Avoid Fast Food

Schedules are hectic! Between work, school, soccer games, and dance class, you may find yourself hitting up the fast food joints a little more than you would like. Ever since Thomas and I started saving for our house and our wedding, we have been trying to avoid going out to eat simply because (we all already know) eating out if more expensive than eating at home. However, Thomas has class three nights a week and I work nights. It became a bad habit to simply stop at the nearest drive through for a bite to eat on the way home. That habit escalated to ordering pizza or takeout on our days off when we did not feel like cooking. I began to notice our monthly savings falling short when I came across a post on Pinterest. This is a no-brainer so I do not know why I have not been doing this until now. Purchase food storage containers or Ziplock bags (I tend to use food storage containers so I save money by reusing them), prepare meals on the weekends, freeze them, and cook them in the Crock Pot while you're gone during the day, and by the time you get home you have a healthy and cheaper dinner waiting for you! Here are some great make ahead dinner recipes you can keep on hand for the next time you do not feel like cooking or find yourself short on time:

 Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken, shredded
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained (15oz)
1 can enchilada sauce (10oz)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chiles, undrained (4oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bag leaf
1 pkg frozen corn (10oz)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
1 can chicken broth (14oz)

Combine all ingredients into a Ziplock bag except for tortillas, vegetable oil, and chicken broth, and freeze. Thaw and put into a slow cooker. Add two cups of water and one 14oz can of chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high setting for 3-4 hours. Cut tortillas into strips and brush them with vegetable oil. Bake at 400 degrees until they are golden and crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Dish up a bowl of soup and top with tortilla strips. Other tasty, optional toppings are avocado slices, sour cream, or shredded pepper jack cheese. This recipe will serve 5-6 people. 

 Chicken Taco Filling

1 pound boneless skinless chicken 
1 package of taco seasoning
1 jar of salsa (I love the shop n' Save brand thick and chunky mild)

Combine all ingredients into a Ziplock bag and freeze. To prepare, simply dump all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you prefer a creamier chicken taco filling, add a block of cream cheese about 15 minutes before serving. You can then use this filling for tacos, burritos, taco salads, enchiladas, etc. 

Crock Pot BBQ Spare Ribs

2 lbs pork spare ribs
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar

Place your ribs in a Ziplock bag and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the ribs in the Ziplock bag. Seal it up and place it in your freezer. Thaw the ribs in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Place them ribs and marinade in the crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-7 hours. These are so great when you're getting spring fever but it is not quite warm enough to grill yet. I love serving these with a baked potato and salad. Yum!

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

1 medium bag of carrots
1 red onion cut into large chunks
2 large cans of pineapple, undrained (I use shredded pineapple but chunks are great too)
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 pieces of chicken (for money saving purposes, I used chicken thighs)
1 cup Teriyaki sauce

Place all ingredients into a Ziplock bag and place in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Place in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours. I love serving this recipe with a side of rice and steamed broccoli and sugar snap peas. This really curbs my Chinese takeout craving. 

Mediterranean Pork Chops

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp dried oregano
6-8 thick cut pork chops

Split all ingredients into two bags and freeze. Thaw before cooking. Place the bag's contents in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. I love serving this with a side of sauteed zucchini and squash (saute until tender with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper) sprinkled with Feta cheese. This pork is also great cold served on pita bread with bell pepper strips, lettuce, and hummus and/or tzatziki (Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce). 

Chipotle Lime Chicken

2 cups diced onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
8 skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cilantro 
2 sliced avocados

Split all ingredients into two bags except avocado. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with avocado on top. I love serving this with creamy refried beans, mexican rice, and corn. 

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

2 cans beef broth
3 lbs boneless pork ribs
1 large bottle BBQ sauce (I love Sweet Baby Rays)

Split the ingredients into two bags except the BBQ sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours. After the meat is cooked, shred it with a fork. Add the BBQ sauce and heat through. Serve on buns with oven fries (slice potatoes, spray them with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake until golden and tender). To save a little money, buy the bone in pork ribs. By the end of the cooking process the meat will be so tender that the bone will fall right out no problem. These are also really great topped with a bit of cole slaw. This is great for a backyard family get together paired with corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, and cole slaw! 

Ranch Chicken 

6 chicken breast halves (I like using boneless and skinless)
1 package dry ranch seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
5 large potatoes, cubed

Place all ingredients in a Ziplock bag and freeze. Defrost before cooking. Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. This is great served with garlic bread and a salad. Sometimes I also love to add a can of drained French cut green beans or a bag of frozen peas into the crock pot with the chicken mixture. Frozen broccoli would be great too. 

Orange Chicken 

2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped bell pepper
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8oz orange juice concentrate

Place everything into a Ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw before cooking. Pour all of the ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. I love serving this over rice with steamed broccoli and sugar snap peas. A side of crab rangoon never hurts either :-)

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

3-4lb beef roast
1/2 cup red wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbs rosemary
10 whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
Smoked Provolone cheese slices
Horseradish sauce or mayonnaise
Bakery buns

 Combine raw beef roast (cut in half), wine, garlic, rosemary, pepper, soy sauce, bouillon cubes, a bay leaf in a labeled Ziploc bag, freeze. The night before you want to cook it, take it out of the freezer, and let thaw in the fridge. The next morning, pour the roast and liquid into your slow-cooker. (It's okay if it's still partially frozen, it'll cook slowly and thaw while it does). Add four cups of water to it. Turn to high for 1 hour, then turn to low and cook for 8-10 hours. Once the meat is done, take out the roast  and shred with two forks. Season the liquid in the slow-cooker with salt to taste. To assemble: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the bun slices on a baking sheet, add one slice of smoked provolone to each half. Spread a teaspoon of horseradish sauce on one half. Stack the shredded beef on the half with horseradish sauce or mayonnaise. Top with other bun half. Press down gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is crunchy on top. Serve with the cooking liquid for dipping.

Chicken and Corn Soup

1 lb red potatoes
4 cups lower sodium chicken broth
4 lbs chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag frozen corn
2 red peppers chopped
salt and pepper

Add all of the ingredients into a Ziplock bag and freeze. Defrost before cooking. Pour all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Sometimes if I do not have potatoes, I will add cooked white rice to this soup after it has been cooked in the crock pot. Either way, it is delicious! To make it a little creamier, add a block of cream cheese or a cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt. 

 
Tips for making freezer meals:
* Make sure you label your freezer meals with a permanent marker before freezing. 
* If you are using reusable containers or would like to wash a reuse your Ziplock bags, label your meals using masking tape and a permanent marker
* Lay your freezer meals flat when you are freezing them so they will freeze flat and you will be able to fit more into your freezer. 
* If your meal requires an extra ingredients (1 cup of water, can of chicken broth, etc) upon cooking, make sure you write that on the bag before adding your ingredients. 
* If you use a permanent marker to directly label your container or Ziplock bag, you can easily reuse them for the same meal over and over again. This will eliminate the need for masking tape.

Freezer Meals

Here are more freezer meal ideas to help you avoid impulse fast food purchased when you do not feel like cooking:


Pesto Chicken Alfredo

1 package (16oz) penne pasta- cooked, drained (I use whole grain pasta) 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend 3 cups fresh baby spinach  1 can crushed tomatoes (15oz) 1 jar Alfredo sauce (15oz) 1 1/2 cups milk 1 container (5-8 ounces) prepared basil pesto  1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cooked chicken, cheese blend, baby spinach, crushed tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk, and pesto. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Pour pasta mixture into two 8X8 pans. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Cover pasta with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. 


Chicken Quesadillas

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2/3 cup salsa

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Flour tortillas (between 8-10)

1/4 cup melted butter

8oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened. Add the chicken to the garlic and onion. Stir to heat through. Add the salsa, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Set aside. Butter one side of the tortilla and flip over. Fill with 2 Tbs of chicken filling and sprinkle cheese over top. Fold the tortilla over and press down. Assemble the quesadillas on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes until tortilla is lightly browned. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, lettuce, salsa, queso...the possibilities are endless. I love this recipe because I absolutely love Mexican food and those taquitos and mini quesadillas you can buy in the freezer isle but, even with coupons, they are expensive and probably terrible for you! These are great to have on hand for parties too! 

 

Ranch Turkey Burgers

1 lb lean ground turkey, thawed

1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

1 egg

 

Mix all three ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. I find it easiest to just use my hands. Shape into patties and  wrap each patty in wax paper. Place in a labeled Ziplock bag and freeze. When you are ready to cook, thaw burgers completely. We usually grill these when the weather is nice or just use a grill pan. Grill each burger until they are no longer pink in the center.  The best part about these is you can pull out 4 or you can pull out just one! I always have these on hand for last minute cookouts with my hubby-to-be or for a quick weeknight dinner. 

Crescent Chicken Bundles

 

 

1 package cream cheese, softened (you could also replace this with Greek yogurt to lighten these up)
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
2 tablespoons green onions
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup crushed seasoned chicken stuffing

 

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, green onions, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked chicken. Open and unroll a tube of crescent rolls. Don't separate them. Pinch the diagonal seems shut, creating four rectangles. Spoon 1/8 of the filling on to each rectangle. Take the opposite corners and twist them together at the center of the bundle. Repeat with the other corners. Do this for all eight bundles. Put the bundles on a baking sheet. Brush with remaining butter. Top with a handful of dry, seasoned, stuffing. You can also use croutons if you don't have stuffing. Press down gently to make sure they are secured on the bundle. Put baking sheet in freezer. Once frozen, place in labeled Ziploc bag. To bake, let bundles thaw overnight or during the day. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until crescent roll is cooked completely. 

 

 

Mexican Chicken Alfredo

 

 

1lb spiral pasta, cooked II like using whole wheat or whole grain pasta)

1lb cooked chicken, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped 

2 jars Alfredo sauce

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup salsa

1/4 cup milk

1 Tbs taco seasoning

 

Layer the cooked pasta in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine the cooked chicken, onion, Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, salsa, milk, taco seasoning, and salt, and pepper to taste. Pour Alfredo mixture over the pasta, stir a little to incorporate the sauce and pasta. Cover with foil, label, and freeze. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.