Our Morning

Our morning has been very busy. We had upstairs day, where the bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the loft/Mr.Pear's office/sewing room/library are. Completed the following tasks:

1. Vacuumed (Miss Pear hid in our bed, she does not like the vacuum, but begrudgingly lets me do it without too much fuss).
   
2. Dusted (Miss Pear loves this step, I give her a duster of her own)
3. Changed the beds. (We finally have two sets of sheets for each bed and it makes this so much better.)
4. Changed the change pad cover
5. Changed the towels
6. Cleaned the bathrooms
7. Straightened all the rooms, except the guest room that really needs its "moving in" organization. (My MIL unpacked in there, and while it is organized, it needs a couple touches to be organized for us).
   
8. Washed the first load of towels
9. Washed both loads of sheets
10. Folded and put away laundry
    
11. Second load of towels is in the wash.

We also had to bake cookies as the freezer is empty (of cookies at least!), and we cannot buy cookies because of Miss Pear's nut allergy - we also prefer home baked! So I tried a recipe that I have converted to be nut free, and I now call it Triple Chocolate Cookies. We made a double batch, and the last tray is in the oven - we will have two cookies shy of 10 dozen when we are done.

So now we all need a nap!

Converting your Casserole Recipes to Freezer Recipes

While it is fun to peruse recipe collections of freezer meals, it is also fun to be able to use your old family favorites in a new way to bless your family!

This past Sunday I was thrilled to pull a family favorite out of our freezer for our supper: Chicken Enchiladas

When you are converting your casserole recipe into a freezer recipe, you have two options.

Option 1: Prepare you casserole up to the point you would be putting it into the oven, cover it with plastic wrap and the foil, label it, and freeze it. This requires having enough freezer space and casserole dishes to freeze in your casserole dish. However, for lasagna and enchiladas, this is the way to go!

Option 2 is my favorite, and very easy, but a bit more detailed description is required. Most casseroles require preparing everything together in a bowl, pouring it into the casserole and putting it in the oven. When this is the case, rather than pouring the mix into the dish, pour it into a zip top bag, squish out all the air, seal the bag and press it flat. If there are multiple layers in the casserole, freeze the layers in separate bags, then either clip them together or put them inside a third bag to keep them together (the outer bag can be reused again, so it is not a waste, just don't write on the outside bag). Then thaw the bags, and assemble the casserole and cook as directed!

Just remember that some casseroles that go into the oven hot when you skip the freezer step may need an additional 10-15 minutes of cooking time!

I hope this helps, it is clear in my mind what to do, but somehow I am not certain the description covers it all. Please let me know if it is clear and if you have questions!

Tomorrow I will talk about meat recipes that are not casseroles.

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Orange-Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

Menu Plan Monday - week of July 30

This week will be our first "normal" week in our new home! I am so excited. No company, no work being done, no business trips, no moving chaos to deal with!

This is also the first week I really get to check our new cleaning schedule and routine. I am hoping that my new cleaning schedule is going to work for me. So far so good, Miss Pear and I completed downstairs day (vacuum, mop, dust, straighten), and are almost done the laundry for the day. I am so happy that we have room in the back yard for me to put my drying racks out so I don't have to use the drier as much! (I do the work, Miss Pear watches and asks what I am doing, so I tell her and explain why. When I am dusting I give her one of her own, and we dust together).

Saturday

Breakfast - French Toast
Lunch - Sandwiches
Supper - BBQ Burgers

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches
Supper - Enchiladas (freezer) and spanish rice

Monday

Breakfast** - French Toast Leftovers
Lunch - Coconut Rice and Raisins
Supper - BBQ Steak, Sweet Potato Fries, and veg

Tuesday

Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and fruit
Supper - Pizza and veggies

Wednesday

Breakfast - carrot pineapple muffins and fruit
Lunch - Coconut rice and raisins
Supper - Macaroni Bake


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Cheese and jam sandwiches
Supper - Meatloaf (freezer) and Sweet Potato fries

Friday

Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Macaroni Bake (freezer)
Supper - Orange Apricot Glazed Pork Chops (freezer) rice and veg

Saturday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Out
Supper - Chicken turnovers

Breads
3 Four Bread~
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread


Cookies
Chocolately Chocolate Chip Cookies

Loaves and Muffins
Raisin Muffins
Apple Loaf ~
Orange Loaf ~

Other
Lemon Pie
Brownies
English Muffins~
Cinnamon Buns
Hamburger Buns

~ from the More with Less Cookbook (can be found on my sidebar if you want to check it out).
** During the week it is just Miss Pear and I for lunch, so we eat some strange lunches....

Orange-Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

this is another recipe from the Super Suppers Cookbook on the sidebar

Makes 6 Servings

2 tbsp oil
6 boneless porkchops
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup apricot preserves (I just pureed apricots I had on hand)
1/4 cup dijon mustard

Cook chops in oil in a large skillet, transfer to serving dish to keep warm.

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, bring to boiling, and serve over the chops.

To freeze this meal, the recipe recommends that you cook the chops and boil the sauce, and then combine in freezer bags to freeze.

I cheated, I just put the pork chops raw in a bags (2 to a bag for us), and then divided the uncooked sauce over top so it acted like a marinade, and that worked great. I just thawed it, put the entire mixture into the frying pan and simmered it until the chops were done. It worked great!


Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

FIF - Oatmeal Crisps and Granola Bars

Mrs. Overwhelmed with joy is having Appetizers and Snacks this week - some of us misunderstood and posted it last week instead - I would NEVER say Mrs. OWJ got her dates mixed up, even though she confessed, that would just be rude! :-) So I am posting snacks again, two of my favorite in fact! Just not freezer recipes this week as all the ones I have are more like lunches than appetizers or snacks!

While technically this is a cookie recipe, it is so healthy and low fat that it makes a great healthy snack too!

Oatmeal Crisps

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup rolled oats

Cream margarine and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir to moisten.

Mix in rolled oats.

Drop by the teaspoon full onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.


Okay, so maybe saying that it is healthy is pushing it, but for a cookie it sure is.

Maybe it is just a cookie recipe....

How about Granola bars? Those are snackes! We cannot buy granola anything because of Miss Pear's peanut allergy, and Miss Pear LOVES "ola bars", so I make my own, here is my recipe. Mr. Pear always asks me to make these for when he travels for business so that he is not left to the mercies of the airports, or the hotel in Mexico.

Granola Bars (Adapted from a recipe I found at Tammy's Recipes)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
8 cups rolled oats (can substitute quick oats, if not using shredded coconut add 1/2 cup)
2-3 cups mixed goodies such as (chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, flax seeds
etc.)
We like:
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut

Melt butter in a small pot. Add the sugars and heat until the sugars are dissolved.

While the butter is melting and the sugars are dissolving, mix the oats and goodies in a large bowl.

Once the sugar mixture is ready, pour it over the oat mixture and mix thoroughly making sure there are no big clumps remaining.

Turn out onto well-greased jellyroll pan or half sheet pan (I use parchment paper and then spray the paper with cooking oil). Pat mixture down firmly with the back of a spatula or with your hands, making sure that it is evenly.

Bake at 350F for 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Turn out on large cooling rack or cutting board (whatever is large enough) and cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut as close to 10 minutes as possible so that they are not too chewy and not too crisp for best cutting. Let cool the rest of the way and store in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers.

Frugal Friday and the Air Conditioner

I am taking a break from my freezer meals series (even though that definitely saves me money - if you are looking for the latest on that, please click on Freezer Meals on the sidebar) to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart - managing my air conditioner!

We live in Southern California, just far enough inland that we do not get the moderating effects of the ocean. We run our air conditioning to not only keep comfortable, but also to protect our health. It gets hot enough here that we can easily experience heat exhaustion or even heat induced nausea if we forgo it. So the question for our household is not do we run our air conditioning, it is a question of how to we manage it so that we stay healthy, but do not run up a huge bill!

We found a number of tricks that help tremendously.

1. Get a programmable thermostat. They are more accurate and efficient that the old fashioned slide the lever model. Set the thermostat to at least two degrees Celcius warmer than you set your winter thermostat, and even try for 4 degrees. We set our heat for 21C(69.8F) and our air conditioning for 24C (75F). If you are gone all day (or have predictable appointments each week, like church) have your thermostat set to cool the house for your return, but not to run the whole time you are gone. Our air conditioning started running a lot less once we installed one in our new home! (We will easily save the money a thermostat cost us this summer)

2. Close the blinds on the side of the house the sun is facing

3. Put Gila heat blocking film on the windows that get the hot afternoon sun. (Don't buy their solution, dissolve some baby shampoo in water).

4. As soon as the outside temperature is the same or close to the inside temperature turn off the air conditioning and start opening windows (but not where the sun is shining). Sleep with the windows open and fans on.

5. Even though you are running the air conditioning, also run the ceiling fans (if you have them) upstairs so that the second floor stays comfortable without cranking the air conditioning further.

6. Try to use your BBQ, slow cooker, or have a cold meal on hot days. If you MUST use your oven, try to use it first thing in the morning with all the windows open before it heats up.


I am sure that I have not mentioned all the ideas, so please post comments to tell me what I missed.

Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

this is a recipe from the Super Suppers cookbook on the sidebar

Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 lbs beef skirt steak or flank steak (I used sirloin because it was the best price on beef I could get, I am sure other cuts of beef would work too)
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic (I just took two clovers, pounded them flat with a small pyrex bowl and threw it in)
12 ounces fresh broccoli florets

Trim meat.

Slice into bite sized strips. Place meat in freezer bag. Add all the remaining ingredients except the broccoli. Seal the bag and massage the ingredients to mix it.

Note: If you want to freeze it in two meals, just divide everything up across two bags. If you are not freezing it, just mix in a bowl.

Open bag, squeeze out all the air, and freeze flat.

On cooking day, thaw meat.

Stir fry meat in hot wok or frying pan until meat is cooked to your preference. Add cooked broccoli and heat through.

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space

Maybe not the smoothest start

So Mr. Pear left for his business trip this morning at 4:45AM. I felt so bad for him having to leave so early! Of course, he felt bad because with all the trouble we had with the landscapers last night he forgot to sit down and talk to Miss Pear about what was happening until it was already bed time, and basically too late. I felt so bad that I basically stayed awake after that.

The good news is that the landscaping is done. We had to have help because our sprinkler system was not working (they replaced over 80% of it), we had a very heavy vine on the fence that if left unchecked was going to take down the fence in the next couple years, we had such bad drainage in the back yard that we were risking slab damage, and the patio was actually raised by about an inch so Miss Pear kept tripping and skinner her knees. Also, the flower beds were rock solid, so they needed to be dug out and amended. All jobs we could not do ourselves. The good news is that it is all done, and we will soon be able to plant our seedlings.

Today was a long day - they always are when it is just the two of us somehow, with no Mr. Pear returning home from work or calling just because. It was complicated by the fact that Miss Pear is having a horrible time teething her molars.

Hence no freezer meals post today, when she napped I napped too. I am planning on posting some recipes tomorrow and Friday of things we made in our marathon cook, but not the best ever meatloaf because it was not...it was not the best ever that is.

Good night.

Horizon Organic Dairy Products Contest!

5 minutes for moms is hosting a contest to win $300 worth of free dairy products from Horizon Organic Dairy (winner will recieve $4.99 gift certificates).

We LOVE Horizon Organic, and have been giving Miss Pear their wonderful milk from the very first time we gave her milk! And she loves it, and we love it! I love what is in the milk, and I particularly love what is NOT in the milk! And they maintain such high standards! Actually, Miss Pear loves it so much that one time when we could not get Horizon Milk and got just plain Lucerne Whole Milk she would not drink it, I kid you not!

I love them, and would be so thrilled to win this, but will be thrilled for whoever wins it as it will be such a blessing to that family!

Freezer Cooking with Limited Space

Thank you so much to all those who commented here yesterday! If you have not yet, please do, I have LOVED meeting new readers, and receiving wonderful greetings from readers who have been with me for a while! It totally made my day!

One thing that came up in the comments that I have heard a few times is the sentiment that if you do not have a stand alone freezer you cannot do freezer cooking!

I confess that it is definitely harder, but is very doable! In fact, the friend who got me onto freezer cooking only had a very small fridge freezer (smaller than mine).

At first, I thought it was only because she was part of a freezer meal group where 8 women got together each month and then swapped meals, so you make 8 of the same thing and go home with 8 different meals (more on that in a later post in the series). However, I was staying with them for a couple days when she had to make her meal for the meeting, and I was surprised at the little things I picked up, things that I still use faithfully even though we have a stand up freezer, but also things that make freezer cooking with only a fridge freezer possible!

The first rule of thumb is to keep your freezer defrosted (if this is required in yours). Space is a premium, and you certainly don't want to give up your extremely valuable space to something like useless frost! To defrost quickly, put a large mixing bowl in your freezer and immediately pour hot/boiling water in it to help things along!

The second rule is to know exactly what is in your freezer (a list works good for this, I will post more about this in a later post), that way you are not allowing space to be used up by something that is past it's prime, or that you could have used, but you did not know it was there so you bought another!

The third rule is to not allow useless things to steal space! I have been so guilty of this! I kept the gourmet popcorn we were given but was horrible because it was a gift, and popcorn keeps best in the freezer, but had no intention of ever eating it! I hate to throw stuff out, but when space is at a premium, why keep what I am not going to use? I am also guilty of freezing leftovers from meals we did not really like, and then leaving them in the freezer until they were so old that they could be thrown out without guilt. So if you don't like it, and cannot thing of a way to salvage it, don't keep it! I say this last part mostly for me :-)

And the fourth rule is the most important, the one I remind myself of each and every time I prepare something for the freezer. If at all possible, if there is any possible way to make it work, use zip top bags instead of containers and casseroles! Even if it means using two bags when it is a casserole that requires layering. (In this case, tuck one bag in side the other).

When you use zip top bags I recommend that you cool the mixture so that you do not burn yourself, and so that you do not melt the bag! It does not have to be room temperature, just cool enough.

Then seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible (a picture tutorial to come on the best way to do this). Then freeze the bag flat. I like to use a cutting board or a cookie sheet to make sure that my bags are flat, and that way I don't have to dig to the very bottom of the freezer to find a flat place to freeze my meals! Once the bags are frozen I reclaim my cookie sheet or cutting board and then just stack them with the rest of my freezer meals. I "file" them so that I can flip through them like I would a filing cabinet to find the meal I am looking for.

And finally, it is ideal if, once your freezer is stocked to a reasonable level for your family, you are putting meals into your freezer at the same rate you are removing them, I have My Usual Method that works great for me, but chances are, you will need to tweak it to find what works for you.

Even though I do have a stand alone, upright freezer, I still try to stick to these principles!

I just wanted to encourage those of you who have just your fridge freezer to try it this, it can definitely work for you!

If you have any questions about this, please post them! I usually respond to comments through email, but for this one, I will answer right here.

And, of course, if there is a point of freezer cooking you would like me to talk about, or question for me, please post it in the comments or email me (in my profile).



Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack

Happy Birthday to me...

While I usually try very hard to hide my birthday, this year, just in my little corner of bloggiville, I am sharing. For those of you wondering this is my 32nd birthday.

The reason I am sharing this is that I was noticing that there have been a lot of wonderful visitors around here, many of whom are quiet visitors! Ever since we started talking about freezer meals we have had tons of visitors! (At least my by standards!) And I would like to meet you! All of you!

So today, could you please leave me a comment letting me know who you are - feel free to use screen names! and linking back to your blog if you have one?

Also, if you would like, please include a freezer meals topic you would like me to cover or a recipe you would like me to share! or share your favorite recipe with me!

Menu Plan Monday for the week of July 23

This week will not be straight freezer cooking, Mr. Pear has a business trip and will be gone from way to early Wednesday night until way to late Friday night, so Miss Pear and I will be eating all the stuff that we like and he doesn't! And missing him like crazy of course!

Saturday

Breakfast - Overnight French Toast
Lunch - Pizza Rolls
Supper - Taco Pie (Recipe to come later in the week)

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Fruit
Lunch - A&W Take out
Supper - Chicken with Smoked Gouda in Puff Pastry (Cena to Go)

Monday - a special day around here....

Breakfast** - Overnight French Toast leftovers
Lunch - Puff Pastry Leftovers
Supper - Chicken Cordon Blue, rice and veg

Tuesday

Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - pancakes
Supper - Enchilada Meatballs, rice, and veg

Wednesday

Breakfast - carrot pineapple muffins and fruit
Lunch - English Muffins (will bake that morning)
Supper - Macaroni Bake


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Raisin Muffins (will bake that morning)
Supper - Grilled Cheese and Sweet Potato Fries

Friday

Breakfast - english muffins or rainsin muffins with fruit
Lunch - Cinnamon Buns
Supper - Quesadillas (just chicken and cheese on Miss Pears)

Saturday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Buns
Lunch - BBQ Burgers
Supper - Chicken with honey garlic and orange

Breads
3 Four Bread~
Whole Wheat Bread


Cookies
Chocolately Chocolate Chip Cookies

Loaves and Muffins
Raisin Muffins
Apple Loaf ~
Orange Loaf ~

Other
Lemon Pie
Brownies
English Muffins
Cinnamon Buns
Hamburger Buns

~ from the More with Less Cookbook (can be found on my sidebar if you want to check it out).
** During the week it is just Miss Pear and I for lunch, so we eat some strange lunches....

Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack

Mrs. Overwhelmed with Joy is certainly challenging me this week, I was determined to stick to freezer meals, but a freezer meal appetizer or snack??? I thought about just reposting my taco chili recipe again, after all, it is always a hit, and we always love it. Or the land of nod cinnamon buns that use freezer dough (although you can use fresh too). Or the famous mushrooms that disappeared very quickly, even though it is not a freezer meal.

But you deserve better than that, so I went back to thinking about this.

Some days I am certain I am raising a herbivore as getting Miss Pear to eat meat is often tricky, but there is one trick I have in my arsenal that never fails. It is great on crackers as a snack, it is great on bread as a sandwich, and is great over salad too! It is....

Pineapple Tuna Mix

2 x 6 oz cans of chunk tuna (I try to get the albacore as it works great in this recipe!)
1 x 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 x 20oz (or there abouts) can of crushed pineapple, drained (save the juice for this recipe so you can double it). If you don't drain it you end up with a slimy mess, don't ask how I know...

Mix three ingredients together (electric mixer helps to get the cream cheese nicely blended and lighten the consistency).

Chill to let all the flavors come together.

Serve as a cracker topping or in a sandwich!

To freeze this mixture, just pop in in the appropriate sized zip top bag, press out as much air as you can, label it, and freeze flat to conserve space!



Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs

Frugal Friday - Dealing with Ants

I am interrupting my Freezer Series to talk about an issue that every California homeowner is acutely interested in:

How in the world do I deal with these ants who insist on laying siege to my house?

Well, before you shell out the big bucks for a professional, which is sometimes necessary out here, there are a two lesser known frugal tips you can try.

1. Be sure to spray the area you saw ants and the trail with an ammonia based cleaner like Windex. This will both kill or at least really slow down the ants, and also kill there pheromone trail so that other little invaders cannot follow the path laid down for them.

2. A couple drops of lavender essential oil is a great deterant. (You can take a cup of water, add about a tsp of oil, and a tbsp of rubbing alcohol, add to a spray bottle, shake, and then spray to form a barrier.) Repeat daily for a week, more often if it is a high traffic area or wet. A couple drops of oil in cupboards work great!

Sauce for Freezer Meatballs

So it is all fine and dandy that I say to go ahead and make 6 lbs of meatballs and just cook them up and put them in the freezer, but now you have all those meatballs in the freezer and what do you do with them?

Well you could just cook up some pasta and open a jar of pasta sauce and have spaghetti and meatballs, that is yummy!

Or you could use the jar of pasta sauce, combine it with the meatballs, and make meatball subs (top with mozza or swiss cheese).

Or you could use this handy little recipe.

Put your thawed meatballs in a casserole.

Mix the following sauce up:

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 x 20 can of pineapple chunks or tibits

Mix sugar and cornstarch very well.
Add vinegar, mix very well until there are no lumps.
Add soya sauce and juice from pineapple, mix well.

Pour pineapple over meatballs, pour sauce over that, and cook at 350F until hot and bubbly - about 45 minutes or so.

Great served over rice.

Note: when I double this recipe, I do not double the pineapple, I use the pineapple juice, and then we just eat the pineapple!


Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal

Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal

I was ever so grateful today to be able to go the freezer (in between the landscapers, the termite inspector and the plumber arriving) and pull out my trusty Lazy Lasagna and a loaf of French bread that we made on Thursday and say - Voila! Supper! Lest you think I did not feed my family veggies, they are hidden inside the lasagna! This is a great recipe to hide veggies in!

So without further ado:

Lazy Lasagna

makes 1 9x13 or 2 9x9 if you follow the increases

3 cups dried pasta (penne, rotini or any other large pasta) Add a fourth cup of pasta if you are making 2 9x9s instead
1 lb ground turkey (I just use a 1 and a third pound package and that way I can easily have enough for the 9x9 size.) You can substitute ground beef if you would like.
1 medium chopped onion
1 sweet pepper, color of your choice, chopped
1 cup finely grated carrot (you could probably add more veggies if you like)
1 jar 24oz prepared tomato pasta sauce
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning (or half oregano, half basil)
1 and a half cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook the noodles per directions.

Cook ground turkey, chopped onion and pepper until the turkey is cooked. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. (If you forget to add the carrots at this point, or are cooking combination things and the carrots do not fit in, that is okay, just add them when you add the sauce).

Combine the turkey mixture, the pasta sauce and the seasoning.

To assemble:
Spread half the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish, top with all the pasta, top with remaining meat mixture, mozzarella cheese, and paremsan cheese.

To Freeze:
Assemble in casserole, cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Label clearly.

(If you cannot be without the casserole that long, line the casserole with plastic wrap first. Once the casserole is frozen, pop it out of the casserole (may have to soak base in hot water first), and wrap it in either a freezer bag, or plastic wrap and then foil. Be sure to include in your labeling which casserole you used - just trust me on this one, you want to use the same one. On cooking day, unwrap the frozen lasagna and put it back into the casserole to thaw).

Cooking Day:

Thaw casserole. Bake uncovered in 350 oven for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly and slightly brown on top. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: Original recipe included ricotta cheese, but we found that it did not freeze well, that we did not really like it, and that it was expensive for something we did not care for! If you want to add the 17 oz container of ricotta cheese, mix it with an egg and layer it the top layer of noodles, under the mozzarella cheese and paremsan cheese.

(adapted from The Best Freezer Cookbook by Jan Main)

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals

Blessing of Freezer Meals

Today is not a crazy day like tomorrow (I still cannot figure out what possessed me to schedule all that in one day!), but it is a day where I really see the blessing of freezer meals.

Today Mr. Pear is still sick, Miss Pear is having either the ick or teething and that is compounded by not sleeping well last night, and I am just feeling a bit run down from doing to much each day for a few weeks in a row, so today was designated as a quiet day.

We needed a quiet day because yesterday I baked 4 loaves of oatmeal bread and two loaves of french bread thanks to my special delivery last week of a Bosch mixer. (More on that later) While all this was happening our sprinkler system outside when kablooey (why yes, that is the scientific term), and refused to shut off! Mr. Pear had to come home from work, and then we still needed the help of our neighbors who have the same system. Thankfully just as they finished helping us the oatmeal bread was coming out of the oven, so we thanked them by sharing a loaf!

So today, we got off to a quiet start, playing puzzles, and with the Toddler shape sorter. Then we went for a walk, and just had fun together.

For supper I just pulled meatballs out of the freezer (I will whip up a quick sauce later), and put rice in the rice cooker to be ready for 5. Now I just have to coast to the finish for supper by putting the meatballs in the oven with sauce, and steaming some carrots.

Tomorrow calls for special help, and that is just what we are getting form our freezer. Tomorrow for supper we are having Lazy Lasagna. All I have to do is pull it out of the freezer, thaw, bake and voila! Supper is ready. Veggies are inside, so I will likely just serve it with some oatmeal bread and fruit for dessert!

I also make sure that Sunday's are easy too. This week we are having Chicken Cordon Blue with Rice (rice cooker) and a veggie. So all I have to do is pull the chicken out to thaw, then cook it, put rice in the rice cooker, and then grab a veggie - piece of cake!


Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)

Craziness Abounds

For the next couple days, mainly tomorrow, I have no idea how to describe it, except to say craziness abounds. I don't know what possessed me to make the following schedule, except depsiration for each and every event!

Thursday:
7-8AM Landscapers arrive to begin 4 days of work (more on that later)
8-10 Pest control arrives to look at our fence - we think we see termite droppings in one place (estimate is free as our ant control is with them)
10-2 A plumber arrives to look at our kitchen sink which is leaking (home owners insurance)
2-5 An appliance specialist arrives as part of our insurance to figure out why the back left element of the stove works only when it wants to, why the air dry on the dishwasher does not work, and why the closure mechanism on the microwave works intermittently and occasionally requires slamming.

We are jamming all this in now because there is a birthday in our house on Monday (I will give you a hint, Miss Pear's is in May, and Mr. Pear's was last week), and then Mr. Pear is away on business Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week.

Which means sporadic posting between now and next Wednesday when I will begin filling up my draft's box with bloggy goodness again, and hopefully the rest of the freezer series.

Coming up soon though is a post about the special delivery I received last week (I am thrilled!), and the recipe for Lazy Lasagna as part of the freezer meal series.

Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas

As part of the freezer meal series I thought I would share an example of what I do on a typical kitchen day when I am making two sets of meals.

On kitchen day when I am making more than one meal I try to group like things. By that I mean using like ingredients that require like prep work.

Two meals I love to make together are Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas.

I combine these recipes because they both require cooked chicken, and I use chicken breasts for each. So I turn my oven on, and cook enough chicken for both.

Once the chicken is cooked, it requires the same preparation - cool and chop/shred.

Both recipes require black beans, and I like to buy the dried black beans and then cook the needed amount in the pressure cooker (6-8 minutes once pressure is reached, I turn off the heat once the pressure is reached and let it coast to the finish, then push the button down with my wooden spoon to release the pressure, then rinse the beans), so I cook the beans for both recipes at the same time.

Both recipes require cilantro - so I chop it together.

By making these recipes together I am saving work, I am only turning the oven and the stove on once, and not for any longer than I would for each recipe, so I am saving there too!

If I am being really devious, the night before I will have a seasoned chicken breasts for supper, and cook the chicken for supper, and for the two freezer meals all at the same time, saving even more work and energy costs (just use multiple pans and two or more shelves in your oven). Then I will let the chicken breasts cool over night so they are ready in the morning (and save the chicken juice for the soup).

And of course, we would then have enchiladas for supper on kitchen day (the Tortilla Soup needs to rest in the freezer before being its best!)

Results of kitchen day: 7 meals (3 tortilla soup, 4 enchiladas)

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

We love this recipe, and my theory is that it makes a mess, and is a fair bit of work, so make it worth it! Last time I made this recipe I ended up with 3 8x11 pans, and 1 9x9 pan! Or four meals that will be supper and a few lunches for us.

6 lbs chicken (just the meat weight, if you use whole chickens you will want more than a 6 lb chicken - we prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
2 x 28oz cans Enchilada sauce with the potency of your choice (we like mild)
12 cups (give or take) Monterey Jack or Mexican Blend shredded cheese
12 green onions, sliced (more or less depending on your tastes)
1 big bunch of cilantro (I buy it at Henry's, and one bunch is exactly right! I think the bunch is the size of two tight fists before I start cutting)
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed, or equivalent dry that have been cooked.
1 x 7oz can of green chilies, drained (throw in a second if you love them, skip them if they are not on sale)
can add chili pepper sauce for an extra kick if you like.
30 flour shells, I like the 8 inch size, not the burrito size(if you fill your enchiladas nice and full like I do you will need more like 24ish, but I always start with 30 on hand because sometimes I end up with more filling than I anticipated)

So there are your ingredients, as you can tell this is a VERY exact recipe.....

1. Cook chicken, cook and chop/shred.
2. Put chicken in a big bowl. Add enough enchilada sauce so the chicken is covered, but it is not a wet mixture.
3. Add green onions, cilantro, chilies, beans, and half the cheese. Mix well.
4. In a pie plate, pour enough sauce to come up about a quarter of an inch.
5. Get pan ready.

Assembly process is:
1. Dip shell in sauce, flipping to get both sides wet.
2. Lay in pan.
3. Place filling on shell so it bisects the shell (across the middle, side to side). Start with about 1/2 cup and see how it looks, adjust to your preference.
4. Roll up and move the bottom of the pan so it is across it width wise.
5. Continue until your pans are full and you are out of filling.
6. Pour extra sauce over top (do not make it too wet or it will be soggy, can freeze leftovers for next time or just toss).
7. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of each pan.

Freezing:
1. Cover with plastic wrap.
2. Cover with foil.
3. Label and date.
4. Freeze.


Cooking:
1. Uncover and remove plastic wrap.
2. Thaw covered with foil.
3. Once thawed cook at 350F for about 45 minutes covered, or until hot through. Remove foil and return to oven for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and whatever else makes you happy.

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue

Yet More Crayon Deals!

I remember a time when to get a fabulous deal on crayons you had to forsake your favored Crayolas for the non-name brand. That is not the case anymore!

I mentioned a great deal on crayons last week, and then got the Sunday paper and found even more!

Office Depot has the 24 pack of Crayola Crayons on for 9 cents! Limit of 5

Target has the bliss inspiring 64 pack of Crayolas with the sharpener - this was the ultimate status symbol when I was in grade 3 - on 2 for $3!

Oh the crayon bliss....

Menu Plan Monday - July 16

I have been talking so much about Freezer Cooking around here lately, and am well into my series about it, so I decided that this week all our suppers would be freezer meals I stocked up on when we moved (I used Cena to Go and Dream Dinners), and the marathon cook we did. I am trying to use oldest stuff first, so you will see a lot of Cena to Go and Dream Dinners. The week after the Grandma's leave always require light schedules because Miss Pear hates it when they go. Add to that teething 2 year molars, and all of us being sick....well, you get the idea! I will continue to post on the freezer meals series though, and if my brain is fried, I will share recipes I used rather than nuts and bolts of how it works!

Saturday

Breakfast - Waffles, strawberry syrup, whip cream
Lunch - Meatball subs (freezer - quick meal I keep on hand)
Supper - Asian Beef (Cena to Go) and green beans

Sunday

Breakfast - Raspberry and white chocolate scones (cena to go) and fruit
Lunch - Chicken noodle soup (freezer, we are all sick, so this was great to pull out!)
Supper - Enchiladas (Cena to Go - although I also made my version in the marathon cook) (Will be posting the recipe for my version this week)

Monday

Breakfast** - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Granola Oatmeal
Supper - Chicken Parmesan (Cena to Go), rice and veg

Tuesday

Breakfast - toast and fruit
Lunch - Macaroni Bake (freezer)
Supper - Sesame Crusted Pork Chops (Dream Dinners), rice and veg

Wednesday

Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Meatballs (freezer) with pineapple sauce and rice


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Cheese and Jam sandwiches (no peanuts around here, miss pear is very allergic) with fruit
Supper - Lazy Lasagna (freezer)

Friday

Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches
Supper - Greek Beef Gyros with cucumber sauce (Cena to Go)

Saturday

Breakfast - Overnight French Toast
Lunch - Chicken with Smoked Gouda in Puff Pastry (Cena to Go)
Supper - Taco Pie (freezer)

Breads
Oatmeal Bread~
3 Four Bread~
Whole Wheat Bread


Cookies
Chocolately Chocolate Chip Cookies

Loaves and Muffins
Raisin Muffins
Apple Loaf ~
Orange Loaf ~

Other
Lemon Pie
Granola Bars
Brownies

~ from the More with Less Cookbook (can be found on my sidebar if you want to check it out).
** During the week it is just Miss Pear and I for lunch, so we eat some strange lunches....

Talking a safetly hazard????

You have got to be kidding me:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5472927

Since when is a chatty toddler on a plane a safety hazard???

There have been more and more stories about families with young children having problems on planes lately and it is kind of bugging me when I think about our September trip to visit our families back in Canada. It is a 3 day drive just adults (with Miss Pear, who knows how long it would take!), so we are flying, but stories like this make me wonder if airlines really want the business of families flying.

Crayons and Glue - Deal Alert

We were at Wal-Mart on Tuesday, and when we hit the Crayola aisle, the clerk was quick to point out the back to school deals!

Crayola 24 pack of crayons - $0.20
Elmers Glue Stick (2 pack of .21oz goes on purple dries clear) $0.20

Safety scissors and other stuff was also on sale, but I was only interested in crayons and glue, and for $1.40 we are stocked up and so is our gift cupboard!

Head on over to Crystal's for great Frugal Friday Ideas!

If you are just popping in for Frugal Friday, and are not a regular visitor - Welcome! I am about 4 posts in to a series on Freezer Meals which definitely saves us time and money!

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue

In Part 3 of the Freezer Meals series (all freezer meal posts are here)I decided to share two recipes with you, and I always make them together, you will see why.


I am also posting these as the Favorite Ingredients Friday Healthy Eating Edition because they are better for you that what you buy in the store, and paired with rice and veggies are a very healthy meal! Plus, with them being ready for you in the freezer, you are much more likely to eat this on a crazy day than call out for pizza or pick up fast food! At least that is true in our house!

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter
(adapted from Don't Panic cookbook on the sidebar)

6 Deboned chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese
1 clove Minced garlic
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup Flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 eggs
3/4 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. In food processor combine basil, parmesan cheese, garlic and butter. Process until well combined. Place in small pan lined with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, continue.

2. Cut a small slit in the side of the chicken breast with a boning knife, from that slit form a "pocket" in the chicken to stuff the butter into. (Can also pound the chicken out relatively flat and just roll it around the butter).

3. Stuff all chicken breasts.

4. Dredge them in the flour (very lightly, I usually skip the flour), dip them in the egg, dip them in the breadcrumbs. (I always need more egg and breadcrumbs)

5. Either place on wax paper lined pan to freeze, or on pan to cook (make sure it has sides, not like my cookie sheets!)

6. To cook, thaw chicken completely, place in pan and cook at 350F for about 35-45 minutes.


Chicken Cordon Blue
6 Deboned chicken breast halves
6 slices ham
about 6 oz of mozzarella cheese cut into sticks (use more or less depending on your preferences.
1/3 cup Flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 eggs
3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1. Cut cheese into 6 sticks that will fit in your chicken, wrap each stick in ham.

2. Cut a small slit in the side of the chicken breast with a boning knife, from that slit form a "pocket" in the chicken to stuff the ham and cheese into. (Can also pound the chicken out relatively flat and just roll it around the ham and cheese).

3. Stuff all chicken breasts.

4. Dip them in the egg, dip them in the breadcrumbs. (I always need more egg and breadcrumbs)

5. Either place on wax paper lined pan to freeze, or on pan to cook (make sure it has sides, not like my cookie sheets!)

6. To cook, thaw chicken completely, place in pan and cook at 350F for about 35-45 minutes.


So when I make these all together I:
1. Prep butter
2. Prep ham and cheese
3. Prep Chicken
4. Stuff chicken
5. Dip and bread
6. Freeze on cookie sheets and then move to freeze bags once frozen.

And I usually make a double recipe of each to really get more bang for my buck on mess. Plus, that is two packages of chicken breasts from Costco - in my area that is the best price and best quality. Also, that way I end up with two full cookie sheets, which fit perfectly in my freezer to freeze.

Well, I am off to finish preparations for Mr. Pear's birthday supper. The pork baby back ribs are in the oven, his mom is making the coleslaw, and the cake is cooking! Still need to ice the cake, make the sweet potato fries and green beans to go with it, but it is a bit early for that, so I will get the other stuff ready in the mean time! And have a rest too so that I am perky for tonight!


Next up in the series:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method

Mommyknows I need a present!

Mrs. Mommyknows is hosting this wonderful series of contests - Jammin In July - where each day she is giving something wonderful away! And all you have to do is comment and you are in!

And I am shocked to say that I won! I won a pair of Imse Vimse Training Pants from her store! I am thrilled, and was looking at these any ways because, well, it is that time, and Miss Pear is showing that she is ready to start on this.

Will let you know how wonderful these are after we get them - although I anticipate just needing to order more.....

Big Project Continues...

...with the washing of the carpets in Miss Pear's room, the upstairs hall way, the loft, and our room.

Just stairs, closets and guest room to go...

So unless it is much later tonight, the next post for freezer meals will be tomorrow, when my back recovers.

The carpets look wonderful, so it is definitely worth the very hard work!

Oh, and FedEx is bringing me a special package tomorrow, I am thrilled, and once I play with it some I will tell you all about it.

Freezer Meals - My Usual Method

In what is officially part 2 of my freezer meals series (part 1, all other freezer meal posts), I thought I would do Kitchen Tip Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday talking about the method I usually use for keeping my freezer stocked of meals that just need to be thawed and cooked!

As I already mentioned, I like to have meals in the freezer for the convenience factor to make errand day easier (we have one car, so I have to pick Mr. Pear up at work right before supper, so we need easy), and Sundays be family day all day, and a rest for all of us.

My method is super easy. My week is broken up into the following:
Monday - Downstairs cleaning day, clothes laundry
Tuesday - Upstairs cleaning day, linens laundry
Wednesday - Kitchen Day
Thursday - Project Day
Friday - Errand Day (or a second project day), clothes laundry

On kitchen day I make the equivalent of two meals for us - one to eat, one to freeze. Most weeks I make a second set of two meals and freeze both. That is it, that is my big secret for keeping my freezer stocked. I originally posted about this by saying to just think double in the kitchen, that is a big part of this - why just make 1 when the same mess can yield two or even more!

Of course, if I am making meatballs I buy a 6 lb package of ground beef (bulk buy saves money, but I try to get it on sale or at Costco for the best price), and cook it all up, which makes 6 meals for us.

If I am making meatloaf I again use the 6 lb package and make 3 x 2 lb loafs (recipe coming later in series).

If I am making hamburgers I again buy the 6 lb package and make them all up, freezing them on a cookie tray on waxed paper with waxed paper in between each layer, then cutting the waxed paper and putting the frozen patties in a freezer bag.

I also use my slow cooker a lot on kitchen day to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce or tortilla soup.

However, I stick to trying to group things together. If I get a good price on ground beef, I will buy 12 lbs and make it all into stuff. If I have to cook ground turkey, I will try to make two things that both need cooked ground turkey so that I can combine tasks and be done quicker!

So on kitchen day I make the meal we are having that night, and while it is cooking I make the other set for the freezer, or if Miss Pear wants to play in the kitchen I will do most of it in the morning, we are flexible about when that happens!

To help me keep organized, I have a list of things I ALWAYS have in the freezer in addition to an assortment of meals:
hamburger patties
meatballs
spaghetti sauce (I use this for lasagna too)
taco chili

and my lunch stash, which I will talk about later in the series.

I will talk about how I plan for my kitchen cooking day after I talk about Once A Month Cooking as the planning and prep is the same for both, it is just a question of how long your lists are!


Next up in the series:
- Once a month cooking - at least it is my explanation of it!
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).

Why Freezer Meals?

So I thought that I would start this freezer meals series with the obvious place to start - no, not with a picture of my freezer, it needs to be defrosted, and nobody needs to see that (Yeah, I am shocked, too, I was sure it would defrost in the move but our movers were too efficient!)!

I think the obvious place to start is why I do freezer meals, and the reasons are the same whether it is an all out marathon cook, or the slow and steady method I usually use when my sanity is in tact and I realize that making 50 meals in one day is insanity!

I use my freezer to store meals because there are days I do not want to be in the kitchen - on Sundays, on errand day, when someone is sick and needs extra attention, when it has just been a long week and I need some help, the reasons are numerous, but there are just days I want to open my freezer, pull something out, thaw it, cook it, and be done with it!

By freezer cooking I find that I can be buying the larger packages of meat and using them efficiently, thereby saving money! It also makes it possible for me to buy the meat at Costco, thereby saving money and getting a better cut of meat too!

It is possible to do freezer meals if you only have the freezer in your fridge, the friend who taught me about it uses only that! So if you do not have a separate freezer, stick with me, I am keeping you in mind as I write this, and while OAMC (once a month cooking) will likely not be a good option for you, my method likely will be.

I use freezer meals because I save money, it makes my life easier, it makes Sunday family day all day, and it makes it easier to serve my family healthy meals consistently!

So, how about you? Why do you use freezer meals? Or why do you think you would like to?

Next up:
- My usual method
- Once a month cooking
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- Tips for converting your favorite recipes to freezer recipes
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).

Another big project started....

We started another big project today - cleaning our carpets.

I don't think I fully realized what a big job it was going to be!

The good news is that the downstairs is done (and it looks great!), leaving the stairs and the upstairs.

The bad news is that I am wiped out!

Menu Plan Monday - July 9

Saturday - Orange Beef Broccoli Stir Fry *
Sunday - Orange Apricot Glazed Pork Chops *
Monday - Enchilada Meatballs
Tuesday - Pepperoni and Sausage Lasagna
Wednesday - Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts *
Thursday - Mr. Pear's Birthday - Ribs, Sweet Potato Fries, Coleslaw
Friday - Best Ever Meatloaf *

* These recipes were prepared during the marathon cooking session last Friday. Recipes will be coming in the next week or so as part of the bloggy series I am doing on freezer meals.

Freezer Meals

Wow, I was surprised how many comments and emails I have received in my recent posts about freezing meals, but when I thought back, this has been the case every time I have talked about freezing meals.

So in the next three weeks I will share how I usually do my freezer cooking, and how I keep track of it, I will also share the recipes I used, and the cookbooks I prefer to help me. I guess it will be a mini-series.

Also, I quickly went back and added the "freezer meals" to any post that has recipes or information about doing freezer meals. I am not generally a once a month cooking gal, although I guess you could argue that I just did a month and a half cook, but that is the first, and probably last time for a very long time that I will do that, I prefer the method I usually use.

So posts to begin likely Monday.

For those of you who asked questions, a lot of the answers can be found if you click on freezer meals on the right.

If there is something specific you would like me to talk about or a question you would like me to answer, please post it, and I will try.

The New House Marathon Cook

Updated a second time to add the method I used to freeze these meals, guided instructions for each method can be found here.
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Updated for final quantities - the pork chops were a double thickness so we cut them in half length wise, and I only got 3 bags each of spaghetti and soup rather than 4, but that is okay!

I am glad we did this today, it will help us tremendously through the hot season and the rest of the house projects that need to be done this summer, along with at least one more business trip for Mr. Pear before September. However, we are all exhausted!
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Our freezer was a bit on the bare side for prepared meals, and with my MIL here we decided to do a marathon cook to restock the freezer and make the summer months easier.

So far we have put the following in the freezer:
6 lbs meatballs (6 meals) (cook, cool, use freezer bag method -fb)
Orange Beef Broccoli Stir Fry (4 meals) (fb)
Lazy Lasagna (3 meals, one is for tonight) (in casserole - 1 9x13, 2 9x9)
Taco Pie (4 meals) (pie plates)
7 x 1 cup cooked, diced chicken (fb)
12 diced sweet peppers (fb)

The following are in the slow cookers to be frozen when they are done
Tortilla Soup (3 meals) (fb)
Spaghetti Sauce (3 meals) (fb)

The following still need to be done once we have all had our rests:
Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts (12) (freeze on cookie sheets line with wax paper and then move to freezer bags)
Chicken Cordon Blue (12) (freeze on cookie sheets line with wax paper and then move to freezer bags)
Enchiladas (chicken is cooked, it is all assembly) (4 meals) (casserole)
Orange Apricot Glazed Pork Chops (8 meals) (fb)
Best Ever Meatloaf (3 meals) (mix together, freeze raw with fb method, then thaw, press into loaf pan and cook)

Grand Total of:
50 meals for our family
Plus the chicken ready to go, plus the peppers ready to go.

We also had to make our Master Baking Mix that we use instead of Bisquick or Krusteaz because they are made on the same line as peanut products and we have had trouble in the past.

The way I freeze meals, most of these will be good for at least 3-4 months. In about a month or so, on Kitchen Day each week, I will begin making a meal or two for the freezer each week so that even once we are not using mostly this, I will still have a freezer meal to pull out on errand day and Sundays.

Tortilla Soup

We love this recipe, it is best made in the slow cooker, frozen, and then pulled out for a meal later on. It is never as good on the first day as it is after it has been in the freezer for a bit! I am making this today as part of my marathon freezer cooking session!

Tortilla Soup

6 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 cloves minced garlic
3 x 14 oz cans chicken broth
4 x 14 oz stewed tomatoes pureed
2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 cups salsa
2 tbsp cumin
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Serve with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and tortilla chips

Add all ingredients except cilantro to slow cooker.

Cook on high for 6 hours, then on low until serving time.

During last half hour of cooking time, add cilantro.

Freeze using the freezer bag method.