Brazilian Chicken

This freezer recipe is courtesy of Supper Solutions - enjoy!

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tb mayonnaise (low-fat or Miracle Whip also work)
1 tb Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ginger
1 tb lime juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tb apple cider vinegar

*NOTE: if your chicken is on the hefty side, or you want it heavily coated, double up on the other ingredients*

Combine all in a large freezer bag. Squeeze excess air from bag, seal, & freeze. To serve, thaw completely in fridge, then grill on high heat for about 10 minutes, turning once. Or, you can bake this in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes.

Beef Fajitas

Here's another freezer meal. You can make it tonight, or make a few bags of this and stick them in the freezer for those nights when you don't have much time!

1 1/2 pounds round steak
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

Serving Day:
1 small onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 T. vegetable oil
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
Warmed flour tortillas

Cooking Day Instructions:
Cut beef into strips. Place meat in freezer bag with lime juice, tequila, garlic, salt, and pepper. Close bag securely; freeze.

Serving Day Instructions:
Thaw beef and marinade completely. In heavy skillet, saute onion in oil for 2 minutes. Add green pepper strips and cook for 2 more minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain marinade and discard. Grill beef or stir-fry in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly stir beef and vegetables together in skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Fill warmed tortillas with beef and vegetables. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole as desired.

** For chicken fajitas, substitute 4 boneless chicken breasts for the beef.

Honey Pork Chops

Here's another freezer meal. You can make it tonight, or make a few bags of this and stick them in the freezer for those nights when you don't have much time!

6 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce
Dash of pepper

Cooking Day Instructions:
Place all ingredients except pork chops in bowl and mix thoroughly. Place pork chops and blended mixture in freezer bag. Seal securely; freeze.

Serving Day Instructions:
Thaw completely. Place pork chops and marinade in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours, turning pork chops occasionally while baking. Pork chops may also be grilled.

Chicken Cacciatore

Here's another freezer meal. You can make it tonight, or make a few bags of this and stick them in the freezer for those nights when you don't have much time!

2 med onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. celery seed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup white wine
6 boneless chicken breasts

Cooking Day Instructions:
Mix together onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, herbs, and wine. Place this mixture together with chicken breasts in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible & seal; freeze.

Serving Day Instructions:
Place in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 2.5-4 hours. Serve over pasta.

Buttermilk Herb Chicken Breasts

Here's another freezer meal. You can make it tonight, or make a few bags of this and stick them in the freezer for those nights when you don't have much time!

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 T. honey
1/2 T. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried sage
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
4 boneless chicken breasts

Cooking Day Instructions:
Mix together buttermilk with mustard, honey, and seasonings. Place chicken breasts in freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken breasts. Remove as much air as possible & seal; freeze.

Serving Day Instructions:
Thaw chicken, discarding marinader. Grill over medium heat until chicken is tender and juices run clear.

Sauteed Chicken w/ Tangy Tomato Sauce

This low-fat chicken recipe uses red wine vinegar to add some bite to the homemade tomato sauce without all the added sugar of canned sauce. If you're looking for what to do with the leftover tomato paste, check out Nikki's tip below!

2 Tbs flour
½ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb. total)
2 tsp olive oil
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup 99% fat-free chicken broth, low-sodium
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried rosemary

1
In a low wide bowl, combine flour, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off the excess. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil until hot but not smoking over medium-heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Set aside.

2
Add scallions and garlic to pan and cook until scallions are softened, about 1 minute. Add vinegar, increase heat to high and cook until slightly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, plus remaining ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil, add chicken, reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Divide chicken and sauce among 4 bowls and serve.

Mom-to-Mom Tip: Tomato Paste

I always have leftover tomato paste when I need it for a recipe. On TV food shows I've seen it come in tubes, which makes it easy for "leftover" storage; however, in my grocery stores they only sell it in the cans. Even if I buy the smallest can, I still only need 1-2 tablespoons at a time. If I put the rest in tupperware in my fridge, I usually forget about it the next time I need some tomato paste. It just seems like so much waste! So... here's my great tip! Drop the leftover tomato paste by tablespoons in between two pieces of wax paper and put in the freezer (make sure it's flat). Once it freezes, you can put the "drops" into a freezer bag together. When you need tomato paste for a recipe, just take out how many tablespoons you need and drop it in the pot!

Grilled Lemon-Mustard Chicken

This chicken has a super-easy marinade. Make it ahead of time and stick it in the freezer for a quick meal! It was so delicious and turned out so tender! Give it a try!

MARINADE:

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbs minced lemon zest
¼ cup dijon mustard
½ tsp EACH of the following chopped herbs: thyme, oregano and parsley
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely cracked pepper

CHICKEN:
4 whole large skinless, boneless chicken breasts

lemon slices, parsley and fresh herbs for garnish

Directions:

Combine marinade ingredients in a large freezer ziploc baggie. Mix well.

Add chicken breasts to baggie and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and grill 3 inches from heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side.

Place on individual plates or on a platter surrounded by parsley sprigs, lemon slices and fresh herb leaves.

Italian-Inspired Vegetable Soup

This is chock-full of veggies and really delicious! My 2 year old wasn't interested, but my husband, 10 mo. and I all loved it! I served it for dinner and topped it with a little Parmesan cheese. Oh, and the great news: one serving is zero WW points (without the cheese)!

Ingredients
2 cup(s) escarole, chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
2 cup(s) spinach, baby leaves
2 small zucchini, cubed
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), chopped
1 medium fennel bulb(s), thinly sliced
6 cup(s) chicken broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 small crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp thyme, fresh, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

* Put escarole, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, fennel, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

* Stir in salt, black pepper, and parsley. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Cheesy Chili-Mac

This was delicious! It was a bit on the spicy side-- and I even left out the green chili peppers! Both of my boys (including my 10 mo. old) gobbled it up, but you might want to use regular tomatoes if your kids aren't into spicy foods.

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2/3 pound(s) raw extra lean ground beef
2 medium onion(s), chopped
29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style (undrained)
2 1/2 cup(s) canned tomato juice
4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked macaroni, elbow
31 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

* Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off fat.

* Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes including juice, tomato juice, chili peppers and chili powder; bring mixture to a boil.

* Stir in macaroni and beans; return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon chili into bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Yields about 1 cup of chili and 1 tablespoon of cheese per serving.