Frozen Berry Salad

This is another recipe that I took with us for vacation last week that I found on 30DayGourmet, though I reduced the sugar from the original recipe. It was well-liked by everyone, including my kids. :o) If you're making it for a small family divide it between 2 8x8 pans or put in small disposable cups, cover and freeze. It will be great to pull out of the freezer in the summer for an afternoon treat!

Frozen Fruit Salad

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

20 oz. can crushed pineapple

30 oz. frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

1 1/2 c. sour cream

Beat cream cheese & sugar until fluffy. Drain pineapple and add with berries. Mix well. Fold in sour cream. Spread in 9x13 pan and freeze.

To Serve: Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes prior to serving so it can be sliced.

Veggie Black Bean Soup

This is a delicious soup recipe (tweaked from TOH). I made it, froze it and took it with us on vacation last week since I firmly believe it's vacation only when you don't have to cook! :o) I thawed it in the fridge overnight and then dumped it in a crockpot in the morning and let it simmer all day. I added the barley about 30-45 minutes prior to serving it. It received rave reviews from everyone - even the men!

Vegetable Black Bean Soup

2 c. chopped onions

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

6 c. beef (or veggie) broth

1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained

1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. pepper

1 package of spinach (10 oz) frozen chopped

1 c. pearl barley (needed day you serve it!)

Saute onions, carrots, celery over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, beans, garlic powder & pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach. Cool & freeze.

To Serve: Thaw & reheat on stove top or crockpot. Add barley 30 minutes before serving.

Italian Stromboli (Large Calzone)

This is one of my hubby's favorite meals. It's great to double on a weeknight and freeze one for a future meal! If you make it with homemade bread dough you could freeze it prior to baking it. Then when you want to serve it in the future, remove it from freezer and thaw on cookie sheet in fridge. Bake as directed below.

Italian Stromboli

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or make your own in breadmaker)
1/4 lb. each of sliced ham, pepperoni & genoa salami
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
several mushrooms, sliced
1 c. mozarella cheese, shredded
marinara sauce for dipping (great recipe HERE)

Saute' onion, pepper & mushrooms in skillet until tender. Set aside. Spread thawed (or homemade) dough into large rectangle on cookie sheet. Layer one side of the dough with sliced meat, sauteed veggies and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle small amount of garlic powder and Italian seasoning over cheese. Fold empty dough side over, sealing edges. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until dough is baked to golden on top. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

To freeze: Place cooled slices in Ziploc freezer bag.

To Serve: Reheat in oven (wrapped in foil).

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.