April Meal Prep: Sausage & Shrimp Boil

 

It took awhile for us to fix this for dinner but we had it the other night.  I fixed it in the oven rather than on a grill.  I'll probably substitute chicken for the shrimp as my husband doesn't care for shrimp.  That would be the only change I would make.

For a freezer meal, we used frozen corn kernels not corn on the cob.  You can also use frozen cut green beans. 

Here are the ingredients you would need:

• 
  1 lb (21-25 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (14 oz) package smoked sausage ring, sliced
• 12 oz fresh green beans, cut in half
• 1 package ONE Pan Grilled Sausage & Shrimp Boil Mix 
• 3 ears fresh corn on the cob, husks and silks removed
• 1/4 c butter, thinly sliced

Other items needed:

• 1 (13x9-inch) aluminum foil disposable pan
• Aluminum foil
• Gallon Freezer bag

Directions:

1.  If putting it in the freezer for later, mix the meat & vegetables with the seasonings in a gallon-freezer bag.  Otherwise,

2.  Prepare grill to medium heat or preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In foil pan, combine first 3 ingredients with Garlic Garlic Seasoning, Onion Onion Seasoning, and Garlic Pepper Seasoning.

3.  Cut kernels off corn and add to pan; toss to combine.  Top with butter slices.

4.  Place pan on grill or in oven.  Grill or bake, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is opaque in color and reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 25 minutes.

April Meal Prep: TS Signature Sliders

 

Who doesn't like burgers?  Instead of making sliders, I made regular burger patties.  Use your favorite burger toppings - I prefer cheddar cheese rather than pepper jack.  We're not fond of onions (even red onions!).  Of course, we used ground turkey rather than beef.  I actually fixed it as a patty rather than as a sandwich.  That's the beauty of our meals - you can change it up to meet your family's tastes and diet.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 c chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub, divided
• 9 pepper jack cheese slices
• 1 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
• 3/4 c mayonnaise
• 
  12 slider buns, toasted

Directions:

• In medium bowl, combine ground beef and 1 1/2 tablespoons TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub.  Form into 12 (2 oz) patties.  Wrap with parchment paper (I used waxed paper).  Place in gallon freezer bag.  Squeeze all air out then seal. Freeze.
  
• In medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions; sauté 2-3 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub.  Continue sauteing until nicely caramelized, adding a little water as needed to keep from burning, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl.  Set aside to cool slightly. 
  
• Prepare grill to medium heat.  (I cooked on stove top).  Place thawed patties on grill.  Grill, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 5-6 minutes.  Top each slider with cheese the last 1 minute of grilling.
• 
  Add mayonnaise to bowl with cooled onions.  Stir to combine well.  Spread on toasted buns.  Top with sliders.

April Meal Prep: TS Signature Pork Chops

 

This is a basic meal - you can grill on the BBQ or you can panfry or you can broil.  We used our broiling pan in the toaster oven since there's just the two of us.  The remaining chops have been placed in the freezer for future meals.  Of course, you can substitute chicken or beef sirloin steaks for the pork.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless pork loin chops
• 2 Tbsp TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub

Directions:

• Prepare grill to medium heat.  Rub chops with TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub.
• 
  Place chops on grill.  Grill, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 10-12 minutes
• Remove from grill.  Let stand 10 minutes

April Meal Prep: Slow Cooker Taco Pork Burrito Bowls

 

This has a bit of spice.  You can control the amount of heat by using a milder salsa and not as much of the taco seasoning.  Very delicious.  You could substitute beef or chicken for the pork.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin roast, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde
• 1 c water
• 6 Tbsp Mom's Favorite Taco Seasoning
• 4 c cooked quinoa or rice
• Toppings such as Corn, Black Bean Salsa; roasted corn, shredded cheese, sauteed bell peppers and onions, guacamole, sour cream

Directions:

• 
  Place pork in a 3-quart or larger slow cooker.  In small bowl, combine salsa, water, and Mom's Favorite Taco Seasoning.  Pour over pork.
• 
  Cook on LOW 8-10 hours or HIGH 5-6 hours or until pork is falling apart.  Shred pork.
• Serve pork over quinoa or rice and top with desired topping.

Freeze for later cooking:

Put the cut-up pork and the seasonings in a gallon-freezer bag.  Toss to coat the meat.  Then squeeze the air out.

April Meal Prep: Creamy Chicken & Stuffing

 

This was a fun dish to prepare.  We had this for dinner the same night that it was prepared - mainly because I didn't have an aluminum pan to freeze it in nor the space as the only freezer I have is the bottom of the refrigerator.  I hope to have our chest freezer moved from our old house to our current home this next week.

I can see this being made with turkey or even boneless pork chops.  Anyway, here are the ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced (mine were cut-up in chunks), seasoned with salt & pepper (mine weren't)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning, divided
• 1/2 c frozen green peas, optional
• 1 (10.5 oz) can 50% less sodium cream of mushroom soup (I used no salt added)
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 (6 oz) pkg stovetop chicken-flavored stuffing mix
• 1/2 c butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place seasoned chicken in the bottom of a greased 9x9-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons Spinach & Herb Seasoning.  Top with peas, if desired.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together soup, sour cream and remaining 1 tablespoon Spinach & Herb Seasoning.  Pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with dry stuffing mix and drizzle with melted butter.

3.  Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer and stuffing is crispy and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

We froze the leftovers in individual servings.

April 2025 Meal Prep Class

 We had a fun time during our April meal prep class.  We do these every month - one hour making 5 different meals to have in the freezer for later or that night or the next day.

This month our recipes included Creamy Chicken & Stuffing Casserole, Sausage & Shrimp Boil, Slow Cooker Taco Pork Burrito Bowls, TS Signature Sliders, and TS Signature Pork Chops.  Over the next few days, I will share how I fixed these.

You will need the following Tastefully Simple Products (they can be ordered from my website):

• TS Signature Seasoning & BBQ Rub
• Mom's Favorite Taco Seasoning
• One Pan Grilled Sausage & Shrimp Boil Mix
• Spinach & Herb Seasoning (single pack)

All other ingredients will be provided in the individual recipes.  However, you will need the following supplies:

• 1-gallon freezer safe storage bags
• 2-gallon freezer safe storage bags
• snack-sized bag
• heavy-duty aluminum foil
• 9x9 aluminum pan
• parchment paper or wax paper squares
• black sharpie marker

  

TS Signature Burgers

Taco Pork Burrito Bowls

Sausage & Shrimp Boil

  

  

TS Signature Pork Chops

Meal Madness: Bacon Wrapped Ranch Chicken

 I've done similar meals but this was fantastic!  Loved the cream cheese filling.  I can see using other seasonings like Garlic Garlic.  I used light cream cheese and turkey bacon.  I did not use the salt and pepper. 

 

Meal Prep Ingredients

• 6 (5-6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 
  2 Tbsp Classic Ranch Mix
• 1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
• 1 c shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 12 bacon slices
• salt and pepper

Equipment Needed

• Cutting board, sharp knife
• small bowl, mixing spoon
• measuring cups/spoons
• plastic wrap OR parchment paper
• 2 (1 gallon) resealable freezer bags
• scissors, marker

Meal Prep

1. 
   In small bowl, combine softened cream cheese, Classic Ranch Mix, and Onion Onion Seasoning; vigorously mix until well combined.  Stir in cheddar cheese.  Set aside.
2. Press firmly down on each chicken breast and cut lengthwise to fillet the chicken breast.  DO NOT cut through the chicken entirely.  Open chicken breast like a book.
3. Salt and pepper chicken.
4. Place generous spoonful of cream cheese mixture on one half of each chicken breast.  Close over chicken breast creating a sandwich effect.
5. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast.
6. Wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
7. 
   Label a Freezer gallon bag with "Bacon Wrapped Ranch Chicken" and today's date.
8. Place individually wrapped chicken breasts inside gallon freezer bag.
9. Double bag to keep from freezer burn.  Seal well, label and freeze.

You can also refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Finish and Serve

Remove from freezer and refrigerate until thawed, about 24 hours.

1. 
   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove plastic wrap from chicken and place in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. Bake 35-40 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer.  If desired, broil on High 2-3 minutes or until bacon reaches desired crispiness.