Brrr...it's freezing in here!!

Well, not really...but I'm doing a ton of cooking and freezing. I'm not really sure what has gotten into me but I like it!

This method works really well for us. The husband isn't left scrounging in the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning to find something that is P90X friendly, delicious, and relatively easy for him to put together.

I decided to try my hand at frozen "breakfast bowls" and our version of chili. For storage space and easy defrosting, they're not in bowls. Instead, I measure them into one cup portions, pour into ziploc baggies, and spread out what's inside the bags so I can get the air out AND they freeze/defrost much easier when they're flat. This way you just cut the side and they slide right out (you can't just open the top because the corners where the zippers are block it). Nuke them on a plate in the microwave for a minute and they're perfect!!

Just in case you were curious...the breakfast "bowls" are made up of egg beaters, half a package of mushrooms, two stalks of celery, and several sliced of ham (NOT the lunch meat type). As well as our seasoning staples: black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.

Our version of chili involves one carrot, one celery stick, one polish sausage, 2.5 cups of previously cooked black beans, and all of our seasoning staples.










One last thing, let the food cool some before you bag them. This way the plastic baggies don't melt and make all your hard work pointless!!

Ground Chicken Burgers

I have not cooked with ground beef in years. We used ground turkey for a couple of years and then moved on to ground chicken about 6 months ago. I had used it before maybe once or twice to make meatballs years ago and the were so unbelievably dry that I said never again! I guess either my cooking has improved or ground chicken has. I'm guessing it's my cooking...

Anyway, chicken burgers are a huge hit in our house. They aren't dry, have lots of protein, and are no where as greasy as beef. In fact, they're not greasy at all. What you put in the burgers keeps them from getting dry.

I dumped a pound of ground chicken in a large bowl, add in about 3/4 cup of whole wheat Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of skim milk, and 3 tablespoons of BBQ sauce (or soy sauce, A1, worcestershire). Then I put on my handy dandy latex gloves because raw chicken FREAKS me out. Next, I miss it all together and form the burgers. I season each side with garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Place the burgers in the pan, cook on each side until they are a nice golden color. Always use a meat thermometer to double check done-ness.

I served these burgers on whole wheat buns with provolone cheese and BBQ sauce, broccoli, and brown rice with garlic and black quinoa. They were so good that the kid and husband were happy...but the plate was happy too! Check out that smiley face!

By the way, ground chicken is substantially cheaper than other ground meats in this neck of the woods.