Beef Stir-fry

4 cups frozen vegetables
1 lb beef strips
1 batch of marinade


Remove from freezer and break up frozen veggies with hands. Place in a gallon sized freezer safe bag.
Place beef, along with 3-4 tablespoons of marinade in a sandwich sized bag. Seal bag and place in gallon sized bag with the frozen veggies.
Pour remaining marinade in a sandwich sized bag and place in gallon sized bag with beef and veggies. Remove as much air as you can and seal bag. Place back in freezer until ready to make.
To cook: Remove frozen beef and marinade and let thaw completely. Stirfry meat with a little oil in a wok or large skillet for a few minutes until cooked through. Add in frozen veggies and the marinade and cook on high, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes or until all the veggies are heated through and meat is no longer pink in the center.
Serve on its own or with a side of rice.

Marinade
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2½ tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tsp. ginger root, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
(optional) few drops of hot sauce
¾ c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.


LABELS (12)
Thaw completely. Stir-fry meat with a little oil in a wok or large skillet for a few minutes until cooked through. Add in frozen veggies and the remaining marinade and cook on high, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Serve on its own or with a side of rice.

Black Bean Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey tastes so good in this recipe too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can corn (undrained)
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can beef broth
1 4 oz can diced green chilis (optional)
tortilla chips
Other taco toppings you like (cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc)

Directions:
Brown meat and onion, drain.
Stir in taco seasoning, corn, black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and green chilis. Simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings.

one option for freezer meal prep: after cooking, let soup cool down and then dump into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or other freezer container. When you want to eat it, let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and then simmer on the stove until heated all the way through or microwave until heated all the way through. You could also put it in your crock pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours to re-heat it.

12 LABELS: Thaw Prior to Cooking. Cook in Crock Pot on Low 3-4 hours.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and chips-not included. 

Asian Spaghetti

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)

1 cup fresh snow peas

3/4 cup shredded carrots

4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, snow peas, carrots and onions in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar and cayenne. Drain pasta. Add pasta and soy sauce mixture to skillet and toss to coat. Heat through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Note: If freezing meal, blanch snow peas and carrots, and saute mushrooms prior to freezing. Onions do not need to be blanched. 

Label (24): Asian Spaghetti DO NOT Thaw prior to cooking. Cook 1/2 pkg angel hair pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbl canola oil. Saute vegetables from large bag until crisp-tender. (May need to drain excess water). Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain pasta. Add pasta and sauce mixture to vegetables and toss to coat. Heat through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef

1 bottle Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

1 16oz Ricotta Cheese

1 egg

1/4 Cup Parsley Flakes

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 3 cups

Lasagna Noodles - I usually use 6 but cook 7 just in case one breaks while boiling.  I still like the ones you have to cook rather than the no cook ones.  Just me.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the Ricotta, parsley flakes, egg,  2 cups shredded cheese

Cook noodles until soft.  Brown ground beef and add spaghetti sauce.  Simmer a few minutes.

LAYER AS FOLLOWS:

A little sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan

Noodles

Cheese mixture spooned over the noodles

Sauce

Repeat the above

Put 1 cup cheese on top 

Cook for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven - cover with foil

Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes.

Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

LABEL: (12) Lasagna. Thaw completely (I'm sure it would cook fine frozen, just add time). Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving. 

**Needed 12 tin pans**

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 pound boneless pork roast
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper over the pork and place in a slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is very tender.
2. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork using a couple of forks. Place the meat back in the slow cooker along with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

LABEL (24): BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich.  (Can be thawed, but not necessary) Rinse roast and rub 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper all over it.  Place in the slow cooker and add the bag of liquid smoke and 2 cups of water.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork and place the meat back in the slow cooker along with the bag of barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns.

Label (24) ITEMS NOT INCLUDED: Buns

Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds stew meat (or chuck roast, cubed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup flour
6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water
4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup light or regular sour cream
1 package egg noodles

Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over egg noodles.

Label (24):  Beef Stroganoff: Cook contents of bag in crock pot on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.  30 minutes before serving, combine 1/3 cup flour with 6-7 Tablespoons of water or apple juice to make a roux (should be thick but pourable). Whisk roux into crockpot, add sliced mushrooms, and cook on high for 30 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream right before serving.  Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Additional Label (24): **Not included: 1/3 cup flour, 4-8 oz. sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup sour cream**

** Needed: 24 Gallon Size Bags

Lemon & Garlic Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

Labels (24): Add 1 Pound chicken to marinade and set in fridge overnight. Grill or cook in frying pan. 1/15/15


Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 cups low-fat milk                                             1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup (3 ounces) low-fat cream cheese            3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour                                              1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. In a blender, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt until smooth and set aside.
2. In a large, nonstick saucepan, melt better on medium-high heat and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning.
3. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Sit constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more until the sauce thickens, about 6-7 minutes.
4. To freeze, transfer mixture to an 8x8 inch disposable aluminum baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Labels (12): When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and bake, covered for 90 minutes or until the casserole is cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with chicken and noodles. 1/15/15

Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken

4 chicken breast (or 6-8 chicken tenders)
Apricot Preserves
Russian Salad Dressing
Limpton Onion Soup Mix

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in pyrex. Spoon apricot preserves over top. Pour salad dressing over that. Sprinkle onion soup mix.

Labels (24): Thaw this and 4 chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken tenders). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in pyrex dish and pour contents of this bag over the top. Bake for 1 hour. Serve over rice. (Tenders tend to take a little less baking time-approx 45 minutes).

Mexi-Chicken Mixture

Mexi-Chicken Mixture:

Ingredients: 5 chicken breasts

                  1 can stewed tomatoes

                  1 pkg taco seasoning

                  1 can drained corn

                  1 can drained black beans

Directions: Heat chicken, tomatoes, and taco seasoning in crockpot for 2 hours (or until it is ready to shred). Shred the chicken. Add corn and black beans. Use chicken mixture for tacos or over lettuce to make a Mexican salad. Use toppings (cheese, tomatoes, etc) that your family loves :)

LABELS (24): MEXI-CHICKEN MIXTURE- Thaw Mexi-Chicken Mixture and warm it up. Can be used in tortillas or over lettuce for a Mexican salad. Not included: tortillas or lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, or whatever you want to eat it with :)