Its Quick, Its Easy, Its...Home-made? From Scratch?

I just had to share this amazing recipe with every one!

Quick and easy pre-made meals.  There is nothing better when you get home after a long day knowing that dinner will be ready in 15 minutes and you can get on with the night!  

I love the quick pre-made meals from the freezer section, don't you?

You can just pull them out of the freeze rip it open and heat it in the pan.  {Then, if you're lucky, pass it off as home made?}  But they just cost so dang much!  If you ever had to feed Husband you would understand just how much a quick prepared meal is going to cost you!  It really would be cheaper to just pick up some fast food on the way home!

Husband is studying so hard and working out every day so he needs his brain food as well as his muscle food.  Due to his unbelievable appetite he could eat one of those pre-made meals for two all by himself and still be hungry!  {I do not envy Mom-in-law for having to feed him through his teen years.  She could tell you some stories about hungry boys!}

To solve my dilemma I came up with this wonderful recipe.  We have it at least once a  week and I spend about one Sunday every other month doing the prep work!

Home-made Chicken in Garlic Butter Sauce Skillets!

Here's how to make your own!

Ingredients

CHICKEN

-Chicken breasts

-Olive oil

-Herbs {We like marjoram and/or tarragon}

-Paprika and/or chili powder

-Salt and Pepper to taste

SAUCE

-Olive oil

-2 shallots

-5 Cloves of Garlic minced

-1/2 cup {one stick} butter

-16 cups {4 boxes} of chicken stock

-Herbs about 2 teaspoons {We like marjoram and/or tarragon}

-Salt and Pepper to taste

PASTA

-A box of any kind of pasta you like!

Veggies

-Store bought frozen stir fry veggies!  I like the asparagus mix from Walmart for some thing like 89 cents each!

On Prep Day-Chicken

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, herbs, and paprika/chili powder to taste.  Bake until cooked thoroughly and allow to cool.  Cut the chicken into chunks and freeze in single portions in zip baggies.

On Prep Day-Sauce

Saute shallots and garlic in olive oil until softened.  Melt butter and add chicken stock.  Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Let cook for 1 hour and allow to cool.  Fill sandwich size baggies with sauce and lay flat in the freezer.  {This makes it reaaly easy to stack and organize in the freeze}

On Prep Day-Pasta

Boil pasta according to box directions and allow to cool.  Place pasta in single use portions in plastic containers and freeze.  {I can usually get 2 meals from one box}

For Dinner

In a pan combine the number of each in order to feed everyone of the CHICKEN, PASTA, SAUCE, and VEGGIES.  Before turning on the heat, mix well 1/4 cup chicken stock with 1 teaspoon flour and add to the pan.  Turn on the heat and stir until heated through!  {Usually takes mine about 15 minutes, but I am making A LOT}

I hope you like this recipe as much as we do!  Let me know what you think about it!