One thing I do find myself sticking to is a plan I created years ago, of freezing meals ahead of time. I think the first time I actually did this was when I was expecting my second child. I planned out, prepared and froze about six meals that could be popped into the crockpot and voila - we had dinner all prepared. Now, the "plan" has changed dramatically over the years since I found that feeding growing boys was an all the time process. One year, long before Pinterest, I collected recipe cards and sat at night choosing what everyone would like - voting along the way. After a while, it was easy to see what recipes were the favorites and those were the ones we used. Stuck to the plan!
Then Pinterest was born! I grew up watching my mother, aunt and grandmother in the kitchen, creating one great recipe after another. But when I discovered the world of Pinterest, I was able to see everyone else's mom's recipes, too. I started pinning all the time, creating one board after another! And then last spring, one of my dear friends introduced me to the Instapot. She was shocked when I told her I was still using a crockpot - I just didn't know enough - obviously. Now, I understand.
Once I got the hang of things, I was using this marvel for everything. Need 12 baked potatoes - no problem - have 12 minutes? Need rice - no problem! Want hard-boiled eggs - again, no problem. My favorite is the fact that when I need dinner in a hurry, I can just place my frozen meal straight into the Instapot, add 5 - 10 minutes of extra cooking time and I have dinner! No sweat!
Last weekend, with kids back in school and time moving at what seems like warp speed, I figured it was time to spend a day getting the freezer loaded. Listed below are some of our favorites. Enjoy!
Sweet BBQ Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts 1/4 cup vinegar 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 oz bottle BBQ sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 cup brown sugar
Mash all ingredients together around chicken in ziploc bag. If you are using a crockpot, take your meal out the night before and store in the fridge, then cook on low for 4-6 hours the next day.
If you are using your Instapot, the exact cook time depends on how large the chicken breasts are, although 12-14 minutes for 4 to 6 breasts has always worked well for me. Remember, the Instapot has to be set to high pressure. Put the lid on and set your valve to sealing. Set the pot to manual, high pressure and 12-14 minutes (for 4-6 breasts). It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down the actual cooking time. When it is done cooking, turn off the Instapot and let the pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes before moving the valve to venting and releasing the remaining pressure.
Cilantro Lime Chicken (makes 2 meals)
8 chicken breasts 4 Tablespoons olive oil 2 limes, juiced
2 cups cilantro 1 large bag of frozen corn 4 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin 2 cans black beans, rinsed
Combine all ingredients, split into 2 gallon size bags. Cook in your crockpot on low for 6-8 hours, on high for 4-6 hours. Serve with hot tortillas.
**You can use the same instructions for the BBQ chicken here with your Instapot.
Tex Mex Casserole (makes 4 meals) ***A favorite, although not cooked in the Instapot!
4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded 8 cups cooked rice 2 cans Rotel tomatoes
2 taco seasoning packets 2 cans drained corn 2 cans drained black beans
1 small can olives, drained 6 cups cheddar cheese Green onions, diced
Mix together ingredients in bowl, except cheese. Divide into 4 pans (I use foil pans), top with cheddar cheese and olives. Thaw overnight and bake at $350 until heated and cheese is melted. Top with fresh green onions, if desired. Serve with sour cream, salsa and chips.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (makes 4 meals)
10 cups cooked rice 4 cups cooked chicken 4 cups chopped broccoli
4 cans cream of chicken soup 4 cups cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients together well and separate into 4 gallon-size freezer bags. Thaw overnight and dump into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
A couple of our other faves are Taco Soup (there are multiple versions of this on Pinterest), Chili - I make a batch with browned meat and without, and Calzones. These are easy to make and great to stock your freezer with. And have you experienced the "I'm so starving" when the kids get home from school? Well, I have. Here are some quick and easy snacks to make up ahead of time, that really hit a home run with my kids:
Smoothies (I cut fresh fruit up and pop into snack size bags and stick in the freezer). Kids can take these out, throw it into the blender, add some milk, juice, water, or water and in less than two minutes, they have a yummy snack. Add a bit of protein powder or some nuts or seeds for an extra pop of energy.
Pretzels (so easy to make) - I do the twisted pretzel sticks, the traditional pretzels and pretzel bites. You can make batches of these ahead of time and freeze. Just take a few out ahead of time to thaw and there's another yummy snack, with a side of fruit, or some peanut butter or yogurt for dipping.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars - My kids actually go nuts for these! Easy to make, too. In one of my earlier posts, I included this recipe. Try them, if your kids are PBJ fans, they will love these!
I'm sure there is much more out there to discover. I've also yet to use my Instapot for breakfast recipes - maybe I'll try some of those soon, too.
'Til next time......
