Tater Tot Casserole

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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When you were a child, you probably looked forward to any meal that included tater tots. This simple little potato nugget tastes similar to french fries, but tater tots somehow seem more exciting and delicious than ordinary fries. Your kids probably love them as much as you did, but when you're trying to eat healthy, you tend to skip frozen foods in favor of something you make yourself. Once you take a lot at this recipe for tater tot casserole, you might find yourself excited about tater tot night again.

Start with one pound of boneless chicken. Chicken breasts are delicious, but chicken thighs are a little more economical. No matter what you choose, cut the chicken into bite size pieces and set inside a skillet. Cook the chicken over low heat until cooked through. If you prefer beef, cook a pound of ground beef instead.  Add one small can of cream of mushroom soup, or make gravy with the meat drippings by adding some broth, milk and flour. Add one cup of water to the mixture if you use the soup, and stir until well combined. While the mixture cooks, add one bag of frozen corn and one bag of peas, or the equivalent in your favorite frozen vegetables.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased or buttered baking dish. Pour one bag of tater tots over the top of the mixture and make sure they are evenly spread around in one layer. If you're feeling a little fancy, you can arrange the tater tots in a pattern on top of the casserole. Bake the mixture for 25 minutes at 425 degrees or until the tater tots are lightly browned on top. This is also a great make ahead dish. Place everything inside the dish except for the tater tots and cover with plastic wrap. Thirty minutes before dinner time, remove the dish from the freezer, top with the tots and bake as directed.

Tater tots aren't just for dinner either. Create a quick make ahead breakfast dish with tater tots, bacon, cheese and eggs. Whisk one dozen eggs with ½ cup of milk and season with salt and pepper. Cook one pound of bacon until slightly crispy, and arrange the bacon in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover the bacon with one bag of tater tots (spread evenly) and pour the egg mixture over the top. Cover the eggs with several handfuls of cheddar cheese and bake at 325 degrees until the eggs set.

Tater tots are a great and versatile food. You can pair these little potato nuggets with a simple turkey hot dog for a quick and simple dinner, or you can create a make ahead dish for those nights when you don't have a lot of time. Some stores even carry sweet potato puffs, which will add more nutrition to your meal...and they're delicious!

Filed Under: Freezer Cooking / OAMC, Freezer Cooking: Poultry, Kid Friendly Meals, Make Ahead Meals, Meal Planning, Quick and Easy Cooking Tagged With: , , ,

Healthy and Quick Toddler Meals

April 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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Ok, the title of this post might be a bit misleading BUT if you’re looking for quick and healthy meals for your toddlers we have the answer for you!  With a little upfront time investment that is.  All that you need is a slow cooker and a few of your favorite healthy ingredients.  There are tons of slow cooker recipes out there, but all that you really need are some basics:  broth, grain, veggies and protein.

 

Here are a few of our favorites:

Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Low Sodium Veggie Broth (your choice)

Quinoa, Brown Rice or Multi Grain Rice (your choice)

Broccoli, Carrots, Peas, Asparagus, Corn, Tomatoes (use a few of these or all of these!)

Pre-browned Chicken or pre-cooked Wild Salmon (your choice)

 

Loose Directions…it doesn’t have to be an exact science:

Chop up your veggies into toddler bite-sized pieces and fill the slow cooker about 2/3 of the way.  Fill in all the cracks with your grain…just eyeball it, you’ll be fine.  Pour in your broth so it’s flush with the top of your veggies.

Follow your slow cooker instructions for temperature level and time, but it will typically cook for 4-6 hours.  Check on it hourly.  Give it a good stir and add some more broth and/or water if necessary.  Most of the liquid should evaporate, but we want to keep it moist.  Mix in your pre-cooked protein for the last hour of cooking.  You’re done!  Let cool before serving.

You should have enough for several weeks of toddler meals.   Refrigerate what you’ll need in the next few days.  Freeze the remaining amount in small containers so you can thaw them out as needed.

Bon appétit little ones!

 

Filed Under: Easy Crockpot / Slow Cooker Recipes, Freezer Cooking / OAMC, Kid Friendly Meals, Make Ahead Meals, Meal Planning, Quick and Easy Cooking Tagged With: , ,

Make Your Own Pizza

March 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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As a busy mom, you're always searching for quick dinner ideas. One of the easiest ideas is frozen pizza at home. Frozen, boxed food often tastes exactly like the box it's housed in before it makes its way into your oven. Another way to get tasty pizza is to make it at home yourself with fresh dough. Dough made in multiple batches can be put in the freezer for use later. Take one day during a weekend or when you know you have some free time to whip up a few batches.

It's important to freeze the dough properly. Once the dough is completed, form it into individual balls for each one. Lightly coat the ball with olive oil. Make sure to turn the dough ball to get the whole thing coated evenly. Slip it into a freezer bag. Squeeze out all the air from the bag before it's sealed. The dough can last up to three months in the freezer. Mark the bag with the appropriate date like other items in your freezer.

Take it out of the freezer the night before, or early that morning and by dinnertime, you can be having fresh pizza. The dough needs about twelve hours to thaw in the refrigerator. Once it's thawed, let the dough stand at room temperature for thirty minutes.

This is a chance to let the kids help you cook. If there is one thing kids love, it's to make their own pies. They can help shape the dough, add toppings and watch it cook. This is an opportunity to experiment with toppings. For a healthier recipe, ditch the sauce and try other ingredients. You don't have to go out of your way to shop for other elements. You can use things you have on hand.

A mushroom sauce made with a light tomato base can be used instead of sauce. Add a bit of cheese on the top for a tasty alternative. For those that might not like mushrooms, you can add chicken and Caesar dressing with fresh herbs. Ranch dressing is another dressing alternative that can be used on top of fresh dough. It can be paired with chicken or strips of bacon.

Olive oil, garlic and grated cheese can be added to the dough to create a light pie that can be eaten alone or with black olives added. Almost anything can be added to the dough as a base for toppings like chicken, mushrooms, bacon or spinach for a lighter meal you can make at home.

Filed Under: Freezer Cooking / OAMC, Kid Friendly Meals, Meal Planning Tagged With: , ,

Cook Ahead for Easter Dinner

March 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Easter spiral cut ham

Easter dinner is a great time to gather with family and a good way to celebrate the holiday. However, it can also be a stressful time. There are so many dishes to prepare, it can get very hectic. It need not be so, though. This is a great time to make use of your freezer and take the opportunity to make ahead part of your holiday meal.

What portions of the Easter dinner can easily be prepared within the days before the holiday and left in the freezer or refrigerator until the day of the meal? You can actually make many of the dishes that you will want ahead of time.

Dinner rolls are a great way to start your meal. These can easily be made ahead, frozen and reheated when they are needed.

Ham is a classic main dish at Easter dinners. This meat can easily be prepared ahead of time. Cook it a few days in advance, freeze and just reheat it on Easter day. Or you can buy a pre-cooked ham that keeps in the fridge a few days and just needs to be warmed up on Easter.

Another classic holiday food is turkey. Remember to leave adequate time to thaw in the refrigerator any turkey that you have prepared in advance. One of the more efficient approaches is to utilize a turkey breast rather than working with a whole bird. That will allow quicker preparation time as well as shorter thawing time. This works especially well if you are also serving another meat or are having numerous side dishes.

When it comes to side dishes, mashed potatoes are one side dish that often appears on the Easter menu. Fortunately, they are also a dish that can easily be prepared in advance and reheated. Slowly reheating them in a crock pot or preparing oven roasted mashed potatoes are two good paths to getting great results when you reheat them.

What would a holiday meal be without dessert? Pies, especially fruits pies, are ideal candidates for freezing. You can either bake them and then freeze, or you can prepare them and freeze them unbaked. Remember to allow enough time for thawing and baking, especially if they will be competing for your oven space.

With a little bit of cooking in advance, you can enjoy your dinner on Easter with a minimum of stress.

Filed Under: Easy Entertaining, Featured Content, Freezer Cooking / OAMC, Freezer Cooking: Dessert, Freezer Cooking: Pork, Freezer Cooking: Poultry, Make Ahead Meals, Meal Planning Tagged With: , ,

Corn Muffins…Fresh From Your Freezer

March 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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Nothing beats a warm muffin just out of the oven, especially when it is paired with a nice bowl of chili or soup. Corn muffins are simple to make and easy to store in the freezer for a day when there is no time for baking. If you enjoy the taste of corn muffins, why not grab a corn muffin fresh from your freezer anytime? First you will need a good make ahead recipe like the one below.

Now or Later Muffins

1 cup of yellow corn meal
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup of vegetable oil or canola oil
1 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12 muffin pan--this makes clean up easier (if you do not have paper liners, grease the pan). Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add to dry ingredients. Add oil and milk and stir gently until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about one-half to three fourths full. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

When the pan cools slightly, carefully remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Once muffins are cool, if paper liners were used, gently remove them from the muffins. Place muffins in large (one gallon) freezer storage bags. Use two bags so muffins will stay in a single layer while freezing. As with any food, make ahead muffins can be kept frozen for months, but it is best to use them sooner for better flavor and quality.

When ready to serve, thaw the muffins at room temperature for at least an hour. Once the muffins thaw they may be eaten at room temperature. If warm muffins are preferred, place them on a baking pan and heat in a 300 degree oven until warm. If you must microwave the muffins, use a low setting since it is easy to overcook them in a microwave oven.

Enjoy these muffins with soup, chili, with a salad or with a drizzle of honey for a quick snack. Once you enjoy these muffins, you will want to keep some on hand.

Filed Under: Freezer Cooking / OAMC, Freezer Cooking Articles, Freezer Cooking: Vegetarian, Meal Planning, Quick and Easy Cooking Tagged With: , ,
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