Cooking Tips

While freezing meals today, I thought I would share some cooking tips for those who are not so great in the kitchen or maybe just don't cook as much as some.

The first thing is about substituting things you may need with things you have on hand.  I was out of dried basil.  Most Italian seasonings have basil and I also had a seafood seasoning that was mostly basil.  So you can substitute seasonings for others if they are similar.  One of this month's recipes had basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. all the ingredients in the Italian seasoning so I substituted one for the other.  S ame with the beef soup or any soup....if you have vegetables that need to be cooked, use them in stews.  If you have extra bell peppers or onions or celery...go ahead and chop those up and freeze them for future recipes.  This can be done easily if you find a sale on certain items that you know you will use in the near future.    Another thing on substitution, most tomato sauces can be substituted with ketchup or spaghetti sauce if you have that on had or tomato paste and water.  On today's stuffed bell peppers, I had some bbq sauce in fridge that need to be used so I added some water and pour that over the peppers instead of tomato sauce.  Just don't be afraid to substitute things in the recipe with different things if you have that on hand and need to use it up.  Now be careful, some things can't be substituted so be sure you are using like items or similar items or it can change the entire recipe...and sometimes not for the good!

Now let me add some picture of some of the recipes I posted yesterday to freeze.  Today, I froze my meals.  If you feel it is easier for you, just make one meal a day for 10 days and when you make your one meal, make the other two meals for freeze.  Some feel that is easier for them and they spend less time in the kitchen.

Stuffed Bell Peppers:

tops cut off and washed well

I find that using a scooper helps stuff the peppers with the least mess

Ready to freeze

Pork Chops Caccatorie:

Now on these, if pork chops are too expensive for you, get the pork bone-in assorted chops...they are usually cheaper and you wont know the difference.  If you know me, I am very frugal...you get more for your money on the assorted.

Bagged and ready to freeze

Hearty Meatball Veggie Soup:

Sometimes buying the meatballs already made doesn't cost any different and saves a lot of time.

I bought these already made Turkey Meatballs and 2 bags supplied more meatballs than I needed for the recipe so I just divided the meatballs in three meals.  MORE MEATBALLS!!  And these 2 bags were about $5 at Aldi.

Again, if you don't want to make homemade broth, you can buy it fairly cheap, and save time.  I like this stock because it is ALL NATURAL, 100% Fat Free, and no MSGs added!  1 container was about 1/2 cup more broth than the recipe called for...I used it all!  Just more broth, so I added another 1/2 cup of veggies!

On really liquidy recipes, use something like this strainer or a large casserole dish with deep sides to help keep your bags upright while you fill them with your ingredients.

I used frozen veggies and fresh veggies that I had on had to make about 2 1/2 cups per meal since I used a little extra broth.  Just use veggies the family likes!

Ready to freeze!

There were several things for this month's recipes you could just freeze off the bat with no prepping like the roasts for the roast beef sandwiches, the fish that you buy fresh and freeze or buy already frozen....if you choose you can buy just the hamburger meat and turkey meat for the hamburgers and sloppy joes and freeze the meat, defrost the night before and fix when you are ready for dinner.  Those don't take a lot of time to fix at all.  If you choose to do that, you can chop your onions, etc. before hand and freeze those as well with the meat or in a separate bag and place in a large bag with the frozen meat where all the meal is together in one ready to take out and assemble.  

Enjoy your meals this month!  I find doing this prep work saves money and time.  I spent about $300 on 30 meals this time and the meat was the major expense so be sure to shop around for sales and buy in bulk since you are making 2 to 3 meals.

Blessings!  

Recipes #2 Freezing for a Month of Meals

It's that time...time to freeze some meals.  I am freezing 30 meals this time!  10 recipes tripled to make 30 meals for my family! These ingredients cost me about $300 for the month...only because steaks and roasts are so high right now. Shop around with the sales and my favorite place, Aldi, to get items cheaper!  Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do....

Recipes

Healthy Veggie Meatball Soup

3 cups beef broth
2 cups frozen veggies (mixed)
1 can stewed tomatoes
12 Italian meatballs...(You can make your own, or buy them)
3 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of cooked pasta, spiral or egg noodle

Add all in bag in freeze except for noodles.  They will added to the recipe right before serving.  If you are on a new lifestyle like I am that doesn't include pasta, get your bowl of soup before adding thee  pasta to the dish.

Day of cooking, place in crockpot on low for the day.  Add cooked pasta just before serving.  If you make the pasta ahead of time and freeze or put in the fridge the night before, add the pasta until it's fully heated through.  Discard bay leaves before serving.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

6 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
1 cup chicken broth (remember you had some you froze if you did my recipes last month)
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons real butter
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
3 tablespoons corn starch for thickening
Hot cooked rice
Optional: almond slices, parsley

Freeze all ingredients in a bag except for corn starch and rice (and almonds, and parsley)

Day of cooking- place all in crockpot.  Cook High 6-8 hours.  Low 4-6 hours....or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken. Add broth to a sauce pan and stir in corn starch.  Bring to a boil stirring constant for a couple of minutes.  Serve over chicken and rice. Add almond and parsley to the dishes.  If you do not want rice, like me, add chicken sliced to the top of a bed of lettuce and add the almonds.  Choose a low fat dressing that you love.  Most fat free ones are gross tasting.  Experiment with different ones and find the ones you like.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

1 pound of turkey meat (I will make 2 lbs. because it takes that much with my family)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 can of tomato soup
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup pepper
Hamburger buns

Combine together and freeze.

Defrost night before....cook in skillet.  Serve with chips and steamed vegetables.  ( I will only have a helping of the meat and steamed veggies)

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

1 - 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 ground cloves
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons water

Combine sauce, juice, sugars, cloves and pour over tenderloin in a freezer bag.  Seal and freeze.

Day of cooking - place in crockpot on low 8 hours, high 6 hours or until tenderloin is done.  (I just place on low in the er.morning and let it cook all day like everything else)  Remove tenderloin.  Combine starch with water.  Stir in liquid.  Put lid on for 15 more minutes until thickened and let tenderloin rest covered with foil.  Serve with your choice of sides.

Pork Chop Caccitore

6 bone-in chops
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh mushrooms (you can use canned if you choose)
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/2 dried basil
2 tablespoons corn starch
Egg Noodles, cooked

Combine everything in freezer bag except cornstarch and noodles.

Day of cooking - add to crockpot low all day or 6-8 hours high.    Combine a 1/4 cup water with corn starch and add to broth to thicken.  Serve over noodles and/or you can make some side vegetables.

Fish pockets

I buy frozen fish fillets (cod, tilapia, salmon, etc.) that are already frozen in individual packets.  Just buy enough for three meals and keep frozen in freezer.  On the day of cooking, place packets in cold water in the sink for 30 minutes.  Remove fish from the packets and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Season fish with garlic salt and pepper.  Cook according to package.  Saute a bag of frozen green beans with a tablespoon olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.   Add a wedge of lemon to squeeze over fish if desired.  You can serve this with some brown rice, wild rice, a great salad of your choice.  I make hush puppies for the family as well.

Stuffed Bell Peppers and Crockpot Baked Potatoes

5 bell peppers, washed, seeded, and top cup off
1 lb hamburger meat, lean
1 cup onion, diced
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped5 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper

Combine meat with above ingredients, then add
1/2-1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4-8 ounces tomato sauce, basil, garlic and oregano flavor
If it needs a little thickening, add some cooked rice, or bread crumbs, or add finely shredded carrots like I did last month in the spaghetti meat.  Makes a great filler, no one tastes the carrots, and it's healthy!

Stuff peppers.  Freeze.

Defrost night before in fridge.
Day of cooking:
Place peppers in crock pot.  Pour over peppers a 14 ounces can of  tomato sauce and then use the can to add 4 -6 ounces water
Place on low 6-8 hours or high 4- 6 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or baked potatoes.  I will serve with salad for myself.

Crockpot baked potatoes-  wash the desired amount of potatoes.  Prick them with a folk.  Wrap each potato with foil shiny-side in.  (You can sprinkle salt on each potato before wrapping.  Place in an empty crockpot (DO NOT ADD LIQUID) on high 6 hours or low 8 hours.  These are great for company served with a baked potato bar!

BBQ Sandwiches

Buy a roast in a size you desire based on your family.  Freeze.  Defrost the night before in fridge.  Place in crockpot  and pour over a bottle of your favorite or homemade bbq sauce.  Cook high 6 hours, low 8 hours.  Serve on buns with pickles and chips.  I will make lettuce wraps with my bbq meat.

Burgers and Fries

Who doesn't like burgers and fries!  They are healthier if you make your own.  Use lean meat or turkey or chicken ground meat.  Add a little bit of water and beefy onion soup mix.  You can also grind some carrot in it for make the burger more filling.  Believe me, no one can taste it and it's a great way to sneak in some nutrition.  Combine....shape into burgers.  Freeze with wax paper between each burger in a bag....one bag for each dinner.  You can make these ahead of time for company too.  Grill on the grill or George Foreman or fry (which I never do any more).  Serve with baked fries (Buy frozen fries and bake them according to package or until nice and brown.  Sprinkle with salt as soon as they come out of the oven.  If they need some moister, you can spray a little cooking oil on them to help the salt adhere.  Use season-salt for even more flavor).  Again I will make a burger wrap and have some grilled veggies with it.

Steaks

Buy the favorite cut of steaks and freeze.  Defrost in fridge over night marinating in Worcestershire sauce.   Grill as desired or Broil under broiler until cooked to your desire.  Serve sliced on a bed of lettuce or sauteed asparagus or steamed broccoli.  Feel free to serve with a baked potato as well.


Ok, everyone!  That is 10 meals.  I will triple mine to make 30 meals.  Feel free to use these recipes and tweet to your liking.  These do not have to be frozen....you can get ingredients for a week and cook on your desired day.  There is a lot less chopping this month.....which is great so prep time will not take as long.  As I make the meals for my family, I will post pictures on the blog.  Hope you enjoy them and Happy Valentine's Day.  Say a prayer for my daughter, Rachel, who will be having surgery that day.

God bless!

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Weight loss journey

Those that are my friends on Facebook know that I am working hard on loosing my excess weight.  I have not always been overweight.  My true struggled started after the birth of my daughter Rachel, my third child.  Yes, I gained and lost with all my children, but the weight just didn't come off after her.  It was totally myself that was the cause....3 kids, my husband started Pharmacy school when she was barely 4 years old, and life stresses.  I've lost weight since her birth, most recently was 3-4 years ago with Weight Watchers.  It worked great!  But I found myself cooking meals that only I could eat and separate meals for my family.  As my kids have gotten older, they need more food!  Can you say 3 teenagers, 2 being boys, and 2 being very athletic??!!  I had to make lots of food just to get them full and yes, it wasn't sometimes the best of foods that I cooked.  Pizza, hamburgers, etc...even though there was always vegetables and fruits that I served as well.  After gaining it all back, I decided...what is the use!!??!! I am just going to be heavy as a middle aged woman!  Until Christmas 2011...I had been praying to God about my weight.  I hated who I had become.... overweight, stressed, unorganized, burning my candle at both ends.  I decided I needed a change!!

God laid it on my heart that I had to make life changes!!  Being that it was Christmas, I thought, January 1 is just around the corner.  It will be 2013 and the start of my new life.  I can't explain it but God was speaking to me about Weight Watchers.  He was telling me...it works for you...but you can't stay with it.  It is too hard for you to stay on any "diet" and continue with your love of cooking and supplying food for your family that they need.  It was laid on my heart to cut all breads....that means rolls, biscuits  sandwich bread, breaded food, hush puppies, stuffing....ugh!  This has been the hardest.  But I can say after 40 days, I don't miss it any more.  My family had rolls at our lunch at Pioneer, an area restaurant, today and I didn't even want one!  YEAH!  Progress!!  The next  thing was to give up pastas and rice.  I'm not a big pasta fan...I like it but I know some who have pasta for ever meal.  This hasn't been as much of a challenge as the bread.  I do allow myself to have sugar on occasion and Splenda in my tea and coffee.  Once a week, I allow myself an indulgent item such as a piece of cake, ice cream, or something I've made to treat my family. If you totally cut out all enjoyable things, I don't think you will be successful!  I do continue to cook potatoes, pastas, rice...I just make sure a vegetable is cooked as well for all of us and I don't eat those items.

Now to get to what I DO get to eat.  Lots and lots of fresh fruit and veggies.  Veggies are almost always steamed and seasoned well.  Occasionally I saute them in cooking spray.  Lean meats are a must for me.  I am a meat eater.  I can't imagine not being able to eat a steak, but I feel everyone should pray about these decisions and God will lead you to what is best for your journey.  Smoothies are a must for me....for breakfast and/or snack.  I almost always have a banana, with one other fruit (LOVE BLUEBERRIES), 1 8oz cup of fat free yogurt of whatever I have (plain, vanilla, cherry, etc.), a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup of Fat Free Lactose-free milk (only because I get an upset stomach with regular fat free milk) and 6 or so ice cubes.....blended together.  Makes about 16 oz and super yummy.  If I am having it as a meal like breakfast, I add 5 almonds.  But as a snack, I leave the almonds out.  Use strawberries (3), 1 banana, strawberry fat free yogurt some time....it is such a great strawberry banana smoothie!!  Snacks other than smoothies are a handful of cashews or almonds or just a piece of fruit.  One treat I allow myself is chips and salsa.  Yes, corn tortilla chips at a restaurant with salsa.  I don't pig out...but I do have about 10-15 chips with salsa when we dine out....or if I serve Mexican food at home.

Since January 1, I have lost 17 lbs.  My goal is to reach my goal weight by my birthday in September.  I plan on doing this all my life.  Never to eat bread again.....seems sad...but I feel it is what the Lord decided for me to do in this journey!

Now one last thing is my devotion time.  I bought a book my wonderful friend Janet Brown wrote and I LOVE IT!  Every day, I read her devotion and pray what the Lord wants me to get out of the reading.  If you need a devotion to help you in your weight loss journey, pick up Divine Dining!  Just start on the date you get it and continue until you finish the book.  I think this will probably be a book I read many, many years to come.

You can buy it at Hastings if you live in Wichita Falls.  Or if you live out of town, go to the link below to buy this amazing book!  You will love to read her journey on weight loss and what the Lord spoke to her.
 
http://pen-l.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7

I pray God touches you all in your journey to be a healthier YOU.  God loves you and if it is your desire to be thinner, then He can help you!

Isaiah 43-19 "forget the former things;"

Turnovers Recipe

Happy Sunday everyone!  It's been a little over a week since my last post. Been extremely busy as I'm sure all of you have as well.   I will be doing several posts today.  One will be this one! Then I am going to post a weight loss post.  And then my recipes for a month worth of freezing!    Now...First, the turnover recipe!   It is TOTALLY easy.  All you need is your favorite pie filling (I used cherry because we had that on hand), a can of jumbo biscuits  and powdered sugar.  Cinnamon is an option if you use Apple filling.

Cut each biscuit in half.  Put a small scoop of filling center of one half.  If you use apple you may add a sprinkle of cinnamon as well.  Top with the other half of the biscuit and seal edges with your fingers.  If it doesn't stick well, you can wet your finger with water and rub water around the rim of the bottom half and then place the top biscuit half on the other half.  Seal well.  Cut slits on the top with a sharp knife and bake according to the biscuit can's instructions.  Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or you can sprinkle with coarse sugar BEFORE baking.  Enjoy!

Now some of you know, I am on my new way of eating for the rest of my life.  That means no bread, rice, pasta, processed foods mostly...so this turnover recipe was a "no can do" for me.  So those of you that might be following me on my weight loss journry and loosing weight yourself, I served these to my family.  I made sure there was a couple of spoonfuls of the pie filling left over for me.  I warmed the filling in the microwave for me to have a treat after supper too.  You can add a scoop of fat free yogurt and some sliced almonds on top to make it a satisfying dessert for yourself as well.    Hope you enjoy!!