Freezer Cooking Day Done - Dec 2009

I really had so much fun doing this Freezer Cooking Day! I love to cook anyway and being able to dedicate an entire day to cooking was so fun. My list was completed plus I added the two pans of Turkey Tetrazzini (which tasted so good!) and then today I made up 2 large jars of Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix. Here's what I finished:


36 granola bars (18 chocolate chips, 18 cherry chocolate chip)
2 pans Turkey Tetrazzini
6 pizza dough balls
7 bags shredded chicken
2 quarts chicken stock
4 quarts Mexican Chili Beans
16 waffles
2 jars Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix

Make a list, check your list, make sure you have your ingredients on your list...you get the idea? Yep, I wish I had double-double checked my ingredients. I ran out of yeast, so I didn't have enough to make 6 more pizza dough balls which means I'll need to make some before the month's out. When I doubled the Mexican Chili Bean recipe, I completely forgot to double the actual ingredients for the Mexican part of the Mexican Chili Beans. So while they tasted good when I tried them before freezing them, I'm not sure they will be as flavorful as I want when it's time to use them. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Next month I want to try do make up more casseroles ahead of time so I'll probably do more shredded chicken in preparation. BUT I need to get through this month first :)

Thanks for hanging in there with me! Did you make something for once-a-month-cooking?

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Freezer Cooking Day 1 - Shredded Chicken

I started out the morning by putting 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters into two crock pots:


...5 hours later, they are falling apart:

...I shredded the meat from the bones and skin in a separate dish:

...leg quarters have a few bones you need to beware of, especially the sharp one from the drumstick:

Once I had all the meat off the bones, I put a quart size freezer storage bag into a wide mouth canning jar (I'm not the most graceful person so if I didn't do this, the chicken would have ended up in the floor!) I tried to put about 1-1/2 cups into the bag (but I didn't measure it, I just eyeballed it.):

I ended up with 7 quart size bags for this month's meals:

But I didn't stop with the chicken meat, I put all the bones, skin and chicken juices into one crock pot and added 4 cups of water. I learned this technique from Gayle at Grocery Cart Challenge.

...then 4 hours later (on high) I strained the bones and not-so-edible parts:

...skimmed the fat off the top:

...poured them into freezer storage containers (I get these at my local hardware/paper supply store 10pk/$3.75). After they have frozen, I'll scrape the excess fat off the top. Then they'll be ready for soups and casseroles:

PHEW!!! I'm pooped!

Freezer Cooking Day 1 - Waffles, Granola, Pizza Dough, Turkey Tetrazzini

This is Money Saving Mom's recipe for waffles. They are so good! She suggests using 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup puree so I used applesauce. But I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour just because my picky eater doesn't really like whole wheat things. I have to sneak it in on him when I can so I figured half is better than none.


I think my waffle maker must be deeper than hers because I only got 18 waffles out of a quadruple batch. One got mangled by the waffle maker and one...


...got snitched by an adorable blue-eyed baby boy...


Then I made these Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and I made a second batch with dried cherries.
Then I started on the pizza dough. But I ran out of yeast and only had enough to triple the recipe rather than making the recipe x6. Oh well, I put yeast on my list on the fridge.


After 1st rise it looked like this...sort of like the "blob"...


This is what they looked like after the 2nd rise. I put them in freezer storage baggies and into the freezer.


I wasn't planning to make Turkey Tetrazzini and freeze it until later in the month. But we had Turkey Dinner Sunday night and I had lots of leftover turkey (a gallon storage baggie full!) One of my dear friends lost her dad to cancer over the weekend and they will be having a memorial service on Friday evening. Afterward, they are having a gathering so I decided the turkey casserole would be a good thing to take. This was my first time making it and Oh My Goodness!!! It is really really good. I totally tweaked the original recipe from a cookbook my mother-in-law gave me but isn't that what recipes are for?


Last but definitely not least, (and actually these pictures are way out of order, but you get the idea). I sorted and soaked 2 cups of Pinto beans and 2 cups of Great Northern beans overnight.

Glad I sorted them, check out that rock!


The the seasonings for the Mexican Style Chili Beans. I think Walmart calls them "Ranch" beans. But you know the ones I'm talking about right? The ones in the spicy red tomato sauce? So here's what I used:

Put all that into a skillet and sauteed it.

Then after I added the tomato sauce and tomato paste, it was poured over the drained beans. Cooked it for another hour.

Then divided them into quart containers that went into the freezer. I tasted a couple before freezing them and they were so good. They really did taste like the Chili beans from a can, only better!


The shredded chicken will come next because it's not quite done...I'm working on the chicken stock...

Freezer Cooking Day Preparations

Day 1 is going to start bright and early at 7:00 a.m. My daughter usually wakes up between 7 and 8 everyday. And my son doesn't wake up until after 8 most mornings. I figured if I can get a jump start on the day's activities, I might be able to get more done. Here's the plan:

Instead of making multiples of the same meal, I'm planning to do multiple meals using the same ingredient.

Shredded Chicken (10 lb leg quarters $3.90 at Kroger a few weeks ago) I've planned 7 meals using shredded chicken. ($.56 per meal for the chicken)

Waffles: I've planned 5 meals so we'll need about 20 waffles (quadruple the recipe)

Pinto Beans: Cook them on the stove top and then turn them into Mexican Chili Beans. I've planned 3 meals using these beans. I need at least 10 cups of beans when it's done, so I'm going to start out with 4 cups dried beans. This will be an experiment since I've never made Mexican Chili Beans from scratch. I found a great cookbook called More-With-Less Cookbook (World Community Cookbook). It has a collection of recipes for food we normally purchase at the store for convenience sake. Most of the recipes utilize ingredients nearly every kitchen in American would have on hand. You can order the book through Amazon.com. Or you can view a couple of recipes similar to the one I'll be using Mexican Chili Beans or Mexican Beans

Pizza Dough: Enough for 4 meals plus 2 extra in case we want pizza instead of what's planned for dinner (we LOVE pizza!)

Granola Bars: Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip with Dried Cherries. I'll make a double batch and put dried cherries in one pan (my picky eater doesn't like cherries)

And here's a time line:

Monday night - soak beans for Tuesday morning

Tuesday
7:00 - Start chicken in slow cookers
7:30 - Rinse beans from night before and add fresh water and cook for an hour on stove top
7:45 - Prepare pizza dough - let rise 2 hours
8:00 - Prepare granola and bake in oven
8:15 - Press granola and continue to bake
8:15 - Prepare waffle mix and cook them during the morning when I have a minute to pour and remove them
8:30 - Remove granola, press again and let cool
8:30 - Start "chili" part of Mexican Chili Beans - add beans and cook another hour
9:30 - Mexican Chili Beans are done and ready for storage containers in the freezer
10:00 - Punch down pizza dough, divide and let rise another hour
10:30 - Freeze granola bars in pan for about an hour
11:00 - Pizza dough is done and ready for freezer storage baggies
11:30 - Granola Bars are done. Remove granola bars from pan, cut and wrap them to be stored in freezer
LUNCH BREAK :) and baby down for nap
1:00 - Chicken is done. Shred chicken and put them into freezer storage baggies (I guesstimate about 1 to 1-1/2 cup shredded chicken per bag.
Hopefully by now the waffles will be done too. If not, I'll finish up Wednesday morning. I'm sure at this point I'll be pooped and ready for a nap!

Don't forget to follow the hashtag #oamc on twitter to see everyone who is participating in Baking/Freezing Day.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when all the fun begins. I'll try to post pictures as I go to show our progress - boy, that's optimism!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: December 2009

Last month during Baking/Freezing Day (on twitter #oamc), my day didn't go as planned. I had a few mishaps and with a sick baby, I wasn't able to get very much accomplished. I've been doing some reading over the last few weeks about monthly meal planning. Since Baking/Freezing Day happens once a month, it seems only logical to have a monthly meal plan to coincide with it.

Here's what I've come up with:

December Monthly Menu Plan: (I'm sure there will be variations!)

1. Tuesday - Chinese Chicken Fried Rice with Peas & Carrots
2. Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper (Eggs, Waffles, Grits)
3. Thursday - Chicken & Dumplings
4. Friday - Pizza Night - Pepperoni & Pineapple
5. Saturday - Taco Soup (freezing leftovers for Fiesta Enchiladas)
6. Sunday - Tuna Sandwiches or PB&J or any leftovers
7. Monday - Oven Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
8. Tuesday - Lasagna, Salad & Mini Bloomin' Biscuits
9. Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper (Eggs, Waffles, Grits)
10. Thursday - Chicken & Rice Soup
11. Friday - Pizza Night - Cheeseburger
12. Saturday - Tacos with Rice & Beans (freezing leftover rice & beans & meat for Fiesta Enchiladas)
13. Sunday - Tuna Sandwiches or PB&J or any leftovers
14. Monday - Spaghetti, Mini Bloomin' Biscuits & Salad
15. Tuesday - Easy Shepherd's Pie
    
16. Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper (Eggs, Waffles, Grits)
17. Thursday - Lasagna Soup
18. Friday - Pizza Night - BBQ Chicken & Pineapple Pizza
19. Saturday - Fiesta Enchiladas (from leftover chili & taco night) served with salsa, avocados & sour cream
20. Sunday - Classic Turkey Dinner (save any leftover turkey for Turkey Tetrazinni)
21. Monday - Ginger Orange Teriyaki Fish with whole wheat noodles, broccoli, peas & carrots
22. Tuesday - Turkey Tetrazinni Casserole
23. Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper (Eggs, Waffles, Grits)
24. Thursday - Poor Man's Beef Vegetable Soup
    
25. Friday - Pizza Night - Easy Buffalo Chicken Pizza
26. Saturday - Bean & Cheese Burritos, Cheese Quesadillas served with lettuce, salsa, avocados & sour cream
27. Sunday - Tuna Sandwiches, PB&J, or any leftovers
28. Monday - Crockpot Chicken, Potato Cakes and green beans
29. Tuesday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
30. Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper (Eggs, Waffles, Grits)
31. Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup

Boy that looks overwhelming! But it was really easy to do:

Monday: Classic 3 course meal (meat, starch, veggie)
Tuesday: Casserole
Wednesday: Breakfast for Supper
Thursday: Soup
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Mexican (we love mexican food -- or at least I do!)
Sunday: Sandwiches or Pizza or Leftovers

The hardest part for me was to find a different casserole for each week. This gave me an opportunity to pilfer through some old cookbooks that have been collecting dust on the shelf and in the cabinet. I found some really great recipes and can't wait to try them. If you don't have any cookbooks to reference, don't worry! There are tons of online resources for your viewing pleasure. Check out Betty Crocker, Cooks.com, or Allrecipes.com.

This is my first attempt at a monthly menu plan so we'll see how it works out. I'm sure I'll have a few things to report for the next month's menu plan. (It certainly looks ambitious!)

Don't forget to RSVP to the Freezer Baking Day on Facebook. We'll be cooking, baking & freezing on Tuesday December 1 & Wednesday December 2. Stay tuned for more details on what I'll be baking and freezing. I can't wait!

Be sure to check out others who are menu planning.

Enjoy!

Baking Day Part 2 - and what a day!

So the second of Baking Day didn't go as planned. I had such high hopes, but you know what the scripture says at Proverbs 19:21 about man's plans.

My son developed a really high fever last night (102.8) and was completely not himself. He didn't eat supper and after I gave him some Motrin and he was asleep within 15 minutes. So this morning after checking his temperature (it was down to 99.8) I called the doctor and she recommended a visit. So off to the doctor we went. Thankfully, it's not the flu or an ear infection (which surprised me and the doc). She thinks it was a virus probably running 24-48 hours.

So after the doctor's appointment we went by Walmart to check the prices on the Campbell Soupturkeys and then to Target to pick up on the cereal deal. I wanted to get to Food Lion but the my kids and I were pooped.

When we got home I put a movie on for Haylei for "quiet time" and I tried to put Hunter down for a nap. I tried to get the waffles done and make more Chewy Granola Bars, only I did chocolate chip this time.

After an unsuccessful attempt at naptime for my 16 month old, I opted for the pack-n-play in the kitchen and letting him "help".

and I mixed up two boxes of the Krusteaz waffle mixes I picked up at Publix the other week. It made a total of 18 waffles and unfortunately I had a little bit of a mishap:

I guess there's a first time for everything.

Maybe I'll have a better go at it next month.

RECIPE: Chewy Granola Bars

I made Chewy Granola Bars using this recipe and tweaking it like this:

Chewy Granola Bars
1 cup melted butter (I used the Smart Balance Butter Blends)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup cinnamon chips - (I picked these up on clearance at Publix)

Mix everything together in large mixing bowl until sticky. Press into a 13x9 baking dish and bake in preheated 325 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Remove and press down again. Return to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes more or until golden brown. Cool completely, cut into bars and then freeze to prevent crumbling.

Enjoy!

Baking Day Plan of Action 11/3/09

I decided to join Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom on Freezing Cooking/Baking Day or #bakingday Twitter feed.

My children were driving me crazy and I really needed some sanity so we spent some much needed outdoor time at the park playing and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. This put me a little late joining in the Baking day fun, but my kids come first and now I can blog and bake in peace and quiet -- loving naptime. Plus my momma stopped by and took my daughter with her to spend the rest of the afternoon at their house. So with that said I plan to make Chewy Granola Bars today.

Tomorrow I plan to make Marshmallows (for our homeschool project for the letter M), Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Waffles for the freezer, and Pizza Dough for the freezer.

Stay tuned for more Baking Day recipes and meals. You can follow me on twitter (gapeachmom) and you can see what others are doing at Money Saving Mom or Life as Mom.

Enjoy!