Review: My FreezEasy (TOS Review) #hsreviews #freezeasy #freezermeals #5dollardinners #freezercooking

I got to use the MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership by MyFreezEasy for this review!  It has been such a great addition to my home!

The program is designed to make double of a meal, and freeze one.  You print 5 meals at a time, menus change each month, but you can also swap out recipes if there is something that doesn’t really suit you.  The idea is to make 10 meals a week, freezing half each week.

I have to be honest, I rarely eat the same meal twice…I always am trying new recipes and such, and only repeat a few tried and true recipes.  So, making two meals of something I had not even tried yet, was not appealing to me.  BUT, I still used the recipes and just made 1 of everything to freeze for later. 

I am Paleo, and was easily able to find meals that fit paleo or had easily substitutable ingredients (ie coconut aminos for soy sauce, honey for sugar, ghee for butter, etc…). I also make paleo sides for each dish, (ie cauli rice, instead of rice and typically additional vegetables of some sort).

I first made 10 different dishes (which at this point I have eaten 8 of, and all were good!) Then I made 10 more!

I LOVED having something already made in the freezer for an easy go to dinner!  I cooked almost every meal in my instant pot (regardless of cooking directions), so it was also ready very quickly! 

I did find a few typos in the directions, so just be aware and look over things.  I also wish that there was an option for making just ONE of each dish, because the shopping list is automatically created for making TWO dishes, so I had to cut it in half myself…would be easier not to have to do so.

It says it takes an hour, I found with all the vegetable chopping and such, it took me more than an hour.   If everything was chopped and laid out, ready to go already… it would take about an hour from that point.  But it still saves A LOT of time in the long run, so it’s totally worth it!  You just have to find a few hours to set aside and DO IT!

I loved that I don’t have to worry about fresh vegetables going bad, b/c I’m chopping them right after I buy them and freezing them!  It makes eating healthy SO easy too!  Everything I used was FRESH veggies/fruit…zero processed food! 

It also cut down how much money I was spending at the grocery store because I don’t have to go as often!  I can go about once every 2 weeks now, with a small stop at the local farm for veggies every week (I do need side dishes). 

You are also able to adjust the serving sizes for your recipes!  This was great!  I could change it to 6 for every meal and the recipe adjusted accordingly!

Here is the list of recipes I made:

Dutch Oven Italian Chicken & Potatoes

Grilled Asian Chicken Foil Packs (made without packs)


Peach & Balsamic Chicken Skillet


Slow Cooker Mango Chicken
Slow Cooker Rosemary Artichoke Chicken
Beef Stew Foil Packs (made without packs)

Firecracker Pork Chops


New Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Filling) (Pictured NOT Paleo)


Paleo Minestrone Soup (I added meatballs to this)


Sweet Potato & Chicken Sausage Hash

Second round:

Easy Beef & Broccoli Stirfy
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Grilled Pork Chops with Zucchini & Tomatoes
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry
Bolognese Sauce
Mediterranean Chicken Thighs
Paleo Chicken Taco Salad
Sesame Beef Lettuce Wraps
Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Soup (omitted the beans)

Everything I have eaten thus far has been DELICIOUS!  The only complaint my hubby had was that I made too many chicken breast meals, so for my second round you can see I tried to mix it up a bit more! 

It really is SUPER easy, and there is a good selection of recipes to choose from, they change every month, however! 

It is inexpensive too, especially considering all the money and time it saves you! I will be continuing to use these menu plans!  It has really saved me so much time, as a homeschool mom!  Dinner now requires no thought really, and just a handful of minutes in the instant pot, most nights!

Social Media Links:
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/freezeasy
Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/freezeasy
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/5dollardinners/freezeasy

 

#Paleo Tapioca Pudding in the Instant Pot (Dairy, Gluten and Refined Sugar FREE)

Ingredients: 

1 c tapioca pearls (not instant)

3 c water

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 c raw honey (or more if you prefer sweeter)

1  can coconut milk

2 egg yolks

1 T vanilla

Serves 8-12

Directions:

1.  Put tapioca pearls and water into the Instant Pot.  Set on Manual for 6 mins.  Turn off and let sit at natural pressure release for 10mins, release any remaining pressure and remove lid.

2.  Add salt and honey, whisk together.

3.  In a separate small bowl, mix coconut milk and egg yolks.

4.  Whisk into the Instant Pot, set on sauté and whisk continually until boiling. 

5.  Turn off heat and stir in the vanilla

Serve with diced fruit, if desired.

Enjoy warm or cooled!

Note on the sweetness - My husband thought it wasn’t sweet enough, my kids agreed, and also didn’t like the texture (first time having tapioca, I remember I didn’t like it as a kid either, same reason).  I thought it was perfect, and ate most of it myself!  Oops!  Since I do not eat a lot of *sweet* anymore, it was plenty sweet for me.  My family on the other hand are more adapted to sweet things.  So you may want more honey, just taste to see.  My family eats mostly Paleo (since I cook), but they also eat non-Paleo a lot more often than I do.

Recipe: Pork Chops with Oregano-Dijon Sauce @emeals

Ingredients:

6 (6oz) bone-in pork chops (or chicken breasts, I used boneless pork chops….the thick ones from Costco).
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups organic chicken broth
2 Tbsp arrowroot (or tapioca starch)
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (or brown mustard)
3 Tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

Sprinkle pork chops with garlic salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork chops, and cook 4 minutes per side or until done.  (Since I used thick chops, I browned all sides and put in oven at 400F until done).  Remove from the skillet  and keep warm.  Whisk together chicken broth and arrowroot; add to skillet.  Bring to a boil, and cook 4 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.  Whisk in mustard and remaining ingredients.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Serve sauce over pork shops.

Pictured Side Dish:  Pan-Steamed Asparagus with Mushrooms

You can get this recipe and many other Paleo friendly recipes from emeals! Other plan options are also available.

Christmas Cookies with Dad (Gingerbread and Sugar Cookies)

These were REALLY good gingerbread cookies, chewy (as long as you don’t over bake them).  Very tasty!  They made a 2nd batch of these to give out at church.  These were not made to be roll out cookies, but it worked great!

Better Homes and Gardens Giant Ginger Cookis

This was NOT a good rolled cookie recipe, would have been better to just put them in balls on the sheet for round cookies (which they ended up doing with over half of the batter).  But the kids wanted to cut some shapes out.  Next time I’ll have them use my tried and true recipe for rolled sugar cookies.  We will decorate them tonight (Monday) for Family Home Evening.  I’ll have pictures in our Week in Review for this week, so come back!

Better Homes and Gardens Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookies

Okay – so Hubby doesn’t know if he did something wrong or what, but the cookies were a major FAIL!!  They went completely flat and didn’t taste all that great.  Who knows!  We won’t be decorating these! 

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

These cupcakes were really dense but super yummy!  The icing was exceptionally good!  We added some chocolate chips to the batter too!

Check out the recipe HERE

Crock Pot Applesauce

Okay, so I KNOW I took an after picture and I can’t seem to find it anywhere.  My phone has been doing that to me lately :/ 

O well, needless to say, this was SUPER easy and fun and OH SO YUMMY!  The kids ate it up in 2 days! (and that was only b/c I rationed it, they would have ate it all in ONE!)

Find the recipe here, we used 1/2c sugar and cooked it in our rice cooker/slow cooker combo (I was using our regular crock pot for dinner).  We used the Pampered Chef Peeler, Slicer, Corer to get the job done!  So quick and easy!

No Bake Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I needed a gluten free recipe and wanted to do something pumpkin-y.  I found this recipe online and decided to give it a try.  I had my little kitchen helper!  (I am not usually one to cook with the kids, I just don’t have the patience…You will find much more Dads and Kids kitchen posts for this reason!)  This recipe was simple.  I really liked them, but I think the opinion was mixed across the board.

You can find the recipe HERE.  I followed it exactly except I didn’t make the icing.  I stored them in the fridge, to help them solidify.  They were sort of wet/gooey, the texture was weird (which is what I think the mixed opinions were about).  If you like pumpkin and oatmeal…give them a try! 

It’s an easy recipe with normal ingredients (a lot of the ones I found called for the pumpkin spice pudding which can be hard to find).  If you try them, let me know how you like them! 

Apple Crumb Pie and Apple Dumplings

Here are some tried and true apple recipes!  YUM!!  Kid tested and mother approved!

Saucy Apple Dumplings  (we used chestnuts, b/c we have a ton from our neighbors tree).

Apple Crumb Pie

Kids and Dad in the Kitchen

Ingredients:

1/2c granulated sugar
1/2c packed brown sugar
1/4c Nutella
1/4c Peanut Butter
1/2c butter
1 large egg
1 1/4c flour
3/4t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1/4t salt
Granulated sugar
~1c Reese’s Pieces

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375

2.  Beat first 6 ingredients in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed.  Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Continue to mix or stir by hand.

3.  Shape dough into 1 1/4 in balls (we use the Pampered Chef small scoop).  Roll the balls in sugar and place on baking sheet (we use Pampered Chef stones, they make the best cookies!  I don’t sell Pampered Chef any longer, but still love several of their items!).

4.  Bake 9 to 10 mins or until light brown.  Cool 5 minutes them move from cookie sheet to wire rack to finish cooling. 

Kids and Dad in the Kitchen

My youngest LOVES to cook, and (I’ve said it before) my husband has WAY more patience with the kiddos in the kitchen than I do.  So he has been making it a regular thing to cook with at least the 3yo (he is the one most interested), but occasionally the bigger ones jump in as well.

This time the kids all picked some fresh WILD raspberries and blackberries.  They had the idea to make a cake with them…so this is the result of that!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
2 cups fresh or frozen berries (any kind)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly; set aside 3/4 cup for topping.
2. Beat in the baking powder, milk and egg yolks to remaining mixture until well combined.
3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.

4.  Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberries and reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 15-18 servings. (We had to bake about 15-20min longer…not sure if it’s because we added extra berries, were using a stone or the combo of the two).

Note: If using frozen berries, use without thawing to avoid discoloring the batter.

Adapted slightly from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/blueberry-snack-cake#ixzz3AP40qeIP

Jelly Thumbprint Cookies–Dad and Kids in the Kitchen

My husband has far more patience when it comes to cooking with the kids!  Honestly I try to avoid it, he does it on a fairly normal basis.  This was the first time (in awhile) that he had all 3 helping hands involved.  Currently only my 3yo is interested whenever he is in baking mode, but he was successful in roping all of them in this time around. 

Recipe:

Ingredients
2/3 c butter
1/2 c sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1 c chopped pecans
strawberry (or other flavor) preserves

Directions
Preheat oven to 375

Beat butter, add sugar and continue to beat until combined.
Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.  Combine.
Add flour and beat until too thick, then stir in remaining by hand.
Cover and chill dough about 1 hour in fridge (or we tossed in the freezer for about 10min)

Grease cookie sheet; set aside

Roll into 1 inch balls (they used the 1 t scoop from Pampered Chef, but I think it made them big b/c the original recipe said makes ~42, but we got about half of that).  Roll each ball in the egg whites and then coat with pecans.  (They had an assembly line going).  Press thumb into the center of each ball.  Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are light brown.  Let cool on a wire rack, then fill center with jam.

My aunt said these cookies tasted like Pecan Sandys with Jam.  They were not very sweet like a sugar cookie, but had the same sort of texture (not including the nuts).  They were quite tasty!

We used homemade jam that was made from our strawberry picking

Recipe: Lillikoi Bars and Pound Cake

Lillikoi Bars

2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sifted powdered sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt
3/4 c butter
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3 T all purpose flour
1 c Lillikoi Juice (Passion Fruit) – To get fresh juice from the fruit, scrape inside of fruit into a pot, boil slightly, then strain the juice to separate pulp and seeds
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Crust:  In a large bowl combine the 2 c flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Using a pastry blender cut in the butter to make a coarse crumb like texture.  Press into the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan and bake for 18 to 20min.  Edges should be golden.

FIlling:  In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar, 3 T flour, juice and milk.  Pour over hot crust

Bake for 15 to 20min or until center is set.  Cool on a rack and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.  Cut into bars and serve.  Store in a covered container in the fridge.

*adapted from Luscious Lemon Bars recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

Another great recipe to use the juice for: 

Lillikoi Pound Cake

1-1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 3 4-by-8 loaf pans.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine flour and baking powder. Keeping mixer running, gradually add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture, alternating with juice. Add vanilla.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Variation: For a lighter cake, replace 1/2 cup of butter with shortening.

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

Mix all ingredients:

1 c quick cook oats
1 c wheat flour
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c white granulated sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 c applesauce
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 c chopped apples
3/4c fresh cranberries
~ 1/2c water….just to make moist enough

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full (either spray or use paper liners)

Cook at 375 for ~20min

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