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On the Menu - ​Easy Family Favourites for a Busy Time of Year

​​These meals are all favourites of ours. My family like them because they're tasty. I like them because they're quick to prepare, can easily be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled to fill the freezer and use ordinary pantry, fridge and freezer ingredients.
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients:
4 small chicken fillets
1 small grated onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard (I use wholegrain)
1 carrot, cut into straws

Method:
Step 1.Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 

Step 2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, or brush with oil. 

Step 3. Add the chicken fillets to the casserole dish. Sprinkle grated onion and carrot straws over chicken, season with salt and pepper.

Step 4. In a small bowl whisk honey, mustard and vinegar together. Pour over chicken. Bake 30 - 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Cooking time will depend on thickness of chicken. Serve with steamed greens and mashed potato.

To prepare for freezer:

Step 1. Place chicken, onion and carrot in a ziplock bag. Close and toss to combine. It is easier to spread the veggies at this stage.

Step 2. Combine honey, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour into bag. Seal bag and toss through chicken. Freeze.

To cook: Thaw meal in fridge overnight. Add to a greased casserole dish and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 - 40 minutes until cooked through.
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredients:
1kg chuck steak
Salt and pepper to taste
250ml tomato juice
1/4 cup lime juice (or lemon juice if you don't have limes)
1 pkt taco seasoning (2 tbsp MOO taco seasoning)
8 hard taco shells
1 cup grated cheese

Taco toppings:
Shredded lettuce
diced tomato 
diced cucumber
sour cream

Method:
Add the beef roast to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the tomato juice, lime juice and taco seasoning over the roast. Set on LOW and cook for 8 hours.
Just before serving, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. When the beef is cooked, shred with two forks. Place taco shells in baking dish. Add shredded meat to the taco shells.Top with grated cheese.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve with taco toppings.

To prepare for freezer:
Cook meat. Shred. Add to freezer bag.  Add grated cheese to a clean ziplock bag. Attach to shredded meat with a rubber band. Freeze together.

To cook:
Thaw meat in fridge overnight. Pre-heat oven, place taco shells in baking dish. Add shredded meat to taco shells, sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake 10 minutes until cheese has melted.
Easy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients:
500g small shell pasta
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 small onion, grated
2 to 3 cups chicken stock (depending on how thick you want the sauce)
250g sliced mushrooms
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Cook the pasta as directed.
 
In a large frying pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, garlic powder and grated onion. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, whisking all the time to prevent clumping of the liquid with the flour.

Add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes until they reduce down in size. Then stir in the chicken. Serve immediately.