Batch {Bulk} Cooking with Pork Butt

I’m back with another batch cooking session. This week I’m sharing different uses for the meat from a whole pork butt roast. I got this pork butt on sale at Aldi for a very reasonable price. As for preparing it first off I thoroughly wash my meat before I start cooking it. Next, I put a seasoning blend all over the whole pork butt (be sure to coat all sides) and place it in the crockpot. I pour a cup of water/broth around the meat and turn the crockpot on to LOW to let cook for 10 hours. I want the meat falling off the bone so this is a great way to cook it for that to happen. Once it is thoroughly done I proceed on to the next part.

I carefully take out big chunks of meat and lay them on a platter. I use two forks to begin shredding (separating) the meat. I continue getting more out of the crockpot and shred until all of the meat has been shredded. I used some to make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches that night for dinner. I separated the pulled pork meat into 2-2.5 cup portions each and put them into quart-size Ziploc bags. We also had some leftover from that night's dinner that I put into a container to have the next day.

As you can see I got 4 bags of each (minus the leftovers in the container) that I pre-labeled, squeezed all the air out of them before closing, and placed in a flat single layer on a baking sheet to freeze. Once it was stiff enough I take the baking sheet out and stack the bags on top of one another in the freezer. Now, what can I use these bags of cooked pulled pork to make?

Shredded ideas:

* BBQ Pizza

* Breakfast Hash

* Fried rice

* Slider (sandwiches)

* Pit beans

* Soup
* Salad

* Chili

* Stew

* Burritos/Wraps

* Quesadillas

* Tacos

* Pulled Pork Loaded Nachos

* Tostadas

* Taquitos

* Enchiladas

* Empanadas

* Put into prepared Mac-n-Cheese then baked til bubbly

* Pull Pork Stuffed Baked Potatoes

These are just examples of the many things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. I hope I have helped you think of other ways to use up pulled pork besides having days and days and days of BBQ sandwiches. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the lists? Please feel free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back with you next week to share another cooking session.

Feminine Friday~ 10/27/17

Hi lovely readers. It’s time for another Feminine Friday! Today I'm wearing a maxi dress with a white sweater and flats. I’m headed out to enjoy some quality time with my family. It would be great if more ladies could join us in showing that modesty still exists in this day and age and how it looks. We’re not here posing to see who looks the best, or to show off in any way. Beauty is not about the outer appearance. It should come from inside out showing how you represent Christ.  Remember modesty is more than just what you wear. It’s a mentality- a way of thinking/believing (your heart’s attitude/actions).

1 Peter 3:3-4(KJV)

3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Just in case you don’t clearly understand let’s hear it again…

1 Peter 3:3-4(NKJV)

3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

 © My Life 0utside The Box 2016-2017. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Batch {Bulk} Cooking with White Chicken Chili

I’m back to share with y’all another chili batch cooking session. This week I’ll show you different ways to make comfort meals out of big batches of white bean chicken chili.

I cooked up a double batch of white bean chicken chili using some of the chicken I had in the freezer from my previous session where I cooked up a big batch of chicken legs and thighs. I made the chili in my 6 quart slow cooker. If you can tell by the picture, it was a LOT of chili. For dinner that night I used 2 cups of it to see how it would taste in a cheesy chili pie. It was yummy!


I separated the rest and put it into several different containers. Once the chili had completely cooled off I put it all in the refrigerator overnight. I poured 2 containers into a gallon sized labeled Ziploc bag, squeezed out as much air as possible, and put it on a baking sheet to freeze flat. The other containers I labeled and placed in the freezer. Now what can I use all of this chili for?

Meal ideas to serve chili over, in, or with:

* Chili Pie (Tamale Pie)

* Chili Chowder

* Chili Soup

* Chili Stew

* Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

* Chili Stuffed Peppers

* Rice Bowls

* serve over spaghetti squash

* Burritos

* Nachos

* Enchiladas

These are just examples of the many things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back with you next week with another bulk cooking session.

Feminine Friday~ 10/20/17

Hi everyone. I'm joining in with other Christian lady bloggers for another Feminine Friday. Today I'm sharing another non-skirt or dress post because you don't have to always wear a dress or skirt to be modest. Modesty is more than just what you wear although it is a big part of it. Today I'm wearing a blouse, pants, and my black boots. I love it when Fall comes around so I can break out these boots my hubby bought me. I shared last time how I love wearing my long cardigan with my clothes on cooler days. I also love wearing ponchos. It keeps me warm on a chilly day and also helps me feel more covered up all around. I could not decide on how to wear my hair so that's why it's in two different styles :-)

Join us in showing how to be modest in this day and age.  Let's also not hide our true beauty as women of God.

© My Life 0utside The Box 2016-2017. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Bulk Meal Prep: Pork Loin

For the last few weeks I have shared several batch cooking ideas with you. Today I want to share how buying a whole pork loin can save you more money than buying the smaller (already sliced) packages of meat. I just recently learned that it really is cheaper to buy the primal cuts of meat. When something like a whole pork loin goes on sale it is good to take advantage of the sale. By buying the primal cut you will have to do your own cutting since you are not buying the smaller packs. It really is easy to cut the meat down yourself. I forgot to get a picture of the pork loin I bought. I believe it was near 10 lbs. This will be a short post but keep reading to see what I did with all that meat.

After cutting mine down I ended up with five meals. I bagged and put them in the freezer for later use. What are different parts of the pork loin good for?

The end pieces are good for:

* Slicing off and using for pork roasts (it's the dark part of the meat)

The middle is good for:
* Slicing into thin or thick pork chops

Other things to do with the tender parts are:
* Cut into strips for a Stir-Fry

* Cut into cubes for Stew meat or for making Kabobs

These are just examples of some things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back next week to share another batch/bulk cooking session with you.

Feminine Friday~ 10/13/17

Hi everyone. I'm joining in another week of Feminine Friday's. I shared before how I love wearing maxi skirts and dresses. Today I'm not wearing a skirt or dress. You don't have to always wear a dress or skirt to be modest, so I'm showing a way I dress repectably and still look like a lady. I'm wearing a blouse, pants, and my tan flats. I feel better wearing shirts that cover my behind. This shirt is what I consider short because I do like to wear them longer. I also love wearing my long cardigan with my clothes on cooler days. It not only keeps me warm, but helps me feel I've covered up all around.

***Feminine Friday is where women show how to be modest especially in these times where modesty is a lost art. Join us in showing our true beauty as women of God.

© My Life 0utside The Box 2016-2017. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Easy Peasy stuffed Bell Peppers

Easy Peasy Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

5-6 Bell Peppers (I like using a variety of colors)
24 oz. meat pasta sauce (I use my homemade sauce)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained (add this only if your pasta sauce doesn’t already have meat in it like mine does)
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup water
1 cup shredded Italian blend, Mozzarella, or Colby Jack cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Cut the tops off your bell peppers. I don’t throw mine away. I cut around the stem/core and use the other pepper pieces in another meal (see note below). Since I’m using my crockpot there’s no need to blanch the peppers first. In a large bowl, stir together your pasta sauce, beef (if adding), and a beaten egg (This is not a must. I just like the addition of the egg to help everything hold together when it’s cooking). Stir the rice into the meat mixture. Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray. Stuff each bell pepper halfway with meat mixture. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top. Finish stuffing the peppers with more meat mixture until almost full. Carefully place each pepper in crockpot standing up. Sprinkle a little Parmesan Cheese over top of each. Pour 1/4 cup of water inside crockpot to fall to the bottom. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 5-6 hours. The last 30 minutes of cooking sprinkle the rest of shredded cheese on top to melt. When done serve and enjoy.


Note: About those bell pepper tops. You can dice up and saute what is left on the tops to add to your meat sauce or use in another meal. Just cut around the stem/core and throw away (I put mine in a Ziploc bag in the freezer with other scraps to make homemade vegetable broth). Another thing I've seen done is to cut all of the seeds away from the tops and place back on top of peppers while they are cooking. The rest of the stem is easy to pull off and discard once cooked.

Batch {Bulk} Cooking with Rice

I’m back to share with y’all another batch cooking session. This week I’ll show you how cooking big batches of rice saves time when preparing a meal. Sure rice is real easy to fix, but you won’t regret having some already prepared ahead of time. First I'll share that I like cooking different varieties of rice. I use white long grain, brown, Basmati, Jasmine, parboiled, and even wild rice.

For this session I'm using long grain white rice. I do wash my rice before I cook it. I learned this from my hubby when we first got married. The first time I saw him washing rice I thought it was weird. I didn't recall ever seeing my mom wash her rice before cooking it so that's why I gave him strange looks. At the time I didn't know he was trying to teach me something beneficial. Moving forward years (and many Food Network Shows) later I learned why one would choose to wash the rice first, then put it in the pot, and fill with the appropriate amount of water needed to cook it. Washing the rice gets rid of the coating that's on the rice when they package it. It's best to rinse it under cold water in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Doing this will result in rice that won't be mushy/gummy after you finish cooking it. I do this for my white and brown rice.

I cooked up a huge batch of long grain rice in my pressure cooker. I used water this time to cook it, but I often do use chicken broth most of the time. It just gives it a little more flavor. I needed some rice for dinner so I just went ahead and cooked up four cups of it. For dinner I used some of it to make Stuffed Bell Peppers. I will share that recipe later on this week.



After I separated the rice I ended up with four quart sized Ziploc bags full. Each had 2 cups of the cooked rice in it. As stated above I used one of them for dinner. I only used 1 cup of the rice and put the other in the refrigerator to use later on in the week. Once the rice had cooled off a bit, I stacked the labeled and flattened bags in the freezer. When ready to use you do not have to thaw it out overnight. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer when you need to use it, put the bag of rice on a microwave safe plate, and thaw it out just a little. Next open the bag and pour the partially thawed rice in a bowl or container, and put a couple of teaspoons of water over it. Heat it until fully thawed then fluff with a fork. Now what can I use pre-cooked rice for?

Uses for pre-cooked rice:

* Eat with a Stir-Fry
* Make Fried Rice

* Serve Rice bowls
* Eat with Curry

* Make Breakfast or Regular Burritos
* Enchiladas

* Skillet Meals

* Casseroles

* Soup

* Stew

* Chowder

* Stuffed Peppers, mushrooms, or tomatoes

* Taco Rice

* Spanish/Mexican Rice

* Dirty Rice

* Red Beans and Rice

* Gumbo

* Jambalaya

* Rice Pilaf

* Rice Pudding

* Use in Meatloaf or meatballs (in place of breadcrumbs)

These are just examples of some things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back with you later in the week with that Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe.

Feminine Friday~ 10/6/17

Hi everyone. I'm joining in with my blogging buddy Renee in another week of Feminine Friday's. I've been stuck inside all week trying to get over being sick. I'm heading out to run some errands in hopes that I feel up to getting all I need done. Today I'm wearing a sky blue blouse with a light gray and white stripped skirt as well as some tan flats. I shared last week how I love wearing maxi skirts and dresses so this skirt is another one I have. If anyone were to wonder what gift to give me these skirts/dresses would definiately bring on a big smile from me. Even though I'm not totally well I feel so lady like and my hubby even said I looked like what a truly beautiful lady should be. *blushing*

***Feminine Friday is where women show how to be beautiful in Christ.

© My Life 0utside The Box 2016-2017. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Batch {Bulk} Cooking with Chili

I’m back to share with y’all another batch cooking session. This week I’ll show you how cooking big batches of chili won’t leave you stuck eating bowls of chili day after day after day.

I cooked up a double batch of chili using some of the ground beef I cooked up in my previous session where I cooked up a whole 5 lbs. chub of ground beef. I made the chili in my 6 quart slow cooker. If you can tell by the picture, it was almost to the rim. For dinner that night I used 2 cups of it to make a cheesy chili pie. It was delish!



I separated the rest and put it into several different containers. Once the chili had completely cooled off I put it all in the refrigerator overnight. I poured 2 containers into a gallon sized labeled Ziploc bag, squeezed out as much air as possible, and put it on a baking sheet to freeze flat. The other containers I labeled and placed in the freezer. Now what can I use all of this chili for?

Meal ideas to serve chili over, in, or with:

* Chili Mac (I do homemade version)

* Chili Cheese Fries

* Chili Cheese Dogs (oven baked is good too)

* Taco Salad

* Chili Pie (Tamale Pie)

* Chili Stuffed Potatoes

* Chili Stuffed Peppers

* Cornbread Waffles topped with chili and cheese

* Potato Hash

* Rotel Chili Dip

* “Cincinnati” Style Chili

* Burritos

* Nachos

* Enchiladas

These are just examples of the many things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back with you next week with another bulk cooking session.