This is a sponsored post in partnership with Smart & Final for frozen food month. All opinions are 100% mine.
March is frozen food month at Smart & Final. They have everything you need for family-friendly frozen meals along with great promotions and a fun contest. You’ll receive a coupon code on your receipt after purchasing any frozen food at Smart & Final and after submitting it, you’ll be entered to win a trip to ALASKA and more great prizes! Read on to learn more. Wouldn’t that be fun to win?
At our house, I am finding more ways to cook with frozen food. Here’s why:
- Frozen is fresh – When frozen fruits and vegetables get picked at the peak of their ripeness, they are often washed and flash frozen within a very short period of time, locking in all their nutrition. Frozen foods can be among the healthiest foods at the store.
- Most frozen vegetables have no added sugar or salt (check your labels) and are free from many of the preservatives that canned foods and packaged foods often contain. Just add your own seasonings to your taste.
- They are ready to cook which means no prep time spent cutting, washing and drying.
- Frozen costs less which means you can buy in bulk and stock up. You can have what you need on hand and get good food on the table fast. If you feel like you are spending too much at the grocery store, take a fresh look at frozen food and begin to incorporate it more into your meal planning.
- No waste. Just cook what you need and put the rest back in the freezer. You won’t have to throw away food you didn’t eat in time because you didn’t plan exactly right.
Smart & Final is your Frozen Food Month headquarters. You’ll find their frozen food aisles full of quality foods with options for every meal and dietary need. Their store brands include First Street, Cattleman’s Finest, La Romanella, and Montecito. Be sure and look for those and for the frozen foods specially marked for the Frozen Food Month promotion.
I love their wide aisles, low warehouse prices (with no membership fees) and the support they give to the communities they serve.
Here is a delicious meal made with frozen food that everyone, young and old loves to dig into. If you have leftovers, those are so good for lunch the next day. Chicken and dumplings is a recipe that my mom used to make. It was a family favorite.
Ingredients for the Chicken Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 First Street Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
3-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup First Street Frozen Golden Corn
1 cup First Street Frozen Shredded Hash Browns
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Ingredients for the Dumplings:
2 cups unbleached flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
To Make Chicken Soup
In a large stock pot, add olive oil and butter. Add chicken, broth, water, mixed frozen vegetables, frozen corn, hash browns and mix well. Heat on medium low and add paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir two tablespoons of flour into the sour cream. Mix well until no lumps remain. Stir into the soup until smooth and creamy.
To Make the Dumplings:
Add the remaining flour to a bowl and stir in baking powder, salt and mix well.
Pour in the milk and mix well. Let it set until the chicken soup is finished cooking and sour cream is added to the soup.
Spoon the dumplings into the stock pot and cover and cook for 10 minutes. If needed, cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until dumplings are set.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 First Street frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 3-1/2 cups mixed frozen vegetables
- 1 cup First Street frozen corn
- 1 cup First Street frozen shredded hash browns
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups unbleached flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- In a large stock pot, add olive oil and butter. Add chicken, broth, water, mixed frozen vegetables, First Street frozen corn, First Street hash browns and mix well. Heat on medium low and add paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour into the sour cream. Mix well until no lumps remain. Stir into soup until smooth and creamy.
- Add the remaining flour to a bowl and stir in baking powder, salt and mix well.
- Pour in milk and mix well. Let set until chicken soup is finished cooking and sour cream is added to the soup.
- Spoon dumplings into stock pot and cover and cook for 10 minutes. If needed, cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until dumplings are set.
Buy any participating frozen food item and receive a code to enter for a chance to win a cruise to Alaska or a $100 Smart & Final Gift Card and other great prizes!
Go here to enter the Frozen is Fresh Sweepstakes
Watch a short video of me downloading the free APP and entering the Frozen is Fresh Sweepstakes:
Divya says
March 21, 2017 at 8:20 amThis looks amazing! I feel like now that I’m a resident of the South, I should probably learn how to cook these Southern dishes!
Heather says
March 21, 2017 at 8:37 amI used to hate when my mom made dumplings as a kid. As an adult my tastes have changed so I will give it another go!
Neely Moldovan says
March 21, 2017 at 9:04 amWho doesn’t love a good chicken and dumplings meal? This looks and sounds delightful! Yum!
Alicia Vanatta says
March 21, 2017 at 9:33 amI love chicken and dumplings but have never made it myself. Sounds like a spring recipe I will have to give a try. I know our kids would love it too.
Jessica Harlow says
March 21, 2017 at 9:50 amI use a lot of frozen foods in my cooking. Like you said, it’s often more convenient and can be less expensive too. I’m not a huge fan of using a lot of canned goods, but definitely mix it up with frozen and fresh. This recipes sounds so good especially this month…it’s trying to get to 40 degrees all week and the snow is still trying to melt. I could use a warm, comforting dish like this!
Jolina says
March 21, 2017 at 9:54 amThis looks delicious! Quick and convenient especially for a busy weeknight. We prefer frozen vs canned veggies because we saw a show on Discovery channel once that they are flash frozen so all their nutrients remain intact.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
March 21, 2017 at 4:20 pmI also stock up on frozen food – chicken, vegetables, fruits and all. I have to love for canned vegetables. They just don’t look and taste right. Your recipe for chicken and dumplings is worth trying. If I make some today, I am sure my family will be asking me to make it again within the week!
Nellwyn says
March 22, 2017 at 7:17 amChicken soup with dumplings is one of my favourite comfort foods! I love having recipes that I can freeze so that I don’t have to cook from scratch on a busy day.