Category: Leftovers/ Freezer Meals

Leftover Loving- Cheesy Chicken, Tomato, and Pea Orzo

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta

Hey friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope you have had a great 1st week of July! This week I am in another professional development class. It is the 2nd one of the summer working on my teacher Coach Endorsement. It has been an amazing experience so far, and I’m looking forward to all the work I have to do in the future to become a better teacher leader and coach!

So on the way home from class, I stopped by Publix and picked up a rotisserie chicken, some fresh prepared mashed potatoes, and a bag of Steam-fresh  peas. Fast and easy dinner on a tired Tuesday night! So when I was cleaning the dishes, I got the idea to cut up the leftover chicken (one breast), peas, some cherry tomatoes from my garden, a shallot from the farmer’s market, and a 1/2 cup of orzo pasta and make a dish for lunch this week. So simple…

First I boiled some salted water in a large pot. I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and diced the shallot. I added them to a med. hot pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I dropped my orzo in the boiling water.  I cooked the veggies and the pasta about the same time, 6 minutes. Then I added the chicken, peas, and pasta to the tomatoes and garlic. I added 2 spoonfuls of pasta water plus 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of  diced fresh mozzarella cheese. Mix well and add chopped parsley to the top. So yummy!

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Leftover Loving- Chicken Friand

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Party Time

Is the weekend over already? We had a great day…slept in, ate bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, had pajama day until it was time to put on bathing suits for the pool, ate Jimmy John’s at the pool, swam for hours, read, went to the store (ALONE!), and made and ate a delicious dinner.

Last week I made this…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/06/11/creamy-mushroom-chicken-with-skillet-green-beans-and-rice-with-pine-nuts/

So I took the leftover chicken and made this family hit. One of the biggest hits on this blog and on my Pinterest account. This would also be great for a dinner party. Everyone can get their own…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/07/16/chicken-friand/

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Clean Out the Fridge- Veggie Pasta

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Evening guys! Hope everyone is having a spectacular week! 8 more days of school!!!! Monday night I made pasta with some leftover sausage and mushrooms and a random jar of marinara I spied in the cabinet. Something kind of like this, except with jarred sauce…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/30/spaghetti-with-mushroom-and-meat-sauce/
I have to say that whole wheat pasta is slowly becoming a family favorite. No one really notices the difference! I can eat just enough to fill me up and still feel great all during my yoga class.

Tonight the hubby made some fish sticks and fries. I had him time it so they would be ready when I got home from my Zumba class. There were not very many fish sticks, so I heated up a couple of veggie burgers in a pan while I cooked the Steam-fresh frozen corn. The girls gobbled up their dinner. Success!

As I was cleaning the kitchen, I decided to make something for lunch using some things in the fridge; leftover spaghetti, sliced mushrooms, an onion, a bag of snow peas, leftover corn, sun-dried tomatoes, and some pine nuts.

So I cooked the mushrooms and onions for about 10 minutes. Then I added the snow peas and corn.
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Then I added the pasta and mixed it up with the sun dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. I topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Delish! 002

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Leftover Pasta; Take 2…

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta

Last week I made this…002
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/03/12/blog-catch-up-pork-pasta-pasta/

Tonight I warmed it up and added sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and more cheese (Parmesan and mozzarella). So yummy! I love turning leftovers in to something different.

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Enchiladas Two Ways- Carnivores and Vegetarians Unite!

Beef, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Mexican, Vegetarian

So this morning I got up and got ready for work. I went to wake up the girls. Becca got up and started getting ready. Katie was still sleeping, which is unusual for her. She usually pops out of bed and gets ready faster than Becca, so I went in to check on her. She was still sound asleep. I bent down to wake her up and she was burning up. Poor baby! So I let her sleep in and got Becca on the bus. After she woke up, her fever had broken and she seemed a bit better. She has had a cough and runny nose the last couple of days, so I ended up taking her to the doctor to get checked out. Turns out she has a pretty gross sinus infection; after getting some meds, we came home and rested and snuggled for a bit on the couch. Then we went to pick up Becca and they ended up playing together outside. I sat outside and read a book while they played. It was a nice afternoon.

For dinner I planned on making beef enchiladas. Then I saw that I had an extra can of refried beans in the pantry, so I ended up making bean and cheese enchiladas as well. Both of these were super easy to make. Nothing fancy or any extra veggies; just strait up beef and beans. Oh, and lots of cheese, of course!

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8-12 tortillas (corn or flour)
shredded cheese-Mexican Blend-
Enchilada Sauce

Directions
Add your seasoning to the beef as you cook it. Add about 1/2 cup water over the heat until it absorbs, about 5 minutes. Cool.
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beef and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese…
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 can refried beans
6-8 tortillas(corn or flour)
shredded cheese-Mexican Blend-
Enchilada Sauce

Directions
Heat oven to 350
Spray pan with non-stick spray
Put a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Make your enchiladas- fill with spoonful of beans and cheese
Add enchilada sauce on top followed by lots of cheese
Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Plenty of leftovers in the freezer for another meal!