Here in North Carolina we are just getting into the cusps of summer. This means gardening season! It also means long hot days and a lot of work. By the time we finish in the garden for the day, I am just absolutely beat. Dinner is not something I want to be slaving away in the kitchen for another 3 hours for. This is when I lean on my meals in a jar recipes. Everything in the jar is shelf stable and can be made in batches and stored for many years. They are perfect to pull out on days when I do not want to be in the kitchen. I also know that everything in that jar is a clean ingredient and has no GMOs or preservatives. These jar meals are even cheaper than going out to eat!
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Storage
The best and easiest way to store this base is to place it into a glass jar and vacuum seal the lid so there is no air. This allows the base to stay shelf stable for years. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer just store in a tightly closed jar and keep away from light and moisture.
Freeze Dried
Many of you have seen I got a Harvest Right Freeze dryer and have partnered with Thrive Life freeze dried foods. I can’t even begin to tell you all the benefits of freeze dried foods because the possibilities are seriously endless. Making meal in a jar recipes have become a new obsession. If you’ve been considering purchasing a freeze dryer now is a wonderful time to use Harvest Right’s layaway program and lock in the May sale price.
If a freeze dryer is completely out of your budget you have some options! This is why I’ve partnered with Thrive Life Freeze Dried Foods. If you use my link you can save 15% off your delivery order of freeze dried pantry staples! You can order the freeze dried onions, and chicken I use in my cream of chicken soup base and even grab a can of dried mushrooms so you can make my shelf stable cream of mushroom soup too.

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo Meal In A Jar
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sour cream powder
- 2 tsp chicken broth powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup cheese powder
- 1 tbsp Freeze dried Onions
- 1/2 cup cream of chicken base soup
- 1/2 cup broccoli or mix veggies of choice
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 cup freeze dried diced chicken
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a wide mouth glass mason jar in the order or recipe. Add oxygen absorber or vacuum seal jar for optimal storage. When ready to cookPreheat oven to 350 degrees FBoil 4 cups of water Add jar mixture to a 9×13 glass casserole dish, and add hot water. Let set for 15 min to reconstitue the freeze dried items. After 15 min, cook dish in oven for 20-25 Min stirring at the half way point. Enjoy!
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