Healthy Freezer Recipes

Check out these budget-friendly, easy freezer recipes from Prevention. 

Easy Cheesy Vegetable Soup

If you want your family to eat more vegetables (willingly!) and enjoy good, hearty soups in the fall and winter, this one is for you. It's my own concoction, adapted from Leanne Ely's Saving Dinner. This recipe is suitable for a crockpot or stove-top.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cored & broadly chunked
3 medium carrots, peeled & chunked
3 stalks of celery, washed & chunked
4 c. chicken broth (water + bouillon cubes work well)
1 t. thyme, crushed
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8 oz. shredded cheese
2 c. milk, divided
1 jar Ragu Double Cheese pasta sauce

Put the first set of ingredients in a stock pot (6 qt) or large crockpot and cover. If using crockpot, cook on low for at least 8 hours or high for 4 hours. If using stovetop method, allow the ingredients to boil and then reduce to low until the vegetables are soft and easily broken with a rubber spatula or knife.

Once the vegetables are soft enough (as indicated above), turn the heat to low and use a stick blender to puree the contents of the pot. If you don't have a stick blender, strain the vegetables and a small amount of the broth to a blender and whirl on purée until smooth.

Once the contents are smooth and there are no more chunks and/or strings from the celery chunks, add cheese (anything except mozarella or swiss) to the pot, stirring to melt. Combine 1 cup of milk and 1 jar of Ragu Double Cheese Pasta Sauce in as well. The pasta sauce will be thick and you'll use another cup of milk in the jar, swishing it around to get the rest of it out and in the pot of soup. Combine well.

Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve up with salad and crusty bread. It's a hearty, filling soup that your family will rave about! :)

Bon appetite!

~Sue

One Dish Taco Meal

This dish is hearty, easy, and makes a lot. I make it healthy by using very lean ground beef and brown rice, but feel free to tweak it to fit your family's tastebuds. Props to Mary Hunt at Debt-Proof Living for the idea for this meal; I tweaked it to make it "mine," but her idea was the basis for it.


1# lean ground beef, browned and (if necessary), drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can seasoned, diced tomatoes (either Ro-Tel or Italian-style)
2 pkts taco seasoning
4 cups beef broth (may substitute 4 c. boiling water + 4 bouillon cubes)
1 box instant brown (may use white) instant rice -- 14 oz.

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Place beef, corn, beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning in a large pan (I use an electric skillet), combine well. Add beef broth and stir well. Heat contents on medium-high and add entire 14 oz box of instant rice, stirring well. Cover the dish and allow contents to cook on med-low for 30-35 min (or until all liquid is absorbed by rice). Sprinkle with shredded cheese, serve with sour cream & hot sauce, as desired.

~Sue

Stick Another Stone in the Pot

We can clip coupons, shop sales, and turn down thermostats all in an effort to save money. But what do we do with the food items we procured on-sale, with (doubled) coupons, and that don't shove our utility bills through the roof?

I've got answers. And recipes. One of my passions is creating hearty meals that are budget-friendly and taste good; most of them will feed a family of 4 at least twice (or provide enough leftovers for a few days worth of lunches). All of them are tasty and healthy.

Check out the new category and new recipes as I add 'em. :)

Happy cooking!

~Sue