Freezer Cooking

I LOVE Chicken Tortilla soup. I love the flavors, I love the colors, I love how it smells when it’s cooking…I love everything about it! I especially love how easy it is to make. I am finding more and more that “meal prepping” is the way to go these days.

It cuts down on eating out and saves so much time during the week. Plus, you get to control the ingredients and that’s always a plus!

This is an incredibly easy recipe that you basically layer in your Ziploc bag and freeze with minimal work. Then, when you are ready to make it, simply take it out of the freezer the night before, dump it in your slow cooker, add water and let it go!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded (Costco’s rotisserie chicken is awesome in this soup!)
• 10 oz frozen corn kernels
• 1 – 4 oz. can diced green chilies
• 1 – 14.5 oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 – 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
• 1 – 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp white pepper (black pepper works well too!)
• 1 T fresh cilantro (plus additional for topping)
• 2 cups of water (to be added to slow cooker)

Toppings:

• shredded pepper jack cheese
• sour cream
• avocado
• lime
• hot sauce

Tortilla Strips:

• white corn tortillas (or flour, or corn)
• vegetable oil

Can we stop and just admire those fresh ingredients and vibrant colors? How can you not smile at the anticipation of those yummy flavors dancing in your belly?

I can’t believe it…we are already entering into our last month of summer!  I think I spend one month planning and enjoying summer activities, and one month planning for school to begin!  Seriously, where has the time gone??

With school approaching, I find myself beginning to mentally plan ahead for the school year…I begin thinking about our nights before school and our crazy school mornings (sigh)…and as always I try to plan for ways to give us more time.

One thing I LOVE having on hand, and just so happens to be a HUGE time saver, is meals in the freezer (for breakfast and lunch) ready to go.

The brilliant thing about freezer meals is that they can be made in bulk at the beginning of the week and pretty much get you through the entire week.  I have found having a couple different “main courses” ready to go for breakfast and lunch gives enough variety during the week for the kids.

All you need to do is add your “sides” and you’re good to go.  Not to mention, it makes it possible for even your younger ones to help pack their own lunch.  Packing a lunch from home absolutely saves money and you, as a parent, also have the opportunity to make it healthier than their school lunch choices. Win – win!

Here is a super easy recipe that you can make ahead and freeze.

Ingredients:

• 4 burrito size tortillas or wraps (I used spinach herb wraps – yum)
• 6 oz deli meat (my kiddos love ham and turkey, so I have some of each)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• spreadable or whipped – cream cheese
• gallon size freezer bags