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Simple Hearty Bean Casserole (How to cheat and make this FAST!)

September 1, 2019 by Laura 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

This Simple Hearty Bean Casserole is a family favorite, and if you follow these simple make-ahead tricks, you can have it on the table super quickly!

First, let’s talk about the beauty of prepping Homemade Bacon Bits ahead of time. And while we’re at it, let’s be reminded about cooking several pounds of hamburger meat ahead of time.

If you do these two things, you will have so many quick meal options at your fingertips!!

For this Simple Hearty Bean Casserole, I’ve found that if I have the bacon bits and the hamburger meat already prepped all I have to do is stir them into a couple cans of beans and we have a meal. This is so easy and good!

Yes, you can soak and make your beans from scratch. This is a great money saver! During this season in my life, I’ve found that it is incredibly helpful to have a case of Baked Beans on hand for easy meal prep. Maybe someday I’ll get back to soaking and cooking beans. ;)

This is my favorite brand of Baked Beans.

This recipe is perfect for a family who loves their protein. Beans, bacon, and hamburger all in one bowl? Yah. Add a side salad and some fresh fruit and the meal is complete!

How to make Simple Hearty Bean Casserole:

I just want you to know how easy this is, especially if you have your meat prepped ahead.

  1. Open two cans of beans and put them into a large cooking pot.
  2. Dump in some cooked bacon bits.
  3. Dump in some cooked hamburger meat.
  4. Squeeze in some ketchup.
  5. Shake in some dry minced onion.
  6. Heat until bubbly (5 minutes).
  7. Serve and eat!

Do you see? Do you see how easy this is and how wonderful it can be to have these foods prepped or purchased and waiting to make a great meal for your family?

Simple Hearty Bean CasseroleYum

And now, we’ll pretend that this is an actual recipe.

Simple Hearty Bean Casserole (How to cheat and make this FAST!)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound hamburger meat
  • ½ pound bacon
  • 2 Tablespoons dry minced onion
  • 3 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 15-ounce cans of Baked Beans
Instructions
  1. Cook hamburger meat, bacon, and onion together in a large pot.
  2. Drain excess grease if necessary.
  3. Stir beans and ketchup into cooked meat.
  4. Heat until bubbly.
  5. Serve and eat!
3.5.3229

Want More Simple Recipes?

We’ve got a huge list, and it keeps growing!

  • Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  • Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
  • Last-Minute Lentil Chili
  • Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
  • Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
  • Simple Beanie Weanies
  • Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
  • Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
  • Simple Italian Chicken and Green Bean Bake
  • Last Minute Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
  • Simple Hamburger Soup
  • Simple Parmesan Broiled Fish
  • Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple 15-Minute Meal
  • Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
  • Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
  • Simple Oven Fried Chicken
  • Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
  • The Easiest Mashed Potatoes in the World
  • Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp
  • Simple Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips
  • Simple Crock Pot Shredded Ranch Chicken (for salad or tacos)
  • Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
  • Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
  • Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
  • Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
  • Simple Green Chile Chicken
  • Simple Tex-Mex Creamy Chicken
  • Simple Waffle Omelets
  • Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
  • Simple Grilled Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
  • Simple Crock Pot Creamy Stew Meat
  • Simple Cheese Stuffed Burgers
  • Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
  • Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
  • Simple Chili Mac
  • Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
  • From Burrito Bar to Casserole (a 5-Minute Meal!)
  • Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Roll
  • Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs
  • Super Simple Lasagna
  • The Simplest White Chicken Chili
  • Simple Lentil Nachos
  • Simple Tuna Patties
  • Simple Banana Pancakes
  • Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken
  • Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests
  • Simple Cornbread Waffles with Chili
  • Simple Veggie Fritters
  • Simple Lemon Garlic Chicken Legs
  • Simple Noodle Soup
  • Simple Three Cheese Spaghetti
  • Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef
  • Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole
  • Easiest Beef Roast in the Instant Pot
  • Simple One-Dish Chicken Florentine
  • Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas
  • Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole
  • 5-Minute Cheesy Hamburger and Potatoes
  • Simple 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Soup
  • Simple Broccoli Bacon Chicken
  • Simple Cheesy Salsa Chicken
  • Simple (Mostly Real Food) Tator Tot Casserole
  • Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner
  • Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken
  • Simple Popcorn Chicken
  • Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos
  • Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs
  • Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs
  • Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Burgers
  • Simple Creamy Pasta in the Instant Pot
  • Simple Cheeseburger Mac in the Instant Pot

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Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs

March 14, 2019 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Who gets excited about something silly like Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs? This girl. Indeed, I get very, very excited.

I like beef. I like meatballs. I like anything that can be made ahead of time. No. Scratch that. I LOVE anything that can be made ahead of time. And if it’s also made from beef, well, that makes me one happy girl!

You can make this recipe ahead and store the meatballs in the fridge or freezer UNBAKED. Or you can PRE-BAKE up a huge batch and pull out a few as needed to reheat quickly. This recipe is flexible to meet your family’s needs!

Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs

Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 16-20 meatballs
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • ½ cup shredded (or grated) parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
  2. Scoop any size balls out onto a cookie sheet (I use a large scoop).
  3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
  4. Serve right away, or refrigerate or freeze baked meatballs to easily reheat for a meal later.
  5. OR, freeze the prepared meatballs UNBAKED, thaw as needed, and bake as directed.
3.5.3229

I love serving these Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs with:

  • A Simple Tossed Salad
  • Easy Steamed or Roasted Veggies
  • The BEST Mashed Potatoes OR
  • Stick of Butter Rice

Meals like this are truly satisfying, extremely delicious, and still very simple to put together!

Want More Simple Recipes?

We’ve got a huge list, and it keeps growing!

  • Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  • Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
  • Last-Minute Lentil Chili
  • Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
  • Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
  • Simple Beanie Weanies
  • Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
  • Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
  • Simple Italian Chicken and Green Bean Bake
  • Last Minute Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
  • Simple Hamburger Soup
  • Simple Parmesan Broiled Fish
  • Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple 15-Minute Meal
  • Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
  • Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
  • Simple Oven Fried Chicken
  • Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
  • The Easiest Mashed Potatoes in the World
  • Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp
  • Simple Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips
  • Simple Crock Pot Shredded Ranch Chicken (for salad or tacos)
  • Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
  • Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
  • Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
  • Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
  • Simple Green Chile Chicken
  • Simple Tex-Mex Creamy Chicken
  • Simple Waffle Omelets
  • Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
  • Simple Grilled Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
  • Simple Crock Pot Creamy Stew Meat
  • Simple Cheese Stuffed Burgers
  • Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
  • Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
  • Simple Chili Mac
  • Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
  • From Burrito Bar to Casserole (a 5-Minute Meal!)
  • Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Roll
  • Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs
  • Super Simple Lasagna
  • The Simplest White Chicken Chili
  • Simple Lentil Nachos
  • Simple Tuna Patties
  • Simple Banana Pancakes
  • Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken
  • Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests
  • Simple Cornbread Waffles with Chili
  • Simple Veggie Fritters
  • Simple Lemon Garlic Chicken Legs
  • Simple Noodle Soup
  • Simple Three Cheese Spaghetti
  • Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef
  • Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole
  • Easiest Beef Roast in the Instant Pot
  • Simple One-Dish Chicken Florentine
  • Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas
  • Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole
  • 5-Minute Cheesy Hamburger and Potatoes
  • Simple 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Soup
  • Simple Broccoli Bacon Chicken
  • Simple Cheesy Salsa Chicken
  • Simple (Mostly Real Food) Tator Tot Casserole
  • Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner
  • Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken
  • Simple Popcorn Chicken
  • Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos

Join Simple Meals!

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Simple Summer Supper: Broccoli Bacon Salad

July 3, 2018 by Laura 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I promise not all of the Simple Summer Suppers we’re going to share have bacon in them. (At least I think I promise this. Yes. I do. I promise.) But it only made sense that this Broccoli Bacon Salad recipe follow the BLT Wraps recipe. Because obviously you made extra bacon when you made the BLT Wraps, right?

When one makes bacon, one should always make extra. This is not so all the people can over-eat the bacon. This is so the mother can get ahead in the kitchen. And who am I kidding? Here’s the real reason I make lots of bacon at one time:

I don’t want my hair to smell like bacon any more than is necessary.

When I make bacon my hair, clothes, and house absorb the delicious smell of bacon. But I don’t want to wear bacon hair for three days, nor do I want my house to constantly smell as if I’m burning a bacon-scented candle. (I am amused and slightly horrified that these actually exist.)

So I make bacon bits like this, or I bake bacon in strips like this. I make many pounds at one time so I can get ahead and then I wash my hair. The end.

Now that we have the bacon cooking situation under control, we can make all kinds of delicious meals in a hurry! This Broccoli Bacon Salad is packed with flavor! Of course it’s easy to make, because easy recipes are the only kind I like to make and share.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Summer Supper: Broccoli Bacon Salad
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 3-6
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise (I use Hain Safflower Mayo)
  • 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 5 cups of chopped broccoli (1 large head)
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped onion
  • 8 slices of cooked bacon bits
  • ¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, bacon, and cheese.
  2. Stir in mayonnaise and vinegar.
  3. Serve right away or make ahead and chill until serving time.
3.5.3229


Truly, this Broccoli Bacon Salad is a meal in and of itself. It can be packed in a lunch or eaten on the road. It can be made ahead of time and pulled out of the fridge for an instant meal. It makes a perfect Simple Summer Supper on a hot day!

You can look forward to getting more Simple Summer Supper ideas like this during the entire month of July. Stay tuned! (Be sure to subscribe here for free so you don’t miss any of these ideas and posts!)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas to Make Back-to-School Mornings Easier

August 2, 2016 by Laura 8 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Here you go. 60 Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas to give us a boost as we kick off the school year! All of these are made with real food ingredients and will hopefully save our mornings from being too hectic.

60 Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes and Ideas
The beauty of these ideas is that they make mornings easier whether your kids have to get out the door for school in the morning or you homeschool and want to get your day off to a productive start without spending too much time putting breakfast on the table. (For that matter, these ideas are great even if you aren’t in the kids-in-school season of life!)

I love getting breakfast foods made ahead of time so that my kids can easily help themselves in the morning. Often we’ll also scramble or fry eggs to go with our meal and we always get out fresh fruit. My teenage boys often also crave protein at breakfast, so I try to have something meaty available for them to cook for themselves. Hmm, it sure does sound like we eat a lot around here. Truth: We eat a lot around here.

So 60 Make Ahead breakfast ideas. Here we go!

Recipes and Ideas You Can Make Ahead for a Fast Breakfast

breakfast_cake_3

All of these recipes can be made the day before and served right away in the morning!

  • Breakfast Cake
  • Breakfast Cake Muffins
  • Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
  • Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
  • Giant Breakfast Cookies
  • Honey Whole Wheat Bagels
  • Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
  • Peanut Butter Breakfast Cake
  • Poptarts
  • Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
  • Simple No-Bake Granola Bar Bites

Homemade cereal recipes you can make ahead and serve right away in the morning

Some mornings are cereal mornings, so there. Here are some homemade cereal options we enjoy!

dark_chocolate_almond_granola

  • Instant Oatmeal Packets
  • Granola
  • Granola ~ 5-Minute Stop-Top Version
  • Grape Nuts Cereal
  • Dark Chocolate Almond Granola
  • Homemade Peanut Butter Captain Crunch

Recipes that freeze well and can be thawed and reheated easily

If you have these in your freezer, you can thaw and rewarm in the oven or toaster oven!

  • Breakfast Burritos
  • Breakfast Sandwiches
  • Ham and Egg Breakfast Bowls
  • Pancake Muffins
  • Pancake and Sausage Muffins
  • Whole Wheat Waffles

Recipes that Can Be Made Easily with Whole Wheat Quick Baking Mix

quick_mix

  • Quick Baking Mix
  • Quick Mix Biscuits
  • Quick Mix Pancakes

Fun Ideas to Enjoy Stir-n-Pour Bread

stir and pour sandwich 3

This super easy Stir-n-Pour Bread takes practically no effort, but turns out a delicious loaf of bread. When I have this on hand, we can slice it and make:

  • Peanut Butter Honey Toast
  • Fried Eggs on Toast
  • Cinnamon Toast
  • Scrambled Egg Sandwiches
  • Simple Buttered Toast – maybe even with jelly :)

Drink Your BreakfastYum

Most smoothies are pretty quick to make and can be filling if you include peanut butter or cottage cheese. Add fresh spinach for an extra punch of nourishment.

pineapple_mango_smoothie_2

  • Warm Chocolate Soother – warm and filling
  • Warm Pumpkin Custard – warm and filling
  • Warm Vanilla Soother – warm and filling
  • Pineapple Mango Smoothies
  • Pineapple-Orange Slushies
  • Creamy Orange Cooler
  • Strawberry Peach Slushies
  • Green Machine Milkshakes

Muffins,  Muffins, Muffins!

I’ve learned to love freezing muffin batter, which you can read about here. What a time saver! I’ve also learned that silicone muffin cups are fantastic. More about that here.

silicone muffins 3

  • Almond Flour Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Bacon Cheese Muffins
  • Banana Muffins
  • Blueberry Streusel Muffins
  • Breakfast Cake Muffins
  • Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Chocolate Swirl Muffins
  • Coconut Flour Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Coconut Flour Banana Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Cornbread and Cornbread Muffins
  • Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
  • Eggnog Muffins
  • Honey Cinnamon Muffins
  • Orange Muffins
  • Pancake and Sausage Muffins
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Snickerdoodle Muffins
  • Strawberry Cream Muffins
  • Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins
  • Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
  • Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Muffins

Make it Ahead, but Cook it in the Morning

Overnight Whole Wheat Waffles

  • Mix up Overnight Waffle Batter before bed so that all you have to do in the morning is cook the waffles and serve.
  • Make Turkey Sausage in large batches and freeze it in meal sized portions. Make Freezer Biscuits, and thaw only the amount you’ll need in the morning for a meal. Make a quick meal of a big treat – Biscuits and Gravy – when you’ve done the prep work ahead! Here’s my Sausage Gravy recipe.
  • Follow the freezing muffin batter idea mentioned above, set some out at night before bed, then bake them in the morning.
  • If you want to serve pancakes, mix the dry ingredients the night before so that all you have to do in the morning is add your liquids and cook. This isn’t as fast as other ideas shared here, but it does make the pancake process a little easier in the morning! Here’s our favorite Whole Wheat Pancake recipe.

I have several new breakfast ideas in the works, so be on the look-out for those. Sign up here for our free weekly newsletter to be sure you don’t miss a post!

Leave a comment to share your favorite Make-Ahead Breakfast ideas!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Easy Pancake Muffins – Great for the Freezer!

September 1, 2015 by Laura 24 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Pancake Muffins? Seriously?! Why did I not think of this before?

Easy Pancake Muffins

I think I heard this idea from one of you brilliant minds a few dozen weeks or possibly even years ago. If it was you, thank you. My apologies for taking so long to try it. It’s just that...change is hard, you know? I’m so used to pouring pancake batter on a griddle, so scooping it into a muffin cup was just such a hard, hard adjustment for me.

Not really. I just never got around to trying it. Sheesh.

The thing about the traditional pancake is how long one has to stand at the griddle flipping the cakes. Yum, and all that. But it is time consuming if you must move make mountains of pancakes to fill up your people. With the muffin idea, you can scoop the very same pancake batter into muffin cups, slide them into the oven, and be on your way. And {please hold your applause} you can make extras of these and put them into your freezer, then pull them out and rewarm them without even having to think or stir or dirty up a bowl.

I may never stand at a griddle again. {standing ovation}

I no longer know how to cook in small quantities, as is evidenced by the following large-sized ingredient list. Forgive me, cut the recipe in half, or simply put your leftovers in a freezer bag and then into the freezer for a no-brainer breakfast of the future.

Pancake Muffins Yum

Easy Pancake Muffins - Great for the Freezer!
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground white wheat - hard or soft)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2½ cups milk
Instructions
  1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth-ish.
  2. Scoop into prepared muffin cups (buttered, paper-lined, whatever you choose).
  3. Drop in berries or chocolate chips if you wish.
  4. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.
3.4.3177

Easy Pancake Muffins - Great for the Freezer

You’d think I would have done this earlier since I’ve been making Sausage Pancake Muffins for so long.

If you want to make these a “to-go” muffin, simply add about 1/4 cup of real maple syrup to the batter before scooping and baking. Then you can skip the necessary “dip them in syrup while holding your chin over the table” step.

Ever tried this idea? Were you the one who told me about it? Love you.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Chicken – A Family Favorite Freezer Meal

April 11, 2014 by Laura 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I don’t think it would matter how much I of this Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Chicken I made – my family would keep asking, “Can I have another piece of chicken?” I definitely never can make enough.

Ah bacon and cream cheese…two of life’s happiest ingredients. Today, I made a batch of this chicken – serving half for lunch and freezing half for another day. It’s a super easy freezer meal to make, and great to pull out and cook quickly. You can even cook it from its frozen state – so having it on hand can save your neck if you forgot to thaw anything for dinner.

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Chicken

What a great way to finish out this week’s freezer cooking challenge! I served this at lunch today with peas and smoothies (full of spinach, strawberries, peaches, and mango). It was a super easy lunch, packed with nourishment for my family. I’m excited to have more of this chicken in my freezer for another meal soon.

Have you made this chicken dish yet?  You’ll find this recipe in our {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook (which is currently part of a package deal you can get for just $5). The recipes included in that package are some that we use all the time at our house to get ahead!

As a reminder, here are the other posts from this week’s challenge:

  • Cooking whole chicken and making chicken broth
  • Making a double batch of Black Bean Chicken Nachos for the freezer.
  • Making Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken for the freezer

If you’re just joining us for the Freezer Cooking Challenge, that’s great! You can get started here.

Coming up next week, we’ll be filling the freezer with breakfast items. I’m so excited about this, as having quick, easy, and healthy breakfast foods on hands is such a life-saver for me!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken ~ Freezer Cooking Week Two

April 9, 2014 by Laura 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Hopefully, you’ve knocked out cooking your whole chicken and making chicken broth, plus made a double batch of Black Bean Chicken Nachos for the freezer. If you’re just joining us for the Freezer Cooking Challenge, that’s great! You can get started here.

Today is going to be just as easy as yesterday when it comes to prepping a meal for tonight’s dinner along with putting a meal (or two) into the freezer for another time. All you need to do is throw chicken into the crock pot, cover with bbq sauce, and let the crock pot do your work for you. Once your chicken is done, use a portion as part of tonight’s dinner. Allow the rest to cool, then put into a jar or freezer bag. Place it in the freezer (clearly labeled) for a day you don’t have time to cook.

Here’s the recipe you’ll need for today:  Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken Breasts

bbq chicken dinner

As you can see, I chose to serve our Bbq Chicken on buns with cheese melted on top. We had a busy evening with soccer practices, so setting these out on the table with fresh pineapple, carrots, and cucumbers made a quick meal for us to grab on the fly. The rest of the chicken is now in the freezer, waiting for another day when I can pull it out to use.

I hope you’re beginning to see how easy freezer cooking can be! Coming up next:  Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Chicken (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook)

How are you doing with the challenge so far this week?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Freezer Cooking Plan for April

March 28, 2010 by Laura 11 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Crystal and Jessica are at it again, working to inspire all of us to save time and money by preparing some foods in advance with an April Freezer Cooking Day.

This is going to be especially important for me to do right now with all four boys being involved in our home school musical in April. Plus spring soccer season is just about to come into my life at full force. Meal times are likely to be rushed many nights this month as we head out to practices, games and rehearsals. 

Therefore, I must be organized. I must plan ahead. I must put some ready to grab food in the freezer. I must not panic.

Ugh, but I must make four animal costumes in the next 3 weeks. 

Okay, I can do this. I have a plan (for the cooking, not for the costumes). Do you want to hear about it?

Each day this week, I’ll be making a little extra food to freeze. By the end of the week, I should have all kinds of food in the freezer to keep me from panicking while I attach black spots to white sweat pants so that I can make my eight year old look like a dalmatian puppy. 

Here’s what I’ll be working on:

Giant Breakfast Cookies x 2

breakfastcookiessm

Mini Apple Pies

miniapplepies9sm

Beefy Enchilada Bake x2

enchiladalasagna2sm

Bean and Cheese Burritos

burritosm

Corn Dog Muffins x 2

corndogmuffinssm.JPG

Homemade Pizza Pockets x 2

pizzapockets2sm

Sloppy Joes x 3

sloppyjoemeatsm

Here’s what I need to do to prep:

  • Soak oats/flour for breakfast cookies
  • Soak dough for apple pies and pizza pockets
  • Soak beans for burritos
  • Make whole wheat tortillas for burritos
  • Thaw five pounds of ground beef for enchilada bake and sloppy joes
  • Thaw/grate cheese for burritos and pizza pockets

In addition, I’d like to also prepare the following to simplify my life:

  • Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
  • Ranch  Dressing Mix x2
  • Italian Dressing Mix x2
  • Bunches of carrot sticks

I’ll post the results of my efforts (again, for the cooking, not the costumes) at the end of the week!

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