Tasty Tuesday: Freezer Cooking Update and a Recipe

Happy Tuesday ladies! I hope you are all having a great week. I know I'm late to the party, but I have to say that I LOVE freezer cooking! Meal planning in general is something that I've been working on and it is keeping me so much saner.  I used to love to just pick what we would be eating for dinner in the morning based on what I was in the mood for.  But between unpredictable nap schedules and sick and/or cranky babies, that was sometimes leaving us without a dinner!

Enter meal planning and now freezer cooking!  I don't know that I'm ready to convert to a once a month (or even once a week) cook, but I am totally on board with the idea.  Last week, a friend and I got together and made a quick freezer meal (it actually made two dinners of the same recipe) while our kids played.  It literally took 15 minutes.  I then popped it in the crockpot one day this weekend and we had an easy and mess free dinner (recipe below)!

Also, I typically cut recipes down as I've found that they make too much for us, but a couple of times in the last week, rather than doing that, I've just made the full recipe and split it into two pans.  Same amount of work, twice the dinners!  Like I said, I know so many others are already doing this, but I don't know why I was really hesitant before.

Crock Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Recipe adapted and photo from Over the Big Moon
*Makes 2 meals that serve 4 easily with leftovers

6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 
4 Tbs Olive Oil
2+ Limes, juiced (I like a little more lime then the recipe calls for)
2 Cups Cilantro
1 large bag of Frozen Corn (or two smaller bags)
4 minced Garlic Cloves
1 finely Chopped Red Onion
2 cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp Cumin or Chipotle powder
Salt an Pepper to taste (I salted when I put it in the bag, and salted again in the crockpot after shredding)
Take ingredients and split everything into two containers.
Mix bag by shaking, seal, label and put in the freezer.

Cooking instructions: Cook in Crockpot on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Remove chicken breasts and shred (I used the kitchenaid). Return to crockpot and salt to taste. Heat for a few more minutes on warm.  Serve with hot tortillas and dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Tasty Tuesday: Valentines' Day Treats

Today I wanted to share some really sweet Valentine's Day recipes I've found in hopes that y'all can help me narrow them down!! First up is a treat that would be for my husband. He is the ultimate baconholic and I love to incorporate bacon into gifts for him. For example, I get him a bar of this bacon chocolate every year for his stocking.  So imagine my delight when I saw this bacon bouquet on Our Best Bites!!

Really, what man wouldn't love this??

 I've also always wanted to attempt these conversation heart cookies:

So cute!  Just a little worried that the effect might be lost on a two year old who has never even seen a conversation heart!

Finally, we've started a bit of a tradition of fun holiday breakfasts around here, so I've been searching for the perfect Cupid meal!  I'm considering these red velvet pancakes, heart shaped cinnamon rolls and bacon,  or just using my pancake pen to make heart-shaped pancakes.  Thoughts??

What's on your menu for Valentine's Day?

Tasty Tuesday: Baked Ziti

Last week I was really craving baked ziti and so did a last minute switcheroo in our meal plan. I found this recipe Simply Recipes and it was phenomenal and so easy! My favorite part was the sauce, which was just a doctored jarred marinara. It came out so good, though, I think I'll make it instead of my typical pasta sauce for spaghetti.

The recipe calls for either ground beef or Italian sausage. I used a spicy Italian turkey sausage and it was perfect. I think adding some spinach could be delicious, but I didn't have any on hand. It is a really an all around great meal for a cold night.

Confession... totally not my picture!!!

Baked Ziti

Ingredients
1 pound ziti (can sub penne) pasta
Olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef or pork
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or basil), minced
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large jar of marinara sauce (about 32 ounces) or make your own tomato sauce
1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Directions
1 Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Add about a tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water. Add the pasta and boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente—edible but still a little firm. Drain the pasta through a colander. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.

2 Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large sauté pan on medium-high to heat. When the oil is hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat. Do not crowd the pan (work in batches if needed). Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well. Don't stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, add a little salt.

3 When the meat is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine. Sauté everything until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary or basil, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole pan, then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle in some sauce with the pasta, mix it well and add the pasta into the casserole.

5 Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, dot the remaining ricotta cheese over the pasta, and sprinkle on top both the mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven until the top is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Yield: Serves at least 8