Chicken and Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Package of boneless chicken...chopped
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Box Stove Top Stuffing
1/2 and onion chopped
2 Cans Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

-   Cook chicken and onions in a fry pan....season the meat
-   Mix everything alse in....and then you can freeze this!
-   When ready to use, throw into the slow cooker for about 3-4 hours.

Crock Pot Taco Bake

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 an onion chopped
1 package taco seasoning
2 1/2 C dry macaroni noodles
1 C (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 C of water
1 8oz package of shredded cheese

Directions:

-   Brown ground beef and onion
-   Combine beef mixture with the rest of the ingredients ... EXCEPT for the cheese, and freeze!
-   Place frozen mixture into slow cooker.
-   Cook on low for 5 hours
-   Minutes prior to serving, and cheese and stir.

**  We topped ours off with crushed corn chips, and think that the next time, we will even add a dallop of light sour cream!  YUMMY!!!!  :)

Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

2 lbs of hamburger
1 chopped yellow onion
2 cans Cream of Celery soup
1 C green beans
1 C corn  (again, we used mixed frozen veggies)
6 C mashed potatoes
2 C grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

-  Brown hamburger and onion
-  Combine meat mixture, veggies and soup together
-  **  At this point, we freeze the mixture for later use!  :)
-   Place mixture in crock pot
-   Place mashed potatoes on the top.  (We used instant potatoes for simplicity's sake!)
-   Cover the top with cheese
-   Cook on low for about 6 hours
-   Remove the cover for the last 30 minutes or so to allow the extra liquid to evaporate from around the edges.

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1/3 C butter
1/3 C flour
1/2 C chopped onion
1 3/4 C chicken broth
2/3 C milk
3 C chopped chicken
1 C peas
1 C carrots
1 refrigerated ready to use pie crust!
salt & pepper to taste

**  NOTE:  For veggies, we used a bag of frozen mixed veggies, so we also had green beans and corn.  :)

Directions:

-   In sauce pan, heat butter and onion
-   Stir until butter is melted, and add flour
-   Stir until mixed well
-   Add milk and chicken broth and stir well
-   Add peas, carrots and chicken
-   (At this point, we freeze this mixture to be used when needed.)
-   Cook on low for 6 hours
-   For last hour to hour and a half of cooking, lay the pie crust in a single layer on top
-   Enjoy!  :)

Italian Chicken

Ingredients:
8 chicken breasts
2 pkgs dry zesty Italian Dressing  (See recipe below!)
2 blocks of softened cream cheese
2-4 cans of cream of chicken soup  (depending how creamy you want it)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients....EXCEPT for the chicken.  :)    Put sauce mixture in freezer bag, and add in chicken breasts.  (You will need 2 freezer bags!)    Thaw when needed & place in slow cooker for 6 hours on low.  Serve with your favourite dish!

Zesty Dry Italian Dressing Mix
1T garlic salt
1T onion powder
1T white sugar
2T dried oregano
1t ground black pepper
1/4t dried thyme
1t dried basil
1T dried parsley
1/4t celery salt
1T salt   (The original recipe calls for 2T...but we found it wayyyy too salty....and we LOVE salt!)  :)

**  Remember, you will need to double the dressing mix!   This was a huge hit!  Hope you enjoy!!!

The Grocery List!!!!

Meat

8 racks of baby back ribs

76 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken (buy them frozen, save a bundle)

16 breasts of chicken (bone in)

3 trays of chicken thighs

20 lbs of ground beef

2 x 10lb ham shanks

4 toupie hams

24 pork chops (we used pork loin chops)

8 pork loins

2 large roasts (whatever cut you like, personally like the prime or sirloin)

Veggies

1 lg bag frozen baby carrots (Cash & Carry)

1 medium bag of frozen corn (Cash & Carry)

2 medium bags of yellow potatoes (need about 32 potatoes)

1 medium bag of frozen green beans (Cash & Carry)

20 cups of mashed potatoes (buy the instant ones, don't waste your precious time)

1 lg bag of frozen chopped onions (Cash & Carry)

1 medium bag of frozen peas (Cash & Carry) 

Canned Goods

3 lg cans of chicken broth (Cash & Carry)

8 small cans of cream of celery soup

4 lg cans of cream of chicken soup (Cash & Carry)

1 lg can of cream of mushroom soup (Cash & Carry)

2 small cans of golden mushroom soup (only can be found at Sobey's)

4 bottles of your favourite BBQ sauce

4 cans of diced tomatoes

3 bottles of French Dressing

4 bottles of peach preserves (smuckers was all I could find)

4 small cans of sliced mushrooms

1 500ml bottle of honey

Miscellaneous

1 bottle of balsamic vinegar (need about 1 cup)

6 cups of brown sugar

1 bottle of canola oil (need about 4 tbsp)

4 pkgs of cashew nuts (baking isle)

10 cups of dry macaroni noodles

1 bottle of ketchup (need about 8 tbsp)

2 boxes of lasagna noodles (need about 24 noodles)

6 pouches of onion soup mix

6 cups of rice

1 bottle of rice wine vinegar (need about 2 tbsp)

1 lg bottle of soya sauce

4 bottle of spaghetti sauce

4 boxes of StoveTop stuffing (Cash & Carry)

4 pkgs taco seasoning (Cash & Carry)

4 cans of whole cranberry sauce

1 bottle of white wine (can be cooking wine - need about 2 cups)

1 small bag of flour (need about 5 2/3 cups)

2 x 2L gingerale

1 carton of orange juice (need 2 cups)

2 pkgs of ready to use pie crust

Dairy

4 blocks of butter (need about 6 2/3 cups - DON'T use margarine, for the love)

16 cups of grated cheddar cheese (Cash & Carry)

8 blocks of cream cheese (can be the "light" version if you want)

4 eggs

1 container of Parmesean Cheese (Costco)

1700g of Ricotta Cheese (best deal, Superstore)

2 lg tubs of sour cream

We always keep on hand:

Celery Sal, Onion Powder, Garlic Salt, Gr0und Cloves, Dried Dill, Dried Chives, Paprika, Minced Garlic (a BIG container), Mrs. Dash, Ground Sage, Ground Ginger, Dried Basil, Dried Thyme, Fresh Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, Olive Oil, Corn Starch, Salt, Pepper, White Vinegar.

If you don’t have a well stocked spice rack or your spices have been around longer than you’ve been married, invest in some.   I’ve polled some kitchen goddesses at work and their rule of thumb is spices start losing their zing after about a year.

 Here comes the Recipes:

Italian Chicken

Cranberry Chicken

Cashew Chicken

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork

Brown Sugar Ham

Chicken & Dressing

Chicken Parisienne

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Parisienne

Easy Roast Dinner

Ham & Potatoes

Peach Ham

Shepherd’s Pie

Baby Back Ribs

Taco Bake

Parmesean Honey Pork

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Teriyaki Honey Chicken

We're back with more recipes :)

Hey everyone out there in bloggerland, you might have thought we'd forgotten about cooking but you could say we've been busy. Another "meals for a month" cooking marathon is under our belts and we've learned a lot from our first experience. First. Most of the recipes you've seen on the blog to this point are good for a small family and if you're not hoping for leftovers. Well, we like our leftovers to help stretch the meals out a little longer so this time around, for each recipe we quadrupled most of the ingrediants to allow for leftovers and maybe even that unexpected guest for supper (translation, your son/daughter has a friend over and they're going to stay for supper). Second. We're always on the look out for a good meat deal. It's gotta be fantastic. And when it is, we buy, buy, buy. Just for boneless, skinless chicken breasts alone this month, we needed 76. Yep, not 75, not 77. 76. Ok, so I'm a little OCD about some things. One we get our stock pile of meat, then we pick our recipes. You will notice that this months recipes are for the most part different from what me made last month. Blame it on the sale, baby. So, sit back and enjoy this months' assortment of "meals for month".

Life Saver

I must say....having meals in the freezer can really save you if you become sick...and have NO GROCERIES in the house! :) Stay tuned for more tasty recipes...and we hope to get the shopping list posted here as well....very soon!

A learning on thawing.... :)

FYI everyone!  If your meal requires thawing, I would highly encourage you to place the bag in a bowl....as the bags CAN leak and you can lose much liquid!  :)   Thankfully, I had it sitting in a deep dish plate and it all ended up in the slow cooker!  Ah the things we learn as we go!  More recipes to come soon....so stay tuned!

Cheesy Beef and Rice

Ingredients
1C long grain rice
1 lb ground beef
1/2 t garlic powder
3 T minced onion
a pinch of salt to taste
1 C sour cream
1/3 C milk
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Boil two cups of water.  Stir in rice, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Brown ground beef with onion and garlic powder.  Mix with rice and add a bit more salt.
Stir in sour cream, milk, cheese, and stir well.  Place into a large freezer bag. 

Throw frozen mixture into the slow cooker for 5-6 hours and add some more shredded cheese on top for serving.  Makes a lovely side dish to any meal!

Planning....

Getting ready to organize some new recipes and meals for our next big cooking day.  Coming up...grocery list for the recipes that are part of February's meal plan.  Stay tuned....

A follow up to Ran.... :)

You can TOTALLY tell that was Ran's post...as I had never even used fresh herbs until this meals for a month!  But she's right....once you've used fresh...you'll never go back!  I am a convert!  :)  I have a black thumb and grow nothing....EXCEPT for green onions!!!  Yep!  That's right!  You cut off the green onions and use them, then put the white bulbs upright in water on a window sill....sun or no sun.....and within a week you will have some lovely green onions to cook with!!!!    FANTASTIC!!!!

Fresh Herbs

Even with all this snow (and a house full of people who are excited about it), I'm dreaming of what I can grow this summer to help continue our mission of eating well, without using boxed/frozen pre-packaged food.  May even try to start a little early and put together a window box herb garden.  Fresh herbs = great flavour! The next time you go to the grocery store, consider picking up one of your favorite herbs fresh! Once you use fresh, you will be hooked!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

Meatballs

·         1lb ground beef

·         Worcestershire sauce, to taste

·         3 tbsp of bread crumbs

·         Oregano, to taste

·         1 egg, slightly beaten

·         Salt & Pepper, to taste

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         2 tbsp vegetable oil 

Sauce

·         1 tbsp vegetable oil

·         ½ cup onion, chopped

·         ¾ cup brown sugar, packed

·         2 tbsp vinegar

·         1 tsp lemon juice

·         1 cup ketchup

·         2 tbsp soya sauce

Directions:

Mix all meatball ingredients (we used a mixer).  Form into balls and cook on a cookie sheet at 350°F for 15 minutes (should be browned nicely).  Remove from oven and cool.

Mix all ingredients for the sauce.  Please cooled meatballs into large Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  Thawing not required before placing in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with rice.

Pineapple Pepper Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

·         1 lb chicken breasts, raw, diced (cuts best when frozen)

·         2 cups of frozen baby carrots

·         1 cup of chicken broth

·         2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced (approx 1/2” of root)

·         1 tbsp brown sugar

·         2 tbsp soy sauce

·         ½ tsp ground allspice

·         ½ tsp red pepper sauce

·         415ml can of pineapple chunks in juice (juice drained and saved)

·         1 tbsp of cornstarch

·         1 cup of frozen, chopped red pepper

·         57g snow peas

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.  Place in large Ziploc bag and freeze.  *May not need to thaw depending on your slow cooker.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with rice

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

·         1 (2 lb) boneless pork loin

·         1 tsp ground sage

·         ½ tsp salt

·         ¼ tsp pepper

·         1 clove garlic, crushed/minced

·         1 cup water

·         ½ cup brown sugar

·         1 tbsp cornstarch

·         ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

·         2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except pork loin) together.  Place pork loin in large Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  * May not need to thaw overnight depending on your slow cooker.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite side dish.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

·         4 chicken breasts

·         1 pkg dry zesty Italian dressing  **see recipe below to make your own

·         1 block of cream cheese, softened

·         1 to 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (depending how creamy you want it)

Directions:

Blend cream cheese and soup together.  Add dry Italian dressing mix.  Place chicken breasts in large Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  * May not need to be thawed depending on your slow cooker.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite side dish.

** Zesty Dry Italian Dressing Mix

• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 tablespoons salt

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

·         ¼ cup of flour

·         ½ tsp black pepper

·         1 tbsp canola oil

·         ¼ cup soy sauce

·         2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

·         2 tbsp ketchup

·         1 tbsp brown sugar

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         ½ tsp grated fresh ginger

·         ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

·         ½ cup cashews

·         2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except cashews and place in large Ziploc bag.  Freeze.  Cook on low 5-6 hours, serve with rice.  Add cashews ½ hour before serving.

Cinnamon Pecan Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

·         4 salmon filets

·         ½ cup BBQ sauce

·         2/3 cup pecans, finely ground (can be done in a food processor)

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except salmon filets.  Place salmon in a large Ziploc bag and pour sauce overtop.  Seal bag and massage bag until all filets are coated well.  Freeze. ** Thaw overnight.  Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

Ingredients:

·         1 (2-3 lb) boneless pork roast

·         2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

·         ½ cup honey

·         3 tbsp soy sauce

·         2 tbsp dried basil

·         3 tbsp minced garlic

·         3 tbsp olive oil

·         ½ tsp salt

·         2 tbsp cornstarch

·         ¼ cold water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pork roast.  Place pork roast in large Ziploc bag.  Pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  Thawing may or may not be required depending on your slow cooker temperature.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Ingredients:

·         1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce

·         1 pkg of dried onion soup mix

·         1 cup Catalina or French dressing

·         2 tsp garlic, minced

·         2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together expect chicken.  Place chicken in large Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  Place in slow cooker frozen.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite sides.

Teriyaki Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

·         4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·         ½ cup honey

·         ½ cup soy sauce

·         ¼ cup water

·         2 tsp ground ginger

·         2 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except chicken breasts.  Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour sauce overtop.  Seal bag and massage bag until all are coated well.  Freeze. 

** Thaw overnight.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite sides.

Lemon, Rosemary & Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

·         1 (5 lb) roasting chicken

·         Salt to taste

·         Ground pepper

·         1 lemon (Sliced)

·         2 medium onions, peeled & halved

·         8 cloves and garlic, minced

·         1 bunch of fresh rosemary

·         1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag.  Freeze.  ** Thawing may or may not be required depending on your slow cooker temperature.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite sides.

Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:

·         4 – 5 salmon filets

·         2 cups frozen strawberries, chopped in a food processor

·         1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quatered

·         ½ cup green onions, chopped

·         1 tsp fresh parsley, minced

·         1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

·         1 tsp lemon juice

·         Drizzle of olive oil

·         Drizzle of honey

·         Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

If filets are not frozen, freeze.  Combine all ingredients for the salsa.  Pour into a Ziploc bag and freeze.  Wrap salmon and salsa bags together to make it easier to put together.

Thaw salsa, broil salmon for 10-15 minutes (drizzle a little lemon juice on the salmon before broiling).  After salmon is broiled, place a spoonful of salsa on top and serve with your favourite sides.

Ranch House Pork Chops

Ingredients:

·         6 pork chops, ½” thick.

·         1 pkg of dry Ranch dressing  **see recipe below to make your own

·         296 ml can of Cream of Chicken soup

Directions:

Mix together soup and ranch dressing.  Place pork chops in large Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top.  Freeze.  * Thawing may or may not be required, depending on your slow cooker temperature.  Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve with your favourite side dish.

**Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried chives
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:

·         1 lb lean ground beef

·         1 jar spaghetti sauce

·         1 cup of water

·         425g of Ricotta cheese

·         ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese

·         2 cups mozzarella cheese

·         1 egg

·         2 tbsp parsley

·         6 lasanga noodles, uncooked.

Directions:

Brown meat in large skillet and drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Cool.  Place mixture in Ziploc bag and freeze.

Mix ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg & parsley. Place mixture in Ziploc bag and freeze.

Thaw both bags overnight.  Layer: Meat sauce, broken noodles, cheese sauce, repeat.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Just before serving, top with grated mozzarella cheese and let melt.

Our New Blog!

Hey everyone!  There has been SUCH a great interest in our endeavour to make meals for a month, that we decided to create a blog where we can easily post recipes, reviews, and shopping lists!  Please stay tuned.....you'll see some recipes soon!  :)