Freezer Meals

I recently posted on FB about making 30 freezer meals. These were not 30 different meals, but 6 different meals that made 30 meals for my family. It was a lot of work. But so worth it! I have LOVED having things to pull out of the freezer. The "meal" isn't really a complete meal, in fact, it is just the meat portion, because I serve fresh produce with each meal. But, having pre-marinated, or pre-made meats has been such a time saver.

I made:

Orange Thai Beef (I just threw marinade in with cut up beef, and I have made it as a stir-fry with the peppers and asparagus). This was absolutely fabulous. This blog- goodlifeeats.com is amazing. Everything I have tried off there is wonderful!
http://http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2009/06/orange-thai-beef-skewers-orzo-with.html

I made mini turkey meatloaves
http://http://athymeandaseason.blogspot.com/2010/07/turkey-meatloaf.html

Two kinds of chicken, which I put rubs on that I purchased at Whole Foods (tequilla lime and italian herb)

The italian herb I have used in this (http://http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2009/07/pasta-primavera-with-zucchini.html) pasta, and it was really good

The tequilla lime I plan to use in fajitas. I'll post my guac. recipe some time soon.

And mexican turkey burgers:
http://athymeandaseason.blogspot.com/search/label/Turkey

I froze all these in freezer bags, in portions for my family. This is something I will be doing on a regular basis. So I will keep updating with more freezer friendly meals.

(And just so you know, my posts have been less frequent because I have been doing a special health diet, and I promise you don't want to eat this way...)

Turkey Meatloaf

A good friend made a chicken meatloaf that was to die for. But, I cannot find ground chicken here, so I tried it with ground turkey and liked it just as well. This is a simple meatloaf that I kind of just eyeball, which is why I haven't written out the recipe before. So, you can use more or less of something to taste.

Turkey Meatloaf:

1 pound ground turkey
1.5-2 cups stove top chicken stuffing mix
shredded zucchini (I would say 1/4 cup or so)
shredded carrots (again 1/4 cup?)
2 eggs
milk (maybe 1/2-1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

2/3 part Favorite jarred marinara sauce
to 1/3 part whole cream


Combine ingredients well and form into a loaf. Pour sauce over meatloaf. Bake until firm and cooked through at 350 degrees. (About an 1-1.5)

My Favorite Marinade

This is my favorite marinade for pork chops or salmon, but I am sure it would be great on chicken as well.

1/3 part honey to
2/3 parts soy sauce
4 cloves minced garlic
ginger to taste

7-up Chicken Marinade

Easy marinade for grilled chicken.

1 can of 7-up or sprite
1/4 cup soy
4 cloves minced garlic

Marinate over night for best results.

Thai Peanut Noodles

We love Thai food at our house. This is a simple weeknight meal. It came together in 15 minutes. I love that!! It is reminiscent of Pad Thai, but doesn't have quite the same flavor. This is a perfect vegetarian meal, but is also great with chicken.

Thai Peanut Noodles

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1-2 tsp. siracha sauce
3 tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tbs. honey (I used this to taste, and used a tbs. and a half I bet.)
1 1/2 tbs fresh grated ginger (I used a lot less than this, because I hate grating ginger and it was fine.)
1-2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz linguine pasta
2 chopped green onions
cilantro
chopped peanuts
quartered limes

Boil noodles to al dente. While, boiling combine sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Combine sauce and noodles.

Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, and peanuts before serving.

Glazed Mini Meatloaves

I happen to LOVE meatloaf. Like it might even one of my favorite meals. It is the ultimate comfort food for me. My Mom’s meatloaf is super good, but I can never make it like hers. So, when I came across this recipe I had to try it. Seemed easy enough. These were fabulous! My husband even ate the leftovers for lunch the next day (this NEVER happens). I always serve meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas. They just “go” together. (This recipe is from My Kitchen Cafe blog)

 

Glazed Mini Meatloaves

Yields: 5-6 mini meatloaves
Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced FRESH parsley (flat-leaf)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (not too lean, or it will be too dry....I used 80/20.)
2 teaspoons oil
Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into 5-6 oval loaves.
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is slightly rippling. Add meatloaves and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up edges using a spatula. Brown the other side for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined 9x13 dish and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees or until center is no longer pink

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I have seen this recipe on 3 or 4 different food blogs over the past year or so. I have wanted to try it FOREVER. A good friend had us for dinner and served them instead :) They were fabulous!!! I ended up making them the next week. They came together quickly, and have so much flavor for so few ingredients. I would be generous with the sauce (I thought it looked like too much and ended up not using it all- so they were a little dry after being baked- use all the sauce).

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup lime juice (about 2-3 large limes)
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1.5 pounds, boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded (for shredded chicken I boil my chicken)

12-14 corn tortillas (fajita size)
3 cups mexican blend cheese
1 14oz can mild green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine honey (I had to heat mine in the microwave a few seconds), lime, chili powder, and garlic. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Add chicken to marinate.

In a medium bowl combine enchilada sauce and heavy cream. Spread about half the mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.

In a large nonstick skillet heat tortillas.

Working one tortilla at a time, place a spoonful of chicken mixture in the center. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up, place in pan seam side down. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.

Top with remaining cheeses and sauce. (Add any remaing marinade to the sauce) Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes- or until brown and bubbly.