Monday, February 2, 2015

Preparing for Baby #3 with 2 Months of Freezer Meals - Rigatoni Pasta Bake


Rigatoni Pasta Bake - Makes 3 Meals

 What you need:

24 ounces Rigatoni Pasta
2 pounds ground beef
2 pounds italian sausage
4 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp garlic powser
4 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
Meanwhile, brown the sausage and ground beef in a large pot until crumby and cooked through.
 Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. 
 Stir in garlic powder, italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 
 Gently, stir pasta into sauce. 
 Grease 3 8x11 baking pans with cooking spray. Add a layer of pasta to each pan. 
 Then add a layer of mozzarella and parmesan.
 Repeat layers for each pan of pasta. 

To freeze: 

Cover with aluminum foil and place in freezer with Cooking Day Directions below.

Cooking Day Directions: 

Bake in preheated to 325 oven, covered with foil for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

Preparing for Baby #3 with 2 Months of Freezer Meals - Ribs with Rice

Ribs with Rice - Makes 3 Meals

Last week I got a great deal on country style ribs at the grocery store and decided to make it into 3 crockpot meals. This is adapted from my Mom's ribs which are still one of my favorite meals. We serve them over rice, with broccoli on the side-so delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

10-12 country style pork ribs (bone-in)
3 T oil
3 cup Open Pit Original BBQ sauce
6 T brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

                                                       What to do:

 First, divide the ribs between the ones you are making today and place the rest in plastic bags.
 Then, brown the ribs in oil. 
 Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients in a bowl. Place browned ribs in crockpot and pour 1/3 of all other ingredients over the ribs in the crockpot.
Divide the rest of the sauce mixture and pour into plastic bags. 
Cook ribs in crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. 

Day of cooking freezer meals:

Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Pour contents of plastic bag into crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours or until falling off the bone.

Preparing for Baby #3 with 2 Months of Freezer Meals - Teriyaki Chicken with Rice

Teriyaki Chicken with Rice - Makes 2 Meals 

This was such an easy and yummy meal, I am looking forward to having it again! I've been really tired the last few days and it feels like so much work to even clean the house so I am really appreciating how easy these meals are. I can't even imagine once this baby is born how exhausted I'll be! ; ) 
 What You’ll Need: Recipe Makes 2 Meals
  • 6-8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 cup teryaki sauce
  • 6 tbsp. packed Brown Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • 2 Garlic Clove, Minced
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Ground Pepper
  • 1 can of Pineapple tidbits
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
What You’ll Do:
Combine all ingredients and put half into crockpot and put half in the labeled freezer bag. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over rice.
On day of cooking 2nd meal: let thaw in refrigerator overnight, pour into crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.