Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)
• 12 flour tortillas
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – if desired

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt
2. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
3. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
4. Toss all items into a ziplock bag and freeze

 

To Serve in a Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
2. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings

To Serve in a Crockpot

1. Dump into a crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours (high 3-4)
2. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings

Lasagna Roll-Ups

 Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 (28oz.) jar pasta sauce
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten
12 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Assembly:
Brown beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally to break up beef; drain. Mix pasta sauce, basil and oregano in small bowl; stir 1 cup spaghetti sauce mixture into beef. Reserve remaining sauce mixture.

Mix ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella, 1/3 c. Parmesan and egg in medium bowl. On each lasagna noodle, spread about 1/4 c. ricotta mixture. Top with 1/3 c. beef mixture. Roll up each noodle from the short end; lay each roll, seam side down, in lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour reserved spaghetti sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap. Cover with aluminum foil. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Discard plastic wrap. Recover with foil. Preheat oven to 350. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/01/lasagna-roll-ups-by-jackie.html

Freezer Calzones

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough or 2lbs or store bought pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
Your choice of filling
Ham and Cheese with seasoning
Pepperoni and Cheese

Preheat the Oven to 450°F

Divide the Dough: Divide the dough into equal pieces. Six pieces make good dinner-sized calzones. Eight pieces make nice smaller calzones for lighter meals and lunches.

Using a rolling pin or your hands, work the dough into flat circles, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 

Scoop filling onto one half of the dough and fold the other half over the filling. Seal the edges. Repeat with the other seven pieces of dough.
         For Method #1, fold the top of the dough over the filling and press to seal. If you have enough dough, you can roll that edge up (simply fold it over on itself) to form a more secure seal.
          For Method #2, pick the calzone up in both hands and press edges tightly to seal. Set the calzone back on the work surface and press lightly to distribute the filing evenly.

Transfer calzones to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake the Calzones: Brush calzones (the ones not wrapped in parchment) with olive oil or butter, if desired. This gives the calzones a nice golden color, but is not necessary. Slice steam vents in the top of the calzones with a sharp knife.

Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the calzones are golden, browned on the edges, and the filling is bubbly. And don't worry if some filling spills out - there always seems to be at least one explosive calzone in every batch!

Eat or Freeze Calzones: Allow to cool a few minutes before eating so you don't burn your mouth. Let leftover calzones cool completely, then wrap each individual calzone tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer to a plastic freezer bag and freeze.

Reheat Calzones: Thaw the calzone for a few hours in the fridge, or extend the cooking time to re-heat from frozen. If you put one in your lunch bag in the morning, it will be thawed enough by lunchtime. Unwrap from the plastic before reheating.

Reheat them in the microwave in one-minute bursts on HIGH until heated through (2-3 minutes total), or in the oven or a toaster oven at 300° until heated through.

Recipe adapted from http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-calzones-and-freez-151276and http://motheronamission.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/homemade-freezer-calzones/

(6-8 Calzones) Recipe provided by Amanda

Spinach or Meat Lasagna Roll ups

· 1 lb. lasagna noodles
· 15 oz. cottage cheese (or ricotta)
· 1 cup shredded mozzarella
· ¼ cup grated parmesan
· 8 oz. cooked and rinsed ground beef (turkey or sausage) 
Or 10 oz. Spinach
· 2½ cups marinara sauce
· salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Boil noodles.
2. While the noodles are boiling, prepare the filling. Combine the meat(or spinach) in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, freshly grated pepper and about ¼ tsp of salt. Mix until well combined.
3. On a clean surface, lay out a few noodles at a time. Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover from edge to edge. Filling doesn't need to be very thick. Make sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the noodles.

For cooking today:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.

2. Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish. Pour the marinara sauce over the rolled noodles making sure to cover all surfaces. The sauce will keep the noodles moist and soft while baking.

3. Cover the dish in foil and bake for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot.

Freezing Instructions: Roll the noodles up and place on a cookie sheet and flash freezer (place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to freeze just enough to bag into gallon sized Ziploc bag). When ready to cook, thaw overnight in the fridge and follow above cooking directions.

 Recipe changed slightly but adapted from: http://freezermealsforus.blogspot.ca

Recipe provided by Amanda

Chicken Quesadillas

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or seasoning of choice)
1/2 tsp pepper (or seasoning of choice)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
8-10 flour tortillas
2 cups cheese, grated (I use a mix of Pepper Jack, Quesadilla and Cheddar)

In large skillet, cook chicken with garlic powder and pepper until thoroughly cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Fry each tortillas in skillet, then place on a cookie sheet. Top half of each tortilla with cheese,  the chicken mixture, sprinkle on Jalapenos, and top with  more cheese. Fold in half and press gently and place in Ziploc freezer bag or wrap for the freezer. (I like to cook them all on the griddle it helps to melt the cheese so the tortillas stick together.)

On cooking day: Preheat oven to 375F. Do not thaw! Simply place the Quesadillas on the cookie sheet straight from the freezer, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is fully melted. (or you can use the microwave or toaster oven for a few minutes) Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream.

(8-10 Quesadillas) Recipe provided by Amanda

Bacon and Gouda Chicken

4 – 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8-oz Smoked Gouda or other cheese (your preference)
Chopped Bacon (amount is based on preference)

To Freeze: Make a slit in each chicken breast (do not cut all the way through) place a slice of cheese(or sprinkle shreeded cheese) and bacon into the slit, Secure with a toothpick or skuer if necessary. Place Chicken into a ziploc bag and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw chicken and  Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~30-40 minutes.
Serve with Avocado Ranch or BBQ as a dipping sauce

Recipe provided by Amanda

Crock Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken

2 Strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 tbsp Garlic Seasoning

1 (1oz) Packet Dry Ranch Mix

1 (10.75 oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup (or homemade substitute)

1 cup sour cream

1 lbs. Chicken (I used 5 chicken breast)

Serve with Pasta or Rice

Mix Bacon, Garlic, Ranch, Cream of Chicken and Sour Cream. Pour over Chicken.

To Freeze: Place in a Gallon Freezer Bag. Freeze Flat.

To Sever: Thaw for 8 hours or overnight. Spray slow cooker with non-cooking spray (I use an oil water spray bottle…1 part olive oil 2 parts water) Cook on low 3-4 hours or high for 6 (You can place all ingredients in the crockpot frozen…cooking time will vary) Pull/shred chicken and serve over rice or pasta

Serves 5

Recipe slightly adapted from Kelly’s Hatfield Kitchen

Recipe Provided by Amanda

Easy Apricot Chicken

4 – 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8-oz Apricot Necture or Juice (or puree mixed with water)
1 Jar (aprox 12oz) Apricot Preserves/Jam
1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

To Freeze: Plce Chicken into a ziploc bag (If your chicken breasts are frozen, no need to defrost)
Sprinkle the entire Onion Soup Mix over the top then pour the juice and Apricot preserves over the top and kind of “mush” it all together with a spoon.

To Serve: Thawed or Frozen you can cook in a crockpot for 4-6 hours or Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~1.5 hours. (You can cook it for a shorter time if the chicken isn’t frozen)
Eat with rice.

Recipe provided by Amanda

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4-5 Chicken Breast (cut into bite size pecies)
3/4 Cup Sugar
4 Tablespoons Ketchup
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients (except chicken) whisk until smooth. Pour evenly over the chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce covers/coats all of it.

To Freeze: Pour Contents into 1 gallon size ziplock bag. Freeeze Flat.  

To Serve: Thaw in fridge for 8 or more hours (pour into a 8x8 dish if not frozen in one) add vegtables or rice if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 Minutes or until chicken is fully cooked (flip or mix chicken ever 15 minutes).

Recipe serves 4-5

Recipe provided by Amanda

Turkey and Noodle Casserole

2-10 oz. Cans of Cream of Chicken (I used homemade cream of chicken)
1 ½  cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Milk
3 ½ cups Cooked, Shredded Turkey or Chicken
3 cups Cooked Egg Noodles (I used Bow Tie Pasta)
1 ½ Cups Frozen Veggies (I used mixed vegtables)
Pepper to taste
Crushed Ritz Crackers

In a skillet combine soup and cheese. Gradually stir in milk and cook over medium heat until cheese is melted. Add in Turkey, Cooked noodles and Veggies. Add Pepper to taste.

To Freeze: Let contents cool and either pour into 2 - 8x8 baking dishes, or 2 gallon size ziplock bags.

To Serve: Thaw in fridge for 8 or more hours (pour into a 8x8 dish if not frozen in one) add Crushed Ritz Crackers and Extra Cheese if Desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 Minutes or until heated through.

Recipe Makes 5 Meals (Each meal fills 1 8x8 pan)

Recipe provided by Amanda

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

12 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
6 cups chicken breast, chopped
5 cups chopped broccoli, lightly steamed (can use frozen or fresh)
5 cans cream of chicken soup (or Mushroom or Celery)(Made Gluten Free – 2.5c Milk, 2.5c Chicken broth, 10 Tsp Cornstarch)
5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

To freeze: Divide into five freezer bags and seal tightly. Freeze flat.

To serve: Thaw overnight (or for 8 hours) in the refrigerator. Dump into a greased casserole dish Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese, if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

Recipe Makes 5 Meals (Each meal fills 1 8x8 pan)

Recipe provided by Amanda