ham and cheese croissant melts

I've never really thought about preparing sandwiches ahead of time to eat later, but this recipe enlightened me. Plus, the croissants hold up really well and the Dijon sauce is just so tasty!

what you'll need:

• 2 oz. cream cheese, softened 
• ½ Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard 
• 6 large croissants 
• 6 slices provolone-mozzarella cheese
• ¾ lb. sliced deli ham 

how you'll do it:

combine the cream cheese and honey Dijon mustard

 slice the croissants in half

spread top half with some of the cream cheese mixture

layer the ham over the bottom half of each croissant and top with a slice of cheese

cover sandwich with top layer and place on a baking sheet

bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly golden and crispy and cheese is melted. Serve immediately

Freezer directions: Prepare sandwiches as above, but do not bake. Wrap each sandwich in foil and place in indicated number of freezer bags. To serve: remove from foil. Microwave until hot and cheese is melted, or bake at 350F 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden and crispy and cheese is melted. Serve.

recipe adapted from onceamonthmom

apple-spinach chicken nuggets

I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "seriously?!" Apple-spinach "chicken nuggets" sounds pretty funky to me! Don't worry, I thought the same thing when I found this recipe. So did my husband when he looked at them and then gave me a funny look and I said, "Always try something once, right?" to which he responded, "Yep, and if I don't like it, I'll tell you!" :) I appreciate his honesty about my cooking. Sure, I've cooked some duds in the past year, the kind that were okay to eat but the kind meal you don't really want again soon, but thankfully there has only been one meal that we threw in the trash and went to Chick-fil-a! Ha, that was a fun night!

As you probably know by now, I'm always up for trying something new! And this recipe sure fits the bill. If any of you are looking to spice up to packed-lunch routine, I suggest you try these. I don't think you'll be sorry.

what you'll need:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• ½ cup onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup apple, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 2 cups canola oil (for frying)

how you'll do it:

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl

Mix together with your hand

Put bread crumbs in a shallow dish 

Shape into small patties and press into the coating

Heat enough oil for shallow frying in a large frying pan. 

Add nuggets and cook about six minutes, three minutes per side, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through.

Dry on a paper towel and let cool

* TO BAKE: Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes until firm to the touch. 

I ate mine with Ranch dressing, and Ryan requested meatloaf sauce (aka bbq and ketchup). So good!

Freezer Directions: Put 4-5 nuggets into small freezer bags for individual servings and freeze. To Serve: Microwave for about 30-60 seconds if thawed, 60-90 seconds if frozen.

recipe adapted from onceamonthmom 

cheesy hot dog roll-ups

I know I often say that a recipe is easy, but this is super easy. With only 3 ingredients (all of which are ready to be cooked), you'll have these roll-ups ready in 5 minutes + baking time!

what you'll need:

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 8 hot dogs
• 4 slices cheese, cut in half

how you'll do it:

preheat oven to 375*

unroll biscuits or crescent rolls

wrap cheese around hot dog

wrap dough around cheese-wrapped hot dog

pinch to seal

bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown 

Freezer directions: Allow to cool, then place in gallon freezer bag and freeze. To eat: Reheat in microwave about a minute or until heated through.

recipe adapted from onceamonthmom

bbq pork sliders

Good BBQ is sometimes hard to come by. I remember my favorite BBQ joint in SC that would serve it only on 3 major holidays: memorial day, 4th of July, and labor day. Although this is definitely not the same, it's super easy and freezer friendly! And the best thing about this one is it's a forget-about-it (aka crock-pot) recipe!

what you'll need:

• 3-4 lb. pork shoulder roast
• 1 1/2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce (I use sweet baby ray's!)

how you'll do it:

put the roast in the crock-pot

cover with sauce

cook on high for 8+ hours, until super pull-apart-with-a-fork tender

made 12 servings

Serve immediately on rolls and coleslaw (if you like!). This is such a great meal for summer nights!

Freezer instructions: fill muffin pans with aluminum liners, fill with pork. flash freeze. take out of pan and individually wrap with plastic wrap or store in freezer bag. to eat, heat in microwave for about a minute, serve on dinner rolls.

recipe adapted from onceamonthmom