Freezer Meal Swap

This past weekend we had a freezer meal swap.  2 of my friends are having babies, and 1 is moving, so I thought it would be a good idea for them to have some meals, and hey, the rest of us benefit too! We did a soup swap last winter, and it was a huge hit. I hope we will all enjoy this one as well!

I sent out a short emails with the details:

1. Make 6 meals.  Keep 1 at home, we will not be taste testing this round.
2. Be sure to label them and have them frozen with serving/cooking directions.
3. You can make soup, casserole, marinated chicken, etc.
4. Keep it simple to heat up and prepare- we want the mommas to be able to just throw it in the oven/microwave!
5. Please reply all what you are making, so we don't have duplicates.
6. Bring a cooler/bag to bring your items home in.

My thoughts behind this-- (family that is moving), you can use these as your last few meals, so you can pack away cooking stuff and live off paper plates! Mommas- with 1 or 2 little ones running around after the baby girls arrive, we want you to be able to throw something in the oven and have a good meal! Please send request of things you like/don't like. Everyone else, just gets some bonus meals! :) Participation is optional, but I thought it would be fun!



We ended up with:

• lasagna
• baked pasta
• bean burritos
• turkey pot pies
• healthy chicken Parmesan with quinoa
• breakfast casserole 

Lasagna

I love this lasagna.  I originally found it from Pioneer Woman, but changed just a few things to make it easier!  This lasagna makes A LOT! So I like to put it into 2 or 3 pans and then freeze some.  PW likes to call it the Best Lasagna Ever, I agree.

Ingredients
Meat mixture: 

1-1/2 pound Ground Beef

1 pound Hot Sausage
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can (28oz) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 T Dried Parsley
2 T Dried Basil
1 t. Salt

Cheese mixture: 

3 c Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 T Dried Parsley
1 t Salt

1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (you can use sprinkle cheese too, but it doesn't layer as well)
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles- No Bake

Directions:

In a LARGE skillet combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons parsley, and  teaspoon salt. Stir together well.

To assemble:
Arrange lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Serves at least 8 people! 

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Friday Funny- Gymnastics

Apparently the new cool thing to do is do GYMNASTICS in the bathroom. Yes, you heard that right. Cartwheels and splits on the bathroom floor! GROSS!

Mac & Cheese - Classic Kid Food

 I babysat a few cuties the other night, and decided to try a new mac & cheese dinner from cooking light.  It was very simple, and I made it before the kiddos came over, and then popped it in the oven when we got home from the park. Its not your boxed mac and cheese, it is gooey & creamy, but apparently, a little?!? healthier for you than the super cheese version I usually make!

Ingredients
10 oz. macaroni
2 canola oil
3 garlic cloves
2 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup skim milk
8 t. all-purpose flour
4 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
Cooking spray
3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain & set aside.
2. Preheat broiler to high.
3. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes. Do not burn the garlic! Stir in 1 cup stock; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. 

4. Combine remaining 1 1/4 cups stock, milk, and flour; stir with a whisk until flour dissolves.

5.  Add milk mixture to garlic mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. 

6. Remove milk mixture from heat; add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. 

7. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to milk mixture, tossing to coat. 

8. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.

9. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over pasta mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes.

Funfetti Cake Batter Buddies

This weekend we had our neighborhood block party! Did you know that the city of Mission, Kansas provides grants for block parties?! We applied, and were able to cover a lot of the food costs with the grant.  I made this yummy treat as a dessert! I have also made these with my Barstow kids and they gobble it right up! It really does taste like cake batter!

Ingredients: 

10 cups Chex cereal (1 box)

24 oz vanilla flavored Almond Bark

1 box Funfetti cake mix (any kind of cake mix would work)

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Have the Chex ready to put the Almond bark on. 

 Melt Almond Bark according to the package directions. (About 2 minutes)

 Pour the cereal into a large bowl and drizzle the melted Almond Bark over the cereal. 

Mix gently with a spatula.

  Dump the cake mix and powdered sugar onto the cereal and mix gently until all the cereal is evenly coated. Because I doubled it, I added the powders to the Chex in a large grocery bag. 

Enjoy!

Adapted from: So Very Blessed

Roasted Broccoli

Earlier this summer I went to Vegas, and had this AMAZING broccoli at the Social House.  While, this isn't exactly like it, it is pretty close.

Ingredients: 

Broccoli Florets

olive oil 

garlic 

fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425*

Open the bag of broccoli and pour in 5T of olive oil, salt and pepper, and 4 cloves of garlic. Shake it up. It is important to start out with dry broccoli, so it gets nice and crispy! 

Line a cookie sheet with foil and dump the broccoli on it. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Drizzle a little more olive oil over it and squeeze lemon juice. 

You can top it with parmesan cheese if you would like, or some bread crumbs, but I thought it was delicious with just the lemon juice! 

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I love chicken parmesan, so why not turn it into a burger on my favorite kind of bread, ciabatta! I also liked being able to use my fresh herbs. 

Ground chicken was not easy to find.  They do not sell it at Trader Joe's or Target, but do at your regular grocery store. 

Ingredients: 

4 square ciabatta rolls

1t minced garlic

1 pound ground chicken

1/3 cup plus 2T marinara sauce, divided

1/2 t chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 t salt

1/8 t black pepper

cooking spray 

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

 basil leaves

Directions: 

1. Preheat broiler

2. Cut rolls in half, and place bread cut side up on a baking sheet.  Broil for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.  You can also drizzle them with olive oil.  After you take them out of the oven add a little bit of garlic to each roll. 

3. Preheat oven to 375*. 

4. Combine chicken, 1/3 cup marinara, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper.  

5. Divide into 4 patties.  

6. Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat, coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan.  Cook for 3 minutes.  

7. Turn patties and place pan in oven.  Bake at 375* for 8 minutes.  Top each with cheese, bake for 1 minute. 

8. Layer bottom half of roll with 2 basil leaves, 1 patty, marinara, and more basil! 

Adapted from Cooking Light - Back to School issue