Italian Topped Chicken $8 per family

Italian Topped Chicken - Easy, $8/family, 1.5 hrs prep

Ingredients: (Freezer Club)

30 chicken breasts (approx 5 lg breasts per family)
2 Red Peppers
2 Green Peppers
9 stalks of Green Onions
6 Roma Tomatos
1 Large can and 1 small can of French’s Fried Onions
3 cups shredded mozz cheese

Seasonings: Seasoning salt, Ground Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Onion Powder and Basil

Directions:
Spray baking dish with olive oil spray. Place chicken breasts into dish and generously season the tops only with Seasonings listed above. Top seasoned breasts with diced peppers, onion, and tomato, ending with French’s. Top it all with shredded cheese and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear.

Thawing Instructions: Allow to thaw overnight in refrigerator or for a few hours on the countertop, then follow baking directions above.

Steak Soup $8-$9 per family

Ingredients:
1 lb. steak or ground beef
1 cup butter
1 cup flour 
1/2 gallon of water
1/4 Tbls pepper
1 carrot chopped
1 onion chopped 
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
16oz can of stewed tomatoes
5 cubes of beef bouillon (add more to taste)

Directions:
Make a roux out of the butter and flour and then add 2 cups of water to roux and whisk until roux dissolves completely.  Add remaining water, veggies (raw and frozen), tomatoes, pepper and bouillon. 
If using steak, saute in butter and cube for soup.  If using ground beef, cook beef, drain grease and add meat to the soup.  Simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours.  

Thawing/Cooking Instructions:  Thaw on counter or over night in fridge.  Heat on stovetop. 

Italian Stuffed Meat Loaf, $8-$9 per family

Italian Stuffed Meatloaf - Easy

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cups (9-10 oz) pasta sauce
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb italian sausage
2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
2 cups (8 oz) shredded italian cheese blend


Directions

1. Line baking pans with foil. In large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Add onions, beef, and sausage and stir until well combined.

2. On foil, pat half of the mixture into the baking pan. Top evenly with spinach and shredded cheese to within 1/2 inch of edges. Cover with remaining meat mixture and tuck in the spinach leaves, pressing the edges to seal.

3. To Freeze: cover tightly with foil and place lid on container.

To Thaw: Remove from foil and place in loaf pan. Thaw in refrigerator 24 hours.

To Cook: Spread remaining pasta sauce over top. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center reaches 160 F. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer Club Portions (6 families)
6 lbs ground beef
3 lbs italian sausage
3 onions
3 cups whole wheat italian seasoned breadcrumbs
3 cups Parmesan cheese
1 dozen eggs
18 garlic cloves, minced or 6 T jarred minced garlic
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
54-60 oz pasta sauce
36 oz shredded italian cheese blend (could sub. plain mozzarella)
10-12 cups organic baby spinach leaves

Beefy Ravioli, $7-$8 per family

Beefy Ravioli - Easy
Directions are per family, with Freezer Club directions following.

1/2 lb ground beef (can substitute sausage for a different flavor)
1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can  beef broth

1/4 cup Italian Dressing

1 pkg (20 oz) frozen cheese-filled ravioli 

1 cup  mozzerella cheese (shredded)

Brown beef in a skillet, adding desired seasonings while cooking (kosher salt, cracked pepper, italian, garlic, onion powder). Combine beef, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, beef broth, and italian dressing into a greased 11x13 baking pan. Follow directions for boiling the frozen ravioli, then toss into the prepared baking pan and stir together. Top with cheese and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Makes 7 large servings

Freezer Club Prep: Because this dish makes 7 servings, I made about 4 batches (I did use 3 lbs of beef) and divided it up between the dishes. Also, I think that if you do *not* boil the pasta before putting into the baking pans, it will cut down on the pasta being mushy when baked. To make from frozen: allow to thaw on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed above. If you keep it in the black pan, place foil on your oven rack to avoid spills.

Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Cheese, $10 per family

Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Cheese (easy)
(approx 5 hours prep including all the baking and shredding of chicken, which I spread out over several days prior to assembly)

( if for freezer club, see separate instruction and notes below)

1 Chopped Onion

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. each of chili powder, garlic powder and ground cumin

16 oz of cream cheese

6 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 can rotel tomatoes

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

18 medium flour tortillas

**1 can (14oz) of enchilada sauce (per family)

Heat oven to 350. Have 2 11x7 inch baking dishes ready, spray with cooking spray or lightly oil. In large sauce pan cook onion in oil for 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in chili powder, garlic, and cumin. Add cream cheese and cook, over low heat, breaking cheese apart until melted. Add chicken and salsa, stir over medium heat 2/3 minutes until hot. Remove from heat.

Wrap tortillas in stacks of 8, in foil. Heat in oven 8 to 10 minutes until warm and pliable. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of pan. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in pan. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes.

Freezer club preparation, I assembled enchiladas but saved the part of putting them in and over sauce for the home preparation. 

This recipe above makes 18 medium enchiladas, for freezer club I made 6 enchiladas per family so this recipe was doubled to make meals for 6 families and the ingredients came out exactly right.

To enjoy from Frozen:

Thaw in fridge or counter

Take out of "freezer" container and place in sprayed or lightly oiled 9x13 pan. Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on bottom then place enchiladas in sauce seam side down. Put the rest of the sauce over top sprinkle with cheese.

Bake @ 350 20-40 minutes (or until warm in center)

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter

Serves: 5 servings
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 25 min

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (half whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large sweet potato, roasted and cooled
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Spiced Pecans, recipe follows
Peach Butter, recipe follows

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter, and then add this to the dry mixture. Peel and mash the sweet potato, place it in a bowl, and then add the honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix it well. Add this mixture into the pancake batter. Let the batter stand for 1 hour (or make it a day ahead of time).
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add batter by the ladleful and cook the pancakes, in batches, until golden brown on each side. Serve immediately with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter.

Spiced Pecans

Yield: about 1 cup
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon tupelo honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add all ingredients and cook until pecans are lightly brown and caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and store in an airtight container.

Peach Butter

Yields: 6 containers (approx. 3/4 C each)
Freezer Club Quantities:
2 (ish) cups peaches, peeled and diced (I overfilled my measuring cups)
1 lb butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
Pinch sea salt

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Durango Chicken - $25-$30

Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup butter - melted
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tblsp. paprika
1 Tblsp. oregano

Directions:
Mix all above ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.  To thaw:  Put in fridge overnight
Serve with green bean/onion mixture and wild rice.  Spoon sauce over all.

Asian Lettuce Wraps, $8-$9 per family

Asian Lettuce Wraps (medium to hard)

Servings: 8 Appetizer; 4 main dish servings

INGREDIENTS

16 Boston Bibb or Butter Letttuce Leaves

1 lb lean ground chicken, turkey, or beef

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 lg yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 tbsp soy sauce (or more to taste)

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 tsp freshly grated ginger (or pickled ginger is fine)

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Asian chile pepper sauce or any hot sauce (to taste)

1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots (or more , if desired)

1 cup shredded cabbage (or more, if desired)

4 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.

In a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground chicken in 1 tbsp of oil, stirring often. Drain, and set aside to cool. Saute the yellow onion in the same pan over medium heart until tender, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, stir, and let simmer 1-2 minutes. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, browned meat and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions, carrots, and cabbage just begin to wilt about 3-4 minutes.

Salsa beef skillet

Josh and I made the Salsa Beef Skillet last night and I wanted to tell you guys...
If it is too dry add water or more salsa to it as you warm it up. Also I think It goes alot further if you make burritos with the rice, sour cream, and cheese-- for the bigger families in our group :)