Planning Ahead With Freezer Meals

A friend of mine is going on a well deserved vacation (without the kids and husband) and, since she is a great wife and mother, she asked me for a few meals she could make in advance so the family doesn't starve or end up eating take out all week.  I have posted a few of my go-to recipes below. However, with a few modifications, a lot of your favorite meals can be freezer friendly.  We eat something out of our freezer at least once a week.  If the ingredients for a recipe are on sale, I make a double batch and freeze half of it for later use.  Add a salad, fruit or bread and your family probably wont realize it came out of the freezer.  Freezer night can also be desert night.  You saved time on dinner, why not spend the extra time with your kids and a sweet treat! Here are some of my other tips:

1.  Write the contents on the outside you don't have to play the guessing game later on.  If someone other than yourself will be reheating, cooking instructions are also helpful.  

2.  Unless you are sure the entire dish will be eaten within a day or two of defrosting, portion your meals into serving sizes.  You have already stretched the expiration date by freezing it, don't expect it to last an additional week in your fridge.  Also, it makes it a lot easier to take meals to work for lunch if you can let one serving defrost in your lunch box and then pop it in the microwave when it is time to eat (assuming it is has be cooked all the way through). 

3.  Freezer meals are not about presentation.  That is why casseroles, soups, chilies and stews work best.  Veggies may get a little mushy and other textures may change when they are defrosted.  Instead of having a biology lesson, just trust me on this.  Anything plant based will not look freshly picked, so don't fight it.  It is still just as good. Boxed meals from the store have preservatives and special equipment like flash freezers to make them look "normal".  Just freeze your meals right away (not after a week of hanging out in your fridge) and they will be just as good- even if they aren't beautiful.  However...

4.  Whenever possible, try not to freeze starches.  If you have the extra time to make fresh pasta, rice or bake a potato (even better if your microwave has a baked potato button) your meal will seem less "leftover".  

5.  If a recipe calls for eggs to be poured over and then baked (like in my breakfast casserole) save these ingredients until after you thaw them.  Also, I like to use egg beaters instead because they last longer and they are easier to measure- which makes things easier if you are taking the food to someone or just leaving instructions with your spouse. 

6.  If you make to much dinner one night, make your own hungry man meals.  Put your main dish, sides, etc in a microwave safe container, freeze and let your own hungry man feed himself.  

7.  I will eat the same thing every day for a month and not get tired of it.  My husband wont.  Whenever possible, try to re-purpose your meals.  If you make a pork loin or chicken; shred the meat, freeze the leftovers ( ideally with  a sauce- BBQ, salsa, enchilada, tomato, etc) and call it tacos/nachos/pizza/whatever the next time you serve it.  Again fresh toppings/ingredients make it seem new. 

8. Pasta sauces are another great freezer option.  Make it a meat sauce, hide some veggies (grated in carrots/broccoli, etc) and you have a complete meal if you can boil pasta.  They are also really cheap to make in bulk, and if you package them in single servings family members can choose their own sauce. 

A few recipes that can easily be made freezer ready:

Hillbilly Shepard's Pie:
Assemble as directed.  Freeze instead of baking.  Thaw in the refrigerator over night and bake according to directions.

Breakfast Casserole:
Prepare in advance except for the eggs, milk and cheese.  Refrigerate over night or freeze.  Bring to room temperature, add the eggs, milk and cheese.  Cook as directed. 
*note- this recipe calls for 3 eggs + 1/4 cup of milk.  You can substitute 3/4 cup of egg beaters + 1/4 cup milk to make things easier on someone who doesn't cook a lot.  *

Cincinnati Chili:
Prepare chili as directed and freeze in smaller batches or individual portions.  Thaw, re-heat in the microwave and serve over freshly cooked pasta or roasted spaghetti squash.  Pasta can be cooked in advance and refrigerated.  To re-heat, place the pasta in a colander and set in a bowl of hot water until warm- just like they do in resturants. 

Chicken and Chickpea Stew:
Freeze in smaller portions.  Thaw and reheat in the microwave. 

Taco Casserole:
Assemble according to directions.  Freeze instead of baking.  Thaw in the refrigerator over night and bake according to directions. 

I hope these help!  That's what's for dinner...next month. 

Product Review: Pamela's Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Today I have a product review for you.  Last time my husband and I went to our favorite grocery store, Sprouts, they were doing their Gluten Free Jubilee.  This is always super exciting, because it means the gluten free food I have to buy is on sale, so I can afford to buy a few extra treats (or just stock pile thinks like bread).  Baking mixes are one of the items we usually stock up on because we can keep them in the freezer and pull them out when we need them.  We got really excited to see that the Pamela's brand of gluten free products had come out with a lot of new mixes.  We bought a bunch of them, but today I am going to review the Pamela's Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix.

The plate matches my super cute heating pad! 

Sugar cookies have been one of the products that has been surprisingly hard to find gluten free.  Around the holidays I would kill for a tube of gluten free sugar cookies to slice and bake.  Alas, the only mixes I have ever found involved a lot of ingredients, steps, or both.  This mix only requires butter and 1 egg.  It also included instructions to make your own slice and bake cookies.  Also, I can not wait to make fruit pizza with it!

I let the butter soften on the counter.  I thought it was pretty soft, but in retrospect it could have been softer.  It didn't quite mix as well as it should have- so make sure your butter is really soft.  Or...set your bowl on a heating pad like I did and keep on beating.  After I had added all the ingredients I mixed...and mixed...and mixed waiting for the dough to come together like the package said.  Maybe my butter still wasn't soft enough, but my dough never came together.  However, having made pie crust last week, I hoped the wet sand looking dough I now had in the bowl might turn into dough if I rolled it out.  I reached in, grabbed a handful, and made a little ball.  Success!  The dough held together.

Because I am a little lazy, I decided to roll all the cookies into little balls and then press them out.  I didn't have any parchment or wax paper to roll out my cookies, and this just seemed a whole lot easier. I also ended up with 24 cookies instead of the 17 listed on the package.  I dipped some of the cookies in cinnamon/sugar, some were left plain, and the rest got sprinkled with Andes mints.

The package said to bake the cookies at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  At the 8 minute mark, my cookies were still really soft and mushy.  So they went for 2 minutes more...and the 2 minutes after that.  Big mistake.  The first batch came out pretty dry.  They never really browned around the edges, but upon inspection the bottoms were a nice golden brown.  The plain cookies taste a lot like shortbread instead of sugar cookies.  For the second batch, I cooked the cookies for exactly 8 minutes, and then took them out of the oven.  The were definitely still really soft, but after cooling for a few minutes they were perfect!.  However, my cookies were a lot thicker than if I had rolled them out so I suspect 8 minutes would be too long for thinner cookies.

So, would I buy this mix again?  Definitely.  Do they taste like real sugar cookies?  Yes- if you don't over cook them.  I hope they work out for you!

Pie Crust- 365 Recipe Challenge

For today's recipe, I had to call in some back up.  One of my favorite Thanksgiving foods, it left over turkey pot pies.  However, this requires pie crust and gluten free pie crust can be hard to come by.  My friend Lauren is the Pie Queen, and her mom is attempting to be better about being gluten free so I invited her over for some gluten free pie crust making.  I bought some new gluten free flour, and she brought her non gluten free recipe and we started experimenting.  Pamela's Gluten Free Artisan Flour is supposedly pretty darn close to real flour so we hoped we would be able to use a regular recipe.  There is a pie crust recipe on the bag, but there were extra ingredients that weren't in Lauren's recipe (like sugar and butter), so we stuck with hers and hoped for the best.

You Will Need:
1 cup flour (we used Pamela's Gluten Free Artisan Flour)
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp shortening (mmm...Crisco- don't freak out, there isn't that much per serving)
1/2 tsp salt
Very cold water (we used approximately 10 Tbsp for 4 crusts, so about 3 Tbsp.)
pastry cutter or two butter knives
rolling pin
pie plate

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  Drop in the shortening, and cut it into the flour with either a pastry cutter or two butter knives.  Lauren uses a butter knives, but since I have a fancy pastry cutter, I insisted on using it.  Stop once the flour mixture resembles chunky sand (isn't that a pretty mental image?).  Start mixing in the cold water, a little at a time.  

Think really old play dough.  It is a lot drier than what you think dough should look and feel like.

The mixture will still seem dry, but when you can squeeze it in your hand and it holds it's shape, it is done. Form into a mound, and turn it out onto a lightly floured counter or pastry mat, and roll in to a pie crust shape- a little bigger than your pie plate.

Kept have to stop rolling and fix the cracks.  All hope was lost  when I tried to put it in the pie plate.

This was when we realized, the gluten free flour wasn't exactly like regular flour.  If you are using gluten free flour, I recommend skipping the rolling step and just dump it straight into the pie plate.  

Faking a perfectly rolled pie crust.

Without the gluten, it tends to fall apart, so just press it around in the pan until you have a pie crust. Make the edges pretty, and fill with your favorite pie filling.

Pumpkin...yum. 

If you quadrupled the recipe like I did, just place the dough balls individually in a plastic bag and freeze until you are ready to use them.

What did we learn:
The gluten free flour is not exactly like real flour. It tasted good, but the crust seemed thinner than regular pie crust.  I suspect this is why they had the extra ingredients- to stretch it. I don't know the chemistry behind this, so I can't say for sure.  It doesn't bother me, but if you are trying to fool other people, I would either add the extra stuff on the back of the bag, or just make extra crust.  It was just as easy to make 4 crusts as it was one, so I would just divide the 4th crust equally among the other 3 to end up with a little more crust.  As usual, it is a texture issue with gluten free, but this was pretty darn close.   Also, their web site suggests adding additional water to some recipes- just be careful it doesn't get sticky.  Once cooked it wasn't crumbly, it cut beautifully, held up on the plate and most of all, it actually browned.

Even if you aren't gluten free, I recommend this pie crust recipe.  It was really easy to make.  Every other time I have tried to make crust I have over worked it or made it really complicated buy using the food processor.  All you really need is a bowl, and two butter knives (or pastry cutter).

Happy Holidays!

Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese- 3 recipes to choose from

Recently I got a request for Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese.  To be honest, despite my love of the crock pot and my almost obsessive love of macaroni and cheese, I rarely make macaroni and cheese in the crock pot.  Therefor, I consulted a few of my cookbooks to come up with a good recipe.  One recipe I found I had tried before. The other was written by the crock pot people.  Having not tried the crock pot recipe, I can't honestly say what it will taste like.  However, it looks like a hybrid of the other recipe and what I would throw together in the crock pot and call it macaroni (yep, that is a Yankee Doodle reference :).  So, I am going to post the 2 cook book recipes and my recipe.  Since everyone's opinion of macaroni and cheese varies, I recommend giving these a test run before you try them on a large crowd.

My Version aka "just toss some stuff in the crock pot and call it mac and cheese"
In case you were wondering, it is absolutely possible to cook raw (uncooked pasta) in a crock pot.  Since I hate having to clean an extra pot, I like dumping my pasta, sauce and whatever veggies or meat I have into a crock pot and calling it dinner.  The pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so you end up with more of a casserole than a pasta dish with sauce.
This recipe is almost identical to oven baked macaroni and cheese.  In this case, the crock pot is the oven. I have taken my recipe for cheese sauce (no one says you cant use less milk/flour/butter and pepper jack cheese instead and call it queso) and used it as I would tomato sauce in a crock pot lasagna or baked ziti.  If you don't have a crock pot, just pour it into a baking dish and bake it in a 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until brown and bubbly.

You Will Need:
1 box of pasta (Ancient Harvest Quinoa & Corn or Tinkyada are some good Gluten Free options)
4 Tbsp butter (whatever you have.  Just make sure you taste the sauce before adding more salt)
3 Tbsp flour (Bob's Red Mill for gluten free)
milk, 2-4 cups (whatever you have.  As always, I use skim.  The richer the milk, the richer the sauce)
2 cups shredded cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top (I like a mixture of cheese, but cheddar works)
salt and pepper to taste.
crock pot
cooking spray

Directions:
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Whisk in the flour until you have the consistency of thin peanut butter.  Slowly add the milk, a little at a time.  Each time you add milk, be sure to whisk out the lumps before adding more milk.  If your milk is not thickening, turn up the heat a little bit.  Once you have the constancy of thin (but not runny) gravy, turn the stove down to a simmer and add your cheese.  Like the milk, add a little at a time making sure the cheese melts before adding more.  Whisk to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix in the uncooked pasta and pour into the crock pot (that you sprayed well with cooking spray).  Cover with the remaining cheese and cook on low for 3 hours.

My Great Aunt's version, taken from the Best of Both Worlds Cookbook
I have tested this recipe and it is delicious.  However, it does contain eggs so the texture ends up being more casserole like and it may not beed good for those with egg allergies.  Still, it is very similar to the usual oven baked macaroni and cheese- but I don't recommend it for gluten free pasta.  If you are using gluten free pasta, you may loose some of the pasta's texture since gluten free pasta doesn't stand up well to over cooking.  I should also point out, when ever you make a dish with gluten free pasta that needs to be cooked twice (boiled, then baked in the oven), you should subtract 2 minutes from the boil time.  It will finish cooking in the oven.

You Will Need:
8 oz macaroni (for gluten free, I highly recommend Tinkyada for this recipe.  It holds up the best. )
1 can evaporated milk (evaporated milk, is regular milk with less liquid.  NOT sweetened condensed)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
4 oz melted butter

Directions:
Cook macaroni as directed on package.  Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook on low 2-3 hours.

I would recommend letting the pasta cool a bit before combining the ingredients.  Crock pots work the best when all of the ingredients are the same temperature.  Also, hot pasta + eggs = scrambled eggs.

Rival Crock Pot's Recipe
I have never tried this recipe, but I assume the crock pot people have.  It has a cooking time of 2-3 hours on HIGH, which seems weird to me.  If you try it, let me know how it works.

You Will Need:
6 cups cooked macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
4 cups evaporated milk
6 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, toss macaroni with butter (I'm assuming the butter should be melted, but it doesn't specify).  Stir in evaporated milk, cheese, salt and pepper.  Place in the crock pot (I would just mix it all in the crock pot instead of dirtying that other bowl), cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours.

I hope one of these recipes works out for you this holiday season.  When it comes to pasta in the crock pot, it really comes down to a texture issue.  Please feel free to comment with any questions or suggestions.

Green Smoothie- Bonus Holiday Recipe!

The Green Smoothie.  The first time someone suggested I drink something green, I thought they were nuts.  However, as I have come to accept and even embrace, green smoothies are a great food to add into your diet.  They are full of healthy ingredients and actually quite delicious.  Most importantly, you can't taste "the green".  They are a great recovery food after a workout or as a way to sneak in a little more nutrition.  As we approach the holidays, the almost inevitable weight gain and, admit it, the hangovers; the green smoothie will be my secret weapon to bounce back in the new year.  

Make it special, put it in a fancy glass.

You will find a lot of different green smoothie recipes on the internet.  Some of them have protein, some of them don't.  The green ingredient changes person to person.  Some people use ice, others don't.  Once you jump on the green smoothie bandwagon, so you will find a recipe you like.  I like my green smoothie to be as close to a chocolate shake as possible. I do not use ice in my green smoothies because I don't like the texture.  Instead, whenever possible, I use frozen fruit and frozen spinach.

You Will Need:

2 cups frozen spinach (you can use fresh baby spinach too, just pack as much as possible in the blender)

1 frozen banana

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology 

1 tbsp Chocolate Better 'N Peanut Butter (Chocolate PB2 works as well)

1 cup water (if you need the calories, substitute your milk of choice)

*scant amount of peppermint extract

blender

*If you want a "Shamrock Shake" add a VERY SMALL amount of peppermint extract.  A little goes a long way.  I recommend adding the peppermint if you are trying to fool the kids.  Just tell them it is mint chocolate chip. 

Directions:

Starting with the water, place all of the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  If you are using a Vitamix, you probably wont need any more water.  Other blenders might require adding a little water at a time to get things going.  Makes 1 meal or 2 snacks.  

Variations:

Spinach + 1/2 banana + 1/2 cup strawberries+ Shakeology+ 1 cup water

Spinach + 1/2 banana + 1/2 cup cherries + Shakeology + 1 cup water

Spinach + banana + 1/4 cup rolled oats, ground + chocolate B'NPB+ 1 cup cold coffee+ Shakeology

Buy Shakeology

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes- 365 Recipe Challenge

Thanksgiving is almost here!  Let the holiday eating begin.  Of course, with all of the holiday eating comes holiday cooking. Today's recipe for the 365 Recipe Challenge is perfect for your holiday meal AND it will save you time and valuable stove top cooking space.  I originally found this recipe for Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes on Pinterest, but I have modified it to serve less people and to be lower in calories.  I do not want to fall victim to the holiday weight gain, but even if you don't care about holiday poundage, I think you will really like this recipe.  This also works really well for smaller holiday parties, Sunday suppers or for people with small kitchens (i.e.: very little cooking space). My recipe will serve 6, but my Aunt recently doubled the recipe for her Thanksgiving test run and reported it worked out fantastically.

You Will Need:
3 large russet/baking potatoes (or equivalent of baby red potatoes)
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick unsalted butter
*1/4 cup grated Manchego cheese (I buy the small "leftover" chunks at Whole Foods, usually about $2)
*minced garlic (1-2 cloves depending on how much you like garlic.  You can also use roasted garlic)
2-4 tsp salt and pepper blend
1/2-1 cup of milk
Large crock pot, ideally with a warm setting
cooking spray
vegetable peeler

*optional ingredients.  You can also add in chives and sour cream once the potatoes are done cooking.  My cousin, the Mashed Potato Queen, would give me dirty looks for adding things to my potatoes, so I feel the need to clarify- you don't actually need anything but water, potatoes, salt, pepper, milk and butter.  :)

Directions:
Peel your potatoes and dice into 1 inch cubes (eyeball it, just make sure they are all about the same size).  If you are using baby red potatoes you can leave the skin on and jut cut them in half - but try to make sure they are the same size so they cook evenly.  Spray your crock pot with the cooking spray and place the potatoes inside. Pour the water over the potatoes.

Kosher salt and black pepper (70/30) mixed together to make my own season salt

Sprinkle the potatoes with the salt and pepper. I would start with 2 tsp, and add the rest when you are mashing them- especially if you are adding the cheese. Cheese has salt! Grate the cheese (or finely chop if your grater is dirty or you don't want to wash another cooking utensil) and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes.  Cut the butter into chunks and place on top of the potatoes.  Lastly, distribute the garlic over the potatoes.  Cook on high 3 hours, stirring occasonally to prevent the potatoes on the bottom and edges from browning.

Just toss it all in there, it doesn't have to be pretty.
Note, my crock pot is only half full.  A double recipe will fill the crock pot.  

If you double the recipe you will need to cook the potatoes for 5 hours.  Alternately, you can cook them on low for 6-10 hours.  The first time I made this, I started checking the potatoes at the 2 hours mark.  The potatoes are done when you can pierce them with a fork, which was exactly 3 hours for me with a half full crock pot.  Once they are done, just turn the crock pot to warm until you are ready to mash.

When you are ready to mash, do not drain the water.  The starchy cooking water is what helps keep the potatoes creamy without a lot of added milk and butter.  I used a potato masher for a "rustic" texture, but you can also use a hand mixer for whipped potatoes.  Add a little bit of milk at a time until you reach the consistency you desire.  I used skim milk and I did not add any more butter.  I did end up adding about 2 tsp more of the salt and pepper blend. Cover the potatoes and keep the crock pot on warm until it is time to eat.  Makes 6 generous portions.

This is one serving on a lunch size plate.
Please excuse the black box hiding next week's recipe!

I also think this would work great with sweet potatoes.  You could serve a little brown sugar or cinnamon on the side or after you mash them, sprinkle some mini marshmallows over the top and cook for 30 minutes longer until they melt.

Nutritional Information per serving (for those who count calories over the holidays):
Calories: 188
Carbs: 28
Fat: 8 (just imagine what it would be with more butter and regular milk!)
Protein: 3
Fiber: 2 (would be higher with the skins on)
Sugar: 1

That's what's for our holiday dinner!

Holiday Green Bean Casserole

My mom loves Green Bean Casserole.  Unfortunately (or fortunately for our waistlines), we can't have it because it isn't gluten free.  Enter, Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole!  I have modified this recipe from one I found on Food Network to suit our tastes and provided conversions below to make it 21 Day Fix friendly.  There is no cream of anything soup or french fried onions in this recipe, but it is still really delicious. If you aren't worried about making it gluten free, you can substitute regular flour and regular corn flakes, but give your Glutenites (as my father calls us) a little love and make it gluten free. I promise you wont miss the gluten.   

We make this recipe every holiday, along with Ham and Orange Scented Sweet Potatoes.  We might occasionally add Macaroni and Cheese, but we aren't very adventurous and pretty stuck in our traditions around the holidays.  

You Will Need:
Green beans, about a pound cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons butter (extra virgin Olive oil for 21DF)
1/2 a small onion (or whatever you have left over from another dish- you don't need a lot)
1/2 a box fresh button mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons Gluten Free Flour 
1 cup light sour cream (or plain Greek Yogurt for 21DF)
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 cups Nature's Path Gluten Free Corn Flakes (I like Mesa Sunrise or Fruit Juice Sweetened)
1 cup Shredded cheese (Mozzarella or Monterey Jack both work well)
Cooking spray
Rectangular Casserole dish
20 minutes of oven time  

Directions:
Steam (I use steamer bags) your green beans just until tender.  Rinse with ice water to preserve the color and stop the cooking process.  Drain the beans and set aside.
Melt the butter/oil in a large skillet.  Cook the onions until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time and stir to combine.  Add enough flour to absorb the butter/oil, but not so much that the pan is dry.  Cook about a minute, just until the flour starts to develop light color. Add the sour cream/yogurt and mix well. Simmer a few minutes over low heat until the flavors combine.  Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.  
Spread the green beans over the bottom of a well oiled rectangular casserole dish.  Pour the mushroom/onion sauce over the beans and top with the shredded cheese. Crush the corn flakes into large crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.  (At this point, I usually set my casserole to the side and prep other holiday food.)  
30 minutes before you want to eat, preheat the oven  to 400 degrees.  Gently spray the top of the corn flakes with cooking spray (you can toss the corn flakes with butter before adding to the casserole, but I like to avoid the extra calories).  Bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven, until light golden brown and bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. Serves 8.  

That's what we are having for our holiday dinner!  Happy Holidays!