I absolutely love “chicken night”. It means I get 2 more days of easy meals. I begin by making a whole chicken for the two of us. We both eat a piece or two and I cut the rest into small chunks and freeze them in two pint size freezer bags. If you have a whole family to feed….make two chickens. I usually bake mine on a chicken chimney or in a crock pot. The leftovers in the freezer can easily be pulled out in the morning, placed in the fridge and thawed in one day. I now have the base for chicken pot pie, chicken noodle soup, chicken Shepherd’s pie, chicken enchiladas, etc. Saving the chicken like this cuts out about 30 minutes of preparation and I always have frozen mixed organic veggies and boxed chicken broth on hand for quick healthy meals. The reason I buy whole chickens, it’s cheap and doesn’t have preservatives and junk in it.
You can do the same with ground beef. Cook 2 pounds instead of 1. Use half and freeze half for another meal prep. Mix with spaghetti sauce or make chili, tacos, enchiladas, Shepherd’s pie, and so on. By cooking more than enough and taking 5 minutes to pack and freeze it, you just saved yourself 30 to 45 minutes in the future. Another leftover tip: Leftover veggies, place in a freezer container and keep until you make soup. Leftover mashed potatoes: Make Shepherd’s pie the next day, using the leftover veggies and the chicken you froze. Top with cheddar and bake 25 minutes.
Here is my Shepherd’s pie recipe:
2 cups of cooked chicken – diced
1- 1/2 cups of Free Range Chicken Broth
1 pkg. frozen organic mixed vegetables
1/2 cup shredded raw cheddar
3 to 4 Cups Mashed Red Potatoes (or organic instant, follow instructions on pkg)
2 TBS Butter
Sea Salt and Pepper
2 TBS Corn Starch
Scrub 4 to 5 Medium Red Potatoes and cut in half, boil them in water until tender. Drain the potatoes, add butter and mash them. (Or make instant.)
Cook frozen vegetables in the chicken broth. Mix 2 TBS Corn starch with ¼ cup water and thicken the broth/vegetable mixture. Layer the bottom of a large casserole dish with cooked chicken. Add the vegetables to the casserole. Spread mashed potatoes over the vegetables in the casserole. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
