Adding a Little Bit to the Freezer

After my huge summer freezer cooking session, it takes awhile for me to have to fill up the freezer again, but it was time to restock some of the basics and I really wanted to try a couple of new things.

Over the past few days I have added the following to our freezer and pantry -

Pancakes - 25 pancakes
Sausage Balls - 5 dozen
Pumpkin Granola -
Pumpkin Apple Muffins - 16 muffins
Banana Oat Muffins - 16 muffins
Breakfast Casserole - 1
Dried Apples - 2 quarts
Waffles - 5 waffles

Tomato Bisque - 3 lunch servings
Santa Fe Chicken - 1 1/2 quarts

That should keep us set for breakfast until late January and give me some different lunch options.
 

Freezer Cooking Wrap Up

Several days ago I embarked on my yearly summer freezer cooking session to prepare for our very busy back to school and sports season.  Here's how it went -- I didn't get to the cookies or a few of the breakfast items.  My freezers are getting really full and I decided to wait on those for a month or so.

Beef Recipes
Meatballs (3 meals)
Sloppy Joes (did not make - when I cleaned/organized the freezer, I found 3 meals)
Beer Chili (3 meals)
Taco Meat (browned beef with taco seasoning) (2.5 quarts)
Beef Mix (browned beef with onions and garlic) (6 quarts)
Lasagna (2 meals)
Manicotti (2 meals)

Chicken Recipes
Whole Chickens -
Shredded Chicken and Broth (8 cups shredded chicken and 14 cups broth)
Mediterranean Chicken * (1 meal)
Lemon Rosemary Chicken (1 meal)

Marinated Breasts-
Garlic Ranch * (1meal)
Dijon (1 meal)
Lemon Pepper (2 meals)
Teriyaki (2 meals)
Bourbon (1 meal)
BBQ (using Pappy Red's BBQ sauce) (1 meal)
Greek Chicken (2 meals)
Plain, Shredded - (did not make - found 4 - 2 c packages when organizing the freezer)

Meals -
Honey Sesame Chicken * (2 meals)
Orange Chicken * (1 meal)
Buffalo Chicken (2 meals)
Cilantro Lime Tacos * (2 meals)
Chicken Taquitos * (1 meal)

Pork -
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs (4 meals)
Pizza Pasta Casserole (2 meals)
Pizza Bagel Bites *
Ham and Cheese Croissants * (12 sandwiches)

Side Dishes -
Mac and Cheese (4 meals)
Broccoli Casserole (3 meals)
Spinach Parmesan Bake * (2 meals)
Lima Beans
Baked Potato Casserole (3 meals)
Mashed Potatoes (2 meals)

Breakfast -
Breakfast Burritos (7 -Sausage, 7-  Bacon and 2 Egg and Cheese)
Sausage Biscuits (16)
Banana Oat Muffins
Zucchini Blueberry Muffins (24)
Banana, Apple, Cranberry Muffins (18)
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (16)
Cherry Almond Granola Bars *
Pancakes (4 dozen)
Waffles
Peanut Butter Granola (6 cups)
Vanilla Granola

Treats -
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Almond Biscotti (1 batch - 16 pieces)

Extras -
Chocolate Sauce (1 bottle)
Enchilada Sauce (3 meals)
Red Beans (3 - 2 cups portions)
White Beans (3 - 2 cup portions)

* New to us recipes

It's Freezer Cooking Time!

I really can't believe I start backe to school in 1 1/2 weeks.   Our entire summer has been spent recovering from the 10,000 gallons of water that flooded our home on May 29th.  While we are back in our home, most of our furniture is still being repaired and there are still too many boxes waiting to be unpacked.  However school and fall sports just don't understand that and they are coming upon us quickly!  So, I'm taking a break for unpacking boxes and organizing my house to do my annual summer freezer cooking session.  I will spend a week cooking a large variety of foods to fill my freezer and keep us eating at home instead of heading to the drive thru on the way home from practice.  This about the 13th year I've done this.  I am using mostly tried and true family favorite recipes with a few new ones for variety.  You can check out 2010 and 2011 freezer sessions for more ideas. 

Here is my VERY ambitious plan.

Beef Recipes
Meatballs
Sloppy Joes
Beer Chili
Taco Meat (browned beef with taco seasoning)
Beef Mix  (browned beef with onions and garlic)
Lasagna
Manicotti

Chicken Recipes
Whole Chickens -
Shredded Chicken and Broth
Mediterranean Chicken *
Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Marinated Breasts-
Garlic Ranch *
Dijon
Lemon Pepper
Teriyaki
Bourbon
BBQ (using Pappy Red's BBQ sauce)
Plain, Shredded

Meals -
Honey Sesame Chicken *
Orange Chicken *
Buffalo Chicken
Cilantro Lime Tacos *
Chicken Taquitos *

Pork -
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Pizza Pasta Casserole
Pizza Bagel Bites *
Ham and Cheese Croissants *

Side Dishes -
Mac and Cheese
Broccoli Casserole
Spinach Parmesan Bake *
Lima Beans
Baked Potato Casserole
Mashed Potatoes

Breakfast -
Breakfast Burritos (Sausage and Bacon)
Sausage Biscuits
Banana Oat Muffins
Zucchini Blueberry Muffins
Banana, Apple, Cranberry Muffins
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Cherry Almond Granola Bars *
Pancakes
Waffles
Peanut Butter Granola
Vanilla Granola

Treats -
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Extras -
Chocolate Sauce
Enchilada Sauce
Red Beans
White Beans

* New to us recipes

Here's what the next few days look like -

Day One - Inventory Freezer, select recipes, create master ingredient list, inventory pantry, create grocery lists. - DONE

Day Two - Shop - I NEVER shop and cook in the same day. I usually end up at 4 different stores (Costco, Restaurant Depot, Publix and Walmart) and that makes for a very tiring day. I usually prep the onions, garlic, etc, but I don't assemble anything.

Day Three - Breakfast (no baking) and Side Dishes

Day Four - Beef Day

Day Five - Chicken Day

Day Six - Finish up any Chicken or Beef dishes that didn't get completed  and Extras (sauces and beans)

Day Seven - Baking Day and any breakfast items that don't get done on day 3- these are the things we can live without. If I really run out of steam, I can come back later and make these items.

I know this is a lot of work, but for me is really is worth it.  This will keep my entire family fed until Christmas, with very little effort from me.

Freezer Cooking from the Pantry and Freezer

Part of the reason for doing a Pantry Challenge is to use up what you have.  Looking through my freezer and pantry over the past couple of weeks I realized I had somethings that needed to be used up pretty quickly and there were also some freezer staples I was either out of or extremely low on.  Thus I began putting together a freezer cooking session based on what I had on hand. 

I like to keep homemade muffins and breakfast bars in the freezer for quick breakfasts on the go, but the rush of the holidays had depleted my supply.  I had fresh cranberries in the refrigerator as well as some over ripe bananas that needed to be used quickly.  I also have an abundance of oatmeal hanging out in my pantry thanks to some really good sales.  Those cranberries, bananas and oatmeal quickly became Pineapple Muffins, Cranberry Muffins, Banana Oat Muffins and Oatmeal Breakfast Bars.  Leftover cranberries made their way into the freezer to make more muffins at a later date.  The only item I had to purchase was a container of vanilla yogurt for the muffins. 

Total - 48 muffins, 16 oatmeal bars

I always keep pre-cooked hamburger in the freezer for really quick weekday meals.  My DH purchased (3) 5 pound portions of ground beef before the holidays and I didn't have time to do anything with it then, so I threw it in the freezer.  I thawed 10 pounds worth and made 5 pounds into WW Sloppy Joes and the other 5 pounds I cooked up with onions and garlic for spaghetti and tacos.  I purchased a red onion and fresh garlic for this.

Total - 3 meals Sloppy Joes, 4 meals cooked, seasoned ground beef

I had some buttermilk to use before the expiration date, so Boo Boo made her first batch of pancakes all by herself.

Total - 26 pancakes

Bubba gets himself up and off to school each day after I am already at work, so I like to keep quick breakfast items in the freezer for him.  One of his favorites -- breakfast burritos.  I had cheese, ham, sausage, tortillas and a few eggs already on hand.  I just purchased another dozen eggs to make it worth the mess.

Total - 12 breakfast burritos

We love mac and cheese at our house and we used the last of it over the holidays, so I quicky whipped up a batch for the freezer from the pantry and refrigerator. 

Total - 3 side dishes of Macaroni and Cheese

Christmas 2010 my DH brought home a HUGE, ENORMOUS bag of chocolate chips from the restaurant supply store.  That bag has been sitting in my freezer for over a year because I was too busy to portion out the chips into smaller bags.  I finally took the plunge and opened the bag, making a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies (freezing most of them to cook later) and portioned out rest of the chips into smaller bags for easier use. 

Total - 8 dozen chocolate chip cookies

One of the things I HATE about cereral is the bits and pieces you have left when everyone tires of their "favorite" cereal.  I took all those this and that cereals as well as crackers, pretzels and peanuts from the holidays and made Chex Mix for the kids to snack on over the next couple of weeks. 

Total - 14 cups Chex Mix

This took just a few hours on Saturday afternoon, cost me less than $10.00 and give us quick items for breakfasts and snacks for a couple of months.  It's a win, win, win in my book.

Linked to- 
Good Cheap Eats Pantry Challenge
Tasty Tuesday
It's A Blog Party
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Tidy Mom

Pizza Pasta Casserole

This is a new family favorite, as it got thumbs up from all 4 of us.   Oringally a Southern Living recipe, I changed it around a bit and it will be added to our menu rotation.

  

I couldn't get a picture before they devoured almost the entire dish.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

12 oz. spaghetti

1 pound mild pork sausage

2 oz. pepperoni

1 jar (26 oz) tomato basil pasta sauce ( I like Classico brand)

1 c pizza sauce (I had this in my freezer)

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

2 c shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese blend

Boil pasta according to package directions.  Keep warm.

Brown sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink.  Drain and set aside.  Wipe pan clean.  Add pepperoni and cook until slightly crisp (about 5 minutes).  Drain on paper towel.

Toss spaghetti, sausage, pepperoni, tomato basil sauce and pizza sauce until combined.  Pour into 13 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with Italian cheese blend.   Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes. 

Serve with salad and garlic bread for a quick, family pleasing dinner.

This is a great make ahead dinner.  I actually assembled the casserole Sunday afternoon and baked Monday night.   I also think it would freeze very well. 

Linked to Tasty Tuesday

It's A Blog Party

Good Cheap Eats

Full Plate Thursday

Delightful Order



Summer Freezer Cooking

It's that time again, time for me to fill my freezer with lots of things for us to eat when school (lacrosse, cheerleading, tennis, gymnastics) starts in August.   I will spend several days in the kitchen cooking all kinds of things to make sure we eat well and don't resort to the drive thru for dinner.  You can see my planning process from last year here, as well as the recipes I made.  Below is my plan for this year.

Disclaimer-- This is a very ambitious plan, composed of many, many recipes and ingredients, spread out over many days. 

Beef Recipes
Beer Chili - DONE
Sloppy Joes - DONE
Taco Meat (just taco seasoning and ground beef) - DONE
Meatballs - DONE
Meatloaf - DONE
Lasagna
Beef Mix (ground beef seasoned with onions and garlic) - DONE
Skirt Steak (1 with Alton Brown's Marinade, 1 with Beer Marinade) - DONE

Poultry Recipes
Crockpot Taco Chicken (just taco seasoning and chicken breasts) - DONE
Crockpot Whole Chicken and Broth (for pot pie and soups) - DONE
Marinated Chicken Breasts
   Basic Marinated - DONE
   Dijon - DONE
   Bottle O'Beer - DONE
   Lemon Pepper - DONE
   Sweet and Sour Catalina Chicken Strips - DONE
   BBQ (using our Restaurant's BBQ sauce) - DONE
Parmesan Chicken Strips - DONE
Chicken Bacon Subs * - DONE
Mediterranean Roast Chicken *
Teriyaki Strips * - DONE


Pork
Kentucky Bourbon Pork Chops - DONE
Mozzarella Stuffed Sausage Meatballs (just the meatballs, will make the sauce fresh) - DONE

Side Dishes
Natalie's Beans - DONE
Mac and Cheese
Hashbrown Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Baked Potato Casserole - DONE
Broccoli Casserole
Lima Beans - DONE

Meal Starters
Northern Beans (for soups) - DONE
Pizza Dough (scroll to bottom of post for crust recipe)
Easy Crockpot Red Sauce - DONE
Chopped Onions - DONE

Snacks
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Sugar Cookies (second recipe in post)
Cowgirl Cookies *
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Zucchini Whoopie Pies *
Chex Mix
Chocolate Sauce
Ranch Dressing Mix - DONE
Hummus

Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Pancakes - DONE
Apple Granola
Muffins
   Blueberry Orange
   Pineapple *
   Zucchini

* New to us recipes
Here's what the next few days look like -
Day One - Inventory Freezer, select recipes, create master ingredient list, inventory pantry, create grocery lists.  - DONE
Day Two - Shop - I NEVER shop and cook in the same day.  I usually end up at 4 different stores (Costco, Restaurant Depot, Publix and Walmart) and that makes for a very tiring day.  I usually prep the onions, garlic, etc, but I don't assemble anything. - DONE
Day Three - Beef Recipes - these are the most complicated, time consuming recipes, so I do them when I am still fresh and excited about this endeavor...
Day Four - Chicken and Pork Recipes
Day Five - Side Dishes and Breakfast
Day Six - Baking Day and any breakfast items that don't get done the day before - these are the things we can live without.  If I really run out of steam, I can come back later and make these items. 

*** I will use my crockpot daily - for example on Beef Day, I will make Natalie's Beans as they cook a long time and require no attention after I put them in the crockpot, I will do the northern beans another day, the Crockpot Red Sauce another, etc.  This is an attempt to make the best use of my time on cooking days. 

In between all of this I will also be doing my summer canning  and freezing, but that is a topic for another post....

Freezer Cooking - February

Jessica at Life As Mom is gearing up for her monthly freezer cooking session.  I will be joining her.  After more than a month long Pantry Challenge, I need to replenish a few staples.  I will also be baking some treats for snacking this month as well.

Here's the plan -

Homemade Chicken Broth and Chicken
Meatballs
Cooked, Seasoned Hamburger
Chopped, Cooked Ham

Blueberry-Orange Muffins (upcoming post)
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Pancakes
Cookie Dough Truffles (this is a new to us recipe)
Chex Mix

I will post about my progress on Monday.

Freezer Cooking Day - December

We are still eating well from my marathon freezer cooking session in July, but it is time to replenish some items.  This weekend I will be cooking along with Life as Mom and I am hoping to accomplish the following -

Meatballs
Breakfast Burritos
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Pancakes
Pumpkin Pancakes
Double Corn Chowder with Chicken
Kentucky Sugar Cookies
Ranch Dressing
Chocolate Sauce

I will report on my progress Sunday night.  For some great freezer plans, recipes and help visit Life As Mom. 

Freezer Cooking - October

We really didn't need much to stock the freezer this month as we are still enjoying the fruits of my Marathon Freezer Cooking Session from July.  However, we were dangerously low on Pancakes, Sloppy Joes and pre-cooked hamburger,  staples of our freezer stash.  So, I spent a few hours in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon and completed the following

Hambuger Mix for Spaghetti - 3 meals
Sloppy Joes - 3 meals
40 Pancakes

Not much, but it certainly filled in the gaps in our freezer.  I love that in a couple of hours, I had 6 meals and breakfasts in the freezer with minimal effort. That is what I love about cooking ahead!

Linked to Life at Mom's Freezer Cooking

Freezer Cooking Success!

My little impromptu freezer cooking session today was a success.  I completed the following -

20 Breakfast Burritos
40 Chocolate Chip Pancakes
12 Zucchini Muffins
1 Loaf Zucchini Bread
16 Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
4 batches of Pesto
1 Pizza Sauce - divided into 3 meal size portions - used one for dinner tonight
1 Chocolate sauce
1 Ranch Dressing
1 Maple Syrup (for pancakes)

As I was going through the refrigerator, I noticed we were out of pancake syrup, chocolate sauce and ranch dressing, so I added those to my list.  I also made 2 extra batches of pesto as I was afraid my basil would not make it through the heat we are expecting this week.  All breakfast items are individually wrapped and frozen, ready to reheat in the microwave.  The only thing I did not get to was the Kentucky Sugar Cookies.  I will try to get those done next weekend.

Quick, Impromptu Freezer Cooking Session

I decided this morning to participate in Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom's Freezer Cooking Event.  Crazy, I know, as I just completed a HUGE session a few weeks ago.  I haven't planned for it, but I need to get some breakfast items in the freezer before the kids start school tomorrow, so I'm all in.  Luckily I have everything I need to make the items on my list, so no grocery trip is needed. 

Chocolate Chip Pancakes - I just add chocolate chips to my regular pancake recipe
Breakfast Burritos
Zucchini Muffins
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars - adding shredded coconut and dried cranberries
Kentucky Sugar Cookies
Pesto
Pizza Sauce
Ranch Dressing

I hope I can get all this done today AND get the kids ready to start school tomorrow AND finalize MY lesson plans.  It is a tall order, but I know it will make my life easier the next few weeks. 

Linked to Money Saving Mom

Marathon Freezer Session Progress

I had HUGE plans for my marathon freezer cooking Session last week and I accomplished most of my goals, with a few detours along the way.  Many of the recipes are linked here in my original plan.  Several will be making an appearance over the next few weeks.

Here are my totals - 42 main dishes, 10 side dishes (many will provide leftovers) and several treats and breakfast items.

Beef Recipes
Beer Chili - 3 meals
Sloppy Joes - 4 mealss
Taco Meat - 3 meals
Meat Mix for Spaghetti - 3 meals
Lasagna - 2 family size and 1 large enough for company
Meatballs - 1 meal

Chicken Recipes
Chicken (Plain, no seasonings) and Broth - 4 meals of chicken and 8 cups of broth
Spicy Chicken and Broth - 2 meals of chicken and 7 cups of broth
All-Purpose Crockpot Chicken (lightly seasoned) and Broth - 2 meals chicken and 5 cups broth
Grilled Chicken Strips - 4 meals
Lemon Chicken Pasta - 1 meal (this is an experiment)
Lemon Pepper Marinated Chicken - 2 meals
Italian Marinated Chicken - 2 meals
All Purpose Marinated Chicken - 2 meals
Bottle O'Beer Chicken - 1 meal
Dijon Chicken - 1 meal

Sides
Make Ahead Twice Baked Potatoes - 3 meals
Mac and Cheese - 4 meals
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes - 3 meals
Pizza Sauce - 4 meals
Frozen Fruit Cups - 12 individual servings

Treats
Pancakes - 45 individual pancakes
Chocolate Chip Cookies - 5 dozen
M & M Sugar Cookies - 3 dozen

I have not gotten around to making the San Marzano Marinara Sauce or the Kentucky Sugar Cookies. That will happen in the next day or so. 

Adjustments to my plan -

• The Parmensan Chicken Strips were scratched because I totally forgot these have to be frozen raw.  I had planned to use previously frozen chicken breasts and for food safety reasons I will not do that, so I made extra grilled chicken strips. 
• Vanilla Muffins - I made them and just did not like them, so they hit the trash can.  You win some, you loose some!
• I opted to make the Pineapple and Blueberry Orange Muffins closer to the start of school as I really want them for quick breakfasts then. 

All in all, I am thrilled with how much I accomplished and how little money I spent.  Because i used ALOT of items from my pantry I only spent $210 on this entire session.  That includes at least $20 in food storage items (Ziploc containers and freezer bags), so food costs were really around $190.  That averages out to around $4.50/meal.  I will take that!

Marathon Freezer Cooking Plans

With the completion of our 4th of July festivities, comes the fact that my summer break from school is half over.  Like most teachers I use my summer break to recover, rest and refuel.  I also use it to try to find ways to make life in our little house run smoother.  Our lives, like everyone elses, go full speed once the month of August makes it appearance.  Not only does school start, but Bubba plays football (3 practices and 1 game each week), DH is an assistant coach for Bubba's team, Boo Boo cheers (2 practices and 1 game each week) and I will be the team mom for Boo Boo's squad.  We just about live at the ball park from August 1st until the week before Thanksgiving (if one or both teams make the playoffs).  One thing I will not give up on during this fun and busy time is eating at home.  We reserve our eating out during this time for the celebratory dinners and lunches with the kids teams. 

How do I do this?  I take 3 - 4 days during July and cook many of our favorite meals and store them in the freezer.  I will make between 40 and 50 meals and meal starters, 15 side dishes, and cookies and muffins during this marathon cooking session.  These meals in addition to several pantry meals I keep stocked will get us through to at least Thanksgiving, if not longer.  This is a HUGE undertaking, but I find the time investment so valuable, especially when we walk through the door at 8:30 PM after practice to a yummy, warm, home cooked meal.  It also cuts down on the amount of time and money I spend at the grocery store. 

The most important part of the process is the planning stage.  I will spend on entire day going through what is in the pantry, what is on sale and recipes my family loves that freeze well.  I will also spend some time at some of my favorite freezer sites and add a couple of new recipes to my selection.  To plan, I use Money Saving Mom's Guide to Freezer Cooking.  She has some great tips and ideas and once I started following her guidelines, my freezer cooking went so much smoother. 

For recipes, I have adapted some of our very favorite recipes to be freezer friendly - Sloppy Joes, Beer Chili, Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, Macaroni and Cheese,  Pizza Sauce and Pancakes are just a few favorites I have adapted to freeze well. 

Some of my favorite online resources for recipes are -
Once a Month Mom - each month she posts a full month's worth of recipes and how tos. 
Recipeezaar's OAMC Message Board - readers share their freezer friendly recipes and their cooking plans.  Some even post their entire plan from start to finish.  This is a great resource!

Here is my list of what I plan to cook over the next 4 days.  Please keep in mind that this is an extremely ambitious plan and that I have been doing this for about 10 years.  If this is your first freezer cooking attempt, please try something simple and easy :-).   Listed next to each recipe is the number of meals this will make for our family.

Beef Recipes
Beer Chili (3)
Sloppy Joes (3)
Taco Meat (4)
Basic Meat Mix  (6)
Lasagna (3)
Hubby Will Inhale Them Meatballs (2) - new recipe

Chicken Recipes
Chicken and Broth (4 and 8 c broth)
Spicy Crockpot Chicken and Broth (2 and 4 c broth)
Crockpot All-Purpose Chicken and Broth (2 and 4 c broth)
Parmesan Chicken Strips (1)
Grilled Chicken Strips (2)
Chicken Lemon Pasta (1)
Marinated Chicken - Lemon Pepper, Italian, Marinated, Dijon, Bottle O'Beer (8)

Sides
Make Ahead Twice Baked Potatoes (6) new recipe
San Marzano Marinara Sauce (3)
Mac and Cheese (4)
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (2)
Pizza Sauce (4)
Frozen Fruit Cups (12) new recipe
Pancakes

Treats
Blueberry Orange Muffins
Pineapple Muffins
Vanilla Muffins
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Sugar Cookies
M and M Cookies  - new recipe

Here is my timeline -
Monday - Inventory pantry and freezers, make list of recipes, create grocery list and write out timeline.  Clean out refrigerators and thaw meat/chicken already in freezers.  Check on storage containers - add to grocery list if needed. 
Tuesday - Shop (I NEVER shop and cook on the same day.  Well, I did it once and them swore NEVER again).  I do some prep work, chopping onions, etc. but no cooking
Wednesday - Make all Beef Items, Mac and Cheese, Red Mashed Potatoes and Fruit Cups
Thursday - Make all Chicken Items, Marinara, Pizza Sauce and Twice Baked Potatoes
Friday - Baking Day

I will be back to update on Friday!

Linking up to these blog parties -
Delicious Dishes at It's A Blog Party
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
$5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners

Freezer Cooking Wrap Up - April

I did not finish my entire list, mostly because the weather has just been too beautiful to stay inside and cook! What I did accomplish has been delicious and we will enjoy eating from it this month.

Finished -

Natalie's Beans

Banana Bread

Squash Casserole

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kentucky Sugar Cookies

To be completed SOON -

chopping up the ham I got on sale

Everything else, can wait until the weekend or not at all, I'm nothing if not flexible!

Freezer Cooking Day - April

Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom are hosting their monthly Freezer Cooking Day. Since our Spring Break begins tomorrow, I am all up for participating. Here is my list -

1. Chop and portion a boneless ham I got on sale this week.
I will use chopped ham for our Baked Potato Nights, in Potato Cheese Soup, Omlets, and
salads.

2. Natalie's Beans
I had a friend that attended law school in Texas. She brought this recipe back with her and it
is a family favorite now. Great with all our Mexican dishes.

3. Squash Casserole
A southern standard

4. Pancakes

5. Blueberry Muffins

6. Banana Bread

7. Chocolate Chip and Kentucky Sugar Cookie Dough

8. Smoothie Mixes
I saw this idea at A Slob Comes Clean and I think I will try it out. My son has a protein shake
every morning for breakfast and I think this might just make it easier and quicker to make. I
am going to put individual portions in Ziploc bags and see how it works. Hopefully it will be so
easy, he can make his own shake in the morning....

9. Whole Chicken and Broth
I will cook a whole chicken, shredd the meat and freeze in meal size portions for enchiladas
and chicken pot pie. I will cook the bones in the broth for a couple of hours, then freeze in 2 c
portions.