Mexican Style Leftovers: Many meals from one

I don't know about you, but I LOVE chicken tacos. What I love even more is that when I make them I have TONS of chicken leftover. As you can see.

The problem is my family is not a huge fan of leftovers and I am not a huge fan of waste. So what to do? Here is a little secret on how to not waste all the yummy chicken. Make freezer meals with it! Not only does this save money, it saves time in the future when you are in a rush to make a meal.

I use a recipe for my Chicken Tacos that I found on Pinterest. Not only does it only consist of 3 ingredients and feeds 12 people, it is a slow cooker dish as well. LOVE! I mix up the different types of salsas I use every once in a while when I am feeling adventurous.

The recipe I linked also has a reuse recipe for tortilla Soup. My children aren't really soup fans so here are some other options. All of which are my favorite freezer meals.

Burritos:

When I make tacos I usually make rice as well. However, rice is easy enough to make, so if I don't have it already made, I don't mind putting a pot of it on to cook.

Flour Tortillas (The big ones)
Taco Chicken
Rice
Mexican Cheese Mix
Refried Beans (Optional)

Directions: In the middle of a tortilla pile in as much of the ingredients as you want. This all depends
on how big you like your burritos. Fold over both sides then roll. Place it on a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Once all of your desired burritos are made, spray them well with cooking spray and place the cookie sheet in the freezer to set them. This takes about an hour. Once they are frozen place them in a large freezer bag. When you are ready bake your burrito at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until warmed through.

Taquitos:
Flour Tortillas (Fajita size)
Taco Chicken
Mexican cheese mix

Directions: Closer to one edge of the tortilla, place a Tablespoon of chicken and a Tablespoon of the cheese. Tightly roll the tortilla without tucking in the sides. Place the taquito on a baking sheet

sprayed with cooking spray. Once all of your desire Taquitos are made, spray them well with cooking spray and place the cookie sheet in the freezer to set them. This will take about 45 minutes. Once they are frozen place them in a large freezer bag. When you are ready bake your Taquitos frozen in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until warmed through. These are great for large crowds on game day :)

Quesadillas: I usually make a bunch of these, some with meat, others without. Kids LOVE these for an after school snack.

Flour Tortillas (Fajita size)
Taco Chicken
Mexican Cheese Mix

Directions: Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place as many tortillas as you can on it without overlapping them. I usually can fit 3 or four. Evenly sprinkle on as much chicken and cheese as you like in your quesadillas. Place another tortilla on top. Spray well with cooking spray. If you want to make more than 3 quesadillas, which I always do. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the quesadillas and repeat until all of your quesadillas are made. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour or two to set them. Once they are frozen, place them in a large freezer bag. When you are ready, bake your quesadilla at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until all the cheese is melted through.

My daughter, Bryn. She always helps me in the kitchen.

So does Bosco.

Southwestern Egg Rolls:
I use this recipe, but I add my leftover chicken. A helpful hint is to make sure you squeeze all the juice out of the chicken. I do this by putting it all in a clean dish towel and twist until no more liquid come out.

So here they are, all my meals used from my leftovers :) Two full bags of Quesadillas, 7 Taquitos, and 5 Burritos. Another helpful hint is to wrap them individually in parchment paper for easy grab and go.