RECIPE WED #8: MYO Ortego-like TACO SAUCE!!

I am a sucker for MYO mixes and sauces that taste just like the ones that cost $$ at the grocery stores, and I stumbled upon this taste-alike recipe from THE Make Your Own Zone blog and am going to give this recipe a try since we really enjoy the taco sauce. Now I am on a quest to find a good taste-a-like MYO HEALTHY Catalina dressing, since I really like Catalina dressing on my taco salad along with taco sauce...

 

Rice Remake: 6 INGREDIENT Rice Pudding

I had a TON of left over rice, (Which in case you didn't know FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY!!), but I really wanted some Rice pudding, but most pudding recipes start with uncooked rice...So I tinkered with a couple recipes and enter in:

 "6 Ingredient RICE PUDDING... MotherHOOD  style!!"

 

My Family Just loves this custardy-eggy vanilla infused pudding,my daughter LOVES hers with raisins, 

but is allergic to cinnamon, 

my hubby is a purest no raisins but LOVES cinnamon,

my son LOVES nutmeg, and I really don't care- sometimes 

I will soak the raisins I use in rum and 

call it drunk raisin pudding 

for ADULTS ONLY of course.... 

soooo how to please so many palates and allergies?? 

I make one big batch and before I bake them I place them in smaller ramekins or other oven-proof glass jars and individualize each bowl to family's personal tastes. 

One thing is for sure, the vanilla bean is the KEY! There is no comparison to taste, 

you can of course omit it if you don't have any in your pantry storage, 

I encourage you to get some if you can, here is a source I use.

 

Amazing 6 INGREDIENT Rice Pudding with COOKED rice

• 1 C-COOKED RICE
• 2 C WHOLE MILK
• 2 EXTRA LARGE EGGS
• 1 teaspoon VANILLA
• 1/2 *VANILLA SUGAR OR REGULAR SUGAR
• 1 VANILLA BEAN POD
•  OPTIONAL STIR-INS:
• SPICES AS DESIRED, CAN ADD: FRESH GRATED NUT MEG, CINNAMON, ALLSPICE, GINGER GROUND CARDAMON, GROUND CLOVES...
• CAN ADD: DRIED RAISINS (TRY SOAKING IN A WEE BIT OF RUM FOR 10 MIN PRIOR FOR AN ADULT TREAT!!, CRANBERRIES, OR CRAISINS)

-----------------------------

1. IN HEAVY SAUCE PAN GENTLY HEAT MILK AND RICE, STIRRING CONSTANTLY- DON'T LET MILK GET TOO HOT OR WILL SCORCH IN PAN
2. SLICE DOWN CENTER OF VANILLA BEAN POD LEAVE END INTACT AND USE DULL END OF KNIFE TO SCRAPE OUT THE "SEEDS" (BLACK SPECKS, LOOKS LIKE DIRT DON'T BE SKEERED- IS DELISH!!) AND PLACE PODS, SEEDS AND ALL IN HEAVY SAUCE PAN
3. SIMMER OVER LOW HEAT FOR ABOUT 10-15 MIN FOR VANILLA TO INFUSE THE MILK
4. WHISK EGGS UNTIL COMBINED  THEN ADD VANILLA SUGAR AND VANILLA EXTRACT IN A MEDIUM HEAT PROOF BOWL
5. *Remove the vanilla bean pod from milk mixture-don't discard!! place on paper towel and allow to dry overnight
6. SLOWLY WHISK IN SMALL AMOUNTS (I USE A LADLE) OF MILK MIXTURE INTO EGG MIXTURE, THIS IS CALLED "TEMPERING THE EGGS" THIS IS IMPORTANT SO YOU DON'T GET SCRAMBLED EGGS! 
7. I SLOWLY ADD MILK TO EGG MIXTURE UNTIL EGGS ARE SAME TEMPERATURE OF MILK, THEN ADD EGG MIXTURE TO REMAINING MILK MIXTURE AND COOK A FEW MINUTES MORE, CONSTANTLY STIRRING
8. POUR PUDDING INTO 4-6 INDIVIDUAL RAMEKINS (DEPENDING ON SIZE OF RAMEKINS)
9. THIS WOULD BE THE TIME TO ADD IN ANY STIR-INS YOU DESIRE, I DO THIS ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, BECAUSE WHAT I MENTIONED ABOVE
10. PLACE SMALL RAMEKINS IN LARGE PAN (I USE A 9"X13" PAN) AND POUR ENOUGH WATER TO COME HALF WAY UP ON RAMEKINS
11. BAKE FOR 20 MINUTES UNTIL PUDDING IS SET AND CREAMY, IF NOT "PUDDING IN TEXTURE" MORE SOUPY, LET BAKE A LITTLE LONGER.

ALLOW TO COOK SLIGHTLY AND SERVE WARM, OR COOL TO ROOM TEMP AND PLACE IN REFRIGERATOR. 

 MY FAMILY LOVES THIS COLD TOO...

JUST BE SURE TO EAT WITHIN 3 DAYS...AS IF YOU WOULD HAVE ANY LEFT OVER, LOL!!

*Vanilla sugar: DON"T DISCARD SPENT VANILLA POD!!  After you used Vanilla Bean pod in your rice pudding recipe, allow it to dry overnight. Then place pod in sealed canister you hold your sugar in. Will flavor the sugar, and give you vanilla sugar. 

Picture Credit

 Vanilla Beans are an expensive ingredient, good to know that it can do double duty as vanilla flavoring plus become vanilla sugar which is also an expensive ingredient to purchase on it's own.  

 NEVER throw the pods away, keep placing the spent pods in the sugar canister. Keeps indefinitely or close to it if your canister has a TIGHT seal.

Alternative to Plain Guac' Sauce: Avacado & Tahini Spread

Super Delicious Alternative to Plain Guacamole

 Yummy... This is soooooooo good another little Dippy-Do treaty-treat I just crave!! 

Sometimes I get bored with plain old guac and this tangy Middle Eastern version of Guacamole is a real tasty solution served with Naan an Indian Fry Bread or a Fluffy Pita...I have even spread this on my Falafels, Kibbeh, Roasted Chicken BLTs, Spread on Roasted Potatoes, Rice, Pasta, Veggies, Fish....there is no limit only your imagination....

Pic Credit

 

Avacado and tahini spread

1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, (about 1 lb.)
2 cloves garlic 

1/2 Lemon, squeezed
4 T tahini
4 T olive oil
4 T water (Or as needed to thin)
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or ground dried toasted coriander seed
1/2 t salt-to taste
1/4 t fresh cracked pepper- to taste
pinch cayenne to taste

Pit and quarter the avocados, then squeeze lemon over pieces. Place avocados along with rest of ingredients, into a food processor and process into paste. 

Serve spread on crackers, toasted Pita, or Naan bread

RECIPE WED # 11: Odobo Seasoning

I was so discouraged at the super market last shopping trip, I wanted to make a few authentic Mexican dishes and was going to give chipotle peppers in adobo sauce a try.  

 

I couldn't find it at the "Super Mart", granted I did go to more than one store, but I know the "Super" store I went to (Only went there at all because it was after work and it was 10:00pm-otherwise I WOULDN'T go there at all!) has a whole "Mexican" aisle, but the location I went to by my house did not. GRRRR! Have the same selections at each store WILL YA?? I find that with many stores, I know they have to stock what is selling and different areas do sell different things. But I get so irritated that I have to travel all over town to get ethnic, wholesome, or organic food choices. 

 

SO people in my area must only love white bread, chemical laden "American" boring bland non-organic food choices, then???? 

 

 That is soooo frustrating, sooooooo "they say" {Whomever they are anyway!} necessity is the mother of invention, right? I scoured the web looking for authentic recipes and found a few. I blended them together with all that I have on hand and tried this combo...jack pot!! IT tastes just like the MEXICAN resturants, yummy-yummy I got tastey treats in my tummy and I made it all by myself!!!!! Whooo-hooo!! And I saved us money to boot!

 

Give this a try, you might really like it! I found all the ingredients at my bland boring "Super Mart", so I am betting it isn't that hard to find smoked paprika, dried ground chipotle pepper, & Dried ground Ancho chili peppers. If  you do have trouble there is always Amazon, they have EVERYTHING check the gourmet and grocery category.

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (Didn't have any so I used Marjoram-next time I want to use Mexican Oregano)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried ground chipotle pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon dried ground Ancho chili pepper power
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground all spice
• SMALL pinch of Sugar, just to round out flavor, SMALL!! (Little less than 1/8 teaspoon)

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together the salt, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Store in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place.

Menu Monday #3: Meals made for the day

Pweeeh!!

What a crazy couple of days, cooking up a storm! Typically I tend to utilize the "dump recipes" when I do freezer sessions, b/c I find heat and eat freezer meals to be lacking in taste and texture. And honestly all those cream of whatever soups mixed with a protein of some sort, shredded cheddar or mozzerella cheese & starch I believe to be bland, overly salty, & boring PLUS I can't stand all those chemical laden, cream of whatever soup, based casseroles and the lack of culinary skills involved with those types of "stereo-typical" freezer meals.

But with dump meals you loose the taste that you get when you sear the protein and loose the flavor you get when you deglaze the pan and pick up all the flavorful brown bits. I could still accomplish this even by using the dump ingredients as a marinade as the protein thaws in fridge, then blot dry and continue on.....but with major abdominal surgery looming near the horizon I don't know how I will feel and if I can handle heat anywhere near my stomach.

Enter in my combination meal plan, I am doing some SANe meals, Heat and Eat, Dump, Crock pot Meal Kits. I really like the SANe meals, bc you can sear the meat, deglaze the pan and freeze at that point, then you thaw and reheat in the oven or stove top like you finish anyways if you were cooking fresh, so I don't feel I loose taste or texture. I was going to par-boil the pasta and have a "Meal Kit" the pasta would cook as I re-heat the dinner, but I really don't like the gummy texture. Plus I am HOPING to make some fresh pasta and freeze it so I would cook in minutes anyways.

So far I have made:

• 3 "Heat and Eat"- Chicken Enchiladas, 
• 2 "Heat and Eat"- Refried Black Beans and Cheese Enchiladas 

 Both made with homemade tortillas, enchiladas sauce, & Chicken filling-it really turned out YUMMY! I didn't use the cream of chicken soup, I just couldn't stomach that gooey fake taste, so I did something I have read about;  infusing flavor with the crock pot.

I threw quartered onions and smashed garlic cloves on the bottom of the crock pot and thought that was going to be the end of the "infusing flavor experiment"... But I looked at the lime I squeezed the juice from with it's peel I zested & though normally that would have been the end of that lime,  I decided this time to infuse more flavor into the dish and threw the lime on top of the chicken breasts that was seasoned with kosher salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning. Along with the lime I added green onions, crushed cilantro, jalapeno and pepperoncini peppers {left whole just smashed slightly, I don't like the texture of peppers} plus 1 C chicken stock, 2 C pepperoncini brine and a splash of jalapeno brine. Man was that good and the cooking liquid was outstanding, much better than cream of chicken would have tasted. So I pulled out the lime, cilantro threads, green onion and I threw in a tad more s&p plus adobo seasoning thickened with arrowroot flipped the control to high for 1/2 hour and it was just right. Gotta remember that one!

I made SANe Meals of:
3 "Chicken Scalopinne"
3 "Chicken Picatta"
3 "Chicken Scampi"

Wow, were these meals insanely good! I slightly undercooked the chicken pieces with the understanding of finishing either on the stove top after thawing or oven so I hope the texture of each dish will not be compromised and will taste as good upon reheating as it did today.

The Scalopinne reminds me of TGIF Friday's Chicken Bruschetta, with a rich balsamic reduction and delicately sage rubbed chicken breast with caramelized onions and mushrooms....lip smacking deliciousness! My husband LOVES this and I just forgot about this fabulous dish I have in my arsenal.

The Picatta is just incredible, the lemon, butter, wine sauce with the briney capers and the perfectly seasoned, lightly pounded breasts balanced with a touch of heat from cayenne pepper, is out of this world! I have bought this heat and eat meal from a buyers club store in the past and it costs $25 for 2 meals, in the resturant it would cost me $15-18/person, so when I found this recipe on all recipes I knew I had to try it out. (Incidentally it cost me about $2.25/person!!!)  I was finishing this as my husband came home and he had to have some NOW! It was as excellent as it smelled, hopefully reheating will do it justice.

Hands down my pick, is the Chicken Scampi...all that you love about shrimp scampi, clarified, nutty, rich butter sauce, infused with garlic and lemon juice with its zest- finished with a light, crisp white wine & homemade chicken stock, mmm..... I need a napkin now, how about you? Yeah it's that GOOD! Really the clarified butter butter is what sets the stage for this stellar stand out dish, I used a Grass Feed Ghee, and the complexity and nutty richness this imparted in the dish is irreplaceable. It tastes like you would get at fancy restaurant. Thought similar to the Picatta, the Scampi dish is heavy on the garlic (I used granulated garlic to season the chicken breasts along with s & p) and with the slight heat of the breasts in the Picatta they differ enough to be able to tell the difference.

All in all a successful freezer session! I am doing this in mini sessions as to not overwhelm me or the kids, I can't stand them playing in a room without me! Tomorrow I will finish my SANe meal kits by making the Chicken Parm and Greek Stuffed Chicken Breasts & these both are seared and finished later without a difficult sauce. I will make a Chicken Velouté Sauce for the Greek Stuffed Chix that I will place in a separate qt sized freezer bag to be reheated & placed on top of chicken after it finishes either stove top or oven. 

I will give more details later, but this should go fairly fast and hopefully not take up the whole day! Then I can do the quick 21 other chicken dishes bc they are "Crock Pot Kits", you just mix ingredients together and pour of chicken and freeze. You don't have to thaw chicken breasts if they are frozen that would create a horrible texture issue.

Menu Mondays: #2 Carry In Meal for a Shut-In

My church is so awesome and the community of believers that attend really care & cares for each other; even  my family has been blessed the last few years by the meal ministry.  When I heard of a family what was in need of a carry in meal I was glad for the chance to give back.

I just heard about the carry-in meal sign up via the web through this site called Take Them a Meal, it is a really cool site- 

• basically a virtual sign up spread sheet 
• that allows people to sign up to bring a meal to a family/person in need, 
• list their contact info, 
• meals they are bringing 
• and date they choose to bring a meal. 

I have tried to organize meals for families before and this would have been soo much easier.

You just set up the page with

• a brief description of family's dietary needs, 
• tastes, 
• address and phone number 
• a link so others can sign up online.

I love that I can see what others are bringing so as a meal bringer I know if the family has all ready had pot roast and mashed potatoes once that week and the person in charge doesn't have to keep all that info at hand. I also think it makes meal bringers more responsible for what they sign up for, that used to drive to me nuts when people would act like I was responsible to remember what time THEY signed up for- GRRRRR....anyways that is one of my many  issues...let's move on to the meal I choose.

The family I made a meal for is a family of 8 with teenage boys, so I chose a Mexican night.

 It is all ways a hit with my kids and after speaking with the mother it sounds like I made the right decision. 

Here is what I made:

* Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

 {4Lbs split chicken breasts, chicken stalk, kosher salt, pepper, 1 Cup pepperoncini pepper brine and 5 peppers,  3 T adobo seasoning, Cilantro}

* Mexican Ground Beef

 {2 1/2 Lbs ground beef/turkey breast blend, adobo seasoning, cilantro, green onions, kosher salt, pepper, chopped onions, minced garlic

* Fiesta Rice

 {cooked rice, chicken stalk, chopped onion, minced garlic, lime juice, cilantro, black beans, corn, adobo seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes}

* Refried Black Beans

 {black beans, bacon drippings, chopped onions, ground chipotle peppers, kosher salt and pepper}

* Homemade Salsa

 {Canned diced tomatoes, chopped onions, lime juice, cilantro, adobo seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, canned tomatoes with green chilies}

* Guacamole

 {Avocado, lime juice, cilantro, adobo seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes}

* Torillas

* Best Ice cream pie EVER!

 {Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate cookie crumb crust, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, mini reese's peanut butter cups, whipped cream}

MENU MONDAYS: 12 + Flavorful Freezer Meals in 60 min Sessions+Plans +Shopping Lists

I am not sure how much I will be able to handle after my extensive, major, abdominal surgery.

So I am planning to about as many meals in my freezer as I can:

1. Afford
2. Fit in the my freezer
3. Physically & Mentally handling making*

~ One of those "little Interruptions"~!

*{ Note 6/11/2012: #3 is a new one for me, I never saw this as quite that taxing mentally or physically in the last 1,000 sessions or so I have done in the past 16 years!! Alas it has been 2 years since I have done a freezer session of this magnitude bc of health issues and time management issues [BTW , if you are thinking this- IT is NOT an exaggeration of sessions, it's actually quite modest. If you did a session a month for 16 years it would be 3,200 sessions] .



This post show cases how I typically plan my freezer meal sessions I: 

• Brainstorm
• List dishes my family really likes 
• Recipes I haven't made in awhile
• Recipes I have been wanting to try.

Sometimes budget constraints prevent me making all I want and planned on making because the main &/or important ingredients are NOT on sale at the time & simply too spendy to purchase in bulk otherwise.

Other times I plan on making something and the kids get sick, too many appointments that month & I just can't "swing it"... LIFE "happens"& these "interruptions" can change our best laid plans ... in that event I will freeze the protein in a 1-2 Lb increments and cook it later. 

There have been more times lately as I cover in another post, that all I do is: 

• Buy proteins on sale in BULK!
• Freeze in meal portions deciding later what I will do. 

This has worked for me lately quite well as I stock up dry goods constantly as they go sale, it is very easy to pull together a meal the night before or even in the morning with what I have on hand.

This has been a life changing concept for me, allowing more flexibility with my sessions has given me more freedom and keeps me from being so rigid & "Cranky" to my family when my plans do NOT go as I wanted them to.

This is 1/3 filled, still have about 75 more meals to go!

It is infinitely easier for me to make double or triple of a recipe, 

you get caught up in ingredients when you do too many recipes and it makes a better use of time for me to multiply the amounts of the recipes this way. 

I just mix it up and then divide the dishes and place into freezer container of choice or I open the freezer bags and dump ingredients as go.  

Freezer cooking this way allows me to  

crank  out 12 flavorful meals in less than 60 minutes time  

even if I am cooking portions of it before I freeze.

I also cook/assemble freezer sessions according to protein type to not only make it :

• Safe so as to not cross contaminate meats, 
• It makes it affordable [I only buy proteins on sale]  
• "Doable" with 2 young kids needing constant attention- it breaks the sessions into mini sessions. (More here in this post)

List of terms used:

• HEAT & EAT-{Heat meal in pan provided or dump into oven proof/stove top proof pan/skillet, reheat and eat}
• SANe-{Some Assembly Needed, is partially cooked will need some finishing time in oven or stove top and might need various ingredients}
• MEAL KITS- {Has all protein ingredients but at times might need cooked & might include starch, veggies, shredded cheeses &/or sauce in" kit"}
• CROCK POT/MEAL KIT- {Thaw ingredients overnight and dump into crock pot and cook, might need to add starch but rest of ingredients are present in "kit"}
• DUMP KIT- {Protein with marinade, all you do take protien dump in freezer bag size of choice & dump in marinade-FREEZE. Thaw in fridge overnight and grill, bake or crock pot cook} 
• ORGANIZATIONAL HELPS:
• COLOR CODE SYSTEM- { I place same type dishes in same basket/crate [red meat in one, veggies in another and so no] and  I will also write the meals in specific colors so at a glance I can tell what kind of protein or dish type it is: 

Love the look of Luggage tags

RED= Red Meat,  BLUE= Poultry,  PURPLE = Pork, 
GREEN= vegetarian, YELLOW= Side Dishes,    
BLACK= Breakfasts,   BROWN= Lunch,  ORANGE=Desserts/Snacks

• LUGGAGE TAGS- This is a new organizational element, TO ME anyway, I am going to use, I really like the way it looks and I will add this to my chest freezer and my fridge freezer.

 Proteins:

~Ground Beef &/Or Ground Turkey Breast Mix:
 {WILL MAKE 3X'S EACH MEAL AND NEED 27 GALLON SIZED FREEZER BAGS}

I. MEAL KITS:

{WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH MEAL AND NEED 4 QT SIZED & 9 FREEZER BAGS}

Flash Frozen Salisbury Steak Patties

1. Salisbury Steak Patties w/brown mushroom onion gravy (4 Meals)
2. Romanian Grilled Minced Meat Rolls (MICI)
3. Meatballs ( 3 Meals)
4. Hamburgers (3 Meals 
5. Taco Seasoned Ground Beef(4 meals)

Shopping List:
24 Lbs Ground Beef/turkey, Beef Bullion, Worcestershire sauce, 7 Onions, 14 cloves of Garlic, 2-3 boxes (6 Cups) Beef Stock, Gin, 6 eggs, Garlic and Onion Powder, Salt, Pepper, 24 oz Mushrooms, Bread Crumbs, Parsley, Parmesan Cheese
___________________
Grand Total: $60/15 meals=$4.00/$0.70/per serving+left overs!  Still have to add in starch and veggies but won't be over $9/meal by the time I add in those numbers for sure!! SO YAY!!

II. HEAT & EAT:
{WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH RECIPE & WILL NEED 6 ALUMINUM PIE PLATES,  6 ZIPLOCK GALLON SIZED FREEZER BAGS, 3 QT SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}

Taco Seasoned Ground Beef-Used Mixture of Wild Tree Seasoning & MYO

1. Shepherd's Pie
2. Cheeseburger Spaghetti
3. Spaghetti Pie
4. Mexican Macaroni

Shopping List:
15 LBs ground beef/turkey (1& 1/2 Lb each meal), 5 LBS Yukon Gold potatoes, 24 oz Tomato Puree, 32 Oz Salsa or diced tomatoes w/chilies and onions, 3 sticks butter, 4-5 jars Ragu Double Cheddar Sauce, 3 Lbs Macaroni, 6 Envelopes Taco Seasoning, 3 Lbs Spaghetti, 2 Lbs Frozen Corn, 8- oz frozen French Green Beans, [8 oz puree of peas and carrots for shepherd's pie- kids & I won't eat the peas or carrots cooked], 1 box Beef Stock, 3 cans Cream of Onion Soup, Dill Pickle Relish, 6 C Monterrey Jack Cheese, 24-oz mushrooms, 3/4 C Half & half, Worcestershire sauce, Dijion Mustard, dried parsley, 2 Lbs Ricotta Cheese, 3 Eggs, Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Brown Sugar, baking Soda,


III. CROCK POT KITS: Roasts/Steaks/Cubes-
{CROCK POT KIS: WILL MAKE 3X'S/EACH MEAL AND NEED 24 GALLON SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}
*6/21/2012 Note: I don't think I will get to this part of my plan as my time is getting near I and I need to focus on other projects b4 the surgery. Beef prices are not co-operating with me! So I will leave this intact and perhaps use this meal plan when roasts are cheaper!

1. Mexican Beef
2. Chili Con Carne
3. Teriyaki Beef
4. Creamy Pot Roast 
5. Crock Pot Gyros
6. Super Simple Slow Cooker Steak Pizzaiola 

Shopping List:
36LBs Top/Bottom Round Roast, 60 oz can diced tomatoes w/green chilies, 12 onions, 1 C Pepperoncini Peppers brine, 11 Cups Beef Stock, 3 Cans Black Beans, 96 oz Tomato Puree, 3-cans Mexican beans, Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder, Smoked paprika, 4 C Pineapple Juice, Soy Sauce, Mustard Powder, Ginger, 4 bulbs Garlic, 2 Cups oil, black pepper, 6 cans cream of mushroom soup, Beef Bullion, 3 T fresh Lemon Juice, 3/4 C EVOO, Dried Oregano, cumin, 64 oz tomato puree, Parmesan cheese, Italian herb mixture, 24 oz Mushrooms,  Kosher salt, pepper,
 
~ Chicken:

 I. Crock Pot Meal Kits: 

{ALL MEALS 3X'S EACH Will Need 18 Gallon sized ZIPLOCK Freezer Bags}

1. Orange Chicken
2. Chicken Paprikash
3. Chicken Swarma
4. Greek Chicken
5. Chicken Tacos
6. Brown Sugar Chicken

 II. "Heat & Eat" & "SANe MEALS"-
{Will Need 3 8X8 Foil pans with lids and 12 gallon sized ZIPLOCK Freezer bags}

1. Chicken Enchiladas {H&E}
2. Chicken Piccata {H&E}
3. Chicken Scalapini {H&E}
4. Chicken Scampi {H& E}

Shopping List:
{KEEP IN MIND THIS LIST IS A COMBINED LIST OF ALL CHICKEN DISHES, CROCK POT KITS AND HEAT AND EAT, & SANe MEALS. I did have some ingredients in my pantry and fridge so I didn't list those, if you are following this meal plan you will want to check each recipe, double check the shopping list with the ingredients listed  and triple what is needed where you find a missing item}
3 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, 3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, 3 bunches green onions, chopped,divided, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 9 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded,divided, 3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, 56 Lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 liter 7-Up, 9 onion, apricot apricot preserves, Catalina dressing, 3-onion soup mix, 3Lb lemon, 4 boxes chix stock, 6- 8 oz  mushrooms, 12 C Panko style bread crumbs, capers, white wine, dried parsley, balsamic vinegar, 3 red onions, 3 bulbs fresh garlic, butter, dried Oregano, cumin-- non food items: large 2"x4" mailing labels, wax sandwich wrappers, large gallon and qt size freezer bags, 3 small foil rectangle containers with lids, sharpies in red, black, green, and blue.
____________________________
Grand Total for chicken meals: $180.00 for 39 meals that will feed 4-6 ppl with left overs= $5.00/meal or $0.77person

Update: as of now: 6/10/12 { Didn't get to these 9 meals [WAS GOING TO MAKE 3 MEALS OF EACH RECIPE]-but did add on 3 different vegetarian meals I wasn't planning on}

• Chicken Parmesan {SANe}
• Chicken Perkelt (CROCK POT KIT}
  
• Greek Stuffed Chicken {SANe}
• Caprese Chicken {SANe} This one is a new one & I want to add this amazing recipe from a fellow blogger I just found.

Would need to purchase 12 more Lbs of FRESH LARGE boneless skinless Chicken Breasts*, 8 oz Cream Cheese, 12 oz Sundried Tomatoes in EVOO, 3- 14 oz frozen spinach, 6 C Chix stock, 3 Onions, 24 oz Mushrooms.
*Chicken Breasts I bought were very cheap, and they were filled with broth solution so once thawed they ended up being 1/4 less of the size and I ran out of chicken. Will ONLY used FRESH Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts! So needless to say I will have to purchase more to make these dishes though I did buy enough!!
_______________________________
SO AS OF NOW Grand Total IS: $180 for 33 meals that will feed 4-6 w/left overs= $5.50 or $0.92/person

 I. Vegetarian/Beans: 
{Want to make 12-18 patties each for several lunches or quick vegetarian suppers & 24 qt sized ZIPLOCK freezer bags}

Zucchini Patties

1. Falafel (12 patties)
2. Zucchini Patties-(12 Patties)
3. Quinoa Black Bean Burgers-(15 Burgers)
4. Refried Black Beans and Cheese Enchiladas (X2)

Quinoa & Black Bean Burgers

Shopping List:
4-5 Cans Chick Peas, 3 Cans Black Beans, 3 Zucchini, 3 Yellow Summer Squash, Carrots, 8 Eggs, Bread Crumbs, Parsley, Onions, 16 oz-Mushrooms, 1-Lb Quinoa, Garlic, Cumin, Fresh Cracked Pepper corns, Panko Bread Crumbs, EVOO
____________________
Grand Total: $14 for 11 meals= $1.27 or $0.03/serving!!



 I. Pork: 
{Will make 3 of each pork recipe and need 24 gallon sized freezer bags, ZIPLOCK BRAND!] 

1. Carnitas
2. Buttermilk & Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops
3. Balsamic Tenderloins
4. Barb-B-Q Pork

Shopping List:
24 Lbs Pork whatever is on sale, 24 oz Buttermilk, 3 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup, 48 oz Mushrooms, 3/4 White Wine 3/4 C Balsamic Vinegar, Dry rub for Pork{Brown Sugar, Cumin, Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder,  Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black Pepper,white pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, dry Mustard], 3 T butter, 6 T soy sauce, Check Freezer bags, need 24 ZIPLOCK gallon sized for this session
____________________________
GRAND TOTAL: $58 for  12 meals =  $4.83/meal for 4-6 ppl with left overs for next day's lunch or meal or $0.81/person  {Most ingredients I had on hand and pork sirloin roasts & boneless sirloin chops both were on sale for $1.99/Lb, $48 was the pork, $10 was spent on pantry items I didn't have}

I. Fish:
Not doing any ahead, just having frozen fish fillets in freezer with meals in mind to cook later.

I. Lunches: 
{MAKING 8 OF EACH RECIPE UP TO SANDWICHES, THOSE WILL BE 8-10 EACH, NEED 10 GALLON SIZED ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS}

• Taco Cups
• Mini Pizza
• Ham & Cheese Hot Pockets
• Meat Ball Sub Pockets
• Calazones/Pizza Pockets
• 2 loaves P.nut butter & Jelly sandwiches

Shopping List:
1/2 Lb Gr Beef, 2 envelopes of Taco seasoning, 1 LB Chip-Chopped Ham, 4 C Shredded Sharp Cheddar, Mini Meatballs, 10 oz Spaghetti Sauce, 16oz sliced Pepperoni, 4 C Mozzarella, 1LB Bologna, Mayo, Mustard, 1-pint Peanut Butter, 8 oz Jelly, 2 loaves of bread, 16 oz Ricotta, 1/3 C Prosciutto, Parmesan Cheese, eggs, Spinach, 1 Onion, 3 loaves of frozen bread dough, 1 Lb Frozen Spinach

I. Breakfasts:

1. Breakfast Tortillas{30 Tortillas}
2. Breakfast English Muffins{12 Sausage, Egg, & Cheddar Cheese w/Dijion Mustard Sauce}
3. Breakfast Mini Cup{in biscuits {20 Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Mini Cups- 4 were snacked on by the boys as I made them}

Shopping List:
3 Pkg- 10" Tortillas, 3 dozen Eggs, 3 Lb Sausage, 1 LB O'Brian Potatoes, 3 C Shredded, Cheddar Cheese,  2 Pkg English Muffins or 2 loaves English Muffin Bread, Lg pre-formed Sausage patties, Spinach, Shredded Swiss cheese, 1 Lb Bacon
*"Mini Quiches{In Biscuits or crust-less}"-This was on my "list" but don't think I will get to it.
 _________________________
GRAND TOTAL $14.40/MEAL SERVING 1/PERSON = $0.23/breakfast sandwich!!
*I had a lot of grocery times left over from previous session so didn't need to purchase as much plus I got 10 tortillas//$0.79, English Muffins for $0.85 for 6...Cheaper and easier than hand making-right now I am can't do as much homemade as I would like, I hate that but I needed to make decisions for my sanity.



I. Desserts:
1.) Slice and bake Cookies {Tip: For perfectly round cookies, shape the dough into logs, wrap in plastic, and insert into empty paper towel tubes. Going to try this tip!}
       * Oatmeal
       * Chocolate Chip
       * Peanut Butter
2.) Peanut Butter No Bakes

Shopping List:
Flour, brown sugar, 1 dozen eggs, Rolled oats, Sugar, Vanilla, 2-24 Oz Peanut butter, 1 box Butter, Milk, Milk Chocolate Chips, Baking Soda and Powder, Butter Flavored Crisco

Personal Note: 6/21/2012: 
Phewww! This is taking much longer than I thought I am just exhausted trying to get all of these meals prepped, packaged and NEATLY stored. I detest looking into a haphazard freezer then you can't find what just just spent hours loving preparing, that is sooo FRUSTRATING to find it months later all freezer burned and inedible all because you didn't organize the freezer contents! 

So I don't know if I will be able to accomplish all that I planned on, I will cross of what I didn't get to and give you an accurate list when I eventually post this. (OR I might just let you know what I did get to and leave the shopping list and meal plans intact if someone what to use those meal ideas it will still be easier to read.)

Linked to Menu Mondays

Easy & Customized Infused-Flavored Truffles

Close to mine found here

 This has to be one of the EASIEST and one of the most FLAVORFUL tasty little treats I have ever made with the most surprising little  flavor weapon!

I just made these delectable and decadent truffles for my besty on her birthday- they have a sweet and milky chocolate coating with an incredible flavor infusion inside that is silky, smooth with a texture that melts in your mouth.

One of the keys to the success of these candies is *GOOD QUALITY chocolate, I like to use a sweeter milk chocolate for the coating, and a GOOD QUALITY bittersweet chocolate for the truffle center. [I like to use Ghirardelli] That mixture of sweet milk chocolate and true bittersweet chocolate taste plus the addition of my super secret FLAVOR WEAPON makes these truffles an out of this world experience and a very satisfying & gratifying treat for the adult sweet tooth..

*[I use Ambrosia Milk Chocolate coating. It is sold in grocery stores and Amish bulk food stores in my area, you don't add any wax of any kind and is so good my kids will fight over who gets to eat the slivers left from chopping. I melt it over a double boiler low and slow stirring frequently]

...But those aren't  all my secrets...

And what is my SUPER SECRET FLAVOR WEAPON??....

 You MIGHT NEVER guess it...     

Are you ready??

Good Quality TEA!!!

kokopellis.co.uk

Now that I let the tea out of the bag {Pun FULLY intended BTW!}

SHHHHHHHHHH!! 

Let's keep my little secret just between us friends, ok?? 

I guess it's not so secret since I saw it all over google searching for images bc I forgot to take pics again..but mine are still the BEST EVER!!!

Now without further ado...the recipe!!

Easy Customized Flavored Truffles

• 2/3 c. whipping cream
• 2 T. butter, cut into pieces
• 1 t. light corn syrup
• 2-4 tea bags of choice
• 8 oz. bitter-sweet chocolate, chopped
• Real Milk Chocolate coating

NOTE: I chose Earl Grey bc it is her favorite tea, but you could whatever tea you LOVE, I think Chai would be Amazing, Mint would fabulous, Maple to die for, whatever tea you love would make this INCREDIBLE!!

1. In small saucepan, bring cream, butter, and syrup to a boil.  
2. Remove from heat and add tea bags.  
3. Steep 5 minutes.  
4. Remove tea bags and squeeze out excess into pan.
5. Add chopped chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts and is smooth.  
6. Pour into shallow bowl, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

thetriangleplate.com

After chocolate has become firm enough to handle:

1. Roll chocolate into balls by the teaspoonful- I use a melon baller and wear tight fitting non-latex gloves to help ward off the heat from my hands to prevent the inevitable messy hands
2. Place in freezer to keep firm while preparing chocolate coating.

TO make Coating:

1. Melt chocolate coating in a double boiler.  
2. Quickly dip balls in coating, place on waxed paper and shake chocolate sprinkles over the top.  
3. Refrigerate until firm.  

Store in refrigerator up to 1 week  or in a freezer for up to 1 month.  

Makes 30 truffles.


Linked to Weekend Potluck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDIT DECEMBER 8TH:

THIS IS SOOOOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!

YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY IT TODAY!! 

I JUST MADE SEVERAL BATCHES FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS 

• ONE  WITH CHAI TEA 
• ONE WITH  EARL GREY~ OF COURSE

SO AMAZING  WITH A HINT OF INFUSED TEA FLAVOR. REALLY EASY, NOT TOO MUCH FUSSY TIME AND MAJOR WOW FACTOR!!!

LINKED TO WEEKEND POTLUCK
Linked to Homemade Mondays