Browsing Tag

freezer meals

Broccoli Cheese Un-Casserole-Make Ahead Meals For The Slowcooker

By esorkin916 • August 25, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

The big kids and I have been in San Diego this past week, which is why I haven’t had time to blog. We’re finally getting back into our usual routine, and back on east coast time. My kids go back to school the day after Labor Day so we’ll be working on getting back on our (horribly early) morning schedule next week. I know many of your kids are already back at school. With that being said, the make ahead meals I’ve been posting on here are a great way to eliminate dinner time stress and make your life easier. Here’s a tasty recipe to try next week. If you’re from the mid-west like me, you’ve had your share of broccoli cheese casserole over the years. This is a healthier, vegan version, but the result is just as tasty and comforting as you remember. Happy Eating!

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Broccoli Cheese Un-casserole

This is a vegan recipe, but you can make it with real cheese and cream of mushroom soup if you prefer.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

16 oz. frozen broccoli
1 onion chopped
1/2 Bell pepper-any color chopped
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo
chopped celery
1 c Almond milk
1 c Vegan shredded cheese
1 Can vegan cream of mushroom soup

Instructions

Add everything to gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze.
Remove from bag when ready to prepare meal. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Recipe Notes

We all liked this recipe the best served over brown rice and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from: Whatvegankidseat.com

Vegan Teriyaki Veggies and Rice-Make Ahead Meals for the Slow Cooker.

By esorkin916 • August 2, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Recipes

Yesterday I threw this delicious bag of frozen goodness into our crockpot and dinner was practically done. Now if I can just break down and buy an instant pot to cook my brown rice, things would be even quicker. Anyway, back to the recipe. The key to its tastiness is the homemade teriyaki sauce recipe you’ll find below. It was sweet, salty and delicious. The recipe comes to you from What Vegan Kids Eat, a great place to find healthy vegan recipes your whole family will love!

As you can see, it goes great with my favorite La Croix!

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TERIYAKI VEGGIES & RICE

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 bag of baby carrots
1 cup green beans-chopped, fresh or frozen
1 red onion – large chunks
2 large cans of pineapple tidbits or chunks
4 garlic cloves
2 c teriyaki sauce -check out my recipe for homemade sauce below.
*Cooked Rice

Instructions

Add everything, but rice to a gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze.
When ready to prepare – thaw enough to remove from the bag and add to crock pot. Cook for 6-8hrs on low.
*Serve over Rice.

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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

This sauce made this meal so savory, sweet and yummy! You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now, so you have no excuse not to try it.

Course Sauce

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup warm water
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 large clove of garlic or 1 tablespoon pre-minced finely minced
½ teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

Add the 1 cup water, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in to a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the ¼ cup water and whisk until completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.
Heat the sauce until it thickens. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out.

Recipe Notes

Notes: Slightly adapted from Food.com.

Happy Cooking!

🙂 Erin

Tempeh Tikka Masala-Make-Ahead Meals

By esorkin916 • July 28, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

Here’s another delicious vegetarian recipe from my Monthly Freezer Meal Challenge. This was actually a life-saver yesterday when I’d realized it was 3 pm and I’d forgotten to put my other freezer meal into the crockpot. If you freeze this meal ahead of time, it will be ready in only 20 minutes using your stovetop. My five year old refused to try it, but the rest of my family loved it. Baby N actually kept yelling, “More! More!” to get seconds, and then thirds.

So, I know he doesn’t look thrilled, but I swear that he loved it and ate it all.

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Tempeh Tikka Masala

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Vegetarian

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 cup Yogurt Plain
5 teaspoons Garam Masala
½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Ginger Ground #1
1 ½ cups Tempeh
1 tablespoon Butter
2 teaspoons minced Garlic Cloves
½ cups Peas or any green vegetable Frozen-We used green beans.
¼ teaspoons Turmeric
12 ounces Tomato Sauce
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
⅓ cups chopped Cilantro -Optional

Instructions

Prepping to Freeze

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, 2 teaspoons garam masala, salt, lemon juice, cumin, 1 teaspoon ginger, and tempeh.
Make sure tempeh is completely covered by sauce and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Remove tempeh from fridge.
In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium high heat.
Add garlic, cooking until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
Add tempeh, peas, 3 more teaspoons garam masala, turmeric, 1 more teaspoon ginger, tomato sauce, whipping cream, and brown sugar.
Turn heat down to low. Cook for 20 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, if using.

To Freeze For Later

Let the sauce cool and then add to a gallon freezer bag.

Reheating Instructions

Add contents of the bag to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, covered, for 20 minutes.
Serve over brown rice or any other starch.

Recipe Notes

I added 1 1/2 cups of spinach to the sauce while I was reheating. It not only made the dish healthier, but also helped to add a bit more liquid to the saucepan.

You may need to add more water to the saucepan if the frozen meal has a hard time thawing.

Try topping the dish with a dollop or two of sour cream or Greek yogurt. It’s so good!

Please check out Once a Month Meals for even more great make-ahead recipes. My favorite part of this site is that they provide directions for making a recipe right away, as well as directions for freezing. A girl needs options! Happy cooking!

🙂 Erin

Picture provided by : veganricha.com

Greens & Beans Soup-Make-Ahead Meals for the Slow-Cooker

By esorkin916 • July 27, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Meal planning, Recipes

On Tuesday we tried out this Greens and Beans soup recipe from, New Leaf Wellness. This is another recipe that we made in early July as part of my Monthly Freezer Meal Challenge. The kids haven’t tried it yet, but my husband and I thought it was tasty and filling enough on its own. I’ll be enjoying this for lunch the rest of the week, along with a small salad.

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Greens and Beans Soup

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

8 oz dried cannellini beans or similar rinsed
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3-5 cloves of garlic or 2 tablespoons minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of sugar
4 cups of leafy greens any combination
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

Freezing Instructions

Place all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag

Reheating Instructions

Place all ingredients except parmesan cheese in the crockpot.
Cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours, or until beans are tender.
Serve in soup bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.