It’s time to re-stock the freezer. The Before-School-Starts freezer meals I made are mostly gone, and there’s a long stretch of busy winter still ahead. These recipes would make six meals for a larger family, but they will be 12 for us, including leftovers.
Meals:
Turkey Meatballs (2 meals)
Black Bean Chili
Crockpot Turkey Meatloaf
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Honey Mustard Chicken
Cornbread (2 – 1 for meatballs, 1 for chili)
Mashed Potatoes (2 – 1 for meatloaf, 1 for Honey Mustard Chicken)
Ingredients:
Shopping List These are the main ingredients to be purchased, but check the pantry list too, in case you are low on some of those.
6 lb ground turkey
1 head garlic
2 yellow onion
1 small sweet red pepper
2 limes
5lb potatoes
3 15 oz cans seasoned black beans
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can green enchilada sauce
1 C Dijon or whole grain mustard
8 8-in tortillas
2 cups corn meal
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz sour cream
6 oz cream cheese
3 C milk
Gallon freezer bags
Disposable 9×13 pan
3 disposable 8×8 pans
2 disposable 9 in cake pans
Pantry
flour
6 slices sandwich bread
bread crumbs
butter
sugar
eggs
dried parsley
dried oregano
garlic powder
cumin
dried rosemary
onion powder
salt
pepper
vegetable oil
A1 sauce
ketchup
honey
vinegar
baking powder
Recipes:
Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients:
6 slices sandwich bread
½ C milk
4 lb ground turkey
½ yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 t dried parsley
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
Directions:
– Tear bread and place in the food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form.
– In a medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs with milk; set aside at least 5 minutes.
– In a large bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, 3 t salt, 1 t pepper, and breadcrumb mixture; mix gently with a fork.
– Form mixture into 1 inch balls; arrange in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Makes about 70 meatballs.
– To freeze, place baking sheets with meatballs in the freezer and freeze for 1 hour; transfer frozen meatballs to 2 1-gallon freezer bags.
– To cook, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sauce (bbq, marinara, alfredo…) and 1/2 cup water; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
– Serve bbq meatballs with cornbread.
Modified from: http://www.marthastewart.com/341533/light-turkey-meatballs
Black Bean Chili
Ingredients:
1 T vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
3 15 oz cans seasoned black beans
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
Directions:
– Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil.
– Add ground turkey and brown.
– Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer on the stove for 1 hour.
– To freeze, let cool and ladle into gallon Freezer bags. Lay flat to freeze for faster thawing.
– To cook, remove chili from the freezer and place in refrigerator 12 -24 hours before serving, to thaw. After thawing, reheat chili in a sauce pan on the stove.
– Serve with cornbread.
Crockpot Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients:
½ yellow onion
1 small red bell pepper
1 beaten egg
1 lb ground turkey
1 C bread crumbs
1 t salt
½ t black pepper
1 t dried oregano
1/3 C A1 sauce
1/3 C ketchup
Directions:
– In a food processor, pulverize the onion and pepper.
– In a large bowl combine all ingredients EXCEPT ketchup and mix well
– To freeze, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, shape into a loaf the will fit into your slow-cooker. Freeze on sheet for 1 hour, then remove to a freezer bag.
– To cook, Spray the bottom and sides of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the meatloaf inside. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Top with ketchup about 30 minutes before serving.
– Serve with mashed potatoes.
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
5 T honey
juice of 2 limes
1 t garlic powder
2 t cumin
8 8-in flour tortillas
12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
15 oz green enchilada sauce
½ c milk
Directions:
– In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, garlic, and cumin.
– Add cooked chicken and stir together.
– Stir the cheese into the chicken mixture.
– Place ½ C of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a disposable 9×13 pan.
– Place about 1/3 C of chicken/cheese mixture into each tortilla, roll, and place seam-side down into pan.
– Combine the remaining enchilada sauce with the milk and pour over the enchiladas.
– To freeze, cover tightly with plastic wrap, then heavy duty foil.
– To cook, remove to the refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours. When completely thawed, remove foil and plastic wrap and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with extra cheese, if desired.
Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 C Dijon or whole grain mustard
½ C honey
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T dried rosemary
Ingredients:
– Whisk together mustard, honey, vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
– Place raw chicken breasts in a freezer bag and pour mustard mixture over chicken.
– Ensure the sauce mixture covers chicken.
– To freeze, lay flat in freezer.
– To cook, remove chicken to refrigerator to thaw 24 hours before serving. Preheat oven to 425. Line a 9×13 dish with aluminum foil. Place chicken and sauce in dish and bake for about 40 minutes. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
5 lb potatoes
2 T butter, softened
1 C sour cream
6 oz sour cream
½ t onion powder
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
Directions:
– Cube potatoes and boil for 10 – 15 minutes, until tender. Drain.
– In a large bowl, mash potatoes with butter.
– Stir in sour cream, cream cheese, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
– To freeze, spray 3 8×8 square or 9 in round disposable pans with cooking spray. Split potatoes between the pans. Cover with plastic wrap and heavy duty foil and let cool to room temperature before placing in the freezer.
– To cook, remove to the refrigerator and let thaw overnight. Remove foil and plastic wrap. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.
adapted from <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/freezer-mashed-potatoes” target=”_blank”>http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/freezer-mashed-potatoes
Corn Bread
Ingredients:
2 C flour
2 C cornmeal
1 1/3 C sugar
4 t baking powder
2 t salt
2 egg
2 C milk
2/3 vegetable oil
Directions:
– Stir together dry ingredients.
– Mix in the wet ingredients.
– Grease 2 9-in disposable cake pans.
– Pour ½ of the batter in to each cake pan.
– Bake at 350 for 25 – 20 minutes.
– To freeze, cover fully cooked and cooled corn bread with plastic wrap and heavy duty foil. Place in freezer.
– To serve, thaw cornbread for 2 hours on counter.
original reipe found at <a href="http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/sweet-cornbread-recipe.html” target=”_blank”>http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/sweet-cornbread-recipe.html
There are lots of slow cooker potato soup recipes out there. I tweaked this one to be lighter.
My Digital Recipe Box 