Creamy Chicken Leftovers Makes Lunch

And baby makes three. 3 kids to feed, that is. With the boys being in preschool 2 days per week now, I really enjoy our lunches at home. They seem to be so much easier for me than packing a lunch to go. Maybe it’s because I often just warm up leftovers and cut up some fruit. Easy! And, Anna just loves to watch her brothers eat and they think it’s so fun that she gets to eat with them now.

Here’s a sample of my lunch for 3 this week. The boys had creamy chicken and black beans from the freezer, a leftover sweet potato from dinner the previous night and kiwi. Anna had porridge and sweet potato.

Creamy Chicken and Black Beans

in the slow cooker or crock pot

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb uncooked frozen boneless skinless chicken breast
• 15 oz can black beans, drained (or dried beans soaked overnight and cooked)
• 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes OR 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 16 oz jar salsa
• 8 oz whole fat cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Put frozen chicken breasts in crock pot, cover with black beans, tomatoes and salsa.
• Cook on high 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
• Place block of cream cheese on top. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Stir to incorporate cream cheese into sauce. The stirring
• should cause the chicken to shred.

SERVING IDEAS

• Serve with brown rice and guacamole.
• Roll in tortillas and add your sides of choice.
• Put a serving on top of salad greens and add any salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.
• Put on a tortilla and make into a quesadilla.
• This is a great recipe to freeze. I just store in serving size containers that I know I want to use for lunches.

Tags: chicken, Crock pot, Freeze, lunch, plate

Frozen Yogurt Bites

Ok, warmer weather is on the horizon. We love making our own cool Smoothies and Summertime Yogurt Pops, but here’s another quick idea for Frozen Yogurt Bites. Mix up whatever flavors you like best and freeze away. I could see freezing these in individual batches so you can just pull out a batch for the kids (and probably yourself) and enjoy a nice, cool treat!

Tags: batch, dairy, Freeze, summer, yogurt

TIP OF THE DAY: Freezing Baby Vegetables

A 10oz. bag of frozen veggies is perfect for cooking and puréeing using your favorite method, then freezing.

You might enjoy these more detailed posts:

BATCH PREP METHODS: Part I – Cooking
BATCH PREP METHODS: Part II – Storing
METHOD

Tags: baby, batch, Freeze, tips

WEEK 35: Labor Day Weekend

Well, we had a completely fun-filled, outdoor weekend for sure! The boys got to stay with their favorite babysitter, while we went canoeing with some friends. Then, we spent a day off with extended family… outside, of course! This week, I also embarked on a new adventure to make some soaked-grain breads for the freezer. The boys got to enjoy them for a snack and seemed to like them quite well. I still love making things for the freezer as they make life so much easier and a fun, holiday weekend more enjoyable without having to constantly eat out or eat packaged food.

Food Description

Soaking really isn’t difficult at all. It is just an extra step to remember the day before you to plan to bake. I actually find that it makes the process easier by breaking up the time needed for preparation. I made blueberry muffins and banana bread this week. Both used whole grain flours soaked overnight.

Process

You don’t see any grains or liquids in these pictures, because those are actually in the white bowls in the background with plates on top since they were soaked overnight.

Soaked Whole Grain Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour or more, depending on consistency, (I use spelt, kamut, or whole wheat) and dash of salt
½ cup extra virgin coconut oil
½ cup sour milk (you can use regular milk just add a few drops of vinegar to sour it)
½ cup warm water (only for soaking)
¾ cup raw honey
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts (optional)

SOAKING
The night before baking, combine the flour, oil, milk, and warm water.
Cover and leave at room temperature 12-24 hours.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.
Add honey and eggs and mix thoroughly.
Fold in the mashed bananas.
Quickly mix in the salt and baking soda.
Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan.
Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Soaked Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 TBS kefir or buttermilk (for soaking)
water (for soaking)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4  cup rapadura or sucanat
1 1/2 cups blueberries, frozen
2 eggs, well beaten

SOAKING
The night before baking, combine the flour, oil, kefir or buttermilk, and just enough water to get all the flour wet.
Cover and leave at room temperature 12-24 hours.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.
Add remaining ingredients to soaked flour and mix well.
Pour mixture into 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool.

What I Learned

Freezing is a great option for breads. Based on your needs, freeze in slices or in half loaves. Preheat the oven to 350 and reheat for 10-12 minutes. If you do loaves or half loaves, you will need to take them out of the freezer the night before.

Reaction

The boys loved these, but they love anything in bread form.

Summary

I love, love, love bread. I am officially a carb lover and soaking the grains and using healthy ingredients like coconut oil makes me feel better about mine and my family’s grain consumption.

Tags: banana, batch, blueberry, bread, Freeze, grain, muffin, recipe, weekly

TIP OF THE DAY: Saving the Budget

Use your baby food-making skills to your benefit. Help the bottom-line by paying attention to a few key things and you’ll save even more money than what you’re already saving by not buying, storing, and disposing of all of those jars and packages of food.

1. Buy fresh produce that is local and in season. You can often find this on sale as well.
2. Shop deals and use coupons for frozen fruits and vegetables. These are great to have on-hand and easy to puree and thaw and mash. They also make great additions to yogurt.
3. Make baby food in large batches and freeze it in single servings. This will not only save you money, but lots of time and cleanup!

Tags: batch, Freeze, tips, yogurt

BATCH PREP METHODS: Part III – Serving

By now, you’ve learned about cooking and storing your foods for baby. So, what comes next? Serving and enjoying the fruits of your labor, of course. Well, baby gets to enjoy the food, but you get to enjoy the delight and satisfaction of the healthy, nutritious food he is eating.

Planning
The first thing to do is to plan a few days at a time. At first, you might start with two days. Think about the times and amounts of foods that you are feeding. Write it down by meal per day and decide which foods you want to offer. Remember to add more cubes as baby grows.

Thawing
Now, that you have your list, just open the freezer and remove the cubes that you will feed your baby over the next two days. Put them in dishes, cover, and place them in the refrigerator the night before. So, if you’re planning for Wednesday and Thursday meals, then put food in the freezer on Tuesday night. It will be thawed and ready to go Wednesday morning and you don’t have to worry about meals for 2 days. Do the same thing again Thursday night so you have food ready for Friday and Saturday.

Serving
Finally, the time has come. Remove your first serving from the refrigerator, grab a spoon and go for it. You can warm the food slightly if you want, but be sure to stir well and make sure there are no hot spots. Many babies aren’t particular and you may not even need to do this.

You may be interested in reading Parts I and II of this series as well.
BATCH PREP METHODS: Part I – Cooking
BATCH PREP METHODS: Part II – Storing

Here are some great ideas for easy food cube preparation.
Crock Pot Basic Recipes
Just make and follow the 3-step cooking, storing, and serving process.

Stay tuned for an upcoming series on amounts of foods for babies and toddlers.

Tags: batch, Freeze, process, puree

WEEK 27: Freezer Cooking for the Family

This was a busy, hot week, but I planned Friday to do some freezer cooking for family meals. It’s hot and I don’t prefer in the kitchen heating up the oven this much, but it does save me some hot kitchen time down the road. The boys are continuing with their utensils and do eat every meal straight from their plates without any issues. We do still use the catch-style bibs to save a little floor cleanup, but not as much food is going in there these days and nothing is put on the table or chair for which I’m extremely grateful.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
It is no secret that I like to make food in batches. Whether it be for initial baby purees, baby and toddler finger foods, or family meals, I prefer to knock out more than one thing at a time. If I’m going to be heating it up in the kitchen, why not make the most of it?

PROCESS
My focus for this Freezer Friday was 3 main dishes. I made meatloaf, chicken nuggets, and chicken divan. This made a total of at least 6 family meals sure to each have leftovers.

Chicken Nuggets A yummy alternative to those preservative-laden frozen store-bought nuggets.
INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup bread crumbs (save bread ends and make your own)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pound chicken to tenderize, then cut into 1″-2″ pieces.
3. Put melted butter in BOWL ONE.
4. In BOWL TWO, mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and spices.
5. Dip chicken pieces into BOWL ONE and then BOWL TWI. Put on lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer. Cook about 12 minutes (20 if not freezing).
6. Let cool and store in freezer bags with date and final cooking instructions below.
7. Remove from freezer and cook at 400° for about 8-10 minutes.

Freezer Meat Loaf A super easy, simple meat loaf for the freeze

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3-1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup minced onion
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBSP sea salt
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, getting messy and really squishing everything together well with your hands.
2. Divide into two 9″x5″ loaf pans.
3. Wrap, label with date and cooking instructions below, and freeze.
4. Remove from freezer and unwrap 3 hours before cooking. Preheat oven to 350° and cook for 2 – 2-1/2 hours.

Try this spinach meatloaf perfect for a wholesome toddler meal.

Chicken Divan A easy, creamy, green-filled complete meal in a dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 40oz frozen broccoli (cooked)
• 4 cups cooked chicken, sliced into pieces
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup flour
• 6 cups whole milk
• 1 cup whole cream
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 TBSP mustard
• 4 TBSP minced onion
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. In one large or two smaller casseroles, place cooked broccoli and top with chicken.
2. In a large pan melt butter. Gradually add flour. Once thickened, add milk, stirring until combined. Once smooth, add remaining ingredients, stirring until heated through and cheese is melted.
3. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli.
4. Allow to cool, then wrap, label with date and cooking instructions below, and freeze.
5. Remove from freezer and unwrap 2-1/2 hours before cooking. Preheat oven to 350° and cook for 2-1/2 hours.

WHAT I LEARNED
I’ve had some people ask me how I do this with little ones at home and there are two things that I would say. Preparation and timing are key. I spend time preparing the meals I will prepare, making grocery lists, and then scheduling. I schedule the process from start to finish, including prep and cleanup and plan my cook time during long afternoon naps. There are times when I will do some prep the night before or finishing on a Saturday when dad can watch the kids. Either way, I know exactly what I will do when because of the initial planning and scheduling.

REACTION
I can’t attest to the quality or taste of any of these meals yet as we have not thawed and enjoyed any of them yet. However, I can say that my husband commented on how nice the freezer looked with all of the blue plastic wrap.

SUMMARY
I really, really, really cannot say enough about how much I enjoy freezer cooking. I do it to fill in meals during the week and especially on weekends. I like to mix it up with quick, fresh-cooked meals for nice variety and a good break from the kitchen in the week.

Tags: chicken, Freeze, recipe, summer, weekly

TIP OF THE DAY: Freezer Cubes

Tags: baby, Freeze, process, puree, tips

BATCH PREP METHODS: Part II – Storing

Once you’ve made a batch of food, you’re ready to put it away in a nice, organized, easy to use fashion. When it comes to making batches of purees or even finger foods, there are many ways that you can store them in the freezer for easy access.

Ice Cube Trays and Freezer Bags
This was my go-to method for freezing purees. Once you’ve prepared your food, let it cool somewhat and then pour or spoon into ice cube trays. You can buy fancy ones made especially for baby food or you can just use regular ice cube trays. You may want to pay attention to see if they are BPA free. If yours come with lids, then cover and stack in the freezer. If not, then cover tightly with aluminum foil before stacking in the freezer. Let them freeze overnight and the next morning they’ll be ready to pop out. Do this on a clean surface and have your freezer bags ready and labeled with the name of the food and date. I use the quart size and only put 12-20 cubes in each one. I would suggest coming up with a number that is convenient to thaw at once. With two boys, I knew I could go through this money in just a couple of days. Keep in mind that this may change as your variety grows or as your baby’s appetite grows as well. Another idea is to freeze them in batches of meals mixing a number of fruits and vegetables that you would want to thaw together. Either way, avoid making extra large bags of too many cubes that you have to open and close over and over again just to get out a few for thawing.

1. Be sure to measure the amount your cube trays hold so you know how much your feeding your baby per cube. Trays vary in size.
2. Cubes are super easy and I think work best for just starting out and the younger babies who eat less. If your baby is eating more or your feeding more than one baby, going straight to individual dishes does save an extra freezing and transfer step.

Individual Dishes
This soon developed into my method of choice as my boys grew and were eating more at a time. I could still prepare a large batch of food, but then spoon or pour into individual containers for freezing. I use various containers, but tend to like glass best. It just seems more natural than plastic and I’ve always liked good, sturdy containers like these pyrex ones. They seem to be just the right size for my needs and I like that you can see what’s inside. I still put these inside of large gallon freezer bags so that I could seal and label the outside with the item and date. It just seems like an extra layer of protection and made for nice organization in my freezer.

1. Choose dishes that will hold the amount that you can thaw and use from the refrigerator in just a couple of days.
2. Remember to keep out a fresh dish for the refrigerator so that you can serve something that day or the next day for meals.
3. It’s also best to put the amount for the meal in a dish to eat from with the spoon so that the remainder doesn’t have any bacteria or contamination for the rest of it’s time in the refrigerator.
4. You can also expand on this idea and make dishes of whole meals that can be thawed for a quick lunch or dinner left with a babysitter when you’re away. Think ahead as to how you will use your food once thawed and make it work for you.

Cooked Pieces and Freezer Bags
This continues to be my current method for freezing some of my boys’ now favorites such as spinach bites and pancakes. Once you’ve prepared a food, let it cool, then put it in freezer bags to freeze. Remember to only fill your bags with an amount you would want to freeze at one time. This is such an easy way to prepare ahead and be ready for great, healthy food at any time.

1. You may need to separate or layer some items with wax paper inside your bags or even let some things cool or solidify more in the refrigerator before transferring to bags for freezing.
2. These are also great items to freeze in bags as whole meals. Mix items together that can be thawed together to be enjoyed at the same meal.

There are many, many other ways to freeze and store your food, but these are the ones that I have found to be my favorites and the most convenient over the past 10 months. I started making food for my boys before they were ready to eat and storing the cubes in the refrigerator. I no longer make cubes, but still make batches of things to freeze in individual dishes and bags. These are great to be able to pull out and thaw for a few days worth of healthy options. I’ve mentioned this before too, but these frozen foods are also great for on-the-go. You can always have a healthy snack or meal to take with you to the ball park, an afternoon at grandmas, or a road trip on the weekend.

Remember, you don’t have to have a huge amount of freezer space to make a big batch of food for your baby or toddler. I only have the side-by-side freezer in my kitchen refrigerator and still make enough to last a good bit while still keeping the rest of my frozen items in there as well. My freezer is full, but good organization will help you make the most of your space.

Please share your thoughts and ideas.
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Tags: batch, Freeze

WEEK 14: More Independence

This week has seemed monumental in some strange different ways. No, we didn’t master a cup or spoon. Neither boy said a first word. We didn’t stay clean throughout a whole meal. But, cups are being held on their own and meals have been fairly quiet and uneventful. Well-rested boys make for good mealtimes. I know I’ve said this before, but I speak again from experience. We’ve just gone through a period of some wacky waking in the mornings, super tired for morning naps, and some long periods trying to fall asleep in the afternoon. This can now visibly be attributed to teething. This has happened before and when it does, mealtimes tend to go a little haywire. I don’t have any new recipes to share from this week, but do have some notes on some foods the boys devoured.

FOOD DESCRIPTION & PROCESS
These were the staples in our meal list this week.

• Cheese Fingers – made and frozen last week
• Spinach Bites – made and frozen last week
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries – made more this week, froze some extras
• Carrots – thawed from the freezer
• Green Beans – steamed from frozen, organic bag
• Tofu – cut in pieces and mixed with other foods
• Porridge – variations on oats, brown rice, lentils, black beans
• Eggs – my boys eat them scrambled and a little dry so they’re easier to pick up pieces
• Cottage Cheese – fed on a spoon…it’s a favorite
• Apples – a favorite of mine, too
• Toast – while wheat bread with real butter and sometimes melted cheese
• Pork Chops – they didn’t eat them with us, but enjoyed some grilled leftovers
• Chuck Roast – some tender meat from the crock pot with pinto beans and tomatoes
• Bananas, oatmeal, avocado, applesauce, cheerios, Graham crackers, and Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies were in the menu, too.

WHAT I LEARNED
Keeping it simple can be a good thing for everyone involved. I was also reminded that freezer is my friend and thawing some of the basics sure came in handy.

REACTION
Everything still seems to get a generally good reaction. Even the pork and fish were scarfed up without hesitation. I can definitely see some preferences, especially in the order they choose to eat things and which things require seconds, but we hardly have a plate that doesn’t get emptied.

SUMMARY
When you’re making something, make extra for the freezer. You’ll thank yourself later.

Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: Freeze