Where's Jennie?

Life kind of stopped with Day 13 last week for me!  I'm sorry I didn't keep going.  My sister was put in the hospital last week for Kidney Failure. She has since been diagnosed with Wegeners Disease.  It's not a very fun disease to have.  She has started some massive treatments, including chemo, dialasys and plasmapheresis. I have been trying to take it all in and wrap my head around the situation.  And of course be with her as much as possible.  She will be in the hospital another couple of weeks. 

For the time being, pretty much anything extra is on hold, so I can try to be there for her and for my family.  Please keep her in your prayers.  She is only 21! I promise to get back with the rest of the freezer meals, when life settles down a little more. I've got some good ones for ya!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Freezer Meal Day 13- Grilled Ham and Cheese

I got to spend the day with my sweet sister yesterday.  She is in the hospital with acute kidney failure.  They will be doing a minor surgery on her today to get some answers.  If you all could remember her in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated!

Moments like these, whether big or small, are exactly why we need to prepare now with freezer meals!  Something always comes up, whether its a sick child or other family member, too many places to be at once and cant get dinner going, or you just feel too lazy to cook.  These freezer meals have saved me a lot of stress and time!

Here is another yummy freezer sandwich that goes along with the PB and J for the Masses that I posted earlier.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

Bread

Sliced Cheese ( I used American)

Sliced Ham

Butter (softened)

Wax paper (if desired)

With two slices of bread, add a slice of ham (or more if desired) and a slice of cheese (I used a couple slices). Put sides together and spread the outside with butter.  In a fry pan or on a griddle, grill (at low to medium heat) both sides until golden and the cheese is melted. Allow sandwiches to cool and wrap individually with wax paper (if desired). Put in freezer bags.  Label and freeze

To Thaw:  remove a sandwich from the bag (still wrapped with wax paper) and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds.  You can also grill them again until thawed and crisp again. ( I nuked it first then grilled it.  It was awesome!)

Freezer Meals Day 12- Pigs in a Blanket

It's kid friendly week here at Mommy's Kitchen Creations!  Today I've got a super easy one for you.  My kids like to call these mummys, because their grandma made them these for Halloween.  They are nice to just pop in the microwave and heat them up.

Pigs in a Blanket

1 pkg Crescent rolls

2 small pkgs Lil' Smokies

Preheat oven according to package directions (for the crescent rolls). Un-roll crescent rolls and combine 2 triangles together to create a square.  Pinch seams together.  Cut 5 rows lengthwise and then one cut in half cross wise, to make 10 pieces.  Wrap each piece around a link and place on a cookie sheet.   Bake according to crescent roll package directions. 

To Freeze- when cooked, allow them to cool and place cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Label and freeze. 

To Thaw: Toss in the microwave and heat through.  You can also bake them according to package instructions, and just add about 5-10 minutes for thawing time.

Freezer Meals Day 11- Chicken Tenders

It's kid Friendly Meals Week this week.  All week I will have some fun freezer meals that are great for those crazy day lunches, or even dinner... for your little ones.  Every time we decide to eat out my kids tell me they want chicken and french fries.  So today, I have some chicken fingers for you that you can freeze ahead of time and have ready to microwave at a moments notice. 

Spend one afternoon making a bunch of these, and you'll save tons of time and money in the long run. 

Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 lbs Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 C. Flour

2 Eggs beaten

1/4 C. milk

1 C. Bread Crumbs

1 C. Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tsp Season Salt

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle raw chicken with salt and pepper.  In a small shallow dish, add the flour with a dash of salt and pepper.  In another shallow bowl add eggs and milk. Beat well.  And another shallow dish, mix together the bread crumbs, season salt, salt and pepper. 

Coat tenders with flour and then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Then coat with the bread crumbs.  Place the tenders on a cookie sheet and bate at 375 for about 15 minutes. 

To Freeze:  After baking, allow them to cool.  Put cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze the tenders. When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.  Label, date and return to the freezer.

To Thaw:  remove desired amount of tenders and heat in the microwave (about a minute for 3 or less tenders) in the oven (375 for about15 min.) or deep fry them on medium until golden brown. 

Chicken Freezer Meals

Here is a quick glance at my previous chicken freezer meal recipes.


Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

Egg Rolls

Chicken Parmigana
Chile Lime Chicken Burritos

Cheesy Chicken Penne with Sundried Tomatoes

Crock Pot Creamy Southwestern Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Homemade Tamales

Chile Lime Chicken Tostadas
Chicken Soup

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Freezer Meals Day 10- Chicken Stuffed Pablanos

Man oh Man! My husband rocks!  He was on a roll tonight!  As a little disclaimer... I haven't officially frozen this dish or the previous post, to get exact thawing times etc... but I can't see any reason why they wouldn't freeze and thaw just fine.  So sorry about that, but hey... it's my blog and I can do what I want.  And I want to post this recipe now!

Don't let the wrinkly nasty looking pepper fool you.  I never did like the way they photographed.  They always look so gross.  But taste so good!

Chicken Stuffed Pablanos

8 large Pablano Peppers (seeded, ribbed and broiled)

16 oz block Monterey Jack Cheese

1 recipe of Mystery Dish Chicken (cooked) (recipe below)

Cut heads off of the peppers.  Remove all seeds and ribs. Broil Peppers on high until skin is blistered.  About 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a plastic Ziploc bag and seal.  Allow peppers to sweat/cool for 5-10 minutes.  Remove waxy skins.  (it should slip right off). Stuff peppers with a slice of cheese and desired amount of chicken.  Bake at 250 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To freeze-  Before baking, place stuffed peppers on a cookie sheet or plate and freeze.  When frozen, toss them into a freezer bag, label and freeze.

To thaw, bake at 250 for 35-45 minutes or until cheese is gooey and melted.  You can also speed things up and just toss them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes.

Chicken Marinade-

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ pablano pepper (seeded, ribbed and finely chopped)

1 tbsp prepared minced garlic (not the dried minced)

1 tbsp sugar

2 lbs of chicken (raw and diced)

2 tbsp olive oil

 In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients.  Toss in chicken.
Stir to coat.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat olive oil into a frying pan.  Bring to medium heat. Toss in chicken, discarding the liquid. Cook for about10 minutes or until cooked through.

Freezer Meals Day 9- Mystery Meal

Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln this dish is good.  I tell you what, I think I am just going to turn this blog over to my husband.  His food is absolutely amazing!!  I've been in a "I don't want to cook cause my kitchen is a mess" mood this week.  I cleaned it all up and made some tamales earlier this week.  By the end of the tamale run, not only was my kitchen a mess, but so was the rest of my house.  I've never been good at cleaning as I go.  A trait I am trying to acquire.

By the time tamale day is over, I'm wiped out and don't feel like cleaning.  3 days later...I turn into a tornado. (after everyone and their mom has seen my messy house and I'm so embarrassed I finally decide to do something about it) I put the kids to bed and plow through the house cleaning every nook and cranny. Anyway... still feeling like I don't want to cook, my hubby decided to get creative tonight.  I had a few different dishes that I had on the list to try for this week, but just wasn't feeling it.  So we decided to switch gears and let Trever take a wack at a new dish.  And of course he passed with flying colors.  There are quite a few steps to this one, but they go pretty quick. Especially if you have the rice made up ahead of time. 

So here is the deal... We are not sure what to call this.  So we are going to have a contest.  Not sure what the winner will get.  Maybe just the satisfaction of naming one of my dishes.  We will see. But leave a post with your desired recipe name. Trever and I will choose and let you know. The contest will run until next Saturday the 14th.  Be sure to check in daily for all of the fun names!

Mystery Meal

Rice

½ pablano pepper seeded, ribbed and finely chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1/8 large onion finely chopped

Salt to taste

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cups cooked rice *

1 tbsp lime juice

Heat oil in a pan, add pepper, garlic, onion, salt, and sugar. Saute until tender. 3-4 minutes.  Stir in cooked rice.  Add 1 tbsp lime juice.

Chicken Marinade-

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ pablano pepper (seeded, ribbed and finely chopped)

1 tbsp prepared minced garlic (not the dried minced)

1 tbsp sugar

2 lbs of chicken (raw and diced)

2 tbsp olive oil

 In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients.  Toss in chicken.
Stir to coat.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat olive oil into a frying pan.  Bring to medium heat. Toss in chicken, discarding the liquid. Cook for about10 minutes or until cooked through.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese (we just used half of this recipe and saved the rest for another meal)

1 8 oz package cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

2-3 jalapenos (ribbed and seeded) **

Salt to taste    

2 tbsp sugar

1/8 large onion finely diced

3 tbsp lime juice

1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Soften cream cheese and blend in a blender well. 

additional ingredients needed

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese shredded

1 cup tortilla chip pieces

Layer

in a 9x9 (you can do a larger pan to make it thinner if desired) aluminum pan, put rice in the bottom, packing it down firmly. Add cooked chicken to the top of the rice.Top with jalapeno cream cheese. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese

Cover with foil and label.  Freeze

To thaw, Bake covered at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and broil on high for 3-5 min. until cheese is golden.

If making fresh... just skip to the quick broil to crisp the cheese.

Top with tortilla chip pieces.

* Day old rice is best, but if it's fresh, after steaming/cooking it... spread it onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 15 min. This will dry it out a little bit and keep it from clumping so much.

** Each Jalapeno has a different heat content from what I've found.  Also it depends on how well you clean out the ribs and seeds.  Make sure to clean them out well (I like to use rubber gloves to avoid catastrophy) I would start with one.  Taste it and add more according to tastes.  Trever added 3 and it wasn't spicey at all, but again, it just depends.

Freezer Meals Day 8- Poppy Seed Chicken

I found this recipe from my friends blog. I have to admit, when I looked at it, I thought... where is all the seasoning? But I tried it as is anyway.  WOW, no seasoning required.  It's Fabulous!  The crackers really give it a nice flavor.  I did season the chicken with salt and pepper when I cooked it, but that's it. 

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery round crackers (like Ritz)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup butter, melted
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Recipe taken from Pickle Boat Recipes

2. Place the chicken into a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. Pour over the chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.

3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly.

Freezer Meals Day 7 - Honey Lime Enchiladas

Fussy teething baby means no commentary today.  Just try them, they are good! :)

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked (seasoned with salt and pepper) & shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound Monterrey jack cheese, shredded ( used cheddar)
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I left this out)

Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-lock bag. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour. Longer is better. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.
Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Lay rolled tortillas in the pan. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (if there is any). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Recipe adapted from Dinner on a Dime

Freeze in a foil pan covered in foil, before cooking.  To thaw, cook at 350 for about 45 min, remove foil and cook another 30.  Or thaw on the counter and cook as directed above. Remember to label your foil!

Freezer Meals day 6- Cranberry Chicken

We ate this dish at our ward Christmas party, and have enjoyed it many times since.  All I can say about this one, is Whoa baby it's good! I got the recipe from a friend of mine.  Defiantly a keeper...

Cranberry Chicken

4  chicken breasts sliced in half

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce

1 cup French dressing

Lay chicken side by side in a foil 9x13 pan.  Mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.  Cover with foil. Keep in the fridge for about 8 hours or overnight.  (I have made this without marinating it.  It's not as fabulous but still good)  Bake at 350 (covered loosely with foil) for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Or until cooked through.

To freeze-  Before cooking, cover with foil, label and date. Put in freezer

To Thaw- I haven't tested the thaw time in the oven but I would guess about 45 minutes longer.  So a total of 2 hours in the oven. Or you can just thaw on the counter and cook for the designated time.  I don't like to mess around with raw chicken so I over cook mine just to make sure. 

Serve with rice.