Sloppy Turkey Joes & Chicken Patties

Today I drug the TV into the kitchen, rented some movies, made a big iced coffee, and got to work. I made 4 different recipes for the freezer: turkey sloppy joes, chicken patties, 13 bean and ham soup, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I'll share the first two recipes in this post. :)

When I'm making multiple recipes for the freezer, I like to cook meals that have similar ingredients at the same time. This makes things easier because you can combine some of the prep work for the recipes, and I am all about saving time and effort! Haha ;) I add finely diced carrots, onions, and bell peppers to all three of these dinners, so I used my best friend (a.k.a. my food processor) to prep them all.

Turkey Sloppy Joes:

1. In a large skillet, combine 1/2 cup finely diced carrot, 1 cup finely diced onion, 1 cup finely diced bell pepper, and 1 tablespoon diced garlic or roasted garlic puree. Cook veggies for just a few minutes.

2. Add 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of ground turkey, and continue cooking until turkey is just done.

3. Add 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup catsup, 1/8 cup hot sauce (I use Sriracha), 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and a sprinkle of black pepper. Simmer for a few minutes.

4. Cool the sloppy joe mixture in the fridge. Then pour the mixture into gallon sized freezer quality bags, LABEL, DATE, and freeze FLAT.



An oatmeal canister can come in super handy when you are alone in the kitchen and need to pour fillings or soups into freezer bags.

Freezing meals flat helps them freeze faster (which causes fewer ice crystals to form and helps preserve the quality of your meals) and defrost more quickly for those lazy dinners. :)

TO SERVE:

Defrost overnight or for for a few hours IN THE FRIDGE (never on the counter) and simmer for between 5 and 10 minutes on the stove top. Serve on hamburger buns.

CHICKEN PATTIES:

1. In a large bowl, mix 1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup finely diced carrots, 1/2 cup finely diced onion, 1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper, 3 tablespoons chicken broth, 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce), 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, and a sprinkle of black pepper.

2. Form the meat mixture into nice thick patties and pan fry with a few teaspoons (okay who are we kidding here? Tablespoons!) of oil.



3. Before wrapping, freeze the patties until solid (about 2 hours) and then go ahead and package, label, date, and freeze them in freezer quality plastic bags.





TO SERVE:

Pan fry or bake at 375 degrees until warmed through.

Serve with baked/mashed potatoes, rice, and/or veggies.

Talk about an easy, lazy dinner!! :)