Freezer Meal Friday ~ Turkey Chili

Have you heard of the Paleo Diet? In short, it's eating the way our ancestors used to eat. It's been a topic of great interest to me recently, not because I am necessarily looking to lose weight, but because I often wonder how much all the chemicals and processed foods we eat are causing the illnesses and cancers that we see running rampant through our society. I made it a New Year's resolution of mine not to follow the diet, but to research it. That may seem like a funny resolution, but it's hard for me to make time to do things for myself, like read. One part of my research is this awesome book you can find here. Basically anything you want to know about this way of eating can be found in this book. I also started a Pinterest Board of Paleo recipes to start building up a collection to determine if eating this way is feasible for our family. Along that journey, I discovered a recipe for a Turkey Chili that sounded delicious. I went ahead and made it for dinner last week and it was so yummy! Thought I'd share the recipe with you as this could easily be a freezer meal to add to your collection.

This Turkey Chili Recipe was found here at Inspiredrd.com. You could make this ahead and freeze it for later or combine all the ingredients in a freezer bag and throw it in the crock pot to cook when you're ready to make it.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 
• 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 Tbsp. of cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder

Optional Toppings: Avocado, cheese, cilantro

If you want to cook this meal before freezing it or just want to make it on the spot, the first step is to saute the onions and garlic in a large pan over medium heat. Once those are getting soft, add the ground turkey and cook until it's no longer pink.

Throw the onion mixture into the crockpot with all the other ingredients. Stir it up well and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

This chili is the perfect blend of hearty, spicy, and healthy for me. The Mister loved it too! This recipe made a lot of food. By a lot, I mean like 8 servings for the 2 of us!! Perhaps eating this Paleo way wouldn't be so bad after all!

Have you heard of Paleo? What's your take?

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Freezer Meal Friday ~ Sweet Potato Chili

Happy Friday everyone! It's currently 5 degrees outside... Sounds like a good day to stay in and make some chili!

I used to be afraid of sweet potatoes. Well, maybe not afraid, but certain I didn't like them. A couple years ago, I was introduced to sweet potato fries and it was love at first bite. Since then, I've tried to incorporate them into our meals in different ways and have found that they're not so scary after all - in fact, they can be quite delicious. This recipe is no exception.

The original version of this recipe, shared over at Once A Month Meals, was actually gluten free. I didn't go out of my way to make it gluten free but, for those out there looking for delicious gluten free meal options, this is one great option. You'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used light)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used green)
• 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 tbsp chili powder (gluten free if desired)
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder (gluten free if desired)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth (gluten free if desired)
• 1/2 cup orange juice

I diced up all the veggies and added them to the freezer bag. I have to give a shout out to my amazing Pampered Chef Garlic Peeler once again. I love this thing!

Finish adding the ingredients to the freezer bag, toss gently to mix, and seal the bag. With a recipe like this that contains a lot of liquid, I often opt to just freeze the solid ingredients and then add the liquid when I dump it into the crock pot. But you can certainly freeze the entire recipe. Another alternative would be to actually cook up this recipe and then store it in one or two serving size containers in the freezer. Just thaw and eat!

If you do decide to freeze it before cooking it, just thaw the bag in the fridge over night and dump the contents into the crock pot in the morning (adding the liquid ingredients if necessary). 

Cook on low for about six hours or until sweet potatoes are tender. Then enjoy! 

I served this with sweet rolls and some crackers but it's filling and satisfying all by itself too.

Do you have a new-found love for a certain food? Which one?

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Freezer Meal Friday ~ Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

I don't remember the first time I used Balsamic Vinegar in a recipe, but I do remember being nervous about it. I hadn't really heard of it, nor had I tried it. I'm pretty sure it was a salad dressing recipe... either way, I'm so happy I found it. I've since used it to make dressings, marinades, and added flavor in stir-fries and other meals. 

Balsamic Vinegar is a key ingredient in this freezer meal recipe shared over at Greenwood Grove.

Here is the recipe:

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 3 sliced zucchini
• 2 sliced red onions
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 sliced tomato
• 1 handful of small grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

First, I cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Then I diced all of the veggies. I used my Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love, love, love this thing! I did cut the tomato by hand though. The garlic cloves just need to be peeled, not diced. If you hate peeling garlic like I do, check out this! I tossed the chicken and the veggies into a gallon size freezer bag and tossed a bit to mix things up. If your freezer bag is stuffed full, split the contents into two bags and make two meals!

I added the balsamic vinegar and the Worcestershire sauce to the bag and tossed everything again. I sprinkled a bit more salt and pepper and sealed it up. When I was ready to make the meal, I thawed the bag in the fridge over night and dumped everything into the crockpot the next morning. I cooked it on low for about six and a half hours. It smelled amazing!

I served this recipe over rice and it was delicious. This batch makes a ton of food - six large servings!

Enjoy!!


Note: Some of the above links may be affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase.  The affiliate program does not affect my decision of what products to share. I only feature items I would link to with or without an affiliate link. These items and my opinions about them are my honest to goodness personal thoughts and feelings. The Amazon Services LLC Associates Program is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thanks for your support! 

Freezer Meal Friday ~ Sausage & Peppers

This freezer meal recipe really is as easy as it sounds. I was skeptical that it would be good. It seemed too simple to be anything worth making. But I was wrong, and it now has become one of the Mister's favorite meals. 

Sausage and Peppers was one of the first freezer meals I tried. I found the delicious recipe here. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe to the T. This time, I made a few adjustments:

• 6 Italian Sausage {I used Eckrich 4 Pepper Smoked Sausage}
• 2 Green Peppers {I used orange bell peppers this time because they were on sale}
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Large Red Onion {I used a yellow onion because it's what I had on hand}
• 4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 2 Cans Italian Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning {I just added some Italian seasonings like oregano and parsley and then some salt and pepper}

The above recipe makes enough for two meals. So you'd split the above ingredients into two 1-gallon freezer bags. 

I marked the freezer bags with the name of the meal and the date and then added the instructions: Cook on low six hours. Then, I chopped up the sausage, peppers, onion, and garlic and added those to the bag. 

I added the 2 cans of tomatoes, undrained and sprinkled in the seasonings. I flattened out the bags a bit and sealed them as air tight as possible.

When I'm ready to make this meal, I thaw it in the fridge over night and throw it in the crock pot in the morning. I've made this recipe served over noodles and served on toasted french bread. We love the french bread option the best, but in this instance I had yummy egg noodles on hand so it was served on those. I topped it off with some shredded mozzarella cheese.

Simple and easy, just how we like it! I hope you enjoy!

Freezer Meal Friday ~ Beef Stroganoff

I absolutely love mushrooms. Mushrooms of all kinds. Yum. This stroganoff recipe uses plenty of mushrooms and makes for an easy, delicious, warm meal. 

Of course, you could whip this up for dinner anytime, but I chose to make this meal as a freezer meal. I just combined all the ingredients into a one gallon freezer bag and stuck it in the freezer. Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. stew beef (I used ground beef)
1/8 t paprika
2 cups chopped mushrooms

3/4 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Once again, I was not thinking clearly (probably had mushrooms on my mind) and didn't take many pictures of this process or of the meal when it was fully cooked, but like I mentioned, it's an easy meal to put together.

I thaw the bag (usually over night) and toss everything into the crock pot in the morning. It cooks best on low for 6-8 hours. As the bag says, you can serve this meal over noodles or rice. I prefer some thick egg noodles. Enjoy!

Do you love mushrooms as much as I do? What's your favorite mushroom recipe?

Freezer Meal Friday ~ Honey Sesame Chicken

I confess, I love Chinese food. Despite that love, I don’t indulge in that deliciousness very often. There isn’t a great Chinese place close by our house and the ones we do go to are not considered “reasonably priced” in our small spending budget . That being said, I try to make dishes at home now and then that somewhat resemble something we’d get when dining out for Chinese. Enter Honey Sesame Chicken.

I stumbled upon this recipe at Baked In The South. This is a great recipe to make as a freezer meal.

Honey Sesame Chicken

• 1 lb chicken tenders (I used chicken breasts and chopped them into 1 inch pieces)
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Honey
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• ½ Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Just toss all of the ingredients into a freezer bag, mix it all up, and freeze. 

While putting this meal together is super easy, apparently taking pictures while doing it is not… I apologize for the lack of good pictures of this delicious meal. 

Anyway, I take the bag out of the freezer the night before and thaw it in the fridge. Put it in the crock pot in the morning and cook on low for 4-5 hours. I served this over rice with some steamed veggies. The Mr. ranted and raved about how good it was and I think he may have enjoyed it even more the next day as a leftover lunch. 

Cost to make:
1 lb Chicken - $1.99/lb on sale
Olive Oil – On hand
1 Cup Honey – $4.29
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds - $.75
½ Cup Soy Sauce - $1.10
Sesame Oil – On hand
Salt – On hand
Pepper – On hand
2 Cups Rice – $.65
Total = $8.78

This recipe made us four good sized meals for only $2.20 per meal!

What eat out favorites have you adapted to make at home?

Freezer Meal Friday ~ Chicken Chili

When I decided to start this blog, I created a focus statement for myself to ensure that each post topic I came up with fell under this focus and the blog maintained a certain theme. That theme is openness. As I mentioned here, openness includes being open to try new things and staying organized to maintain that openness. 

While I've always done some sort of meal planning before heading to the grocery store, the concept of make-ahead freezer meals is fairly new to me. Creating multiple meals in one afternoon and freezing them to enjoy in the future has been a huge time saver for us and has also allowed us to save money on our grocery budget. In an effort to not eat the same meal over and over again, I've been working to branch out my freezer meal recipes and try new things.

I thought it would be fun to share these freezer meal recipes with you so that you too could try them out. While I often make multiple freezer meals at once, I'm choosing to share one freezer meal with you at a time for now in an effort to keep it simple and not overwhelming.

Today's freezer meal recipe is Chicken Chili. I found the original recipe while doing "research" on Pinterest here. I had a white chicken chili recipe that I've loved for a few years but never tried it as a freezer meal. After trying this one, I think my old recipe is going to have to be  replaced. This chili is delicious.

Here is the recipe:

• 2 chicken breasts 
• 1 can diced tomatoes 
• 1 can corn kernels, do not drain 
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix 
• 1 T cumin 
• 1 t chili powder 
• 1 t onion powder 
• 1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
• Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. 

Before I start combining ingredients, I label my bags with a sharpie, listing the name of the meal, cooking instructions, and any serving instructions I might forget by the time I eat the meal. I also include the date the meal was created in case it gets lost in the bottom of the freezer somehow. 

For this meal, I cut up the chicken into bite size chunks and combined all of the ingredients in a one gallon size freezer bag. I flattened it out a bit so it can be easily stacked in our chest freezer and tried to get as much air out as possible. 

When I decide to make the chili, I will take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in the fridge over night. Then, in the morning before heading out to work, I dump it into the crockpot, set the timer and let it cook. I come home to a hot, delicious meal ready to eat! Typically, I'll whip up a batch of Jiffy cornbread to enjoy with this chili. 

If you are interested in seeing more of my freezer meal recipes now, you can visit Pinterest here!

Do you have any good freezer meal recipes you'd like to share?