Hooray for cold weather Meals for Nov 16th-22nd

So I've noticed that you all do M-Su but I like to start on Sunday.

Yesterday turned out to be a great batch cooking day because Spencer slept for 5hrs staight. Wish he would do it at night. Made a huge batch of Speghetti sauce (or meat sauce since I use it for lasagna too.) I made two lasagnas with a layer of thinly sliced zuchini. We'll see how that cooks up because I also left the noodles uncooked. I love pullling food out of the freezer to make dinner at least once a week. I have a hard time with lasagna because there is always to much meat and cheese. I know that sounds strange but I always want more vegetables in it (enter spinach and zuchini.) So I've been working on a recipe that does. I'll type it up at some point if anyone else wants it.

Su-Salmon Quiche with roasted potatoes and yams and pocket pies with ice cream (freezer meal)
M-Spaghetti with homemade rolls
T-Homemade pizza
W-Quesidillas (maybe with chicken and broccoli--thanks Natalie)
R-Scallop potatoes with ham and veggies (freezer meal)
F-Talipia with Rice and veggies
Sa-undecided. Something simple probably pull out some chicken soup (freezer)

Spaghetti Sauce

16 Cups Ingredients 60+ cups

1/2 # Ground beef 2 #
1 T Italian seasoning ¼ cup
1 tsp Marjoram 1 T
1 T Basil 3 T
1 T Oregano 3 T
½ tsp Garlic Powder 2 tsp
1 T Sugar scant ¼ cup
2 tsp Salt 1 T
1 c Cooked Lentils or split peas* 2 c
1 # Carrots, finely diced 2 #
½ head Celery, finely diced 1 head
2 medium Onions, finely diced 4 medium
½ # Butternut squash, ¼” cubes 1#
1 T Olive Oil ¼ c
3 cloves Garlic, minced 6 cloves
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced 16-24 oz
1 bunch Parsley, finely chopped 2 bunches
48 oz Diced or crushed Tomatoes 2-#10 can
48 oz Spaghetti Sauce #10 can
Adjust salt and pepper to taste


Gather all ingredients together and tools (knife, cutting board, bowls, two large pots, can opener, measuring cups/spoons, etc.)

Prep vegetables, measure spices and heat pan (or large pot) to sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in pan and add carrots and squash, sauté 5 minutes. Add the celery and onions, sauté until almost clear but still crispy. Add mushrooms and garlic. Turn off the heat and let it sit while you finish browning the meat.

While you are sautéing the vegetables start the meat browning with the spices and sugar. When the meat is almost done add the vegetables and stir to combine thoroughly. Let them sit and blend together for a few minutes (while you clean up.)

Add the sauce and tomatoes rinsing out the cans with about 1 cup of water each. Finally add the parsley and the lentils. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes to finish blending all the flavors. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash or ladle into freezer bags and use another day. We use about 4-5 ladles per quart bag to feed our family one meal. The larger batch makes about 16 such servings. For the big batch I have a huge kettle that holds it all with about 3 inches to spare. Lots of sauce!!

* To cook the lentils/ split peas: 1c uncooked = about 2-2 ½ c cooked to 3 cups water (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes (50-60 minutes for split peas). This is a great way to add protein and extra nutrients to the sauce. Puree them if you are hiding them from the kids!

More notes: I like to puree half of the tomatoes and leave half diced for more texture. I divide this into 3 cup batches and freeze for future meals. I like the Zip-lock containers instead of bags because I can use them again and they don’t get ripped.