Freezer Meal: Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Stew

Prep Day Ingredients:

• 1 pound sliced mushrooms
• 2 sliced carrots
• 1 sliced celery rib
• 1 diced onion
• 1 can diced tomatoes  <- these typically are 28 oz. Use half a can or a full can. Your choice. I don't want to be stuck with half a can after, so I use the whole thing. 
• 1 cup uncooked barley

Prep Day Directions:

Label an extra large freezer bag with what it is, the Cooking Day Directions (below), and any additional ingredients required (found in the Cooking Day directions.)

Place all the ingredients in the bag, and freeze.

Cooking Day Directions:

Night before, if you remember, take it out of the freezer and leave the bag in a bowl in fridge to slightly thaw overnight.  If you don't remember, just run some lukewarm water over it in the morning (still in bag) to loosen the contents a bit.

Place bag contents in slow cooker, add 8 cups Vegetable Stock, stir, and then cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with whatever you'd like.  My suggestions:

• French or Italian bread
• a dash of Hot Sauce
• a side salad (for the grumbly non-vegetarian types, throw some protein in the salad to make them happy!)
• And of course...a nice glass of red wine  :)

Bon appetit!!!!

Freezer Meal: Slow Cooker Taco Chili

Another crazy-delicious family fave!!!

Prep Day Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked lean ground beef (or chicken or turkey)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can of corn, drained (12 oz can)
• 1 can black beans, drained (19 oz can)
• 1 can navy beans, drained (19 oz can)
• 1 can tomato sauce (398 ml can)
• 2 X 14 oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 X 28 oz can)
• 1 small can diced green chiles (or if you can't find those, I used 215 ml. green Mexican sauce)
• 1 package taco seasoning

Prep Day Directions:

Label an extra large freezer bag with what it is, what to add (if anything), and Cooking Day directions.
Place all the ingredients in the bag, and freeze.

Cooking Day Directions:

Night before, if you remember, take it out of the freezer and leave the bag in a bowl in fridge to slightly thaw overnight.  If you don't remember, just run some lukewarm water over it in the morning (still in bag) to loosen the contents a bit.

Place bag contents in slow cooker, stir, and then cook on low anywhere from 4 to 8 hours (depending on how long your day is and the settings on your crockpot.  Don't worry - you can't over cook this!)

Serve with chopped green onions, shredded cheese, Fritos/tortilla chips

Bon appetit!!!!

Meatless Monday: Mary McCartney's Zucchini and Lemon Spaghetti

Another meatless meal, and everyone in my family lost their minds over it. SO delicious - the pic doesn't give the flavour justice.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 package spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling on drained spaghetti
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1.5 tsp fresh sage
1.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary   (or if you don't have fresh of either, just use some dried herbs)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
100 g feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
zest of 1/2 lemon

Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.  Once cooked, drain it, then drizzle with a little olive oil, mixing lightly to coat the pasta and prevent it from sticking together. Set aside.
2. Using the empty pasta pot, pour in the 3 tbsp olive oile and bring to medium heat.
3. Add the zucchini and saute 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and herbs, mixing well.  Saute for a few more minutes, allowing all the flavours to come together and the zucchini to cook through.
4. Return the cooked spaghetti to the pot and heat through, then mix in the cheese and lemon zest, 
5. Serve with a little more grated cheese if you wish, and a good grind of black pepper. 

Bon appetit!!

Freezer Meal: Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn & Black Beans

Ohhhhhh this one is a GOOD one!
My family loved it as burrito filling, and you can also use it for tacos, taco salad, nachos, or maybe even serve over rice.  Super flexible and super yummmmaaayyyyyyy!

Prep Day Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken - thighs or breast (thighs are more cost-effective, have a little more flavour, and won't dry out as much in the slow cooker)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 X 15 oz can black beans, drained (in Canada we tend to have 19 oz cans, those are fine as well)
• 2 bell peppers, diced (any combination of red or green or yellow or orange)
• 1 onion, diced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 tbsp chili powder (I didn't have any so used a combination of dried chili peppers and paprika)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Prep Day Directions:

Label an extra large freezer bag with what it is, what to add (if anything), and Cooking Day directions.
Place all the ingredients in the bag, and freeze lying flat.

Cooking Day Directions:

Night before, if you remember, take it out of the freezer and leave the bag in a bowl in fridge to slightly thaw overnight.  If you don't remember, just run some lukewarm water over it in the morning (still in bag) to loosen the contents a bit.

Place bag contents in slow cooker, stir, and then cook 6 - 8 hours on low or 5 - 6 hours on high.
Stir in 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro before serving.  Serves 6 - 8.

Bon appetit!!!!

Meatless Monday: Jamie Oliver's Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Cheddar and Lentils

I'm trying to introduce at least 1 meat-free dinner per week.  It's better for the body, better for the budget, and better for the environment to do so.  This recipe passed the true test, which is Cameron the Carnivore's taste buds. Hey Mikey! He likes it!

Ingredients:

2 red onions

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

2 cloves of garlic (or more if you love garlic)

small bunch of fresh rosemary

2 X 400 g cans of lentils (I find the cans in Canada tend to be larger, but that's ok. I'll tell you what to do with the rest)

olive oil

1 X 400 g can sliced plum tomatoes (again, you'll find Canadian cans are larger, but no need to fret)

200 ml vegetable stock

2 lbs red potatoes (or any kind of 'new-ish' potatoes that you won't have to peel)

salt and pepper

150 g cheddar cheese, grated

100 ml milk

blob of butter

Method:

1. Peel and chop the onions and carrots. Or if you're lazy like me, skip peeling the carrots, just scrub them good, and fire them through the cuisinart on "slice". 
2. Trim and chop the celery
3. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves
4. Pick off the rosemary leaves and discard the stalks.  Finely chop 1/2 the leaves, put the rest aside.
5. Drain the lentils
6. Heat a large pot on medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil, and the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. 
7. Cover and cook gently approx. 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened
8. Add the chopped rosemary leaves, canned tomatoes, and stock, and stir well
9. Bring to a boil, then add the drained lentils.  Reduce to low heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes until it thickens a bit.
10. Cut the potatoes into halves and quarters, depending on the size of them.  Put into a pot of salted, boiling water. Boil until tender - approx. 15 minutes. Check tenderness by sticking them with a knife to make sure they're soft through.
11. Drain the potatoes, mash them, then add the milk, butter, almost all the cheese (save some for garnish), and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until smooth and creamy. 
12. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
13. Transfer the lentil mixture into a large ovenproof baking dish. I use a large "lasagna pan".  You will not need all the lentil mixture, if using Canadian-sized cans of tomatoes and lentils.  Put enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and then some, keeping in mind you're going to need room to top it all with the potatoes mixture.  Set aside the remaining lentil mix. 
14. Spoon the mashed potatoes mixture over the top, decorate it with the remaining whole rosemary leaves, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
15. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
16. Cook in hot oven 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling.  
17. ENJOY!

For the leftover lentil mixture, I fire it into a freezer bag, to thaw and use another time over rice. 

Habits - Are You Addicted to Dopamine?

Jennifer Louden, life coach extraordinaire, who has been such a great teacher and support to me for years, shares some amazing information on dopamine, what it's for, and what dopamine addiction is all about.

I found this so fascinating (and helpful) particularly as I work on finding my balance and ditching bad habits.  And by fascinating, I have to say, it kind of freaked me out.

I've talked about it a little bit over the past few days with colleagues, and people were intrigued to know more.  By intrigued, I mean "What?! Are you kidding me?  I need to see this information."

So who better to get the info from than straight from Jen.

Jennifer Louden's dopamine article

Freezer Meal: Slow Cooker Cabbage Casserole

Cabbage is a crazy versatile food. It's cheap and keeps for quite some time in the crisper.  I usually make cole slaw (on a different day, let's not over do it!)  with 1/2 a cabbage, and then use the other 1/2 for a meal like this one.

Prep Day Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped 
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp your favourite seasoning (such as basil or oregano or Herbs de Provence)
• cooking spray

Cooking Day Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
• 3 cups broth (beef OR chicken OR vegetable)

Prep Day Directions:

Label an extra large freezer bag with what it is, what to add (if anything), and Cooking Day directions.

1. In a large pot, brown the onions, the garlic, and the ground meat.  
2. Remove pot from heat, and drain off any excess oil.
3. Add cabbage, carrots, salt, pepper, seasoning. 
4. Stir to combine.
5. Allow to cool slightly, then load it all into the freezer bag, flatten it, then freeze it. 

Cooking Day Directions:

Night before, if you remember, take it out of the freezer and leave the bag in a bowl in fridge to slightly thaw overnight.  If you don't remember, just run some lukewarm water over it in the morning (still in bag) to loosen the contents a bit.

1. Spray the slow cooker with the non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Put the rice in the slow cooker.
3. Place the bag contents in the slow cooker, on top of the rice.
4. Pour the broth on top. 
5. Cook 4 - 6 hours on low.
6. Stir before serving. 

This is good as is, or spiced up a bit with hot sauce or soy sauce or whatever tickles your fancy.  Serves 6 - 8.

Bon appetit!!!!

Freezer Meal: Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Stew

Prep Day:

Label an extra large freezer bag with what it is, what to add (if anything), and cooking directions.

Place in the extra-large freezer bag:

2 lbs. stewing beef
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 cups green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup frozen corn
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. beef stock base (or mushroom base or vegetable base) - powder or liquid concentrate
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup red wine (or apple juice if you don't want to waste wine)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Day of:
Add 1 1/2 cups water to slow cooker before cooking.

Freeze lying flat. If you're paranoid like me, put the freezer bag in a grocery bag, "just in case".

To cook:
Night before, if you remember, take it out of the freezer and leave the bag in a bowl in fridge to slightly thaw overnight.  If you don't remember, just run some lukewarm water over it in the morning (still in bag) to loosen the contents a bit.

Place bag contents in slow cooker, add additional ingredients, stir, and then cook 8 - 10 hours on low.
This is good as is, or over potatoes.  Serves 6 - 8.

Bon appetit!!!!