Banana Chocolate Chip Pancake Bites

These mini pancake bites are probably one of our favorites to have on hand for rushed mornings. The kids just love them, they're small for their little hands and can be easily dunked into syrup. I posted about them almost two years ago here. We love the ones with sausage inside, I think most everyone will agree, the sausage/syrup combo is just great.

But this time around, I wanted to try something a little different. Banana and chocolate chip are always a great combination and wouldn't necessarily require the use of maple syrup. So that's the route we took.

They turned out to be a hit. I was right, they're definitely sweet enough we didn't miss the syrup. I made some without chocolate chips as well, just in case anyone wanted them plain.

You can substitute half whole wheat flour if you'd like, I do that quite often and no one can tell. If there's one item you should definitely make for easy breakfast, I recommend pancake bites. They're so fun for the kids and you can add just about any sort of fruit inside. Older kids can even handle preparing their own plates, just nook in the microwave for a minute or so. Easy peasy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancake Bites

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 banana, mashed
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
mini chocolate chips

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, combine mashed banana, egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Add in sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Gradually add in flour and whisk until batter is pretty smooth.

Into the wells of a greased mini muffin pan, drop batter in until 3/4 full. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips into each muffin well. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Using a butter knife, remove each pancake bite and set onto a wire rack to cool completely. When all cooled, line them onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Put into the freezer for one hour. Then transfer to a freezer bag that has been dated and labeled.

Place into the freezer until ready to use. When ready to enjoy, remove desired pancakes from bag, either heat in the microwave for a minute or two OR place on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup if desired.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Since I know some of you lead extremely busy lives and might be thinking, "when on earth am I going to fit time in my schedule to do any freezer cooking?" I wanted to include at least one ridiculously easy main dish.

These "dump and go" meals are generally a huge hit when it comes to make-ahead meals. Especially ones ideal for the slow cooker. While I haven't made a ton of them, I definitely see their appeal. You literally throw all of your ingredients into a large freezer bag and you're done. Simple as that!

I really like this cilantro lime chicken for the summer months. I love these flavors and it's perfect to throw on the grill. Serve alongside a big garden fresh salad, rice or grilled seasonal veggies. Or even shred and throw into quesadillas or wraps for a little something different.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts {a little over 1 lb. of meat}
2 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of salt and pepper
handful of chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well.

Label and date a large freezer bag. Add chicken to the bag and pour marinade over the chicken breasts. Close bag and try to get as much air of it as possible. Place chicken in the freezer immediately.

When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge. Toss chicken breasts onto the grill and cook on each side for 6-7 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink.

Peanut Butter Bread

Baked goods are probably the easiest items for freezing. You really can't screw them up and if you think you're just not ready yet to dive into freezer cooking, then I encourage you to start here. Whether it be cookies, muffins, waffles or bread, they're all nice to have made up ahead of time.

Loaves of quick bread are one of my favorites to keep stashed in the freezer. When you're craving fresh baked bread from the oven, this will do the trick and you won't even know the difference.

Unlike a yeast bread, quick breads are so easy and come together within minutes. We love this peanut butter bread warm with fresh strawberry jam slathered on top. The bread itself tastes almost like a peanut butter cookie if you can imagine that! You could try substituting other nut butters, I'm sure they would be just as good. Maybe even a mashed banana added into the batter, now that is something I just might have to try next.

Peanut Butter Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup milk

Directions:
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients together and set aside. In another bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar. Add in egg and vanilla and mix together until well incorporated. Gradually add in dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Mix until batter is smooth.

Lightly grease two mini loaf pans and divide batter between them. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let finish cooling on a wire rack.

Once bread is completely cooled, you may then wrap each loaf in both saran wrap and foil. Label the foil and place into freezer. When ready to use, simply remove from freezer and let thaw at room temperature.

Makes 2 mini loaves

Layered Nacho Bake

Every party needs a good dip, it's just a must when planning the menu. Sometimes it's even fun to make a meal out of a dip, especially one that's layered with all kinds of goodness.

While I was planning my recipes for this series, I knew I wanted to include some appetizers. You just never know when you'll receive an impromptu invite to a gathering and I always like to bring a dish along. If I'm short on time, then it helps to have a few choices in the freezer to choose from.

Like this nacho bake for example. There are plenty of additional toppings you can add, especially taco seasoned ground beef but I kept it pretty simple this time around. Here's what we've got:

Step 1: a nice layer of refried beans. I made up a batch of my slow cooker refried beans just for this purpose. I didn't exactly measure, but there's at least one cup in the pan.

Step 2: next add about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. Again, I love to use this homemade version, it's very easy but certainly don't feel bad about using a store bought brand.

Step 3: sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top.

Step 4: toss a few tablespoons of mild green chiles in there.

Step 5: place one layer of saran wrap around pie plate and then finish with a layer of foil. Label, date and write the instructions on foil before placing in the freezer.

When ready to use; thaw completely. Heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bake is heated through. You can then serve with your favorite toppings such as: lettuce, tomato, bell peppers, avocado, olives, salsa and sour cream. Of course, don't forget the tortilla chips!

Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

I've got a really good breakfast sandwich to share with you today. Of course you can use bagels or english muffins, but I love how easy it is to make your own buttermilk biscuits from scratch. They're done from start to finish within thirty minutes and taste so good!

These are great to have on hand for a more filling breakfast. A couple minutes in the microwave or even warmed in a toaster oven and they're ready to enjoy. I used up some sausage from our freezer, bacon and ham are great too. And I'm not one to fuss over these looking perfect. You can certainly bake your eggs in little ramekins but I made our eggs on the stove top. They're a little big in size compared to the biscuit, but that's okay with me.

Make sure to wrap them well to prevent any freezer burn. I always put a layer of saran wrap on first and then finish with foil. Place into a large freezer bag and you're all set.


Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:
for the biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
5 tbsp cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup buttermilk plus 2 tbsp more

for the sandwiches:
8 hard-cooked eggs
8 slices of cooked sausage, ham or bacon {if using bacon you'll prob need at least 2 slices per sandwich}
8 slices cheese, if desired

Directions:
To make the biscuits; preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in buttermilk and mix together until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough onto a well floured surface. Knead a few times. Press dough out until 3/4 inch thick. Cut out biscuits using a round biscuit/cookie cutter or even a drinking glass. Place biscuits rounds onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until biscuits are turning a golden brown color. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes 8 biscuits.

To assemble sandwiches: Cut biscuits in half, place one egg on the bottom portion of the biscuit. Top with one slice of desired meat and one slice of cheese. Top sandwich with the other half of the biscuit. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Wrap each sandwich in a layer of saran wrap. Then wrap each one again in foil. Place all biscuits into a large freezer bag. Make sure to label and date with the contents. Place into the freezer until ready to use. Sandwiches should keep for up to 3 months.

When ready to enjoy; remove from bag and unwrap. Microwave for 2 minutes or until heated through. Or you can even heat on a cookie sheet in a toaster oven or regular oven.

Makes 8 sandwiches

DIY Frozen Pizzas

My friend Ally from Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats shared her own version of these a long time ago. They've been on my mind ever since. Every freezer swap they always make it on my list of ideas, but then I determine that they're just not easy for everyone to transport in coolers back home. They were one of the first ideas on my paper while brainstorming this whole series.

And by golly, I'm sure glad I finally gave it a try. I dislike the way most frozen pizzas taste, they're as thin as cardboard and if I'm going to spend $4-$5 on something I sure want to enjoy it. We've come to the point where we rarely even order takeout pizza, I think homemade just tastes so much better. And for $30, I think I can make quite a few pizzas!

I spent a couple hours on Saturday making up six homemade pizzas for the freezer. I figured I would make it worth my while and glad I made the double batch of dough. Assembling the pizzas were a piece of cake. It didn't take long at all.

Now when we're craving pizza or am running low on time for dinner, I can pull a couple of these out and we've got dinner on the table within thirty minutes. I'm also thinking these will be great to have on hand for gifting others with a meal. New moms, a friend that just had surgery or a neighbor having a rough day. Surprise them with a pizza, they can bake it that day or save it for another time. I will definitely be making a point to keep my freezer stocked with a few pizzas at all times!

DIY Frozen Pizzas

Directions:

I always use this dough recipe, it's my favorite and makes enough for 3 pizzas. I even started using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose to make it a bit more healthy and it still tastes great. Make sure to have all of your favorite toppings out and ready for use before you get started.

* Roll out pizza dough onto a round pizza pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees. The dough will be just set at this point.

* Remove from oven. Using a spatula, gently lift dough just a bit from the pan. You want to make sure the dough isn't sticking and will be easy to remove later.

* Begin adding desired toppings to each pizza. For the meat trio; I use a regular tomato based pizza sauce, then layer on smoked ham (or canadian bacon), pepperoni and crumbled sausage. Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese over toppings. Green peppers, mushrooms and onions would also be great additions.

The buffalo chicken has: a thin layer of buffalo sauce spread on the bottom of the crust, topped with a light layer of cheddar cheese, shredded chicken, diced celery and mozzarella cheese on top. You can drizzle extra sauce over top before adding the mozzarella cheese if you like.

* Place the finished pizzas in the freezer for at least one hour, possibly a little bit longer if needed. They should be frozen solid and easy to remove from the pan at that point.

* Wrap each pizza in layers of saran wrap. Make sure to add a label with the type of pizza and baking directions.

* Return pizzas back to the freezer until ready to enjoy. They should keep for up to 3 months...if they last that long!

Pretzel Bites

I knew this would happen; at least once throughout the month of July, there would come a time where a recipe would not even make it into the freezer. Well folks, these are it. I guess I'll be making a double batch some day soon so we can actually have some stashed away for snacks.

I've always thought homemade pretzels would be somewhat complicated to make, but I was really pleasantly surprised at how easy these were. I let the dough come together with the help of my bread machine, that way I was able to get breakfast ready for everyone yesterday morning. We then had plans to go to the pool early so I refrigerated the dough while we were gone and prepared them later in the afternoon.

You can make these into regular shaped pretzels if you want but I like these bite sized snacks much better. They're perfect for little hands and they're just fun in general. Oh and they taste just like the ones you buy from the mall food court!

I'm already having fun brainstorming different toppings {butter and Parmesan cheese for sure!} for these little guys. For now I settled with brushing melted butter on each bite and then sprinkling some with coarse salt and the others with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. I think everyone liked both flavors as we could not stop popping them into our mouths.

We were left with about half of our batch so I figured it was no use in freezing. They'll be eaten up soon enough in our house.

I'm sure many of you are on the go this summer with sports activities and such. By having some homemade snacks like these in your freezer, you can eliminate some of the unnecessary spending at the concession stands. Plus you'll feel much better knowing exactly what's in your food!


Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:
1-1/8 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp yeast
2 quarts water
1/2 cup baking soda
3 tbsp melted butter
coarse salt and/or cinnamon-sugar mixture, for topping

Directions:
Into the bread machine, pour in water, flour, brown sugar and yeast in that order. Close lid and set to dough setting.

*If you do not have bread machine, no worries! In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together water, flour, brown sugar and yeast until dough comes together. Then switch to the dough hook and knead for at least 6 minutes. Then remove dough and put into a large, oiled bowl, cover and let rise for about 45-50 minutes. Dough should be doubled in size.

After dough has risen, lightly flour your work surface. Roll dough out just a bit, not very much at all. Taking a sharp knife, cut dough into long strips. Start taking small bits and forming them into balls. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the 2 quarts of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Let mixture come to a boil. Drop 4 pieces of dough into pan at a time, let boil for 15 seconds and then remove from pan and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. The bits of dough will instantly rise to the top of the saucepan. They'll look like this before you bake:

Bake pretzel bites at 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Bites should be browned on top and bottom and baked through at this point. Remove from oven. Brush each pretzel with melted butter and sprinkle desired toppings on.

Makes about 4 dozen bites.

To freeze: You'll want to transfer pretzels to a cookie sheet once they are completely cooled. Flash freeze for about an hour. Then transfer to either a freezer bag or a tupperware style container. Make sure to label and date with contents. Place in freezer until ready to enjoy. When ready to eat, remove desired pretzels and let come to room temp.

Source: Dine and Dish