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One More Little Thing

Dreaming of an easy way to be SUPER Mom

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake THM E

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Freezer Meal logo

I always need a little Mexican in my life. There is nothing like those great strong flavors. This weeks freezer meal is based off of this recipe at twopeasandtheirpod.  I’ve tweaked the black bean and Quinoa Enchilada recipe to make it nice and easy (aka instant pot) and also Trim Healthy Mama (THM) friendly.

This meal is a THM Energizing E meal.  This means that the meal is higher in good carbs but lower in fat. The recipe from twopeasandtheirpod is not necessarily THM so it is topped with cheese which brings the fat content up too high to stay as an energizing meal. If you are wondering what I am talking about you should certainly read my post all about my THM journey!  I wanted to keep this in E mode so I left off the cheese.  If you don’t mind that it goes into crossover mode then, by all means, add some sour cream and guacamole too because it is DELICIOUS!

Black Bean and Enchilada Bake- THM E

Black Bean and Quinoa Bake

I’m sorry I just can’t resist so again this recipe is going into my instant pot.  It’s just SO easy and so fast I cannot say enough good things about this machine.  Please save up your pennies and get one because you won’t regret it!  You can see the exact one I use daily (ok maybe just every other day) below and you can also click right over to purchase one!

With that being said if you do not have one you can still make this tasty recipe.  Just click over to twopeasandtheirpod and follow their directions and make sure to leave off the cheese if you want to stay in THM E mode.  If you do have one get ready to make your freezer cooking SUPER fast.  This took me less than 10 minutes to throw into the pot and then about 3 minutes to divide out into dishes!

I basically layered all the ingredients in order in my instant pot.  After everything was loaded up I secured the lid and set it to the meat setting medium.  It went for 40 minutes. After that, I grabbed my trusty pampered chef mix and chop and mixed everything all up. When it was mixed I divided it between three 9×3 pans.  I let it cool and then covered and froze it.  When I am ready to serve it up I will let it thaw and then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Black Bean and Quinoa Bake
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Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake THM E

Ingredients

  • 3 Diced Onions
  • 6 Bell peppers various colors (I did yellow, red and orange)
  • 2 Jalapenos
  • 24 oz Quinoa Uncooked
  • 4 15oz Cans of Black beans not drained
  • 4 15oz Red Enchilada Sauce
  • 3 t minced Garlic
  • 12-16 oz Bag of Frozen Corn
  • 4 T Taco Seasoning I make my own but you could also use a packaged one

Instructions

  1. Dice your onion, peppers, and jalapenos.  I like to do mine in my food processor using the shredder attachment

  2. Place first three ingredients into the pressure cooker and continue adding each ingredient.

  3. Secure the lid and process for 40 minutes.

  4. When it is finished you can divide it into three 9X13 pans.  Cool and cover and then freeze.

  5. When ready to use thaw and then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes

This was a very family friendly recipe.  My kids and husband enjoyed it.  I served it to them on tortilla shells with sour cream and cheese.  Some of them may have had ketchup on it.  Doesn’t ketchup go on EVERYTHING?  Well in this house yes, yes it does!  We also had green beans to make it a meal.  If you are looking for more great THM freezer options check out my whole list of meals here!

Mexican Corn Slaw Jar Salad

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Weekly Mason Jar Salad logo

Finding new and exciting jar salads each week can be a challenge!  I’m having so much fun trying to turn different things I love into jar salads.  Now if I could just figure out how to turn brownies and lasagna into a Trim Healthy Mama (THM) jar salad I would be good to go!  This week I took a favorite family side and tried it as a jar salad. The result was very yummy but a little spicy. Now I know spicy is a hard thing to judge because I do not love spice so me saying this was spicy doesn’t mean you will think it’s spicy.  The Dressing from this jar salad would be great on other salads too.  Definitely something different!

Mexican Corn Slaw Jar Salad

Mexican Corn Slaw Jar Salad

I started this salad by placing my chicken breasts into the crock pot and letting them cook for 4-6 hours.  You can cook your chicken up however you like this is just the easiest way for me.  I do not add anything to the crock pot I just lay them in.  When it is done I let them cool and chop them up.  Once the chicken is ready I mix the dressing up. Next, I put the beans and corn into a colander so they can drain a little.  While those were draining I chop up my peppers and add them to the jar.  The chicken goes in next and the last step is to the stuff that jar good and full of coleslaw mix and enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Mexican Corn Slaw Jar Salad
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Mexican Corn Slaw Jar Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Mayo
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Lime's juice (1/4 cup) JUST THE JUICE
  • 1 packet Taco Seasoning
  • 3 Bell Peppers chopped and seeded
  • 1 Jalapeno chopped and seeded
  • 15 oz Can of Corn
  • 15 oz Can of Black Beans
  • 4 Chicken Breasts cooked and shredded
  • Bagged Coleslaw mix

Instructions

  1. Combine the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, and taco seasoning to make a creamy dressing.

  2. Load 1/4 cup of the dressing into each jar.

  3. Drain your cans of corn and beans. Let sit while you chop your peppers.

  4. Chop and Seed your peppers.  Then divide them evenly between the jars.

  5. Divide the corn and beans evenly between the jars.

  6. Add the cooked and shredded chicken to the jars.

  7. Top it off with a good load of coleslaw mix!

For my Trim Healthy Mama (THM) friends this salad does have beans and corn in it but they are very minimal so this salad is still considered an S meal.  You can also use this salad as a side to your tacos or another favorite Mexican dishes.  I hope you take the time to make these up and have a great week! Interested in how to eat and prepare your jar salads check out my tips and tricks.  I also have lots of other jar salad options that you can try!

 

Creamy Ham and Broccoli Casserole- THM S

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Freezer Meal logo

Sometimes I just need some pasta and not only do I need pasta but I need some CREAMY pasta.  With this being said I know my Trim Healthy Mama (THM) friends are saying NO WAY…but yet there is a way.  This Creamy Ham and Broccoli is a Satisfying S meal even though it uses pasta.  The Dreamfields pasta is an S food.  Plus this meal is something your family will love!  And although it is on plan I’m sure they will not mind!

Creamy Ham and Broccoli Casserole

Creamy Ham and Broccoli Casserole

The first thing I did for this recipe is made my noodles in my Instant Pot.  I wasn’t sure how this would turn out but it worked amazingly.  My friend has also tried this and said the noodles always come out over cooked.  I think the trick was that I packed it SO full and then there wasn’t a lot of extra water.  I loaded it up with 2 16oz packages and just added water until it barely covered the noodles.  Threw on the lid and let it for 15 minutes.

Insta Pot Noodles

The rest is very simple, just add the cream cheese, milk, and butter.  Followed it with the spices and shredded cheese.  Then the ham and broccoli joined the party.  Mix it all up and pour it into your freezer pans!

 

Printable Recipe

 

Creamy Ham and Broccoli Casserole
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Creamy Ham and Broccoli Casserole

This is for one 9x13 pan

Ingredients

  • 16 Oz Cooked Noodles I used Dreamfields
  • 2 Cups Frozen Broccoli
  • 2 Cups Chopped Boneless Ham I like to use the Aldi extra lean Turkey ham
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
  • 1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk
  • 1/4 Cup Butter softened
  • 1/4 t Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 t Onion Powder
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • 2 Cups Shredded Cheese

Instructions

  1. I started by cooking my noodles in my Instant Pot you can also do them on the stove.

  2. Before they cooled I added the cream cheese, almond milk, and butter.  This made it easy to mix up because everything was warm.

  3. To the pasta, I also added the seasonings and shredded Cheese.  

  4. Add Broccoli and Ham to the pasta and mix it all up!

  5. Dump it into your freezer pans and let it cool before freezing.  

  6. Once frozen to cook it you need to thaw and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy

This is one for those days when your family is crying for pasta and maybe you are too!  A way to enjoy it and not feel guilty.  To hear more about my freezer meal theory check out my post here and you can find more great freezer meal options too!  For my THM friends please note that pasta is not supposed to be frozen and reheated according to the plan.