Freezing and Cooking

Each summer when I go back to work I freeze things. I froze a ton during the summer that I was pregnant, I think it lasted us 4-5 months (with my Mom helping out with meals for the first few weeks). I think about 6 months ago I got into a cooking rut. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, because I do, I just wasn't interested in going on searches through cook books and the internet to find recipes. Pete stopped getting excited about my cooking and I don't think it had anything to do with what we were eating or how good it was. I just think he finally was to the point of "okay, my wife can cook". The expectation was there and he was fairly certain that after nearly 4 years of marriage, I really didn't need the cheers coming from him about my cooking. But I think I did. If he is reading this he is probably muttering something like "what the..?" or she knows I like her cooking, just not polenta or fennel, or anything loaded with spinach. That isn't the point, I just got in a rut. So my point? I am really in a rut now as school is approaching, I need to start cooking and freezing. This week I did start and I am ticked at the recipes I picked. They take freaken forever. I did this potpie from scratch yesterday and a zippy turkey bake today. Zippy my A, there is nothing Zippy about that thing. It better tasty ziptastic.

So for the very few blog readers that I have here- any healthy recipes to share that I can also freeze? I can share some of my own recipes. I don't cook casseroles that often but I would love some recipes. Also, if you have any quick recipes that can't be frozen, I would love those too. To make things complicated too, I am trying to stick to a grocery budget. I will do a round of fall freezing sometime in October so soups and stews are welcome. Here are my current ideas for freezing: I am going to add to them throughout the next 2 weeks.

Eggplant parmesan
Freeze turkey taco meat for tacos
Freeze turkey manwich
Cook some blackbeans in crockpot then freeze them in small packets for tacos (and celia snacks)
Lasagna (I have 2 recipes, but could use some other lasagna ideas)
Taco soup


Zippy Turkey Tortilla Bake

INGREDIENTS
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 (8 inch) fat-free tortillas
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

In a skillet, saute onion and garlic powder in oil until the onion is tender. Add turkey, vinegar, chili powder, oregano, cumin and cayenne; cook and stir over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in beans. Remove from the heat. Combine salsa and broth; spread a thin layer in a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cut tortillas into 1-in. strips and then into thirds; arrange half over salsa mixture. Top with half of the turkey mixture and half of the remaining salsa mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Top servings with sour cream.

I stretched this to make 2 smaller dishes, one is a double layer and the frozen one is a single layer with extra cheese.

Old Fashioned Chicken Pot PieFilling:
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Flour
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 & 1/2 cups Water
2/3 cups Milk
2 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Cubes
2 cups Cooked Chicken, cubed
1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables

Pastry:
1 & 2/3 cup Flour
2 tsp. Celery Seed
1 package Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup cold Butter

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, garlic, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in water, milk and bouillon. Bring to boil and stir for 2 min. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and veggies and set aside.Combine flour and celery seed, cut in butter and cream cheese until crumbly. Work mixture by hand into a ball. On a lightly floured surface roll 3/4 of dough into a 12 in. square and put into 8 in. square pan. Pour filling into crust. Roll remaining dough into a 9 in. square and place over filling. (I have also made this round in a 9" pie plate with no trouble.) Trim, seal and flute edges as desired. Cut slits into pastry.Bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until brown and filling is bubbly.

Note:
I doubled this and made 3, 9 in pie plates of it. It was yummy, we had it last night. As for the high fat content, if you know me, you know I adjusted this recipe!! I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese, and put less butter in. I didn't notice a problem. As I was making it though, I realized that during the day I really eat a small amount of fat and Celia doesn't eat very much fat (although she does sometimes put away 2x as much food as I can eat) so a high fat dinner every once in a while is a good thing. As for Pete, well he likes his fat, but tries to be good.

I need to go for a search on the my favorite crockpot website for some ideas too. I wish I had something to offer as a giveaway for recipes submitted. But.. i don't have any ideas for that, maybe it will come to me and I don't think I have enough readers!!

Bagels, school is done, and the plague

On Wednesday I leaned my head against the doorway of my classroom and I took it all in. The walls were bare, circle time had no calendar or weather frog, the puzzles were gone, and boxes were packed. I took sometime to think about the year. I pictured the group of kids that frightened my assistant and I at the beginning of the year. I pictured that group that made me tell Pete that I didn't think I was going to last the year, it just was too exhausting. Then I pictured the group that made me want to stay the whole year. I pictured the group that made me love coming into the classroom everyday. I pictured the group that frustrated everyone but made us feel so important and so special. They are not the same group of students, they really aren't. The group of kiddos that we started with did not exist, they didn't exist after November. Don't get me wrong, they were still a handful, but they matured and grew so very much this year. I watched little J learn to defend herself among kids a foot taller and I heard her say her first words. I saw N become calmer and learn, oh did she learn this year. I won't lie, there are a couple of students that I enjoyed the year teaching, but I am okay with not having them next year.
So I didn't stand at that doorway for too long, it just was too painful. I am not sure that my students are going off to better places. Little J will be fine going back to the district, she is smart, sweet, and compliant. I am not sure that I am going off to a better place. I haven't put in my letter of transfer yet but I think that I am. My supervisor asked me again if I knew what I was doing and I told him my plans, then he changed my mind a little. There is a classroom at our Autistic Support school that has some students with behavior problems. I am good with students with behavior problems, but honestly I am tired of that a little. I love the challenge though.
This week has been complicated by the fact that I have the plague. Okay perhaps not "the Plague" but some horrible virus/infection. It started with fever, body aches, and the worst sore throat I have had in years. I popped Tylenol and Ibropfren like candy Mon and Tues to get through work. Wednesday I went to the dr and they didn't know, I was told to fill an antibiotic prescription on Thursday if I didn't feel better. So I woke up Thursday thinking maybe the sore throat was know more like 10 knives then a dozen. I didn't fill the prescription until later that day when things got worse. So today I think maybe I am filling better, but not sure as my throat is still killing me.
Celia is home for the summer with me, today is the official day. She didn't take her morning nap because she took off her sleep sack, nap diaper (undies when awake), and shirt. I heard her from downstairs saying "I nakey, Celia nakey". That never leads to anything good. So I got her up and we played outside for a bit then came in to make bagels. I found a recipe for it and thought it sounded worthwhile to try, the dough is rising right now and I am deflating. I think I need to also take a nap. She really loves to bake, but she thinks that everything we make is muffins. I told her bagels and showed her the pictures. She then asked if I was cooking the muffins!