SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

this recipe comes from the vitamix recipe book but was so basic Im sure it would work in a normal blender as well, just make sure to chop spinach before putting it in.

1/2 C Light mayo or vegginaise

1/2 C sour cream

1 slice lemon peeled and seeded

1 (10 oz) frozen package of spinach thawed and drained

1/8tsp salt

1/8tsp pepper

1/4 C parmesan cheese

1clove of garlic

1/2 C artichoke hearts

place all the ingredients accept the artichokes in the blender in order listed above. blend for about 20 seconds. then place the artichoke hearts in and blend for another 5 seconds.

place in an oven safe dish and cook for 20-25 minutes on 350

Taco Chicken- Crockpot

3-6 chicken breasts
1pkg taco seasoning
1 can chicken broth

Mix seasoning and broth together till combined.
Pour over chicken breasts in crockpot. Cook 4-6 hrs on low.
Shred chicken inside crockpot, will shred super easy.
This is great for tacos, burritos, nachos, or add to salads.
I keep in freezer a big batch to pull out and add to whatever I want.

Freezer Bag Method:
Place trimmed, lightly pounded chicken breast in freezer bag. Add combined broth and seasoning. Seal out air. Label, and freeze laying flat in freezer. When ready to cook, put all contents into crockpot on low for 6 hrs. I do this when chicken is frozen all the time, right out of the freezer, works great!

More Freezer Bag chicken recipes!

Honey Mustard Chicken- Crockpot
Get ready.....Its going to be a shocker, a whole whopping 2 ing to this chicken! But this chicken is delicious!

4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 honey
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
Dash of salt and pepper

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl till combined and smooth.
Pour over chicken breasts in crock pot.
Cook low 6 hrs.
Turn chicken about half way through cooking to make sure both sides are coating nicely.
Before serving, I take a fork and pull chicken apart, making one piece of chicken into 2 or three.

Serve with fried rice, or mashed potatoes!

Freezer Bag Method!
Follow the above directions except place trimmed, lightly pounded chicken breasts in plastic freezer bag. Pour mixed ing. over chicken, squeeze air out and seal. Label and lay flat in freezer.

To cook: Place contents of bag directly into crockpot. Even frozen! Just make sure the chicken breasts lay flat, then turn over in the middle of cooking to make sure evenly coated.

Delicious Turkey Tacos
I love this recipe because its easy and adds great flavor to the turkey. Great for not only tacos, but burrito filling, lasagna, pasta casseroles, etc. And of course you can use ground beef instead.




Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 small diced onion
1-2 cups of salsa
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
*corn tortillas- I lightly saute both sides in canola oil to crisp them up, yummy!

Saute onion till soft, add ground turkey. Generously season with salt and pepper and cumin. When cooked through, add salsa, put lid on pan and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with cheese, tomatos, sour cream, avacado, lettuce etc.

Freezer bag method:
Follow directions above. Let mixture cool. Add to plastic freezer bag, or freezer contatiner.
Reheat to serve, add a little more salsa when reheating.

Mini Meatloaf

I love this recipe and my kids ALL eat it because it is in a little muffin size rather that a huge lump that for some reason freaks every one out. I don't have exact measurements for this recipe- I made it Italian style- little of this little of that :)

Ingredients:

Ground beef (about 1lb)

1 piece of buttered white bread, crumbled

Onion, about 1/4 of it, minced

Milk, 2-3 T

Egg, whole

Tomato paste, about 1/2 - 3/4 of the little can

Grill seasoning, any brand- I use Emeril Lagase

Directions:

Make a well in the middle of the ground beef

Add all the ingredients and then lightly combine. Try to handle the meat as little as possible.

Fill a sprayed muffin tin with a ball of mixture.

Glaze:

Katsup about- 1 C

Brown Sugar about- 1/4 C

Worcestershire Sauce- about 3t.

Orange marmalade- about 1 T

Spread on top of each meatloaf "muffin"

Bake 375 until center reads 165 degrees

I serve with red potatoes and cooked baby carrots

Bread Bowls

These make a fun twist to soup night.

Just take your bread dough recipe, or use mine that I use for EVERYTHING, and round out about an 8lb dough ball. If you don't have a scale eyeball it to about four frozen biscuits size. Brush with EVOO and then let rise until doubled. I use the EVOO because it gives a darker color to the bread, which I like for soup bowls. Also if you want to add crisp to this, which I did and liked it,her is what you do:

Wile preheating the oven, place a glass casserole dish filled halfway with ice cubes in the bottom rack of the oven. Place bread in oven and right before all cubes are melted take out the water.

Indian Chicken

This is a slow cooker recipe- and I would say this is not a favorite kid meal. Curry usually doesn't go over well with kids so it's more an adult/big kid meal. But it's super yummy and healthy and so it's definitely going in our SAS 'recipe box'

2lb. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1' pieces.

1 Medium onion chopped

3 Cloves garlic, minced

5 tsp. Curry powder

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper and/or cayenne pepper

1 15-oz can chickpeas or black eyed peas, or you can even go black bean if you want, drained

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Cup Chicken broth

1 Bay leaf

2 T Lime juice

1-2 cups baby spinach, optional

Hot cooked rice

Add chicken, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Add beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low.

Stir in lime juice and spinach, let stand a couple minutes so the spinach wilts,then serve with rice.

Creamy Potato and Asparagus Soup

Fall is around the corner so I have been looking for new soups and I found my new favorite!!! I'm just sad it's no a food storage one but it's amazing.

1 large bunch asparagus (1 1/4 lb.) trimmed

1 1/4 lb. Potatoes, peeled and chopped- 1/2 in or smaller

1- 12oz. can evaporated milk- or make your own remember!

6 slices Turkey bacon, because it's healthier!

1 T. Honey

1 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/4 C Water

Shredded lemon peel

Italian flat leaf parsley chopped- if you happen to have it

1. Reserve about 1/3 of the asparagus. Combine remaining asparagus, the potatoes, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 1/4 C Water in medium saucepan.

Bring to boil, uncovered, then simmer for 10 min. covered until potatoes are tender. Cool down slightly and then transfer to food processor. If you have a small one only do a little bit at a time to make sure you get smooth consistency.

2. Cook bacon until crispy, save the grease in pan to then cook remaining asparagus in. Once asparagus in tender but still crispy it's done.

3. Chop up your parsley, grate the lemon, chop up bacon.

4. Stir soup over stove again to warm up- or just microwave real quick.

Top with bacon, lemon, parsley and 3 asparagus strips.

OH MY GOODNESS YUM!

Hawaiian Hay Stacks

Ingredients:

1/4 lb butter

1 1/2 C Flour

1 1/2 qt Milk

2 t. Salt

2 Cans cream mushroom soup

3 Cooked chicken breasts (2 cans chicken for FS)

Topping suggestions:

Pineapple tidbits

Chopped green onion

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Coconut

Slivered Almonds

Chow mein noodles

Cooked Rice

Celery, copped

Olives

Mandarine Oranges

Peas

Lemon pepper

Directions:

Start cooking your rice

Cook Chicken (if using fresh)

Melt butter in large pan

add flour and stir until blond color

add milk and whisk until smooth

add salt

add 2 cans cream mushroom soup, and shredded chicken

Layer plate with chicken mixture then toppings of choice

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 C Onion, chopped (or 1/3 dehydrated onion)

1 T. Olive oil

1 C. Red bell pepper, chopped

4 Cloves garlic, minced

1-14.5 oz Can diced green chilies

3/4 C Carrots, sliced (or 1/2 c dehydrated carrots)

1- 1/2 t. Ground cumin

3 C Chicken broth

4-15 oz Can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 C Red wine vinegar

Directions:

heat oil in large, deep saucepan. Saute onion(if using fresh), bell pepper and garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients(including dehydrated onion if using) and simmer for 10 minutes.

serve garnished with sour cream and tortilla chips

Vegetable Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil

1 Onion

3 Garlic cloves

3 Can diced tomatoes in juice

1 -4oz Can mild green chilies

2-3 T Chili Powder

1 T Cumin

1 T Dried chives

1 Bay leaf

1-15 oz Can red kidney beans drained and rinsed

1-15 oz Can black beans or white beans drained and rinsed

1 lrg Green bell pepper

1 lrg Red bell pepper

2 Ears of fresh corn or 1 C Frozen (1 can for FS)

Salt pepper to taste

1/4 C Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In large heavy pot, heat oil, saute onion and garlic

Then add with all other ingredients except cilantro into crock-pot four hours

Add cilantro in the end

This meal can freeze well

Vegetable Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

2 C Diced Potatoes (canned for food storage)

1 C diced carrots (canned for food storage)

1/4 C Butter

2 Chicken Bouillon cubes

1/2 C Flour

3 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Large onion, sliced

1 C slices celery (dehydrated for food storage)

2 10-oz Can chicken broth

2 C milk (powdered for food storage)

Directions:

In a large saucepan saute onions, potatoes, carrots and celery in the butter. Add the broth and bullion cubes. Simmer 30 min. or until veggies are tender.

In a medium bowl, mi x the milk with flour, blend until smooth- no lumps

Gradually add milk mixture to vegetables, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese and spices, simmer until cheese melts.

White Chili

Ingredients:

48 oz Jar great northern beans

16 oz Jar salsa

1/2 C Chicken broth

2t. Cumin

1 lb Chicken- cooked, shredded (canned for food storage)

8 oz monterey Jack Cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in crock pot 4-5 hours

Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips and cheese

Baked macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Elbow macaroni

3 T Butter

Panko Bread Crumbs (japanese isle)

3 T Flour

1 T Powdered mustard

3 Cups milk (powder milk for food storage)

1/2 C Yellow onion, finely diced

1 Bay leaf

1/2 t. Paprika

1 Large egg

12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 t. Salt

Fresh black pepper

Topping:

3 T Butter

1 C Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large pot of boiling water cook pasta to al dente

While pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard anf keep moving it for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the macaroni and then pour into a 2-qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Topping- melt butter in a sauce pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 min.

* My kids love broccoli so I will add little flowerets to this

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

10-12 Eggs

4-5 Small potatoes, peeled and diced (2 can potatoes)

1-2 T Olive oil

Salt/Pepper

1/2 C Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 C Salsa

8 Corn or flour tortllas

Directions:

In a large skillet, add olive oil and let warm a minute. Add peeled and diced potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 6-8 min, stirring often. (Add a little water to help them cook faster)

Season with other favorite seasonings if you want

In a bowl, whisk together eggs. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes after they have been cooking for 6-8 min. Cook eggs with potatoes and scramble them as they cook.

Warm tortillas and serve with salsa if you want