March Meal Prep: Garlicky Steak Salad

 

I love eating salads.  But we also enjoy stir fry.  I decided to fix this as a stir fry meal.  We froze the leftovers.  The directions below is for the salad.  I sliced up the steak in advance and had it marinade before cooking in a frying pan.  Add whatever vegetables you like - we used snow peas, carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms.  I meant to add zucchini squash but forgot.  I served it over brown rice.

Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade

Ingredients:

• TS Shake & Pour
• 1/4 c water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Makin' Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

• In TS Shake & Pour or jar with tight fitting lid, combine water and Makin' Magic Chicken Seasoning.  Let stand 10 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients.  Cover and vigorously shake until combined and emulsified.

Makes 8 (2 Tablespoon) servings.

Garlicky Steak Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb boneless beef sirloin steak
• 3/4 c Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade, divided
• 10 oz 50/50 salad mix (spring greens & spinach)
• 
  Assorted fresh veggies of choice (such as tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, avocado)
• 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

• 
  In a storage container or gallon freezer bag, combine steak and 1/3 cup (6 tablespoons) Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade.  Seal well; toss to coat.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.  OR you can freeze for later use.
• 
  Prepare grill to medium heat.  Remove steak from marinade.  Discard marinade.  Place steak on grill.  Grill, turning once, until desired donesness is reached on an instant-read food thermometer (145 degrees F for medium-rare; 160 degrees F for medium), about 16-20 minutes.
• 
  Remove steak from grill.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Slice across the grain.
• meanwhile, divide salad mix and veggies of choice among 6 large salad plates or dinner plates.  Drizzle with remaining 6 tablespoons Vinaigrette.  Top with sliced steak and blue cheese.

March Meal Prep: Rustic Turkey Burgers

 

We love burgers!  Did you know that we will have a burger mania coming up?  Watch FB for that information. Most of our recipes makes six servings.  This makes four.  I used 99% lean ground turkey rather than the 93%.   Also, we just ate it as a patty rather than as a sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey (or beef)
• 1/2 c chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 chopped fresh button mushrooms
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tsp Rustic Herb Seasoning
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
• 2 c fresh arugula leaves
• 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.  Form into 4 patties.

• Separate each patty with wax paper.  Place in freezer bag.

Cooking:

• Thaw, if frozen.
• Prepare grill to medium heat.  Place patties on grill.  Grill, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.
  
• Place tomatoes and avocados on plates.  Top with burgers and arugula.  Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with Seasoned Salt.

March Meal Prep Class

 I only did three of the five meals.  Didn't have the chicken to fix the other two until a week later.  The three meals were prepped last week.

You will need the following items from Tastefully Simple, if you don't already have them in your cupboards:

• Magic Chicken Seasoning
  
• 
  Rustic Herb Seasoning
  
  
• TS Shake & Pour

You will need the following from the grocery store.  Check  your pantry and frig first!

• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 6 boneless pork loin chops, about 2 lbs
• 
  1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (thin cut)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 1/4 lb boneless beef sirloin steak
• 1/2 c fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 c fresh button mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 (13.5) oz can light coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp Yellow Curry powder (can sub  Cumin)
• 3/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1 c olive oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 5 Freezer safe gallon storage bags
• parchment paper or wax paper squares
• black sharpie marker

Pre-label the freezer bags.

• Coconut Curry Pork Tenderloin
• Grilled Balsamic & Herb Pork Chops
• Savory Grilled Chicken
• Rustic Turkey Burgers
• Garlicky Steak Salads

I'll share the recipes over the next few days.  You can do substitutions on the meats like chicken for pork or ground beef for turkey.  Instead of salad, you can do stir fry.

Meal Prep 101: Santa Fe Tacos

 

Here's the final meal that we prepped in advance.  We had this for dinner last night.  I felt it wasn't spicy enough and my husband thought it was too spicy and I didn't add the chilis!  Instead of fixing it as tacos, I fixed them as a burrito using gluten-free tortillas. I also covered them with tomato sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  We had 4 (2 each) for dinner and I froze 2 more for later.  I still had filling leftover, so I froze that for later use.

Here are the ingredients we used:

• 2 cans Cheddar Soup
• 1 can Mexican corn, drained (I used regular corn)
• 2 tsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 
  2 Tbsp Moms Taco Seasoning
• 2 lbs browned turkey or hamburger
• 1 can drained diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced chilis (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

• In gallon sized freezer bag, add drained diced tomatoes, corn and chili's, then add the seasonings, mix well.
• Add the soups and mix well.
• Lastly, add the browned meat, mix well, and freeze.
  

When ready to use, thaw, heat, and use for tacos, burritos, taco salad, walking tacos or nacho grande.

Now, you should have a full freezer.  I know I do! 

  

Meal Prep 101: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

 We had this for dinner this past Tuesday.  It was filling but I think it could have used a bit more seasoning - maybe something like Mama Mia or the Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto.  But then it could have been the stuffing mix we used.  Actually, it was the diced tomatoes - I used the plain no salt added.  I seasoned the green beans with Onion Onion and Bacon Bacon.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano or diced Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz) package herb-flavored stuffing mix
• 
  1/2 c water

This was our meal prep for the freezer:

• Combine the chicken, oil, and Magic Chicken Seasoning in a gallon freezer bag.  Mix well.
• Place cheese in a quart freezer bag
• Place tomatoes & water in a quart freezer bag 
• Place all bags and stuffing mix in a 2-gallon freezer bag.
• 
  Seal well, label and freeze.

Cooking Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish (I used a cooking spray).
• 
  Add chicken then top with the cheese
• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes and stuffing mix; stir until moistened.  Spoon over cheese.
• Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read food thermometer, about 15-20 minutes (or longer, depending on the size of chicken breasts).
• 
  Place under broiler to brown and crisp topping, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Now, I didn't mix the tomatoes & stuffing but layered the stuffing on top of the cheese then poured the tomato mixture over the top.

Meal Prep 101: Moms Busy Day Chili

 I love making chili.  The aroma of it cooking in the crockpot throughout the day.  This was a fun one to do.  I had made gluten-free cornbread to go with it.  We had this for dinner this past Sunday.  I froze leftovers as individual meals.

Here are the ingredients for this version:

• 2 cans Tomato Soup (10.75 oz each)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 4 Tbsp Moms Taco Seasoning
• 1 lb browned turkey burger OR 2 c prepared shredded cooked magic chicken
• 3 cans of beans of your choice (14.5 oz each)

This is how to assemble for the freezer:

• In gallon size freezer bag add the diced tomatoes and seasonings.  Mix.
• Add the 2 cans of soup.  Mix
• Add the browned burger.  Mix well
• Add the 3 cans of rinsed and drained beans.  Gently mix all well.
  
• Freeze

Cooking:

• If frozen, put in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.
• If thawed, put in crock pot on low for 2-3 hours.  The longer you cook it, the more flavorful it will be.

Makes about 6 servings.  I served it over a piece of cornbread and sprinkled the top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Meal Prep 101: Savory Grilled Chicken

 

Saturday's dinner was the grilled chicken breasts.  We had prepped enough for 3 meals (a total of 6 servings).  I only cooked two of the breasts.  The remaining 4 were divided up into two quart size freezer bags.  After removing them, I divided up the marinade between them.  Labeled the bags and placed them in the freezer for later.

You can substitute other meat such as pork chops or even steaks or fish.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning

Here's how you assemble it for the freezer:

• In a 1 gallon freezer bag, combine all ingredients.
• Seal well and refrigerate 2 hours or place in freezer.

Cooking instructions:

• 
  Thaw, prepare grill to medium heat.  (I used a pan on the stove).
• Remove chicken from marinade.  Discard bag with marinade.
• Place chicken on grill.  Grill, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 10-12 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

The potatoes were seasoned with Rustic Herb and the broccoli with Seasoned Pepper.