9 Tried & True Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Here is a collection of crock pot freezer meals that are tried and true for me.  They are easy to prepare and the ingredients are reasonably priced for the most part.  Most of them serve around 4.  The soups serve more like 6-8.  Most of the recipes can be cooked for much longer than the suggested time.  Most days it ends up cooking for about 10 hours on low just because of our schedules.  I really don't know where I found these recipes and most have been tweaked.  Enjoy!

Serrano Pork Tacos with a side of brown rice

Serrano Pork Tacos

3-4 pound pork roast or loin cut into chunks

2 onions

6 tbsp canola oil

2-4 serrano chillies

3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. water

Divide all ingredients into two bags, label and freeze.

Thaw in refridgerator the night before and then dump all ingredients into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve in taco shells or tortillas with toppings of your choice.

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes,
mashed(you can do this with a potato masher right in the bag, be careful that you don’t break the bag)
1 large can rosarita red/mild enchilada sauce
2 medium onion, chopped(about 1 cup)
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles
4 cloves garlic, minced or 4 tsp. minced garlic
2 cans chicken broth
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can corn
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can black beans
Split the above between two gallon freezer bags and remove as much air as possible seal and then double bag into another freezer bag.
Freeze
When ready to enjoy place in fridge to thaw the day before. Pour into crockpot add an additional 1 cup water to crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Makes 2(4-6 serving dinners)

Ingredients:

3-4 cups chicken cooked and cubed

2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups celery, sliced

2 cups onions, diced

3 tsp. poultry seasoning

4 cloves garlic, (or 4 tsp).minced

12 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cans chicken broth

Split the above between two gallon ziplock bags,remove as much air as possible and seal.

Also needed: 2 cups uncooked egg noodles

Tape one bag of uncooked egg noodles onto each filled gallon bag.  Freeze.

When ready to place in crockpot take out the soup mixture and add 6-7 cup water directly to the bag, Pour into crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours or High 3-4 hours. (Low is best and can be cooked longer than 6 hours if needed. Reserve Noddles in freezer.  Place noodles in soup 30 minutes before serving.

 

Ranch Chicken

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 dry packet ranch dressing mix

Add ingredients to ziplock bag, label and freeze.

Preparation:  Thaw the night before in refridgerator and place in your slow cooker with about 1 C of Water or Chicken broth for 3-4 hours on High, or 4-5 Hours on Low. Serve whole or chop up for tacos or sandwiches.

 

Pulled Chicken

1 1/2 BBQ sauce

3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Combine in ziplock bag, label and freeze.

Thaw the night before in refridgerator and place in your slow cooker with about 1/4 C of water for 3-4 Hours on High. Shred chicken and mix back in with sauce, serve on crusty rolls with a slice of cheese. This recipe is also pretty flexible and can be baked or grilled if you don’t want to slow cook.

 

Italian Chicken

4 whole bonless skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 c. italian dressing

Add ingredients to ziplock bag, label and freeze.

Place in refridgerator the night before and dump into your slow cooker with about 1/2 – 1 C of water or Chicken broth for 3-4 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

 

Beef Fajitas

1-2 lbs. flank steak

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium green pepper chopped

1 packet fajita mix

1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies

Add all ingredients to ziplock bag, label and freeze. 

Thaw the night before in refridgerator, dump in crockpot and cook 4-5 hours on low.

 

Tortellini Soup

1 Medium Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 (8 Oz.) Can Tomato Sauce
2 (14.5 Oz.) Cans Crushed Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
2 (14 Oz.) Cans Chicken Broth
1 chicken boullion cube

Place above in gallon ziplock bag and remove air and seal.

Tape 1 frozen meat tortellini package to the filled gallon bag.  Freeze.

Thaw in refridgerator the night before. Place soup and one cup water in crockpot cook on
low 5-6 hours. Put in tortellini 30 minutes before cooking time is complete.






Chicken Fajitas

3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips

1 medium onion sliced

1 medium green pepper sliced

1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies

1 packet fajita seasoning

Add all ingredients to the ziplock bag, label and freeze.  To prepare, thaw the night before in refridgerator and dump into the crockpot – cover and cook 4-5 hours on low

Freezer Meals

Stress has tried to get the best of me this week with migraines, trouble sleeping and fatigue.  Due to my stress-induced migraines, I had to miss my Bible Study, a wedding coordinator meeting with a bride, and a half day of work.  This cannot continue, so I have decided to take action.  First and most importantly, I'm doing a lot of prayer and Bible reading.

Then my grandma gave me a book by Dale Carnegie about ridding your life of worry called, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Right up my alley. 

 I'm on chapter 4 and so far it's been pretty helpful with giving real strategies that I can apply to my daily life.  I'm also considering letting go of my responsibilities as wedding coordinator for my church.  I think that will help my stress level.  My mom came and helped me with my classroom after school yesterday for 2 hours so we got 4 hours worth of work done.  YEAH!  I feel so much better about my upcoming work week now.  Also, we go to dinner with Tom's parents every week so we decided to change that to every other week.  It was a hard decision, because family is very important, but it's hard to rush home from work, rush to their house, rush to Bible Study and rush home to bed.  Too much rushing in one day.  Finally, I have decided to make better use of my weekends so I can better enjoy my weekdays.  As a result, I decided to take three hours of my Saturday morning to make as many freezer meals as possible.  That is exactly what I did this morning. 

Here's what I made...

8 servings of 3 Ingredient Chicken Tacos

8-10 servings of Mom's Turkey Chili

8 servings of Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

5 servings of turkey and mushroom spaghetti

8-10 servings of 1 Skillet Chili Mac

That equals approx. 40 servings of food!!!  How exciting!  Our week night dinners and week day lunches are DONE for TWO WEEKS!  All we have to do is warm them up.  Praise the Lord for the invention of the microwave! :)

This is what made it so easy...

• I chose recipes that are SIMPLE.
• I used recipes with similar ingredients to make grocery shopping easy (ground turkey, diced tomatoes, chili powder, etc.)
• I only used 3 pans-1 skillet, 1 medium sauce pan, 1 dutch oven (just kept rinsing them out and resusing).  This is SUPER important for not having a hige pile of dishes afterwords.
• I never had to turn the oven on for the stuffed peppers because I just boiled the peppers, pre cooked the meat and rice then mixed the stuffing.  It will all cook together when I warm it up in the microwave.
• Choose one recipe to put in the crock pot so it does the work for you.

**Happy Dance**

3 ingredient crock pot tacos

It's been a while since I posted a recipe or even tried out a new one.  This weekend I got a chance to try out a crock pot recipe.  I have NO idea where I found this recipe, but I definitely can't take credit for it.  Super easy and delicious.

Here you go...

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos (makes 10-14 tacos)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning or make your own like I do (see below for homemade taco seasoning mix)

Throw all ingredients into crock pot and stir to coat evenly and mix in seasonings.  Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-9 hours.  Shred with fork or use Pampered Chef's "Mix 'n Chop"...this works amazingly well :)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (I don't have onion powder so I substituted minced onion)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and store in air tight container.  I used 2 tbsp in place of one seasoning packet.

Ding, ding! Dinner's ready!! Spicy Chicken Tortillas...

I've been in a permanent Mexican mood lately and this is one of my favorites.  It's such versatile dish.  It can be a dinner, an appetizer, or a dip. 

Tonight, Tom wanted his as a dinner and I cut mine up like an appetizer.  So easy! 

**By the way, this recipe makes a LOT so feel free to cut it in half or even thirds!

Appetizer version with a few blue corn chips, a kiwi spinach salad with a cup of milk.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups (serves 8-10)
Adapted from Sing For Your Supper

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes, drained
12 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
8-10 large flour tortillas

Cut up the chicken breasts into small pieces.  Add to skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.  Cook on med-high heat until cooked through.  Once the chicken is cooked, cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, drained tomatoes, cheese, and minced garlic. Mix together until well-incorporated. Add cooled chicken and stir together.

To make into a dinner:

Fill tortilla with mixture and roll up like a taco.  Top with lettuce and tomato.  Ta da!

For a dip:

Scoop into a pretty bowl, refridgerate and side with chips.  Easy peasy!

To make into an appetizer:

Lay out tortillas and divide mixture evenly in the center of each. Spread into a thin layer leaving the edges clean. Roll each tortilla tightly. Do not fold in the ends like you would with a burrito but leave them free. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1" thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. (The end pieces will likely unroll a little so just eat the extras). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  This has been a huge hit at parties!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Tonight I cooked a brand new recipe.  It's always a thrill (for me at least) to try out new food.  To imagine what the tastes and textures will be...the new smells filling the kitchen.  Mmmm...

Well, tonight's meal did not disappoint.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers (serves 6 hearty portions)

357 calories per serving

2 c. brown rice (cooked)
1 lb. ground turkey (cooked)
3 green peppers (cut in half, take out seeds)
1 heaping tbsp of taco seasoning
1 tbsp minced onion
16 oz. of your favorite salsa
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Boil prepped peppers for 5 min.  Prep a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Place peppers open side up in pan.  Combine cooked turkey, cooked rice, taco seasoning, salsa, minced onion, black beans, frozen corn and salsa together in pan.  (Hint: save a pan and just use the one you boiled the peppers in.)  Once thoroughly combined, spoon stuffing into peppers.  Fill the rest of the 9x13 with the rest of the stuffing. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

I served mine with an ear of sweet corn.  You can never have too much sweet corn in the summer, right?  For those of you, who like me have a wonderful lower retainer, I have this nifty little gadget that takes the kernels off the cob.  It's a beautiful thing.  No strings or kernels to pick out of your retainer.  YES!

Enjoy your weekend and STAY COOL!!! 

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Kiwi Salad

This is a twist off a fajita quesadilla recipe I tried a few weeks ago.  I switched it up because I had some fresh cilantro growing outside my front door ;)

Laura's Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadillas

Serves 3-4

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 packet taco seasoning (I used 3 tbsp of my homemade taco seasoning)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

juice from 1 lime

1/2 c. shredded cheddar

3-4 tortillas

3-4 tsp butter

Warm olive oil over medium heat in large skillet.  Add chicken pieces and seasonings, cilantro and lime juice.  Stir often about 5-6 min or until no longer pink inside. 

In a smaller skillet, melt 1 tsp of butter.  Once melted and sizzling lay tortilla on butter.  Swish around so entire side is covered.  Fill one half with meat mixture and 1/4 of the cheese.  Fold over tortilla to cover meat and cheese.  Brown for 1 min.  Flip and brown other side for 1 min.  Repeat until all butter, tortillas, cheese and meat are used up.

Serve with sour cream or salsa!

My new salad creation has been given many doubtful looks and comments, but I LOVE it!  I was having a really hard time finding salad dressing without sugars, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or preservatives, but I still wanted to eat salad.  So I made up my own salad that doesn't need dressing.  Only two ingredients are necessary.  Kiwi and spinach.

I know it sounds crazy, but it is so full of flavor and has ZERO fat!  Plus kiwi and spinach are both super foods.  If you like kiwi then you will like this salad. 

Here it is.  I dare you to try it ;)

Quesadilla Casserole

Well I'm back.  I can't believe it's the middle of May already!  This spring has flown by.  Still no results from my saliva hormone test, but the longer I deal with these migraines, the more I am convinced they are hormone related.  I've had 6 so far this month.  SIX!  What the heck is going on??  So frustrated.  Yesterday I had to go home early from our Mother's Day celebration because I felt one coming on.  But I am counting my blessings and praising God for my medication that takes them away.  So here's the stats:

The Migraine Battle Rages On...
Jan. 4
Feb. 4
Mar. 12
Apr. 5
May to date 6

Overall, still better than 8-10 a month of my old average, so I must be doing something right. 

Pounds lost: 23
Inches lost: 22

Those numbers are VERY encouraging for me and are definitely a nice bonus to the no sugar eating plan.  :)

Tonight's dinner was thankfully very easy and delicious!  I had originally planned to make chicken fajita quesadillas, but I forgot to defrost the chicken so....onto Plan B.  There was some ground turkey in the fridge so I decided to try out a new recipe. 

Quesadilla Casserole
1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
1 tbsp minced onion (or 1/4 c. fresh chopped onion)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
1 can  (8 oz) corn
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chilis
4 flour tortillas (8 inch)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown turkey or beef with onions in large skillet.  Drain.  Add tomato sauce, corn, beans, chilies.  Mix well.  Add all spices.  Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 5 minutes. 
Prep 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Pour 1/3 meat mixture into bottom of pan.  Lay 2 tortillas on top of meat.  Then add 1/3 cheese.  Repeat starting with 1/3 meat, 2 tortillas and 1/3 cheese.  Top with remaining 1/3 of meat and remaining 1/3 of cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

I hope you enjoy!  I'm off to do Day #4 of Couch to 5K!  I'll post more about this later in the week :)

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Before I tell you about what's been heating up the kitchen, I will give you a migraine update.  If you are just interested in the food it won't hurt my feelings.  Go ahead and scroll down for the good stuff.  Anyway, for those of you interested, I have had 5 migraines so far in April.  One yesterday and one again today.  Yesterday was hard.  I was being stubborn and didn't want to take my medicine because in my mind it's only a migraine if it's bad enough that I have to break down and take my meds.  Well, I felt it coming on Friday.  Then I took some Advil, which slowed it down.  Felt it Saturday and then went to a friend's birthday party.  Later in the evening I started to feel dizzy, shakey and couldn't concentrate.  My head was starting to do its migraine thing and my body was sending me plenty of warning signs that I need to get home pronto.  So we went home and I was still stubborn and thought I could sleep it off...as if that has ever worked.  Well, I woke up to the mother of all migraines Sunday morning.  Missed church and felt worthless all day.  Lesson learned: TAKE YOUR MEDS!!!  So today on my way home from school I started to feel a migraine coming on again.  So I pulled into a parking lot and took my meds.  Migraine was gone within 1.5 hours.  Ta da!  God has provided relief from these migraines and I need to appreciate it and get past my stubborn streak and use what God has given me for as long as I can.

Jan. 4
Feb. 4
Mar. 12
Apr. 5 (to date)

On average, still way better than 8-10 a month!  I must be doing something right!
Bonus: Weight lost 19.5 lbs.  Inches lost 20.5 in.

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately.  I feel like I'm missing out on lots of yummy and delicious things (it is worth it though to have less migraines) that I need to add some flavor to whatever I do eat.  These were really good and really easy.  One pan. Done.  I would suggest using flour tortillas, but since every flour tortilla I've found contains something I can't have, I used corn tortillas for my quesadilla.
This is a pic of Tom's meal.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Ingredients

·         1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into thin slices

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 lime, juice and zest

·         1/2 tablespoon chili powder

·         1 teaspoon cumin

·         1/2 teaspoon oregano

·         1 clove garlic, chopped

·         1 tablespoon oil

·         1 onion, sliced

·         1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

·         1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

      2 tsp butter

·         4 large (10 inch) tortillas

·         2 cups jack and cheddar, shredded  

Cut up your raw chicken into small pieces.  Heat olive oil in skillet, then add chicken, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and lime juice.  Cook together until chicken is no longer pink.  Add onion, garlic, and peppers.  Saute for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.  Put chicken, spice, and veggie mix into a seperate bowl.  Melt 1/2 tsp butter in skillet you just used.  Stir tortilla around in butter and then sprinkle cheese on half of tortilla, then add chicken mixture.  Fold other half over and cook 2 min each side.  Use 1/2 tsp butter to brown each tortilla.  Top with sour cream, salsa, or quacamole!

Mexican Chili...hot hot hot!!

Tonight I put together a new recipe inspired by a recipe I found the other day. 

It was really hearty and spicy. 

Mexican Chili

1 lb ground turkey
3 c. chicken stock
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
4 garlic cloves
2 c. frozen corn
3 jalepenos
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 small can tomato paste
8 oz. pepper jack cheese

Combine chicken stock, raw ground turkey, cumin, chili powder and cayanne pepper into dutch oven on stove top.  Simmer chicken stock, spices and ground turkey until turkey is browned.  Meanwhile, chop garlic, jalepenos, green pepper and onion then add to pot.  Add diced tomatoes.  Simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add corn, black beans and tomato paste. Simmer 5 more minutes and then shred pepper jack cheese into pot.  When cheese is melted it is ready to serve!  Top with cheese, sour cream or cilantro.  Side with tortilla chips and dip into chili!

The Great Migraine Update:

January: 4
February: 4
March: 12 (This was the month when I found out about my nut intolerance.) 
April: 3

Now the only things I have cut out of my diet are refined sugars, nitrates, nitrites, MSG, any other preservatives and alcohol (except wine).  The triggers are getting narrowed down!  YES!!

This weekend I went to my cousin's wedding and I had no idea what contained sugar so I passed on the chex mix, chocolates, cake and rolls.  I had chicken, green beans, cheesy potatoes, salad, cheese and my first glass of wine of the year!  It has been over 48 hours and no migraine yet so wine must not be a trigger.

Mexican Stuffed Shells & Apple Pineapple Crisp

Hey I'm back...it's been so beautiful out that I haven't taken much time to be on the computer.  We just had some friends from Sunday School over and they brought their boys.  We had an awesome time eating, playing Xbox Kinect, and taking a nice long walk through the neighborhood.  Once again I tried out a new recipe when I was having guests over and so far both recipes have been a complete success!  Yesterday I made these Mexican Stuffed Shells and baked them for the first 30 minutes, then put them in the fridge for today's lunch.  Since we were coming from church I wanted to have the meal as close to ready as I could so as soon as we got home I heated up the oven and stuck them in for 20 more minutes to bake with the cheese on them.  PERFECT! They were so delicious.  Husband and kid approved!  Pretty simple too!  YES!!  Here's the recipe, but I doubled it for 6 people.  Sorry no pictures...they got gobbled up really fast!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 package taco seasoning (I used my homemade taco seasoning with no sugar)
4 ounces cream cheese
20 jumbo pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese

For toppings:

tomatoes

Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a pan brown the ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Stir together and mix well. Set aside and cool completely.

While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Evenly cover shells with taco sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions or olives if desired. Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

The next recipe I want to share with you is Apple Crisp.  Hmmm...how do you make apple crisp without adding sugar??  Well, my aunt found this yummy recipe and you don't need a grain of sugar, because the baked fruit gives it all the natural sugars you need.  It's even gluten free for all you gluten free peeps!  It is adapted from http://www.food.com/.

Apple Pineapple Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 medium tart apples ( She used Jonathons)
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice
• ½ cup quick oatmeal or ½ cup regular oatmeal ( not instant)
• ¹⁄₈; teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 bananas, frozen

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray an 8X8 square baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
4. Put them in the pan.
5. Add the canned pineapple and mix it all together.
6. Put the frozen banana in the microwave until it is defrosted and mushy.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the oatmeal and cinnamon and stir well.
8. Peel the banana (it will be runny) and add it to the oatmeal.
9. This will clump up and be very sticky.
10. Put the oatmeal mixture on top of the apples.
11. I use my hands but it is sticky and not real easy.
12. You may, if you want, spray the top of the crisp with cooking spray or olive oil spray but I didn't find it made much difference.
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is starting to brown.
14. Serve warm or cold.

The Great Migraine Battle Update:

January: 4
February: 4
March: 10
Pounds lost: 18
Inches lost: 18
Sugar free 85 days and counting!  Nut free for 1 week and counting!

Migraine x 4 plus a couple recipes

Hi friends.  I'm back.  It's been quite the struggle to keep up with normal life this week.  It started with waking up to a migraine at 2am Monday morning.  I took my meds and I was able to get up and go to work.  Then I was greeted once again by a migraine at 2:30am early Tuesday morning.  I took my meds and thankfully I was able to go to work again.  Then I woke up at 6:30am on Wednesday with another migraine.  I had to call in and take my meds.  The medication took away a big chunk of the pain, but I was still feeling the migraine.  Plus was completely exhausted and jittery from all of the meds so my day consisted of sleeping, sleeping and more sleeping.  Tom left for work and I was sleeping, he came to check on me for lunch and I was sleeping, he came home from work...guess what?  I was sleeping and then he came home from Bible Study and once again...his wife was sleeping.  At some time during the night, the migraine had come back full force and had to take the meds again.  Ugh.  Thank the Lord I woke up pretty much pain free this morning...still jittery and exhausted, but I could deal and I HAD to get back to work. 

Well thanks for listening to my rant.  I have no idea why I had so many migraine attacks.  Maybe it's due to my time of the month.  I don't know what I could have eaten because I've been so diligent in my eating and exercise.  I am thinking about going to a holistic doctor since my General Practitioner, Gyno, Chiropractor, Neurologist haven't been able to do much for me even though they have definitely tried.  I've heard some good things about getting tested for food allergies, hormones, etc. from friends and co-workers.  I just don't want to shell out more money for something I don't know will work.  It's so frustrating.  Any suggestions are appreciated!

The Great Migraine Battle continues...

February- Laura : 12  Migraines : 4

Year to date- Laura : 40  Migraines : 7

Here's a couple of recipes I tried the past couple of days...

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

• 8 oz fettuccine or linguine
• 10 tbsp butter, divided
• 8 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2/3 cup boiling water (from your noodle pot)
• 1 lb cooked shrimp

Boil your pasta according to package directions. While your pasta is cooking, cook your shrimp if necessary and reserve.  If your shrimp are pre-cooked and frozen, quickly thaw them under running water.  In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and brown.  Season with salt and pepper.

Reserve cooked mushrooms and melt remaining butter in the skillet.  Add minced garlic, cream cheese, and herbs.  Simmer cream cheese mixture until well blended. Get a scoop of boiling pasta water from your noodle pot and mix it in, stirring quickly to smooth out the sauce.

Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms, mix well and simmer (stirring often) until everything is hot and thickened, about 10 minutes.  Toss sauce with cooked noodles and serve.

This was AWESOME!

 This is a homemade whole wheat biscuit from Hodgson Mills.  It's the same mix I use to make pancakes.  Delish!  You should definitely try this mix.

 This was the most disappointing meal I've made since I tried to make whole wheat macaroni and cheese.  It looks good doesn't it??  It's Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos.  I may have done something terribly wrong, but I did not like it.  Tom ate it.  I did not.  I had puffed wheat cereal with almond milk instead.  I have included the recipe in case you would like to try it because it really does sound good.  I don't know...maybe I cooked the garlic too long and it got bitter.  I'm not sure. 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb tilapia fillets, rinsed and pat dried

·         1 tsp olive oil

·         1 small onion, chopped

·         4 garlic cloves, finely minced

·         2 jalapeño peppers, chopped (seeds removed for less heat)

·         2 cups diced tomatoes

·         1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

·         3 tbsp lime juice

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         8 5-inch white corn tortillas

·         lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Sauté onion until translucent, then add garlic. Mix well

Place tilapia on the skillet and cook until the flesh starts to flake. Add jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, breaking up the fish with the spoon to get everything mixed well; season to taste with salt and pepper and add tomatoes.  Meanwhile, heat tortillas on a skillet a few minutes on each side to warm (no oil needed). Serve a little over 1/4 cup of fish on each warmed tortillas