Once the house sold, we were in transit for a few months, which continued to fuel our eating out.
I could rattle off many more excuses, but the story is that we've been frequenting restaurants way too often for the past six to seven months. It doesn't help that my long workdays usually culminate just in time to eat or even after dinnertime many days. Thus, the option of me cooking dinner every night just isn't realistic. But, we have been faced with the challenge of ending this horrible habit, for budgetary and health reasons.
About six to eight weeks ago, I decided that we needed to find a way to eat at home on a nightly basis. A friend in my weekly Bible study mentioned that she spends every Sunday afternoon cooking their meals for that week, which made me think that the cooking ahead/freezing method seemed to be our best route. We are certainly a leftovers-friendly family, but I've never frozen meals in advance and knew nothing of the ins and outs of this practice. But, I dove right in and took it upon myself to spend New Year's Day grocery shopping and cooking meals for our family that would last us a month.
I used quite a few Pampered Chef recipes and tips that were sent my way from my friend Emily. And, I also included a few Weight Watchers and Pampered Chef recipes that I cook regularly. I wanted to make sure I didn't go to this effort and end up with meals we didn't enjoy. In the end, it was a messy endeavor...
...but, it was very simple and seems to be paying off well. We've only had two of the meals so far, but we have 10 other entrees to choose from that we'll split up into leftovers and ration out over January.
If you want any of the recipes, just let me know and I'd be happy to share them with you. I made...
Dijon Chicken Noodle Toss
Chicken Stir Fry
Smoky Black Bean Chicken Wraps
Tortilla Soup
Mexican Chicken Casserole
Skillet Lasagna (very tasty and made with Italian turkey sausage)
Beef Stroganoff
Beef Chili
Cheddar Chicken & Rice
Taco Soup
Lean N Green Chili
Tex Mex Chicken & Rice
Beef Enchilada Casserole
As you can see, my freezer isn't even full thanks to the handy (and cheap) Reynolds vacuum bags. Hopefully, this will help keep the frostbite at bay while leaving room in the freezer for cold mugs, a few of the kids' treats and some veggies.
Mexican Chicken Casserole
10 corn tortillas (soft)
2 cups cubed chicken (cooked)
12 oz. shredded fat-free cheddar
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
1 can fat-free cheddar cheese soup
1 can Rotel
1 1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup chopped onion
Tear tortillas in 1" strips. In baking dish, alternate layers tortillas, meat and cheese, reserving 1/2 cup cheese. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over layers. Top with 1/2 cup cheese and freeze in dish. To serve: thaw; bake covered at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Servings: 8. WW points: 6.
4 comments:
In Tampa the big thing is professional kitchens. You schedule a time, pick out your menu and then show up at their kitchen to assemble the meal. I have to say it is pretty awesome and fun. The best part is that they do all the chopping up of vegetables and stuff for you so when you walk in you literally add a cup of this to a cup of that and you are done. They also clean up the mess which is worth the price alone. I don't think it's really that much more expensive than if you purchased all the meals on your own. It's a new business adventure for you!
We did that several months in Charleston, especially just after Cooper was born. However, we had such little time that I chose the option where they assembled the meals for me and I just picked up a month of meals of my choosing, but we got tired of it. I think we'll like this better because we have more control over what meals we eat.
random comment, but can I say I love your stove! Our stove is propane and literally from the 70's...we watch old shows of Lets Make a Deal and they gave them out all the time back then!
Great idea on cooking way ahead of time. We eat out more than we should, and I really want to try to eat healthier this year. My problem is I hate to cook! But can you email me your skillet lasagna recipe? casien@clearwire.net Sounds easy enough!
ok, sorry, getting typing happy, my email is casie@clearwire.net thanks!
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