Five 10-Minute Meals- Seriously! 10-Minutes!

These meals are some of my busy night/week go-to meals.  I've admitted before that despite my best efforts to plan ahead using my freezer meal stash, sometimes I forget to turn on the slow cooker or thaw out the casserole.  It's on these nights that I usually turn to one of these five recipes.  They are life savers.

Philly Style Roast Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Cooking oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced
14 oz. deli roast beef, chopped
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese
4 hoagie buns

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large frying pan at medium high heat.  Add cooking oil. Just enough to coat the pan. 

2. Saute the peppers and onions for 2-3 minutes. 

3. Add the chopped roast beef. Once the edges of some of the beef have caramelized, add the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Stir to coat. 

4.  Turn the heat off.  Top the meat mixture with cheese.  Cover with lid (or a cookie sheet, if you don't have a matching lid) to help cheese melt. 

5. Spoon the beef mixture on to hoagie buns. Serve with salad, fruit, and chips.  

Fajita Quesadillas

Ingredients:
8 tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced
cilantro
optional: leftover chicken, beef, or pork

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large griddle to medium high heat. Coat with cooking oil or butter. 

2. Saute peppers and onions for 3-4 minutes.  Set fajita mixture aside in small bowl. 

3. Wipe griddle with a damp paper towel, if desired. 

4. Add a little more oil or butter to coat.

5. Form the quesadillas by laying tortillas flat, topping them with about 1/3 cup cheese, the fajita veggies, a sprinkle of cilantro, and any leftover meat you may have. Top this with a little sprinkle of cheese (to act as glue) and another tortilla. 

6. Place the quesadillas on the griddle with the cheese side down.  Once cheese melted, about 3 minutes, flip the quesadilla and cook for another 2 minutes.  

7. Serve with beans, fruit, or this great mexi-corn mix to complete the meal.  

French Bread Pizza

Ingredients:
One french bread loaf
3/4 cup marinara sauce
11/2 cups mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, diced bell pepper, diced onion, olives, ham, pineapple

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven on broil low.  

2. Slice the french bread in half forming two long pieces, a top and a bottom. Place these pieces face up on a cookie sheet. Toast these in the oven until a light golden brown, usually about 1-2 minutes.  Watch this closely- you only want a light toasting. 

3. Remove from oven.  Top each side with sauce, cheese, and your desired pizza toppings. 

4. Place back into the broiler for another 1-2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. 

5. Cut into slices and serve immediately.  

Garlic Pasta and Veggies

Ingredients:
1 lb. pasta, any shape
2 TBS olive oil
Veggies: onions, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers
Quick cooking veggies: zucchini, green beans, yellow squash, spinach
1 TBS minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesean cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta as described on packaging. 

2. While the pasta is cooking, begin sauteing your longer cooking veggies, like onions and broccoli, in a very large frying pan on medium-high heat. 

3. After 3-4 minutes, add your quick cooking veggies, like zucchini and spinach.  Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

4. Add garlic and toss.  

5. Once your kitchen is filled with the aroma of garlic, add your drained pasta.  Toss to coat with olive oil.  Add basil and cheese. 

(*Note: for a little extra flavor, you can drizzle a teaspoon or two of infused olive oil in step 5.  Lemon olive oil is my favorite)

Turkey Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:
8 slices of bread (sandwich, french, sourdough)
7 oz. deli turkey
4 TBS. prepared pesto sauce
8 slices of mozzarella cheese
Optional: slices of tomato

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle to medium heat. 

2. Prepare sandwiches: (layers from bottom to top) bread, slice of mozzarella, turkey, (optional- slice of tomato), mozzarella, one tablespoon pesto, bread.  

3. Coat griddle with cooking oil or butter. Place sandwiches down. Cook for 4-5 minutes. 

4. Flip sandwiches and cook for 3-4 more minutes. 

5. Serve with tomato soup. 

Viola!  Dinner is served in less than 10 minutes.  

From the Freezer to the Table in Less Than 30 Minutes, Ham

My family seems to always have a surplus of ham leftover at the holidays... which I love!  Because, cooked ham is a great ingredient to have in the freezer.  Plus, it's my little boy's favorite protein.  Seriously though, he can eat more pieces of ham than me.

Here are a few ways my family enjoys ham.

Ham Fried Rice 

(from The Recipe Critic)

1½ cups- 2 cups chopped ham
3 cups cooked rice
2 Tbs sesame oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Pour sesame oil in the bottom. Add white onion, chopped ham, peas and carrots and fry until tender.

2. Slide the onion, peas and carrots to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.

3. Add the rice to the veggie, ham and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and combined. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Breakfast Burritos 

(adapted from Favorite Freezer Foods)

12 tortillas

10 eggs
2 cups (500 ml) diced ham
1 ½ cups (375 ml) grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

optional: cooked potatoes (frozen french fries taste delicious), sour cream, taco sauce, sauteed bell pepper and onion
(cooking oil spray or butter)

Instructions: 

1. Dice the ham and grate the cheese first then set them aside.

2. Preheat your frying pan on medium-low. Spray it with cooking oil or coat with butter. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Pour eggs into preheated pan. 

3. While the eggs are cooking lay out all your tortillas on the table or counter so you can fill them evenly when your ready.  Tip: make sure your tortillas are room temperature or warmer.  Cold tortillas will rip when you burrito roll them. 

4. Once the eggs are done throw them into a large bowl and add the ham, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to stir them well to get the cheese distributed. I like this method better than layering in the cheese because when the cheese is against the tortilla and melts in the microwave I think it makes the tortilla too chewy as it cools.

5. Spread the filling evenly among the tortillas. I use my 1/4 cup dry measuring cup so I can keep them all about the same size. Sometimes I add cooked potatoes, a little dollop of sour cream, and some taco sauce. 

6. Wrap them like a burrito, fold the sides in first and then turn up the bottom and roll to close. Try to make them long and skinny instead of short and fat, the longer skinnier ones reheat more evenly.

7. Wrap each burrito into plastic wrap.  Put all the burritos in a gallon-sized bag and store in the freezer. 

8. When you're ready to eat, unwrap the burrito and microwave for 1 minute on high.  Flip the burrito over and microwave for another 45 seconds. 

Ham and Corn Chowder 

(from Cooking Classy)

(*Disclaimer: This recipe is delicious, but I've never frozen this particular recipe before. I have had other frozen chowders before.  As long as the broth contains 50% chicken broth, 50% milk, I find it thaws and reheat well.  Just be sure to thaw it slowly. Then, reheat it on the stove top on low while stirring often. I would also leave out the potato if freezing. They just fall apart. )

Ingredients

2 cups cooked ham, diced into small cubes
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
5 1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and diced (3/4 cup)
2 celery stalks, diced (3/4 cup)
2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
5 medium red potatoes (1 3/4 lb), diced into 3/4-inch cubes
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (or frozen)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Chives for topping


Directions
In a large pot, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. 

Add chicken broth, potatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste (slightly under-season with salt as the ham and bacon will add more saltiness to soup). 

Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook until potatoes are very tender, about 17 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce to warm heat, stir in ham and corn.

In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook mixture, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking, slowly add in milk, and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to thicken, whisking constantly. 

Remove from heat, stir in sour cream or cream. Pour and stir milk mixture into soup mixture. 

Serve warm topped with bacon and chives.

From the Freezer to the Table in Less Than 30 minutes, Chicken

I can't lie, I really love meal planning.  I get a little joy and satisfaction out of planning out a different genre of food for each night of the week and adding variety to those meals with new, interesting spins on side dishes.  I love recording this on the inside of my pantry cabinet.  (I painted it with chalkboard paint years ago. A Pin-win.) Having all of this in place makes me feel ready to take on whatever may come during the week.

But, let's get real, even though I have a great plan, it usually falls by the wayside by Wednesday or Thursday.  It's one thing to have a plan, but it's another thing to follow through with the plan.  So, when I forget to thaw something overnight or forget to put something in the slow cooker in the morning, I need to have something quick to grab to make for dinner.  For this reason, I like to keep some brainless, quick cooking items in my freezer: marinated chicken, cubed ham, and taco meat.We'll start with the most versatile, marinated chicken.

I usually store each of these recipes in quart-sized freezer bags. I freeze them flat and store them upright in a little container in my freezer.  When I need to use one, I just toss the frozen bag on a plate and defrost it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.  After this step, I'm only about 15 minutes away from getting dinner on the table.

Chicken Fajitas adapted from New Leaf Wellness

1-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
The juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
(or substitute the seasonings with 2 TBS of taco seasoning)
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 cup sliced yellow onion

Combine all ingredients in a quart-sized plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.Cook in large pan on medium heat for ten minutes.  Add the fresh peppers and onions in the last five minutes of cooking. 

Serve on tortillas or rice with your favorite fajitas toppings, like shredded cheese, salsa, and guacamole.

Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken from Allrecipes

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
(or 1 TBS each of fresh herbs)
2 lemons, juiced
salt and pepper
1-2 lbs. chicken breasts

Combine marinade ingredients in quart-sized bag.  Add chicken.  Freeze. 

Thaw overnight.  Cook chicken on grill or pan on medium-high heat. 

This chicken tastes great paired with an orzo salad or used in a gyro.  For a gyro, place the chicken in a pita top it with lettuce, cucumber tomato relish, and tzatziki sauce. 

Orange Chicken adapted from ChefKey

Marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
2 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. minced ginger
a dash of honey (sugar or agave)
1 TBS. cornstarch

1 lb. chicken, cut in strips

Combine marinade ingredients in a quart-sized bag.  Add the chicken. Freeze. 

Thaw overnight.  Cook chicken in a grill or fry pan on medium-high heat. 

This chicken tastes great in a stir-fry.  After the chicken is cooked, add onions, pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and/or carrots to the hot pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.  Add a tablespoon of hoisin sauce to the veggies in the last minute of cooking.  Stir to coat. 

I also love this chicken added to salads.  I recently tried out this salad recipe with this chicken.  It was delish. 

So, next time you have some extra chicken on hand, mix up a marinade and store that chicken in your freezer.  Just getting this one step done ahead of time really helps dinner get out on the table faster.

Honey Pecan Chicken

This recipe has received unsolicited compliments from husbands. They have gone back for seconds and left their plates squeaky clean.  Last time I made this for my family, my husband gave an audible "alright!" when he found out what was for dinner, and he doesn't even like nuts. 

This recipe is quick to prep and quick to cook.  Win-win.  Plus, it is delicious. The pecan crusted chicken is crispy and savory, while the honey cream sauce adds a punch of sweetness and tang. Your taste buds will thank you for this meal. 

Cooked carrots and rice pilaf are great additions to this entree. 

Honey Pecan Chicken 

from Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer

6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves (for our exchange I used approx. 1 1/2 lbs of chicken)

For the marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For honey cream sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup whiskey (or 3 TBS water and 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
1 cup whipping cream (or half and half)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

For breading:
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste

Mix olive oil, time, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place chicken breasts in freezer bags then pour olive oil mixture over chicken breasts. Freeze in gallon-sized freezer bags, removing as much air as possible.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Sauté shallots in butter until tender. Add orange juice and whiskey over medium heat and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream. Continue cooking until slightly thickened. Add honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cool completely. Freeze separately using a pint-sized freezer bag.

Chop pecans. Put pecans, flour, salt, and pepper in a small freezer bag.

Place all three bags into a second gallon-sized freezer bag and label.

To serve: Defrost chicken breast and cream sauce. Dredge chicken breast in flour and pecan mixture. Place a small amount of olive oil in large skillet. Pan fry chicken breasts until golden brown and cooked through. 

Heat sauce over low heat until warm; do not boil.

Serve chicken on individual dishes and pour cream sauce over chicken breasts. I recommend serving it with rice pilaf.  My family likes the Farmhouse brand of rice pilaf. 

Let us know what you and your family thinks of this meal!

Slow Cooker, Classic Pot Roast

My friend, Jeanne, admits that this recipe is better than her grandma's pot roast.  When she told me this, I was sold.  I needed to get my hands on this recipe. Then, Jeanne told me that this recipe roasts the beef in a slow cooker. Even better!  Who doesn't love the convenience of the slow cooker?

A few days later, Jeanne gave me a copy of the recipe; and about a week later, this what I served for Sunday dinner with my sister-in-law's family.  There was not a single speck of that roast left after that meal! That's saying a lot because some of my nephews are famously picky eaters.

So, Jeanne was right; this is a winning recipe. Her grandma would probably agree.

Classic Pot Roast with garlic-thyme gravy from cuisineathome.com

3 TBS vegetable oil
1 boneless, chuck roast, trimmed, seasoned with salt and pepper (3-4 lbs)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 TBS tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine (I just used cooking wine, since that's the only kind we ever have at our house.  You could also just add an extra 1/2 cup of beef broth)
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 cups sliced onions
6 medium carrots, peeled and but into large 2-3 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4-6 quart slow cooker. 

Stir flour into saute pan; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more. 

Deglaze saute pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates.  Stir in broth and Worcestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scarping up any brown bits. 

Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves.   Cover and cook until meat is fork tender, on high heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 8-9 hours.  Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving. 

Every time I catch it on sale at the grocery store, I buy one chuck roast to store in the freezer for special Sunday dinners. This classic pot roast never disappoints. 

Comforting Chicken Pot Pie

Flaky, buttery crust.  Bits of golden chicken and mixed vegetables. Creamy, flavorful sauce.  Chicken pot pie is a traditional comfort food and perfect for a chilly winter evening.

The success of this recipe, I think, is due to the ratio of chicken broth to milk in the sauce.  Milk based recipes can sometimes freeze and reheat poorly; but since most of the sauce comes from the roux and chicken broth, this chicken pot pie bakes from frozen smoothly.

To save on some baking time, I like to make individual-sized, or even smaller, muffin-sized pies.  A full, nine inch frozen chicken pot pie might take up to two hours to bake through.  I'm just not that patient.

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 cup butter
1/3 chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 celery seed (don't underestimate the deliciousness of a dash of celery seed)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1 lb. chicken breast, cubed and cooked
1 lb. bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (and drained, if water pools around the veggies)
1 pkg. of two refrigerated pie crusts

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook the onions in butter until translucent.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed.  Allow to cook for about two minutes. Slow stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens.

Add the chicken and mixed veggies. Stir to mix.  Set aside.

Line your pie pan (or muffin tins) with pie crust (be sure to save pie crust for the tops).  Spoon in the chicken filling until it reaches the top edge of the pie pan.  Top with more pie crust and pinch the edges until sealed.  Cut a few slits in the top of the pie crust to allow steam to escape.

If freezing, cover the pot pies with plastic wrap and place in freezer.  Once thoroughly frozen you can pop the pies out of the pie plate or muffin tin and wrap completely with plastic wrap and/or foil.  Check out this post to see more about this freezer meal technique. If you are using disposable foil tins this step is unnecessary.  I always like a second or third layer to protect the food from freezer burn, so I usually place the pies inside a Zip Loc gallon-sized bag as well. These outer Zip Loc bags don't ever touch the food directly, so I can re-use them several times over. 

To serve, thaw the pot pies and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of your pies.  Allow to cool for ten minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!

Bacon and Pear Butternut Squash Soup

Look at that title.  What is there not to love about it?  Bacon? Yes. Pears? Yes. Butternut squash.  Yes, please.

This soup is well balanced. Not too thick, not too thin. You can serve it as an entree with some crusty, thick garlic bread, or serve it on the side of some grilled chicken and veggies.  And best of all, it freezes wonderfully.

Bacon and Pear Butternut Squash Soup

4 slices of bacon
1 onion, chopped
3-4 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1-14 oz. can of pears in juice
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2- 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup half and half (or for a little less richness, use milk)

In a large stock pot, saute the bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon from the pot, but reserve the bacon drippings.  Saute the onion and celery in the bacon drippings over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the butternut squash, pears, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.  Puree using a hand blender or in batches in an upright blender.  Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in half and half.  Serve with crumbled bacon, and if you're fancy, fried sage leaves.

Everything all prepped for three double batches of the this soup for a freezer meal exchange. 

Try it out. Let us know what you think!