Meal Swapping

My friend, Genevieve, recently coerced me into joining a meal swap with her and my other friend Angela. I am so happy I gave it a try because I just love it.

It's so simple and so rewarding. Basically, we get together each month and swap meals that we have made and frozen. Each month I select two yummy recipes that I know can be frozen, triple or sometimes just double the recipe depending on the serving size, serve one that night to my family and freeze the other two in disposable containers. I do this with the other recipe too, so I have 4 total recipes in my freezer ready to share when we meet. When we meet I bring those four meals(2 for each girl) I have frozen, swap them with my friends, and restock my freezer with the 4 (2 from each girl) different meals they give me.

I serve one of the four meals each week. It literally only takes about 10 extra minutes to triple the recipes I make and then in return I have one no brainer meal ready to put in the oven each week and most of the time there is enough in each meal to have leftovers the next night. I have loved this for the time it has saved, for exposing me to my friend's new recipes, for motivating me to look for new yummy recipes to share, and for another excuse to get together with my sweet friends!

I highly recommend this to anyone! I would do it like us and have a small group of three friends and only swap the 4 meals at least to start with. It's easier than managable that way. I think this would be awesome for working moms too. Especially if you did it with two coworkers and swapped each month at work.

I am going to post the recipes I choose to swap each month as I know how much I love putting new recipes in my box, so I thought others might too.

This month I swapped these two chicken dishes.

Mexican Chicken Cornbread

3 chicken breasts-boiled and shredded

2 boxes jiff cornbread

1 large can green chilies

2 cans cream of chicken soup (healthy kind)

2/3 can milk

chili powder

shredded cheddar cheese

Bake cornbread in casserole dish according to the package directions. Place chicken on top of cornbread and sprinkle with chili powder. Mix soup, chilies and milk in large bowl, pour over chicken and cornbread. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. until bubbly.

King Ranch Chicken

corn tortillas

2 cans cream of chicken

1 can green chilies

1 can rotel

4 chicken breasts-boiled and shredded

shredded cheese

Stir chicken in a bowl with soup, chilies and rotel.Layer bottom of 13X9 dish with torn tortillas. Spread 1/2 chicken mixture on top, sprinkle with cheese, repeat. Bake at 350 for 40 min.

In return I got Lasagna Roll Ups, Chili, Southwestern Veggie Bake, and Dorito Chicken Casserole. Next month I think I'm going to swap Corn Chowder and Pepper Steak. I'm calling it the "Erika Special" as I got both these recipes from my friend Erika.

Here's to meal swapping! So glad I tried something new! Thanks Genevieve!