Posted in Meal Swap Recipes

Tips & Tricks: Make Your Entree Meat Ahead of Time

Make Your Entree Meat Ahead of Time

These simple recipes for slow cooked meats is great for stocking your freezer! Just pull out a bag of already cooked meat and you can have dinner on the table in no time!

How To Make Shredded Meat in Crockpot

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3-6 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or beef roast or pork shoulder/roast
1/2- 2 tsp. salt
1/2 -2 tsp. black pepper
1/2- 2 tsp. garlic powder
(optional) 1/4-1/2 cup water

Place meat in slow cooker, and sprinkle with seasonings (and liquid, if using). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. (*If making a smaller batch, keep an eye on your slow cooker as the chicken will likely need less cooking time.)

Remove the meat with tongs, and shred using a stand mixer with the paddle. Use immediately, or just put it in equal portions in resealable plastic bags and put them in the freezer once cooled.

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How to Brown Ground Beef in a Crockpot

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6 pounds or more ground beef
Salt & pepper

Place ground beef in crock pot and break it up a little with a fork or with your hands or not.

Put the lid on and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low 4 to 6 hours (depending on your crockpot).

When it was sufficiently cooked, pour it all into a colander to drain the grease.

Remove the ground beef and put in stand mixer bowl. Attach paddle/beater and blend till well crumbled. Use immediately, or just put it in equal portions in resealable plastic bags and put them in the freezer once cooled.

Posted in - 2014 Swap Recipes, - Meatless, - Pork, - Poultry, - Red Meat, - Seafood/Fish, Meal Swap Recipes

Meal Swap: April ’14 Recipes for Friday’s Group

April ’14 Menu for Friday’s Group

SEAFOOD/FISH

Lindsay – Bacon Wrapped Salmon with Maple Mustard Sauce

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16oz. Salmon steak (cut into 2 fillets)
Salt
6 strips of bacon
3T. Grade B maple syrup
1T. Whole grain mustard
1/2 of a lemon, zested

Prep Day: Remove skin from fillet. Sprinkle salt on both sides. Tightly wrap each fillet with 3 strips of bacon. Insert toothpicks from both sides to secure bacon in place.

For Glaze: Stir maple syrup, mustard, lemon zest together.

Serve Day: Thaw. Heat your grill until hot or broiler. Place on grill or broiler pan. If using broiler place under broiler flame. Leave till bacon is crisp. Drizzle the glaze on top and then flip over. Baste the other side with glaze. Continue grilling/broiling until your thermometer reads 135F.

PORK
Kari – Boneless Ribs Country Style

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2-3 lbs boneless pork country-style ribs
1/2 large onioin, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce salt and pepper

Prep Day Directions: Lightly salt and pepper pork and place in freezer safe bag. Mix together all other ingredients. Add all to the bag . Label and freeze.

Serve Day Directions:To cook, thaw freezer bag, then add to slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Gretchen Pineapple Pork Chops

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4 center cut pork chops 
1/4 Cup soy sauce 
1/4 Cup maple syrup
 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
 Coarse sea salt and pepper to taste Sauce 
1/4 Cup maple syrup 
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
 Pineapple, cut into small chunks

Prep Day Directions: Prop open a one gallon freezer bag. Add soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame seeds, and sesame oil to the freezer bag. Mix the marinade together by working the outside of the freezer bag with your hand. Salt and pepper the pork chops. Add the pork chops to the bag, and turn to coat. Squeeze excess air out of the bag, seal, and label the bag with a Sharpie. Lie bag flat in freezer. Freeze.

Measure and mix sauce ingredients in a ziplock bag and freeze.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw. Heat grill to Medium Hot. Place the marinated pork chops on the grill once it has preheated. You can discard the rest of the marinade. Grill the pork chops until done, around 6 minutes per side. While the pork chops are grilling, add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and fresh pineapple to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until pineapple starts to break down and create its own syrup goodness! Serve the pork chops hot with pineapple on top.

BEEF
Meghan – Wasabied Steak

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1 lbs. strop steak
1/2 tsp. Minced ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
8 oz egg noodles
4 tsp. olive oil sprinkle
garlic powder sprinkle
minced ginger
4 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. wasabi powder
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds

Prep Day Directions: sprinkle ginger, garlic and pepper on steak. freeze.

Note: I used ground ginger.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw steak. Bring water to a boil for noodles (I have also done it with rice). cook steak over medium-high heat until done way you like ( I recommend med. rare, 4-5 min/side, depending on thickness). remove from pan and let rest while cook noodles/rice according to pkg. directions Drain then toss with olive oil, and sprinkle of garlic and ginger. Add the rice vinegar to coat. Mix the wasabi powder with water, stir to blend then mix with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Slice steak into bite size pieces and add to the noodles. Drizzle with the wasabi-soy mix and toss again to combine and blend *be careful with the rice vinegar if you make rice. Not sure what the equivalent amount of rice is for 8oz of noodles. Not good to go over-board on the vinegar.

Vanessa – Hobo Dinners

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NOTES: Lindsay’s recipe vote will come after she gets back from vacation.

Our next swap is 5/16 at 11:30am out front Vanessa’s house. There are 4 of us swapping.

Please submit May recipes to the blog on the Monday before swap.

May Swap Categories
Seafood/Fish – Gretchen
Meatless or Your Choice – Kari
Beef – Vanessa
Poultry – Meghan

We will break for June – August.

Posted in - Meal Swap Menus

Meal Swap: Wednesday Group’s May ’14 Menu

MAY 2014 MENU for Wednesday’s Swap

Your Choice

Jenica: Sicilian meatloaf

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Bridget: chicken taco bowls

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North American/European

Brittany: lamb burgers

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1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno (left out)
1 clove garlic
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground beef

Prep Day Directions: mix together all ingredients, make into 6 patties. freeze

Serve Day Directions: Thaw overnight and grill

Kirsten: super sloppy joes

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Italian/Mediterranean

Nicole: prune and olive chicken

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Ashley: chicken pesto pasta

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Asian/Indian

Kendra: Indian buttered chicken

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Kellie: pineapple ginger flank steak

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Southwestern/Latin American:

Erin: tex mex chicken fingers

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Emily: out

Next Swap: Wed. 5/14/14 at 8:30pm

June Menu Categories

Your Choice – Erin and Emily

North American/European – Jenica and Bridget

Italian/Mediterranean – Brittany and Kirsten

Asian/Indian – Ashley and Nicole

Southwestern/Latin American -Kendra and Kellie