freezer meals

Momma’s Favorite Banana Bread

 

20150508-165631.jpgWe’ve all had bananas ripen way too quickly before and believe it or not, I used to throw them away! I will never, never, never do that again. A few years ago, I stumbled upon this recipe from Simply Recipes for the BEST banana bread I’ve ever eaten. It is soooo easy to make! My four year old can even make it all by herself…well almost all by herself.  😉

20150508-165653.jpgMash 2-3 very ripe bananas with a fork and stir the melted butter in. I melt it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.

Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar (I always use a full cup even though the directions say you can use less), egg and vanilla. Next up, mix in the flour. I love to add a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the mix too. Trust me, it makes this bread phenomenal!

20150508-165711.jpgAfter you pour the batter into the greased loaf pan, sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top and cook for about 50 mins at 350 degrees. The directions say 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, but I have found that it is done WAYYYY before that. Set your timer for 50 minutes and check it with a toothpick. I bet you won’t need to cook it for much longer than that.

20150508-165731.jpgThis bread freezes great! Even if you aren’t in the mood to have banana bread in the house (but seriously, who doesn’t want banana bread in the house!), use those old yucky bananas to make some out-of-this-world banana bread. Let it cool completely, wrap it in tin foil and then place it in a labeled freezer bag.

This is one of my mother’s favorite desserts. I always make sure I have a loaf or two in my freezer when she comes down for a visit. I LOVE sitting at the table with my beautiful momma, a cup of coffee and this bread. It’s one of my favorite things to do when she comes to visit. I love you mother. Happy Mother’s Day! xoxo

Hey, Plan To Eat friends…click here to add it to your planner!

Happy Cooking!!

xoxo

 

 

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Taking A Chance

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I was scrolling through pics on Instagram, and stopped when I came across Orlando Moms Blog post. They were looking for new blog contributors. What? Seriously? The post said they wanted local moms who “inspire, encourage, support, inform and simply share this journey of motherhood we’re all navigating together.” I paused, caught my breath and said, “This is the perfect job for me.”

And in the very next thought, all the negative, self destructive thoughts came flooding in. They would never pick you. You aren’t a writer. When would I find time to do this, IF they even picked me. What could I actually contribute??

I shut that voice up and went to sleep. The next morning on my run, it was all I could think of. This was meant for me. I knew. I felt it. But could I actually get the nerve up to apply for it?? That was the million dollar question.

I only had a few days until the deadline to submit the application. I knew that if I let this opportunity pass, I would be more upset than if I applied and didn’t get the job. So…I shoved all those insecurities in a box, duct taped it closed and answered those questions. All that was left to do was hit ‘Submit.’

{Insert Jeopardy music here…..}

It took a while…maybe a few hours. It wasn’t until my sister pretty much yelled at me through text that I went running to the computer, pulled up the application and sent it in.

HOLY CRAP! What did I just do??

A few weeks went by and I hadn’t heard anything. I just assumed the new contributors were chosen and I didn’t receive my “Sorry, try again next time” email. And I was okay with that. I was glad that I took the chance. I didn’t have any regrets.

I was feeding the baby in the car, waiting for the big kids to finish school and I happened to check my email. Low and behold, there it was. I received an email from Orlando Moms Blog but it was asking me to join the team!!! I freaked out. I cried. I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it.

My first post for Orlando Moms Blog,”Stock Your Freezer. It will save your sanity. I promise” went live this morning. In it, I give a bunch of simple freezer cooking tips to help make the endless task of feeding the family a bit easier. It saved my sanity and it can save your. Promise.

Stock-your-freezer

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

Meal Plan For The Week of April 13th

Meal Plan for the week…

Black Bean Soup & Roasted Broccoli (LOVE this one!!)
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Shrimp & Asparagus Stir Fry w Lemon Sauce

(**new one**)

Teriyaki Chicken w Vegetables

(**new one**)

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili

(one to eat & one to freeze!)

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Click here for the shopping list!

I’m going to start including the shopping list when I post a meal plan for the week. Right now, I’m just copying & pasting the list Plan To Eat creates for me. This will definitely take a little tweaking to get it just right, so hang in there with me. And please share any comments or suggestions on how to make it easier or more user friendly.

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

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Easter Ain’t Over Til The Hambone Gets Crocked

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My favorite comfort food of all time…Crock Pot Split Pea Soup!! Both my mother and my father would make this anytime they had a hambone and it always made the house smell wonderful but did I ever eat it?? NO. It looked disgusting AND it had peas in it AND a giant ham bone. No thank you. Looking back, I really wish that I had tried it…at least once, so that I could have something to compare it to.

It’s always around the holidays when I feel homesick the most and it’s usually when I do best cooking. So, this Easter was no different from any other..gotta save the hambone for some home cooked soup. You know, making comfort food to comfort my heart, or at least try.

Split Pea Soup has got to be one the easiest soups to make and it brings great comfort to my heart and also to my belly. It makes a ton so get ready to share with family or friends or stick some in a ziploc bag and freeze it. It freezes great! I recommend freezing it in single portions. That way when the husband is out of town and you don’t want to cook but you are looking for a lil’ comfort…just take a bag out of the freezer and voila! Comfort food without any work.

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Rinse the peas and put in the crock pot first. Next, add the hambone. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, salt and pepper. Fill with water, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Cover and set on low for 10 hours.

After 10 hours, your soup will look like this:

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Remove the hambone very gently.

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Stir the soup. The peas will lose their shape and the soup will thicken. If you want an even thicker soup, mash the potatoes with a fork…I love a thick pea soup!

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Shred the ham with a fork and add as much or as little back into the soup as you would like. I like just a bit but to my husbands bowl, I add a bunch!

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Enjoy! Happy Cooking!

And please let me know if you decide to try it. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

You can also find me on Pinterest & Facebook.

Love,

Mrs. Roemer 😉

xoxo

Easy, Delicious AND Kid-Friendly!

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I tried a new recipe this week… Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili from Pillsbury. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to try this one because it seemed too easy but Tuesday nights my oldest has ballet and it’s way too crazy to try to actually cook something. So, I took a chance on this one.

I love dark meat chicken and when I saw that the recipe called for thighs, I was excited! Most recipes call for chicken breast and I have a tendency to cook them too long causing them to dry out. I bought skinless, boneless thighs and just dumped them in the crock. I didn’t bother cutting them. I was looking for easy, remember? Oh, and I didn’t bother to spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray either.

Typically, when I cook a crock pot meal, I never put the beans or corn in until the last hour or so but this recipe had me do it all in the beginning. I was thinking the beans were going to be mush but again, I wasn’t going to be home all day so I really needed something easy. In went the corn and beans! What was the worst that could happen? I would eat mushy beans, curse a bit and never cook it again. A chance I was willing to take.

To my surprise, this meal was beyond delicious! I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. The chicken was juicy and the beans weren’t mushy! I served it over jasmine rice (my absolute favorite!) and with tortilla chips. I fed the girls something different because I really didn’t think they would like this but again to my surprise, they LOVED it! Both of them! They practically ate my whole bowl. Now, I love this one even more….an EASY crock pot recipe and one that the kids LOVE?? Win, win all around! This will definitely be added to my meal plan on a regular basis.

I was thinking I would put in a can of Rotel or some hot sauce (I love a lil’ kick!) next time but since the kids love it, I won’t. I’ll just spice up my bowl. Hmmm….maybe that will keep them out of my bowl! Ha!

Next time, I’m going to make two…one to eat that night and one to freeze. It doesn’t take any extra time and you will be so thankful to have a meal already prepared. I’ll freeze it raw, defrost it the night before I want to cook it and then dump it in the crock. The only thing I won’t put in the freezer bag will be the cheese, sour cream and green onion but everything else will even the beans! 😉

Definitely print this one out or save it to your Plan To Eat and make it next week. I promise you will be surprised at how easy it is to make and how delicious it is. Remember to make two and don’t forget to let me know how it came out and if your family loved it 🙂

Happy Cooking!

Katie

Mrs. Roemer’s Nest

 

 

 

 

Weekly Meal Plan

Meal Plan for the week of March 16-20:

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–Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs (freaking LOVE these!)

–Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

–One Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta (**new recipe for me)

–Tilapia w Garlic Roasted Tomatoes & Corn (already made a few weeks ago, just have to remember to defrost it this time!)

Who else is cooking Corned Beef on Tuesday? How do you like to cook it? I’ve only ever done it in the crock pot and it always turns out delicious! Yummmm!

I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures especially of the new recipe I’m trying out.

Happy Cooking!

P.S. Would you be interested in a shopping list if I added it along with the meal plan? It’s easy to do. Just let me know, I would be happy to include it!

Cook Once, Eat Twice

The husband and I both love freshly cooked meals. Well honestly, who doesn’t?! But let’s face it, with three kids 4 and under that’s just not going to happen very often. Unless…he hires me a live-in chef. And I’m pretty sure that will NEVER happen! Ha!

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If you are new to meal planning or freezing meals, you MUST try out this recipe. It’s super easy to prepare and if you are making one, why not make a second and freeze it for another week.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef from Once A Month Meals.

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I’ve tested this one on the hubby before and he had NO CLUE that it was previously frozen. After he was done, I asked him how it was and he said it was delicious!! I chuckled and said…that’s great because I made it last month. From that little “experiment,” he now loves freezer meals too! Thank goodness!

Today, I used a 10oz bag of already shredded carrots (a HUGE time saver!) and ginger paste instead of fresh ginger. This is my first time using the ginger paste so I used the same measurement as the recipe. I’ll find out tonight if I need to increase it next time or not. Promise to keep ya posted!

Happy Tuesday!

Katie 🙂