2. All are made with white flour.
3. Packed with preservatives.
4. Environment Impact
Dry Mix:
3. Store in airtight container.
Tip: Save your plastic bags to reuse when you make them.
Many of you might not know this, but my little sister Christi (who also writes for this blog) is 9 months pregnant. Here is her beautiful pregnancy photo here:
So that’s the meals! I know many of you are wondering how much the meals cost us, so I will tell you. We made 22 meals for $214.04. That’s $9.73 for a meal that feeds 4-6! I know that is a little higher priced then some other websites claim to be, but our meals have a lot of protein in them and we bought the healthier version of ingredients which always cost more
{I feel like Yeti should give me some sponsorship money for this pic!}
Also, for your convenience I have uploaded a few documents for you.
1. Freezer Meal Labels ~Just print them on sticker paper
2. The Recipes
3. Excel Shopping List ~Just plug in servings for each meal and it will calculate how much to purchase
Well, I hope I have inspired some of you out there to make some meals ahead of time! I know that when it comes to a new baby, the last thing you want to be doing is slaving over the stove in the kitchen! If you have any question on making these meals, feel free to email us!
Happy Cooking!!
Bow Tie Pasta and Creamy Mushroom Sauce
My husband and I are counting our calories again and I made this recipe tonight for dinner. We were both excited at how much this dish filled us up and was so tasty!! My son kept calling it “butterfly pasta” and enjoyed it too. It will definitely be a repeat recipe of ours!
12 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon light butter
8 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced*
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced*
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1. Cook bow tie pasta in pan according to directions on package.
2. At the same time while cooking pasta, heat olive oil in pan.
3. Add onions and shallots to olive oil and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.
4. Add garlic to onions and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and white wine to onion/garlic mixture. Cook until mushrooms are tender.
6. Add cooked bow tie pasta, whipping cream, cheese, and 2 tablespoons parsley to mushrooms. Toss pasta to coat. Salt and pepper to taste if needed.
7. Serve with crusty bread on the side and enjoy!
* You can substitute any type of mushroom for this dish, just make it a full 12 ounces.
The Skinny: Serves 6 @ 352 calories
Yesterday was Halloween and I am sure many of you had little (or huge in our case) pumpkins out front that looked something like this:
After an hour of baking I ended up with a pumpkin mess like this. Poor little girl. (Yes, my pumpkin was a girl, those are eyelashes above not eyebrows.)
I scraped out all the soft pumpkin meat.
1 loaf of french bread
Mix until smooth.
Take your french loaf and cut it into 3 inch pieces. In each piece, cut the center out to create a “pocket” for the cream cheese mixture.
Using a small spoon stuff each piece with the mixture. (I imagine this could be done the night before and left in the refrigerator overnight.)
Next you will need to make your french toast batter. Combine 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/3 cups of pumpkin puree and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin mix into a shallow dish.
Whisk together. Also at this time, put your skillet on the stove with some butter or oil in it and heat over medium heat until it is hot.
Let the dipping begin!! Dip each piece of french toast in the batter. I like to let mine soak it up a little.
Place each piece in your skillet and cook until golden on the side that is down.
Flip the toast over and cook on the other side until done. The center filling should be warm.
You are done! Serve it dusted with some powered sugar or covered in maple syrup and ENJOY!!
Nothing says fall like this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast!
The Meals I Made:
I divided the meatballs into 4 freezer bags. Two of the bags I just stored in the freezer. It’s always easy to keep spaghetti sauce on hand, heat it up, and throw the meatballs in for a quick meal.
The other two bags I used to make Sweet & Tangy Meatballs from OnceAMonthMom.com.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
The sauce I removed from the pan, I poured over the meatballs in the freezer bag and labeled them.
2 x Spaghetti and Meatballs (really just frozen meatball)
This week’s money-saving tip is how to make a basic casserole!
As you know casseroles are an inexpensive way to feed a family. So, what makes up a casserole or “hot dish” as we say in Minnesota?
The basic casserole or hot dish consists of a starch, meat, veggie and a soup mix.
One of the easiest, cheapest, and tastiest casseroles I make is Shepherd’s Pie. This casserole originally called “cottage pie” and became quite the hit in Ireland around 1791, (thanks wikipedia) when the potato was being introduced as an edible and afforadable crop for the poor. The term “cottage” was coined because most rural/low income workers lived in cottages during the time. In early cook books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, veggies, and always a mashed potato crust on top.
Shepherds PieSource
This easy shepherd’s pie variation is made with green beans and tomato soup.
1. Brown ground beef and onion in frying pan.
2. Mix in tomoto soup and green beans.
3. Place all in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
4. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
5. Top with slices of American cheese (or shredded cheddar)
6. Bake at 350 degrees until center is warmed and cheese is melted.