Freezer Meals: How To

Hi friends! So, many of you saw my instagram post yesterday about how I prepped 25 freezer meals in about 3 hours and for less than $90! I got a lot of feedback saying you'd like to know how I did it, so I listened. First of all, this has been something I've wanted to do for a loooong time but never fully got around to doing it, now after yesterday, I want to do this as often as possible.. I'm thinking every 3-4 months is a good goal. I have read tons of blogs and pinned all kinds of how to's for freezer meals, so what I did was just really a mix of everything I've learned, and picking up on what my family will actually eat, etc.

The 2 main reasons for doing this was 1) I'm going to have a new baby any day now, and really who has the time to cook for a family of 5 (!!) with a newborn? I'm sure I won't. For me, thats a hard pill to swallow because I love meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, so I knew I needed a way to still provide yummy, healthy, homemade meals without completely losing my mind. 2) Recently Logan and I decided to pay for all our groceries with cash, and it's something I highly recommend! However, the last few weeks have been rough and for whatever reason I kept coming up short on a budget that I KNOW was plenty enough to feed us, and after yesterday, 25 meals for less than a $100?? That really made me proud.

Keep in mind, these meals are mostly "starters", as in, the day of cooking you'll need to make some noodles, rice, or potatoes, etc. It's just the meat of the meal is already done. Also, its no secret I love my crock pot, so aside from the chicken enchilada filling, spaghetti sauce, and cooked ground beef, all these recipes are prepared to go straight to your crock pot after defrosting for about 6 hours. So what were the meals? This is what I made:
(1) pork chops w/ caramelized apples and onion
(3)Hawaiian Chicken serve in tacos, or over rice
(2)Sweet and Sour Meatballs serve over rice or steamed veggies
(3)Marinara Meatballs serve over noodles, or in hoagie as meatball sub
(2)Spaghetti Sauce w/ ground beef, onion, peppers serve over pasta/use in lasagna
(1)Chili Starter add packet of chili seasoning and 1 can of hormel chili 
(1)Burrito Bowl serve over mexican rice
(2)Chicken Enchilada (filling only)
(1)White Chicken Chili
(1)Barbecue Chicken use for sandwiches or over mashed potatoes 
(1)Italian chicken with veggies
(1)Chicken Phillies serve in hoagies 
(5)3/4 lbs cooked ground beef with peppers and onions pull out as needed for tacos, spaghetti, sloppy  joes, etc. 

I didn't really follow any particular recipes, just ones that I'm used to making for my family. I have my shopping list for you though, and if you have any questions about any recipe just let me know and I'll be happy to share :)


Costco:
6 lb package fresh ground beef (around $20 at 3.49/lb)
1 bag boneless skinless chicken tenders ($16) normally I have my beloved zaycon foods chicken breast, but I don't get my order for about 6 more weeks so frozen costco chicken is the next best deal.
Turkey Meatballs ($12)
1 bag yellow onions
Frys:
2 lb package chicken breast
1 lb pkg pork chops
4-5 green bell peppers
2 bottles teriyaki sauce
large bag of carrots (italian chicken, and one bag of hawaiian chicken)
grape jelly (split between 2 bags of sweet and sour meatballs)
chili sauce (split between 2 bags of sweet and sour meatballs)
3 jars of spaghetti sauce (split between spaghetti sauce and marinara meatballs)
2 cans diced tomatoes (split between chili starter, white chicken chili, and burrito bowls)
1 packet italian dressing mix (italian chicken)
2 cans chunk pineapple (split equally between 3 bags hawaiian chicken)
3 cans of beans (pinto, black, and northern white) (white for white chicken chili, black for burrito bowls, pinto for chili starter)
1 large can green enchilada sauce (split between 2 bags enchilada filling)
1 container sour cream (split between 2 bags enchilada filling)
1 can sweet corn (1/2 white chicken chili, 1/2 burrito bowls)
1 carton chicken stock (for italian chicken, white chicken chili)
2 granny smith apples (for pork chops)

I can't say that I found excellent deals, and I don't really shop anywhere else than these 2 stores, so you could quite possibly find better deals and make the trip even cheaper.

I used gallon freezer bags for each meal, and labeled each one with the date, meal, and how to prep it before I filled each one. The easiest way I found was putting the bag in a medium sized bowl and filling it that way. I also had 2 large bowls, one filled with sliced onions, and one with sliced bell peppers since I put both of those in most of these meals. I also put the 2 lbs of chicken breast from frys in the crock pot in the morning with some all purpose seasoning and chicken broth to shred later for the chicken enchiladas and burrito bowls.

I also made 4 batches of pizza dough (2 pizzas per batch) and froze that for pizza nights, but I already had those ingredients on hand so I can't technically include that in the cost ;) I totally recommend doing this, it makes pizza night really low key and way faster, just pull out the dough the morning of and keep it in the fridge. Pull it out and let it rest for about 30 minutes before using :) 

• 1 teaspoon (scant) Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cups Warm Water
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour 
• 3/4 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge/freezer until you need it.

I hope this helps you! It feels so good knowing I have all these meals tucked away. Enjoy!! 

xoxo, 

Michelle

Hawaiian Haystacks

I grew up eating Hawaiian Haystacks, it was one of  my favorites! Back in the day though, the only toppings I ate were cheese and crispy noodles! This version is made a bit healthier, and there are no cream soups so it's all from scratch and still super easy to make. I used pineapple, cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and crispy noodles. Some people use raisins, dried cranberries, and olives, so go crazy! 

You can enjoy this meal any time of the year, I live in Phoenix so in the heat of summer this is actually perfect, and still so good in the middle of February, but then again I like to eat cornbread and chili in August so maybe I don't know anything. ANYWAY..

Start out with butter and  coconut oil and melt in a sauce pan, add flour, and salt & pepper. Stir for a few minutes until its thick and lovely. Next turn up the heat then add chicken stock and stir until it thickens again. At this point add sour cream, garlic, and dry ranch seasoning OR dry italian dressing.

Add shredded chicken breast, and serve over brown rice, or you can put the chicken and gravy in the crock pot until you're ready to serve it. 

2 chicken breasts, shredded 

2 tablespoons of butter 

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

 1 can chicken stock 

salt and pepper to taste 

1/4 cup sour cream 

2 tablespoons dry Italian or ranch dressing mix

1 tsp minced garlic

enough steamed rice for your family, 3 cups usually does it for us

toppings:

crushed pineapple

cheddar cheese

crispy chinese noodles

green onions

sliced grape tomatoes

olives

raisins

dried cranberries

enjoy! 

xoxo, Michelle

My Weekly Meal Plan

So I've been meaning to do this for a while now and then monday would sneak up on me, and I'd wait until the following week and blah blah blah. Anyways, I'm doing it now and I want to keep doing it every week but I'm not making any promises :) Some things you should know about me- my house is almost always messy, I'm awful at folding laundry, I grocery shop way too often, and I really hate cleaning my kitchen floor. BUT one thing I take pride in being good at is my weekly meal planning, and really, it makes my life so much easier. Who wants to think of what to make for dinner EVERY NIGHT?? It's a pain. I've learned that thinking about it one day a week is so much better. My goal is to share with you my meal plans and maybe give you something new to add to your menu, and you can share with me too, cool? Cool.

Monday: Sloppy Joes
Tuesday: Teriyaki Tacos (Taco Tuesday!)
Wednesday: Sausage and Veggie Bake
Thursday: BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Friday: Chili (Halloween!)

Sloppy Joe Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped, any color is fine. 
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp mustard (I like a spicy/sweet mixture, but regular is fab too!)
3/4 cup Ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Brown that ground turkey with onions and peppers, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve on whole wheat buns.

Teriyaki Tacos:
Ingredients:3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup teriyaki sauce or merinade
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper 
1 bell pepper
1 onion
crushed pineapple
shredded cheese
Uncooked flour tortillas

Add chicken, 1/2 cup of the sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and crushed red pepper in your (beloved) crock pot, and cook on low for about 6 hours. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it and add the rest of the sauce. In a skillet saute your onion and pepper with a little olive oil and butter. Top your chicken filled tortillas with peppers and onions, then cheese and pineapple. Logan asks for this meal at least once a week.. so you'll probably see it again!

Sausage and Veggie Bake:
Ingredients:
kielbasa sausage (or any kind you like, I get this at costco and the price is tough to beat)
3 large golden potatoes
2 bell peppers
1 onion
1 zucchini
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tbsp minced garlic 

brown your sausage in a skillet with olive oil (technically you can skip this step, but I like some char on my sausage) in a greased 9x13 pan, add your sliced veggies and top with garlic and crushed red pepper. Add sausage on top (along with any juice) and give it all a good toss. Bake at
375 for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potatoes 
 Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup bbq sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
frozen sweet potatoes
garlic salt
brown sugar
butter

Marinate the chicken in a bag with bbq sauce, mustard, and garlic for about an hour. You can either bake it or grill it, I usually use my grill pan but do whatever tickles your fancy! For the potatoes just bake according to the directions and when they're done, toss with a bit of garlic salt and brown sugar and butter.

Chili:
1 packet of McCormick chili seasoning
1 lb ground turkey
3 cans of various beans (red beans, pinto, and white are what I like)
2 cans of petite diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Throw all that in your crock pot on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 5 or 6. Top with sour cream, cheese, and fritos. Serve with corn bread, yummmmmmm!

Well, that was fun. Enjoy!

xoxo,
Michelle

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• ¾ cup ketchup
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly.
3. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

- See more at: http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2013/06/homemade-sloppy-joe-recipe/#_a5y_p=1287759

Simple (healthy) Homemade Applesauce

So, if you're house is like mine, we go though an incredible amount of applesauce. My kids love it, Logan and I love it, I use it in recipes, as a topping for ice cream, the list goes on and on. While I'm in no way against store bought applesauce, I vow to never buy it again. You might feel the same after this post. This takes very little time, and its so pure. I love when I know exactly what I'm putting in my family's tummies. There are a few variations you can do, but I'll tell ya exactly what I do first.

I like to buy the 10 pound bag of red delicious apples from costco, I don't particularly like this apple for snacking, but it's great for applesauce. It's also typically one of the cheapest. The 10 pound bag is enough for 2 batches or 4 large mason jars worth of applesauce. So worth it!




I start off by washing and roughly slicing 5 lbs of apples. I leave the skin on, my kiddos don't notice it and the skin has loads of nutrients :) I used to peel the apples, and it worked just as well, but it takes a bunch of time and well, aint nobody got time for that, so skin on it is.

After I've filled my crock pot to the brim with my sliced apples, I pour a tablespoon or 2 of agave nectar in, as well as a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add about 1/4 cup of water just so you're sure not to burn the edges, but you don't need much at all. 

At this point you can put in a couple dashes of cinnamon, I chose not to this time, but it will make your house smell like such a dream even more than it already does. Some people also put in brown sugar, I've never done it because it's already plenty sweet for my taste, but I'm sure its delish.

Let that cook down on low for 4-6 hours. Your house will be smelling fantastic. 

once they look like this, you're ready to blend it. I spoon all of it into my blender and pulse it until its smooth like butta'. Pour in mason jars and you're done. Seriously. 

P.S. top vanilla ice cream with this warm applesauce, you'll think you died and went to heaven.


xoxo,
Michelle

My favorite green smoothie

Here's a little thing about me, I love eating healthy and I love eating junk. I love McDonalds fries, I cant help it, those things are heavenly. Even though I have my share of bad eating habits, I try to keep the food in our home relatively healthy. My kids, especially Landon, are pretty picky..most kids are right? It's a daily struggle trying to get them to eat what's good for them, but they LOVE smoothies. They'll drink them any time of day, and it makes things so much easier for me. It's not teaching them to love broccoli, but they're getting something wholesome, and with a 1 and 3 year old that's good enough for me! I'll admit, I am extra picky when it comes to smoothies, and there's a load of different green smoothies out there. I've tried TONS and honestly, so many of them were so gross to me, I wanted my smoothie to look green not taste green, and those littles of mine are pickier than I am. So I came across this recipe through the Vitamix lady at costco... it's truly perefection. No spinach taste at all and it still has 2 hefty handfuls of it in there. I very rarely use ice in my smoothies because in my opinion it waters things down too much so I use half fresh/half frozen fruit. In this one the real star of the show is frozen pineapple, and you can get it for less than $7 a bag at costco! Also, it kind of tastes like candy. I love pineapple. This recipe makes about enough to fill up 2 sippy cups and an 8 oz glass..so adjust accordingly.

1 large banana

1 large orange (sometimes I use a few cuties, whatever I have on hand)

2 1/2 cups frozen pineaple 

1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey if that tickles your fancy)

2 handfuls fresh baby spinach**

(I put the ingredients in the blender in the order that I wrote them)

**Here's a handy tip for making sure that baby spinach doesn't go to waste: I usually buy mine from costco and we can't eat it as quick as we need to, so after about 5 days of having it in my fridge I throw all of it in my blender with just a splash of water and pour it in ice cube trays. After they're frozen I put them in ziploc bags and store them in the freezer and use 1 or 2 of them anytime I make a smoothie.

xoxo, 

Michelle

p.s. if you wanted to opt out of the agave or honey you totally can. I've made it plenty of times without it, just know that if your orange is super tart you'll notice it more :) enjoy!

Meet Michelle

Hello! And welcome! I am Michelle Moore, I'm 24 years old. I've been happily married to my lovebug, Logan Moore, for almost 6 years. We have two kiddos, Landon and Chloe. Landon is almost 4 and Chloe is 18 months. We are both originally from San Diego, where we were married in the beautiful San Diego LDS Temple. After Logan graduated from BYU, we again moved to San Diego while Logan went to Physical Therapy school. We now live in Glendale, Arizona. Yes, for the record I love living in the desert. It's hot, currently 102 degrees, haha but I've adjusted and we love our life here. We recently bought our house and we've been busily doing home improvements which can be stressful and also tons of fun. I own an etsy shop called MyHeartFeltBows selling headbands for baby girls. I love Taylor Swift, baking treats, going out to eat, taking naps, and playing with my family. Don't worry, not in that order ;) I really love my Moore sisters, and I'm so excited to start this with them!

xoxo,
Michelle