Bayou Bourbon and Bacon Meatloaf

This is a recipe that was from an older Freezer Meal Workshop entitled "Back to School".  If you love meatloaf, this is the best!  Moist and yummy.  We both enjoyed it.

As with any recipe, feel free to substitute any ingredients.  I actually left out the pepper and orange marmalade and I doubt I used the full amount of glaze.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork (beef, chicken, or turkey)
1/3 c oatmeal
1/3 c milk
2 Tbsp Bacon Bacon 
1 egg
1 tsp pepper
3/4 c Bayou Bourbon Glaze 
1/2 c orange marmalade

Instructions:

Mix together first 6 ingredients to form meatloaf.  Place in loaf pan - or make into smaller loaves if you desire.  Mix together Bayou Bourbon Glaze and Orange marmalade and pour over top of meatloaf.  Bake at 375 degrees until internal temperature reads 145-150 degrees (about 45 minutes).

Suggested sides:  Green Bean & Artichoke Casserole & Baked Potatoes.  As you can tell from the photo, we had fresh steamed broccoli and baked potato.

The products in bold are still available at TastefullySimple.com/web/mbelles1.  

Smoky BBQ Sliders/Burgers

Another recipe from our Summer Sizzle Freezer meal workshop.  I fixed this on March 31st (told you I was behind on my postings).  I decided to make these as regular burgers rather than as sliders.  Here again, we just had the patty and not the sandwich.  I also substituted ground turkey instead of beef.

Yes, we love our fried potatoes (seasoned with Roasted Garlic Infused Oil and Green Tea Peppercorn seasoning).  Veggies are steamed broccoli & carrots.

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2.8 oz container french-fried onions
1 tsp Ultimate Steak Seasoning 
1/3 cup Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce
12 small buns
6 slices American Cheese, cut into quarters
12 tomato slices
12 small lettuce leaves

Assembly Instructions:   Combine first four ingredients.  Form into 12 patties and place between wax paper.  Place in a gallon resealable freezer bag.  Seal well, label and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:  Thaw completely.  Grill or fry to desired doneness.  Serve on buns with cheese, lettuce and tomato.  Makes 6 servings.

Tips:  Instead of the American Cheese slices, use 12 Cheddar slices cut into star shapes and 12 slices pepper jack or other white cheese cut into star shapes.  For a savory burger topper, combine 2 Tbsp Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce with 1/2 cup mayonnaise.

Products can be ordered at my website, www.tastefullysimple.com/web/mbelles1.

Lemonberry Fruit Salad

Today we have a Tastefully Simple Team Meeting and I indicated I would bring something using the TS Lemonberry Cheesecake mix.  This is something that is easy to put together and is a great hit at potlucks.  I've made it using a past product known as Orange Dreamsicle Cheeseball mix.  You can probably use most of the cheeseball mixes Tastefully Simple has to create this.  Use  your imagination on the fruits to add.

Ingredients:

1 packet Lemonberry Cheeseball mix
8 oz softened cream cheese
7 oz marshmallow creme
8 oz non-dairy whipped topping
20 oz can pineapple chunks
15 oz can mandarin orange segments
2 cups red grapes
3 bananas


Combine the cheeseball mix and cream cheese.  Add the marshmallow creme and whipped topping.  Fold in the fruit and chill for 1 hour.

Instead of the 3 bananas I used some strawberries & kiwi fruit.  I lighten the recipe by using the non-fat whipped topping and 1/3 fat cream cheese.

Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Burgers

My life has been real busy lately.  Good thing I have meals prepared in advance from the Tastefully Simple Summer Sizzle Pack.  This is one of the burger recipes that we enjoyed.

Pictured is the burger, fried potatoes, and green beans.   I used Onion Onion & Green Tea Peppercorn to season the potatoes.  As you can tell, we did not use buns (nor the coleslaw as listed in the recipe).


Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lb ground pork
1 packet Bold Burger Seasoning 
6 pretzel hamburger buns
1 pint prepared coleslaw

Assembly Instructions:  Combine first two ingredients.  Form into 6 patties and place between wax paper and place in gallon resealable freezer bag.  Seal well, label, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:  Thaw completely.  Grill or fry to desired doneness.  Place burgers on buns and top with coleslaw.  Makes 6 servings.


You can substitute other ground meats for the pork.  I used ground turkey.  We broiled the patties in a toaster oven.

Hearty Fajitas

This is the start of our freezer meals from our Summer Sizzle collection of 10 grilling recipes.

As with all of our recipes, feel free to do substitutions based on your dietary needs and/or likes.  As you can tell from the pictures, I made changes (details later).

Not all of the recipes have to be done on a grill.  I fixed this on the stove top, sauteing the veggies & chicken strips.

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 lbs flank steak

1 packet Bold Burger Seasoning

1/2 cup beer

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1-2 tsp Ultimate Steak Seasoning

12 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

Assembly Instructions:  Combine first three ingredients in a gallon resealable freezer bag; squish to mix.  In a quart resealable freezer bag, combine next four ingredients.  Place both bags inside another  gallon resealable freezer bag.  Seal well, label and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:  Thaw completely.  Grill or fry steak 4-6 minutes per side to desired doneness.  Wrap peppers and onions in foil and grill to desired doneness.  Slice steak into thin strips against the grain.  Place steak, peppers and onions in tortillas and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Okay, I mentioned substitutions.  I did several.  First off, chicken instead of beef.  Then I used different vegetables as my husband does not care for peppers.  I used tomatoes & mushrooms.  Oh, and to make it gluten-free, we used corn tortillas.

Avocado Oil

My new favorite!  Versatile!  Use it for lots of things.  Light-weight.

Avocado Oil is part of our new TS EatWell product line.  It is part of our Spring Summer 2015 seasonal line.

I use this in lieu of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my salad dressings mixing it with our other new products in the Balsamic Vinegar category.  I also use it for the oil when popping popcorn.

Ingredients:  Avocado Oil.

Product of Mexico.

Nutrition Facts:  Serving Size: 1 Tbsp (14 ml).  Servings per container:  about 17;  Amount per Serving:  120 Calories; 120 Fat Calories; 14 g Total Fat (22%  DV); 1.5 g Saturated Fat (8% DV); 2.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat; 9 g Monounsaturated Fat; 0 mg Sodium; 0 g Total Carbohydrates; 0 g Protein.  Not a significant source of trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugars, Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

» Use in place of olive or vegetable oil.
» Great for high-heat grilling and pan-frying.
» Use to lightly coat potato wedges or vegetables before roasting.
» Use to make salad dressings.
» Drizzle a little over baked pizza.
» Use to prepare Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto and Red Bell Pepper Hummus.
» Check out the recipe online for Lime Cilantro Grilled Corn.
» Find more recipes at tastefullysimple.com.

You can purchase this product for $15.99 plus shipping and applicable sales tax (in Washington State, it is non-taxable) at my website.  All major credit cards are accepted.

Lasagna

My husband and son love homemade lasagna.   Most of my postings on this blog have been freezer meal ideas, quick dinners, or crock-pot meals.  This is NOT one of them.  However, since it makes six servings, you can freeze the leftovers (really delicious).

This time, I made it totally gluten-free, low sodium, and low fat.  I'm going to list the original ingredients but note that I did a lot of substitutions.  

Ingredients:

1 lb very lean ground beef (I used turkey)
12 oz no-salt added tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder (I actually used 1 Tbsp Onion Onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I actually used about 1 tsp Garlic Garlic)
2 Tbsp sugar (I actually used Splenda)
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp unsalted margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1/4 cup flour (I used fava bean)
1 cup skim milk (I used 1%)
1/2 lb low sodium grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
1/2 lb lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Brown the meat (I add the seasonings here, including about 1 Tbsp Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto); drain off any fat.  Add the tomato paste, water, seasonings and vinegar; simmer 25 minutes.  I usually add a can of mushroom stems & pieces (no-salt added, drained and using the liquid as part of the water).

While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese sauce:  melt the margarine over low head and add the flour; stir with a wire whisk for a couple of minutes; add the milk and stir with the wire whisk; cook over low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes; remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese.

Cook the lasagna noodles as directed on the box, except do not add salt to the cooking water; drain.

In a shallow baking dish assemble the lasagna:  Spoon a little of the meat sauce, spread a layer of a third of the cooked noodles, add a layer of cheese sauce.  Repeat until all are used up, ending with a cheese layer.  (Usually 3 layers).  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes; let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting.

You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time, refrigerate, and heat later.  Allow more time to heat through if it has been refrigerated.

Serve with garlic bread (ours was made with Tastefully Simple Gluten-free Beer Bread with Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning) and a green vegetable (I usually use green beans or broccoli).