May Freezer Meal: Italian Beef, Giardiniera, Oven Fries, and Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

Flash freeze the mini pies in 2 muffin tins

Our freezer meal exchange in May was awesome as usual! I hosted this time and we had a Friday night pitch-in instead of our normal Saturday afternoon meet-up because we were leaving to visit our family in Illinois that weekend. We usually meet on the 1st weekend of the month so that helps keep us on track for planning purposes.

The way it works is that each participating family makes 5 meals for the swap and then we bring them in coolers to exchange, packed and already frozen. We give a brief overview of the meal and how to tweak it if needed and prepare it. We share our recipes and cooking instructions in our private Facebook group. The meals we prepare are healthy and if it contains meat, it is locally sourced and natural. Most of us make 6 meals and so we can keep one for our own family. That leaves you with 6 prepared meals from the freezer for an entire month, which is awesome!

May Freezer Meal Exchange Menus:

• Erin - Frozen Breakfast Burritos (microwave from freezer), Guacamole, and banana bread
• Sarah - Broccoli and Chicken casserole, bread slices, and Chocolate Chip Bars
• Katie - Vegetarian Cheese Pasta, Baked Peas with Water Chesnuts, and Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
• Ann - Marinated Chicken for Grilling, Peas and Corn with Thyme Butter, and Smores Bars
• Rachel - Mini Meatloaves, Herb Roasted Carrot and Potatoes, and Strawberry muffins
• Amanda - Italian Beef Sandwiches, Homemade Giardiniera, Oven Fries, and Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

We had 6 families participate so that means everyone goes home with 5 different meals, plus the one that they made at home. The day after the swap, we had that long drive to Megan and Todd's house so I heated the breakfast burritos and they were delicious.

Amazing Meals for May

Italian Beef stores well inside the tins and a gallon Zip Loc to protect.

If you're going to make my meal, here's the additional details.

• Italian Beef (from Cooking Light) - I bought 6 pounds of rump roast and cooked them in 2 large slow cookers. It made enough for 7 meals. I shredded the beef with and placed them in the tins with reserved cooking liquid to store in the tins. I bought loaves of bread from Costco and wrapped them for the freezer.
• Homemade Giardiniera - was easy and so good! After living in Chicago, I love this spicy veggie condiment. You can store it for 2-3 weeks in the fridge in a glass mason jar. I saved small glass pimento jars from another meal and used that to share with the families for the exchange. It makes enough for a quart jar.
• Oven Fries: These came out a bit crispy, which Aaron loved. But you may want to cut back on the cooking time when you're reheating.
• Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies (from the Pioneer Woman): I used the Trader Joe's cookies instead of Oreos and their House Whip instead of Cool Whip to avoid the hydrogenated oils in both. This recipe makes 24 muffin tin sized pies. See picture above. To make into minis, spray muffin tins and bake the crust. Then spread the filling in each muffin. Flash freeze for 1-2 hours. Use a knife to gently pop out and freeze flat in a quart ziploc bag. To defrost, place in a ramekin because they will be messy.

Reheating instructions:

•  Heat oven to 450 degrees. You can reheat the beef from the freezer directly or set it in the fridge overnight. Place the oven fries in the oven for 25-30 (cut back from 30-35) minutes at 450 degrees and place beef tin along side it. Place frozen bread in the last 10 minutes.
• Slice bread to make sandwiches and serve with giardiniera.

The Easy Way to Cook Dried Beans

One of the best budget-friendly protein sources that I can think of is dried beans. You can buy dried beans in the packages or bulk bins at the grocery store for next to about $1.99 per lb. You can of course buy cans of beans since they are convenient for quick meals on the fly, but dried stretches your dollars further because dried beans expand to about double in size when cooked and it's much more green friendly because of less packaging and processing.

I have many childhood memories sorting pinto beans and smelling them cooking on the stovetop. My mom added bacon slices, onion and garlic as she cooked them on the stove and it smelled amazing. I've found an easy way for cooking dried beans to fit into my hectic lifestyle without slaving away in the kitchen.

I soaked these pinto beans on Friday overnight, then cooked them in the slower cooker on Saturday during the day. I used the cooked beans on Saturday night for vegetarian chili and Sunday night for homemade refried beans (frijoles). More on the refried beans later...

Why eat beans and legumes? Beans are packed with protein, fiber, and iron. As recent vegetarians, Aaron and I have been eating more beans than ever and they are very filling and tasty. Beans are so versatile and can be made into patties (Falafel), stews, chili, filling for burritos or tacos, or plain on a salad for protein. Beans are great combined with whole grains like brown rice, barley or quinoa. Our favorites are chickpeas (for curries, soups, hummus) and pinto (in the picture) for burritos, chili, and tacos. We also like kidney for soups (minestrone) and black beans for enchiladas, chili and burrito filling. We love Lentil Stew served over brown rice. The possibilities are endless!

Cooking dried beans is super easy. If you plan ahead you can save money and time for future meals. Store your dried beans in a sealed container in the pantry, marking the type of bean and the date that you bought them. The easiest way to cook dried beans is to do it in batches, then use the beans for multiple meals. The slow cooker is energy efficient and easy.

Step 1: Soak Overnight
With dried beans, you need to soak them in water to help the cooking process. You need to soak all beans except for lentils, split peas, and black eyed peas.

• First, sort the beans and make sure you don't have any debris.
• Rinse the dried beans in water and drain.
  
• Use a mixing bowl to soak beans overnight in water. Fill the bowl a couple inches above the water.

Step 2: Slow Cook
In the morning, the soaked beans will double in size and most of the water will be absorbed.

• Drain the beans and rinse.
  
• Add the beans to slow cooker with fresh water covering the soaked beans a couple inches above.
  
• No need in adding any seasoning since you can season later. It's better to cook them plain so they will be more versatile for different dishes.
• Cook on Low setting for 8-hours, stirring infrequently and making sure to replenish water, if needed.
  

Step 3: Store
After the beans are cooked, I like to store beans that won't be used that evening for future meals that week.

• Use cooked beans in any dish, any way you like. Use a slotted spoon to use the beans you need for that night.
  
• Keep cooking liquid for some recipes such as refried beans or hummus, according to your recipes.
• Let beans cool, then store in resealable containers for the refrigerator. I've never tried freezing them.
  

That's it! It's really easy!

Slow Cooked, Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

This week, I planned a morning wedding celebration for my coworker and was looking for a breakfast dish that was easy to make in the slow cooker overnight. I thought of oatmeal because of the cooler Fall weather. I got a recipe for Steel Cut Oatmeal from a family friend who learned it from a whole foods cooking class hosted by a doctor's office. She and her husband were very focused on nutrition and wellness and I remember him talking about how much he liked this recipe. So I was glad she shared the recipe because I came home with an empty crockpot. The oats were gone at the end of the party and my coworker thought it tasted more like an apple crisp than a breakfast food! You don't need to add a lot of sugar to these oats because of the natural sugars from the fruit.

Last night, I decided to make another batch for me and Aaron. And I have a slight addiction to oatmeal from the Au Bon Pain cafe in my office building so I'll bring the leftovers to work this week and save a few bucks! Aaron teased me and called it "porridge" but he liked it.

The Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Oats are great for hosting house guests or a busy household with family members that get up at different times of the morning. Today it was so fantastic to get up and grab a bowl of oats while the baby was having a morning nap and I could eat before she woke up. You can put out spoons, bowls, napkins, and toppings for your guests or family to customize their bowls.

Steel cut oats because they are minimally processed have the most fiber and protein than other oat varieties.

Suggested toppings:

• Dried fruit - such as raisins, apricots, cranberries, blueberries.
  
• Sweeteners - brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• Nuts - walnuts, almonds, or pecans
• Fresh fruit - sliced banana, strawberries, or peaches
• Milk
  

Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats: Serves 6-8
You can find steel cut oats in the bulk bin at your local health food store such as Whole Foods (my fav!) or check out the Red Mill brand. They have a package sold at grocery stores nationwide.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steel cut oats
• 8 cups water
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
  
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t0 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 apple, peels left on chopped
• 1 tbs coconut oil

Preparation:

• Preheat slow cooker to Low setting.
• When it's warm, use a the back of a spoon and push coconut oil around the slow cooker including the sides to prevent sticking. It WILL stick! It happened to me the first time I made it and my friend forgot to tell me about that part.
  
• Add oats and purified water. Then add mashed banana and chopped apples. Add in sea salt and spices. Stir.
  
• Cook on Low for 8 hrs.
  
• If you can get up early, stir the oats in the morning and make sure to change the setting to "keep warm" if it looks like you'll need the oats for the late morning.
  
• Serve it up.
  

What's the difference between Steel Cut and Regular Oats? The whole grain is called an Oat Groat. Regular oats are more processed. The grain is sliced thin and flattened into flakes. Steel cut is a coarser type of texture because it's cut in pieces and not flattened. Check out this post comparing the different types of oats. Steel cut oats need to be cooked much longer, which is why the slow cooker is a perfect way to do it!

Berkey Family Tradition: Beef and Homemade Egg Noodles

On my first Christmas with Aaron, his mom made a Berkey traditional meal instead of turkey, Beef and Noodles. Making the meal is a labor of love! The beef is made simply in the slow cooker and the egg noodles are dressed with a beef broth-based gravy and get this, they serve it over mashed potatoes (I'm not a fan of that part). My mother-in-law rolled out the dough for the noodles from scratch and all by hand. This prep was all done the day before and the noodles dried overnight. Aaron's Grandma Berkey made this for her family so my father-in-law grew up having this meal and of course so did Aaron.

Last night, I was channeling this Berkey tradition for a meal that we served to good friends of ours, the Pierce's. Shawn has been taking our family photos so we wanted to repay him for his generosity. I made the noodles with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and the pasta attachment and with the recipe below you don't have to wait for it to dry. I haven't made homemade pasta since we lived in our Chicago condo and I had more space to spread out. I didn't do much involved cooking in our tiny apartment kitchen before we moved to our new house. Aaron's parents gave me the pasta attachment a couple years ago for Christmas and I love it!

BONUS: Baby Ava loved the lull of the sound of the stand mixer going so she fell asleep the entire time. Of course, cooking with a newborn is interesting. I have to do things in stages and get help to finish things sometimes. :)

For last night's dinner, I served the beef on top of the homemade noodles (no gravy or mashed potatoes - don't tell my father-in-law!), roasted asparagus, and baked beans for Jill who doesn't eat meat. When I was rolling out the noodles, Aaron tasted them and said it tasted like "Thanksgiving." Believe me, that's a compliment! Anyway, we all loved the meal, including our friend's 2-yr old who had fun trying the uncooked noodles from the cutter!

Slow Cooked Beef: I put the 2 lb beef roast in the crockpot early in the afternoon with just a few ingredients: Worcestershire sauce, Bragg Liquid Aminos, crushed garlic, Penzey's seasoned pepper, and about 1/2 cup of water. I cooked it on high for about 6 hours. You can buy whatever beef roast at the store that looks good. I like boneless, but the bones will add more flavor. When the meat was in the crockpot, I measured the dry ingredients for the pasta to save time.

Semolina Egg Noodles - serves a crowd

• 3 1/3 cups semolina flour
  
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs olive oil
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water (don't put too much)

Stand Mixer-Assisted Preparation - with my personal tips:

• MIX: Start with paddle and all ingredients in the bowl. Try 1/4 cup of water to start and add more at the end if needed to get the dough to stick in one ball. Run the mixer at 2 for about 1 minute. Then switch to the dough hook. Run mixer at 2 and knead for at least 2 minutes. Watch the mixer because the kneading is forceful and sometimes the bowl will come out of the arms of the mixer. Make sure you form a ball and you may have to use your hands to form the first clump for the dough hook to knead.
  
• ROLL: Lay out 4 long strips of wax paper on the working area. Cut the dough in 8 sections. Remove the bowl and attach the pasta roller and ensure that it's on tight. Hand-flatten the first dough segment and start with the roller on 1. Fold in half and run again on 1, then repeat but only ONCE until you get to 5. Lay the long noodle dough on the wax paper. You will have room for 2 noodle dough strips on each sheet of wax paper layered on top of each other.
  
• CUT: Replace the pasta roller attachment with the wide noodle pasta cutter attachment. Ensure that it's on tight and secure before you start. Place the mixer bowl under the cutter. Cut the dough in 3 sections or preferred length of your noodles. Run each section through the cutter. Every so often lightly coat the noodles with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
  
• COOK: While you're cutting the pasta, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. You will need about 4-5 quarts of hot water. By the time you're finished cutting the pasta, your water should be ready! Cook the pasta in 2 batches so it helps prevent sticking. Fresh pasta cooks in about 2-5 minutes. Place a colander over a dry pot or serving dish. Using a pasta utensil pull out the first batch of pasta from the cooking water. Drain (do not rinse), the pasta and make sure there is no water at the bottom. Add second batch of pasta and cook. Serve the pasta hot!
  

Serve it up! The beef roast will fall apart. It's best if you break up the meat into chucks so people can serve it over the noodles. I had butter on the table to put on the noodles since I didn't make the gravy. It's really simple, but you can use the beef juices to flavor the noodles, too. I like to keep the noodles separate since the recipe makes so much and you can use it for other meals. We served Cake Bread Zinfandel and it was a good compliment to the meal.

It was a great meal and I was thankful to share it with our friends. If you don't have a stand mixer, I highly recommend it! It's well worth the $300 to have a mixer for decades! I use my mixer ALL the time and it's pretty enough to keep on the counter, which makes me want to use it more!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili

Aaron and I love chili and usually I make a quick version on the stove top. Check out my Chicken Chili Verde recipe from last summer for a quick recipe. Two years ago, Aaron gave me a slow cooker for Christmas and it changed my world! Slow cookers make it really easy to prep ahead and then a meal enjoy later while you're busy doing other things. We recently hosted our Chicago friends and I thought it would be easier to make slow cooker chili in and Aaron loved it! This Beef and Bean Chili is really simple so it's a good recipe to serve guests. Cooking chili in the slow cooker lets the flavors to really deepen.

Since he liked it so much, I made it again this Sunday. It's really easy to throw together. In fact, I was able to brown the meat and chop the veggies and get the ingredients in the crock pot in 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon and then we enjoyed the meal that evening. Vegetarians can substitute the ground beef for more beans and veggies. Be careful with delicate veggies (like zucchini) in the slow cooker because they may get overcooked.

Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef, or turkey, or chicken
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 2-16oz cans beans of choice (pinto, kidney, chickpea, black), rinsed and drained
  
• 1-16oz can tomato sauce
• 1-16oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or ground red pepper
• 2-3 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
  

Preparation (20 minutes):

• Preheat a skillet or large pot on medium heat. While waiting for the skillet to heat, open cans of beans and rinse in a colander, drain and set aside.
  
• Chop onions and both peppers, dropping the raw vegetables directly in the slower cooker.
  
• Add cooking spray or a small coating of canola oil to skillet and add ground meat. Add seasonings: chili powder, cumin, oregano, and crushed garlic. Brown the meat in the skillet. Cook until no longer pink (about 8-10 minutes). Add tomato paste and season with 1/4 tsp of salt.
  
• Add cooked meat mixture in the slow cooker with the vegetables. Add beans, tomato sauce, and canned tomatoes. Add 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp salt, and additional chili powder to taste.
  
• Stir ingredients and set slow cooker on LOW setting for 5-6 hours. Stir ingredients occasionally and taste along the way to see if you want more salt or chili seasonings.
• Serve with favorite chili toppings (see below).
  

Suggested Chili Toppings:

• Sour cream
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Lime wedges
• Hot sauce
• Avocado chunks
• Chopped green onions
• Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  

Easy Slow Cooker Lentil Stew Great for Weeknight Entertaining

This month was my turn to host book club. I was really excited because we have just moved into our house and I have missed hosting events. Since we meet on a weeknight, I decided to make a slow cooker meal that would be very easy to serve a large group and cut back on the stress of hosting on a weeknight. Slow cookers are so convenient, energy-efficient, and such a time saver!

Slow Cooker Lentil Stew
Serve with brown rice and top with grated cheese such as Parmesan or sharp cheddar.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried lentils, washed and drained
  
• 4 carrots, diced
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1-14oz can tomato sauce
• 4 cups water (or 2 cups water, 2 cups broth)
  
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
  
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Penzey's Northwoods Fire Seasoning (or smoked paprika, thyme, and cayenne)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation:

• Night before: Fill slow cooker with rinsed lentils, diced onions, carrots, and celery. You can also add dry seasonings if you want. Keep the slow cooker turned off.
  
• Morning: Add wet ingredients - tomato sauce, tomato paste, water/broth, and garlic. Turn on slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
  
• Evening: Stir lentil stew and add more prepared broth to your consistency preference. Keep warm. Prepare brown rice and serve.
  

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Pull Out the Slow Cooker for a Low Maintenance Way to Cook Dried Beans

When I was little, my mom used to make pinto beans from dried on the stove top. They had to be cooked for HOURS and you had to watch it. A couple months ago, I discovered this method of cooking the beans in the slow cooker from reading Cooking Light and now I've taken to the next level.

Beans are very nutritious and have a buttery, earthy flavor. They are high in fiber and are a good source of protein so they are an affordable meat substitute. I like to cook brown rice and keep it on-hand in the refrigerator with the beans, stored in separate containers. If you're working late or busy with the kid's activities, it's very convenient to have a versatile food like cooked beans ready to go.

This method has two, low-maintenance steps:

1. Rinse and soak overnight in water (pictured above)


2. Slow cook on Low for 10 hours, which takes only a few minutes of prep.
   
   Try using cooked black beans for quick tacos with avocado and sour cream, tostadas, on top of brown rice with a bit of cheese, black bean and rice burritos, or as a side dish to grilled meat. Store the beans in a large container (pictured above).

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 cup water
• 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp adobo seasoning
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 bay leaves

Directions:

• Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.


• Combine beans, broth, and remaining ingredients (through chile) in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Serve.