EZ Recipes (no cooking prep work)
Teriyaki
chicken bag – in ziplock
Slow
cooker beef and mushrooms – ziplock
Chicken
Cordon bleu – 9x13 pan, chicken can be frozen
Chicken
stir-fry – ziplock, should use fresh chicken to cut into strips
Chicken
and bean tacos – ziplock, chicken can be frozen
Honey
chicken – ziplock, chicken can be frozen
Time consuming
(cook meat before freezing) TM
Beef
Stroganoff – in ziplock, requires cooking hb prior
Baked
Ziti – 9x13, requires cooking hb, macaroni and assembling prior to freezing
Beef
Enchilada – 2+ 8x8 pans, cook beef in crockpot and shred the night before
Macaroni
and cheese – 9x13, cook macaroni and sauce, assemble prior to freezing
Chicken
Pot Pie – ziplock, cook chicken and dice prior to assembly day
Italian
Beef – crockpot meal in itself – need to cook, shred and put in ziplock bags
for freezing
Freeze
ahead fried rice – ziplock, cook everything ahead of time and assemble prior to
freezing
Slow Cooker Beef
& Mushrooms
1 pound lean beef stew meat
1 can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water1 packet dry onion soup mix
8 oz fresh mushrooms (whole or sliced, your preference)
Brown meat in skillet over med-high heat. You can skip this step to save time
and the recipe will still be great. I just think it gives the meat more flavor
and helps it hold together better. Place meat in 4 quart crock pot. Place
mushrooms on top of beef. Combine soup, water and soup mix and pour over
mushrooms and beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Tastes great over brown rice or hot cooked noodles.
For Freezing:
Option 1: Prepare as directed. Bag finished meal into gallon sized Ziploc
freezer bag. Freeze. When ready to eat, Thaw overnight. Reheat on stove
and serve with rice or hot noodles.
Option 2: Bag the uncooked meat and all over ingredients into a bag and freeze.
After thawed, cook as directed above in crockpot.
Chicken Cordon
Bleu
6 chicken breasts (I used 5 really big ones, because I couldn't get any
more to fit in the pan!)
6 thinly sliced ham
6 slices swiss cheese
1/2 c. cream of chicken
1/4 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp dijon
1c. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp sea salt (or Kosher salt)
1/2 t pepper
2 scallions, chopped
Directions: Place chicken in pan, cover each
chicken with 1 piece of ham, and 1 piece of swiss cheese. Combine rest of
ingredients in separate bowl and mix well. Pour over the the chicken in pan.
Sprinkle with scallions. Cover with foil and freeze.
Cooking directions: Thaw completely in fridge.
heat oven to 375. bake, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes (depending on oven).
Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry
Serves 6. Following recipe
will make 4 meals.
6 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 c. Apricot Preserves
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
6 Tbsp. ginger, grated
2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
16 med. carrots cut in very thin strips
8 c. snow peas, halved diagnally lengthwise
4 c. frozen brocolli
Mix preserves, vinegar, ginger, pepper and 1
Tbsp. water. Place mix into a snack sized or quart sized Ziploc bag labeled
"Stir Fry Sauce".
Cut chicken into strips 1/4 in. thick. Put into
a quart sized bag labeled "Chicken".
Place veggies into gallon sized bag and add
other 2 bags and Seal.
Label gallon bag:
Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Stir-Fry
Cook Chicken in oil till
no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. Add veggies to oil, tossing, about 2
minutes. Return chicken to skillet, add apricot sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes more.
Serve over rice.
****Shortcut: I put 1 1/2 lb. of chicken into each of the 4
quart bags without cutting into strips. I wrote on each bag that the
chicken should thaw in the fridge, but when icy to cut into 1/4 inch wide
strips.
Beef Stroganoff serves 6
1 lb ground beef
1 diced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (may be a little
more or less to your liking)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery or chicken soup
¾ cup milk
1 pint sour cream
opt. 1 small can of sliced mushrooms,
drained (see how many families like them.... a lot of kids don't)
Brown ground beef and onions in skillet.
Drain any fat. Sprinkle meat with garlic powder and coat evenly. Add soups,
Worcestershire sauce, (if adding canned sliced mushrooms,
add now) and milk. Stir until well blended then simmer 10
minutes. Add sour cream and simmer 2 minutes.
For freezing: Let cool. Pour into Ziploc gallon sized freezer bag. Freeze flat. When
ready to eat pull out the day before to thaw in fridge. This thaws fairly
quickly on defrost mode in the microwave. Simmer a few minutes on stovetop.
Serve over cooked egg noodles.
Funeral Potatoes
½ c chopped onion
1 pt sour cream
1 (10.75) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
1 – 2lb pk frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
In a large mixing bowl conbime onion, sour cream,
soup, cheese, salt and pepper, hash browns. Mix well. Transfer to 9x13
casserole dish. Cover with foil and freeze.
When ready to prepare do not thaw. Preheat oven to
350. To make this even yummier you can add a topping. Top w/2c crushed potatoes
or ritz, or crushed cornflakes combined with 1/2c melted butter.
Sprinkle topping on casserole.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or
until golden brown.
Teriyaki Chicken
Medium bag of carrots
Red Onion cut into large chunks
2 large cans pineapple undrained
4 garlic cloves
4 chicken breasts
1 cup teriyaki sauce
Split everything into two gallon freezer bags.
Shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for cooking: Add ¼ cup teriyaki sauce to crockpot. Cook on
low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Serve over hot rice.
Slow cooker: Chicken and Bean Tacos
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken thighs (about 6)
3 T taco seasoning mix
1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained (omit if you’re not a fan)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 t ground cumin 1 t
crushed coriander seed
1 can (9oz) beans – I like to do black beans, but you can also use cannellini,
butter or pinto beans
Taco shells or tortillas - toppings, like shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa,
lettuce, etc
1. Place the chicken in your slow
cooker (3 1/2 – 4 quart size). Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix and top with
green chiles.
2. Mix tomato sauce, cumin and coriander
in a bowl and then pour over chicken.
3. Top with beans.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7 to
8 hours.
5. Shred chicken in cooker and mix
with beans.
6. Serve as you like! Soft
tortillas or crunchy – or even with chips like nachos.It’s really SO easy and
very delicious.
Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 lb. macaroni
3 T. butter
1 sm. onion chopped
2 T. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. chedder cheese
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1(14.5) can diced tomato's w/ juice
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan. Cook
macaroni according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile melt 2T. butter. of the butter in a
large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook stirring occasionally,
until softened. about 5 min. Add flour; cook stirring constantly about 1 min.
Gradually whisk in the milk. Increase heat and cook whisking constantly
until slightly thickened. 3-4 min. Then whisk in both cheeses, salt
and pepper. Cook and whisk about 1 min. until cheese melts.
3. Remove from heat, stir in macaroni and
tomato's with juice. Put in 9x13 pan. Melt last Tbsp. butter in skillet, add
bread crumbs and cook until evenly coated, about 1 min. sprinkle over dish and
bake 25 min. until bubbly and golden brown.
IF FREEZING: Wait a few minutes after pouring items into pan BEFORE topping with
bread crumbs. Top with breadcrumbs when pasta has cooled slightly. Then
cover with foil and freeze. Pull out meal the night before or the morning
of the day you will eat this for dinner. If it's partially thawed bake covered
on a cookie sheet for 1 1/2 hours. If it's totally frozen bake for about 2
hours covered. Take foil off last 10 minutes of baking.
**MAGGIE'S TIP- To make meal prep easier.... I
boiled the pasta and poured cooked drained pasta into a large bowl and then
added tomatoes and stirred. Then on the stove top in a large
pot made the sauce mixture. Because I did not have a bowl large enough for
the sauce and macaroni I mixed them individually by-
#1- Taking PAM sprayed pan and putting a thin layer
of sauce on bottom of pan.
#2- Pouring pasta/tomato mixture on top....
about 3/4 inch of pasta)
#3- Top with a layer of sauce and using a spoon
mix the sauce throughout the pasta.
#4- Let sit till slightly cooled, then top with
breadcrumbs and cover with foil.
Chicken Pot Pie Made Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 8-12
Cost: Approx. $7.50
3 chicken breasts ($2.50)
2 cans of cream soup ($1.00) I prefer cream of chicken or potato
1-2 cups broth ($.25)
1 diced onion ($.25)
1 Tbsp butter
1/4-1/2 cup of any fresh vegetable finely chopped ( today I used carrots,
celery)
1/4-1/2 cup of any frozen or canned vegetable (today I used corn and peas)
2 cans of big biscuits ($2.50) or make your own for lots less
Boil chicken breast while cooking onion and fresh vegetables in butter. When
vegetables are still slightly firm add cream soups and broth and heat through.
Dice meat and add to mixture. Add canned or frozen veggies and heat 10 minutes
more on low heat or place in crock pot. Serve over split biscuits.
Make twice as much and bag it for the freezer. It reheats nicely.
Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
1
16oz jar salsa
1
1.25 package dry taco seasoning mix (I made my own)
1
lime, juiced
3T
chopped fresh cilantro (I used the frozen cubes from Trader Joe's)
2lbs
boneless chicken breasts
Prep: Put the salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice,
cilantro and chicken breasts into a
freezer
bag. Freeze.
Serving Day: Thaw. Dump bag into
the crock pot, set on high and cook until the
chicken
is very tender, about 4 hours. If desired, set cooker to low and cook 6-8
hours.
Shred chicken with forks and serve on tacos
with your favorite toppings.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Serves 6
1/4
cup butter 1 cup chopped onion
6
oz of wild rice 2 cups chicken
48
oz of chicken broth 4 oz can of mushroom pieces and stems
6
tablespoons sliced almonds 1 cup chopped carrots
1
pint half & half salt
pepper
To Prepare:Season chicken with
salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 degrees for 50
minutes.
Cut into pieces. Cook rice according to package instructions. Melt the butter
in
a large pot, add onions, and sauté. Add the rice and the other ingredients
except the
half
and half. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool, add half & half, pour into labeled
freezer
bag
and freeze.
To serve:
Thaw. Pour into saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Zuppa Toscana Soup
1
lb. Italian Sausage (ground) 1 yellow onion, diced
2
cloves minced garlic 2 lg. potatoes, cut in half and then 1/4 in. slices
2
(14 oz.) cans chicken broth 4 c. water
1/4
c. real bacon bits 2 c. kale
1
c. heavy cream
PREP DAY: Brown sausage with
onion and garlic until done. Drain. Combine potatoes, chicken broth and water
together. Add sausage mixture, bacon bits, kale and cream. Simmer for 10 minutes.
SERVE DAY: Thaw in fridge. Heat
in large saucepan on stove top.
**NOTE** I did not cook the
soup until the potatoes were done because I didn't want them to get too mushy
so make sure you simmer long enough for the potatoes to be done enough. Also,
you will need to add salt and pepper because I didn't add any, I figured
everyone likes their own amounts.
Beef Enchiladas
3-5 pound roast
Italian Beef
Slow-cooker French Dip Sandwiches
1
medium yellow onion
3/4
c beef broth
1/4
c soy sauce
1/2
c water
1
Tbsp Worcestershire
1
Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1
Tbsp minced garlic
3
lb chuck roast
6-8
sandwich rolls, split
6-8
slices provolone or Swiss cheese
Prep Day: Slice onion into
1/4-inch rounds, place in freezer bag. Add broth, soy sauce,
water,
Worcestershire, mustard, and garlic. In large freezer bag: roast, bag of au
jus,
cheese.
Freeze.
Serve Day: Pour onions and au
jus into bottom of slow cooker. Salt and pepper both
sides
of roast, place on top of onions. Cook on low 6 - 7 hours until beef is fall
apart
tender.
Transfer roast to cutting board and shred using 2 forks. Remove onions and set
aside.
Strain juice and remove oil that collects on top with spoon. Return roast, au
jus and onions to slow cooker on "keep warm". Heat broiler. Place
split rolls on lined baking
sheet
and toast 1 minute or until bread begins to brown. Remove roll tops, set aside.
Scoop
beef onto roll bottoms and top with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is
melted. Top with onions and roll tops. Serve with small bowl of au jus.
Freeze ahead Fried Rice
Ingredients:
3 tbs soy sauce
5 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening or cooking oil
3/4 pound cooked pork, chicken or shrimp (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 large shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into 1/3-inch dice
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups cold cooked Japanese short-grain rice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Make-Ahead Preparation:
In a small bowl, stir the soy sauce with the rice vinegar, sesame oil and
sugar.
Heat a very large skillet or wok. Add the shortening and let melt or the
cooking oil. Add the diced meat (if using chicken, shrimp or pork) and stir-fry
over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peas, shiitakes and carrots and stir-fry
until tender. Add the eggs and scramble just until set.
Stir in the cooked rice, scallions, soy sauce mixture and pepper and stir-fry
until the rice is hot. Remove from the heat and season with salt.
Spread flat on cookie sheet and allow to cool. Transfer into ziploc bags. Press
them flat and make you get all of the excess air out of them before sealing.
(By pressing them flat, they will freeze and heat more evenly and will be
easier to stack in your freezer.)
Transfer to freezer and freeze for up to one month.
Last Minute Preparation:
Remove rice from freezer. Tap ziploc bags on the counter to begin to break up
the rice. Put into microwave-safe baking dish or bowl and microwave 30 to 60
seconds or until heated through.
If rice seems dry, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth.
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