November 13-Make Ahead Meal #3: Crockpot Pepper Steak/Cheesesteak Flatbread Sandwiches

Although adjusting to a longer commute can be a challenge, discovering new make-ahead meals can be pretty fun! There is nothing like coming home to a home cooked meal simmering in the crockpot. Yum.

Crockpot Pepper Steak
Original Recipe from MJWAGNER68 at Allrecipes.com
1.5-2lbs beef sirloin, cut into 2-inch strips
Garlic powder
3 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion or 2 tbsp dried onion
2 large bell peppers, chopped
1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt


The night before (or the morning of):

1. In large skillet, heat oil and brown the beef strips. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste. Transfer meat to slow cooker.
2. Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved. Next, mix cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, peppers, tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook (I recommend cooking within 24 hours of prep).




The day of: 

Cover and cook on High 3-4 hours or on Low 6-8 hours.

Cheesesteak Flatbread 

This pepper steak works great as sandwich filling! Toast two flatbread rounds. Using a slotted spoon to eliminate juice, placed a scoop of the steak and pepper mixture on top of one half. Top with mozzarella cheese and place other half of the flatbread on top to create a sandwich. Enjoy!

*Original recipe suggests serving the pepper stead over rice or noodles, which would pair very nicely with this dish!

Make-Ahead Meal #2: Turkey Burgers

For my husband's birthday, I bought him a grill as a gift. He was thrilled! (Let's be honest; I was pretty excited myself! Hooray for barbecue!) He was dying to fire up the grill this week, so I gladly whipped up some of my famous (at least in our family) turkey burgers! These little guys work great as a make-ahead option. The recipe can be found in one of my previous posts: Savory Turkey Burgers.

Make-Ahead Meal #2

Sunday Night: Prepare patties as directed. We were planning to grill the burgers on Monday, so I did not bother freezing them. I simply covered them tightly and placed them in the refrigerator. If eating at a later date, you could seal the patties tightly and freeze them. 

Monday Night: Grill up the burgers and toast your buns! 

While hubby was grilling, I whipped up a small batch of Homemade French Fries and Zucchini Fries. 

October 28-Make-Ahead Meal #1: Broccoli Chicken Divan

Kristin's new mission: To become the master of make-ahead meals

Along with my awesome new kitchen, I've also gained a longer commute to work. Although I have less time in the evenings than usual, I am determined not to let this hinder me from dishing up delicious dinners throughout the week.

In a world of Pinterest-enthusiasts, bloggers, and online recipe databases, there exists a surplus of simple recipes that you can prepare in advance, freeze for later, and cook at your convenience.

To kickoff this new endeavor, I turned to a classic favorite. I originally posted this recipe for Broccoli Chicken Divan earlier this year and discovered that it works great as a make-ahead option.

Make-Ahead Meal #1

Sunday night: Prepare recipe as directed and cover. Since I was planning to bake this particular recipe the following evening, I simply sealed the dish and placed it in the refrigerator. If cooking at a later date, you could seal the dish and freeze it for the week.

Tip: Place a sticky note on the prepared recipe to remind yourself (or helpful husbands!) of your next steps, without having to refer to the cookbook.

Monday night: Bake recipe according to directions. If you are using a casserole dish, I recommend placing the entire thing into the oven before preheating so that the dish does not crack. Adjust cooking time if needed. Prepare sides (in this case, brown rice) and enjoy!

Help wanted!

Know of any great make-ahead meals? Let me know some of your favorites! I'd love to try them out!