Freezer Burritos

I'm always looking for meals I can freeze and keep around for lunches or quick dinners. Freezer burritos are an excellent option for this! When I make a big batch of taco meat for dinner, I use the leftovers to make these burritos and then freeze them. I've also made these using some of the Vigo Beans & Rice packets, as a vegetarian option. I love having these on hand for a quick lunch!

Ingredients:

8-10 Flour tortillas
1-2 lbs Cooked taco meat (I've used carnitas and ground beef, and both worked great)
2 cans black, pinto, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded cheese (I like to use a mix of cheddar and pepperjack)
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Salsa
Wax paper
Foil

Directions:

1. In flour tortilla, layer taco meat, beans, tomatoes, salsa, and shredded cheese.
2. Roll up burrito and wrap with wax paper and then foil.
3. Freeze until ready to eat.
4. To cook, remove foil and wax paper. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, flipping the burrito once halfway through.

The freezing instructions for these burritos were based on a recipe from Taste of Home.

Bacon Pesto Pasta Bake

We've been making tons of pesto recently, thanks to a large production of basil from our garden. This is one of my favorite dishes we've made so far with our homemade pesto. The recipe I based this on had less bacon and was intended to be a side dish. However, I doubled the bacon and it made a great meal! Very tasty but not too heavy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked (or use whatever you have on hand)
10 oz. basil pesto
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups cherry or sungold tomatoes, halved
1 lb. cooked and chopped bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the pan where pasta was cooked, mix pasta, pesto, bacon pieces, halved cherry tomatoes, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
3. Spray casserole dish with olive oil spray (or whatever non-stick spray you have on hand). Pour pasta mixture into dish and top with the remaining cheese.
4. Bake casserole for 15-20 minutes. If cheese is not browned enough, broil for 2-4 minutes.

This recipe was adapted from Budget Bytes (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2009/11/bacon-pesto-pasta-bake/).