Italian Chicken + Veggies

This is a yummy recipe I got from a friend and tried last week. It's picky-eater pleasing and I plan to make it frequently now that I know how easy, fast, and delicious it is! The boys scarfed it up!

(The photo shown here isn't mine. I made a few changes to the original version.)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 16 oz package of frozen green beans
• 4 medium Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 stick of butter, cut into pats
• 1 package of Italian dressing mix (I used the Aldi brand)

I also added

• 4 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, kept whole

* You could substitute any veggies you have. I'm going to try zucchini and yellow squash next.

In a 9x13 baking dish (or larger if you have it) lay out chicken breasts in the middle, then potatoes on one side, and beans on the other. Lay the pats of butter on top of everything. Then sprinkle Italian dressing powder over the whole thing.
Bake @350 uncovered for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender.

I added the asparagus about 20 minutes before the end because I know they cook fast. If I were using zucchini or yellow squash, I'd put them in 30 minutes before the end because you don't want them overcooked. Seriously, this is one of the easiest meals to prepare! It took me less than 10 minutes to get it in the oven. And cleanup was a snap!

Freezer Meals

Fall is an insanely busy time for our family. Although my 3 guys would never tire of pizza and fried chicken, I'm longing for budget-friendly home cooking that I can manage within my hectic schedule. So in mid-October, after being inspired by Pinterest and The Pioneer Woman, I decided to prepare 3 months worth of make-ahead freezer/Crockpot meals. I'll be honest; I spent a lot of time planning and list-making because this was my first time doing serious freezer meal prep. But I think the effort will be well worth the time it saves me on weeknights. And really, I didn't mind the preparation because I enjoy list-making and organization. So this was right up my alley.

This was my game plan...

1) Scour the internet and cookbooks for recipe ideas.
2) Made a list of meals and ingredients needed. (I tried to use as much as possible from my pantry)
3) Shopped (this took 2 days and 4 shopping trips because I kept forgetting things - poor planning on my part)
4) Enlisted the help of my Mom and Grandma for a big day of cooking.
5) Cooked for pretty much an entire Saturday.
6) Stocked my freezer and felt a nice sense of accomplishment. Woohoo!

Since my family is small and the boys don't eat much, I made the casseroles in 8x8 disposable foil pans (instead of 9x13). This means that a double recipe = 3 dinners for us. So, with a typical meal, we end up with enough for left-overs for the next day's lunch too.

The Menu:
3 Lasagnas
3 Chicken N Stuffing Casseroles
2 Baked Ravioli
3 Sausage Egg Potato Casseroles
3 Chicken Pot Pies
3 Sour Cream Noodle Bake (Pioneer Woman)
3 Rotel King Ranch Chicken Casseroles
5 Meatloaf
4 meals worth of Chili
4 meals worth of Taco Soup
2 meals worth of Veggie Soup
1 Chicken Fajitas - Crockpot
1 Pineapple Pepper Chicken - Crockpot
1 Curry Chicken - Crockpot
1 Honey Sesame Chicken - Crockpot
1 Lime Salsa Beef - Crockpot
1 giant pork roast prepared as Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork (Pioneer Woman) - in the Crockpot - divided meat into 4 freezer bags for later use as bbq pork sandwiches, carnitas, and empanadas
2 large beef roasts – Crockpot – shredded and divided into 4 freezer bags for later use in flautas, Italian beef sandwiches, Beef N Gravy over mashed potatoes, etc.
2 pounds of beef stew meat – Crockpot – ready to use in stew, soup, or Bush-Whacker Steak
Plus...
1 pound of cooked black beans - divided into 1 cup portions
1 pound of cooked pinto beans - divided into 1 cup portions
1 pound of white beans - for later use in white chili
1 pound of cooked Jimmy Dean sausage - great to have on hand
Enough Chicken Pot Pie filling to make Chicken A'La King over biscuits

(I actually had all the ingredients to make 4 more crockpot meals ahead to freeze, but I ran out of chicken so that had to be saved for another day.)

All of this plus the 1/4 cow we already had filled up my deep freezer to the point where I can't fit anything else in. What a great problem to have!

I'd love to give a review on how each meal has turned out, but we're about 1 month in and we haven't tried everything yet.

So far I've found the things that freeze and do really well are:
chili, taco soup, veggie soup, meatloaf, pre-cooked beans, pre-cooked shredded beef and pork, chicken pot pie, lasagana, baked ravioli, sausage-egg-potato casserole, rotel king ranch chicken, and chicken N stuffing casserole.

The shredded beef roast made some of the best tacos we've ever tasted.

The Crockpot chicken fajitas tasted really yummy, but I should have put the bell peppers and onions in 1 hour before serving, rather than at the beginning. They got way too soft.

The honey sesame chicken also had a great flavor. I'd make this recipe again.

Several of the casseroles needed quite a bit longer to bake than the normal recipes call for. I'm sure this has to do with them being partially frozen and/or very cold when they go in the oven. I ended up adding 40 extra minutes of baking to the rotel king ranch chicken and 30 extra minutes to the chicken n stuffing casserole.

I'm finding the best thing to do most of the time is to take the meal out of the freezer at supper time the night before, leave it on the counter until bed time, put it in the fridge overnight, get it out the next morning again, then leave it out until it's ready to go in the oven or crockpot. To inhibit bacteria growth, food should not stay between 40 and 140 degrees for more than 2 hours. Obviously, you keep an eye on it and if it gets to room temp too soon (maybe in the Summer months this could happen), you'd put it in the fridge again or go ahead and cook it. The soups don't need to do this because as long is the frozen block of soup will plop out of the plastic bowl and into the crockpot, it's fine. Pre-cooked meats and beans take very little time to thaw, so I've just been getting those out an hour before I want to make supper.

The one meal we didn't care for was (surprisingly) the Pioneer Woman's sour cream noodle bake. The egg noodles became too soft and it had a very wet consistency which we didn't like. It just didn't meld together well after being frozen. I won't be repeating this one.

So, my review of doing a 3-month freezer meal plan... I LOVE IT! It's totally worth 4 days of planning and Saturday of cooking. Expecially if you have help from your Mom and Grandma! We've really enjoyed the variety and I've been able to spend so much less time figuring out what to fix on a daily basis. There have been so many nights we've remarked that if we weren't able to just pop a casserole in the oven, we would have been eating peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches becasue our schedules are crazy and we just don't want to put the effort into it. And bonus - the clean-up is easy! Foil pans are the best invention!

I will definately be doing this again! Busy Moms, I highly recommend it!

Honey Sesame Chicken {Freezer to Crockpot}

1 lb chicken tenders
3 T olive oil
1 cup honey
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 t. pepper
1 package frozen broccoli
1 can pineapple chunks

Place all ingredients except broccoli and pineapple in freezer bag, toss to coat and freeze.
To thaw, move from freezer to fridge overnight. Place in crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Steam the broccoli for just a few minutes. Remove chicken & cut into chunks, then return to sauce along with drained pineapple and broccoli. Toss to coat, serve over cooked rice.

Crockpot Curry Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1, 6oz can of tomato paste

• 1, 13.5oz can of coconut milk

• 1 small onion, chopped (about one cup)

• 2 cups of frozen peas

• 1, 14.5oz can of tomato sauce (about 1 3/4 cup)

• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons curry powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper


Directions
1. In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, garlic, honey, and seasonings. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Cover with the tomato sauce/seasoning mixture.
3. Cook on low 4 hours.
4. Serve over rice.

Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze. Remove from freezer and place in fridge the night before to thaw. Cook on low 4 hours.

Mongolian Beef

Serves: 5-6

• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
• 1/4 c corn starch
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 c water
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c shredded carrots
• 3 medium green onions, chopped

Instructions

Cut the steak into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then slice across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. (You can use skirt, hanger, or flatiron steaks as a substitute for flank. I have also used top round.)
Coat steak pieces in cornstarch.
Add remainder of ingredients to slow cooker and stir well to combine.
Place coated flank steak into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.
Serve over rice or noodles, if desired.

To Freeze: Combine ingredients and place in freezer bag. Add coated steak to bag, keep in seperate layer. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Lime Salsa Chicken {freezer to crockpot}

IN A FREEZER ZIPPER BAG

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

a 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs

1 chopped red pepper

1/2 onion chopped


TO COOK- In a slow cooker, mix together the contents of the bag and one 24-ounce jar of salsa
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

TO SERVE- Serve in tortillas with rice and/or beans

"Bush-Wacker" Steak

Prep time: at least 1 hour
Servings: 4

• 1 - 2 lb. round steak, cut into cubes
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes
• 1 small onion, cut into cubes
  
• 2 (16 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can water
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pkg. french onion soup mix powder
  
• 3 Tbsp A1 steak sauce
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bag egg noodles or cooked rice
  

Cut meat into cubes, brown in veg. oil in large skillet. Add chopped veggies. Cook until soft. Add tomatoes (with juice) to deglaize pan. Then add water, vinegar, A1, garlic, soup mix, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium-low heat at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover if it starts to get too thick. The longer it cooks the better! Serve over noodles or rice. If you want the sauce a little thicker, add a slurry of 1 T. cornstarch with 1/4 C. water, and cook until just thickened.

This super yummy tummy warmer came originally from Michelle Gearhardt when we lived in Grace House. The meat gets so tender and delish! It's great with a crusty french bread and green salad.

Old Mill's Corn Chowder

• 1 T. butter
• 2 C. water
• 1 C. clam juice
• 2 C. chicken broth or stock
• 2 C. half & half
• 3 C. diced potatoes (peeled)
• 3 C. diced onions
• 2 C. frozen corn
• 1 green and 1 red bell pepper, chopped and sauteed
• 3/4 C. crumbled oyster crackers
• 1/4 C. flour
• 1/2 tesp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tesp. onion powder
• salt & pepper to taste

In a stock pot melt butter, stir in other liquids (except half & half). Add potatoes & onions. Cook until potatoes are done.

Saute bell peppers in a little butter with garlic and onion powder. Add to pot, mix well.

Mix together the cracker crumbs, flour, salt & pepper. Add to pot, mix well. Bring to boil.

Add corn and half & half. Simmer 20 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream

Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.
While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon in 3-quart saucepan over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon, place on paper towel. Drain fat from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan.
Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and whipping cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Toss with bacon.

The Bomb Burgers

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

For burgers:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (fine)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 3 teaspoons chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced gingerroot
• 1 egg

For glaze:

• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:
In a bowl combine beef, bread crumbs, green onions, cilantro, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger and egg. Mix well.

Make 5 burgers patties. Poke a hole thru the middle of each.

For the glaze whisk together: water, hoisin, and sesame oil.

Place burgers on a hot grill and brush the top with the glaze mixture.
Flip after 7 min or so and baste the other side. Continue cooking until desired doneness.

Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry (TOH)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Hot cooked rice or noodles

Directions:
In a small bowl combine until smooth and set aside:

• 1/2 cup water
• peanut butter
• soy sauce
• brown sugar

In a skillet or wok, stir-fry garlic in oil for 30 seconds. Add the chicken; stir-fry for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add the broccoli; stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Stir in the peanut butter mixture; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until sauce is smooth and broccoli is crisp-tender.

Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; gradually add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve with rice or noodles.

Mom's Pizza Pie

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

• 1 lb. ground beef; browned and drained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/4 tesp. dry oregano
• 1/4 tesp. dry parsley
• 1/4 tesp. dry basil
• 1/8 tesp. pepper
• 1/2 tesp. salt
• 1 can crescent rolls
• 2 eggs
• 6 slices of mozzarella cheese

Brown and drain the ground beef, add in tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to simmer and reduce a little.

Beat 1 egg + 1 egg white together. Save the other yolk in another bowl.

Line a 9 inch round pie pan with 1/2 the can of crescent rolls, pressing seams together.
Cover dough with 1/2 of egg mixture.
Layer the beef mixture on top, then cover with 6 slices of cheese.
Pour other 1/2 of egg mixture over top.
Top with other 1/2 can of crescent rolls. Brush beaten egg yolk on top.

Bake 1 hour at 350. If crust becomes too brown, cover with foil (shiny side out).

Mom's Chicken Curry

Mix together:

• 8 and 1/2 tesp. curry powder
• 1 tesp. salt

Cut up 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces and toss in the above.

Heat a few Tbsp. peanut or veg. oil in large non-stick skillet, cook chicken in it until brown. Remove, set aside. Turn heat to low.

Add to pan and cook on low for 8-10 min. until softened and brown:

• 2 Tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 large minced garlic clove
• 3 mediums onion halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cardamon pods

Add to pan:

• 4 C. whole tomatoes; peeled and seeded with juice
• 1 and 1/2 C. chicken broth
• cooked chicken

Raise heat to medium and cook until liquid is reduced (about 15 min). Reduce heat to low.

Stir in:

• 1/4 C. plain yogurt
• 3/4 c. golden raisins

Serve over jasmine or brown rice.

Mom's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 C. chicken broth
• 1 C. chopped green chilies
• 2 C. chopped cooked chicken
• corn tortillas
• shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Cook chopped onion in the butter until translucent. Add in cream of chicken soup, green chilies, cooked chicken - stir until combined well and heated.

In a large baking dish, place a layer of corn tortillas, layer of soup mixture, then layer of cheese. Repeat until dish is filled making sure cheese is on top.

Bake 25-30 minutes uncovered

Lauralee's Rotel King Ranch Chicken

1 stick butter
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
2 C. chopped cooked chicken breast
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas; torn into bite size
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion, cook and stir about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in soup, tomatoes, and chicken - blend well.

Spray 9 x 13 pan, layer 1/3 of the tortillas, chicken mixture, top with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat 2 more times.

Bake 40 minutes, uncovered.

Asian Peanut Chicken and Noodles

Place into a large bowl:

• 1 lb. cooked linguine noodles; drain and rinse
• 2 bunches sliced green onion
• 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (or more if you like)
• 1 jalapeno; seeded/deveined, finely chopped
• 1 lb. sugar snap peas
• 3 grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite size

In a blender, mix together: (don't substitute any ingredients!)

• 1/2 C. soy sauce
• 1/4 C. peanut butter
• 1/4 C. rice vinegar
• 1/4 C. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. sugar

Toss dressing over salad. Serve warm or chilled.

Stephanie Frey's Chicken Pot Pie

Preheat oven: 425 degrees
Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 bone-in chicken breasts
• 1/3 C. butter
• 1/3 C. chopped onion
• 1/2 tesp. salt
• 1/2 tesp. pepper
• 1/3 C. flour
• 2/3 C. milk
• 10 oz. package mixed veggies or California blend
• 9 inch ready pie crust (the rolled up kind)
  

Boil chicken breasts in enough water to cover until cooked through. Save broth. Remove meat from bone, dice into small bite size pieces. (5 cups worth)

For the gravy:
In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add chopped onion, salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Add in flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Let it all cook together until it thickens like gravy.

Place diced chicken in bottom of 9 x 13 pan or similar casserole dish. Add package of frozen mixed veggies on top of chicken. Pour on gravy. Roll out pie crust, cut a few slits on top, place on top of casserole.

Bake 35-40 minutes @ 425 until golden.

Mexican Layer Casserole

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic; minced
• 1 pkg. cream cheese
• chopped tomato
• chopped lettuce
• chopped black olives
• shredded cheddar cheese
• salsa

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain meat, then stir in taco seasoning. Place meat in bottom of square baking dish. Let cool for at least 8 minutes.

Spread softened cream cheese over the top of the meat. Make sure to spread it out evenly. Add shredded cheese on top next. Then layer tomatoes, lettuce, and olives. Top with salsa when serving.

White Chili

Bring to a boil in a large pot:

• 1 pound white beans (great northern, pre-soaked overnight)
• 6 C. chicken broth
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Reduce heat and simmer until beans soften, about 2 hours. Add more broth as needed.

In a skillet, sautee 1 medium chopped onion in a little oil.

Add to the pot:

• two 4 oz. cans mild chopped green chilies
• 2 tesp. ground cumin
• 1.5 tesp. oregano
• 1/4 tesp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tesp. cayenne pepper

Mix thoroughly. Add 4 cups diced cooked chicken, simmer 1 hour.

Serve topped with shredded Monterrey-jack cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I normally don't like anything cooked in the microwave, but this saves quite a bit of prep. time and this is the way the recipe was given to me so I go with it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Zap on high for 2-3 minutes until tender:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 tesp. garlic powder
• 1 T. olive oil

Stir in:

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tesp. chili powder
• 1 tesp. cumin (if you like it)

Zap on high 4 minutes or until heated thru.

Add in: 4 ounces cream cheese. Stir well until melted.

Spoon: 1/3 cup mixture onto each of 6 flour tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down into baking dish.

Sauce:
Zap on high for 2-3 minutes or until melted:

• 1/4 pound Velveeta
  
• 2 T. milk
• 1/2 cup tomatoes (Rotel) -- reserve 1/4 cup tomatoes for topping
  

Pour sauce over the enchiladas. Add reserved tomatoes to top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.