3 Skillet Meals in a Jar. Revised, Revisited, and More Natural.

My 52 jar method Meals in a jar has been  the theme all week!  This post has 3 new recipes that I've revisited and updated for your flavor enjoyment. In the original post for these skillet meals, I had you mix a batch of cheese sauce and then use that for each jar. In this version, I've made it easier to just use each ingredients per jar and not have to pre-mix a sauce. 
 If you are new to the meals in a jar, go here and get some details on how the meals are done as well as the basic safety guidelines. If your scroll through the rest of the 52 jar method posts, there are a lot more recipes, ideas, and helpful tips when making the meals. I answer a lot of questions in the comment sections as well. If I had to re-cap each detail in each  new post, it would take a lot of time and space. So. That being said there are a few things I will always re-cap in each post.

1. You will be using a method some have called "dry pack canning" but it's actually called Vacuum packing. No liquid or pressure canning is necessary. If you opt to use the freeze dried meat in the recipes  NOTE: The repacking of Freeze Dried Meat must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Once repacked you must use an oxygen absorber to make sure there is a vacuum oxygen-free environment. I recommend using a 300 cc oxygen absorber for each jar. This will make the vacuum packing effective. You can use a Food Saver with a jar attachment for this in place of the oxygen absorber but will need to make sure your machine is designed to be used with the jar attachment. Some of the food Savers are called "meal savers" and are actually not designed to use with the attachment. I called the FoodSaver company myself to be sure that the attachment I had was right for the machine I was using. 
2. You can also pack in mylar bags (the ones that are silver-colored), but again need to use the oxygen absorber. This size I use is designed to absorb a gallon size amount of air, but I'd rather err on the side of over-vacuum than not enough. No. You can't use the food saver clear plastic bags for long-term storage. They are not designed for that purpose. When I say "long-term" I'm talking 3-5 years. 

I've had a few request that I revisit the Skillet Meal 
in a jar recipes and suggest some more natural "clean label" alternatives for making them at home. I think this is always a good idea! As always, you can use the organic versions of these ingredients. If you use dehydrated vegetables, they will take more liquid to hydrate and take longer to cook depending on the size of the pieces. If you dry your own veggies, use a small dice and dehydrate them on a mesh. Make sure they are "brittle" dried.  It will take a lot less of the dehydrated ingredients, and a lot more liquid. Keep that in mind. On the dehydrated vegetables, you will have to calculate the water for your own recipes. I can't control how thick your items are cut, therefore, I cannot offer an accurate liquid amount. If you are just adding your own fresh cooked beef or meats to the meals at the time you prepare the meals, and want to omit the freeze-dried version, you will need to decrease the water in the cooking directions by about 1/2 cup. These also use a lot less of the freeze-dried meats. You can use the vegetable TVP in its place or, as always, use freeze-dried zucchini or additional vegetables in its place. 

Double Cheeseburger Hamburger Skillet Meal

1/2 cup Instant Non-fat Dry Milk
1/4 cup  Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese powder, optional
1 tsp Haco Beef Base powder, optional (No MSG low sodium)
3T cornstarch

1 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 cup Dehydrated Onion 

¼ tsp Chef Tess all-purpose seasoning

2 cups elbow macaroni 

½ cup Freeze Dried Ground Beef 
1/4 tsp turmeric (for color)

To make jar: Put all ingredients in a wide mouth quart size mason jar, shaking the powder ingredients into the jar. Top with an oxygen absorber. 

 To prepare Cheeseburger Skillet Meal: Put contents of the mix in a 12-inch skillet (with a lid) Add 6 cup hot water. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer 12-15 minutes until noodles are tender. The sauce will thicken a little more as it cools. Yield 6 cups prepared. 4 servings. 1 1/2 cup each. 365 calories. 6 grams fat.

Chef Tess' Stroganoff Macaroni  Skillet 

1/2 cup Instant Non-fat Dry Milk (or Non-GMO soymilk powder)

1/2 cup sour cream  powder 

3T cornstarch

1 1/2  tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp  beef bullion base, optional (No MSG lower sodium)

1/4 cup Dehydrated Onion 

1 tsp Chef Tess all-purpose seasoning 

2 cups small shell macaroni

1/2 cup Freeze Dried Mushroom Slices

 ½ cup Freeze Dried Ground Beef 

1T Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder, optional
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

To make jar: Put all ingredients in a wide mouth quart size mason jar, shaking the powder ingredients into the jar. Top with an oxygen absorber. 

To prepare Beef Stroganoff Skillet Meal:

 In a 12 inch skillet, combine stroganoff dinner mix with 5 1/2 cups hot water. Bring to a boil. Simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice, but covering each time. When noodles are tender, season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Yield 6 cups prepared. 

Cheesy Turkey Noodle and Vegetable Skillet Meal

1/3 cup Instant Non-fat Dry Milk

½ cup Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese

3T  cornstarch

1  tsp granulated garlic

2T Freeze Dried onion
2 tsp Haco chicken base, optional (no MSG with great flavor)

2 cups elbow macaroni noodles 

½ cup freeze-dried mixed vegetables of your choice (carrots, celery, bell peppers)

1 cup Freeze Dried Turkey

1 tsp Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasonings

To make jar: Put all ingredients in a wide mouth quart size mason jar, shaking the powder ingredients into the jar. Top with an oxygen absorber. 

To Prepare Turkey Noodle Skillet Meal:

In a large skillet, combine contents of jar with 5 cups hot water over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes stir every few minutes. Turn off heat and let sit 3-5 minutes for meat and veggies to finish steaming. Yield 6 1/2 cups prepared. 

 Enjoy. Share these recipes with your friend! Get the word out that they are here!  PLEASE...make sure my name stays with the recipes.  Try to think how it would feel if you had worked on the recipes yourself. You'd want not only the credit, but also a way for people to contact you if they had questions. I ask you to please be mindful of that. Plus, they are my copy-written work and that is just the law. Thanks. 

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess