use ground turkey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
28 oz diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 cups reduced fat grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain Well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the beef and cook until browned; season with salt and pepper. Add the diced tomatoes and mustard. Let the mixture bubble until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with your salt and pepper.

Put your noodles in the greased pan and pour your meat sauce on top. Slightly mix together your noodles and sauce. Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove your foil. Add your cheese on top and stick back in the oven until the cheese is melted.  (5 to 10 minutes). Serve while it is warm.

If you decide to freeze do NOT add cheese just leave that off for now and add at time of baking.
 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Bean & Cheese Burritos

Ingredients:

43oz refried beans (one BIG can & one regular can)
1 cup salsa
1 packet taco seasoning
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas (I used fajita size)

Directions:

Mix refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning in a bowl and mix.

Spread bean mixture down middle of tortilla and top with shredded cheese, then roll up on all 4 sides.

Wrap individually in plastic wrap and then store in gallon bag for freezing.

Tip:

I used fajita size tortillas and I ended up with 21 burritos.

You can also add hamburger, chicken, or any other ingredients that you prefer.

Homemade Marinara

Ingredients:

8-10 tomatoes (mixed Roma & on-the-vine)
1/2 yellow or white onion
Garlic, 4-5 cloves, peeled
Olive oil
Basil
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Tomato sauce, 8oz

Directions:

Chop all the ingredients up and put it into a 9x13 pan. Toss it with olive oil and seasonings. Stick it in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours. You want everything to be nice and mushy. Put it in a blender or food processor and puree. Add your can of tomato sauce and puree some more. The sauce should be pretty smooth. Taste it and add extra seasonings as needed.

You could probably even add parmesan or Romano and give it a cheesy flavor at this point.

This makes 2 pint size jars. If you will be using this quickly, ok, if not consider canning or freezing.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

1 (7oz) package spaghetti (I broke into 2 inch before boiling to help out with less cutting for the kids)
3 cups cooked chicken (I used 3 large cans)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 can cream of chicken
1 (16oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions immediately:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, stir together chicken, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and rest of the ingredients; stir in pasta. Spoon mixture in 9x13 pan or 2 - 8x8 pans. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Freezer:

I split mine into 2 - 8x8 pans and covered with foil and then added the lid (throw away aluminum pans). Freeze.

Defrost in fridge overnight and bake according to above directions.

BBQ Chicken

Makes 2 bagged meals

Ingredients:

Divide between 2 bags:

3 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4-5 chicken breasts, diced

In each bag, place:

8oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Close up bag, mix a bit and freeze

To cook:

Add 3/4 cup water and mixture to crockpot and cook on low 8 hours