Tag Archive: 4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer

June 1, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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.

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

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May 31, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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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.

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May 29, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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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

Want more make-it-from-scratch ideas? I highly recommend Easy Homemade by Mandi Ehman. This ebook contains more than 60 recipes for homemade kitchen staples and it’s beautifully laid out, well-illustrated, and packed with great ideas and recipes.

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May 24, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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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.

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May 23, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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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.

Want to cut your grocery budget? Go here and sign up (it’s free!) I’ll send you my 10 Easy Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill By $50.

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May 22, 2012 | Crystal Paine

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

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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.

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