Baby prep
One of the to-do’s on my list before Baby comes is to make a bunch of easy to heat meals in the freezer. So far I’ve made 2 lasagna’s, 3 meal size portions of Teriyaki Chicken, 2 portions of seasoned browned taco meat, and still have a bunch of summer fruit cut and frozen for smoothies. I plan on making a portion of Maple Dijon Chicken, a bunch of lunch size chicken pockets, a big batch of black beans for tacos and casseroles, and a few batches of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies frozen in balls and ready to pop in the oven whenever. The fresh stuff to go with the meals is the easy part- a quick salad or side veggie and rice, etc. but the big prep for these meals is done and ready to go.
Read on for Maple Dijon Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken recipes…
Maple Dijon Chicken
So easy & so yummy!
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup white wine or white wine vinegar
1 tsp dried tarragon or sage
paprika to taste
Preheat the oven to 350.
Put chicken in a glass baking dish. Mix up the sauce and pour over the chicken, turning the pieces to coat. Sprinkle paprika over the chicken. Bake until done, about 45 minutes.
Teriyaki Chicken
Our favorite Teriyaki recipe- easy to mix up, and I just separate servings of chicken breasts into freezer bags, pour sauce over and freeze, the meat tastes extra flavorful as it thaws and soaks up the sauce.
Mix together and marinate chicken (overnight is best) in the following:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar (I think I use a Tbs or so less)
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs cooking wine
2 minced garlic cloves
1 or 2 tsp fresh minced ginger
Grill or bake when done marinating. Enjoy!
Alright, Jessica…now I’m nervous! You sound so on top of things!! Yikes, I hadn’t even thought about making some meals ready in the freezer. I’ll have to do some brainstorming and see if I can get some goodies tucked away before our big arrival too!
Congrats on being just about 4 weeks from your due date! Time flies!
Comment by Marit — February 27, 2009 @ 9:26 am
Don’t worry- you have plenty of time! The funny thing is, I didn’t do this with Jude, and now with Jude needing my attention and lots more going on I felt the need to squeeze it in- maybe b/c I know TWO boys will be vying for my attention soon when I’m trying to get dinner ready!!:) We also stocked up on Costco (do they have Costco there?) stuff like frozen ravioli’s and jars of sauce, etc. which is a good alternative to doing the actual meal prep.
You’ll be ready!!:)
Comment by Jess — February 27, 2009 @ 4:08 pm