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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.