Category: Leftovers/ Freezer Meals

One Pot Lasagna

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal, Pasta

Hey there guys! I posted this recipe a while back, but I always make changes to it each time. This was the easiest one yet. Not only is it easy, it is such a huge time saver to cook lasagna, one of our families favorites. Since school is starting back soon, I thought I would get back to sharing more recipes to help out busy families like mine. This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge so that if everyone is eating at different times for different reasons (cheer and clubs, I am looking at you), they can scoop out some and zap it in the microwave. Here is how I made it this time…

Preheat oven to 375. I browned some Italian ground sausage (use ground beef or go meatless) with about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a little bit of garlic powder and onion powder. I mixed one jar of spaghetti sauce, 1 can tomato sauce, and one can of diced tomatoes. I broke up a package of par baked lasagna noodles and mixed them in to the sauce, plus a can of water to make sure the noodles were all covered.
My husband does not like ricotta, but if I had my way, I would add in a couple dollops of ricotta as well as top with my heavy hand of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Everyone scooped out their serving, topped with more Parm, and enjoyed a nice big slice of garlic toast (white bread with a butter and garlic powder baked in the oven for about 8 minutes). Enough leftovers so I don’t have to cook one night soon 😉

Fridge Raid- Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry

Asian, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pantry Raid, Seafood

Alright guys. So I took what I had in the fridge and used it to make a yummy dinner. The other day I ordered some Shrimp Fried Rice, and they gave me enough for 3 meals. I had 1/3 of those meals, so I had plenty of leftovers. I took it out of the fridge just ready to warm it up, then I had some thoughts. What if I add more veggies? What if I add more sauce? What if I actually used a wok and turned on the stove? I listened to those thoughts.

First I gathered all my ingredients…

I took 1/3 a bag of frozen broccoli and 1/3 a bag of mixed veggies. I stir-fried them in a wok with 3 tablespoons of peanut oil until they defrosted and started to cook and get a little brown.

Then I added the fried rice and a little bit of Teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, Hoisin sauce, ground ginger, and fish sauce. I didn’t really measure. I just eyeballed it and tasted it as I went along. I cooked until combined and the everything was heated through. I did not want to over cook the already cooked shrimp.

Then I put some in a pretty bowl and devoured every bite! One more serving left for tomorrow! Maybe I can transform that in to something else? Who knows!

Weekly Meal Plan 8/12

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Weekly Meal Plans

Surprise! It is back on! It has to be. This past week when the hubby was out of town and it was my first week back at school, cooking didn’t really happen. At least in the summer, I can cook up an omelet or something. I had plenty of tomato sandwiches and bowls of cereal. I was used to lazy cooking, because that is summer cooking to me.

Now that school and activities are back in session, there is no time for tons of cooking time or even going out to dinner. I am going to do my best to eliminate fast food and take out most nights. I know that is a big challenge, but I want to get back in the kitchen more and at the end of the day save money and spend time with everyone. With 2 girls on different practice schedules, it will be hard! I want to cook and sit with both and talk to them and ask about how their day went, even if that means they are scarfing down a bowl of pasta while I am doing dishes. Here is my meal plan for this week plus a few ideas for leftovers. I usually cook 3-4 times a week during the school year. 1 night we go out and the other 2 days are leftovers. Any ideas you have for leftovers?

Crock Pot Pork Butt– BBQ Pork Sandwiches with baked beans (Grilled Pork and Cheese Quesadillas)

Rotisserie Chicken from the Store- Chicken Alfredo Pasta (Oven Roasted Chicken and Cheese Melt Sandwiches)

Crock Pot Turkey Sausage Chili (heat in microwave and enjoy again) This recipe except I added corn and only used kidney beans and pinto beans.

Leftover Chinese- Crispy Fried Rice

Asian, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pantry Raid

Summer is finally upon us! As a teacher and a mom who loves spending the summer with my kids, I am super excited that the school year is over. Now we can kick back and relax and get back to the lazy days of summer. I still have a few teacher meetings to go to this summer, but it’s not going to be that bad!

A few days ago was the last day of school, so the last thing I really wanted to do was cook dinner. We decided to order out Chinese food. I ordered the veggie fried rice with extra broccoli and my husband ordered spicy basil chicken. The girls gobbled up all the Edamame, wonton soup, and fried potstickers.

Today was a lazy day where we woke up on the late side (9:30 instead of 6:30), went to the farmers market, and had lots of samples and iced coffee and smoothies. The girls also downed an e ntire container of raspberries and half a loaf of cinnamon sugar bread.

I took all the Chinese leftovers (veggie fried rice and basil chicken), mixed them with one egg and about a cup of breadcrumbs. I only had regular breadcrumbs, but Panko would work. Then in a hot pan with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, I fried up this big pancake. You can make little ones, but this is lazy cooking summer! Plus it’s just me eating it, so any extra leftovers will go to my best friend Brutus 😉

I added a bit of yum yum sauce to my bowl for the sauce. Delicious!!!