Outdoor Storage Bench

October 15th, 2013

I built a storage bench for our patio, now that our concrete has been poured. I wanted a place to be able to hide our extra propane tanks, but still be able to use it as a table/bench seating. I found a plan for one HERE, but I knew that I had to make some modifications.

Storage Bench Web Read the rest of this entry »

Make Ahead Meals: Chicken and Rice Wraps

April 3rd, 2013

Tonight I ate dinner alone, which was probably a good thing since the meal I planned was a little on the skimpy side. During planning mode, I planned to double this recipe and have two meals prepped, but in preparation, I made a single batch and halved it… oops! As it was, the recipe was still sufficient for my dinner and lunch, but I have a feeling Travis would have still been hungry if he had joined me.

Overall, this was very good. I didn’t feel like shredding cheese just for myself, so I paired the wraps with some ranch dressing and some salsa that I had on-hand in the refrigerator. I use the tortillas you can buy in the plastic package on the bread aisle, and then you cook them on the stove prior to eating. These are the closest I have found to real Tex-Mex flour tortillas, they are so thin and light compared to the precooked ones on the shelves. Because of this, my prep time and clean up are a little bit longer, but it is worth it.

Picture from: Freezer Meals for Us

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 c. water
1 c. mild salsa
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 c. instant rice, uncooked
1 pkg. flour tortillas

 

1.In a saucepan combine chicken, water, salsa, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add rice and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
2.Freeze rice mixture in a Ziploc and Freeze.
3. Defrost and heat rice mixture.
4.To serve, put rice mixture, cheese, and sour cream, if desired in tortillas and wrap.

 

I defrosted my mixture in the refrigerator overnight, then reheated it on the stove. It doesn’t take a lot to reheat the mixture, so you could probably place the chicken mixture in a microwave safe container and reheat it in the microwave.

Make Ahead Meals: Beef Empanadas

April 2nd, 2013

So…we took the last 2 days off from freezer meals. But, they were planned days off! Sunday was Easter, and even though I was too tired to attend, Travis made steaks and spent most of his day with his family. He ate quite a bit at lunch, so I planned a leftover/cereal night for us. Monday was our night out, so we used a Groupon to a Brazilian Steakhouse called “Praderia”. The food is awesome, the service is quick, and for all you can eat steak, the overall price is fairly reasonable (with the Groupon) for two people.

Tonight I planned empanadas – no defrost required, you put these in the oven straight from the freezer. These came out pretty well. I left out the salt and pepper to taste in the preparation stage – in the future I will definitely not skip this step as the meat mixture by itself was a little bland. I also played with the idea of adding a bit more of the other spices (especially the cumin) to add more zest. Once baked into the empanada shell, it was actually very tasty, and paired with salsa was a good meal

Beef Empanadas Picture from: Joelens.blogspot.com

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup taco shredded cheese blend
1 package empanada dough rounds (Goya)
1.To make the filling, heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onions and garlic until softened. Add the corn, black beans, cumin, cayenne, and cloves and cook until fragrant. Crumble the beef into the pan and brown. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze and transfer the beef mixture to a bowl; cool.
2.Stir in the cilantro leaves into the beef mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cool completely in the refrigerator. Once cooled completely, fold in the cheese.
3.Using the premade empanada dough, place 1/3 cup of filling mixture in the center of each dough round. Brush the edges of the dough with water and fold dough over the filling. Press the edges to seal and crimp the edges using a fork. Once assembled, place empanadas in a gallon sized freezer bag in one layer. Remove any excess air from the bag and freeze flat.
4.When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 425 degrees and place a large baking sheet in the oven. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the surface of the large preheated baking sheet and then return to the oven for 2 minutes.
5.Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the frozen empanadas onto the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the empanadas with oil. Place the baking sheet of frozen empanadas in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until well browned and crisp. Cool empanadas on a wire rack for 10 minutes and serve.

Make Ahead Meal: Chicken Enchiladas

March 30th, 2013

Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat

Make Ahead Meal: Beef Stroganoff

March 29th, 2013

Beef Stroganoff Picture from: Freezer Meals For Us

Recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 diced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery or chicken soup