4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Freezer-Friendly Chocolate Banana Bread (Day 20)

by Crystal on June 01, 2012

We made it to Day 20 — woohoo! If you’ve followed along and joined me in any or all of the daily freezer cooking challenges, you deserve a huge congratulations for making it this far.

And even though I’m finishing a few days later than I’d hoped, I’m encouraging myself with the fact that I finished, not that I didn’t quite get it finished when I’d hoped to.

I have a new challenge planned for June and July. Since I’m going to be gone in Virginia for much of next week, I’ll be introducing that challenge sometime next week and we’ll be beginning it the second week of June (likely June 12, 2012). Stay tuned for more!

Chocolate Banana Bread is usually really simple to whip up. But it took me longer than usual this time around.

First off, I mixed the dry ingredients together and got ready to add the cocoa only to discover we had no cocoa. I was confused as to why on earth this chocolate-loving family would be out of cocoa — especially since I was sure we had just had a full container.

Then I remembered…

…A few weeks ago when I was baking something with Silas, I left the kitchen table where we were working to go get something from the refrigerator. I got sidetracked doing something else in the kitchen for a minute and forgot to pay attention to what was happening at the kitchen table. Big mistake.

Needless to say, when I came back, I found that he had managed to spill the entire contents of the cocoa container out on my kitchen table. And yes, I had to take a picture to document it as I’m sure we’ll be looking back at these things some day and laughing quite heartily about all of his epic messes . :)

At any rate, I had to make a quick trip to Walmart to get some more cocoa. I figured Walmart would have a good price on some generic brand of cocoa.Wrong. I discovered that Walmart only stocks Hershey’s or Tollhouse (what’s with that?!), so I paid a whopping $2.58 for a canister of cocoa and tried again to make the bread.

Then, I discovered that my camera card was missing and when you’re supposed to blog about a cooking adventure, a camera card is sort of important seeing as a recipe post without pictures is kind of dull. :)

Where oh where could the camera card be? I searched high and low — only to finally find it in the load of clean laundry in the dryer. I had stuck it in the pocket of my jeans the day before and it made it through the washer and dryer unscathed. Hey at least it wasn’t buried at the bottom of the freezer like my camera cap!

Finally, I was able to get the recipe finished!


Freezer-Friendly Chocolate Banana Bread

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed well
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Carefully fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To freeze: Cool completely. Slice and wrap in plastic wrap and foil or in a ziptop bag. Store in the freezer.

To serve: Pull out desired number of slices. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Or, warm in the microwave.

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 52 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Day 19)

by Crystal on May 31, 2012

This recipe is one of our longtime family favorites. These muffins are so good and freeze so well.

These also make a great dessert to add to a sack lunch. Just pull a frozen muffin out and stick it in a baggie in your sack lunch and by lunchtime, it’s all thawed and ready to eat.

If you want to try a bit of a different and healthier twist, The Frugal Girl remade this recipe using sweet potatoes, whole-wheat flour, and less oil.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar or raw sugar (can be reduced)
  • 1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin (or two cups cooked and pureed fresh pumpkin)
  • 1 1/2 cups oil (vegetable, Canola, or olive)
  • 3 cups flour (whole-wheat, white, or any combination of both)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 cups chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

To freeze: Thoroughly cool muffins and stick in an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks.

To thaw: Let muffins thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Or, defrost individually for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

Makes 24-30 muffins.

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 44 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Homemade Energy Bites (Day 18)

by Crystal on May 29, 2012

So, I’m a day behind where I’d hoped to be, but I’m still plugging along — and can see the finish line in the very near future. Yay! And yay for a freezer full of good food!

Today’s project was making Energy Bites, a recipe I initially discovered on Smashed Peas and Carrots. This recipe is delicious, packed with nutrition, and so easily adaptable.

{Grinding the flax seeds in the coffee grinder.}

 


Homemade Energy Bites

2 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
2/3 cup honey
2 cup coconut flakes, wheat germ, sesame seeds, or a mixture of all three (can also substitute oatmeal or protein powder, if you prefer)
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls.

To freeze: Place balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for one to two hours. Remove from cookie sheet and place in an airtight ziptop freezer bag (or other airtight container).

To serve:Remove desired number of balls and thaw at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. Can also warm for 30 seconds or so in the microwave. Or, you can be impatient like me and eat them straight from the freezer. :)

Makes around 3 dozen energy bites.

Original recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots


Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 78 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Easy Morning Glory Muffins (Day 17)

by Crystal on May 24, 2012

These muffins are delicious and nutritious. When my friend, Angie, brought us some one day, I took one bite and knew they were winners.

I adapted the original recipe to make it healthier, but if you’re not worrying about sugar or calories, the original recipe is really good. :)

I’d recommend using muffin liners, if you buy them, as they seem to help these be a bit more moist. However, they are still delicious with less sugar and without muffin liners.

I used pureed carrots instead of shredded carrots this time around as that is what I already had in the freezer. I think it works a little better with shredded carrots — and the batter doesn’t look so orange, either!

Easy Morning Glory Muffins

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (can also use white flour or a mixture of whole-wheat and white flour)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup raw sugar (or sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and shredded (or chopped)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut oil, melted (or oil)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, raisins, coconut, and apples.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into the carrot/flour mixture, just until moistened. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

To freeze: Cool completely and put in an airtight ziptop freezer bag.

To thaw: Pull out the desired number of muffins and thaw at room temperature for an hour or so. You can also warm them in the microwave.

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 38 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Day 16)

by Crystal on May 23, 2012

If you’re not a fan of most freezer meals, can I encourage you to try making cookie dough and freezing it? I can almost guarantee you won’t be able to tell a difference between frozen cookie dough and fresh cookie dough.

It makes it so easy to make a batch of fresh-baked cookies when you have drop-in guests or need to bring a dessert or snack to some event at the last minute. It’s also very handy for those times when you get a late-night craving for chocolate. Oh wait, I may be the only person who has that happen to them. Ahem. ;)

My sister concocted this recipe many years ago and it’s long been our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It definitely wouldn’t win the prize for being a low-calorie cookie, but it’s a delicious and hearty cookie recipe.

Freezer-Friendly Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

  • 1 cup shortening or butter (softened)
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar)
  • 3/4 cup sugar (or raw sugar)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you can also use white flour or half whole-wheat/half white)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups oats (rolled or quick oats)
  • 1 12-oz. package chocolate chips

Cream together first six ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into 1-1 1/2-inch balls.

To freeze: Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for one to two hours. Remove from cookie sheet and place in an airtight freezer bag.

To bake: Pull out the desired amount of balls and place on a greased cookie sheet for 30-45 minutes to thaw. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until done.

Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 81 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Italian Chicken (Day 15)

by Crystal on May 22, 2012

This is one of our go-to meals. It is so, so easy and delicious.

You could skip the freezing part altogether and just make it the day of, but some times it’s nice to pull a bag out of the freezer, dump it into a pan or crock pot and dinner is done.

It’s a great summer recipe because you can grill it or cook it in the crock pot and not heat up your kitchen at all. We love it served over rice or sliced and served on a big salad.

While I was making the Italian Chicken on one end of the table, the above picture is what was happening at the other end of the kitchen table. Seeing my husband so intently working with Silas on his preschool and Silas just soaking it up melts my heart.

{My husband has been doing one or two of each of the children’s homeschooling subjects with them each evening after he comes home from work. It was his idea — and the children love it!}

{I think one of the reasons they enjoy it is because Daddy’s homeschooling often involves snacks, too. ;) }

Freezer-Friendly Italian Chicken

  • One bottle of your favorite Italian salad dressing*
  • 6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

To freeze: Put frozen chicken breasts in a freezer bag. Pour the Italian dressing over the chicken. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it up. Freeze.

To thaw and bake:

  • Quick Method: Pull frozen chicken out of the freezer and run the freezer bag under cold water to thaw slightly. Pour all the contents of the bag into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Longer Marinating Method: Pull frozen chicken out of the freezer, stick the bag in a bowl and let it thaw in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Pour all the contents of the bag into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or grill until done.
  • Crock Pot Method: Pull frozen chicken out of the freezer and run the freezer bag under hot water to thaw slightly. Pour all the contents of the bag into the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until thoroughly cooked through.

This is delicious served over rice with steamed vegetables on the side. Serves 4-6.

*Want to change things up a bit? You can also use barbecue sauce or any other favorite salad dressing. Let us know if your family has a favorite variation of this recipe!

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 48 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Week #4 Freezer-Friendly Snacks & Desserts + Shopping List

by Crystal on May 21, 2012

Can you believe we’ve made it to the last week of freezer cooking? My freezer is getting so stocked and it has been wonderful.

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, I’m spacing out the recipes a bit more this week to give everyone a little bit more time to play along (should you so choose) and to also give myself the flexibility to not blog much on Monday. :)

My apologies in advance that all but one of these recipes has chocolate in it. What can I say? “Dessert” and “snack” is pretty much synonymous with “chocolate” at our house. :) And no day is complete without at at least a little bit of chocolate!

Here’s this week’s list of Snack and Dessert Recipes I’ll be making to stick in the freezer along with a grocery list (let me know if you see any mistakes on amounts needed):

Freezer-Friendly Snack and Dessert Recipes

Wednesday — One batch of Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Thursday — Double batch of Easy Morning Glory Muffins {I’ll share my “health-i-fied” version of this recipe on Thursday.}
Friday — Double batch of No Bake Energy Bites
Tuesday — One batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Wednesday –  Double batch of Chocolate Banana Bread

Grocery List

(I rounded up on the amounts needed, just to be safe. You probably have many of these items already on hand. You’ll want to double-check that you have the correct amounts, though.)

16 eggs
8 cups sugar (or raw sugar)
3/4 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar)
6 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin
3 1/2 cups oil
12 cups flour
3 packages chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
3 cup coconut flakes (For No Bake Energy Bites or Easy Morning Glory Muffins — could substitute something else if your family doesn’t like coconut.)
1 cup flaxseed (For No Bake Energy Bites — could substitute wheat germ or something for this.)
4 cups shredded carrots
1 cup raisins
6 bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 apples
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 sticks butter

Staple Ingredients:

Vanilla
Salt
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Cinnamon

Freezer Storage Items Needed

Foil
Plastic Wrap
8-12 large ziptop freezer bags
Something to label packages with (marker to write on bags, labels, and/or tape)

Click on the “Print This” tab at the top of the list to generate a printer-friendly list. (If you’re reading via email or a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to print the list.)

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 26 comments }

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

by Crystal on May 21, 2012

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is delicious, filling, frugal, and so freezer-friendly! If you freeze the bags flat, you can store them on their side like filing folders to fit a lot in a small freezer.

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

To freeze: Divide into four ziptop freezer bags and seal tightly. Freeze flat.

To serve: Thaw overnight (or for 8 hours) in the refrigerator. Dump into a greased casserole dish (each bag will fill an 8×8-inch pan; two bags will fill a 9×13-inch pan). Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese, if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

This recipe makes around 15-18 servings. Each freezer bag serves 4-5 people.

Recipe adapted from Once a Month Mom

Did you do any freezer cooking over the past two days? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 54 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Freezer-Friendly Pizza Dough (Day 13)

by Crystal on May 18, 2012

This pizza crust recipe has been my go-to recipe for years. It’s so easy to make — and it’s really hard to ruin. In fact, I’ve made it dozens upon dozens of times and I don’t think I’ve ever messed it up.

That’s saying a lot coming from someone like me, who can even ruin simple recipes like Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars.

Last year, I experimented with freezing the pizza dough — to make it even quicker to pull off Homemade Pizza for dinner. While I still think fresh is best, the frozen dough is almost as good — and it’s a whole lot less expensive than ordering pizza for dinner. :)

Freezer-Friendly Homemade Pizza Dough

  • 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
  • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, Canola, or olive oil)
  • 5 cups flour (can use all whole-wheat, half white/half whole-wheat, or all white)

Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir to dissolve.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix.

Dump onto a floured surface and knead dough for two to five minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.

To freeze: Cut lump of dough in half and place each half in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4-6 weeks.

To bake: Place frozen dough in a greased bowl and thaw at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. Roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan.

Add pizza toppings of your choice. Bake at 500 degrees for around 10 minutes (until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned).

If you don’t want to mess with freezing the dough, take the kneaded dough and roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan. Add pizza toppings and bake as directed above.

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 91 comments }

4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer: Lasagna Casserole (Day 12)

by Crystal on May 16, 2012

As I’ve shared before, Lasagna Casserole is a staple recipe at our house. I love it because it is so versatile and because most of the ingredients go on great sales a few times per year.

I use whatever pasta, cheese, tomatoes, and pasta sauce I have gotten recently with coupons and sales, so it always turns out a little bit differently. But it’s always good!

I doubled the recipe and added in Parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese mixture this time since I had a little bit left in the freezer to use up from the Amazon deal last fall.

I left out the meat in the casseroles today because we’ve gotten so used to having this casserole without meat in it that no one notices it’s meatless.

I had both cheddar and mozzarella cheese on hand, so I just used both. If you use cheddar it gives it a bit of a different flair than traditional lasagna — and we think it’s yummy that way, too. {You may or may not agree. We can have weird and quirky tastes sometimes!}

See what I said about this recipe being versatile? You could probably sneak some extra steamed and chopped veggies into the pasta sauce, too, if you wanted to.

Freezer-Friendly Lasagna Casserole

1 pound ground beef or sausage
1 onion, chopped (optional)
8 ounces of uncooked noodles (we like spiral or rotini noodles best)
1/3 to 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (we prefer cottage cheese and it’s typically much cheaper — especially if you can find it marked down!)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon parsley (chopped fresh or dried)
salt/pepper

Brown ground beef and onion until cooked. While the meat is cooking, boil the noodles according to package directions.

Mix spaghetti sauce with diced tomatoes and browned ground beef. Set 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese aside to sprinkle on the top. Combine the rest of the mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, beaten eggs, parsley and salt and pepper.

Layer a third of the meat sauce, then the noodles and then the cheese mixture in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Repeat two more times. Sprinkle with cheese.

To freeze: Cover well with foil and freeze for up to a month.

To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes (until bubbly). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Did you do any freezer cooking today? If so, I’d love to see the results of your efforts! Link up your blog posts below or tell us about your success in the comments.

 

Looking for more? Click here to read other posts about

{ 67 comments }