Pumpkin Bread

I just tried a new recipe this afternoon for Pumpkin Bread made with honey instead of sugar.  My kids are LOVING it, though I did add about a 1/2-3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips to it and swapped the white flour for whole wheat pastry flour and I left out the ginger (my preference).  It's a lot lighter than the other recipe (see my Facebook) that's really good but fully loaded with sugar.  :o)

To Freeze: Cool and place in Ziploc bags.

To Serve: Thaw & warm.

Cheeseburger Soup

This Cheeseburger Soup recipe from Taste of Home is very good.  I've been making it for awhile for our fall & winter dinners, but not until this month did I try freezing, thawing and reheating it.  We had it for lunch today in whole wheat bread bowls and it was delicious!

A few changes I make from the original recipe for our taste -

• I use ground turkey instead of beef
• I use 2 cups shredded cheddar instead of the Velveeta
• I do not add the sour cream until just before it's served on the day I reheat it.
  

To Freeze: Make soup according to recipe but do not add sour cream.  Cool completely and fill Ziploc Freezer bags or containers.

To Serve: Thaw in fridge overnight.  Warm in saucepan on stove and then add sour cream just before serving.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This recipe is really good if you like Chinese food. :o)  It comes from the 30 Meals in One Day website.  I've made it several times and serve it over brown rice...Mmmm!  It's not too time intensive and you can always use shredded or cubed chicken you've cooked in a large quantity for other recipes instead of browning it in oil specifically for this recipe. 

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
3 Tbl canola oil
1/2 cup onion, chunked
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chunked
1 1/3 cups cold water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Brown chicken in hot oil until cooked through. Add onion and green bell pepper. Cook and stir for about 1 minute. In a saucepan, combine water and cornstarch. Stir in sugar, brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until thick and glossy. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to coat.

To Freeze:  Cool completely.  Place chicken and sauce in freezer bag or container. For individual servings, place cooked rice in single serving-sized freezer containers. Top with chicken and sauce. Cover, label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw and heat in saucepan on stove. Serve in bowls over rice.

Hearty Burritos

This recipe for Hearty Burritos is from the Taste of Home website.

I tried these a few months ago and swapped out the beef for ground turkey, the flour tortillas for whole wheat tortillas and also discovered you have bake them a bit longer than the time recommended at the bottom of the recipe.

They are really flavorful and great topped with sour cream and/or salsa.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Pizza Pasta Casserole

This was a new recipe I tried for this month of meals in our home.  We had it last night for dinner and it was really good!  Even though you only half-cook the pasta when making it, by the time it freezes, thaws & bakes, it works!  Enjoy!  :o)

Makes 2 - 9x13s or 4- 8x8s

2 lb. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2 jars (28 oz each) spaghetti sauce

16 oz. whole wheat spiral pasta - cook for half suggested cooking time on package & drain

4 c. shredded mozarella

6 oz. sliced pepperoni

Brown ground turkey and onion in large skillet until meat is thoroughly cooke.  Drain fat.  Add sauce and pasta, stir well.

Divide mixture in half and put on half in each 9x13 (or 4 8x8s).  Top each with 2 cups cheese, then top with pepperoni.

To Freeze:  Wrap with 1 layer of plastic wrap and then 1 layer of foil.  Freeze.

To Serve: Thaw completely (24 hours in fridge).  Bake uncovered 350 for 35-40 minutes until heated through.

Honey Lime Chicken

Honey Lime Chicken
(We tried this recipe last night for the first time and it was delicious.  Thankfully, the weather was warm enough to grill!  A good side dish would be rice & veggies & pineapple with a Caribbean spice.)




1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. lime juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 chicken tenderloins

Blend ingredients for marinade together in blender for several seconds until honey is completely combined.  Pour marinade in Ziploc freezer bag then place chicken inside and seal.

To Freeze:   Lay Ziploc bag flat in freezer.


To Serve: Thaw bag laying flat in fridge overnight.  Remove chicken from marinade and grill or bake (350*F for 35-45 minutes) chicken until no longer pink.

Sloppy Joes

This sloppy joe recipe tastes amazing and is not the least bit sloppy when you eat it.  It's one of my husband's favorite sandwiches because of the sausage in it.  If you are prepping this with the slow-cooked chunky chili recipe you can brown all the meat & onion at the same time.

I swap the ground beef for ground turkey and use whole wheat buns, but other than that I follow the recipe as it's written.  Removing the inside of the buns takes a bit of time,  but it's worth it when you taste the final product.  :o)

To Freeze: Wrap individually in foil and place in gallon Ziploc bag.

To Serve: No Thaw.  Bake at 350*F for 35-45 minutes until heated through.