Yum, yum, yummy: Freezer Meals

Well anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE to cook! Seriously, if I was rich, the first thing I'd do would be hire a chef!  Speaking of rich, check out this house that is being built about 30 minutes from our house - 72,000 square feet - all made of concrete - one of the largest homes in America: click here to see it. Personally, I think it's a waste of money, but it's not my money to waste!

Back to food. The girls have recently decided they LIKE to cook dinner. Last week, with much enthusiasm they made us spaghetti, pancakes and loaded baked potatoes for dinner.  And I'm LOVING this!!! I'm trying to be in the kitchen more with them since they are enjoying it, but it's not something that comes easy for me.

Last summer I shared a few of our favorite freezer meal recipes.  And I thought I'd share a couple more with you now. Enjoy!

Very Veggie Lasagna 
(a summertime favorite for all those veggies from the garden! Note: I usually make this one recipe in 2 9x9 pans, we eat one and freeze one for later, rather than the 13x9 pan.)

2 med carrots, julienned
1 med zucchini cut into 1/4 in slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 med onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red julienned sweet red pepper
1/2 cup julienned green pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1 teas salt
2 garlic gloves
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
14 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded cheese

In large skillet, stir fry vegetables, garlic and salt in oil until crisp tender.
Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce in greased 13x9 in dish.
Arranged 7 noodles over the sauce, overlapping as needed
Layer with half of veggies, spaghetti sauce and cheese.
Repeat Layers
Cover and bake at 350 degrees from 60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 min before cutting.
If you freeze one, bake an extra 30 min or so.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
(take a little time, but I usually make double/triple batches, and they are so worth it!)

- 3-4 raw Chicken Breasts (sliced into either strips or cut into nuggets)
- 3 T melted Margarine or butter
- 1 T Worcestershire
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In small bowl, mix Margarine & Worcestershire sauce together. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and cheese together. Dip chicken into margarine mixture, then dip it into bread/cheese mixture. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Flash freeze chicken for an hour. Then remove from cookie sheet and place in a ziploc freezer bag until ready to bake.

Serve: SPRAY pan (I always forget this step, not a good idea!). Bake uncovered for 30 min at 375 degrees, or until juice in chicken runs clear. Turn once with tongs.

Weekend Fun

This weekend was just fun! Friday evening we attended the local fireworks, always a good time!

Saturday we used our Season Passes to attend Silver Dollar City...got to see both the Magic Show and the Dog Stunt Show since the sun and rain were battling over who had control of the afternoon. Our favorite part of the day was the dog show, but the magic show is quite impressive, as well. We LOVE Silver Dollar City!

This morning we slept in and then attended church. Tonight we played Banagrams, made homemade funnel cakes, and I read poems to the girls from A Light in the Attic. It was just a fun weekend being a family...together. Added bonus: A Rainbow at the end of the day!

Homemade Funnel Cakes
(They are SOOO yummy & ingredients are almost always on hand!)
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups oil

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add eggs and milk, mix together. Heat oil. Pour batter into a funnel, covering up bottom hole. Drizzle batter over hot oil. Brown both sides of the funnel cake. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powder sugar and/or cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

Easy Freezer Meals

Here are a few of our favorite (easy) make ahead meals. Often I just make a double batch...we'll eat one for dinner and I'll freeze one for later. Just thought I'd share them, in case you'd like to enjoy them too. And also, if I place them here, I don't have to worry about losing them later! :)

Tortellini

• 5 cups frozen cheese tortellini
• 3 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 3 cups cooked chicken breasts (cubed) - I often leave the chicken out
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 3 cups Alfredo

Cook tortellini. Then mix all ingredients together. Can divide into 2 pans to freeze, or make 1 larger meal. If eating right away, bake @ 375 for 25-30 min. If Freezing and baking later: Lightly cover frozen tortellini and bake for 30 min. @ 375 degrees. Remove foil and bake for 20-25 min more.

Pull Apart Chicken (Crockpot)

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use frozen)
• 3/4 - 1 cup water
• 2 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. celery salt

Put all ingredients in crockpot. (Do not need to unthaw chicken.) Cook on low 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours. During last hour shred with two forks. Serve on buns with favorite BBQ sauce. I use leftover chicken in casseroles or to make enchiladas.

Chimichangas

• cooked beef, pork or chicken (1 lb)
• 16 oz jar salsa
• 16 oz refried beans
• 1 1/2 oz. env. taco seasoning
• 1 lb shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all the above together. Divide mixture into 16 separate tortillas. Fold the ends in and roll tortillas up. Wrap each one individually in foil, so you only need to take out how many you need later. Freeze. To bake, remove from freezer, unwrap and bake frozen chimichganas (on a cookie sheet) for 30-40 min @ 350 degrees. Variation: I mix just taco meat and cheese together and roll in tortillas for the kiddos.

Stromboli (a little bit more time consuming to make, but yummy!)

• 1 cup ham
• 1 cup pepperoni
• 1 cup sausage
• 2 cups cheese (cheddar and/or mozzarella)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
• 1 Loaf frozen bread dough

Let bread dough rise (on a sprayed cookie sheet) according to directions. After it rises, flour counter surface and roll dough out into a 16x12 in. rectangle. In middle third, add sauce, cheese and meat. Fold into thirds and pinch together to seal. Roll it over onto a greased cookie sheet (so seal is on bottom). Careful not to break dough or it will spill out during baking. Bake for only 20 minutes. @ 350 degrees. Remove from oven, wrap in foil and freeze. To Serve: Remove from freezer and thaw. Bake for an additional 20 minutes @ 350 (or until lightly browned.) I usually make 2-3 of these at a time, we'll eat one right away and freeze the others for later.