What's for Dinner?

Mexican Casserole

I found this recipe somewhere on the internet (I have no idea where) but I've changed it so much I think I can call it my own. There really is no good name for it, I call it Mexican stuff, Garrett calls it salsa. The first time I made this I put pasta in it, I thought it was good, Garrett said he would like it better with chips. So, that's how we do it. You could do it with pasta or rice if you wanted just remember to cook the pasta or rice only about half as long as you normally would. Other than that this is the easiest thing to make.

• 1.5lb Ground Beef if you only have a pound no big deal
  
• 1 package Taco Seasoning
  
• 2 15oz cans Corn (drained and rinsed)
• 2 15oz cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed rinsing gets rid of a lot of salt)
• 2 cans Rotel
  
• 2 15oz cans Tomatoes (drained)
• 1 cup Chunky Salsa
• 1/2 cup Sliced Olives
• 1/2 cup Taco Sauce
• if you are adding rice or pasta I suggest you add a 1/2 - 3/4 a cup of Tomato Sauce.

Brown your Ground Beef add Taco Seasoning, then mix with all of the rest of the ingredients add to your pans and freeze! Cook thawed about 20-30 minutes at 350, cook longer (obviously) if frozen! You can add some Cheddar Cheese on top and serve with chips.

So, so easy! And even picky Garrett loves it!

Chicken and Rice

CHICKEN AND RICE

This is before it's been cooked

I originally got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman she uses spaghetti instead of rice. I made it for Garrett in my first attempt at making a bunch of food and freezing it, he loved it and was super impressed because I took the chicken off the bone to make it (I will not eat chicken on the bone, so to take it off is a pretty big deal around here). I loved it because he would tell anyone that would listen that it was so much better because I used "real" chicken and any kind of praise goes straight to my head and pretty much gets you whatever you want! He did ask that maybe I try rice instead of spaghetti and I obliged. It's a staple around here now!

• 2-3ish cups Cooked Chicken on the bone remember!
  
• 1 bag Brown Rice Changed what PW does
  
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Finely Diced Green Pepper PW does less, I say load up the veggies
  
• 1 Finely Diced Onion We LOVE onions so I again used more than PW
  
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cans Rotel PW doesn't use this I just added it on a whim (or by accident)
  
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook 1 Chicken-on-the-Bone (whatever kind you want). Since I'm a lunatic and buy free range vegetarian fed chickens I just got a whole one it was (slightly) cheaper, then I had to even cut it up (which is amazing since I would NEVER ever eat it like that). I boil the chicken, easy peasy! I'm scared to death the chicken will be under cooked so I think I cooked it close to 3 hours. It was probably a little long, if you have cut up chicken you can for sure do it shorter like an 1.5 hours I would say.

Pick out the meat to make two cups (if whoever you are cooking for is around remind them taking chicken off the bone is true love).

Cook the rice in the chicken broth I swear this makes it SO much better! Do not overcook or you will have mushy rice ick! Half the time it says is what I find to be the best about 20 minutes I believe. When this is finished combine it will all of the ingredients (except the additional 1 cup of cheese)

For all of my freezing stuff I buy the foil pans from the Dollar Store (I think these are 9 inch cake Pans). Evenly distribute into the 3 pans add remaining cheese cover and freeze! PW says they will last up to 6 months!

When I am ready to cook them I take it out of the freezer the night before and into the fridge I bake it at 350 for 45ish minutes if the cheese starts to burn put the foil back on for the rest of the cooking!

If you forget to take it out the night before you can still cook it (just bump it up to 400 and it will take awhile longer!)

Cooking and Freezing

I love cooking and freezing! First of all it really cuts down on the eating out I do with Garrett if there is something already made. Second, I know what's going into everything so that helps me not eat things I try to avoid, and lets me count the WW points. Third, I only have to clean the kitchen once! I HATE cleaning the kitchen!

With this one trip to the grocery store (and one trip to the place I buy my meat) and $130 I made the following things:

1. Chicken and Rice
   
2. Manicotti
   
3. Mexican Casserole (for lack of a better name)
4. Lasagna
5. Meatloaf Muffins
6. Black Bean Burgers w/ Mango and Avacado Salsa
7. Spinach Pesto
   
8. Cream Spinach
9. Twice Baked Potatoes

It doesn't look like so much when I type it out but, the Chicken and Rice and Mexican Casserole make three pans full (each pan is one meal for the two of us, as well as leftover lunch for one). The Manicotti and Lasagna make 4 pans full (the Manicotti might not be enough for two people but I only eat one with lots of veggies as a side and that leaves three) Meatloaf Muffins makes about 12 muffins. Black Bean Burgers make 6. The Spinach Pesto this time was my first time and it made a TON! I have no idea how long we will be eating that! The Cream Spinach I did not freeze but we ate it like 4 or 5 times with meals (dinner and lunches). And I made 22 Twice Baked Potatoes so that's enough for a small army.

Okay tomorrow I'll post the first recipe!