Stocking the Freezer!

My goal is at least 30 meals. So far... I'm on track to reach that goal. I figure we will have some days we aren't eating at home - and other days we'll fill in with less time intensive dinners (like breakfast for dinner!). This should last us a couple/few months... if I'm lucky, it'll last the full 12 weeks I'm off!

I've had a lot of requests for recipes so I'll post them here as I do them...

Apple and Onion Chicken (Jen's recipe)
3 medium/large apples - cut up with skins on
2 large onion - cut up or sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter
6 blsl chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
S&P to taste
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced thyme
1 box unsweetened apple juice

Sautee apples and onions in butter about 10 minuts until tender. Spread in bottom of 9x13 pan. Lay chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix cheeses with breadcrumbs and thyme. Spread over top of chicken. Drizzle with apple juice. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done.
**Variation: I split this into two 8x8 foil pans and baked them and then covered with foil and stuck them in the freezer.
I haven't tasted this yet, but it came with great reviews :)

Chunky Tomato Pasta Bake
1 pound ground beef browned and drained
6 oz pasta (spirals or tube) cooked and drained
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can condenced cr. of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

Combine cooked meat and cooked pasta with the soup and tomatoes in 2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Uncover and top with cheese. Bake 3-5 more minutes until cheese melted.

Chicken Paprikash (from Rachel)
2 cups chicken broth
3 pounds cooked cubed boneless chicken
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium chopped onion
2 heaping teaspoons paprika
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons flour mixed with a little bit of water

Brown chicken in butter, remove from pan and set aside. Add onion to butter and cook until tender. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to skillet and add broth. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Blend flour with a little water then blend into chicken. Add sour cream to paprikash and heat until warmed through. Serve over noodles or dumplings.
*I made this last night and we had half of it for dinner, the other half went into a gallon size ziplock bag and into the freezer.

Chicken and Rice Casserole - the ultimate comfort food! (Rachel's recipe)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion chopped
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 14 oz cans green beans drained and rinsed
1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 4oz can pimentos cut up
2 10oz cans cream of celery or cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonaise
1 6oz box long grain wild rice (COOKED) or 2 4.5 oz boxes carolina long grain and wild rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Saute onions in butter until tender. Remove and transfer to large bowl. Add all other ingredients to bowl and mix. Pour into 3 quart casserold dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
*For freezing this, I just put it into the 8x8 foil pans and then covered with foil and bagged in 1 gallon freezer bag and right into the freezer.

Chicken and Bisquits
4 blsl chicken breasts
4 cans cream of chicken soup
Cook on low all day in crockpot. Then remove chicken and shred. Return to crockpot and add 1 cup sour cream and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
*I split this into 2 meals and froze them in gallon size ziplock bags. Will just have to make biscuits for it when we pull it out to eat.

Italian Chicken Spaghetti

1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (6 oz.) Italian-style tomato paste
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) Velveeta Cheese, cut up
12 oz. spaghetti, broken in half, cooked and drained
3 cups chopped cooked chicken

Spray Dutch oven with cooking spray. Add onion and green pepper; cook and stir on medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth and tomato paste until well blended.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Add cheese; cook 1 minute or until cheese is completely melted, stirring frequently.
Stir in spaghetti and chicken; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
***I didn't have italian seasoned tomatoes or paste - so I just used regular and added italian seasonings from the cupboard.

See the repeating theme here? Boneless Skinless chicken breasts have been on sale for the past 2 weeks for $1.79/pound! I got 16 pounds last weekend (that made most of these meals) and just yesterday got another 15 pounds that are in the freezer for future use. Next week's theme will be ground beef... but sadly, I have yet to see a great deal on that - so I'll probably be paying good for it. Cost for this months groceries are up a bit, but it should even out over Feb/Mar/Apr when we're mostly eating out of the freezer for dinners :)