Meal Plan Monday!

So here's the plan for this week!

Monday: Chicken Fajitas
Tuesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole (freezer)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Friday: Beef Barley Soup (special request from the hubs) followed by the Old Town Lenexa Lighting and a visit with Santa Claus...Alex can't wait!
Saturday: Leftover soup and baked potatoes
Sunday: Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, some kind of veggie (this was on the plan for yesterday, but we didn't need to make it due to leftovers!)

I'll post recipes for the Fajitas and the soup later this week. The casserole is OK, but I don't plan on making it again. If anyone has a great tuna noodle casserole, email me! I'm on the hunt!

Happy cooking!

Mexican Casserole

From Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1-2 green peppers, chopped

16 oz. can kidney beans, drained (you can add at least one more can of beans...I added 1/2 a can of black beans above.)

14 1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 Tbsp (or less if you like it less spicy) chili powder

1 1/3 cups instant brown rice

1 cup shredded cheddar

1. Brown ground beef and onion.

2. Combine all ingredients in a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

3. Stir in rice and cheese and cook until tender. (about 10 minutes)

4. Top with more cheese, if you please.

*I like this one because it reminds me of stuffed green peppers. You could also put the mixture into tortillas and eat like a burrito. Yum.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn (optional - I leave it out b/c Alex hates it)
10 oz. can Rotel with diced chilis
salt and pepper
Cumin, taco seasoning, or any other kind you like, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinse
10 tortillas
Shredded cheese

Brown ground beef with green pepper, onion and corn. Drain. Stir in Rotel, seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes. Load up the tortillas with the meat mixture and cheese. Roll up and place seam side down (I divide 5 into two 8 x 8 pans) and freeze.

Thaw and brush tortillas with melted butter (or nothing works too, which is what we normally do). Bake for 30 - 35 minutes in 375 degree oven until tortillas are nice and crispy. Add more cheese, sour cream and lettuce if you wish.

Meal Plan Monday

In the spirit of the many mommy blogs I read, I am going to post my weekly meal plans on Mondays. Doesn't that chick with her meal plan look JUST LIKE ME? This is most definitely just a plan and often we only consume about half the meals because of leftovers, etc...Making a plan works for me though. I think about it for 15 minutes over the weekend, make a plan, and then make a grocery list. Many, if not most of my meals come from my freezer.

Monday: Lasagna (or anya as Ben refers to it), cheesy veggies, and salad

Tuesday: Turkey burgers, salad, and veggies

Wednesday: Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, bread

Thursday: Thanksgiving at Alex's grandma's

Friday: Leftovers or eggs/bacon

Saturday: Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, squash

Sunday: Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies

Freezer cooking update

So it's 9:45 on Monday morning and I've already thrown the Mexican Casserole in the slow cooker, finished up the chimichangas, and the Lemon Olive Chicken is cooking on the stove right now. Oh and last night before dinner, I made the meatballs. It has gone so well! Ben is coloring a turkey and watching Sesame Street right now. After the chicken is done, we're heading to the park. It's supposed to be 60 today! I think I'll do the fajitas (they are marinating right now) when Ben takes a nap and I'll do some chicken breasts tomorrow.

Pictures to come!

Freezer cooking, Tracy-style

It's time for another round of freezer cooking. I'm off this week so I plan to do a little bit here and there. Here's the ultimate list:

Beef Chimichangas
Mama's Meatballs (already posted on here)
Mexican Casserole (slow cooker)
Lemon Olive Chicken (already posted on here)
Grilled Chicken Breasts (with a few different seasonings)
Chicken Fajitas (Paula Dean recipe)

I learned a few things with my last freezer cooking day.

1. It's worth it for me. Yes, it's exhausting, but in the end, we have multiple homemade meals that save us time during our busy weeknights. Since Alex gets home before me, he can heat everything up and prepare side dishes very easily.
2. Stick with recipes that you know and love. I experimented with some freezer cooking recipes that did not turn out so well. I will do a better job of testing them out in the future.
3. Although I'm not doing any this time, the slow cooker bag idea is fantastic. There's no cooking involved. Just dump all the ingredients for a slow cooker recipe into a freezer bag and thaw when you're ready to cook it.
4. It's super easy to do all that cooking without a toddler underfoot...we'll see how this week goes with Ben home with me! :)

Tater Tot Casserole (or Mama has a work trip and the boys must eat)

Tater Tot Casserole
2 lbs. Hamburger
1 Envelope dry onion soup mix
2 lbs. tator tots
2 cans mushroom soup
1 Pint sour cream
Shredded cheddar

Brown hamburger and place in a 10" x 14" baking dish. Sprinkle soup mix over meat, then place one layer of tater tots on top of that. Mix soup and sour cream together, pour over tater tots. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Serves 6 - 8 people.

Mama's Meatballs

MEATBALLS:
1 lb. Ground beef
½ lb. Italian sausage
2 eggs
½ cup bread crumbs
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 clove garlic
½ cup grated Romano cheese (2 oz. Package)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ground beef, sausage and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add eggs and mix well. In another bowl, blend remaining ingredients and add a little at a time to meat mixture. Blend well, and form into meatballs. Lay all of the formed meatballs on cookie sheets and bake them at 350 degrees until done.

To freeze: Divide meatballs and sauce into two 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bags. Lay flat to freeze.

Lemon and Olive Chicken

Lemon-and-Olive Chicken
From Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Prep: 15 minutes Total: 40 minutes

It takes just a few minutes more to make a big batch of this Mediterranean-style chicken than it does to prepare a small one. Eat half now; freeze the rest. You can store this chicken frozen for up to six weeks. When you're ready to serve it, thaw, then put in a pan with water to coat the bottom; cover, and simmer until hot.

Ingredients
Serves 8.

8 bone-in chicken breast halves (or boneless, skinless breasts)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons (thickly sliced, seeds removed)
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup green olives, pitted and halved
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. In two batches, sear the chicken, skin side first, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Cut the lemons in half lengthwise and then into thin slices crosswise. If the skillet is dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and garlic, and cook over medium heat until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon slices, olives, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Put the chicken on top of the vegetables, pour in any accumulated juices from the plate, and sprinkle with thyme and crushed red pepper. Cover, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes.