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.