Flash Freezing

I found this flash freezing tutorial on one of my favorite cooking blogs called "Yes, Divas Can Cook". At first I thought it may not be worth the hassle to flash freeze, but she sold me on it. Here's why:

1. It's healthier than frozen express meals you buy in the store. Less salt and preservatives.
2. It's cheaper to make your own. As she points out on her blog, one of those store bought express meals will feed 1-2 people, while making your own at home can feed 6-8 for half the price.
3. You can add your own ingredients. You're not limited to the what's available in the store. And with picky eaters, that's a plus. I can make a meal with veggies in one bag and omit them from the other.
4. I like the idea that I can make a few frozen meals while the kids are in school, then pull one out on days when I just don't feel like cooking. Heat for 10 minutes and serve.

I love that she takes these meals to her pregnant friends. What an awesome idea! :)

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Peppercorn Sauce

My Dad recently gave me this recipe for pork tenderloin. I have yet to try it, but it sounds easy and delicious.

Pork tenderloin (up to 3 lbs)

Garlic powder

Dry Ranch dressing mix

2 cans Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup

1 teaspoon brown mustard

¼ cup (or ½ a stick) of butter

salt

pepper

How to cook tenderloin: Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dry Ranch dressing mix. Cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Roast tenderloin at 375 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, depending on size. Internal temperature should be at least 160-165 degrees for doneness. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Tenderloin should be a bit pink inside, otherwise the meat is overdone and can become dry.

For peppercorn sauce: Mix both cans of soup, brown mustard and 1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Cut butter into small chunks and add to sauce, stirring constantly to incorporate.

Serve gravy over warm, sliced tenderloin.

Feb 10-17

Thursday-Oscar Meyer Angus dogs, to be exact. Chips and fruit.
Friday-Chicken tacos/fajitas with avocado
Saturday-Fettucine alfredo with asparagus
Sunday-Mediterranean chicken skewers with zucchini and saffron rice. For the chicken I'll just marinate it in lemon juice, olive oil and mediterranean spices. Then skewer them with sliced zucchini and broil.
Monday-out? I shouldn't have to cook on Valentine's Day, right? :0)
Tuesday-Homemade mac and cheese, broccoli and smoothies
Wednesday-Chow mein

Feb 1-6

Monday-chicken alfredo with cheesy garlic biscuits
Tuesday-meatloaf, mashed potatoes and salad
Wednesday-stir fry and rice
Thursday-sandwiches and smoothies
Friday-chicken fajitas. I recently discovered Gourmet Garden herbs and I love them. They make cooking so much easier.
Saturday-pizza or something out
Sunday-crockpot chili and cornbread

Back to It

Now that the holidays are officially over it's time to get back to meal planning. Yay. No better time to start than the middle of the week, right?

Wednesday: Sesame noodles with chicken and broccoli
Thursday: Raviolis and salad
Friday: Chop chop chow mein. This recipe has become a favorite.
Saturday: Pasta primavera and garlic bread
Sunday: Chicken tacos

Chop Chop Chicken Chow Mein

I'm always looking for recipes that are fast and easy. After spending time in Stockton over the Christmas break and gorging on delicious Asian food, I searched the internet and found this easy recipe for Chicken Chow Mein. I made it for lunch today and it was really good. It will definitely be one of my go to lunch/dinner meals. What's great about this recipe is that you can use any kind of meat you like. You can even make it vegetarian.

"Chop Chop Chicken Chow Mein"

Ingredients:

Chow Mein Noodles-You can use fresh or dry. I used dry because they were cheaper.
2 Tbs ginger, minced
2 Tbs garlic, minced
chicken breast or tenderloins, sliced
scallions, sliced
carrot, shredded
snap peas
shittake mushrooms
(Of course you can use any veggies you want, these are just what is used in this particular recipe. I omitted the mushrooms and added bean sprouts.)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs corn starch
1/4 water

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package. Drain and run under cold water. I also added a few drops of sesame oil to keep them from sticking. Set aside.

Add 2 Tbs oil into a hot pan. Cook ginger and garlic for a minute. Add chicken to brown. Add veggies. Stir fry for a minute or two. Mix together all 6 sauce ingredients. Add sauce to pan and stir to coat. Add noodles and toss. You're done!

Serves 4-6 people.

Already Thinking About Leftovers!

I know that Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet, but I'm already starting to think about the yummy ways we can eat our leftover turkey. I love the ideas on this website. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy some of them!

Totally trying this

Spinoccoli Pizza, thanks to Annies eats. Yum!

Meals, Schmeals...

I'm so not into making a meal plan lately. I'm tired and there's just too much going on in life to care about cooking anymore. With picky eaters and a husband who rarely eats dinner at home, how could you blame me?

So here is my really lame and really late meal plan for the next few days. Thank goodness Thanksgiving is coming up. It means I don't have to worry about a meal plan for awhile!

Friday: Von's $5 meal- garlic herb shrimp with rice
Saturday: tortilla soup/chili with cornbread
Sunday: salmon cakes and rice pilaf
Monday: spaghetti and garlic bread
Tuesday: omelettes
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday:Thanksgiving fun!

Fun Shaped Eggs and '1 pot" Mess

Yasmeen has been a HUGE fan of a bacon and egg breakfast lately. I make the bacon on the griddle and wanted to make my egg on there too so I have a fast and easy clean up (mornings aren't my thing: the simpler the better!).

The following idea is likely not new news to any experienced mom, but it was a novel idea to me :) I decided to both spice up the interest of breakfast and save myself cleaning a cast iron by placing one of my handy dandy metal cookie cutters onto the griddle, breaking the egg first into a small container, and then pouring the egg into the cookie cutter mold. It works like a charm and makes some cute eggs! So far I've made a bunny (big hit) a chic (liked) and a butterfly (which would have been a big hit, but Yasmeen has been doing a lot of puzzles lately and the butterfly is on the insect board, which she has decided are "icky" so when I placed the egg butterfly on her plate this morning she said "no, bug!").

Anyway, thought I'd pass along the tip in case you haven't tried it. Tip: it does work best if you first make the bacon then turn down the heat on the griddle a little so a film doesn't develop on the exterior of the egg while it cooks.