Cranberry Applesauce

Our family loves homemade applesauce and I love that it freezes & thaws so well! 'Tis the season for cranberries - so why not throw them into the applesauce! You can easily make this now, freeze it and then thaw it the day before Thanksgiving. You'll have a great cranberry side that's a little different than just cranberry sauce! ;o)

Cranberry Applesauce

2 - 3 lb. bags of Macintosh Apples, peeled & sliced
1 bag of cranberries, rinsed & drained
1 c. Sucanat (or raw sugar)

Place a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of a large saucepan. Place the apple slices & cranberries in the saucepan. Heat over low-medium heat until cranberries & apples are soft. Add the raw sugar & stir. If you like smooth applesauce, place it in a blender and puree until it's the right consistency for your family.

To Freeze: Cool & place in freezer bags or containers.

To Serve: Thaw in fridge 24 hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup/Chicken & Noodles

Another good recipe I tweaked from "Don't Panic!" my kids LOVE this with the tiny egg noodles. I was able to make this and get two meals from it. I added a bag of egg noodles to each meal, so it was more like chicken & noodles. If you want two meals of soup add only 1 c. of noodles to each meal.

Chicken Noodle Soup OR Chicken & Noodles

3 lbs. of chicken cut up
10 c. water
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 c. sliced celery
2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. noodles (needed on serving day, not cooking day ;o)

Combine chicken & water, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer 15 min. Add bouillon, onion, salt, pepper & bay leaf. Cover; simmer 35-45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and from bone, then return chicken to pot. Stir in veggies. Cover & simmer 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

To Freeze: Cool completely and ladle into freezer container or bags. This recipe gave us two half-full gallon bags. Enough for two dinners!

To Serve: Dump contents of bag into saucepan or crockpot. Add noodles 5-10 minutes before serving.

White Chicken Tortilla Soup

I tweaked this recipe from one I have in the first Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer cookbook. I put everything in the crockpot before church, set it on high and came home 3+ hours later to a house that smelled like I walked into Panera (as my whole wheat bread in my bread machine was timed to end at noon). We ate half the soup for lunch and the remaining half is now in the freezer for another meal some cold day this fall!

White Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped (approx 3/4 c.)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 4.5 oz. can of green chilies
1 T cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (you can add more if you like it spicy!)
1 can (15 oz) of white beans
1 can (15 oz) corn (or you could use 1 1/2 c. frozen corn)
2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
5 c. chicken broth (I used 5 c. water & 5 chicken bouillon cubes)

Dump everything in the crockpot and set on high for 3 hours or until onions are tender Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese & sour cream. Mmmmm!

To Freeze: Cool and place in Ziploc freezer containers or bags.

To Serve: Thaw overnight in fridge. Heat in saucepan.

Hot Ham'n' Cheese Sandwiches

Our life is on-the-go right now. Dinners seem to be in passing getting kids to soccer, karate, ballet & church activities. :o) These are quick & easy to pull-out, bake & eat on the go!

Hot Ham'n'Cheese Sandwiches

3/4 c. mayo
3 tsp. dry mustard (less if you don't like the mustard flavor :o)
1 1 /2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. worshcestershire sauce
2 tsp. minced onion
3/4 lb. ham, cut in small pieces
9 slices of cheese (swiss is the best, but provolone works well, too)
9 buns

Mix together the mayo, spices & sauce then add the ham. Place mixture on one half of bun, top with cheese and bun top. Wrap in foil and place in Ziploc Freezer Bag to store. If you are serving immediately, wrap sandwiches in foil and back in 400F oven for 10 minutes.

To Serve: No Thaw. Place foil-wrapped sandwiches in 400F oven for 30-40 minutes until middle is warm & cheese is melted OR place in microwave (without the foil!) for 1 1/2 minutes @ 60% power.

Pepperoni Chicken Revisited

My original Pepperoni Chicken recipe is here but this past week I made it again with a few changes and it worked really well for a Sunday lunch after church...

• I pounded the chicken to about 1/2" thickness (maybe less, I didn't have a ruler) :o)
• I placed the fillings on top, rolled each piece and stuck a toothpick to hold it securely.
• I flash-froze them on a wax paper-lined pan, then bagged them for longer storage.
• To Cook: No Thaw. Remove from freezer, place in crockpot covered with pasta sauce. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.

Serve over pasta with salad or other veggie on the side. MMMmmmm!

Amazing Soft Pretzels

These taste like Auntie Anne's pretzels!!! I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and then tweaked it according to reviews and our preferences. I actually made the dough in my breadmaker (directions below) as I was out yesterday afternoon and wanted the dough ready when I came home.

The original recipe & instructions are HERE if you aren't making them in a breadmaker, but still reduce flour to 4 cups!
Soft Pretzels

In a bowl, combine these and let sit approx 10 minutes until foamy.
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar (I used Sucanat)
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Combine the following dry ingredients in a separate bowl:
5 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 unbleached white)
1/2 cup white sugar (I used Sucanat)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Pour yeast mixture and vegetable oil into breadmaker; then add the dry ingredients. Set on dough cycle (1 1/2 hours) and let run full cycle. You may need to let it sit another hour or two until dough doubles in size.

Remove dough & shape into pretzels (or pretzel sticks as I chose to do) while waiting for water to boil. When water boils, add baking soda and then dunk each pretzel in this solution and place on greased baking sheet. Top with salt or cinnamon/sugar or garlic...whatever you choose. ;o)

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water

Bake at 400*F for 8 minutes (possibly a minute or two longer, but check bottoms of pretzels as they burn easily). You can brush baked pretzels with melted butter.

These freeze well (as I read from other reviews) but I haven't had the chance to freeze them yet since our family of 5 devoured all but one pretzel stick last night! :o)

V8 Splash Popsicles

These are so simple and my kids are LOVING these this summer! I love the price! :o)

V8Splash Popsicles

1 bottle of V8 Splash (our fav is the the strawberry)

Pour juice into popsicle molds and freeze overnight. Enjoy your healthy popsicles!

a fun opportunity...

Through a friend, I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger on My Crazy Adoption's website last week. It was fun putting the post together with recipes I've acquired over the past few years. You can view the guest post HERE.

Popsicles!

Can't claim these as my own recipes, but I did tweak them just a bit to our preferences. They turned out GREAT! I love having a freezer stocked with (somewhat) healthy popsicles for my kids in the summer! :o)

These are delicious FUDGE POPS! My tweaking was to replace the brown sugar with Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice). This recipe gave me 18 Dixie cup (3 oz) pops.

These are delicious ORANGE CREME POPS! My tweaking was to replace the ice cream with Blue Bunny vanilla frozen yogurt and double the recipe so I could use the entire can of OJ concentrate. I ended up with 24 Dixie Cup (3 oz) pops.

To Freeze: Set cups in freezer for 1 hour, then insert popsicle sticks. Once completely frozen store pops in gallon size Ziploc freezer bags.

To Serve: Run water over bottom & sides of cup (be care not to get it inside the cup :o) for a few seconds and then tear off cup sides and peel off bottom of cup. The cup should remove easily!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

This blog has been neglected because life happens. :o) Here's a great recipe for whole wheat tortillas that are amazing! I wanted something I can make at home - I'm not happy with the sodium content (or the price) of the store whole wheat tortillas. I found the original recipe on AllRecipes and tweaked it a bit today...

Whole Wheat Tortillas

1 c. unbleached white flour
4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. boiling water
additional flour for rolling

Mix flours & salt together in large bowl (or food processor) then add the oil. Mixing with hands or pastry blender until it is thoroughly mixed (looks like tiny crumbs).

Pour boiling water in and mix with fork. If dough is too dry add a bit more water until it sticks together. Transfer to floured board and knead until dough is smooth. Form into golf ball-size balls and place on tray. Cover with damp cloth. Let sit for 1-8 hours (I waited 1 hour and they turned out fine).

Roll each ball on floured board into a very thin circle. Place on hot griddle and watch until bubbles form then flip and cook 30 seconds on other side. If you cook them too long they'll be brittle.

These can be frozen and then thawed for future meals. Enjoy - you may never eat another store bought tortilla again! :o)

Whole Wheat Bagels

This recipe is also from The New Book of Whole Grains (Bumgarner).  It takes a bit of time, but so worth it!  The end result is a dense 100% whole wheat bagel that is delicious spread with fat-free cream cheese!  :o)

Whole Wheat Bagels

1 1/4 c. boiling water

3 T honey

1 T salt

2 T yeast

1/4 c. lukewarm water

4-4 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

Combine boiling water, honey & salt in large bowl; cool to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast in 1/4. cup lukewarm water.  Add to honey mixture when it has cooled.  Stir in 2 c. flour to develop gluten.  Add remaining flour; kneading until dough is smooth and elastic.  

Shape into 12 balls.  Poke hole in middl eo feach one, pulling gently to enlarge working into donut shape.  cover lightly with dry cloth, let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F.  In large pot of salted water, boil bagel 4-5 at a time for 7 minutes turning once.  Bake on ungreased baking sheet 30-35 minutes.

Makes 12 bagels.

To Freeze: Slice each bagel almost completely through and place in Ziploc freezer bag. 

To Serve: Thaw at room temperature, microwave or toaster oven.

Bran Muffins

This recipe is originally from The New Book of Whole Grains (Bumgarner) that I had requested from my local library.  I had been looking for a good bran muffin recipe that was made from whole grains with honey.  This recipe is great & freezes well, too! 

I add 1/4 cup of ground flax seed for extra nutrition. I also add 1 tsp. of cinnamon.  I have made the recipe twice, once with yogurt and once with buttermilk and both taste great!  :o)

Bran Muffins

1/3 c. sunflower oil

1/2 c. honey

1 egg

2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. wheat bran

1/4. c. ground flax seed

1 c. buttermilk (or yogurt)

Cream together oil, honey & egg.  Stir together dry ingredients and add to honey mixture alternating with buttermilk (yogurt).  Batter will be thick.  

Spray muffin tin well!  Fill & bake 15-20 minutes at 400F.  Check at 15 minutes - that's when they're usually done in my oven.  

Makes 1 dozen.

To Freeze: Cool & bag in Ziploc Freezer bags.

To Serve: Thaw at room temp or microwave.

Blueberry Banana Bread

I have a whole foods cookbook that I LOVE!  It has a great recipe for banana bread I've made before and decided to change just a bit today after finding a package of frozen blueberries in the freezer that I had forgotten about.

changed slightly from the Banana Bread recipe in the American WholeFoods Cuisine book by Nikki & David Goldbeck

Blueberry Banana Bread

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. wheat germ

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I omitted due to my son's allergies)

1/4 c. oil

1/2 c. honey

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 banana mashed

1/2 c. blueberries

Combine dry ingredients (including nuts).  Combine wet ingredeitns and stir into dry mixture until thoroughly combined.  This will make a THICK batter.  Spread into an oiled 8.5x4 loaf pan.  Bake 45 minutes at 350F or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan; transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.  Makes 1 loaf.

Variations:

• For just banana bread - omit blueberries & add 1 c. mashed banana
• For pumpkin bread - omit blueberries & banana and instead add 1 c. pumpkin puree.

To Freeze: Slice and place in Ziploc freezer bag.

To Serve: Remove from freezer and thaw on plate, microwave or in toaster oven.

Pepperoni Chicken

This is something I made up the other night for dinner which my husband and daughter loved!  I had stocked up on chicken breasts from a sale and needed to use it soon.  My husband is always asking me to "stuff" chicken with something so I finally gave in and did it.  I hate to touch raw chicken which is why I normally don't stuff it, but thanks to big box from Sam's Club of disposable plastic food gloves I'll do it now. :o)  Since we had that as our entree for dinner that night, I actually baked the chicken prior to freezing it, but will be making more today and flash-freezing them for a future meal.  I served the chicken over buttered whole wheat pasta and a salad on the side. Mmmm!

Pepperoni Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

16 pieces of pepperoni (4 for each piece of chicken)

2 T minced garlic

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

Slice each chicken breast horizontally to within 1" of the edge of the piece of chicken (like you're slicing open a sandwich bun).  Mix together garlic, olive oil, basil and oregano in small bowl.  Spread a little garlic mixture inside each piece of chicken, then layer 4 slices of pepperoni and a little mozzarella in each.  Fold top piece of each chicken back over filling and use toothpicks to fasten to bottom piece of chicken.

To Freeze: Lay chicken on wax paper and "flash freeze" in freezer for a few hours then package in ziploc freezer bag or plastic freezer container.

To Serve: Thaw completely and bake in pan at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done.