Best and Worst of Frozen Foods

Hello everyone.

For those of us that don't always feel like cooking dinner (guilty) we think it might be easier to just pop a frozen dinner into the microwave. However, we should be aware of what our healthier options may be. Here's an article from Yahoo! about what are the 10 Best and Worst Frozen Foods to eat. Eat this, not that:

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/10-best-worst-frozen-foods-184000008.html

Food article - Beware of scams!

Here's an article about foods that you should be cautious of paying too much for because you might be getting what you expect. Make sure you know what you're really getting!

http://tinyurl.com/cekt7tb

Salmon Noodle Casserole

2 cans (8oz) of salmon in water (undrained)
1 family size cream of mushroom soup
2-3 cups of milk
1 bag of egg noodles
2 cups of sweet peas
2 shakes of garlic powder
3 shakes of onion powder or 1/4 white onion chopped
3-4 shakes of black pepper

Preheat oven at 350.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once water is at a hard boil, add egg noodles. Meanwhile combine soup with milk and spices. Once combined, add salmon. Stir over medium heat for about five minutes. Set aside. Once noodles are somewhat soft, strain water. Add soup mix to noodles and stir until evenly coated; add peas.

In large baking or casserole dish, spray with cooking spray. Pour in noodle mix. Wrap dish in aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Mexi-Beef Rice Mix

A simple creation that I made the other night for dinner. Quick and easy to do! Feel free to add more vegetables! I used whatever I had in the fridge at the time but feel free to explore!

1 lb of beef
1 package of Taco Seasoning
1 1/4 cup of white rice
1 can of mexi-corn (drained)
1/4 cup of black beans (drained)
3 shakes of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup of water (for beef)
Salsa (optional)

In a small pot, bring water to a hard boil then add rice. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, cook meat in 1/2 cup of water. Once meat starts to brown, add taco seasoning. Break meat into chunks as you cook it. Stir til evenly coated. Once meat is thoroughly cooked add mexi-corn, beans, and crushed red pepper. Stir so corn and beans are evenly coated.

When rice is fully cooked, drain rice then place in a large tupperware container with beef mix. Place a lid on the tupperware container and shake until rice and beef mixture are well mixed. (I find that this is less messy than stirring...if the lid is closed correctly). Serve and enjoy!

*Try This* I had a lot of this leftover so I did some experimentation the next day for lunch. If you take this mix and put it in a wrap or burrito it is so good. Be sure not to over stuff the burrito though, otherwise it's a little messy. But feel free to add salsa and sour cream to the mix for the burrito. I added sour cream to the burrito I made and it's so good!

Amazing Thai Peanut Chicken

This is a recipe that my boyfriend and I got from food.com and it so delicious! We tried it both with rice and rice noodles and we found that we both liked it better with rice. The sauce is very watery and the rice soaks up the extra juices better than the rice noodles. Also we used the white wine vinegar instead of rice vinegar, olive oil instead of peanut oil, and we used the optional curry powder. However, as always, I recommend that you adjust the recipe as needed to suit your needs! Enjoy.

7 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

5 teaspoons white wine vinegar or 5 teaspoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil or 3 tablespoons peanut oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves , cut into thin strips

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh gingerroot

3/4 cup chopped green onion

4 cups broccoli florets

1 green pepper , chopped

1 red pepper , chopped

1/3 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts

curry powder (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is golden on the outside, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, and add green onion, broccoli, peppers peanuts, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until broccoli is tender, and chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice or rice noodles.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Here's a really quick dish that's easy to make!

3 chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup of spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup of honey
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped AND/OR 3 green onion stalks, chopped
1/4 of a sweet red bell pepper, cubed
1/4 of a sweet yellow bell pepper, cubed
1/4 of a sweet orange bell pepper, cubed
1 cup of jasmine rice OR 4-5 handfuls of egg noodles, optional

If making rice or noodles, start boiling rice in a sauce pot of water. Combine mustard, honey, and cayenne in a small bowl. Prep vegetables. Set aside. Cut up chicken breasts and place in a medium frying pan over medium heat with onions. When chicken starts turning white add mustard sauce and other vegetables. Stir until mustard mix coats everything evenly. Cook until peppers are somewhere between soft and firm; chicken should be easy to split with a fork. Once fully cooked, serve chicken over rice or noodles.

Chicken Taco Salad and Rice

3-5 chicken breasts, cubed
1 package of taco seasoning
1 can of mexi-corn, do not drain
1/2 cup of red sweet bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup of black beans
1/8 cup of red beans (optional)
1 package of Romaine Lettuce
1 whole tomato, diced
2 cups of white rice
Sour cream (optional)
Medium Salsa (optional)
2-3 large handfuls of shredded fiesta cheese

Prep all vegetables and set to the side. In a medium saucepan or medium heat, put an 1/2 of a cup of water in the pan. Combine taco seasoning and water until somewhat blended. Add chicken cubes into the seasoned water mix. Cook until chicken turns white. Once chicken turns white, add mexi-corn, beans, and rice. Let cook covered for about 10 minutes. Then take cover off and continue simmering.

While chicken mix is simmering, combine lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese. Take salad and divide it out onto plates. Once the chicken and rice are fully cooked, spoon out chicken mix onto salads, then add any condiments (sour cream, salsa, more cheese, guacamole, etc.). Enjoy! Serves 4-6.

Tip: This recipe would also go well with Tortilla chips.