Freezable Meals

Ziplock tupperware and frozen homemade meals are so amazing. I rave about freezing meals ahead of time as much as I rave about jeggings (leggings that look like jeans! AMAZZZZZZIIIIINGGG). You can cook three easy one pot meals on Sunday, and for weeks you know that you always have a good meal in your freezer if you dont want to cook dinner/lunch. Buying sandwiches for lunch at work is SUCH a waste. THey are usually made of three cheap ingredients, and cost about 6-7 dollars. You can make a large batch of ood that is healthy and put in your freezer, and then eat a great meal in a pinch for about 2 dollars per serving. Below are some great meals I made that turned out great. They are easy meals, so you can make hem all in one afternoon with limited clean-up.

BEEF CHILI
adapted from allrecipes.com "It's Chili by George" recipe
makes 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 (16 oz) cans dices tomatoes with juice
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 chopped green pepper
• 1 chopped red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chili powder

Directions

1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2. In a large pot over high heat combine the ground beef, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, onions, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, oregano, ground black pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (Note: If using a slow cooker, set on low, add ingredients, and cook for 8 to 10 hours.)

Quinoa Muffins

I like to think that if I eat quinoa (a protien that looks like a grain) that I will become a Victoria's Secret supermodel despite my chocolate addiction. I found a recipe for quinoa muffins. They taste great! They take slightly longer to cook than regular muffins, because you have to add the step of cooking the quinoa first (25 extra minutes on the stove). If you have never made quinoa before, it cooks like rice on the stove. I make these muffins because they are a healthy snack that I can just put in my bag or defrost from the freezer when I need them.

QUINOA MUFFINS

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/8 cup canola/ veg oil
• 1/8 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (using some to sprinkle on top of muffins before baking)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk or 2% milk (your preference)
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, bananas and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

From The Martha Stewart Show, January 2008

Note: These muffins do not rise THAT much, so feel free to fill the non-stick muffin tin to the top. This will make large, filling muffins.