Chex cereal — 3 cups A mixture of all three kinds, or even just one, for your crunchy base.
Cheerios — 1 cup Adds a different shape and texture.
Roasted pepitas — ¼ cup Savory crunch and a little nuttiness.
Toasted coconut chips — 2 tablespoons Enough to sample the flavor without making coconut the star.
Mini M&Ms — 2 tablespoons Little pops of chocolate and sweetness.
Raisins — 1 tablespoon
Cashews — 2 tablespoons, chopped
Just occasional chewy and buttery bites, rather than dominant ingredients.
That makes roughly 4½ cups of mix, depending on the cereal shapes and how you measure.
Mix everything except the M&Ms first. Taste it, then add the chocolate. That makes it easier to judge the sweetness.
Keep the coconut at 2 tablespoons for the first batch. You can always add more next time, but you can't take it out!
Use plain, unsweetened toasted coconut chips if that's what you buy. Since the chips can be delicate, stir them in gently.
I'd make this first batch without butter or other flavorings. I think the combination of toasted oats, pepitas, coconut, and chocolate should be interesting all by itself.
And one practical thought: if you love it, write down the proportions before you start experimenting. Otherwise, the next batch could become a completely different creature! 😄
Your frozen hamburger portions would be perfect for this.
1 package ramen noodles
⅓ lb cooked hamburger and onion, thawed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Garlic powder and optional chili flakes
A handful of frozen broccoli, if desired
Method
Cook the ramen according to the package, preferably discarding the seasoning packet.
Drain, reserving a couple of tablespoons of cooking water.
Heat the beef in a skillet until steaming hot throughout.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic powder, and a splash of noodle water.
Toss in the noodles and broccoli, if using, until everything is hot.
About 10–15 minutes, one pot and one skillet. If you cook the broccoli in the noodle water, you can save yourself a separate pan.
This is the one to try if you want to put something in the oven and walk away for a bit.
1 block of ramen noodles, broken into a few pieces
1 cup hot water or low-sodium broth
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Garlic powder
A handful of frozen broccoli or mixed vegetables
Optional: cooked ground beef
Method
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Put the dry noodles and vegetables in a small oven-safe dish.
Mix the hot water or broth with the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic powder. Pour over the noodles. Add enough liquid to mostly cover them.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for about 15–20 minutes.
Check the noodles after 10 minutes and stir carefully. Add a little more hot water if they're drying out. Continue until the noodles and vegetables are tender.
If using cooked beef, stir it in and make sure the entire dish reaches 165°F.
The timing varies with the noodles and dish, so check rather than assuming it'll be done at 20 minutes. Use an oven-safe dish, and be careful of the hot steam when removing the foil.
This isn't quite as foolproof as stovetop ramen, but it's a reasonable little baked meal. I'd try it once without the beef to see how your oven and dish handle it.
1 ramen block
One portion of cooked shrimp, thawed in the refrigerator
Frozen broccoli
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Garlic powder and a pinch of ginger, if you have it
Method
Cook the noodles and broccoli together in a saucepan. Drain most of the water, add your seasonings, then add the shrimp and heat until piping hot throughout. Since the shrimp are already cooked, they only need reheating; avoid cooking them for ages or they'll turn rubbery.
Ready in about 10 minutes.
For a day when you want something warm and comforting.
Simmer ramen in about 1½ cups of water or low-sodium broth. Add garlic powder, a little soy sauce, and a splash of rice vinegar. Beat one egg in a cup and slowly drizzle it into the simmering broth while stirring. Finish with just a few drops of sesame oil.
This takes roughly 10 minutes and uses one saucepan. You can add a handful of frozen vegetables, too.
1 ramen block
1 portion of your cooked chicken
A handful of frozen broccoli
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp sesame oil
Garlic powder
Cook the noodles and broccoli in one saucepan. Drain most of the water, stir in the seasonings and chicken, and heat until everything is steaming hot throughout. Add a splash of water if you want it saucier.
Put 1½ cups of low-sodium broth or water in a saucepan with garlic powder, a pinch of ginger, a little soy sauce, and your ramen. Add the chicken and frozen vegetables. Simmer until the noodles are tender and the chicken is thoroughly reheated.
Finish with a few drops of sesame oil. Warm, savory, and especially nice when you're tired.
Put broken ramen noodles, frozen broccoli, a portion of chicken, 1 cup of hot low-sodium broth, soy sauce, garlic powder, and a little sesame oil in a small oven-safe dish. Cover tightly and bake at 375°F for about 15–20 minutes, checking and stirring around the 10-minute mark. Add more liquid if needed, and ensure the chicken and entire dish reach 165°F.
This is your put it in the oven and let it do the work option, although it needs a check partway through.
If the portions are frozen solid, thaw one in the refrigerator overnight when convenient, or reheat it directly from frozen in a covered saucepan with a splash of water or broth. Since it's already cooked, you just need to reheat it thoroughly to 165°F.
You've already bought the important ingredients. Here's how I'd use them without making everything taste overwhelmingly salty or oily.
Seasoning | Amount for one serving |
|---|---|
Soy sauce | 1–2 tsp |
Rice vinegar | 1 tsp |
Toasted sesame oil | ¼–½ tsp |
Garlic powder | ¼ tsp |
Ground ginger, optional | A pinch |
Mix these together before adding them to your noodles. The sesame oil is potent, so a little goes a long way.
1. Easy clam cakes
Mix one drained can of chopped clams with a few tablespoons of flour, one egg, a little clam liquid, pepper, and a pinch of baking powder. Make a thick batter and spoon small portions into a lightly oiled skillet. Cook until golden and cooked through.
These won't be identical to restaurant fried clams, but they're crunchy little clam fritters. Make just a small batch so you don't have leftovers staring at you.
2. Crispy baked clams
Drain a can of larger chopped clams. Mix with a little melted butter, garlic powder, pepper, and breadcrumbs. Put the mixture in a small oven-safe dish and air-fry at about 375°F until hot and golden, checking frequently.
The breadcrumbs give you that crunchy seafood topping without a deep fryer. Use a small dish that fits your air fryer, and make sure the clams heat through thoroughly.
3. Big-clam angel hair
This is the pasta recipe from earlier, but choose a can with visibly larger clam pieces. Cook your angel hair, warm garlic and butter or olive oil with a splash of clam juice, then stir in the clams just long enough to heat them.
Keep the sauce light rather than using Alfredo. The clam flavor comes through better, and you don't need cream or cheese.
Freezing
Clam cakes / fritters
They should freeze reasonably well because the batter forms a solid structure around the clams. They may soften in storage, but your air fryer can bring back much of the crispness.
Crispy baked clams
These can freeze, too, but the breadcrumb topping may soften, and the clam mixture may release some moisture when reheated. Still quite workable for a quick meal.
Cook the clams completely.
Let them cool briefly, then refrigerate within two hours of cooking.
Once chilled, arrange them in a single layer on a tray and freeze until firm.
Transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. Separate layers with parchment paper if needed.
Label with the date.
For best quality, aim to eat them within about 2–3 months.
From frozen
Preheat to 350°F.
Arrange in a single layer.
Start with 5–8 minutes for small clam cakes, turning halfway through.
Larger cakes may need longer. Heat until the center reaches 165°F.
For baked clams, use a small oven-safe dish if the mixture is loose, and heat until the center reaches 165°F. Check frequently so the topping doesn't burn.
Don't thaw them on the counter. Reheating from frozen is convenient and helps avoid making the coating soggy.
Make a small batch of clam cakes, eat a couple fresh, and freeze the rest in individual portions. That way, you can discover whether you like the reheated texture before committing to a larger batch.
1 small can chopped clams, drained, reserving the liquid
A small serving of angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
Garlic powder, black pepper, and optional parsley
A little of the reserved clam liquid
How to make it
Cook the pasta in a small saucepan.
Drain it, saving a little pasta water if you like.
In the same pan, warm the oil or butter, garlic powder, clam liquid, and clams.
Stir in the pasta and a splash of pasta water.
That's it! About 15 minutes, one saucepan, and no chopping.
Your twist: Add a handful of your baby spinach while warming the sauce. It wilts beautifully.
1 small can chopped clams and their liquid
1 small potato, diced
About ½ cup milk
½ cup water or low-sodium broth
Pepper and a little butter
How to make it
Simmer the diced potato in the water or broth until tender. Add the clams and their liquid, milk, butter, and pepper. Heat gently until hot; don't boil vigorously after adding the milk.
For a thicker chowder, mash a few potato pieces against the side of the pan.
Easy shortcut: Use leftover cooked potato instead. Dinner comes together much faster.
This is for those days when you want something crunchy and cannot be bothered with a proper dinner.
A small can of chopped clams, drained
A little butter or olive oil
Garlic powder and pepper
One or two slices of whole-grain toast
How to make it
Warm the clams with butter, garlic powder, pepper, and a spoonful of the clam liquid. Spoon over crisp toast.
If you want the toast to stay crunchy, serve the clams alongside it rather than piling them on until the bread gets soggy.
Add some broccoli or a piece of fruit, and you've got supper.
1 small can chopped clams
About ½ can white beans, drained and rinsed
Garlic powder, pepper, and a little olive oil
A splash of broth or clam liquid
How to make it
Warm everything together in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes, until piping hot. Mash a few beans to make the liquid thicker.
Eat it as a bowl meal, with a slice of crunchy toast.
You can refrigerate the remaining beans promptly in a covered container for another meal, or freeze them in a small portion.
For a 20 oz bag of stir-fry vegetables:
extra-virgin olive oil
medium onion, chopped
bell pepper, chopped
cloves garlic, minced
(15.5-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
(15.25-oz.) can corn, drained
cooked, shredded chicken
(4.5-oz.) can diced green chilis
(10-oz.) cans enchilada sauce
corn tortillas
shredded cheddar
shredded Monterey jack
Sour cream, for garnish
Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Diced avocado, for garnish
Step 1: Wash and dry your celery well.
Step 2: Chop into the desired size and shape. I like to cut my celery into the size I most often use for soup or stir-fry recipes so I don’t have to try to cut it later.
Step 3: Place the celery in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. This step prevents the pieces of celery from freezing together in clusters.
Step 4: Once frozen solid (usually 2-3 hours), transfer the celery to a freezer safe container to use within a month or two.
If you want to have your frozen celery good for up to a year, you will need to do a quick blanch on them. To do this, place slice celery in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Then follow the above steps for freezing it. Blanched celery will last for up to 12 months in the freezer.
Freezing Onions is practically the same:
Here's a wonderful, quick (13-minute) video about how "Rachel" makes different types of pickled vegetables with just one easy brine.
The brine recipes fills three one-quart mason jars that are tightly packed.
