August - Chicken Alfredo (Crockpot Style)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 block cream cheese
1 package of Italian Dressing mix
1 can water
1 package of pasta

1. In a crockpot combine the cream of chicken, 1 can of water, and the italian dressing mix. Stir until mixed.
2. Put in cream cheese and chicken. Place crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
3. Shred chicken when done
4. Cook noodles and serve!

July - Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb polish sausage (any brand/flavor works) cut into bite size pieces
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 Tbs oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 can rotel (2 if you want it extra spicy)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup monetary jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Noodles of your choice (about 8 oz) I put in more because I love carbs :)

You will need a big skillet or saucepan for this because it all goes in one pot!

1. Put the oil in a sauce pan and sauce the sausage until browned, add the onion, and then add the garlic just before you add the rest of the ingredients.
2. Put the rotel, broth, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper into the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let simmer until pasta is tender.
3. Remove from heat and add cheese, stir until melted, and enjoy!

June Meals- Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

½ cup breadcrumbs, divided (I like panko)
¼ cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. dried basil

To Prepare:
To make the meatballs, combine ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs with the milk in a medium mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Add the remaining breadcrumbs, ground beef, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and basil to the bowl. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Form into meatballs, about 1¼ inches in diameter. Freeze.

To Cook & Serve:
Thaw overnight in refrigerator.
Add the meatballs to the simmering sauce. Cover and let simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 20-30 minutes.

June Meals - Creamy Chicken Casserole

4 c. uncooked egg noodles
4 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen peas and carrots
2 c. milk
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain noodles; add to chicken mixture. Transfer to two greased 8-inch square baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before. Bake casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.

June Meals - Cheesy Meatball Casserole

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta
1 bag italian style meatballs (frozen kind)
1 small tub ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 jar 24 oz spaghetti sauce (any kind you like)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cook pasta as directed. Drain and mix in the spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Then add the bag of meatballs (you can add as few or as many as you like) pour into a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes if thawed, 60 minutes if frozen.

May Meals - Southwest Chipotle Burgers

The recipe below yields 20 patties:

-5 lbs ground beef

-2 green bell peppers

-2 red bell peppers

-2 yellow onions

-2 cups diced mushrooms

-2 Tbs Southwest Chipotle seasoning

Finely dice all vegetables. In a large bowl mix vegetables and chipotle seasoning add the ground beef. This part gets messy because you will need to use your hands to mix it all together. Once it is mixed form the mixture into 20 rounds that fit perfectly in your hand and flatten. 

To prepare unthaw and put on the grill until cooked through. 

May Meals - Italian Chicken Rollups

Ingredients

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
8 thin slices (4 ounces) deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk
Cooking spray

Directions

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Place a slice of ham and half slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken. Roll up from a short side and tuck in ends; secure with a toothpick.
In a shallow bowl, combine the crumbs, Romano cheese and parsley. Pour milk into another bowl. Dip chicken rolls in milk, then roll in crumb mixture.
Wrap each of four chicken roll-ups in plastic wrap; place in a large freezer bag. Seal and freeze for up to 2 months. Place the remaining roll-ups, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Spritz chicken with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks.

To use frozen chicken:

Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Unwrap roll-ups and place on a greased baking sheet. Spritz with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Yield: 8 servings.

May Meals - Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:

12 whole wheat English muffins (2 bags) (or W.W bagels, bread, sandwich thins)
12 slices cheese (American, cheddar, Swiss, Provolone)
12 eggs (or 3 c. egg substitute)
1/4 c. milk, half and half, or cream
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. butter
12 slices meat (bacon, turkey bacon, ham, turkey, pork roll)

Directions:

1. Toast English muffins by broiling. To broil, set oven to broil and make sure your oven rack is set to the top. Lay out muffins face up on a cookie sheet. Set on top rack and leave door slightly open. Keep an eye so they don’t burn.
2. Once muffins are toasted, lay them out in a line. Put cheese on the top slices of the muffins.
3. Cook bacon in the microwave (if you know what’s good for you). To do this, lay a paper towel or two on a plate. Lay out bacon on top (touching but not overlapping). Top bacon with paper towel. Microwave 1 minute per slice of bacon. Let cool slightly.
4. Split bacon in half and put on the bottom half of each muffin.
5. Beat eggs and milk with fork. Add salt and pepper.
6. Bring a large nonstick skillet to medium heat and add 1 tbsp. butter
7. Pour about half of egg mixture into pan. Let it cook, swirling slightly with spatula until it begins to set.
8. Divide eggs into six sections and flip each section. Once eggs are cooked, put on top of the bacon and close the sandwich.
9. Continue with the second half of the egg mixture and the second tbsp. butter.
10. Once sandwiches are complete, put on a cookie sheet and freeze at least 20 minutes.
11. Wrap each sandwich in a sheet of paper towel and place in a zippered bag. When the bag is full, store in the freezer.
12. When ready to eat, remove sandwich and microwave in paper towel for 1 minute or until heated through.

May Meals - Spinach & Artichoke Dip Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2/3 cup canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup pearl onions, halved
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cup water
1 Tbl minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Preparation

Lightly grease crockpot with PAM. Place chicken breasts into crockpot. In a separate bowl, mix soup, spinach, artichokes, onions, cheese, sour cream, water, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken breasts.

To cook

Thaw. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. Stir in mozzarella cheese right before you are ready to eat. Serve over pasta or rice.

April Meals - Sausage Griller

The following recipe is for two griller packs:

-1 Package of polish sausage cut into bite size slices
-1 package frozen squash
-1 onion diced
-2 green peppers diced
-2 Tbs butter
-Griller seasoning (I used a garlic & herb flavoring)

*You can add any veggies you want such as zucchini, potatoes, red peppers, garlic cloves, etc.

Place all diced ingredients into a foil pack for the grill. Grill at medium high heat for 15-20 minutes. Can also bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

March Meals - Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of egg noodles
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1lb. ground beef
Pepperonis to cover top

Prep directions:

1) Brown ground beef and cook egg noodles according to package directions.
2) Pour a layer of pasta sauce just to cover the bottom of the pan.
3) Alternate layers of ground beef with noodles.
4) Top with one more layer of pasta sauce across the top, cheese, and then pepperoni.

Meal Day:

Thaw overnight in refrigerator and cook in oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. If cooking from frozen, cook time may be longer.

March Meals - Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients for one crockpot meal:
1/2 cup water
2 TB butter
1 Can low fat cream of chicken (I used my Cream of Something mix for low cal)
8 oz of low fat cream cheese
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing
2-3 large chicken breasts

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and pour remaining ingredients over chicken. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

I tried this and served it over noodles and it was delicious. Plus made the house smell yummy!

February Meals - Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:

1lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 2-3)
2 cans (10.5oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can (14oz) Chicken Broth
1 medium White Onion, diced
Refrigerator Biscuits (half a can)

Directions:

Place uncooked chicken in 1 gallon freezer bag.Top with cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and diced onions.

Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. Cook on High for 4-6 hours or Low for 8 hours. Do not stir while cooking. Cut each uncooked biscuit into small pieces and stir into the chicken mixture. Continue to cook on High for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from slow-cooker and shred with a fork. Return to slow-cooker and stir everything together. Serve hot.

February Meals - Jewell's Sloppy Joes

4 lbs ground beef
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 cup celery diced
1cup plus of catsup
few squirts yellow mustard
brown sugar to taste (up to 1/2 cup, start with 1/4)
vinegar to taste to cut sweetness if to sweet (tablespoon or two)

Brown meat and veggies and put in crock pot.
Add 1 cup of catsup and stir real well
Begin to add other ingredients to taste- add mustard and brown sugar, after an hour or so check and see if sweet enough, if not add more brown sugar, if to sweet add a bit of vinegar or more mustard depending on how you want it to taste
4 -6 hours in crockpot on low - adjust flavor as needed
Serve on a bun and enjoy!

February Meals - White Chili

Serve with: cheddar cheese, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, tortilla chips.

NOTE – if it appears too thick once you defrost and heat this up on the stove over low heat – add a little bit of chicken broth at a time until it gets to a consistency that you prefer (thin like soup or thicker like chili).

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hours
Makes 8 servings

2 pounds ground turkey – or chicken (use rotisserie chicken pulled off the carcass)
¾ tsp black pepper
2 TBSP olive oil
2 large white onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped (I just put them through the garlic press)
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 (4 oz) chopped green chilies, rinsed
4 (15 oz) cans white beans, rinsed (I used an assortment)
4 cups low sodium chicken brother (I ended up using more like 5 cups – and you potentially want more on hand if you want a thinner consistency)
½ cup 2% milk
1 TBSP fine corn meal

Heat a 5.5 – 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add turkey & pepper – cook until brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add onion & garlic – cook until soft (approx 10 min). Stir in chilies, cumin, oregano & cook 1 minute. Add turkey, beans, and broth. Cook (covered) 1 hour on low.
Whisk cornmeal into the milk (I did this in the measure cup). Add to the chili.
Serve immediately.

February Meals - Kassie's Recipe

1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey works too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green

Directions:
Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-3 1/2 hours.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

January Meals - Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless Chicken Tenders
2 cups of chicken broth
2 small cans of pineapple rings
2 red bell peppers sliced into thin strips
1large onion sliced into strips
Provolone cheese
Whole wheat buns or lettuce wraps

Directions:

Divide all contents evenly into two bags except cheese and buns/lettuce. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve chicken topped with pepper and onions under melted provolone cheese on a bun or lettuce wrap.

January Meals - Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

4-5 chicken breasts cut up
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon lime soda
2-3 TBSP minced garlic
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TSP blk pepper or cayenne (if you prefer hotter)

Directions

Place Chicken in crock pot, mix other ingredients and pour over top of chicken, cook on low 6-8 hrs. Serve over rice.

November Meals - Country Chicken Pot Pie

This makes enough for two pot pies - divide into freezer bags and freeze for a quick meal later - sometimes I double this recipe so that I can have three pot pies for later.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup melted butter/margarine
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup evaporated milk (found in the baking section0
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 cup frozen green beans or green peas, thawed
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 Pie crusts (folded Pillsbury or similar off brand type) - 2 crusts per pie

Steps:
Saute onions, celery and carrots in butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and peas or green beans, salt and pepper.
Freezing Directions:
cool and divide filling in half. Place in one-gallon freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze. Keep frozen pie crusts on hand in their original packaging.
Serving Directions:
Thaw filling. Bring pie crusts to room temp. (If I am going to make this for dinner, I just put a bag of the filling and two crusts from the freezer into the refrigerator that morning and they are thawed by the time I am ready to make dinner.) Shape bottom pie crust into pie plate. Add filling. Cover with top crust. Pinch the edges of the two crusts together and crimp. Make a few slits on the top of the crust for the the steam to escape. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then bake covered with foil for 30 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.