Prepping for the New Baby

Yesterday, my mother-in-law, Betsy, took Ollie all day. My one assignment--rest. Well, resting is hard at this stage in the game. My nesting instincts have hit an all time high and since I'm not in my own house, I can't do much preparing so I decided it was a good day to prepare freezer meals, 1- to be exact. I love to cook and I rarely (I don't think at all since Ollie came to be) get to spend the whole day cooking. I made Chicken Kiev, Shepherd's Pie, Stuffed Shells and Chili, all of which are now sitting in my father-in-law's freezer just waiting to be moved to my new house. I also made S'mores bar. For all you soon-to-be mamas, I thought I might include some of my freezer recipes here for you!

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1T Worchester sauce

1-2T flour

2t thyme

1 can beef broth salt and pepper

1 bag frozen veggies

approximately 2 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the turkey. While cooking add the worchester sauce, salt and pepper and the thyme. Once browned add the flour and stir in the broth. Layer in the bottom of a narrow cake pan (I use a smaller than regular one). Layer the frozen veggies on next and then top with mashed potatoes (I make real mashed potatoes). Top the tators with cheese and freeze. (when time to cook, place in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.)

Stuffed Shells

about 12 cooked large pasta shells

1 16 oz container of ricotta cheese

1 8oz bag/container of shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2cup of milk (whole or evaporated)

1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 egg

2 garlic clove minced- separate

1 medium yellow onion chopped- reserve about 1/4 of it

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 T Olive Oil

1/4 cup of butter

2 T of Flour

Heat the Olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion. Sauté until translucent. Add garlic until fragrant. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix the ricotta, 1 egg and about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese together. Add the spinach mix. Stir well. Stuff the cooled shells and place into a baking dish. Pour the spaghetti sauce over them. in a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the onion and garlic. You may also add salt and pepper to taste. Add the flour and stir well. It should be like a thick paste. Now slowly stir in the milk until it is creamy. Add the about 1/2 of the remaining cheese and stir until it is melted. Pour over the shells. Sprinkle with cheese and freeze. When you bake, cover with tin foil, bake for 45min (or until bubbly) at 350.

Chili

1 green pepper

1 med onion- chopped

1 T or more chili powder (try Penzy Med-hot!)

1 T cumin

Pepper

1 lb of ground turkey (or beef if you prefer)

1 can chili beans

1 can Rotel

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

1 15 oz can of whole tomatoes

Brown the turkey with the medium onion. Add pepper, chili powder and cumin. Mix in your cans and add your green peppers. Allow to simmer for a couple hours. Cool and freeze. Thaw and reheat later!

Rockin' S'More Bars

Go to: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/rockin-smore-bars-920554/