Make Ahead Meals

I started planning to stock my freezer with meals long before my 31 Days to Food Addiction Recovery series even began. I would have all of these wonderful meals to pull out at a moment’s notice, heat up, and nourish my body with minimal effort from me. As usual, things didn’t go as planned…

I finally got around to preparing a few this week. Let me tell you, finding freezer recipes without sugar, flour, and wheat is not an easy task. However, two fellow bloggers came through for me. The first blog I want to share is Freeze Your Way Fit. Briony has provided not only a great deal of recipes, but many tips for once a month cooking. Be sure to check out her Getting Started and Recipe Index sections. The first 3 recipes shared here are her creations.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into big chunks (can be frozen)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 32oz carton all natural low sodium reduced fat chicken broth (4 cups)
• 2 12oz packages of frozen broccoli
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with juices
• 2 tsp cumin
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 cup chopped onion 
  
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Shredded cheddar, plain non-fat yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Her easy to follow instructions can be found here. The soup was delicious and very nutritious! I topped mine with avocado and cheese.

Notes: If you are following my food plan, make sure to check the ingredients on the broth and tomatoes to make sure they do not contain sugar. I used 2.5 teaspoons of onion powder instead of the chopped onion. My husband is not a fan of pieces of onion in his food but he can handle the flavor. The cleanest shredded cheddar cheese I found is Sargento’s Off the Block. The recipe made enough for my dinner and 3 quart sized freezer bags as seen in the picture above.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast trimmed of all visible fat and cut into bite sized pieces
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup 1% milk
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Please visit here for the directions. This was my favorite meal I tried this week. It made a large amount and is great for lunch or dinner.

Notes: I mixed 1 tsp oil with 1.5 tsp onion powder to blend with the rice before cooking instead of using the sautéed onions. I had to add 1/4 cup water to the rice in the last 10 minutes. This always happens to me when cooking rice. I think I leave it at a heavy boil too long in the beginning.

The Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes is the last recipe from Freeze Your Way Fit I tried this week. I paired it with Turkey Meatloaf and some leftover grilled vegetables. This made quite a tasty meal for one dinner, one lunch, and plenty leftover to freeze for a later date.

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb potatoes
• 1 medium head cauliflower, coarsely chopped into florets
• 1/3 cup plain lowfat yogurt
• ¼ cup skim milk
• ½ tsp garlic powder

The mashed potato instructions can be found here. I used the Dannon All Natural plain yogurt. It was the cleanest choice. I had to add a little milk because I used a large head of cauliflower. If you have one, use a food processor as she recommends. I used a beater and had a hard time getting the lumps out.

The Cheesy Meatloaf was created by the other blogger I discovered this week at Little House Living. This is another great site, filled with tips on simple and frugal living. I have never been a fan of meatloaf but wanted to try something easy that would last a few meals. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really enjoyed it. Merissa’s recipe can be found here. I used turkey instead of beef so I let it cook an extra 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did!