Baked Cheese Sticks

Ok. I've been wanting to try baked cheese sticks for awhile now but never just actually made them. Today, that all changed. 

When I say these things are revolutionary, I mean it. I dare you to just eat 2..(the equivalent of one cheese stick).

Virtually impossible...kinda..

These are gooey. They have the crisp crust. Full of flavor. Absolutely best dipped in ranch. these may or may not have been kinda the main course tonight...

=D

Baked Cheese Sticks

7 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut in half

1 egg, beat well

2 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Roll cheese stick halved in flour, dip in beaten egg, and coat with bread crumbs mixed with salt and pepper. Place on lightly spritzed with oil, foil lined, cookie sheet. Put in freezer for a couple hours. Bake on 400 for 5 mins. Turn, and bake for another 5. Let set one minute before serving.

I'd type more but I kinda want another one...tata! 

  

Peppers&Eggs

Quite obviously this isn't an exact recipe, just a fabulous breakfast that I've had only like 3 days in a row now with enough peppers to make it a morning tradition.  I'm eating them right now as I type. A couple of these and a coffee and I'm set clear into the afternoon. Protein and veg! I did flip the eggs as I'm not into having raw yolk. Just cut your peppers thin, put on griddle, break an egg in the center. sprinkle some slat and pepper on, and cook like a normal egg! Delish and easy...

GrapeNut Breakfast "bars"

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this recipe as far as flavor goes. It looked pretty bland but after adding a few seasonings, it turns out it wasn't that bad a recipe after all! I really didn't care if they weren't that great, I just wanted a quick breakfast I could grab on the run. They are a mix between a bar and a cake/bread texture. A bar with some peanut butter with a cup of coffee is actually pretty good. I was pleased! Even the kiddos liked them...

GrapeNut Breakfast Bars

6 cups Grape Nuts cereal

2 cups whole milk

2 cups applesauce

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup cranberries

1 cup finely chopped dates

1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together well. Line a 9x13 in wax paper. Dump mix into pan evenly. Bake on 350 for 35 minutes. Cool completely. Invert on cutting board and peel off wax paper. Cut into squares and store in refrigerator. 

Romaine Chicken (or tuna) wraps

A friend inspired me to make these and wow.. amazing! There's no way these ingredients won't be staple in my refrigerator! After assembling the mix, I have lunch or a snack in about 2 minutes. Perfect! By substituting yogurt for mayo you save calories without sacrificing taste a bit! I actually love the tang of the yog. 

Chicken (or tuna) Wraps

3 chicken breasts, shredded or 2 cans tuna, drained and shredded

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dry mustard

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 cucumber, peeled and cubed small

1/3 cup finely shredded cheese

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Romaine leaves, rinsed and dried

Mix all ingredients together. Add more yogurt if mixture is too dry. Serve in romaine "boats". 

Stacked Apples

Apple, peanut butter, granola, and just a hint of chocolate. So delicious together!! These stacked apples are super easy to make and the kids love them. Who am I kidding...I love them, too! 

Stacked Apple

1 apple

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon melted chocolate chips

granola

Thinly slice apple and cut out core. Later with filling ingredients. 

That's it!  

Cleaning Tip

For quite a while I've use vinegar to clean. Its pretty much unbeatable for water spots, grime, and buildup without counting harsh commercial chemical cleaners. I always have a spray bottle of it in my kitchen for easy access. When I read you can make vinegar smell like citrus, I was quite excited. It worked, too! I steeped mine for two weeks and I just cleaned my house entirely with vinegar...you can't even tell! Give it a try. I bet you'll like it! 

Citrus Vinegar

Canning Jars

Vinegar

Grapefruit, Orange, and Lemon peels

Fill jars almost to the top with peels. Add vinegar. Cap and let sit for 2 weeks. To use: dilute by half with water. 

My favorite part about this, though, is taking a roll of good quality paper towel, cutting it in half with my bread knife, manipulating the cardboard roll out of it, and putting one of the halves in a baby wipes container. Dampen the paper towel with this vinegar/water solution and you have quick cleaning wipes for a fraction of the store cost! It really works. I promise! 

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

This morning I wanted to try something new to accompany my crustless quiche for breakfast. I had never made baked oatmeal before so I decided to give it a whirl. With the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg it was really tasty. I topped it with maple sugar and frozen vanilla yogurt. Yum!! 

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup softened butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup brown sugar or succanat

2 beaten eggs

3 cups oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 apples, sliced paper thin

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix in oats, baking powder, and milk. Lightly grease an 8x8 pan. Put sliced apples on the bottom. Top with oat mixture. Bake on 350 for 30 mins. Top with maple syrup and frozen yogurt for best experience =) 

BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas

One of my favorite freezer meals is pita pizza. I like mine topped with fresh mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, basil, and roma tomato. The kids and Craig like bbq chicken. I make all the topping in the crock pot so it's very easy to assemble in mass production. I freeze them in foil and then ziploc bags and bake from their frozen state on 375 until the cheese bubbles. Not very scientific, but it works! 

BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza

This recipe for bbq chicken

10 slices bacon

shredded mozzarella cheese

12 100% whole grain pitas

Make chicken. Crisp and crumble bacon. Add to chicken mixture. Top pita with chicken and cheese. Wrap in foil. Freeze. 3 easy dinners for my family! 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This is one recipe from my childhood that brings back memories of thinking I was going to barf because I was eating zucchini, but actually fell in like because it was SO awesome. Super moist, just sweet enough, and even has a few servings of veg! Do yourself a favor and make a batch.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

1 cup butter

1 cup oil

1 1/2 cup evap cane juice or sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

5 cups whole wheat flour

8 tbsp cocoa

2 tsp salt

2 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

4 cups pureed zucchini

3 large 85% cocoa chocolate bars

Cream butter, oil, and sugar. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in zucchini and chocolate. Pour into 4 greased loaf pans. Bake on 350 and start checking center for done-ness at 50 minutes. Whole wheat flour takes longer to bake than white flour, so depending on what you use, it'll bake up differently. Loaf is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out with no batter. Melted chocolate is not to be confused with batter =). 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I found this recipe via this blog. I didn't even tell my kids what the secret ingredient was. They just automatically assumed they were little sugar cubes. Works for me!! I actually despise cottage cheese with an intense passion but was pleasantly surprised that theses were amazing with maple syrup!! I'm just going to copy and paste from her blog as that's much easier. They froze and thawed/toasted up quite well, too. Who would have thought?! 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

3 Eggs
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Honey or Agave
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
Butter, Oil or Oil Spray

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients.
3. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Heat a large sauté pan or griddle over medium heat, lightly coat with oil or butter and pour about 1 tbsp of the mixture onto the griddle for each pancake.
5. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are set and golden.

Layered Bean Dip

My dad's famous layered bean dip. At every Christmas, New Years, and family game night, pretty much! It never lasts long =) I made it in a big storage container and stored it in the fridge, adding lettuce only when serving. It sure didn't last long, though. Already making another batch again today..! 

Layered Bean Dip

add desired quantity of each in this order...

refried beans

1 package taco seasoning sprinkled on top

guacamole

sour cream

green onions

lettuce (unless storing, add on top..)

cheese

salsa

green onion

cheese

Pretty basic, but all the flavors together make one yummy treat! 

Apple Pork Chops

This was the first time I made freezer meal pork chops so I was a bit nervous, but the whole family loved them! It just seems SO weird to me to be making apple pie (pretty much), and then add...pork?! But...all strangeness aside, it was good so I was happy! 

Apple Pork Chops

8 pork chops

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

4 apples, sliced paper thin

Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag and mix thoroughly. Put in freezer until ready to cook...

Cooking day: dump contents into crock pot. Bake on high for about 4 hours. 

Honey Butter Popcorn

So last night I made up a whole pan of this stuff and it was deemed "blogworthy" beings one pan lasted roughly 30 seconds. A healthier version of kettle corn, this has that slightly sweet, slightly salty, with a good crunch taste.
Pure Eire had the recipe posted on their facebook (they supply my milk for my awesome raw milk yogurt recipe) and I made it immediately.

For those who can't have dairy, coconut oil worked perfectly, too! I made it both ways just to test. ;-)

The best part, though, was that I could use our very own home grown "strawberry popcorn". See?

We grew this last year and it is by far the best popcorn I've ever had. It doesn't taste anything like strawberries and it pops up the fluffiest white with a pink center. So pretty! We have loads of fun taking the kernels off cobs. It's actually quite addicting once you get started. One night we had three huge baskets full of dry cobs! Something about sitting around the table telling "corny" jokes... haha..get it?

 I well know that not everyone has home grown popcorn sitting around, but any kind will do. I just wanted to share pictures of our pretty stuff!

Honey Butter Popcorn


About 8 cups popped corn
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
salt

Dump popped kernels into a 9x13 or cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted honey butter mixture. Sprinkle with salt. Bake on 350 for 7-10 mins or until a crunchy base forms.

That's pretty much it, folks. If course you can up the honey or butter or whatever depending on how you like it. =)

Taco Shells

Hands down our new favorite dinner. I don't know why I haven't made these before!! I should totally have doubled the recipe because there's no way these are going to last very long in the freezer! Maybe a night? If I'm lucky?? 

Taco Stuffed Shells

1 lb beef

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 package cream cheese

1 can diced green chiles

1 box jumbo shell pasta

3 tablespoons butter

  

Assembly ingredients

salsa

taco sauce

shredded cheese

Toppings

crushed tortilla chips

sour cream

Start by browning beef with the taco seasoning. Drain fat if any. Stir in chiles and cream cheese until well combined. Meanwhile, cook pasta shells according to directions. Drain and toss with butter. Fill shells with beef mixture. At this point, you can layer shells in a freezer safe container separating with foil.

To make:

Pour some salsa into the bottom of your pan. Put shells on salsa and top with some taco sauce. Add shredded cheese. Bake (thawed) on 350 covered for 15 mins, and then uncovered for 10. If frozen, bake 30 mins covered and 15 mins uncovered. Once baked, top with tortilla crumbles, sour cream, etc. 

this photo from pinterest shows the BEST way to fill shells =D Seriously genius!

Ready for the freezer!

Pure. Delicious. 

Hot Beef Subs

I love being able to send meals with Craig to work where he has the ability to warm them there. It makes lunches SO much easier to not have to make something every single night for him to take to work. He tried these out the other day and was very impressed. A switch up from burritos and soups!

Hot Beef Subs

1 sweet onion

1 lb lean beef

3/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 clove garlic

Cheese (I like provolone) 

6 sub buns

Cut onion in rings. Saute in pan until tender. Add beef and brown. Once meat is fully cooked, add ketchup, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well. Divide meat evenly between the sub buns. Top with preferred cheese choice. Wrap in foil. Freeze.

To bake...bake in foil on 400 for 30 mins OR take out to thaw the night before and bake on 400 for 15 minutes. 

Super easy recipe to add to the freezer stockpile! Even the kids liked them.