Batch Cooking - Roasting Chickens

Last Sunday, Rachel woke up at 5:15 a.m. squalling and clinging and wanting held.  Being my sleeper of the two, I knew that if she arose before her normal 7:00 a.m. wake-up call, then something was bugging her.  We tried rocking and watching Mickey and going back to bed with Mama and nothing was very satisfying to her.  

Actually, when I laid down in bed, I wasn't really thinking straight (being 5:30 and all) and I laid on my back and put her on my chest to see if she would calm down.  The baby is still too little for me to feel all the time, but she must have put pressure on just the right spot because I felt her little brother or sister just hitting and kicking away as if to tell the big lug to get off me!!!  Of course, Rachel couldn't feel her first sibling fight, but it made me smile, despite the early hours.  

My little fighter at 16 weeks.

So we decided to stay home from church and wait out her mood and, since it was cold, I decided that I was going to heat up the oven and spend the morning in the kitchen.  

I had bought two roaster chickens the day before at Harris Teeter when they were $.59/lb and I was thinking that I would roast one in the oven and put one in the Crockpot...until it dawned on me that maybe I could do them both in my roasting pan at the same time.

After researching whether this would work (i.e., Googling), I decided to give it a go and the result was wonderful and took me far less time than if I had used my Crockpot.  (Plus, the next day was garbage day so we wanted to get the scraps in the trash that night...priorities, priorities...)

I threw what veggies I had in the bottom of the roasting pan (carrots, garlic and onions - I didn't have any celery or I would have added that too), washed and dried my chickens and then rubbed them down with salt and pepper and seasoning salt.  I also took about a tbsp of butter and rubbed it on the skin and then just dropped it into the pan (you could also do this with olive oil, but I already had the butter out).  

What??  Chicken butt!!

I cooked them for 25 minutes at 475 degrees and then backed the oven down to 350 and let them go another hour (or until internal temperature was 160).  Not only did my house warm up and smell heavenly, but I also was greeted with something you can never get from the Crockpot...pan drippings.  

Bee-U-Ti-Full

I removed the birds and let them cool and then shredded them, throwing the scraps into my big stock pot.  I think it's easier to shred when they're still a little warm - but I have been known to just stick them in the fridge and deal with them the next day like a lazy slug.  Then, I turned on the burners under my roasting pan and started adding flour to my drippings until I had a nice looking gravy (hence my other reason for choosing butter).  I added one chicken worth of shredded goodness.

I  had some mushrooms that were coming close to the end of their life span, so I chopped them up and sauteed them and threw them in the gravy and added salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste.  

mmmmmmmmmmm...such easy comfort food.  I cooled it and bagged it up to serve over some rice on a cool day.  The rest of the chicken, I cooled and bagged into two cup portions that will work perfect later in a casserole or quesidillas.   I added onions, garlic, carrots and salt and pepper to the scraps on the stove and enough water to cover everything and set it to simmer for the next three or four hours.  

Which created the perfect aroma by which to nap...

Now, the stock step is one that I never skip because we eat soup a lot in this house - and in the winter, I normally fix a different soup about once a week because it's filling, lower in calories (normally) and an easy way for me to sneak vegetables to my kids.  So I skimmed it and bagged it and stuck it in the freezer.

And my husband was happy because at that point, I finally threw out the carcasses and he could take out the trash.  :)

So that was my latest adventure in batch cooking and it really didn't take that much time.  I also made banana bread and applesauce while the chicken was cooking and was wrapping it all up (except for the stock) by lunch time.  

Not that I felt like making lunch by that time... ha!

Nesting in the kitchen

Is it possible to nest in the kitchen?  I don't know what has gotten into me, but all of a sudden, I am preparing food like our very lives depend on it.  I mean, seriously...as if we were going to starve next week.

Plus, all this batch cooking talk has gotten into my head.

Plus, my husband is out of town.

And I tend to do crazy things when my husband is out of town...like cook and dust the ceiling fans and organize closets...  But anyway, we had all these tomatoes from the garden and I used a lot of them to make a batch of chili (which, by the way, was AMAZING with fresh tomatoes) but I still had quite a few left that needed used.

See?  Not enough to can and ground beef isn't on special this week to do spaghetti sauce.  And then I saw this link from Once a Month Mom, talking about freezing tomatoes.  So I decided to give it a go and it worked out great!  In fact, it only took me about an hour to get them all bagged up.  Now, I didn't chop them.  I called my resident expert (my mother in law) again and she recommended to just take off the skins and put the suckers in the bags whole (although I cut off the stem).  Once I got a few in a bag, I used my hands to smash them up so they'd lay down in a bag and then sealed them up.

I like having the juice when I'm doing sauce or chili, so I didn't want to lose all that by seeding and dicing them.  Of course, I did save a few...you know, for sandwiches... ;)

Ah...isn't that a thing of beauty...  And while I had the camera out, I found a couple hams at the table as well...

CHEESE!!!

DOUBLE CHEESE!!

So aside from the tomatoes, I've also been dreaming about mushrooms, mainly because I found packages of baby portobellos at the store on manager's special for $1!!  For six big ones!!   So I brought home three packages and have been planning a mess of cream of mushroom soup - which I love to make and bag up for roasts or rice or chicken...mmmmm...

Here was my proof...as if you didn't believe me...

So this morning, as the girls ate breakfast, I started on the soup and still had a ton of mushrooms left over (who knew those things produced so much?!) so I sauteed up the rest to bag and freeze.  I can see these over hamburgers or steaks or meatloaf or roasts...can you tell I'm ready for cold weather food?

Now, the problem then became my freezer...

It takes a strong woman to show her messy freezer, people, and my sudden case of nesting has resulted in a small avalanche every time you open the door.  So I needed to get to work.  I haven't tackled the deep freezer yet, but made some pretty good improvements in the kitchen.

Why yes, my name is Annie and I am anal.  These are long leftover containers that I had lost the lids to anyway and were just taking up space in my cabinets.  Problem solved!!  And don't you worry about where that big box of cookies went...you just calm your pretty head about that one...

In other news, we went to the doctor today - and by we, I mean my posse and myself.  I was just a little nervous about how they might act but they did great and were actually on their best behavior, which just shows that miracles DO exist.  We got to hear the little heart beat and that woosh woosh woosh sound got both of their attention and captured my heart. 

It's hard in these early stages before you can feel the little booger and I just wanted that heart beat as justification, I guess...you know, before it starts punching the mess out of my innards.

We are 13 weeks and yes, plan to find out the sex - mainly because I am the most impatient person in the world.  Plus, if it's a boy, we are in a mess of trouble in the clothes department! 

Hope you all are having a great day and let me know if you have begun experimenting with this batch cooking thing...and if you, too, are a freezer hoarder...maybe we could start a support group.  I'll bring cookies...  ;)

Batch Cooking 101 by Professor Susie

The good news is that I found an expert regarding this batch cooking mess...in my own family, people. I know - color me embarrassed.  But this is truly one of the cases that knowledge is only important to you when you need it.

My mother-in-law is the queen of the kitchen.  She is just a natural and is the kind that I can call when I find myself faced with no dinner plans, an hour until Scott gets home, and the weirdest ingredients ever... ("Ok Susie,  I have a bag of pepperoni, a can of pineapple, some breadcrumbs...")

Most weekends, she lays me out a laundry list of her cooking plans and accomplishments...she has been known to cook up pounds and pounds of meatballs, casseroles, chicken, etc.  She works full time and before dawn hours, so the last thing she feels like doing when she gets home is cooking.  So often times, she makes for the week and then some.

When she comes to visit, she blesses me by doing the one thing I have been unable to do so far - stocking my freezer.  When she came to see us for a week after Elizabeth was born, she went to work bagging up spaghetti sauce and chili and macaroni and cheese and chicken and noodles and sloppy joes and other odds and ends - what blessings and easy meals these were for me in the rough times.  I remember going to the freezer and playing Press Your Luck in my head, trying to find a quick meal for Elizabeth...

You know...show me big money, big money, mac and cheese, no whammies, no whammies...

Just the other night, she saved me with a quart bag of taco meat she made on her last visit...I was stone cold out of dinner ideas and had all the fixings for tacos, minus the meat.  Then the magic little Ziploc bag appeared in the back of the freezer.  She had purchased a pork tenderloin on special and just stuck it in the slow cooker until it fell apart.  She shredded all of it and made half it into barbecue and the other half into taco meat.  Done...four meals.  Me?  I would have just thrown the whole puppy in the freezer to deal with later.  But then, what do I know?

There it is...do you hear the angels singing??!!

I am going to feature her very soon because I am so proud of her recent weight loss journey (she is almost to the 30 lbs gone mark!), but first, I have to fill you in on her advice on my cooking woahs.

I heard a lot of response that you were interested too and, my dear friends, simply put, we have to plan and take a little more time on the front end with our food...and use our freezers.

Susie said that the key is to plan to work with your protein sources as soon as you get in from the store.  Meaning that I need to do something with this 4 lbs of ground turkey and 2 lbs of ground chicken I got on sale today pronto.

Apparently chunking the entire packages in the freezer is not the way to go.  Again, who knew? ;)

"Plan to prepare them - make up your spaghetti sauce, chili, taco meat, meat loaf, casseroles or slice up your chicken into strips for stir fry.  But you need to get this done when you get home...that's how you'll get ahead," she said.

She also said that she normally doesn't cook her casseroles, meat loavess or meatballs before she freezes them.  For the loaves or meatballs, she just sticks them on a cookie sheet and, once they're chilled, bags them in a freezer bag.

"If you want to cook them, you can...just make sure you label if it is cooked or not.  If I am going to cook up a casserole and freeze half, I just write cooked and the date on the bag and so that I know that I can just throw it in the microwave."

Her only advice for meat loaves was to make sure that the loaf will fit in your freezer bag...a testament to experience...and that you can freeze it in more of a "can" shape to throw in your crockpot for a fast and easy meal.

"Just make sure that you fry up a little bit of the meat to test your seasoning (regarding meatballs or meat loaf).  There is nothing worse than going through all that work to cook it up and find out that it is awful or that you forgot an ingredient."

Now, this may be all common knowledge to you, but not for me.  My mom cooked almost every meal we ate, but I also remembering her preparing it fully that evening...after working an entire day...and she is my hero for it.  So I am so thankful for Susie for educating me...and maybe you?

Truly trying to turn over a new leaf, I put this plan into action, making about a million meatballs and chicken nuggets the past few days with my aforementioned sale meat.

Some of these, I cooked up and threw in one of our favorite soups - the rest are chillin in the freezer.

I went to work on these chicken nuggets after the gym the next day (cue the Myoplex).  They actually taste fantastic and have spinach and apple in them...which my children can plainly see...therefore they refuse to touch them.  Next time, I need to throw the whole shooting match in the food processor.

I find that right before lunch time is a good time for me to get rolling on a project and I have enough time and patience to conquer about one thing a day, if I wish.  Today, I made these breakfast sandwiches I've seen popping up everywhere online (which must mean they are tasty).  I didn't think they turned out too bad.

Can I butcher an english muffin or what?

I wrapped them in tin foil and then grouped them in freezer bags.  I figure, if they resemble McDonalds, maybe my kids will give them a fighting chance??

I've posted a couple other articles I found on these issues on Facebook...I am seriously studying it so I can get better here.  And I love the support I have found in some of you!  My friend Amy is trying out a meal subscription service that sends her recipes, grocery lists and everything for a small fee...so I may have her try it for a while and then con her into reviewing it for us!    

Keep the advice coming and let us know your progress.  Maybe we'll all get there together!

Planning Meals through the Crazy times: A cry for help!

My hats are off to you working mamas...

I'm not sure I could pull it off anymore and I just was in a bit of your world Saturday.  I had a clinic in the morning for an hour and a half and then traveled across town to do another clinic for another hour and then got home and gave a lesson...

And then I promptly died on the couch.  Clay-rimmed ankles and everything.

(I can't say that I miss THAT from the softball field!)

I couldn't think of anything dinner or cleaning...I'm telling you, I was down for the count. 

So, I did what any exhausted person would do = asked my loving husband if we could go out to eat.

And do you think that we went to the cleanest, healthiest restaurant in town??  Oh, you know me better than that.

Mellow Mushroom is one of our favorites and it is right in the middle of downtown and when you go a little after 5, you can get right in and get a seat with your little children who hate to wait. 

And Saturday night, after working all day, it hit the spot.

An order of soft pretzel appetizers, a token salad and half of the best calzone I've ever eaten later, I was feeling somewhat human again.  And that somewhat borderline was crossed over by a quick trip to Ben and Jerry's afterwards.

Which was a fun trip because as we walked in, Elizabeth announced that she wanted vanilla.  I said, "Honey, they have all kinds of flavors here...why don't we just look and see what they have and then you can decide what you want?"  So I picked her up and let her smear her greasy little face along the glass and peer at each tub of yumminess.  Then she turned and pointed at the one she wanted.

It was vanilla.

So later, as I lay in my food induced, sunburned coma, I began counting the endless calories I had consumed in the time that I was exhausted. 

How easy it was to say, "Forget it...I'm just hungry...it doesn't matter...I've worked hard all day."  Every statement making excuses for food I really shouldn't have been eating.  Perhaps you might be reading this, feeling sorry for me and thinking that maybe that I had earned it?  I hadn't...I didn't workout that day and I barely did more at the clinics or lesson then stand and walk around, probably only burning off the calories from the Coke I consumed in between clinics. 

Not that cheat days stress me out all that much.  There are a lot of programs that encourage you take a day to eat whatever you want - saying that it keeps your metabolism in check, as well as your mental sanity, as long as you eat clean for the rest of the week.  When Scott and I were staying pretty strict to the Body for Life once upon a time, we would wake up on Sunday mornings and celebrate with a dozen donuts and a package of bacon.  So please realize it isn't that I can't give myself a break.  But you see, we had just had a couple of McDonald's sandwiches for lunch...and Zaxby's for dinner the night before because it was Friday and I hate to cook on Friday...and Mexican two nights earlier because I had burned the soup to a crisp.  

Can you burn soup??  Oh yes...I can.

So I know that it is merely a product of me being tired and not organized.

And as my lessons pick up (such a blessing) and my time becomes busier, it will become more and more important for me to plan.  Currently, I plan my meals a week out, but think I might need to go further out - like a month.  I need to better utilize my freezer and Crockpot.

So my question to you:  how do you plan healthy meals for your family when your schedule is busy or you are working?  What are your best go-to resources for the rest of us?  (I will list mine below and please list yours in your comments.  And by all means, if you cover this on your blog, promote yourself!) 

I think...no, I know...if I knew that I was coming home to something already prepared, then I'd be less likely to go through a drive thru / order take out / go to a restaurant.  So what do you do?  Do you give into temptation?  Do you plan ahead?  How far ahead?  Do you have a single day cooking bonanza?? 

Share!  I need to get back to meal planning...

My favorite meal planning resources:

$5 Dinners

Once a Month Mom

A Year of Slow Cooking