Colorful Chicken Casserole

Here's one ladies that will make you a proud mom! Lately I have been feeling rather guilty for my kids lack of vegetable intake. So, when I saw this recipe I had to try it out! FIVE different vegetables and the option to mix in whole wheat noodles will give us all the nutrition we need in a tasty way!

1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 pkg(8oz) elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (you can add more to beef it up)
1 jar(4-1/2oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
1 cup(4oz) shredded cheddar cheese

In large skillet, saute green pepper, celery and onion in butter until tender. Add broth, peas, corn, salt and pepper; heat through. Stir in chicken and macaroni. Divide between two greased 8-in. square baking pans. Top w/mushroom and cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole (up to 3 months). Cover the other one and bake 350 for 30 min; uncover and bake 10 min longer. To use frozen casserole: cover and bake at 350 for 35 min; uncover and bake 15 min longer.

French Toast Casserole! My secrets exposed :)

This one's so good I almost don't want to share!  I found it at Freezer Chicks - thanks Amanda!

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf Italian bread
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C sugar, divided
1/2 t vanilla (or almond) extract
1/2 C pecans, optional (I opted out)
4 eggs (I used 5 for extra protein)
2 C milk
1 t cinnamon (or more!)
2 T melted butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Melt cream cheese (carefully!) in the microwave. Stir several times. This takes about 2 minutes. Stir half the sugar and all of the extract into the cream cheese. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the bread cubes. It will not completely cover them. Sprinkle nuts over the cream cheese layer. (I will be giving the nuts on the side for you to sprinkle on top). Top with remaining bread cubes. Beat together the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes. Refrigerate overnight to bake the next morning OR slide the pan into a two-gallon freezer bag and freeze.(I froze it in a disposable 13x9 pan that I then baked it in) Thaw completely to cook. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until browned. Let sit at room temp for 5 minutes before cutting. Top with syrup or fruit toppings.

 You can find it here @ http://freezerchicks.blogspot.com/2009/04/french-toast-casserole.html

For the topping I loosly followed this recipe I found on allrecipes.com. You can link to it directly here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Supreme-Strawberry-Topping/Detail.aspx. I just substituted the other fruit mixture for strawberries on some of the topping and did everything to taste.  And now you know all of my secrets!

Supreme Strawberry Topping

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Cut about 1/3 of the strawberries in half. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a blender, puree about 1/3 of sauce, then mix back into remainder. Store in refrigerator. 

Mexi Beef Casserole Freezer Recipe

I made this for a dinner swap a few times back - I had never had it before I made it, but I think it turned out!  For those who want it, here it is - enjoy! :D Once I find the link to the site I got it from, I'll be sure it add it - I think they had a lot of good-lookin' stuff!

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Mexi Beef Casserole Freezer Recipe

1 pound ground beef 
1 15-oz can sweet corn, drained 
1 cup mild, chunky salsa 
1/4 cup sliced black olives 
1 pkg cooked egg noodles 
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 
1/4 cup taco sauce 
1 package taco seasoning mix 
1/2 cup tomato sauce 

Cook egg noodles according to instructions, drain. Meanwhile, brown beef in a skillet until brown and fully cooked. Drain any grease. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, then pour into a freezer container or a 9x13 baking dish. Freeze (may want to allow it to come down to room temperature before placing in freezer)

On cooking day, thaw completely in fridge (take it out the night before or morning of). In a preheated 325F oven, cook for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and completely hot throughout. Serve!