Homemade Frozen Pizza

Yes, you heard me right.  Homemade FROZEN pizza.  No, it's not shaped like Olaf or one of Elsa's magical snowflakes.  It's good ole homemade pizza, with the ease of the frozen ones.  The more we add to our plate, the more I'm finding that we can't always keep up with making everything from scratch.  At least not in real time.  Enter the ever-popular make ahead freezer meal!  I see a few of these in my pregnant sister-in-laws' future ;)


Basically, I use the same recipes that I use for my weekly pizzas, but pre-cook the crust slightly so it sets up before adding the toppings then popping in the freezer.  From there, you can just pull it out and bake!  I'm thinking when I do make them in real-time, I'm going to just double it to stock up the freezer. Imagine the possibilities!!

Homemade Frozen Pizza

Ingredients:
For our favorite pizza recipes, including crust, toppings, etc., see this post on Family Pizza Night.
 


Directions:
1.  Make the dough.  For freezing, I split one batch of the dough into 6 smaller pizzas that would fit inside a gallon freezer bag. 

Side pony, beads, and bedhead

that's how everyone makes pizza dough, right?

Chunky Monkey Quinoa Bars

These protein-packed bars are named after my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  Like their namesake, they have banana, chocolate and walnuts.  Unlike their namesake, they are low in fat and added sugar.  I love the texture of all the different nuts, seeds, and grains.  I'm a texture junky in the healthiest of ways.  On the other hand, I really really really like the touch of chocolate, too.  So do my kids.  They think it's dessert.  Anyway, here's how I made these delectable grab and go bars:

Chunky Monkey Quinoa Bars

Ingredients: (makes one 9x13" pan, 8 servings = 9 WW pts each or 10 servings = 7 WW pts each)

- 2 c. cooked quinoa (about 1/2 c. uncooked)
- 2 mashed bananas
- 2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/2 c. brown sugar, unpacked
- 1 t. baking soda
- 2 T. chia seeds
- 2 T. flax seeds
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 2 c. rolled oats
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
- 1-2 T. wheat bran, optional

Directions:

1.  Cook quinoa according to package directions (place 1/2 c. quinoa in 2 c. water, bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, combine quinoa and wet ingredients.

3.  Add dry ingredients, except wheat bran, and stir until just combined.  Transfer to a greased 9x13" pan.

4.  Sprinkle wheat bran over the top of the bars and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to cool, then slice into desired number of servings.  I like to place each bar into a ziplock bag, then toss in the fridge for an easy grab and go breakfast.

printable recipe

Sweet Potatoes with Salsa

This dish is so simple, I can hardly call it a recipe.  But boy, is it yummy!  I've been making this at work for awhile now and FINALLY talked Michael into trying it (by adding some leftover ground beef to his).  He's now a believer, too.  I don't know why, but sweet potatoes (baked or microwaved) and covered in salsa is an amazing combination.  I like to bake several potatoes at a time and keep them in the fridge to take to work for lunches.  I usually wait to assemble it right before eating because I like the potato warm and the salsa cold.  Maybe I'm just weird though, so do what feels right to ya.  Here's how this working mama makes it:

Sweet Potatoes with Salsa

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

- 4 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 jar sweet corn or corn and black bean salsa

- 1/4-1/2 c. shredded cheese

- 1 c. ground beef, optional

(Michael's version)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Wash sweet potatoes, poke with a fork several times, then place on baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. 

2.  Flip potatoes, cook for 30 minutes longer.  Allow potatoes to cool slightly if eating right away, or completely if refrigerating for later.

3.  When ready to eat, cut warm potato in half, mash slightly, and cover with cold or room temperature salsa.  Sprinkle with warm ground beef (if using) and shredded cheese.

printable recipe

Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Bars

This is my version of Michael's cousin, Elizabeth's (http://fitlifewithe.com), coconut quinoa bars (here's the link: http://fitlifewithe.com/?s=Quinoa). These amazing breakfast bars are packed with protein, whole grains, and flavor. After trying her coconut version, I decided to make a fall-inspired pumpkin bar. Even my skeptic of a husband agrees that these bars satisfy the carb cravings, while filling you up so you don't devour the whole pan (which is what usually happens when I bake!).

What I especially love about this recipe (aside from the awesome texture, which I am a huge fan of) is the variety and ability to make it your own. By mixing up the fruit/nuts/etc. you can make a ton of different bars so you don't get it a rut of eating the same thing every morning. Elizabeth suggests cutting them into bars once they're cooled and storing in individual servings in the fridge (like in ziplock bags). This is so great for us right now - between washing pump supplies, making sure bottles/lunches are ready, and trying to get out the door, we have zero extra time to prepare healthy breakfasts. I love that we can have something homemade and nutritious handy to just grab and go. I originally cut them into 8 servings, but I honestly can only eat half at a time (so I save the rest as an afternoon snack while I'm pumping). Here's now Mama makes it:

Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Bars

Ingredients:

Dry:

- 1 c. Whole wheat flour

- 1 t. Pumpkin pie spice

- 1 t. Baking soda

- 2 c. Oats

- 2/3 c. Chopped nuts (I used half almonds, half pecans)

- 2 T. each, Chia and flax seeds

- 1/3 c. each raisins (or craisins) and dried cherries

- 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Wet:

- 1 c. pureed pumpkin

- 2 c. Cooked quinoa

- 2 eggs

- 2/3 c. Applesauce (or a couple mashed bananas)

- 1/2 c. Honey

- 1 t. vanilla

Optional:

- 1-2 T. Wheat bran to sprinkle on top (told you I'm a texture junkie)

Directions:

1.  Make quinoa according to package directions.  (1 c. Uncooked makes about 4 c. Cooked, so I made this ahead and stored in the fridge).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix quinoa with remaining wet ingredients. 

3. Add dry ingredients (except wheat bran), and stir until just combined. Since I'm often short on time, I've been mixing the dry ingredients into gallon ziplock bags so they're ready to go when I have time to bake. Saves a lot of time measuring/digging out ingredients while trying to keep Peanut from eating the flour/oats/chocolate chips...

4. Grease a 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray, then pour batter into the pan. Use the back of a spoon to press evenly into the pan. Sprinkle with wheat bran, if desired.

5. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 20-25 min, until set and lightly browned. Allow to cool then slice into bars and package into individual servings for easy on-the-go breakfasts or snacks. 

we had to try one while they were warm (and it was so good!),

but we usually just eat them straight from the fridge cold

breakfast for a week!

printable recipe

Curried Chickpea Salad

When I saw this recipe for curried chickpea salad on Pinterest, I just knew we had to try it!  Chickpeas and curry are two of our absolute favorites, and with a couple little tweaks, it was a perfect weekday meal with lots of leftovers.  Paired with whole wheat pitas and some fresh fruit, I was obsessed with this stuff.  Here's how Mama and her little helper make it:

Curried Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

- 1 apple, chopped

- 3 medium carrots, chopped

- 1/2 c. raisins

- 1 bunch green onions, chopped

- 1/2 c. mixed nuts, coarsely chopped

- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 3/4 c. hummus

- juice of 1 lemon

- 2 T. curry (we like a lot, so start with less if you prefer)

- 1/2 t. garlic powder

- 1/2 t. cumin

- 1 T. cilantro paste or 2 T. freshly chopped

- 2 T. cider vinegar

- salt and pepper, to taste

Freeze Ahead Meals: Meatloaf, Taco Meat, Enchiladas, and Loose Meat Sandwiches

One of the strangest things for me with my second pregnancy has been the nesting instinct.  With Annalyn, it was easy - I had to get the nursery ready, clothes washed/organized, essentials purchased/cleaned/organized and reorganized when I decided my original method made no sense (mostly because I had no idea what would make sense once she was actually here), books to read, blankets/booties/hats to knit, and impending parenthood to ponder/look forward to/stress about.  I definitely had plenty to keep me busy. 

This time around, I have more than enough to keep me busy (things like a two yr old, full time job, etc.), but in terms of getting ready for baby, not so much.  The nursery's already done, including a big girl bed for Annalyn so she doesn't resent baby for taking over her crib.  I've gone through all the giant tubs of baby clothes and made room for them.  I even finished knitting her blanket last week (big relief!) and bought cute little matching outfits for the girls for the day we bring her home.  Michael has a list of things to retrieve from the attic (car seat, burp clothes, etc.) and hopefully with nagging he will get them down within a couple weeks.  We've hired our new nanny and made plans with friends/family for when baby makes her arrival.  I've even started collecting items for my hospital bag since Annalyn came 3 weeks early.  Truly, we are almost ready!  Yet, I feel like I should be doing more. 

So in an effort to feel productive and do something, I decided to start making a few freeze ahead meals for my last weeks of pregnancy/first weeks of new baby.  I made a few of these before Annalyn and along with meals that our friends/family/neighbors brought, we were so grateful for them.  Since my time is much more accounted for these days, I decided it would be best to carefully plan the preparation of these meals to be as efficient as possible.  So day one of freezer meals included all ground beef recipes:  meatloaf, taco meat, beef enchiladas, and loose meat sandwich meat.  To be honest, I was very impressed with how quickly and easily these all came together.  Take a look at how our day went:


Day one of my last vacation before Emelina arrives:
- 10 am:  OB appointment with Annalyn (and office was running about 40 min behind)
- 11:30 - 12:30pm:  groceries (to buy the ingredients) and birthday treat delivery to Tammy at the pharmacy
- 1 - 3pm:  lunch and snuggles with Peanut
- 3 - 5pm:  naptime for Peanut and cooking like mad for Mama!  I successfully made 6 freezer meals all while she was napping.  Whew!  Talk about a feeling of accomplishment.  Special thanks to my Michael for helping clean up the mess and grilling brats for dinner.

Here's how Mama coordinated it:

Ground Beef Freezer Meals

Ingredient list:  (includes 1 meatloaf, 2 qt. bags taco meat, 2 pans of 6 enchiladas each, and 1 qt. bag loose meat sandwich meat)

- 6 lbs. ground beef
- 3 large or 4 medium onions, chopped (can be done ahead!)
- 2 cans black beans
- 1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chiles
- 1 (5 3/4 oz.) jar sliced green olives
- 2 ( 3.8 oz.) cans sliced black olives
- 4 pkg taco seasoning
- 2 T. mustard
- 2 T. cider vinegar
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 1 pkg Ritz crackers, crushed
- 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t. Lawry's seasoning salt
- 2 eggs
- 24 oz. white Velveeta cheese
- 1 1/2 c. fat free sour cream
- 12 tortillas
- 2/3 c. shredded cheddar
- salt and pepper as needed
- quart freezer bags
- 8 inch square foil pan
- two 9x13" foil pans
- aluminum foil and plastic wrap

Semi-Homemade Runzas

Here's a delicious food that only a select few of my readers will have ever heard of - runzas.  Where my parents grew up in Nebraska, Runza restaurants are about as common as Taco Bell.  Runzas are meat pockets made with beef and cabbage.  May sound a bit strange, but trust me people, these are to die for!  Traditional runzas are pretty much just bread, beef, cabbage, and onion, but you can make lots of different varieties by adding spices, cheeses, and veggies.  I love this recipe because it reminds me of the place my parents still call home (though they haven't lived there in 30 years).  Honestly, with most of my extended family there, it pretty much feels like home to me, too.  If only it weren't so darn far away!  Since I've been craving these like crazy lately, and Michael decided it probably wasn't feasible to drive to Nebraska and back over a cold, snowy weekend, I decided to try my hand at making my own.  This is a pretty simple cheese runza recipe using frozen bread dough, but I also included some of our favorite variations.  They also freeze and reheat perfectly, so it's an awesome make-ahead meal.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Semi-Homemade Runzas

Ingredients: (I actually doubled this, and used 5 loaves of bread - I had plenty of the meat mixture for all 15-16 of them!)
- 2 loaves frozen bread dough
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped/shredded
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/2 t. pepper
- 1/2 t. garlic salt
- 2 t. sugar
-1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
for a spicy twist on the classic:  use pepperjack cheese and add jalapenos
for the cheeseburger version:  add chopped pickles (or relish), bacon, and ketchup