Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie

I really love my chicken pot pie recipe, but as luck would have it I had Pillsbury biscuits in my fridge and an idea. I thought I'd double the filling recipe for my pot pie, make half of it into a casserole type pot pie with biscuits on top, and take the other half and make it into a freezer meal casserole. I haven't tried the one that I froze yet, so I hope it will work out, but I did try the one I made the night of and it was great! I think my kids even liked it better than my usual pot pie.

Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie

2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup flour
2 cans, 14 oz each, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half and half or milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
about 1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I use 2, 12 oz each, bags Green Giant Fresh Steamers mixed veg.)
2, 12 oz each, tubes Pillsbury Grands Jr. Golden Layers Buttermilk biscuits (10 count packages)

Melt butter in a dutch oven or pot. Add onion and cook until translucent. Do not allow to brown. Add flour and whisk well. Pour in broth and half and half or milk and whisk well. Cook stirring until thickened. Add salt, bouillon, onion powder, pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Heat through and add vegetables. Heat through.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish (or 2, 9x9 pans if you are freezing one). Pour chicken mixture into baking dish and top with biscuits (9 biscuits for 9x9 pans and 15-18 for 9x13 pans). Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cover with foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

**Freezer Meal Instructions will be added soon.

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches (Freezer Meal)

My family loves sausage and egg McMuffins, so when I saw this freezer recipe on Real Mom Kitchen I was wondering why I hadn't made these before. These sandwiches are great for quick breakfasts and my husband likes taking them to work with him. If you have a little microwave egg poacher like I have they are so fast to whip up.

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches (Freezer Meal)

English muffins, toasted
eggs (number of eggs depends on number of finished sandwiches desired)
water (1/2 tablespoon per egg)
cheese slices (American singles, cheddar, colby jack etc.)
frozen breakfast sausage patties (or sliced ham or cooked slices of bacon)

Decide on the number of sandwiches you'd like; you'll need one egg mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of water for each sandwich. I put all the eggs and water I need into a bowl and whisk them up to make scrambled eggs. You can either cook the eggs omelet style and then cut them into squares for each sandwich, cook scrambled eggs in a skillet and then pile them up on each sandwich, or if you have a microwave egg poacher you can pour a small amount of egg mixture into the egg poacher and microwave for 1 minute and 40 seconds.

To assemble place 1 slice of cheese on half of an English muffin, then egg, sausage patty (or other meat), and top off with other half of English muffin. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and label with heating instructions. Place all your wrapped sandwiches in an extra large ziplock bag and freeze.

Heating Instructions:
Remove plastic wrap. Wrap sandwich in a paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds on 30% power to defrost. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until hot.

Nordstrom Cafe Tomato Basil Soup (Freezer Meal)

This was a freezer meal from my friend K. It was delicious with grilled cheese sandwiches. Is there anything better than a new yummy soup recipe??

Nordstrom Cafe Tomato Basil Soup (Freezer Meal)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 large carrots, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 large cans whole tomatoes with juices
2 large cans tomato puree
4-5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-2 cups heavy cream
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into fine ribbons (optional)

In a large stockpot over medium heat saute the carrots, onion, and dried basil in olive oil until softened, about 12-15 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Add the broth, tomatoes, and tomato puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot. (Or you can blend small amounts of the soup in a blender or food processor and return blended soup to the pot.) Simmer over low heat. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cream. Taste again and adjust seasonings if needed. Garnish individual serving with fresh basil if desired.

For Freezer Meal:
Prepare soup as directed above. Let soup cool. Put into a ziplock bag and label with heating instructions. Freeze.

Heating Instructions:
Allow bag of soup to thaw somewhat or completely in the fridge (you could double bag the soup or put the bag in a pan in case it leaks). Empty the soup into a pot and heat until soup is hot and steamy. Don't allow the soup to boil (cream in it can separate if boiled).

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what we're having this week:

Monday - Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup (freezer meal) and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday - BBQ Meatballs, Individual Potato Gratins, and Green Beans
Wednesday - Chicken Lo Mein (freezer meal) and Carrots
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie and Spinach Salad
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Eating Out
Sunday - BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwiches, Homemade Hamburger Buns or Wheat Rolls, Salad or Pasta Salad and Peaches

I didn't realize when I was making my menu that we are having BBQ stuff twice. Oh well. The meals are different enough that it won't matter. Stay tuned for those freezer meals recipes from my freezer meal swap - I know I can't wait to try them.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

I adapted this recipe from the "Cottage Pie" recipe at Eat at Home. It's a great easy shepherd's pie that you can have on the table in under 30 minutes. My kids all loved it (putting cheese on top helped out with that).

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onions (I used frozen chopped onions)
1 jar Heinz Home Style Savory Beef Gravy
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
dash of dried sage
salt and pepper
1/2 - 1
2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese, optional*

Prepare instant mashed potato flakes according to package directions with the right amount of water, butter, milk, etc. (I used the Hungry Jack mashed potato flakes directions for 6 servings: 2 cups potato flakes, 1 3/4 cups water, 3 tablespoons butter, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup milk.) Set aside.

Brown ground beef with onion. Add gravy, thyme, sage, salt and pepper, and frozen peas to the meat. Heat through and pour into a casserole or 8x11 baking dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes using a butter knife to spread potatoes over the meat and evenly as possible. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and allow to cook another couple minutes to melt cheese.

*If you leave out the cheese just dot the top of the mashed potatoes with butter and sprinkle with paprika before baking.

Crockpot Navy Bean and Ham Soup

Recently we ate at Marie Callender's and I had their super yummy navy bean soup (it's the Saturday soup of the day) and cornbread. I've been wanting to recreate that meal ever since I had it. SO. I looked at a bunch of different recipes on the internet and combined the ingredients I thought would make it taste most like Marie Callender's and also I wanted it to work in the crockpot. So here's what I came up with and guess what?? It totally tasted like the Marie Callendar navy bean soup. Awesome result. And it's a great healthy meal that my family enjoyed.

Crockpot Navy Bean and Ham Soup

1 lb. navy beans
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
1, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 tablespoons dried chopped onion
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 ham hocks/slices of ham shanks
1 1/2 cups diced ham (I used a 12 oz package Hormel diced ham)
3 tablespoons Carnet Foods Ultra Gel (optional)

In a large pot soak beans overnight in water making sure that beans are covered by at least 3 inches of water.

Drain and rinse beans. Put in rinsed beans in crockpot. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes with juices, dried onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, garlic powder and cider vinegar. Stir. Add ham hocks and ham and stir. Cook on high for 7-8 hours. Remove ham hocks and discard. Whisk in Ultra Gel if desired. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the soup and blend in a blender. Add back to the soup in crockpot to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste. It may not need any salt at all. Serve with corn bread.

Italian Chicken Crockpot Kit (Freezer Meal)

This is the freezer meal that I contributed last month at my freezer meal swap. My family really loves the Italian chicken and it worked out great as a freezer meal. Yay!

Italian Chicken Crockpot Kit (Freezer Meal)

5 frozen chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1, 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 envelope Italian dressing mix

Assembly Instructions
Place chicken breasts into a gallon size bag. Heat block of cream cheese in a large microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds in microwave. Combine cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and Italian dressing mix with an electric hand beater until smoth. Scoop cream cheese mixture into a quart size bag. Put chicken bag and cream cheese mixture bag into a larger ziplock and label with cooking instructions. Freeze.

Heating Instructions
Place chicken (thawed or frozen) into crockpot. Run cream cheese bag under warm water until it loosens up a little and then pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Break up chicken with a spatula and thin out sauce if needed with milk or chicken broth. Heat through and serve over vermicelli pasta, other noodles, or rice. (I always serve it over vermicelli.)