Meal Plan - March 31, 2017

The goal for the next two weeks is the clear the freezer. Every time I meal plan there is at least one meal that we don't end up making. Whether because we have too many leftovers or we end eating out an extra night. I freeze any of the ingredients that I can and save them for another meal plan. I keep doing this for weeks, sometimes months. Once I get a good collection, or things are starting to get a little too frosty, I meal plan based on what is in the freezer and in the pantry.

I was a little surprised at how much extra food there was in the freezer; 5 lbs of ground beef is a little excessive. We definitely didn't have to buy any protein and there was still a good amount of vegetables chilling in the freezer. So here is what I planned from our stash!

Korean Beef
Slow cooker beef stroganoff
Copycat Taco Time deluxe mexi-fries
Lemony garlic shrimp with veggies
Parmesan spaghetti with peas
Toasted pasta with sausage and peppers
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Thai Beef Satay (leftover from last meal plan)

As I'm going these links I see that I really need to up my game on posting new recipes. I could have sworn I already posted some of these but apparently not...

Pizza Spirals

Growing up I was never a big pizza fan. I didn't mind pizza, but I wasn't the typical kid that would eat pizza all day long. Turns out I just don't like what I considering to be "typical Saskatchewan pizza". The popular pizza here seems to have a ton of meat, like inches, one slice of some unrecognizable vegetable, and a mountain of cheese. While I love the cheese, the grease from all the meat puts me off.

This pizza recipe as a couple ingredients you wouldn't normally associate with pizza, but I promise it's delicious. These tasty little spirals are perfect to keep in the freezer for last minute suppers, or to send/take for lunch. They would even make a great food to serve at a kids birthday party!

Pizza Spirals Makes approx. 40 rolls
2T olive oil
2 1/2 cups diced onion
4t minced garlic
1 cup grated carrot
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
2 loaves from bread dough
1 can tomato paste
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1t oregano
1t basil
1t salt

Sauté onions, garlic, carrots and zucchini in oil over medium high heat. Set aside to cool.
Roll pizza tough to a rectangle (or as best you can manage) that is about 1/4" thick. Spread a layer of tomato paste over the dough. Sprinkle on oregano, basil and salt. Add on an even layer of the choose vegetables and top with shredded mozzarella.

Using a pizza wheel, cut the rectangle into 1" wide strips. Roll the strips up to form a spiral. Lay the spirals on a parchment lied baking sheet and bake for 350 for 15-18 minutes.

To freeze: Bake as directed and allow to cool. Place in a freezer bag and freeze.
To serve: Thaw and reheat in the microwave.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

If I want to guarantee that Roman is going to eat supper, I know that it has to include to things; chicken and cheese. This recipe is chalk full of those two ingredients, but also adult enough for John and I. I love chicken cordon bleu, but who has time for the stuffing, breading, and baking. This casserole takes a classic dish and makes it quick and simple. It also freezes extremely well, so you can make a few and stash them for another day!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
4 chicken breasts, chopped
300g sliced deli style black forest ham
300g sliced Swiss cheese*

Sauce
4T butter
4T flour
3 cups milk
2T lemon juice
1T Dijon mustard
1 1/2t salt
1/2t paprika
1/2t pepper

Topping
4T butter, melted
1 1/4cup Panko
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking dish with oil. Layer in chicken, ham & cheese. Set aside.

In a small pot, melt sauce butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Turn heat to high and cook until it thickens and boils. Remove the pot from the heat and add remaining sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over base layer in the baking dish.

Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

When the cheese melts and mixes with the sauce and runs down and coats the ham and chicken, magical things happen. The crunch of the topping is perfect and is a great contrast to the gooey interior. The mustard also gives the casserole and nice little zing without being overpowering. DEFINITELY a family favorite!

Meal Plan - March 17, 2017

Last week was filled with solid standby meals that I love to fall back on in a pinch. Mostly because I put off meal planning until the last minute. I think we're finally getting sick of the chicken tostadas so that one will have to take a break for awhile. Salisbury steak is always a family favorite. It was Bianca's first time have it and she gobbled it up. Not too surprising, as she loves everything beef. John and I often joke that she'll be the girl who orders the biggest burger on the menu on her first date. I love the chicken and spinach burgers because they are so versatile. John and Roman like to eat them on a bun like a traditional burger, while Bianca and I like them with rice and veggies and eat them more like a chicken steak of sorts.

Food, food, food, I love food. I know I'm not the only person that could sit on Pinterest for hours searching through the endless array of delicious looking photos. I try to switch up our meals plans every so often so we don't get too bored. That being said, I've also been trying to eat a little extra healthy, but the meals also have to be something that John and the kids also want to eat. Easy right? *insert eye roll*.

This week I added two new recipes to the list; coconut curry chicken meatballs and Thai beef stay. Chicken nuggets were the free item at Superstore this week, so I have food for the kids if they really hate it haha.

Coconut curry chicken meatballs
Thai beef satay
Homemade pizza
Pizza pull-aparts
Chicken enchiladas
Lasagna
Chicken packets
Turkey Swedish meatballs

Happy eating!

Chicken Quesadillas

I have a long standing love with the chicken quesadilla that dates back all the way to high school. I remember going to Boston Pizza with my friends and ordering the most delicious chicken quesadilla. Once I hit my college days, living away from home for the first time, and having surviving on student loans and part time job, the luxury of the BPs quesadilla was only for special occasions.

I however would not give up so easy! I spent many nights in my apartment attempting to perfect this tasty meal. I was a big nerd so I did indeed have a lot of time to perfect it. I tried using one of those quesadilla machines, and it worked okay, but having a piece of equipment strictly to cook quesadillas is a bit much. That and I lost it in a move...

Chicken Quesadillas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup chopped green onion
2 cups chopped bell pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar
8 - 10" tortillas
salsa and sour cream for dipping!

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and heat to medium-high. Lay one tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Layer on 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 cup green onion, 1/2 cup bell pepper, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and top with another tortilla.

Here is the secret!!! Sit a large plate on top of the top tortilla and weigh is down with something substantial, I like to use my Brita water jug.

Cook the quesadilla for 1-2 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla is nicely toasted. Remove the water jug and plate. Using a flipped, toss the quesadilla onto the other side. Top with the plate and weight again, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Slide the quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut it into slices.

The weight of the Brita helps the cheese to stick the two tortillas together. This way you can dip your quesadilla without all the filling falling out! Genius right!? Now I really want a quesadilla....

Moon Dough

Winter can be tough with little kids indoors. There are only so long they are entertained with their toys before they get bored and need something more. Even with our trips out of the house several times a week, Roman still gets bored. This is by far Roman's favorite homemade dough I've ever made. He thought it looked just like pavement, and spent hours building roads with his construction equipment. When he was done, I scooped it all into a large freezer bag and sealed it up.

Moon Dough
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup water
Black craft paint
Silver glitter

In a large, easy to wash bowl, mix together the baking soda and water. Add as much or as little paint and glitter as you like. Enjoy!

If you have a light colored or wood table that you don't want colored black I highly recommend putting something down for the kids to play on. I wasn't too concerned about our table and it had a grey hue to it for a few weeks before the color finally wore off. You'll probably want to strip the kids down too, just to be safe.

Meal Plan - March 3, 2017

Well, all the new recipes from the last meal plan were a it! So much in fact, that a couple are being included in this meal plan too! We all loved the chicken burgers, chicken enchiladas and honey teriyaki chicken. I love when the recipes that are good for you actually turn out to be delicious as well! I was most surprised by the chicken enchiladas. I like a lot of sauce and I was nervous that they were going to be dry, but they were perfect!

We're having some weird weather here lately (mother nature can't decide if it's winter or spring), so I have a mix of recipes. I'm really hoping to be able to actually cook the burgers on the BBQ instead of in a frying pan this time, so hopefully the weather will cooperate. I came across a bag of alfredo sauce in the freezer, so I figured I should use it up. I actually found a lot of food in the freezer that I'm going to try to use up in the next couple weeks.

Chicken guacamole tostadas
Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and green beans
Special skating supper (Cheesy chicken and rice)
Homemade burgers
Pizza
Chicken and spinach burgers
Beef stew
Chicken and mushroom alfredo
Salmon and veggies

Chicken Apple Bites

Baby food isn't always just for babies. Well, this isn't exactly baby food but I did find this recipe in my baby food cookbook, First Meal by Annabell Karmel. What started out as a great finger food for Roman when he was little, has morphed into one of my favorite freezer cooking meals. I love anything in meatball form for freezer cooking because they are easy to make in a large quantity, freeze easily, and can be reheated all at once or in small batches. The original recipe suggested frying the bites, but to save time and to make them a little healthier, I've decided to bake mine in the oven.

The apple in these bites might seen add when paired with chicken, but trust me when I tell you it is delicious! The apple gives the chicken a subtle sweetness that is tasty, and ensures that even the pickiest eater will gobble these up. My only suggestion? Keep a close eye on your bites because mine tend to disappear from the cooling racks...

Chicken Apple Bites
1 large apple, grated
1lb ground chicken
1/2t onion powder
1T minced parsley
1 cup panko
1T chicken stock (water also works)
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls using a small ice cream scoop. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.

To Freeze: Bake as directed and allow bites to cool completely. Flash freeze and transfer to a freezer bag.
To Serve: Thaw and reheat in the oven or microwave

I love these for supper but they are also great for lunches. They are quick and easy to reheat which makes them perfect for getting food into a screaming toddler as fast as possible. Not that I would know anything about that...