Freezer Meals Saved the Week!

I have to apologize for the lack of recent posts.  This momma has been out of commission this week.  I got hit hard with a nasty stomach bug.  Go figure.  My cupboards were getting bare, and my fridge was near empty.   Thankfully I still had a few items left in the freezer from my crock pot challenge.  Now, I'm not entirely done with that challenge yet as I still have to post my review of the taco soup, but with the exception of that one recipe, we've had the rest.  Many of the recipes were divided in half, and that came in very handy this week as this momma was in no shape to do any cooking. 

I can't say how much I highly recommend freezer cooking.  Even if you don't like to cook and prefer prepackage and convenience items, freezer cooking can save the day.  Whether its you don't have the time to cook, or you end up having a dreaded sick day, freezer cooking can take the stress of making a meal away. 

My original plans were to follow up this challenge with another, but I'm going to have to delay that for a couple weeks.  I had to do a grocery shopping trip this week, but as I am still feeling pretty rough, I was not able to do the meal planning that I originally wanted to do.  For my next challenge I had planned on doing a complete break down on brand and prices on my shopping list, and that just simply was not going to happen this week.

Anyways, stay tuned because I do have more recipes coming, I have the conclusion and final review of my crock pot challenge, and there is going to be some party planning as I get ready for daughter's third and first birthday parties.  I will also show a bit of my geeky side as I plan on testing out my Game of Thrones cookbook for the season four premier. 

Oatmeal Flaxseed Banana Bread

I love banana bread.  This is a recipe I came up with a few months back.  I was looking for something different.  I wanting a filling breakfast bread that I could eat in the morning.  With three young kids, I don’t always have time to make something for myself in the morning before we have to be out the door.  I am also breastfeeding my youngest, so in an effort to boost milk production, I want to create a recipe that included both oatmeal and flaxseed.  These two foods are thought to help boost the milk supply in breastfeeding women.  I can’t guarantee it will work for everyone, but it did help me.  Don’t worry this is a recipe that the whole family can enjoy.  My youngest two especially love this bread. 

Oatmeal Flaxseed Banana Bread

5 ripe bananas, mashed

1 egg, beaten

1/2c sugar

1/2c butter (1 stick)

1tsp vanilla

2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp nutmeg

1/4c ground flaxseed

1 1/2c flour

1/2c old fashion cooking oats (oatmeal)

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease a bread pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas, egg, sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Set aside. 

In a medium bowl combine your remaining ingredients.  Slowly add your dry ingredients to the banana mixture. 

Bake for 1hr-1hr 15 minutes.  Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf.  If it comes out clean it is done.  Allow the banana bread to cool completely on a wire rack before you remove the loaf from the pan.

I totally recommend drizzling some honey across the top during the final 10 minutes of the baking process.  Just remember, honey is NOT recommended for infants under the age of 1 due to the risk of infant botulism. 

Here Comes Another Crock Pot Meal... It's Lemon Garlic Chicken

I had high hopes for the Lemon Garlic Chicken crock pot meal.  It sounded good, but like a few other recipes, the original turned out pretty bland in my opinion.  It was fine after I adjusted the seasonings once I was cooked, and I will make this one again in the future.  I made a couple minor adjustments to the original recipe.  I think this version will have a little more flavor.  

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken

1tsp dried oregano

2lbs chicken breast, chopped

2tbsp butter

1/4c water

3tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp lemon zest

3 cloves garlic, minced

1tsp chicken bouillon granules

1tsp parsley

1 8oz package of cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place all ingredients, minus the cream cheese, in a gallon size freezer bag. 

Cook for 6-8hrs in the crock pot.  Once chicken is cooked, add the cream cheese and mix well.  Add salt and pepper to your preference. 

 

Baked French Toast.....It's One of My Family's Favorite Recipes!

Last night we decided to take a break from the crock pot.  I was in the mood for one of my all time favorite recipes, Baked French Toast.  My family loves breakfast foods.  We often have breakfast for dinner.  Baked French Toast is a dish I frequently make when we have company.  Its fairly easy to make, and pretty filling. 

Baked French Toast

 

12 slice of bread

No apples in this batch, but maybe next time. 

6 eggs, beaten

1c milk

1c brown sugar 

1/2c butter (1 stick)

1tsp vanilla

1/4tsp cinnamon

Optional: 2 granny smith apples; peeled, cored, and diced

Grease a 13x9 baking dish.  Melt the butter, and combined it with the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Spread this across the bottom of the baking dish.  Place the bread in the pan, laying 6 slices on the bottom and laying another 6 on top of those.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk.  Pour egg mixture over the bread.  Let the bread sit for 5 minutes.  This gives the bread a chance to really soak up the egg mixture.

Bake at 350*F for 35 minutes. 

Optional:  If you decide to add the granny smith apples, layer them on top of the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon mixture.  I really recommend trying this recipe at least once with the apples.  You won't regret it!

Working on a Party

I love planning parties!  I love creating themes.  I love shopping for the decorations.  I love planning the food.  I especially LOVE planning parties for my children. 

Both my girls have birthdays coming up in April.  One is turning 3 and the other will be 1.  Their birthdays are nine days apart, so we will be doing a combined party for the two of them.  Its been difficult trying to decide a theme this year.  I want to do something different and fun.  I've been tossing a couple ideas back and forth for a few weeks now.  I'm thinking about doing a Candy themed birthday.  My kids rarely get candy, but when they do, its they think its the greatest experience of their lives. Seriously, Ava even made up a song all about candy canes the other day. 

I'm working on building a fun candy themed party pinterest board.  I'll be sharing my ideas as I start planning the party.  I can't wait to see how it comes together.

Click to see the board. 

Savory Chicken? Eh, Not so Memorable

I apologize, but no pics with this one. I've had a busy couple days.  I have been busily trying to put my degree to use, and unfortunately I have had to turn down a couple jobs recently due to inflexibility and/or the hourly wage being too low.  I've been so busy running around trying to plan and make things work,  and I am beyond thrilled that I decided to do this month long challenge.  I think we would be living on take out this week without it. 

Savory Chicken was another recipe from Crock Pot Meals for a Month that I wasn't sure about.  I think my issue was that I tried to use frozen broccoli instead of freeze.  My end result was a watered down chicken dish that I salvaged by shredding the chicken and thickening up the cooking liquid with a cornstarch slurry.  Salt and pepper are a must, otherwise the end result is terribly bland.  The dish wasn't terrible, but its not something I plan on going out of my way to cook again.  I do have another bag frozen in the freezer to get through, but after that I may try to play around with the recipe to improve the flavors.

Savory Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
2 15oz cans of Stewed Tomatoes
1 1/4c Chicken Broth
1 Onion, diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
4c Broccoli
2 Bay Leaves (do not eat these...they are just for adding flavor)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Divide all the ingredients between 2 gallons size freezer bags.  Cook for 6-8hrs.

I shredded the chicken and served it over seasoned rice. 

BBQ Pineapple Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot

You are going to LOVE this recipe!  It can be a little labor intensive when it comes to pulling/shredding the meat, but it is worth it.  This recipe does take a while to cook, so make sure you read the directions thoroughly so you understand the amount of cook time needed.  This is another one of those recipes from the Crock Pot Meals for a Month challenge that we will be making again.  If you don’t eat pork, you can easy substitute chicken in its place. 



I love ketchup on my cheesy potatoes!  No judging.  lol

BBQ Pineapple Pulled Pork

1 4-6lb pork shoulder roast

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

1 15oz can of pineapple tidbits, juice and all

salt and pepper

Rub roast with salt and pepper.  Place inside gallon sized freezer bag.  Add other ingredients and freeze.

Cooking from frozen:

Allow at least 6-8hrs for roast to fully cook. 

Cooking from fresh:

Rub roast with salt and pepper.  Place in crock pot with other ingredient.  Cook 5-8 hrs.

Remove roast once cooked, and place on cutting board.  Use 2 forks to pull apart and shred the meat.  Return the meat to crock pot and let cook in juices for another hour or so.

**I cooked my roast from frozen for 8hrs overnight.  I then turned off the crock pot, shredded the meat, and let it cool before placing in the fridge.  The next day I returned it to the crock pot, and cooked for an additional 4 hours.  This gave the meat additional time to marinate and absorb more of the flavor.  If you have the time, I highly recommend cooking it this way.