July Meal Prep: Better than BLT Mac & Cheese

 The cheeseball mix is from our Spring/Summer 2025 catalog.  I still have a few in my inventory if you want to give this recipe a try.  This was delicious.  I went ahead and prepped this for eating and froze the leftovers.  However, you can also make this ahead and freeze to bake later.

As you can tell from my photo, I used turkey bacon rather than regular bacon.  I also used lower fat cream cheese and shredded cheese.  We also use almond milk and gluten free noodles.  And the butter is unsalted.

Ingredients:

12 oz elbow macaroni

1 lb bacon slices, chopped

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1 packet Better Than BLT Cheese Ball Mix

2 c 2% milk

2 c shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided

1 c plain panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain.  Add drained pasta to a greased 13x9-inch baking dish (or aluminum pan); set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute bacon until crispy; remove to clean paper towels to drain.  Add to pasta. (toss to distribute).

  

3.  In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave cream cheese on HIGH for 45-60 seconds.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in Better Than BLT Cheese Ball Mix; then whisk in milk.  Microwave, whisking occasionally, 2-3 minutes or until hot.

 

4.  Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese over pasta.  Add cheese sauce; toss until well combined.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.

5.  In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter; toss to combine.  Sprinkle over pasta.  Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.  Makes 6 servings.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare through step 5 (do not bake).  Allow to cool completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove foil and plastic.  Bake as directed, adding 5-10 minutes to bake time.

Tip:  If you have the Pyrex brand glass bowls, there is a difference as to which can be used in an oven and which cannot.  PYREX (in all caps) can be used in the oven.  Pyrex (small letters) cannot go in the oven.

 

June Meal Prep: Pineapple Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

The grill sauce in this recipe is a seasonal item.  You can always substitute other grill sauces.  I baked the tenderloin in the oven along with potatoes and vegetables.  You notice, I didn't use a rack.  I saved the second tenderloin for a later meal.

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2 lb) pork tenderloin

1 Tbsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning

3/4 c Pineapple Chipotle Grill Sauce, divided

 

Directions:

1.  Prepare grill to medium heat.  Season pork with Garlic Garlic Seasoning.

2.  Place pork on grill.  Grill, turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 25 minutes.  Brush with 1/4 cup Pineapple Chipotle Grill Sauce the last 5 minutes of grilling.

3.  Remove from grill.  Cover with foil and let stand 5-10 minutes.  Slice and serve drizzled with remaining 1/2 cup Pineapple Chipotle Grill Sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Bake Option:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a wire rack on pan.  Season pork with Garlic Garlic Seasoning and place on rack.  Bake until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 30-35 minutes.  Brush with 1/4 cup Pineapple Chipotle Grill Sauce the last 5 minutes of baking.  Continue with step 3.

June Meal Prep: Teriyaki Bacon Chicken

 

Sorry I'm so far behind on my recipe blog entries.  You can grill this or cook on the stove top or bake it in the oven, depending on the time of year.  It is very simple to make.  I used low sodium chicken broth instead of the dry white wine.  Of course, you could substitute other meats like pork chops or steak.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 pieces

 1/2 c Honey Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 c dry white wine

1 Tbsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning

8 bacon slices

toothpicks

 Directions:

1.  In a storage container or gallon freezer bag, combine the first 4 ingredients.  Seal well; toss to coat.

2.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight (or freezer for later).

3.  Prepare grill to medium heat.  Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.  Wrap each chicken breast with 2 bacon slices securing with toothpicks.

4.  Place chicken on grill.  Grill, turning occasionally, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer and bacon is desired doneness, about 12-15 minutes.  I baked in the oven at 350 degrees F.

Makes 4 servings

TIP:  spray your measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray before measuring the sauce.  It will slide out easily.  You can do this with honey as well.

Happy Holidays - 2025 Newsletter

 

Thank You for buying from my home-based business this past year.  It is really appreciated. 

                  Some new things for you – Tastefully Simple has a new section on their website for purchasing items at a discount.  It’s called Outlet and is located under Sales & Specials tab.  These are overstocked or close to their “Enjoy By” date.  Currently, there are only three products available.

         The other new thing is a monthly Meal Preparation class online via ZOOM.  This is held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm ET and is advertised on my social media page on Facebook.  In January, we will be doing soups – Cheeseburger, Ranch Chicken Wild Rice, White Bean and Ham, Creamy Vegetable Beef, and Rustic Turkey Noodle (using your leftover turkey meat).  It lasts one hour.  You can just watch the session and take notes and prepare the items later (that is what I do).  Lots of fun!

         Also, watch out for Customer/Client Appreciation Days.  They may happen at any time.  Special discounts, free products or receiving mystery host rewards.  Notifications of this event are usually made via email.

         I would love to host an experience for you.  We have a variety to choose from.  Meal Prep, Fundraiser, Tasting, Online, or Events.  Speaking of events – watch my Facebook page for announcements of where I will be at.

        I wish you a safe, healthy, and happy new year.

June Meal Prep: Grilled Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza

Well . . . we love pizza.  However, the crust should be gluten free.  So rather than buying the pre-baked pizza crust that the recipe called for, I made our own using my bread maker.  I have learned to add a little bit more water to make the dough moister.  I have a Pampered Chef round pizza stone that I spray with olive oil and sprinkle with corn meal before rolling the dough out.  We also added other toppings like mushrooms, olives, green pepper, and cashews.  I did not make ahead and freeze as we did in our class.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix

1/2 lb ground hot or mild Italian sausage - browned

2 (14 oz) pkgs pre-baked pizza crust (such as Boboli)

1/2 (6 oz) pkg pepperoni slices, (about 48 slices)

3 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Directions:

1.  Prepare grill to medium-low heat or oven to 400 degrees F.  In small bowl, combine tomato sauce and Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix.  Set aside.

2.  In medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble sausage until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.  Transfer to clean paper towels to drain.

3.  Spread marinara on pizza crusts.  Top with sausage, pepperoni, and cheese.

4.  Place pizza on aluminum foil on grill or directly on oven racks.  Grill or bake until cheese is melted, about 10-12 minutes.  If grilling, watch crust and turn grill down if needed so crust does not burn before cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with a green salad.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare through Step 3.  Wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Prepare grill to medium-low heat or oven to 400 degrees F.  Continue with step 4.

These pictures are showing the pizza crust I made:

Recipe & ingredients for the crust

This is the items in the bread maker pan.

Here's the dough after it's been made.

This is the dough all rolled out

June Meal Prep: Tasty Turkey Tenderloin

 Here's another freezer meal we did back in June.  I did the first part - not the make ahead and freeze.  Oh - I didn't season the meat.  It's perfect for this time of year as well.  

Here's what you need:

• 1/4 c Vidalia Onion Dressing, plus additional for serving if desired
• 3 Tbsp Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 lbs turkey breast tenderloins, seasoned with salt & pepper

Here's what you need to do:

1. 
   In storage container or gallon freezer bag, combine first 3 ingredients.   Add turkey.  Seal well and toss to coat.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove turkey from marinade; discard marinade.  Place on a greased foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
3. 
   Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 1 hour.
4. Remove from oven.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Slice.  serve drizzled with additional Vidalia Onion Dressing, if desired.

Make Ahead & Freeze:

• Prepare step 1.  Seal well, label and freeze.
• Thaw completely.
• Continue with step 2.

Grill Option:

• Prepare step 1.  
• Prepare grill to medium heat.  Remove turkey from marinade; discard marinade.  Place turkey on grill.
• Grill , turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 30-40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

June Meal Prep: Hibachi-Style Bayou Chicken Fried Rice

 

I fell behind on posting the various meal preparations we've done over the Summer.  So, here's the first one.  This was fantastic.  I made it in a skillet then froze the leftovers.   I didn't do any substitutions but did not use the green onions.  I still have our avocado oil so I used it instead of the vegetable oil.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 4 c assorted veggies of choice (carrots, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, peas, etc)
• 4 c cold cooked long-grain white rice
• 1/2 c Bayou Bourbon Glaze
• 
  3 green onions, sliced

Directions:

1.  In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.

2.  Add chicken; stir fry 1-2 minutes.  Add veggies of choice; salt and pepper as desired.  Stir fry 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add rice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.  Sir fry 1-2 minutes.  Add Bayou Bourbon Glaze and green onions; continue stir-frying until well coated and heated through.  Remove from heat.

Makes 6 servings

if desired, serve topped with a fried egg, if desired.

Tip:  Using cold or leftover rice is the key to great fried rice.  If you don't have leftover rice, spread cooked rice onto a baking sheet and place in a freezer until completely cooled.

June Meal Prep Class

         We had a fun day preparing five different meals.  Some things you had to do in advance, like cutting the meat and browning the sausage.  These were the meals we made:

• Bayou Chicken Fried Rice
• 
  Tasty Turkey Tenderloin
• Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza
• Teriyaki Bacon Chicken
• Pineapple Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

        These are the Tastefully Simple Products you will need to order if you don't already have them on hand:

• Vidalia Onion Dressing
• 
  Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce
• Honey Teriyaki Sauce
• Garlic Garlic
• Pineapple Chipotle Grill Sauce
• Bayou Bourbon Glaze
• Mama Mia Marinara Sauce

These are the groceries that you will need.  Substitute to fit your dietary needs.

• 1 1/2 lbs turkey breast tenderloins
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 pieces
• 
  8 bacon slices
• 1 (1 1/2 lb) pork tenderloin
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 lb ground hot or mild Italian sausage - browned
• 1/2 (6 oz) package pepperoni slices (about 48 slices)
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 
  4 c assorted veggies of choice (carrots, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, peas)
• 4 c cold cooked long-grain white rice
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 (14 oz) pkgs pre-baked pizza crust (such as Boboli)
• 3 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• heavy duty aluminum foil/parchment paper
• toothpicks
• gallon sized freezer bags
• sharpie pen

Actual recipes will be posted over the next few days.