The King and I Power Cook...

There are a few things I love more than being productive and efficient. It's a sickness, really. I am that girl that really does have a list for every day with items that I check off. Even my "stay in bed all day" days are on a list that I check. Because then I feel productive instead of lazy.

Welcome to my crazy...sit down... enjoy the show. Hashtags welcome. 

So, this was my last weekend at home before heading back to work (cue the sad music) so I wanted to make sure that we got stuff done. And we did... Saturday we hit the pool, took naps, played at the park and enjoyed a fun relaxing family day. So, on Sunday... it.was.ON. Meaning, we actually got stuff done. Welcome to Power Cooking: the King and I. 

Ryan headed to grocery store super early on Sunday morning to get all of our weekly groceries plus what we needed for this session. I just realized that I have never included the entire recipes from our cooking sessions, so as an added bonus today, I attempted to make some cute recipe cards that you can pin or print out. (I made them in PicMonkey and formatted them to be a 5/x7). (I think). 

We picked our favorite recipes from our previous PC sessions which include:

1. Turkey Tetrazzini - We love this one and it "freezes beautifully" (seriously, if you know that quote then PLEASE leave it in the comments!). We serve it with broccoli or asparagus and crunchy french bread. 

2. Crunchy Ranch Chicken Tenders - The kids LOVE this. And, Radley was a HUGE help making it this time. He helped dredge and coat all the chicken which cut my time in half. He also insistent on keeping our cooking space clean. He is mine. All mine. :) We serve this with baked beans, mac and cheese, and they also make a yummy sandwich. 

Those two recipes are from my go-to Southern Living cook book. Order this... tons of great recipes inside!

3.  Sloppy Joe's - My kids LOVE sloppy joe's... like eat it with a spoon. I use an old family recipe that requires the skilled technique of no measurement. Brown 2 lbs of ground beef. Add, salt, pepper, ketchup, BBQ, Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little mustard. Once that is all mixed in, cover with water and cook until you are content with the amount of "sloppy". (I didn't make a card for this one, because there are no measurements. It felt weird.)

4. Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos - I've posted these a few times...they are so stinking good, so easy and so QUICK when it's time to eat. I love that they are the healthier version of a frozen food staple and that you can mix anything in them. We usually do a kid version and adult version, but our kids seem to be digging some cilantro lately, so we left it in. I serve with sliced avocado, black beans, spanish rice. Family favorite for sure. 

5. Stroganoff - Our friend, Jennifer, has made this for nearly every power cooking session we've had... and basically because Ryan would cry if she didn't. He LOVES this stuff and you will, too. I asked her if I could share and she said yes but only if I credited Joy... so Joy, my husband (and his tummy) thank you!

After all was said and done, we had 3 casseroles, 30+ taquitos, 25 tenders, 2 bags of sloppy joes, and 2 bags of stroganoff. 

That's roughly 15 dinners for us. We spent $150 which equals $10/meal and roughly $2/person. 

Now go forth. Be powerful. Cook. 

Power Cooking...

So besides being crafty this weekend, I also got busy in the kitchen! I stuck with two "go to" people pleasing recipes but they were both new in our PC line up. 

Up first...

Poppyseed Chicken

Ingredients: Frozen chicken breasts (2 five pound bags),  4 cans cream of mushroom soup, 4 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 large sour cream (don't worry...I didn't use it all), croutons (crushed) , poppyseed

Note: I am NOT a measurer. I found a recipe to PSC a long time ago and have adapted it a million times over. This is just what I "eyeballed" would make the amount that we needed. Sorry! 

 

Mix ingredients together

Place 3-4 frozen CBs in storage bag and scoop mixture over. Freeze. When ready to serve, thaw overnight and place in crockpot on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice and enjoy! 

I also made meatballs, but since everyone has their own favorite recipe for these italian delights, I'll save you that write-up. I made about 7 pounds for 3 families which gave us each 2 bags of meatballs. I just bought a variety of tomato sauce (I feel guilty just typing that) and placed the meatballs in a storage bag and poured the sauce on top. Freeze and when ready to serve, thaw overnight, place in crockpot on low for 6 hours. We are making meatball subs tonight so I'll let you know how they turned out!

 When we were finished we had 13 meals. Each family spent ~$80. So my favorite part:

$240 total/3 families = $80/13 meals = $6.15/4 servings/meal = $1.53/serving!!! 

With all my power cooking this summer I now have 22 delicious meals waiting for me!

Industrial Strength Power Cooking...

It has been a while since I have blogged about power cooking; which means that I have had to prepare meals with nothing in my freezer to assist for a while now. 

This is how our freezer looked this morning...

Doesn't it just look sad? 

Only one way to fix that...POWER COOKING! And power cooking, we did! I got to cook with Cindy (the Hot Mess Momma) and Jessica (missed you JFo and Krista!!). Jessica is the Chapter Advisor to one of our sororities on campus and was lovely enough to let us use the kitchen in the sorority house. 

Let me just tell you that power cooking is amazing when you have industrial EVERYTHING! :)

So, on my menu today?

1.  Turkey Tetrazzini 

2. Sloppy Joes

Most people have a recipe for Sloppy Joes. Ours calls for BBQ sauce, ketchup, worcestershire, mustard, garlic, and onion. Brown your meat (we used ground turkey and it's delicious) and then add your ingredients. No real measurements just add until you like the flavor. The key is to cover the mixture with water and then let it cook out. 

Place in freezer bags and then when you are ready to eat; thaw. heat. eat. repeat. :)

3. Sweet Pulled Pork

This was a new one for me. Well, I have made this pulled pork a ton of times and absolutely LOVE it...but I have never tried freezing it, so I hope it turns out okay. 

STEP 1: Gather ingredients: Garlic powder, onion powder, BBQ sauce of choice, frozen onion, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and Dr. Pepper. The title is "sweet BBQ"

STEP 2: Mix ingredients. (With cute little su chef as an assistant). Now, here is where I must confess. As a "cook" I don't really measure and usually only follow instructions the first time around. BUT, I will say I make a pretty tasty dish and have had no complaints yet. 

Today, I used these measurements:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 medium onion - chopped 

12 oz Dr. Pepper

Remaining ingredients "to taste" :)

You want this to be liquidity since it will be in a crock pot and the meat will absorb the juices. I added enough BBQ sauce to give it the consistency of crepe mix. 

STEP 3: Taste. Radley didn't like the garlic. :)

STEP 4: If you are making this without freezing: place plain pork loin in crock pot; pour mixture over. Cook on low 4-5 hours. If you are freezing: place plain pork loin in zip lock bag; pour mixture over. Freeze. Thaw overnight and place in crock pot; cook on low 4-5 hours.

This made about 4 cups of "sauce" which covered 4 pounds of pork. If you freeze and think you need more liquid, then add your favorite BBQ to the mix.

I prepped the BBQ and Sloppy Joes (thanks, Mom) at the house before heading to "THE HOUSE" to cook.

The HMM and Jessica were already in action...

Seriously. New plan: build home. Have GIANT kitchen. Cook. 

Even doing dishes was fun!

When we were done we each had 13 meals to take home and enjoy!

2 Sweet pulled pork, 3 Turkey Tetrazzini, 2 pounds Sloppy Joes, 2 Mealoaves, 2 Firecracker Casseroles, 1 Chicken Enchilada, 1 Brisket, 1 Ham and Hash Casserole....

Totaling to $2.29/person/meal. AMAZING!!! :)

Our math: $268 total spent/39 meals (13 x 3 families)/ 3 people per meal = $2.29

Some new tips: 

1. Again. Frozen onions are a girls best friend. 

2. Make friends with a sorority advisor. Use their kitchen! (Seriously can't thank you enough, Jessica)

3. Laugh. A lot. We just have so much fun doing while we are "working" that it doesn't seem like work at all. 

4. Double bag. I know that it says "freezer bags" but somehow air gets in there and can cause freezer burn -- better safe than sorry. 

5. Spread the love! Don't use all your meals in one month! We like to use about 1-2 per week so that they last until the next PC session. 

6. Make the meals work for you! Cindy makes a killer meatloaf that can also work as meatballs or "bundles" (may do a whole post on my obsession with "bundling" food). So, I put on of the loaves in a ziplock to use as it works for us. 

7. Keep your cooking partners updated: If you cook a meal and think it needs something or discover the cooking time is off make sure to send a quick email letting them know!

8. Gladware. Seriously - buy some of this to use for the casseroles. It is oven safe and can be used again. and again. Don't throw it out!!

That's all we got this time! Happy cooking! 

Power Cooking for the Fall...

We had a jam packed weekend filled with a birthday celebration for Jeremy, a bridal shower for sweet Kerri Tuley (can NOT believe she's getting married... she's supposed to be 17 years old), a run to the library, grocery shopping and the new American past-time Power Cooking!!

This version of PC was a bit more difficult because the crew of 4 each had to do it at our own houses. We all apparently lead crazy, busy lives and couldn't find a time to meet, socialize and cook. **Note: NEVER try to do this alone if it's your first time... you will go crazy. I suffered about 2 panic attacks on Sunday and I'm a pro!**

I made three dishes this time, Turkey Tetrazzini, Chicken Ranch Tenders and Chicken Spaghetti. You can see the first two recipes here.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1 medium onion diced

2 cans diced tomato with oregano, basil and onion (undrained)

2 cups diced chicken

8 oz spaghetti

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

5 oz Velveeta cheese

I quadrupled the recipe to make 4 casseroles with 6 servings each.

Step 1: Gather ingredients

Step 2: Chop bell peppers

Step 3: Saute bell pepper and onion (once again I just used frozen chopped onions)

Step 4: Add canned tomatoes and worcestershire; bring to a boil and cook 8 minutes. Meanwhile cook spaghetti according to package directions

Step 5: Mix ingredients and place in baking dish. Cover and freeze! When ready to eat thaw overnight and bake at 35o degrees until heated through.

Ryan and Emmy helped me get stuff together this time...

We had food EVERYWHERE!

This is what each family got from the Kings!

All together each family received 17 meals and one side of twice baked potatoes for the low low cost of $5.88/meal!! ISN'T THAT AMAZING!?!?!

We are making big batch soups in November so if you have a yummy recipe send it my way!!

Power Cooking

Power cooking may sound awful to some, but to me and some friends, it is a lifesaver! About once every 3 months we each select 2-3 recipes to prepare in mass quantity. We then get together to "power cook" and assemble meals that we freeze. It is so nice to be able to just grab something out of the freezer the night before a busy day and then come home from work, pop something in the oven and have a fully cooked meal 30 minutes later!!

My two recipes are sooooo yummy! They are out of Southern Living's Easy Week Night Favorites for Busy Moms!

Recipe One: Turkey Tetrazzini...

Assemble ingredients... check.

Cube 4 pounds honey smoked turkey.... check.

Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic... resist temptation to eat.... check (kind of).

Mix everything in one large bowl.... check.

Note... first time we've used this bowl since we got it for our wedding! I knew we registered for it for a reason!!

Assemble in 8x8 casserole pans. Each family got 3 casseroles from this recipe. Yum!

Recipe Two: Crunchy Ranch Chicken Tenders...

Assemble ingredients... check.

And yes, the "crunchy ranch" is cool ranch flavored chips.

Get much needed assistance from 3 su chefs... check.

Allow su chefs celebratory run through kitchen... check.

Assemble tenders and bake... check.

This delightful recipe gave each family 2 nights worth of tenders.

These suckers are yummy!!

Bag, label and separate meals... check.

After all was said and done, each family received 18 home-cooked, mostly nutritious meals. Total cost? $6.16/meal with 4 servings/meal... the perfect amount for each of us. Incredible, right??!? I'm sure it sounds crazy to some, but this is a fun way to save money and do something good not just for yourself, but for your family.

Tips on power cooking...

1. Do it with friends that have similar family sizes as you so recipes can be divided with ease

2. Pick a 3-4 hour time period to prepare and assemble meals

3. Recipes with a lot of canned goods can be time consuming simply because you have so many cans to open

4. Go generic!! Remember, this isn't just about making your life easier, but saving money. Green beans are green beans, so set aside that urge to buy green giant and get the store brand. (I do draw the line on dairy products and meats :))

5. Don't be afraid to try something new... if you don't like it then you don't have to make it again. AND... it's always good to have food in the freezer for a friend in need.

6. Let your kids join in... they get a kick out of cooking!

7. You can start prepping the night before if you need to chop vegetables, etc...

8. Meat with your cooking partners once before the "cook day" to go over recipes and ingredients. That way if everyone needs the same item, you can buy in bulk.

9. Frozen chopped onions are a girls best friend

10. Have fun!!!

This was a great way to start off a long weekend filled with tons of activities. We had a great Memorial Day Weekend... more to come on our adventures!