9 Quick & Easy Meals

Last week, we talked about freezing meals for when baby comes. Or just for any old night when you really just don't feel like being in the kitchen.

So, what if you don't have a ton of room in the freezer to make meals ahead? Then what? Or... what about those nights that you, once again, don't feel like being in the kitchen and you've already raided your freezer stash? What are good options for getting in and out of the kitchen relatively quick without a huge fuss?

Below are 9 meal ideas that are simple to throw together and don't leave you hanging out in the kitchen stirring a pot or chopping veggies when you'd much rather be oh... taking a nap.

I will say that Adam went through the archives and complied this list. So not only is it "husband approved", but chances are (unless all someone knows how to do is boil water, and then I'm sorry, but your best hope is some boxed mac n cheese), they can most likely pull these dishes together. That is if you can sweet talk them and bat your eyes until they huff and puff then make their way into the kitchen.

Now, you may be scratching you head a little bit at having lasagna on a "quick" list. But, it's a dish most people are familiar with making and could probably brown some ground beef and boil noodles in their sleep... so it makes the list. And because it's fantastically delicious. You could also add it to your freezer stash if you are so inclined.

So click away below, friends, then get back to that wonderful nap idea.

9 Quick & Easy Meals

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches	Slow Cooker Soy & Cola Pork Sandwiches	Cream Cheese Lasagna
Easy Cajun Jambalaya	Honey Ginger Chicken Stir Fry	Grilled Smoked Gouda, Bacon, and Granny Smith Sandwiches
White Chili	Spicy Thai Chicken Nuggets	Pesto Tortellini (But honestly, just buy the refrigerated pesto and mix half a tub into one package of boiled tortellini.)

Prepping Freezer Meals

You may have noticed over the course of the past few months that there has been a considerable uptick in baby related things on the site. Mostly sewing and craft related -- sorry to those who come around for the food.

The first 20 weeks or so I truly had no desire what.so.ever. to be in the kitchen making food. I was lucky enough to bypass morning sickness, but I swear I could go to the store and stock up on munchies, then arrive home to not want any part of them, yet still be starving. Just a little frustrating to say the least.

But here we are, at the tail end of the third trimester and things are going to start getting real. Fast. Which means lots of dirty diapers and late late nights. Or more like just 2-hour-round-the-clock-naps. Which also means once again, zero motivation to actually be in the kitchen putzing around.

Instead of leaving it completely on the hubby's shoulders to feed us for the first couple weeks, I've been slowly putting together a few freezer meals here and there to hold us over until I'm ready to get back in the kitchen.

Let's take a sneak peek inside the freezer, shall we? Or, ahem, the deep freeze. We don't want to scare people away by looking into the depths of my regular freezer.

Here is my list of 7 "Not-So Traditional" Freezer Meals:

Okay, so chili might be more on the traditional side, but note that lasagna and other pasta-type casseroles are glaringly absent. I don't typically make heavy pasta casseroles on a day-to-day basis, and I was trying to keep our freezer list as close to our normal eating habits as possible.

Which, is not exactly the easiest thing in the world when the majority of your meals involve fresh veggies or creamy sauces -- things that really don't freeze and come back to life well.

The trickiest thing for me, however, is not exactly prepping the freezer meals, but how exactly to go about cooking them once we're ready to eat. The general rule of thumb is to extend the baking time by 50%. So a dish that requires 1 hour in the oven would now need 1 1/2 hours.

Of my list above, not a single one of them starts frozen (unless you count the tortellini in the soup), so adjustments need to be made for each. To make it easy for you (or my future sleep-deprived self), I went ahead and wrote out all the changes for each dish. Simply click on the picture or title to be taken to the full recipe.

	Tortellini, Kielbasa, & Spinach Soup Freezer Directions: Prepare soup as directed through adding spinach. Once spinach has separated, remove soup from heat and let cool completely. To store, place 2 cups of soup into each gallon-sized freezer ziploc bags. Freeze laying flat. To-Eat Directions: Remove soup from the freezer and place in fridge the night before, or under running water until thawed. Pour soup into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the tortellini. Simmer for 6 minutes, or until the tortellini is done. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
	Red Wine Pork Tenderloin Freezer Directions: Cut the tenderloin in half crosswise. Place the pork halves into a gallon-sized freezer ziploc bag. Add dry soup mix, water, wine, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper to bag. Freeze with bag in an upright position. To-Eat Directions: Place frozen pork and ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.
	Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings Freezer Directions: Place cream of chicken soup, broth, butter, onion, and seasonings in a gallon-sized freezer ziploc bag. Freeze with bag in an upright position. Freeze chicken breasts in a separate gallon-sized freezer bag. To-Eat Directions: Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker with the frozen soup mixture on top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Cut or tear biscuit dough into small pieces, and add to crock pot, pushing down into the liquid. Cover, and cook on high for 2 hours.
	Quick Marinara Sauce Freezer Directions: Prepare recipe as directed. Puree with an immersion blender or by transferring in portions to a regular blender. Let cool completely. Place 1 cup of sauce into quart-sized freezer ziploc bags. Freeze bags flat. To-Eat Directions: Place freezer bags under running water until thawed. Reheat in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium heat. 1 cup of sauce covers about 8 ounces of pasta.
	Meatballs Freezer Directions: Prepare recipe as directed. Let cool completely. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet so they are not touching. Freeze for a couple hours. Remove from cookie sheets and place in gallon-sized freezer ziploc bags. To-Eat Directions: Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet; tent with foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through.
	Slow Cooker Tomato Soup Freezer Directions: Prepare tomato mixture on the stove-top as directed. Instead of pouring into a slow cooker, pour into a gallon-sized ziploc bag instead. Add the remaining chicken broth, reserved tomato juice, and bay leaves, stirring to combine. Freeze bag in an upright position. To-Eat Directions: Place frozen soup mix in a slow cooker. Cook on low, 6 hours. Remove bay leaves and lower heat to "warm". Puree soup in the slow cooker with an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer in batches to a regular blender, then return to slow cooker). Add the cream, sherry, and cayenne and stir until fully combined. Add additional chicken broth if soup is too thick.
	Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas Freezer Directions: Prepare recipe as directed, stopping before adding sauce to bottom of the 9x13 pan. Instead, add 1/2 cup sauce to the bottom of 2 8x8 foil pans. Place 4 filled and rolled tortillas in each pan. Top each pan with 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Cover pans with foil or plastic lid. To-Eat Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 23-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the edges of the tortillas are golden brown (may have to cover with foil if tortillas begin to brown too much). Each pan serves 2.
	Chili Freezer Directions: Prepare your favorite chili recipe all the way through. Instead of simmering for hours or placing in a crockpot, place 2 cups each in gallon-sized ziploc bags. Freeze flat. To-Eat Directions: Thaw your chili overnight in the fridge or under running water. Finish cooking chili as directed by recipe.

One last thing: What's with freezing the bags in an upright or flat position? It kind of depends on how you're going to be preparing said dish. Anything that is remaining frozen and going into the crockpot (or large pot) needs to be frozen so it will actually fit into the pot at the start. (I might have learned this the hard way with soup in a pot over Christmas.) Anything that I'm planning on thawing first before preparing can be frozen flat (lay bags on a cookie sheet to freeze, then stack). Freezing flat can really save you some room in the freezer, but be careful with how full you fill the bags -- the thicker they are, the longer they take to thaw.

What are some of your favorite "non-traditional" freezer foods?

Who wants a cookie?

For a good cause? Even better!

Head on over to Steph's Bite by Bite bake sale to bid on some fabulous treats to help raise money for Team in Training (Leukemia & Lymphoma society).

You can bid on my amazingly awesome Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies or choose from 30 other items! Bidding starts at $15 and runs through tomorrow morning!

47 Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

"I'm going on a diet." or "I'm going to lose ___ pounds." or "I need to eat healthier."

It doesn't really matter how it's worded, eating better and/or losing weight tends to end up on almost every resolution list (shoo, I know it ended up on mine). And almost every single one of those resolutions will be broken by the end of the month.

Most people outside the foodie world associate healthy eating = tastes like cardboard. Those in the know, know that it absolutely doesn't have to be the case. I refuse to eat some lackluster bland-tasting meal just because it's "healthy" for me. No wonder people can't stick to healthy eating if that's the route they go.

So to help you on your way (or at least to February), I've rustled up 47 recipes that aren't only healthy but taste great, too. And not just main dishes, but snacks, drinks, soups, sides, and lo and behold, you can have you cake and eat it too. Or, in this case, cookies.

How do I know it's healthy? 40 of the 47 recipes are either under 500 or 100 calories (depending on what it is) and qualifies for 2 or more of the following: Low in Saturated Fat, Low in Cholesterol, or Low in Sodium. The remaining 7 recipes qualify for all three of those categories but are not under 500 or 100 calories and are denoted by an *. (How do I classify my recipes? Read here.)

Appetizers & Snacks
1. Apple Chips
2. Black & Blue Fruit Leather
3. Cheese Straws
4. Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs
5. Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix*
6. Spicy Red Pepper Hummus*
7. Tzatziki

Drinks
8. Blueberry Lemonade Soda*
9. Russian Tea

Soups & Stews
10. Ancho Pork & Hominy Stew
11. Cheese Tortellini & Vegetable Soup
12. Minestrone Soup
13. Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
14. Spicy Tomato and White Bean Soup
15. Tortellini, Kielbasa, & Spinach Soup
16. While Chili

Entrees
17. Chicken Biryani
18. Chickpeas with Spinach*
19. Chipotle Bean Burritos*
20. Cranberry Chicken with Wild Rice
21. Easy Cajun Jambalaya
22. Fusilli with Pistachio Pesto
23.Gemelli Salad with Asparagus, Pistachios, and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette
24. Ginger Hoisin Stir Fry
25. "Meaty" Meatless Pasta with Parmesan & Pine Nuts
26. Pad Thai
27. Parmesan Polenta & Spicy Sausage
28. Pasta with Chickpeas & Garlic Sauce
29. Pasta with Feta, Tomatoes, & White Beans
30. Pasta with Prosciutto & Spinach
31. Penne Alla Vodka
32. Pistachio Chicken Fingers
33. Radiatore with Caramelized Onions & White Wine
34. Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
35. Spicy Malaysian-Style Stir Fried Noodles
36. Spicy Orange Noodles
37. Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice*
38. Udon Noodles with Asian Vegetables & Peanut Sauce
39. Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Sides
40. Brussels Sprouts*

Desserts
41. Chewy Amaretti Cookies
42. Chocolate Crinkles
43. Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies
44. Snickerdoodles
45. Spritz Cookies
46. Sugar Cookies
47. World Peace Cookies

Looking for other combinations of these categories? Check out the newly renovated Recipe Index which now makes it easy to find recipes with certain health characteristics. Or simply choose a category from the list to the right (under Labels) if you're just interested in one.

Wait, what? It's already 2012?

I swear it feels like I just celebrated New Years. 2011. Not 2012. Oy vey.

2011 just flew by, and while the year had it's ups, I'm definitely ready to say good-bye and head on into 2012. Although I typically don't make resolutions, I thought this time around it might be a good idea to set a few goals for myself.

Things like:

Incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. Actually, basically just eat healthier in general. This includes adding more of those green things to my diet, as well as trying to stay away from all those lovely processed foods. My goal is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible.

Run a half marathon. But wait, don't I already have two marathons and two 30k races under my belt? True as it is, I am still missing out on two big race distances: the 10k and the half. As I've gone father distances than both these races, my goal is to actually train for them, rather than just building up to the required distance and calling it good.

Get back to planning a weekly menu. Boy have I really fallen off the train on this one. Between moving and a lot of events happening this summer, it was hard to come up with a weekly menu every week as we were most likely going to be gone the next. But, I need to quit using a busy schedule as an excuse. Building a menu each week makes for less headaches and "no, what do YOU want?" arguments. Not to mention less wasted food and easier trips to the grocery.

Serve more sides. Um, this is a pretty obvious one. I actually tried this a couple years ago, but didn't last too long. BUT, the way I can look at it this go around is that adding a side gives me a chance to incorporate those little green and brown things called veggies I like to avoid, as well as helping to cut down on the intake of calorie-laden entrees.

Start clearing out my Foodbuzz archives and Google Reader starred items. I really hate to admit how many recipes I've tucked away between these two sites over the years. Yes, years. And now Pinterest is not helping. These guys need a serious purge, and there's only one way to do that...

Start doing yoga again. Adam and I used to do this quite regularly a while back, but as per my usual excuse, things got busy and we stopped. I miss how much more relaxed my muscles felt and how much more flexible I was when we did yoga. It really doesn't take that much time and isn't super exhausting (at least the kind we do).

Drink more water. No, this isn't based on the fictional science about the 8 glasses of water a day. Apparently though, thirst can also present itself as hunger, which means eating a bunch of calories my body doesn't really need. So my goal is to drink a glass of water before giving in to those snack cravings as well as to drink a glass before each meal.

Aside from all the goal making hullabaloo, it's also fun at the end of each year to take a look back and see which recipes really caught your attention. Last year I simply asked Adam for his list of favorites. This year, I'm checking out which recipes you all made the most popular. And they are:

Top 10 Recipes from 2011
(according to page views)

#10 - Peppermint Hot Chocolate
#9 - Broccoli Cheese Soup
#8 - Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies
#7 - Russian Tea
#6 - Lofthouse Cookies
#5 - Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats
#4 - Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Blossoms
#3 - Baked Red Velvet Doughnuts
#2 - Swirl Sugar Cookies
#1 - Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Holiday Cookie Guide

Feeling a little inundated by cookies? So am I. Or maybe it's just because my last 3 out of 4 posts have been about cookies.

Though that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, I got it in my head to mail cookies out again this year, which is what sparked this little flurry of cookie making. And oh my -- shipping these things are expensive!

On a side note: avoid the post office. Apparently when you tell the post office lady that the packages are FRAGILE - with it written all over - it makes it fair game for her to shake them (in front of you), then throw them into a bin in the back. Lady, I might not be able to see you do it, but I can most definitely hear the loud bang of them hitting the bin from some distance. I didn't just write FRAGILE on them for my health. Grrr.

So... if you received a box of crushed up cookies... my apologies. For going through the post office.

Anyhoo, so apparently I have far too much time on my hands. I might have made a little guide for the cookies. (I see you rolling your eyes over there, but you know you hate getting food and not having a clue what it is, don't deny it.)



I was inspired by the classic box of chocolates. Because heaven forbid I get a coconut covered chocolate. Or you may just find a bunch of fingernail punctures on the bottom of the chocolates to see what's inside. Not that I've ever been guilty of doing that before.

Not only did I include cookies, but I threw in a little baggie of Peppermint Hot Chocolate, too. With a little scrapbooking paper, fancy scissors, and Photoshop, I think they turned out cute. Okay, and maybe a little bit hard to read.



But still.

So, here's my run down on this year's must-have cookies:



Snickerdoodles
Spritz Cookies
Chocolate Crinkles
Swirl Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Blossoms

I suggest you start at the top and work your way down. Or start anywhere, really. Because I can't rank things when they're all so good. It's a character flaw, I know. That I can deal with -- not having cookies, I can't.

Kitchen Must-Haves

As I was busy in the kitchen today making even more cookies, I got to thinking about all the little (or not so much) gadgets and things that make things so much easier and a breeze in the kitchen. Well, as long as they're clean anyways.

Things I just can't live without. Or, until I have to, and then I suck it up while pouting.

Multiple sets of quality measuring cups and spoons. Because let's face it, your recipe just called for you to add 1 teaspoon vanilla, then 1 teaspoon baking soda. (I kind of wish they sold these separately, as my teaspoons keep running off...)


The often overlooked pastry blender. An absolute must for pie crusts and crumbles.


The cookie dough scoop. I totally grew up using the two-spoon method, but after having one of these -- it makes life so much easier. (Not to mention my cookies all the right size!)


A kitchen scale. It's not just for those looking for portion control -- weighing out ingredients is far more accurate than measuring cups. Not to mention it works wonders with hard to measure ingredients (such as meat or veggies).


A meat thermometer -- rock it old school, or get fancy with a wireless programmable one. Either way, it's crucial for knowing when that awesome pork tenderloin is ready to come out of the oven.


Pastry bags and and couple tips. You don't have to go buck wild here, but having a few large tips (such as a 2D or 1M) make frosting cupcakes a breeze -- not to mention make them look all fancy. Oh, and I prefer the disposable bags. Makes for a lot easier clean up.


The stand mixer. What else can I say besides "love"? Maybe how awesome it is I can let it whip eggs while I go work on something else. No need to stand around holding the mixer.


If you give a mouse a cookie... you'll have to have some accessories to go with that mixer... like a Beater Blade or an extra bowl.

So tell me, what makes your life easy in the kitchen?

Foodbuzz 24x24: Summer's End Beer Tasting Party

Every month, Foodbuzz selects 24 featured publishers to host parties all around the globe that all happen on the same day. I would like to thank Foodbuzz for including me in this month's 24x24.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, and a nice cold brew. It's the quintessential summer party fare.

But a hot dog topped with ketchup and mustard can get old after oooh, the second go around, so why not switch things up a bit and make it interesting? And while we're at it, why don't we go outside the box on the beer, too?

It'll be the perfect way to wrap up the summer. Trust me.

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you may remember Adam and I co-hosted a beer tasting back in the fall. It was a small get together of 8-10 people, but we had an absolute blast and decided we wanted to do it again, this time with a much larger crowd.

The concept is simple. A 6-pack gets your guest and significant other in the door.

To ensure variety, we created 4 beer categories, then assigned each person (or couple) to bring beer from one of those categories. We encouraged them to bring 2 types beer within that category they hadn't tried before or was at least not your run-of-the-mill beer. (So 3 bottles of each kind.)

This technique worked well for our large crowd of almost 2 dozen, although with a smaller group you may want to opt for more types of beer per person/couple (such as 2 bottles of 3 kinds of beer) or fewer categories.

Now, this may seem somewhat silly and trivial, but I think tasting cups are crucial for a tasting party. First and foremost, tasting cups ensure that no one gets stuck with an entire bottle of a beer they really don't like. Secondly, they also cut down on the quantity on beverages consumed by guests as well. This helps to prevent someone drinking too much and getting behind the wheel, or keeping someone back from trying all the beers they want because they know they have to drive later.* These cups don't have to be anything fancy. Simple 3 ounce plastic bathroom cups work just fine (and they look like disposable shot glasses, bonus!), and they're fairly cheap.

Now it's not a party unless there's some kind of food involved. Although straight forward hot dogs would be by far the easiest thing to serve, I apparently have some kind of "must-be-over-the-top" bug and went with the hot dog bar.

Over the past year, I've made a few different kinds of what I call "fancy-pants" hot dogs, and have been really surprised at how tasty each was, especially since I'm not a big hot dog person. I decided to feature each of these hot dogs plus a new one.

Manchego Cheese & Garlic Dogs
Poblano, Pepper Jack, & Tomatillo Dogs
Cheddar Dogs with Cider-Braised Leeks & Apples
Beer-Braised Dogs with Sauerkraut

Of course, conspicuously absent on the table were your classic standbys -- no ketchup or yellow mustard. And what would you know, people didn't seem to miss them at all. :)

Since you really probably shouldn't stuff yourself full of just hot dogs, we also had two side accompaniments:

Pesto Pretzel Roll-Ups
Grilled Corn on the Cob with:
Smoked Paprika Butter
Jalapeno Butter
Herbed Butter
Plain Butter

along with two "palate cleansers" for people to munch on between beer tastings (Homemade Buttered Popcorn and Seasoned Oyster Crackers).

We also had Brownie Burger Cupcakes and a fruit platter set up for those who wanted a little something sweet to finish out the night.

While it may not be at the top of the list, it's also kind of nice to have options other than beer readily available for people to drink (especially if you have guests who don't drink beer). We had wine, water, and Blueberry Lemonade Soda set up by the desserts for those who didn't wish to partake in the beer tasting.

One of my favorite parts of party planning are the tiny little details that often get overlooked but can make a big impact on the overall feel of the party. Right now is the perfect time to stock up on barbecue-type decor as a ton of it has been put on clearance. (Although another great place for cheap serving platters, bowls, and such is the Dollar Tree.)

I thought these baskets were absolutely perfect for the theme of the party, though they did pose a bit of an issue for what could be served -- finger foods only.
Baskets: Wegman's ($2.49/6 on clearance!)
Waxed Paper: Michael's

Labels for identifying the various condiments

Notepads for guests to jot down their favorite and least favorite beers
Vistaprint (you can usually search for a coupon code to get these on sale)

Despite a few hiccups in timing the food, everything else went fairly smooth. Our guests were very excited to try new beers, and I'm pretty sure a few of them walked away with some new favorites and a couple they now know to stay away from. I think a couple people turned the corner on their take on hot dogs as well -- going from a "meh" attitude to "oh, these can be good!". And that, my friends, is what I call a success.

*Regardless of how you serve your guests alcohol, please make sure that no one who has had too much to drink drives home. Have a designated driver or a cab company phone number handy.

(Oh, and I have to give a shout out to our friends Corey & Stacey who majorly stepped in and helped us out -- we couldn't have finished everything without you guys!)