Freezer Chicken Pot Pie Minis

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Freezer meals are a great way to save time at dinner!  In this house, they are absolutely a staple.  If you think that it takes a long time to prepare freezer meals, allow me to help convert you.  With easy recipes like these chicken pot pie minis, you’ll have a freezer full of quick meals in no time.

These chicken pot pie minis are delicious fresh out of the oven or as a quick freezer meal for later!

Ingredients

These chicken pot pie minis are delicious fresh out of the oven or as a quick freezer meal for later!

Step 1

In a large pot, melt butter and sauté onions over medium heat until onions are translucent.

Step 2

Stir in flour.

Tip:

  • The mixture should be very sticky and dough-like.

These chicken pot pie minis are delicious fresh out of the oven or as a quick freezer meal for later!

Step 3

Add in milk all at once.  Simmer over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken.

**In case you’re curious, steps 1-3 are considered making a roux.  Just a little fun jargon for you, but don’t worry, there won’t be a test.

Step 4

While sauce is cooking, chop up your chicken breasts into small pieces.

Step 5

Add chicken, corn, and edamame to sauce and reduce heat.  Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Step 6

Prepare your pie crusts by cutting out circles and placing in your muffin tins.

Tip:

  • If you don’t have a circle cookie cutter (or just couldn’t find it, like me) a cup will also work. 
  • You want to be sure that your circles are slightly larger than the opening of your muffin tins.  Just think about the overlap on a regular sized pie pan.

Step 7

Fill each crust until it is just slightly below the rim with your chicken and sauce mixture.

Tip:

  • The mixture will bubble up when baking so be sure not to overfill your crusts.

Step 8

After each crust is filled, cut additional circles out of your remaining pie crust and place on top of each pie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until crust is lightly browned.

Allow to cool before serving and then dig in.

These chicken pot pie minis are delicious fresh out of the oven or as a quick freezer meal for later!

To Freeze

Allow pot pies to cool completely.  Remove from tins and place in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.  To reheat, remove desired amount of pies and place on a flat baking sheet.  Bake at 250 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

These chicken pot pie minis are delicious fresh out of the oven or as a quick freezer meal for later!

Check back next week for more incredible bagged chicken recipes!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

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Easy DIY Curtains

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If you work from home or do a lot of DIY projects, you know how important an office can be.  If you don’t have one (been there, done that) then the importance is highlighted even more.  I have recently been working on creating a joint office and crafting space and I’m finally getting around to the fun stuff like decorating.  The most recent project?  These super easy DIY curtains.

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Materials (And Tools)

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Step 1

Measure your window to determine how much fabric you need.

Tips:

  • Hang your curtain rod first.  You want it to be placed above the window at least a few inches and you want it to extend past the window on either side.  When you measure, do so from the curtain rod.  Also remember that you will want them to hang past your window as well.
  • When measuring the width, don’t just divide the total in half and add in an inch or two for hems.  You want some overlap once they are hung.  Add at least 4-6 extra inches to each panel to facilitate this.
  • When measuring length remember to add enough extra length to not only create hems but also the channel for the rod to go through.

[bctt tweet=”Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy #DIYcurtains!”]

Step 2

Measure and cut out your fabric based on the above measurements.

Tips:

  • The old adage holds true for this to ‘measure twice, cut once.’
  • To achieve a semi-blackout curtain without the extra work, use a heavyweight outdoor fabric.  They come in a myriad of styles and patterns to fit your décor.

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Step 3

Create hems on the long edges of your panels and secure with pins.

Tip:

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Step 4

Sew each pinned hem.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the top and bottom of the panels.

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Step 5

Create the channel for your curtain rod to slide through by essentially creating a second, extra-large hem at the top of each panel.  When you set it, be sure there is at least a 3-inch gap, bigger if your curtain rod is especially large.

Brighten up your room in as little as 10 minutes with these easy DIY curtains!

Now just hang your panels and enjoy!  You can have stylish new curtains in as little as 10 minutes!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

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Frugal and Easy Tips for Back to School Lunches

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Back to school can throw a lot of curve balls at you. From shopping for school supplies you’ve never heard of (like a very specific Magic Rub eraser?) to the sheer expense of new clothes and uniforms. It can be an expensive and stressful time. Luckily, back to school lunches don’t have to add to your stress. Don’t limit yourself to sandwiches and lunchables. There are easier and more budget-friendly ways and I’m sharing the tips to help you.

 

Back to school lunches don't have to add to your stress this year. Check out these don't miss tips for your kids' lunches!

 

[bctt tweet=”Check out these don’t miss tips for your kids’ back to school lunches!” username=”diyadulation”]

 

This week, my first interview is live over at the Dollar Stretcher and it will help you with tips and tricks to make your kids’ lunches fun, frugal, and most of all easy.

“Q: With back to school approaching, do you have some time-saving tips for parents on making sure kids get a healthy and homemade lunch?

Marie: The best tip to make sure that kids get a healthy lunch every day is to prep the meals on Sunday for the rest of the week. Pick up multiple containers like the ones in this article about saving money on food on the go and fill them before the week starts. Store them in the fridge, and all you have to do is grab one in the morning and toss it in their lunchbox. I also love collapsible water bottles because they don’t take up a lot of space, and you can fill them with a healthy drink. These are easy to toss in with lunches, as well.

Q: What are some easy DIY lunch ideas for back to school?

Marie: The best lunches for kids are ones that they have some control over. These are great for two reasons: Kids love “creating” their own lunches and only putting lunch components in the containers saves parent’s time. Some great ideas are DIY wraps and lunchables. For wraps, include small tortillas and whatever filling your kids like (such as ham and cheese, chicken and veggies, or beans and salsa). Let them assemble the wraps once it’s time to eat. Make your own lunchables by adding crackers, meat, and cheese that kids can put together as they would the store-bought kind. Ramp up the nutritional content by including some veggies and hummus.”

Continue Reading over at The Dollar Stretcher…

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Don’t forget you can find even more back to school tips on our our Back to School page!