Fab Five #4

Spaghetti...probably the all-time favorite meal in our home.  Brown meat, drain and add sauce.  You can used bottled or make your own.  Then put it in a ziplock bag and freeze.  When you are ready for dinner, just defrost and make pasta.  Voila!

Here is how I make spaghetti sauce for 5 pounds of meat:
3 cans tomato sauce
3 cans diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 small can tomato paste
1 T oregano
1 T garlic
1 T basil
1/2 T marjoram
1 T sugar

The longer it simmers, the better it will be.  Perfect in a crock pot all day.

Fab Five #3

Another super easy way to use ground beef, chili!  Brown the five pounds of ground beef and drain.  Then add 3 cans of beans (I use black or kidney), 3 cans of stewed tomatoes, 4 packages of chili seasoning (I like McCormicks) and 1 large jar of V8 juice.  We eat what we can that night and then I freeze the rest in freezer ziplocks.  Make sure you write on the bag "Chili" with a Sharpie.  I always think that I'll be able to recognize the beans, but I have been surprised more than once.

Fab Five #2

Another super easy dinner to freeze...Cook a bunch of ground beef and then add 1 can of sloppy joe mix per pound of meat.  Use some for dinner and then freeze the rest.  Use those freezer style ziplocks and Sloppy Joes can be ready in a jiffy.  You can partially defrost the meat in the microwave, but move it to another dish as soon as you can get it out of the zip-lock.  As soon as it is hot, you've got dinner.  I like to serve the meat on a bun along with carrots and chips.

The Fab Five - Day 1

I have had a few requests for my bulk cooking tips.  So, this week each day I am going to share recipes that are great for bulk cooking with hamburger.

I only buy hamburger in family packs.  It is not worth my time to cook one pound at at time.  I don't enjoy washing dishes and that would mean that I have to clean 5 skillets.  That is not for me.  So, when family packs are on sale, I stock up!

I used to buy 5 pounds and make 5 different recipes to freeze.  But, now I buy 5 pounds and make the same recipe in bulk.  We eat one that day and then I freeze the others for the future.  Since we have 2 teenagers, 5 pounds makes about 3 meals.

I only freeze in freezer-quality ziplock bags.  I have an old milk carton that I cut the top off of and put the bag in there to fill it.  Then I squeeze extra air out and lay it flat to freeze.  That way it takes up minimal space in my freezer. 

So, I cook all 5 pounds of meat at one time, then I add 5 packages of taco seasoning and 1 cup of water.  Stir and heat a little till the liquid is gone.  Then I divide the meat into 4 sections.  We eat one that night and I freeze the other 4.  On a day that I need a quick meal, I defrost the meat and dinner is quick!

Meals you can make with taco meat:
Tacos
Taco salad
Taco soup
Beef Enchiladas
Taco Ring (Pampered Chef Recipe)

If you need the recipes for any of these, just ask.  :)

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich (or not)

My fabulous sister-in-law gave me this recipe and my kids beg for it.

Marinate chicken breasts in some teriaki marinade.  (I like the one made by Jack Daniels because it is gluten free).  Then grill the chicken and some pineapple rings.  Serve on a bun with swiss cheese.  Tada!  It's that easy!

Another variation... you can bake the chicken and pineapple in the marinade.  I've even thrown in some onion. Place swiss cheese slices on the chicken at the end so that it melts..  You could serve this over rice.  The "juice" is great!

Enjoy!

The Easiest Veggie Soup EVER!

To make this simple and easy soup, brown some ground beef or ground turkey.  Put it in a large pan and add mixed veggies, V-8 juice, and 1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup.  Heat until warm.

That is it!  Isn't that too easy?  I like to serve it with cornbread.

Yummm....can't wait until dinner.

The Cheater's Shepherd's Pie

I had some leftover meatloaf so I crumbled it up, mixed it with some canned tomato sauce, and added some frozen mixed veggies.  Then I added some pepper, gound mustard, and some ground garlic.  After I mixed it all, I put it in a casserole dish and spread hashbrowns on top (I used the refridgerated kind).  Then I sprinkled salt, pepper, and some butter on top and cooked it for about 30 minutes.  It was very easy, very good, and nobody complained about leftovers!