The Daily Dish Recipes

You have seen them cropping up all over, I’m sure. Those locations that boast meal planning at its best? So what exactly is the deal with these franchises that make freezer cooking or making meals easier?

The premise of the different franchises, is to get you into the store, help you prepare a set number of dinners for your family, to then take home and freeze. Sound familiar? Seems as if it is something you could do right from your own house.

After investigating two such locations, I found several things I plan to share with you in a moment. At both locations (different franchises owned by different companies), I was called a week ahead of time and asked to schedule my time slot. I was then given a menu to choose from and had to pick what I wanted to make and how many servings I would need. (a family of seven doubles the normal size). A few days later I walked into one of them and was greeted by several staff members. A few seemed less than knowledgeable and were unable to answer some of my questions. One lady took over immediately and began giving us all a quick course in meal preparation. That part was pretty cool, because I learned a few things. We were sent to stations to prepare our meals. At each station I went to, I found an instruction sheet on assembling that particular meal, and all of the ingredients were right there for me. At the end of the entire session, I took home 8 fully prepared meals to place right into my freezer. It was however at a price.

Here are the problems I did encounter:

One, the menus are full of many things my children will not eat. These are not exactly ‘family friendly’ establishments, though they definitely do offer some kid friendly choices. It seemed that the majority of the dishes tended to be on the more ‘exotic’ side, and that my kids are not. Cous Cous is not normally on our menu, though I really was curious to see what the hooplah was (there were like eight ladies at that station!)

Two, the cost to have someone else to purchase, set up and clean up all the mess is really not worth it. If you are not interested in JUST time saving, but also want to save money in the long run (which freezer cooking does!) than these franchises are absolutely not the answer. The total bill was over 3x’s what I think I would have paid for all the ingredients to make these meals myself.

Three, some of their dishes lacked seasoning and flavor, while if I had created them at home - I could have added. We did try seasoning up a few dishes during the warm-up procedure and that did work.

Four, you are in an unfamiliar kitchen, with unfamiliar people (unless you bring a friend, but even that is quite difficult because you are too busy making meals to chat much). At home I am able to multi task big time. I can throw in a load of laundry, pack a lunch, watch a television program and chat on the phone, all while I am cooking.

My overall opinion is this: If you want to try them out, I say go for it. If money is not an object and the ease of cooking really nice homemade meals quickly is the more important part, this will totally work for you. If you are more interested in saving money, learn how to freezer cook at home and do it all yourself. Clean up doesn’t have to be that hard if you just do it as you go. My freezer cooking sessions at home for about two weeks worth of meals, usually take about 4 hours. I spent 2 hours at one place and 2.5 at another and I only got 8 meals and paid a small fortune for them. Seems not worth it to me.

I’d love to hear your opinions good or bad. Many people love these places, so I’m eager to hear how it’s working for you.

Also for your benefit, here are a few of the well known franchises:

Meal Makers
Dream Dinners
Entrees Made Easy
Entree Vous
Cena To Go
Make & Take Gourmet
Super Suppers
Supper Thyme
The Dinner A’Fare
My Girlfriends Kitchen
Mr. Food no-fuss Meals

Turkey is so good for you, so I try to incorporate it at least once a week. Sometimes in the form of ground turkey. Plus, if you spend a little more for Turkey’s at Thanksgiving (and right after when they are on sale), you can freeze them and you always have turkey on hand for a meal.

Our whole family loves these and you can add other veggies and things to this meal to make it super tasty! It’s absolutely perfect with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

Turkey Fajita Pita

1/2 med. chopped onion
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3 to 4 c. cooked chopped turkey
Salt and pepper
Pita Pockets

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the butter. Add chili powder, chopped cooked turkey and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Remove from heat. Place inside pita pocket. Add lettuce, mild cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados, chopped peppers, etc.

With the warmer weather and high humidity (I’m in the midwest), using my stove top or oven is something I like to avoid at all costs. During this time of year we tend to grill a lot more, and also use the crock pot more often. A slow cooker needs less energy to run than an oven and won’t turn your kitchen hot while it cooks.

Not to mention the perk of enjoying a nice hot meal that didn’t take much to prepare.

The slow cooker also referred to as a Crock Pot is an awesome appliance to own. It can make preparing dinner, lunch or breakfast effortless. In fact, meat that is slowly cooked is far more tender than anything else you could do to it.

Depending on the size you get, storage can be an issue. We have seven family members and we own THREE slow cookers. Crazy, I know. Two are the largest we could find, and one is a smaller one (for side dishes or desserts). We have been known to have all three in use at once. I also use them when I freezer cook a lot because I can fit so much food inside and make it double time.

You can find a slow cooker that will more than likely meet your families needs at any retail store that sells kitchen items. Walmart and Target have the best deals, and the slow cookers work just as great as anywhere else. You don’t have to spend a lot to get one, and you can enjoy the ease of a crock pot all year long.

Here are three terrific slow cooker recipes for summer.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef on a Bun

1 3- to 4-pound beef brisket or roast (you can also do pork or chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium onions, sliced
1 16-ounce jar barbecue sauce
Soft rolls or hamburger buns

Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. You can use any seasoning you would like. Place the onions on the bottom of the crockpot and then layer the meat on top. Pour 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce over the top of the meat and stir gently to coat. Cover and cook for 9 to 10 hours on low. (you can do this overnight if you like or do it first thing in the morning). When it’s done, remove the cooked meat from the slow cooker and pour out the liquid, keeping the onions if you desire. Shred the meat with a fork. Put the meat back into the crock pot and mix the rest of the barbecue sauce in. Let it stay in the crock pot cooking for another half hour or so. Serve immediately.

Freezer Cooking: This can be frozen in portions once it has cooled and can be served at a later date. When ready to serve again, drop in a pot on the stove and allow to simmer on low until heated through. Stir often. You can also drop into a microwave safe container and heat that way.

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken

4 lbs. chicken breasts boneless and skinless
3 t. oregano leaves, crushed
1 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 T. butter
1/2 cup water
8 T. fresh lemon juice
8 cloves garlic minced
4 t. chicken bouillon
4 t. fresh parsley, chopped

Wash chicken thoroughly. Set out to dry on paper towels. In a bowl, combine the oregano, salt and pepper. Sprinkle on dry chicken, patting it in. In a skillet, melt the butter and fry the chicken breasts until they are browned. Remove chicken and place in crock pot.

Add the water, lemon juice, chicken bouillon, garlic and parsley to the skillet. Bring entire mixture to a boil, stirring often and scraping any browned bits of chicken off the bottom of the skillet. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. If you wish to cook on high, you can do so for about 3 hours. When the chicken is finished, baste the chicken with the juices in the crock pot and sprinkle parsley over the chicken. Cook for at least 15-30 minutes. Serve.

Slow Cooker Ranch Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs small red potato, quartered
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1/16 ounce) package buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Place the potatoes in the crock pot. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and then spoon over the potatoes. Stir the entire thing to blend well. Cover and cook on the low setting for 7 hours. Stir gently before serving. If you double or triple this recipe, it can be more than just a side dish, but a nice delicious main course. Goes great with a platter of fruit or fresh veggies.

Not only are these a favorite with my kids, I love them too. Yummy! Plus, they are SO easy to make.

Chocolate Cake Balls Recipe

You will need:
1 package of chocolate cake mix
1 container of chocolate frosting
1 (3 oz) bar of chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Using any type or shape of pan that you would like, prepare the cake mix by following the package directions. When the cake has finished cooking, crumble it while it is still warm into a bowl. Stir in the frosting until it is well blended. Now, melt the chocolate coating into a microwave safe bowl, stirring occasionally until it is smooth. (sometimes I do this on the stove top.)

Use a melon baller if you have one, otherwise a small scoop will do. Using the melon baller, scoop up the chocolate cake mixture to form balls.

You can now place a toothpick into each one to make this easier. Dip the balls into the chocolate coating using a fork or a toothpick. Place on a piece of waxed paper and allow to set. It shouldn’t take too long for the chocolate to set. You can eat them as soon as they are ready.

They are SOOOOOO good.

Sometimes I am surprised at how many people shop the way they do. There are so many quick and easy ways to save money at the grocery store. I’m happy to tell you some of the easiest ways, or the most well-known ways, and I will … eventually. For now, I thought it might be important to help you save money in ways you might not know yet.

1. Always watch the cashier. Watch as items scan. If you do decide to use self-checkout at a grocery store, watch your purchases carefully. Be sure you are correctly entering in quantities, fruit or vegetable items, etc. When watching the cashier, watch for double charging, price differences and make sure that anything that was on sale was rung up correctly.

2. Check your receipt on the way out the door. Actually if you are following #1 you might not need to, but just to be sure, check it out.

3. When planning out your meals for the week, utitlize sales at the grocery store to create meals. For instance, if ground beef is on sale for .99/lb, it should be easy to realize that now would be a good time to make meals that needed it. Watch in store sales, flyers, and other methods.

4. If you do find a good deal on something, stock up. Purchase a separate freezer to freeze anything or make room in a special area to store non perishable stock. We once found a deal on .79/lb ground turkey. We bought probably $40.00 worth because we substitute ground turkey for ground beef most of the time. We used it all, and another sale (not as good) came not too long after we ran out.

5. Avoid end displays or end caps on an aisle. Most people think that is where the sales are. Not always. In fact, often you could get a better deal at a different time, or you could go purchase a different size and get a better deal. End displays lure people into spending more because they think they need it.

I will have more tips coming really soon.

Another delicious summertime recipe. This tastes great at a BBQ and is one of my most often requested dishes for such. The kids love it, adults love it and it goes fairly quickly. Make several batches at a time in a freezer cooking session and you’ll always have one on hand.

Frozen Cherry Salad

1 can pitted dark cherries

1 sm. can crushed pineapple

2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1 carton sour cream

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 c. black walnuts

Drain fruits; bring juice to boil. Beat in cream cheese until it has dissolved. Add the other ingredients. Freeze; cut and serve.

Meal planning is such a simple thing, it is hard for me to understand why more people don’t do it. It really does not only help you save money, but it saves time and there is less of a chance of wasted food when you plan out your meals in advance. So what are the basics of meal planning?

1. Begin by finding recipes of the meals that you think your family will love. Try introducing one new meal a week, it allows for more choices when preparing meals and allows your family to be exposed to foods that might not have otherwise tried. Collect the recipes you plan to make and keep them in once location. Having a recipe journal or notebook is a good idea. You can write out the recipes and then there are all in one place. If you are planning to freezer cook, be sure that you keep in mind what aspects of the meal can be prepared and frozen ahead of time. This will also be important for figuring out how many recipes you need to find. If you are meal planning for just a week, then seven recipes are all you need, if you are planning for two weeks, three weeks or more, you might wish to find at least ten more recipes so that you aren’t consistantly eating the same thing.

2. Take inventory. Check and see what ingredients you have for those meals. You might have a pantry full of ingredients that would make several meals. As you are taking inventory be sure and record what you have and what you need on a piece of paper. You will never remember it all alter.

3. Create a shopping list. If you are familiar with your grocery store layout you can create the list in order of where you would find the items in the grocery store. If you are not as familiar with your grocery store, you might wish to make that be one of your goals. In addition, if you do your shopping at more than one store, you might wish to create more than one list so that you can be sure you get everything.

4. Go shopping. Bring all grocery lists with you in case you find a bargain somewhere you didn’t know about. Cross off the items as you get them. This way you can clearly see what you still need to purchase. Be sure to bring along any coupons and stick to your list.

5a. For Freezer Cookers: When you arrive home, leave everything out so it is all available to you as you begin to cook. You might wish to sort the items by the meal you plan to use them to make. Having everything handy is the key to managing your time.

5b. For Meal Planners Only: If you are not interested in freezer cooking, and only want to be able to meal plan, then at this point it is time to put the groceries away. It is recommended that you place items you plan to use together, near each other. This makes finding everything the night you plan to make the meals much easier and frees up time that would have been spent running all over the kitchen looking for this and that.

Do you have any basic meal planning tips that might help? Please feel free to share.

While we tend to make these and eat them anytime of year, they are the perfect summertime treat or dessert. My children love these and after you have made them you can freeze them. An easy dessert to pull out in time for unexpected company or extra kids.

Banana Cake with Orange Icing
Serves: 25 approx

1 lb. approx margarine or butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

6 eggs

2 cups (5 large) overripe bananas, mashed

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Icing:

3 1/3 cups icing sugar

2 1/4 tsp margarine or butter, softened

1/3 cup orange juice

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two large square cake tins and line with baking paper. Beat the margarine and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mxing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir in half of the flour, then half of the mashed bananas. Repeat with remaining halves. Pour the mixture into prepared tins. Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through the cooking time. Cake is baked when skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. When cold, spread with icing.

To Make the Icing:

Melt the margarine in the microwave. Add icing sugar, using the orange juice to form a slightly runny paste. Pour over cold cakes, letting the icing run down sides. Decorate with chopped nuts if desired.

Tip - Can be cut into individual servings after they’ve been iced and can be frozen. Reheat in microwave. The icing kind of melts to form a glaze not dissimilar to a microwave pudding!

It is easy to notice the recent increase in the price of food. With the increase, there is a rise in the number of families exercising freezer cooking as a method to save money. When the economy turns sour, the prices go up and this affects families and budgets in ways that weren’t planned for.

Freezer cooking can help a family save thousands of dollars a year if used actively. The rising cost of food is what typically hurts a family budget, not the cost to prepare the food. If freezer cooking is excercised it goes without saying that obviously there is a meal plan in place. Planning is an important part of freezer cooking and as such, takes some time to get used to. Cooking sessions are time consuming, but warrant wonderful results. A freezer full of food is security for any sized family, and eliminates stress from time constraints, and daily meal planning. It seems relatively convenient to most mom’s to open a freezer and select a meal from the options inside.

Convenience is only one benefit of freezer cooking. Cooking ahead of time allows for meals to be prepared from scratch which is a large money saver. Statistics show that a family of four can save up to $1800 dollars per year by preparing meals from scratch, avoiding boxed and convenience meals, and eliminating restaurant eating.

In today’s economy it is important to make adjustments to accomodate a budget and a rising cost of living.

I avoid pork products as much as possible since they are so bad for you. Our bodies do not digest pork easily. However, my children and husband love it, so sometimes I cave and this is one of their favorites.

Cheesy Pork Chops
Serves: 6

6 Pork chops
Butter to fry in
1/4 cup Flour
3/4 cup milk
Salt
8 ounces Package of cream cheese — cubed
Paprika
1/2 tablespoon Garlic salt
Pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Coat the chops with the seasoned flour, and brown in margarine or butter. Heat milk and add cream cheese, garlic salt and 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, mixing well until blended. Place chops in baking dish ( 12×8). Cover with sauce, and 1/4 Parmesan cheese, bake at 325, 50 minutes, or until chops are tender.