I have been wanting to do Meals in Jars for some time now. This isn't a new concept. For me, I want to use them as my convenient meals. Yes, I realize that some of these are crock pot meals. So I will explain. I want to be able to grab my crock pot, grab a jar, pour the contents of the jar and the water in the crock pot, cover, and set time. I don't want to have to gather everything  and measure it all out the morning of. I would rather use that time for sleeping :). I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you have suggestions or variations, I would love to hear them. Please note that all the recipes are adjusted to my tastes. So if you don't like a lot of salt, or you hate mushrooms, you can leave them out or adjust the recipe to your tastes.
Some of the items I dehydrate myself but for the majority of the dehydrated & freeze dried items I purchase from Honeyville.

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These recipes are for me to use within the month - even though they will stay fresh for longer, if you are going to store them for longer periods of time, I recommend using oxygen absorbers. Here is a great page on making your Meals in Jars for Long Term Storage >>Go to Page<< Chef Tess has more great recipes if you want to experiment with more Meals in Jars.

2 cups nutritional yeast
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 TBS onion powder
1 TBS parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp celery salt (or ground celery seeds)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp thyme

Combine all the ingredients into a clean jar. Mix together. To test taste, add a 1 teaspoon to a quarter cup of water. Adjust accordingly.

To use as broth powder. Add 1 tablespoon to every 2 cups of water.

* recipe adapted from Budgeting with the Bushman's

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1.5 cups chopped leeks (white & light green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken or turkey stock or broth
1 cup salsa
2 cups 2% milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp Aleppo peppers (crushed)
1 tsp ground cumin
3-4 cups shredded turkey
1 can corn, (drained)
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add salsa..

2. In a bowl, whisk together milk, flour, salt, crushed aleppo peppers and cumin. Increase heat to high and whisk milk mixture into soup. Stir until thick and bubbly, about five minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add turkey, corn, cilantro and cheese; stir until cheese is melted and soup is hot, 5 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups medium barley
1 7-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 can Navy beans, rinsed
1 bunch scallions, sliced, whites and greens divided
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups chopped kale, any tough stems removed
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Combine broth, water, barley, chickpeas, scallion whites and nutmeg in a Dutch oven; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and boil for half as long as directed by the barley package, 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minute. Reduce heat to low. While stirring the soup constantly, slowly add eggs; cook for 2 minutes. (The cooked egg will look like feathery strands.) Season with salt & pepper and stir in the scallion greens and lemon juice. Ladle into 6 bowls and top with Parmesan.

Originally this was called Overnight Hearty Bean Soup - but I never soak my beans when putting in the crockpot, so I converted it to a crockpot recipe instead. I also needed to use the ham that I had thawed out - so I used ham instead of bacon.

1 pound dried navy beans
6 cups cold water
2 cups diced ham (1/4" - 1/2" pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
3 cups tomatoes diced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon each sage, thyme, oregano
1 bay leaf
1 pound box elbow macaroni
parsley
freshly ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

1. In large pan, heat olive oil and gently saute, mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Do not brown. Add to crackpot.

2. Add the tomatoes, sage, thyme, oregano, ham, and bay leaf to the crackpot. Stir to blend, then add to beans to crackpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

4. 10 minutes before crackpot is finished cooking, Cook the macaroni, drain, and add to the soup. Add parsley, pepper, and Parmesan to taste before serving.

Side Note: To keep your noodles from getting too soggy (when reheated), do not combine noodles into soup, just spoon the soup over the noodles in individual bowls.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Waking up to a cold crisp morning today after an amazing day of rain yesterday. It's making me think of soups - in the slow cooker - no hassle - ready when we get home kinda day! For today's Slow Cooker Friday, we are going to have a Mexican Flair from A Year of Slow Cooking. Get recipe here.

Tip: I used to LOVE Sour Cream, but hated the fat content. Now I use Greek Yogurt on everything that I would normally use sour cream. My husband even uses it and he is a tough cookie to convince!

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 8 hours; Total Time: 8 hours, 15 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies, undrained
3 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except cilantro and cheese in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in cilantro just before serving. 

Optional: Top with cheese

I am very excited to try this recipe. I love chowders but hate all the fat that gets stuffed inside. This recipe started out as healthy, and I just made it a little more healthy with some of my substitutions. Today is a great day for this soup! Cloudy, rainy, and a little snowy :) Bring on the fresh baked bread and this yummy bowl of warmness! :)

Ingredients
2 ounces bacon*, (about 2 slices)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 cups fresh corn kernels, (about 4 ears)
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup half-and-half*
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, (optional) 

*I use turkey bacon (instead of regular bacon) & greek yogurt (instead of the half-and-half)

Instructions
Chop bacon and cook in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add oil to the pan. Add celery, leek, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender and the corn is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in tilapia and thyme; return to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tilapia is cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Stir in half-and-half, lemon juice and the reserved bacon. Garnish with chives, if using.

Recipe & photo adapted from Eating Well