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Friday, November 13, 2015

Freezer Cooking with Friends-Round Three




Freezer Cooking is exponentially easier, and more fun, with friends!! 




Previous Cooking with A Friend Posts- 
Including recipes and how to get started freezer cooking with a friend. 


We made six of each of the 6 recipes below, equaling 36 meals total in 2.5 hours.
 Each person took home 12 meals, and we paid about $90 a piece. 
Almost all shopping was done at Aldi, except a few items from Meijer and GFS. If I had made it to Sam's for the meat, I think I could have made the final price much lower, but life got int he way and I had to make due closer by stores. 

Freezer Chicken Enchiladas

Freezer Chicken Enchiladas

Materials Needed:
9 x13 Disposable casserole dish and lid
Sharpie

Ingredients
    2 cups cooked and shredded Chicken Breasts
    3 Cups Mexican blended Cheese, Shredded
    7-10 large/medium Flour Tortillas
    1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce
    1 Can Black Beans- drained and rinsed
    1 cup corn

Instructions
1.               Line bottom of pan with 1/2 can enchilada sauce
2.               Mix beans, chicken, 1 cup cheese (optional) in a bowl.
3.               With a large scooper, fill each tortilla with mixture. Roll it up and place it in large  9x13       baking dish with seams down.
4.               Repeat until all chicken mixture is used.
5.               Pour the second half of red enchilada sauce over the top.
6.               Top with rest of cheese.
7.               Cover with foil, label and freeze.

TO SERVE
Thaw in fridge, bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till melty and bubbly.
Serve with sour cream, salsa, lettuce beans or rice

Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Materials-
Gallon sized Ziploc and small Ziploc

Ingredients
24oz jar of pasta sauce
1 lb ground Italian pork sausage- cooked
1 tsp Italian seasonings
Sea salt and pepper to taste
15oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2.5oz of fresh baby spinach (about 3 cups) - this looks like a lot, but it cooks down in the broth
4 cups of chicken broth (add day of cooking if won’t fit in bag)

Day of cooking
3 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces

Instructions
  1. Place all the ingredients except lasagna noodles in labeled freezer bag:  
  2. Put noodles in small Ziploc bag
TO SERVE
  1. Thaw over night in fridge
  2. Cook for 6-8 hours on "low" setting in slow cooker.
  3. Add noodles and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
  4. Top with freshly grated mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheeses and serve with a side of garlic bread. 
Adapted from Thirty Handmade Days 

Freezer Chicken Pot Pie
 Freezer Chicken Pot Pie
Materials
Deep Freezer Pie pan
Aluminum Foil

Ingredients
1 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2  teaspoons salt
½ garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cups milk (or sub unsweetened almond milk)
1 ½ cup frozen mixed veggies
1 box  ready made crusts (2 in a box)

Instructions
Chicken Mixture-
1.      In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender.
2.      Stir in the flour, salt, garlic salt, and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
3.      Add the chicken and mixed veggies. Remove from heat.

 Assemble Pie
  1. Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate.
  2. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture.
  3. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies.
  4.  Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry.
  5. Place over filling; trim, seal and style the edges.
  6. Cover and freeze remaining pot pie for up to 4 months.
TO SERVE
  1. Thaw in fridge
  2. Cover edges of piecrust with foil; place on a baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 475ºF for 45 minutes
Crockpot White Chicken Chili 
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Materials
Gallon sized Ziploc bag

Ingredients
2 cans-15.5oz cans of Great Northern  Or Canneli  beans, rinsed and drained
4oz can of chopped mild green chilies (ALDI didn’t have these so you can sub can of 10oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilies)
½ bag of 1 lb bag of frozen corn
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp dried ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Day of cooking
3 to 4 cups chicken broth (more broth makes it less chili and more soup like)

Instructions
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except broth.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

TO SERVE
  1. Thaw over night in fridge
  2. Cook for 6-8 hours on "low" setting in slow cooker.
  3.  Shred chicken and serve with sour cream and cheese. 


Ground Turkey Meatloaf 

Ground Turkey Meatloaf
Materials needed
Cooking spray
Loaf pan to help shape loaves
Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
Sharpie

Ingredients
1.25 pounds lean ground turkey
1/2 cup 2% milk  (sub unsweetened almond milk for dairy free)
2 large eggs
1 packages onion soup mix
1 tsp  minced onion
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 TBSP dried parsley
1/4 cup shredded carrots (adds moisture to turkey so it doesn’t dry out while cooking)
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
  1. Prepare 9×5″ loaf pan by placing one piece  aluminum foil in bottom and sides, then coating with cooking spray
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, milk, eggs, onion soup mix, shredded carrots, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and dried parsley.  Spoon half into prepared pan.
  3. Fold foil over loaf.  Take loaf out of pan, cover with another layer of foil.
  4. Label and store in freezer for up to 3 months.
TO SERVE
Thaw in fridge for at least 24 hours.
Bake at 350 degrees for hour to 60 to 90 min, or until cooked through (use meat thermometer)  
Add topping of your choice half way through cooking (ketchup or BBQ sauce).

                            Freezer Baked Ziti 
Freezer Baked Ziti
Materials Needed:
9 x13  Disposable casserole dish and lid
Sharpie

Ingredients (one Pan)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 tbsp dried minced onion
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
2 Jars Spaghetti Sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
Salt And Pepper, to taste
16 oz Ziti, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
1 tub (15 Oz.) Skim Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg

Instructions
1.      Cook garlic, and onions in pan with olive oil.  Add Italian sausage and cook until browned. Drain off fat if any, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
2.      Add Spaghetti Sauce, stewed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. After that time, remove about 2 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
3.      In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
4.      While doing that cook pasta according to directions on pot. Drain & rinse under cool water.
5.      Pour pasta into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.)
6.      Add the cooled meat sauce to pasta/cheese mixture and toss to combine.
7.      Add half the pasta mixture to a 9x13 dish. Spoon half set aside of the remaining tomato/meat sauce over the top, and then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, sauce, and the mozzarella cheese.

TO FREEZE
Cover with two layers of foil (to avoid freezer burn), label, and freeze.  Used within 3 months.

TO SERVE
Bake for 20 minutes, 375 degree, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Pioneer Women 



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