Busy, Busy, Busy

I am helping out a friend who works out of the home full time. She struggles with getting nutritious, home cooked meals on the table at night. I am preparing some ready made freezer meals that can be baked, slow cooked or stove top prepared. I did some research on Once A Month Cooking blogs/websites and found some interesting ideas.

Don't Mess With Texas Soup Mix in a Jar

1 pkg brown gravy mix
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
10-12 tortilla chips, crushed
1 cup small uncooked pasta noodles


Add gravy to a pint sized jar. Combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, minced onion and garlic powder. Add to jar in a layer. Add crunched tortilla chips then top with pasta. Press down if needed. Tightly seal with lid.

Brown 1/2 lb ground beef in saucepan. I took this ground beef and put it in a Ziploc bag and froze it. It is ready to go when the meal is used.

Instructions for Preparing Soup. Add ground beef, jar contents and 7 cups of hot water. Heat to boiling. Add a 15 oz can of corn (preferably with bell peppers) and a 14 oz can diced tomatoes. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is done. Stir regularly to prevent sticking. Serve with more tortillas and Monterey Jack cheese.

* I made 2 jars - one for me and one for my friend. Will report back when I make the soup up.

Potato Soup Mix in a Jar

1 3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes

1 1/2 cups dry milk

2 tbsp instant chicken bouillon

2 tsp dried minced onion

1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp turmeric

Put mashed potatoes in bowl

Add instant milk.

Add remaining spices and mix to combine. Add to quart jar, sealing tightly.

Instructions for Potato Soup: Place 1/2 cup of soup mix in a bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water. Stir or whisk until smooth. Serve immediately.

* I made 3 jars of this soup. Again, will report back once I give this a try.

Caesar Chicken Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken, cut into pieces

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/3 cup light cream Caesar dressing

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 - 12 oz pkg of tube pasta (penne or macaroni) cooked and drained.

1 cup croutons

Combine all ingredients but croutons, mixing well.

Put casserole contents into a Ziploc bag. flatten out evenly (for easier freezing) and get out as much air as possible.

From Freezer Instructions:

Thaw casserole. Place in a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with crushed croutons. Bake at 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes or until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly.

Slow Cooker Saucy Meatballs

1-6oz pkg stove top stuffing mix for Turkey

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup water

2 cups mushrooms

2 medium green peppers, sliced (about 2 cups)

4 cups spaghetti sauce

1 - 1lb pkg spaghetti

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

Combine stuffing mix, meat, egg and water. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet and flash freeze

Once frozen, place meatballs in freezer bag and layer flat for easy freezer storage.

To Make Meatballs: Thaw and put in slow cooker, top with mushrooms, peppers and spaghetti sauce. Cover with lid. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours or high for 3 - 4 hours. Cook spaghetti as directed. Serve meatballs with sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese.

Shepherd's Pie with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup milk, hot

2 tbsp butter

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs lean ground beef

2 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1-19oz tomatoes, diced

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp thyme

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp paprika

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water til tender.

Mash potatoes. Combine with milk, butter, salt, pepper and cheese. Reserve.

Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic and beef. Brown lightly, drain any grease.

Add tomatoes. Cook until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Add seasonings, breadcrumbs and peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture to a buttered casserole. Spread mashed potatoes over the top. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

* This is one of my family's favorite meals. I have been using this recipe for about 20 years. The only shepherd's pie recipe I have ever used. The recipe came from a Canadian Milk Calendar. Hope you enjoy this comfort food as much as my family has over the years. I made a double batch. On for my friend and one for our supper tonight - it was as good as ever!!

Classic Meat Loaf, Rice Dressing, Asian Salad & Apple Crisp

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from Julie (one of my best friends), she had gotten word that one of the ladies in our small group at church was in hospital - we decided to go visit that evening. God was in the moment. She had been alone all day due to them having 6 children, her husband trying to keep it all together and his Dad also being in the hospital. It was a good visit with lots of laughter. Something our small group does it try to help each other during these times, so I am coordinating meals for the family. My day was today and I am posting about the meal that I took them. My family??? they ate leftovers - lol -but they know that reaching out to others is more important than having a home cooked meal. Here are the recipes of the meal I took:

Classic Meat Loaf:

1 large egg

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup minced onion (or 1 tbsp dried minced onion)

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Add ground beef. Mix well. Press into greased loaf pan. I put the mix into two smaller pans. Spread ketchup on top of loaf. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Serves 6 (I adjusted the recipe a small amount to serve 8)

Rice Dressing:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup butter

2 cups chopped mushrooms [sorry JD :0) ]

3 tsp parsley

1 1/2 - 2 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp thyme

In saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups broth and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or til tender.

In a saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender.

Stir in mushrooms and continue to saute til softened.

Stir in rice, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, sage, thyme and the remaining broth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degree for 30 minutes. Serves 10

Asian Salad:

2 pkg oriental Ramen noodles, crushed (or whatever flavor you prefer)

2 seasoning pkgs from Ramen noodles

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil will work - but the sesame adds good flavor)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pecans also work)

Put everything in a saucepan and toast over medium heat. Stir often til browned. Set aside to cool.

I use a spring mix of greens and Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing. Put them in a bowl and mix well. Add enough of the above mixture to coat greens. Soooo yummy. I make several recipes at once and store in either a Ziploc bag or container so I always have it on hand. It is a nice quick tasty salad to add to a meal.

Apple Crisp:

5 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup softened butter

In 11 x 17 baking dish arrange apple slices in an even layer.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using pastry blender or with fingertips, rub in til mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over apples.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes til topping is lightly browned and apples are tender and bubbly. Serve warm.

I used all disposable containers so that the family could just toss things when they were done and didn't have to worry about trying to return things. This is one of those "comfort meals" that I like on these cool fall days. Let me know what you think? Did you try any of these?