Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Getting Ready for Crazy Times Ahead: Kid-Friendly & Ready To Eat Meals in Minutes

Fall is so busy with after school activities.I see crazy times ahead. Both my children are heavily entrenched in winter sports.For my daughter.....it's synchronized skating and figure skating.For my son....it's hockey.Both will be out of the house after school a few evenings a week for their sports.This leaves me with the task of feeding them nutritious food that is ready at the quick and can be eaten in minutes.

I was doing my daily round of blog reading this morning and enjoying the parade of recipes at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam when I came upon this idea for healthy burritos for the freezer from "Eat At Home" blog. I loved the idea, so after my walk this morning, I decided to hit Costco to pick up the things I needed to put this idea into action.

Burritos are the perfect food for a hearty after school snack that will tide a child over for a few hours, or it can also be a dinner. Or just eaten whenever!
Although the original idea I saw was for bean & rice burritos,  I know that my family prefers beef burritos...so I made those instead. I picked up some organic brown rice and a big package of flour tortillas. {36}, and a $10 package of lean ground beef at Costco.
I started cooking the brown organic rice according to package directions. I made 9 cups of rice.
I placed the ground beef in the frying pan and added:
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
3/4 cup  Clubhouse taco seasoning {I added 1/2 cup at first, then adjusted it up}
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 tbsp. regular chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper
{I hope my husband isn't reading this...but I put in a can of mashed black beans too....for extra fiber.}
I found this can of enchilada sauce in my pantry, so I added one can just to add a little more flavour.
When the rice was finished cooking, I mixed it with the ground beef mixture in a big bowl.
Then Hunter and I stuffed  & rolled the burritos and added shredded cheddar.
 I rolled the burritos individually in saran wrap.
And all the burritoes went into bags for the freezer.
I also had some ground beef & rice mixture left to go in the freezer as well.
To serve: Heat in the microwave for a minute or two {depends on your micro wattage.}
Add salsa and sour cream as desired.

Only 32  of my 36 burritos made it into the freezer.
The others were kidnapped before they made it to the saran wrap stage.

The only way that today could have been better was if my Mother was here to help me! She is the queen of the freezer and a master at pre-planning meals!


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16 Wonderful Comments:

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Planning ahead=Sanity for MOM!

Danie said...

I'm totally going to do this!

...when my mother gets here.

Lise said...

Great idea Ang!...see, you're not even at my place yet and you're already a huge help...now, if I could only find my frying pan....

Laura Ingalls Gunn said...

This is such a healthier alternative to frozen burrito's from the market. Yum!

Melanie @ The Tiny Tudor said...

These are a great idea! Your pre-planned meals are so smart.

eddieross said...

Yum! Great idea!!

E+J

Lenore @ Lather. Write. Repeat. said...

Great idea! I don't have kidlets but I'm always looking for ways to make meal time easier (since J and I both bring lunches to work)!

XO
Lenore

Maya @ Completely Coastal said...

I featured your lovely starfish today..., just thought I let you know.

Pamela said...

These look so yummy! My son and hubby love this stuff.
I like the idea of adding brown rice to it ...never thought of that!
I have to make sure to never show my husband your blog!! You're his type of gal...totally organized and planned out just like him ! lol!
I love all your ideas and recipes.
Pamela xo

Paula said...

I love your blog!
This looks so delicious!

Have a nice time!
Paula

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

I love this idea. I don't even have kids but find that the energy to cook just isn't always there. I've been wanting to find some recipes to make a freeze like this. Thanks for sharing!

Katie said...

YUM! What a great/healthy idea! Thanks! :)

thedomesticfringe said...

What a yummy looking recipe and such a great idea. I'm definitely trying this!!!

Thank you.
-FringeGirl

this blessed nest said...

i am so bookmarking this!

great idea!
my kids (4 & under) are not into the burritos just yet, but i know they will be soon. i love that you added brown rice. great planning & healthy too.

thanks so much for linking this up to the FALL FESTIVAL!!!

kellie

this blessed nest said...

i am tweeting about this post.

awesome idea.
kellie

The Cannary's said...

I love this and think it would be perfect for the holidays, too! Gonna make some up and will let you know how it went!

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