Frozen food...

I'm tired of buying my lunch. I waste time, money and waste! I've been recycling more and more in the office lately and I am more cognizant of the amount of trash I create. Every Subway sandwich? I put the plastic bag in the recycle, the napkins in the recycle but the paper on the sandwich, I don't know if I can recycle that. It doesn't help my nutrition that my favorite Subway sandwich right now is the buffalo chicken flat bread...12 inch. Since when did I need an entire foot of sandwich??????? Never, but it is so easy to say "foot long".

Ok, back on track...

I have been trying to brainstorm lunch ideas. I came up with spaghetti or pb&j. Enter, The Internet.

This great site, onceamonthmom.com has menu ideas for an entire month. You cook food once a month, hence the name, and freeze it. In no realm did I actually think I could do the entire month but it does give me great ideas from time to time. Last week I made this:

Poppy Seed Chicken Pinwheels (Recipe on the bottom of this post)

Mine were more like a burrito when I was done, but they are excellent. I have them in the freezer, pop one bag in the fridge at night and I take it to work with me during the day.

Tonight I'm making this:

Petite Sante Fe Casserole Cups (Again, recipe on the bottom of this post)

You make a casserole, bake it in muffin tins, pop them out, put them in the freezer unwrapped for 20 minutes then take them out and wrap them in freezer bags. Brilliant!

Look at me, I'm frickin' Martha Stewart! Last week I made homemade granola and this week I'm making healthy lunches. Next up, homemade yogurt!  I haven't gained enough confidence yet since I am uber-picky about my yogurt.

Poppy Seed Chicken Pinwheels

Author/Source:

Kim @ Onceamonthmom.com (adapted from Happy Healthy Life)

Ingredients:

Poppy Seed Dressing

Homemade dressings only take a few minutes to make, but are a huge improvement over the highly processed store bought versions in health and taste.

• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 0.25 Tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
• 0.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• dash freshly ground pepper

Chicken Salad Pinwheels

• prepared Poppy Seed Dressing (recipe above)
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 0.33 cups chopped green onions
• 0.25 cups chopped pecans
• 0.25 cups chopped celery
• 0.5 cups cream cheese
• 0.5 cups finely chopped strawberries
• 2 each homemade tortillas or high quality store bought tortillas

These pinwheels make a pretty little lunch.

 Directions:

In a medium bowl or lidded jar mix together mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, shallots, poppy seeds, garlic powder, and pepper. Whisk or shake together ingredients until smooth. In a food processor, pulse chicken, green onions, celery, and pecans until finely chopped. Add 1/2 of poppy seed dressing and pulse until just mixed. In a small bowl mix together remaining dressing and cream cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over tortillas. Then cover evenly with chicken salad mixture. Sprinkle strawberries over the chicken. Roll tortilla tightly, securing with toothpicks if needed. Cut into 3/4 inch rounds with a sharp knife. {You may need to chill before slicing if cream cheese has become soft.}

Freezing Directions:

Wrap rolled tortillas in plastic wrap freeze in a freezer bag. To serve: Thaw in refrigerator or in a chilled lunch box. Cut into 3/4 inch rounds with a sharp knife.

Servings: 2 (more if you are using them for a party appetizer)

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Petite Sante Fe Casserole Cups

Author/Source:

Abbi @ Onceamonthmom.com, adapted from Healthy Tipping Point

Ingredients:

• 0.25 cup chopped onion
  
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 0.50 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin
• 15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
• 0.75 cup salsa
• 1.5 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 0.25 cup chopped green chilies

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Spray non-stick muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.  Divide mixture among muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Freezing Directions:

After baking, allow to cool.  Remove from muffin cups and flash freeze.  Once frozen, place in gallon size freezer bags.  To serve, thaw and reheat.

Servings: 6

Nutritional Information:  Serving Size = 2 casserole cups. Calories – 530, Total Fat – 10.4 g, Total Carbohydrates – 84.2 g, Protein – 26.4 g.  Dietary Fiber:  2.8  WW Plus Points: 14