You have a great ally in your kitchen that isn’t just for ice cream. That extension of your pantry called your freezer won’t only help you stay away from having fast food every other night but you’ll eat right every night. When you prepare double or even triple recipes and freeze portions for later means you don’t have to cook every night to have a delicious and nutritious meal on the table. So, here are three meals you can freeze up to four months. Enjoy!
Taco Spinach and Sweet Potato Egg Bake Recipe
Ingredients
3 small (12 oz) sweet potatoes, coarsely grated
6 large eggs or 3 large eggs + 1 cup egg whites (my choice)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, ground
One and half tsp taco seasoning, all natural
1/2 cup any milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1/2 cup any cheese, shredded (I used full fat white cheddar)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp jalapeno, seeded & minced (for kid friendly I used 1/2 tbsp)
2 handfuls of baby spinach
Cooking spray
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.*
In a large mixing bowl add eggs, salt, pepper, taco seasoning and whisk for 30 seconds. Add milk, cheese, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno peppers and whisk to combine.
Add sweet potatoes and spinach, mix, transfer to prepared baking dish and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve hot, warm or cold.
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 – 4 months.
Vegetable Samosas with Mint Chutney
This dish uses left over mashed potatoes in a big batch of Indian-inspired snacks—good for parties.
Ingredients
CHUTNEY:
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
One tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
One teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
SAMOSAS:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup shredded carrot
2/3 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Two teaspoons mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
One cup leftover mashed potatoes
8 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare chutney, combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process 1 minute or until smooth. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cover and refrigerate.
3. To prepare samosas, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Also, add carrot, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, mustard seeds, garam masala, and salt; cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes; remove from heat.
4. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, cut each sheet lengthwise into 3 (3 x 14-inch) strips, and coat with cooking spray. (Cover remaining phyllo dough to keep from drying.) Spoon 1 tablespoon potato mixture onto 1 end of each strip. Fold 1 corner of phyllo dough over mixture, forming a triangle; keep folding back and forth into a triangle to end of strip. Place triangles, seam sides down, on a baking sheet. Brush triangles with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature with chutney.
Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti recipe
Use turkey sausage and other lower fat ingredients keep the number of calories down in this family-friendly Italian dish.
Ingredients
10 uncooked manicotti
Cooking spray
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
One and half cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Two tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Newman’s Own)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Return pan to heat; bring to a boil. Cook 6 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in black pepper. Add 1/2 cup milk mixture to sausage mixture; stir well.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Spoon about 1/3 cup sausage mixture into each manicotti; arrange manicotti in a single layer in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella over manicotti; spread remaining milk mixture evenly over mozzarella. Top milk mixture with pasta sauce, spreading to cover. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.
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