5 Freezer Essentials

Living on my own, without too much time to spend preparing meals all day, I have found that it is imperative to stock my kitchen with things that can be whipped together at a moments notice.  After a long day of classes, practice, homework, whatever it is, when I get home late I usually just want to eat something and then relax.  Standing over the stove is the last thing on my list of things I want to do.  Keeping these five items stocked in my freezer makes life a million times easier, and the adjustability of the portion sizes is also great for when friends decide to visit last minute.

1. Chicken
I buy chicken breasts from the grocery store, but before I freeze them I cut off the extra fat and use a meat mallet to pound them out a little thinner.  Depending on the size, I usually cut them in half, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and zip them up in a larger freezer bag.  Wrapping them individually makes it a lot easier to control portion sizes, and pounding them beforehand makes them easier to cook. Spoonful has a great post about different things to do with boneless chicken breast, and there are some really tasty recipes in my Recipe Book (shameless plug?), so you should definitely check those out.

2. Meatballs
I always like to keep a bag of meatballs in my freezer.  They make for a great addition to pasta dishes, but they can also be a great quick meal after a long day.  Sometimes I will get home after a long day, throw a handful into a bowl in the microwave with some sauce (pasta, barbecue, buffalo--whatever I feel like) and cook them up.  I usually add some cheese and boom... Instant meal :)

Other similar options: Chicken Nuggets, Perogies, or a Frozen Pizza

3. Edamame
Alexa introduced me to this bag at Sam's Club.  This bag of individual, microwavable portions of edamame soy beans (we call them Edamoms) is great for a snack for 2-3 people in less than five minutes.  I made a package for myself one time and couldn't finish them, but we usually split a bag when we hang out and the portions are perfect (and healthy!).  They even come with individual bags of sea salt to pour on top.

4.  Frozen Fruit
I make a lot of protein shakes after workouts, well... at least I try to.  I have found that it is great to have a bag of frozen fruit available.  Not only does it add to the nutrient density of the shake, but it saves fruit from rotting in the fridge (I have found that chopping fruit that I wont have time to use and freezing it before it goes bad is a good way to prevent the second, but buying pre-frozen bags is a bit of a time saver).

5. Dark chocolate with Sea Salt
Ok, so this might not be a meal essential, but my teammates have gotten me hooked on keeping a bar of dark chocolate in the freezer. A square of dark chocolate after a meal is a great "healthier" guilty pleasure (or a good pick-me-up after a long day).  You work hard, you deserve a treat :)

Leave a comment! :) What are your freezer essentials?

Kitchen Tip: Dicing Onions

I love onions.  I was never really a big vegetable person as a kid (as in anything vegetable related was an absolute no-go), but growing up has significantly expanded my once-extremely-picky palette and now, almost anything with onions and bell peppers is an immediate Yes, Please.

Unfortunately, dicing onions can be a real hassle, especially if your eyes tear up as much as mine do (Did you know that they reason we cry cutting onions is because they chemicals they release creates sulfuric acid in our eyeballs?? Umm ouch.).  Luckily, my mom showed me this little trick that really helps.

First, I try to keep at least one onion in the fridge.  They can obviously be stored at room temperature, but it seems to minimize the crying response when they are being cut when they are cold.

Second, instead of cutting rings and trying to line them up to dice them, slice off one stem (is that what they are?)

Third, carefully cut the onion (almost) all the way in vertical lines.

Wow... that was probably the worst way to describe that process possible... Check out this photo for a (hopefully) more understandable, visual representation of what I mean.

Third, cut horizontally to dice.

As you should be when cutting anything in the kitchen, be very careful.  The structure of the onion will be compromised and may slide.  It may also help to cut off one edge so there is a flat surface to place on the counter.

Nutella Banana Bread Swirl Muffins

Yes you did read that correctly... this is a recipe for Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins...

Also known as Heaven in a Muffin Cup.

The other day was Felix's birthday, so I asked him what I could make him to celebrate. I was already planning on making banana bread for a team potluck the next day, so I asked if he wanted banana bread muffins.  He got really excited and started talking about how I should put Nutella in them.....

Now, I have a secret banana bread recipe that is amazing and I have thought about posting every time I make it, but I haven't been able to get myself to do it.  This particular recipe does not say anything about Nutella additions, so I hit the Pinterest boards.

I found this incredible, amazing, mouth-watering recipe.  Felix couldn't find the words to describe how much he like them (he also thought he could get them to last for two weeks despite the fact that he was eating like 5 at a time).  I also learned I could probably just try adding Nutella swirls to my banana bread recipe..... Next time. :)

Nutella Banana Bread Swirl Muffins
Recipe from The Novice Chef

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose Flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 medium over-ripe bananas, mashed (I only had 3 large ones left after making banana bread, but they still turned out pretty delicious)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil... technically it is a vegetable?)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Nutella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare muffin pan with liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat in the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.  Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients until their are no lumps (mixture will be thick, be sure not to over mix). 

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.  Top each muffin with about 1 tsp Nutella and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.

Bake muffins 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

The original recipe said this yields 18 muffins, I stretched it to two dozen because I was worried I was filling more than 3/4 full and they were going to overflow (and also, it made them last longer... yumm)

Quick and Easy Scones

So I have a couple food obsessions:

• Onions and Bell Peppers (could pretty much eat them in anything)
• Chai Lattes (I am trying to start liking coffee because I am getting old and it seems like something I should do--and Alexa is pressuring me--but I am in LOVE with Chai)
• Croissants (soft, buttery flaky ones... like the ones from Sam's Club that Lex wouldn't split with me today)
• Mozzarella sticks (pretty much anything with melted cheese if I'm being honest)
• Scones (The dining hall at my school makes the most incredible, mouth-watering scones... I think I could sustain myself eating them exclusively for the rest of my life)

I mean, in order to have a blog about food, I feel like you have to love eating... but there are a few things that I just cannot turn down, and these are some of them.

So now that I've whet your appetite (gotcha), I have another little story to tell.  This is my last semester in undergrad, so I am trying not to buy extra odds and ends for my apartment.  Unfortunately this does not apply to Alexa, who just started her Masters here (jeez I am talking about her a lot today... I hang out with her way too much apparently).  Anyways, she has been decorating her new apartment for the past month or so, so we have made a couple trips to the local thrift store.  

Now... I am a sucker for thrift stores.  Maybe it is because of my obsession with Pinterest, but I go into a thrift store and think, "Oh ya.. I can totally make something cool out of this broken chair."

Unfortunately, I have essentially ZERO creative talent.... so really I just walk around whimsically looking at junk I want but have no use for.

Not that THAT stops me.

On one particular excursion, I found a cookbook for like a dollar entitled "Microwaving for 1 or 2."  Considering the fact that I do usually cook for myself I thought it would be a good buy.  Flipping through I found some interesting ideas.  I might try them out and see how they go, but there was one I HAD to try.

Scones.

They didn't turn out quite how I was expecting (Realistically.... my expectations were probably a little high... I don't think the dining hall bakes their scones in a microwave), but with jam on top they were actually a great snack. 

Microwave Scones

Recipe from: Microwaving for 1 or 2 by Susan Brown Draudt

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine 
• 3 Tbsp dried currants or raisins (I left this part out)
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and 2 teaspoon sugar.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  

Mix in currants or raisins, milk, vanilla, and egg.  When dough is smooth, kneed 4-6 times.  Shape in a 5-inch circle.

Place on a flat microwave-safe plate.  Cut into 6 wedges.  In a small dish, mix together remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle mixture on top of scones.

Microwave on 70% (Medium-high) 1-2 minutes, or just until dry.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Serve with Strawberry Jam (and whipped cream)

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Fair warning... This is not one of my "healthier" posts.....

*****(Coaches... If you read this, I swear I made it over the summer)****

It is freaking phenomenal though.... So there's that.

I made it as an appetizer for my last night BBQ with my friends at home. Despite the fact that I was also filling myself up on chips and bruschetta, and I knew how (not) good it was for me, I couldn't help from eating half of the loaf by myself... The mass of melty cheesy goodness was too good to resist and everyone there echoed my sentiment... It did not last too long once it was set out.  Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.


Bloomin’ Onion Bread
Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

• 1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
• 12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup finely diced green onion
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds (Ya.. I didn't do this part.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The original recipe suggested cutting the bread both lengthwise and widthwise (without cutting through the bottom crust) first, but as I was making it I thought perhaps it would be easier to cut it one way first, slip in the cheese slices, and then cut the other way. I thought of it too late to try, but if you do it, let me know how it goes.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Zucchini Mania

So you know how I mentioned that my friend Alexa has a neighbor with an awesome garden? Well I went over for a visit today, and we decided we needed to do a little something-something with her zucchini surplus.

Conveniently, she had just found an excellent Healthy Zucchini Muffin recipe on Pinterest.  I almost messed it up by just reading down the ingredients list instead of following the directions... luckily caught myself before things got too out of hand (I re-ordered the ingredients for you in this edition, but make sure you still follow the directions).

I was always a really picky eater growing up, and never would have tried zucchini anything, but college has really expanded my palate. Good thing, cause these muffins were the BOMB. Even after stuffing my face with Olive Garden it was hard to limit myself to just one... and even though we used oil instead of applesauce, they aren't THAT bad for you.

......At least that's what I keep telling myself. ;)

Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Recipe from Julie's Eats and Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. applesauce, unsweetened (We used Canola Oil)
• Cinnamon and sugar for topping (optional) 

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. In a different bowl, combine grated zucchini, eggs, vanilla and applesauce (or oil... applesauce is healthier, we just didn't have any). Stir well to combine the wet ingredients. 

Gently stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until just combined. The original recipe warned, "Be careful not to overwork this - it will lead to dense muffins and no one wants those!" (That means all the little bumps do not need to be mixed in Alexa).

Fill lined or greased muffins tins about 3/4 full. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on for topping. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

S'mores Puppy Chow

Puppy Chow... Muddy Buddies... Whatever you want to call them, they are delicious.

Made it through my final preseason of college volleyball... I know it is only the first week of the season but I feel accomplished after sitting out for two years for ACL reconstructions.  Every year during preseason we go on a retreat (every other year it is a trip, but this year it was a one-night stay at a camp about an hour from campus). On the retreat, we get teamed up into meal groups and have a little friendly competition making the different meals for everyone. It was actually during last year's competition that I kind of conceptualized the idea for this blog (My group made this awesome lemon garlic-roasted chicken with green beans that I have been meaning to post for a while... Promise I'll get to it). This is my fifth preseason (man, I'm getting old), and it has pretty much always ended up that I've been placed in the dinner group (usually for dessert my group would make fruit pizza--another recipe I should definitely post--which got interesting on our trip to Puerto Rico when our oven wasn't working). This year, I got breakfast. We made The Incredibly Easy Breakfast Bake, which I thought would be good to make the night before, cover, and then just have to heat up in the morning. Unfortunately, our epic game of capture the flag went late, so we just had to get up earlier to throw it all together.

We also had to make a snack for around the campfire following said Capture the Flag game. We considered S'mores--I mean we were around a campfire, what else would you snack on? But then Courtney (the genius behind the Pizza Crescents and reigning Superbowl Cook-Off Champion) found this little gem on pinterest. A whole slew of Puppy Chow recipes including.... dun dun dun... S'mores! It was so so so good (It was hard to take a picture because the girls in our group couldn't help themselves from snacking on it while we made it). It was great because we made it before,  portioned it out into baggies, and then passed the bags out around the campfire.

Special thanks of course to my amazing group: Courtney, Jordan, Anjali, and Kate

I wish I had gotten a photo of Adam, one of our assistant coaches, roasting the mini marshmallows over the fire and stacking them between golden grahams.

S'mores Puppy Chow
Recipe from Your Cup of Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 cups rice Chex cereal
• 1 cup milk chocolate melts or chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup brownie mix (from the box--or a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder)
• 3 cups Golden Grahams
• 3 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Measure out Chex cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Pour over cereal and fold until covered. Dump into a large plastic bag, pour brownie mix over cereal and shake until coated (Note: we didn't have a big bowl, so we threw everything into the bag a step early, shaking and kneading it until covered with chocolate and then adding the brownie mix).

Pour onto a cookie sheet and let cool (not sure how long we actually did this... the kitchen we were in was a MILLION degrees so I think we just kept cookin' along).

Dump into a large bowl and add the golden grahams and marshmallows. Mix everything together and viola! Perfection :D

The original recipe also suggested some variations, including substituting 1 cup crushed graham crackers/golden grahams for the brownie mix (I personally don't know why you would do that.. the brownie mix was the best part)... you could also coat the marshmallows in melted chocolate.

Anjali, one of our freshmen,
 shaking things up