Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced1 green pepper, diced
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hamburger buns

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard*. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.

From Elie Krieger (with a couple tweaks): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

From frozen: thaw & reheat however is convenient for you. There is enough sauce that it could probably handle being in the crockpot for a while without drying out.

(*I didn't do the best job of draining the juices in the second step, so this batch is a little bit on the soupier side. Consequently, it could also make a good chili. :) )

Cheesy Black Bean Sliders

One 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean or higher)
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup preshredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
mini hamburger buns

Directions
1.Preheat the grill or frying pan to high then lower to medium heat.
2.Place the black beans in a large bowl and mash with the back of a large spoon until smooth but still a bit chunky. Add the beef, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, and garlic powder and mix until well combined.
3.Divide the beef mixture and shape into patties. Place the patties on the grill (or stove top frying pan) and cook until no longer pink inside and an instant-read thermometer registers at least 160°F, about 4 minutes per side.
4.Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings and condiments.

Recipe from the Meal Makeover Moms http://mealmakeovermoms.com/recipes/kid-food-makeovers/cheesy-black-bean-burgers/

FROZEN MAMAS:
Bag 1 - flash frozen meat patties.  Muffin tins work great for this! Press the raw meat mixture into the tin, so it fills about 1/2 to 2/3 of each cup then freeze for several hours. Dip the bottom of the tin in hot water to loosen the patties, then store them in a ziplock bag.
Bag 2 - buns
Thaw patties and buns and cook as directed above, you could probably cook these without thawing, just increase cooking time. I used panko bread crumbs and regular cheese. The best place to buy the mini buns is at Business Costco.