What's for Dinner??

This week I have planned 2 freezer meals and 3 fast and easy meals. I had also planned a freezer meal of Chicken Enchiladas but right now I have a ton of left overs as it is and I know I will have more since my kids really seriously don't eat!! So I think I will do Sat. and Sunday both this week as left overs and if we run out, then my Chicken Enchilada's are ready and waiting in my trusty freezer!! Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday: Taco Salad (easy meal)

Tuesday: Breakfast Casserole (easy meal)

Wednesday: Calzones (freezer meal)

Thursday: Chicken and Veggie Soup (easy meal)

Friday: Lasagna (freezer meal)

Desserts: Coconut cake (easy), Chocolate chip cookies (freezer)

I will upload pictures as we prepare and eat but if any of you want a recipe for this week you will have it!)


Taco Salad
I got this recipe from my Aunt. I spent several summers with her growing up and always enjoyed her great dishes. Even though as she put it they were "nothing flashy!"


Ingredients:
1 package veggie meat crumbles (I don't like red meat so this is what I use for Mexican dishes, but you could use ground beef, about 1-2 lbs is equivalent)
1 taco seasoning packet
tomatoes diced
olives
lettuce
cheddar cheese grated
cucumber
any other taco style toppings you like
french salad dressing
Doritos chips (I try to use the baked kind, you know to try and be healthy)
Black beans


Directions:
Cook up your meat with the taco seasoning and then let cool a bit (or your lettuce will wilt).
Then toss everything together in a salad and top with the French dressing.

Farmer's Casserole
Taken from the 12th edition Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook with my own little changes because the first time I made it, I didn't have all the ingredients so I improvised. It was so good we just keep making it my way.

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced turkey lunch meat (our fave for this dish is the pepper corn style, cookbook calls for Canadian bacon)
palmful of dried onion (cookbook calls for 1/4 cup sliced green onions)
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste, I also add a little garlic powder because I like it.

Directions:
Grease a square baking dish (I use cooking spray). Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Top with cheese, turkey and onions.
In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour eggs over potato mixture.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 -45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from center.

*This recipe can be made up to 24 hours ahead (just don't cook it until ready to eat) and would make a great brunch or potluck style dish.

**The great thing is you can make ahead the night before when kids are sleeping or during nap time, then you don't have kids underfoot while you are trying to pull something together!! Nifty huh?

I am going to serve with fruit smoothies and toast. YUM!

Calzones
I got this recipe from my good friend Amity. She is like me in that fast, easy and as nutritious as possible is the best kind of recipe. The only difference is that her kids actually eat! Lucky girl!!

Ingredients:

Dough:
(basic french bread)
1 Tbs. yeast (1 packet)
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup warm water
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 cups flour

Filling:
Pizza sauce (I just used spaghetti sauce with tomato paste mixed in)
mozzarella cheese
any pizza toppings you like (we did basic peperoni and olives)

Directions:
Make bread. I borrowed Am's bread machine and now I sooo want one!!! Simply put yeast, sugar and water in bread machine bowl and allow it to get foamy (about 5 minutes). Add all ingredients minus one cup flour and let machine mix until elasticky. If dough is sticky add from left over one cup as needed.
Remove from bread machine coat with olive oil and let rise for 1 hour.

When dough is ready divide in half. Roll out to circle and add filling to center. Fold top and bottom up and sides over. Place on pan (or freezer dish as I did) fold side down. Let rise again for about 30 minutes. Coat with egg white and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

*This was my first freezer meal and it worked great. I was worried about how it would cook completely frozen so I did take it out about 2 hours before cooking to let it thaw and such. Right before cooking I coated it with the egg white and it turned out very yummy!! I also ended up cooking it about 40 minutes and I adjusted that on the recipe. If it were fresh it would probably have only taken the 30 minutes, but I wanted to ensure it wasn't cold in the middle.

I served it with salad and grapes. Super tastey!!


Chicken Vegetable Soup
This is a new recipe that I have not tried yet, so we will see how it is. I took it from Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast. The title alone of this Cook book is what attracted me.

Ingredients:
32 oz. of chicken broth
2 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast (I will most likely use canned chicken because it is faster!)
Chopped celery
Chopped onion
Chopped bell pepper
Sliced carrots
1 14 oz. package frozen baby potato and vegetable blend (such as Bird's Eye)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach
1 12oz can of evaporated milk

Directions:
Bring broth, chicken, celery, onion, bell pepper and carrot to a boil. While this comes to a boil micro-cook the potato blend (I will be using my Pampered Chef steamer). Add garlic and seasonings to broth mixture. Use kitchen shears to cut cooked potato blend veggies into bite size pieces. Stir potato blend, spinach and milk into broth mixture. Cover and cook until carrot is tender.

*I added zucchini and topped with a little bit of parmesean cheese. So good.




Lasagna
I don't follow a recipe. I know the basic function and parts and I just throw in what I have on hand.

Ingredients:
Large size tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce/canned diced tomotoes (whichever you have)
Italian seasonings such as basil, oregano, garlic powder, pesto, parsley, salt, pepper
ground beef or turkey (optional)
Small curd cottage cheese OR Ricotta cheese (about a cup)
1-2 eggs
a block of mozarella
lasagna noodles

Directions:
Cook lasagna noodles as directed. Make sauce using tomato base, meat and seasonings as you like. Mix cottage or ricotta cheese with egg and garlic powder and some parsley, salt and peper.
Make an assembly line. Layer noodles, sauce, cottage/ricotta cheese mixture, mozarella until the pan is filled. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until bubbly. You might want to cover with foil the 10 or so minutes if you don't like a crispy top.

Freezer Directions:
Make as above except don't cook. To cook after freezing you can put straight in the oven as directed above.

*When we cooked this straight from the freezer it took more like an hour and a half. Oops, I guess it's just a learning process!!



Coconut Cake
I got this recipe from the "Real Guamanian Recipes" cookbook I bought in the Shopette when we lived on Guam. The first time I made it I had never used coconut milk in anything. So, I opened the can and scooped out the tablespoons of milk I needed and continued to mix my cake. I had left over and put into my Tupperware and realized that coconut milk in the can has a really super thick layer of creamy something on top and under is a more clear liquid. I probably should have mixed it up before putting it into my cake. Still the cake turned out so yummy I always do the same thing!! This is a favorite of our friend Jason. Every time we had the Morrows over I tried to make it because he always swooned over it!! At Dennis' work there are two ladies that don't even like coconut, but they love this cake! GOOD STUFF!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
8 Tbs. coconut milk (the recipe calls for 6 but I like 8)
1 cup grated coconut

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, flour and baking powder. Mix, add remaining ingredients (batter will be thick and like a super sticky dough)and pour into greased (and floured is best) cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes (will be golden brown). I always frost with cream cheese frosting and top with toasted coconut.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Taken from the 12th edition Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I am known for this frosting. Will tells me I am the best frosting maker alive and I sort of believe him!! It is the frosting I generally always use.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 package of cream cheese, softened
vanilla (I just dump as much as I want in)
4 cups powdered sugar (you can put in as much as you want really, but 4 is our magic number).

Directions:
Cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add sugar one cup at a time and blend until smooth.

My taste testers. I always have my family check to see if the frosting is just right before I frost!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
I just used the recipe on the package of chocolate chips. I don't have a favorite brand, I just get what is on sale.

Freezer directions:
Make cookies as described on package. Scoop out tablespoon sized scoops (I used my pampered chef scooper) into freezer container and cook as directed.

*After being in the freezer, we had to cook longer than the regular directions. We cooked these large scoops for about 18 minutes. Again, it's all a learning process.

From this:

to this: