Cooking in the Chaos

Slow Cooker Spinach and Sausage Soup

This freezer to crock pot soup is nice and hearty, making it perfect for cold days. I also like that it is easy to adapt this spinach and sausage soup according to your preferences.

Spinach and Sausage Soup Recipe:

1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I prefer the spicy variety*)
24 oz. jar pasta sauce
19 oz. can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. chopped spinach, fresh or frozen
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth

1 cup small pasta shells

Brown the ground sausage in a skillet. *If you can handle spicier food, I strongly suggest you use the spicy Italian sausage as it is so much tastier in this recipe.

Once the sausage has cooled, add it to a large resealable freezer bag. Pour in the pasta sauce, the drained white kidney beans, chopped spinach, chopped carrots, diced onion, minced garlic, and chicken broth. Remove excess air and seal.

Put the raw pasta in a medium resealable bag. Staple the bags together and freeze.

On cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer and thaw. Separate the bags and add the large bag to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add the pasta in the last 20 minutes.

You can change up this recipe by using different types of jarred pasta sauce and determining which is your favourite flavour combination. I prefer to use fresh spinach but you can try it with either and see what your preference is.

Looking for other freezer to crock pot meals? My slow cooker freezer meal plans include printable grocery lists and labels.

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

Beef Dump Recipes

Spicy Lentil Soup Recipe

By Sharla Kostelyk 1 Comment

We went cross country skiing with a group at a wilderness center and it was actually a lot of fun. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy cross country skiing but I did. What I didn’t love was the cold so when we went to my sister-in-law’s afterwards and she had hot soup ready, I was very thankful. My sister-in-law made this spicy lentil soup. I immediately asked for the recipe. I noticed that I wasn’t the only one that day who asked for the recipe. It’s that good!

This spicy lentil soup is so delicious and especially hits the spot on a cold winter day.

Spicy Lentil Soup Recipe:

Saute 2 chopped onions in 2 tsp. olive oil

Add 3 garlic cloves,
2 tsp. ground cumin,
1/2 tsp. paprika,
1/2 – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper.

Cook for 1 minute.

Add 7 cups chicken broth,
1 1/2 cups dry red lentils (rinse first),
2 Tbsp. tomato paste,
1 bay leaf.

Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Discard bay leaf.

Blend half the soup in the blender until smooth or use a hand blender in the pot for all the soup.

Return to saucepan and stir in 1 can evaporated milk.

Simmer 5 minutes longer until hot.

Add salt and pepper.

Garnish with fresh cilantro.

If you are looking for a lentil soup that is less spicy and has more vegetables, my healthy lentil soup recipe is delicious as well.

Sloppy Joes Freezer Meal Recipe

By Sharla Kostelyk 12 Comments

There is something very cozy about Sloppy Joes, especially when served in the winter. It’s a meal that brings me back to my childhood and I assume will someday be one that brings my kids back to theirs! This sloppy joes freezer meal recipe has that classic taste.

This sloppy joes recipes can be made ahead and frozen. It has a bit of zip in it from the chili sauce. The recipe includes gluten free instructions and can be cooked in either the slow cooker or on the stovetop.

There’s no reason that Sloppy Joes can’t be enjoyed by people who eat gluten free if they are served on gluten free buns. Of course, if you are not on a gluten free diet, you can make this the same way and use your favourite buns.

You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe and separate them into freezer bags to have Sloppy Joes on hand for busy days.

I’m not sure where the “Joes” part of the Sloppy Joes name came from, but it’s easy to see where the “sloppy” part came from! Be sure to have napkins on hand. These are messy to eat, but that’s part of the fun!

Sloppy Joes Freezer Meal Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 cup chili sauce
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
2 tsp. lemon juice
buns for serving

*If you are making this sloppy joes recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free Worcestershire sauce.

To put this meal together, brown the ground beef. Mix the ground beef and all the other ingredients in a bowl and put into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze.

On cooking day, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Cook in a crock pot for 2-3 hours on low or cook in a pot on the stovetop until heated through. Serve on regular or gluten free buns, sliced in half.

Our family’s preference for gluten free buns is Udi’s whole grain gluten free hamburger buns. They are a great size and consistency for Sloppy Joes.

Other Easy Family Recipes:

This recipe is included in our Kid Friendly Freezer Meal Menu Plan. The other recipes are also kid-pleasers and the plan includes printable shopping lists, prep lists and printable labels making it easy to fill your freezer with meals your family will actually eat.

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Pizza Casserole

By Sharla Kostelyk 8 Comments

It’s always hard to get an appetizing picture of a crock pot supper and this was no exception but this casserole is really a kid pleaser! I often make a gluten free version of it, so will be including that in my instructions below. This is another freezer meal to crock pot so it saves time all around.

This is one of the regular meals in my freezer meal rotation. When I make it, I make two or four of these recipes at a time. The recipe below is for one meal, but if you want to make several to freeze, then multiply the ingredients accordingly.

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Pizza Casserole Recipe:

2 cups of cubed ham
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
10 oz. can chopped mushrooms (if your kids will eat mushrooms!)
28 oz. tomato sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups small pasta

To make this into a freezer meal, mix all the ingredients except for the pasta in a large resealable freezer bag. Put 2 cups of pasta in a medium sized resealable freezer bag. Seal both and staple them together. Lay flat in the the freezer.

On the day you want to serve it, thaw, put the ingredients from the large bag into the crock pot and cook for 4 hours on low. Cook the pasta on the stovetop and stir the noodles into the casserole just before serving.

To make this gluten free…

To make this gluten free, ensure that you use gluten free ham. Much of the ham sold in stores contains fillers that include gluten so read the labels. Use gluten free pasta. This recipe is very adaptable for those on gluten free diets and we enjoy it just as much with the gluten free pasta.

Other Kid Friendly Recipes…

Christmas Ice Box Cookies #BecelAd

By Sharla Kostelyk 1 Comment

This recipe was sponsored by Becel. I was compensated for writing this, but the opinions are mine and the yumminess of the cookies will be all yours once you’ve baked them!

These Christmas ice box cookies are one of my holiday favourites. With the candied cherries and pistachios, they look like bits of Christmas on a plate! Making the dough ahead of time and slicing before baking makes them all very uniform in size which makes them look even prettier.

Christmas Ice Box Cookies Recipe:

1 cup Becel® margarine (*see note below)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup candied cherries, quartered
1/2 cup currants
1/4 – 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios or other nuts (I use pistachios because of the colour)

*Becel® margarine can replace butter 1:1 in any of your favourite holiday baking recipes for an alternative, and is ready to use straight from the fridge! It has no artificial preservatives, flavours or colours and is made from simple blends of plant and seed oils.

In a large bowl, cream together Becel® margarine and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.

Stir the flour, baking soda and salt together and mix in. Add the cherries, currants and nuts. Mix and shape into round logs approximately 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs and chill overnight or for a few days. The dough can also be frozen.

When you are ready to bake them, slice the dough thinly. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and bake them at 375° for 6-7 minutes (until lightly browned). Cool.

These Christmas ice box cookies made a wonderful homemade holiday gift. Cookies make a perfect homemade holiday gift. According to a recent survey conducted by Becel, 3 out of 4 Canadians agree that DIY gifts are more thoughtful than store-bought gifts.

One of my favourite things about giving baked goods for Christmas is that the making of them is something that my kids can participate in. Granola Girl helped me with every step of making these Christmas ice box cookies from helping me cut the nuts to slicing the dough. I know that she will be beaming when she hands them to our friends and neighbours!

Becel® helps Canadians #BakewithHeart and Gift with Love this holiday season, offering a single, customizable recipe that guarantees soft & chewy cookies for the ones you love.

Inexpensive ideas for gifting cookies:

Place them in a mason jar and wrap ribbon around the lid. Attach a gift tag to the ribbon.
Wrap an empty Pringles can with decorative paper and fill with cookies before topping with a bow.
Buy a beautiful plate from a second hand store and deliver the cookies on the plate.
Place them in a gift bag decorated by your kids.
Create a cute paper bag and toothpick pouch.
Fill plastic cups and wrap with cellophane and tie with ribbon

Make multiple varieties of cookies at once with Becel’s expert-tested Anything Goes Cookie Dough simply by splitting it and adding your favourite mix-ins to it.

What is your favourite holiday recipe to gift to others?

No Rise Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Drizzle

By Sharla Kostelyk Leave a Comment

These no rise cinnamon buns are quick to make. This makes them the perfect thing to make for last minute visitors. They go well with tea or coffee. They also make a great Christmas morning breakfast since they require so little time to make.

These easy no rise cinnamon buns are perfect for last minute guests or for Christmas morning. 30 minutes including bake time!!! Cinnamon buns are one of the first things that I learned to bake. They seemed like a big undertaking so I used to make the dough in my bread maker but over the years as my confidence has grown, I have tried many versions of cinnamon buns and haven’t found any yet that I don’t like because it’s hard to go wrong with delicious dough, cinnamon and sugar! What I like about this particular recipe is that they can be made much faster than my other recipes because you don’t need to leave time for them to rise and there is no yeast to contend with.

This recipe is based on one from my friend Jennifer’s mom who created it based on the dough in tea biscuits. I think that’s a pretty smart way to create a no-rise cinnamon bun for those times you’re in a hurry.

No Rise Cinnamon Buns Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into Tablespoons
¾ cup cold buttermilk

For the filling:

1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until there are pea sized pieces.

Add the cold buttermilk all at once and mix until the dough forms a ball.

Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface, shaping into a large rectangle.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the cinnamon filling.

Spread the filling evenly on top of the cinnamon bun dough, then roll the shortest ends toward each other.

Cut the cinnamon bun log into 2-3″ pieces and place them in a buttered casserole dish. I like to slice mine with a piece of string or dental floss as I find this saves time and makes less mess.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown.

no-rise-cinnamon-bins-square

Cream Cheese Drizzle Recipe:

2 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups icing sugar (also called powdered sugar)

While the cinnamon buns are cooling, whip together the cream cheese drizzle, adding more sugar if desired for a thicker drizzle or more corn syrup for a lighter drizzle.

no-rise-cinnamon-buns These no rise cinnamon rolls are of course best served warm, but even if they are served once they have cooled, you won’t be hearing any complaints!

Some of our other popular recipes:

Zesty Zucchini Bread