Menu Plan Monday & Pantry Challenge Wrap Up

I've been diligently eating out of the freezer and pantry since December 1st. We DID end up getting take-out over the weekend, but no grocery shopping trips. We have an extra refrigerator in the garage that was full of food from a big Thanksgiving shopping trip and an upright freezer that I had filled with freezer meals, frozen veggies and such. Plus, we drink mostly Soy Milk and had a case already, along with a five dozen eggs, etc. I spent $0.00 for dinners for the past two weeks!! Right now, there are just three of us at home but two of our grown-up kids were home over the past two weekends. Phew! I'm still in the use-it-up mode so this week's menu is mostly from the freezer but I will definitely need to shop for some sides and fresh salad fixings.

Monday – Asian Flank Steak (Chill MAMAs meal), Broccoli, Rice
Tuesday – Three Cheese Enchiladas (made last month
Wednesday – Corned Beef Hash (from Sunday’s dinner)
Thursday – Herb Crusted Pork Chops (Chill MAMAs meal I didn’t get to last week)
Friday – Homemade Pepperoni Pizza, Salad
Saturday – Chicken and Dumplings
Sunday – use it up!

Head on over to OrgJunkie for more menu planning ideas! And, if you're reading this post, please leave a comment - they make me smile. Thanks!!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Yummy food for this week:

Monday - (Joyful Noise night) Chicken Parmigiana over Spaghetti
Tuesday - (Girl Scouts) Honey and Spice Pork Kebobs* with Veggies
Wednesday - Sausage and Lentil Soup
Thursday - Lil Cheddar Meatloaves* w/Baked Potatoes
Friday - chinese takeout
Saturday - handmade pizza
Sunday - Teriyaki Chicken*, Beef Stew

* meals are from my Supper Swap group


For more menu planning ideas, visit http://orgjunkie.com

I feel like a Rock Star!

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for me!!

I was so surprised to find out that my interview with Lucy was published on SwapDex. Lucy and I both regularly host apron swaps and we teamed up earlier this year and hosted a swap together. Thank you JENNA, for posting a sweet interview. And it was her birthday too -- please stop by her blog and wish Jenna a Happy Birthday!!!

Plus, my supper swapping group, the Chill MAMAs, was highlighted on the local ABC-affiliate news, KATU, during a Problem Solvers special report. I am sad to say I couldn't watch the interview myself because DISH Network and KATU are in a dispute (GRRRRRR) but I will post a link to the video as soon as it is posted.

AND, one more -- Bakerella visited the Pioneer Woman last week and demo'd cupcake pops & bites. Well, I have several posts linked on that topic so my traffic is up. Check out the ones I made for family and friends HERE and HERE.

Freezer Recipe - Crockpot Taco Chicken

This was one of our favorite recipes from my freezer cooking business, and my friend Laurie just asked me for it. It is so very versatile and only five ingredients. From my typical Costco packaging, I can make three of these meals - one for now, one for the freezer and one for someone else. The other beauty of this recipes is that it combines two of my loves: freezer cooking and crockpotting. Wear a flirty apron (another fav of mine) while preparing and think of me!!

Read about my Supper Swapping Group, the Chill MAMAs, on our blog.

Crockpot Taco Chicken
For each recipe, label a one-gallon freezer bag and fill with the following:

3-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced green chiles (small can)
3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (handmade, bulk or one small packet)
1 teaspoon cumin

Rinse two pounds of boneless/skinless chicken thighs and add to bag. Massage bag to combine ingredients well. Squeeze all possible air from bag, seal and freeze.

To Cook: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Place contents of bag into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours/high for 3-4 hours, or until meat shreds easily.

Serving Suggestion: Heated tortillas with assorted toppings: shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions, olives. Also a great tostada filling or topping for taco salad.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 107 Calories; 3g Fat (23.6% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 57mg Cholesterol; 707mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Other Carbohydrates.