Here are a few of the combinations we've tried so far:
Tartan Plaid Bedroom
2 years ago
Friday, September 30, 2011
Muffin Tin Meals
Have you tried Muffin Tin Meals for your little ones yet? I've seen lots of posts about them all around Blog Land, but hadn't tried them until recently. The cups in the tins are regular size, but the tins themselves are small (just six cups). At first it was a little bit of a challenge for me to come up with six healthy, balanced servings of kid-friendly foods, but it gets easier and my boys really love them. They are fun. Lucas even made them for us one night!
Here are a few of the combinations we've tried so far:
Here are a few of the combinations we've tried so far:
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Recipes
Most of my friends are very familiar with the fact that I LOVE my crockpot. It is such a lifesaver for busy little families such as ours. As such, several of my friends and blog followers alike have asked for the recipes I use for our make-and-freeze-ahead meals. I've included those below, as well as a few other of my "go-to" last minute meals. Some of the recipes are my own, that are still in the process of tweaking, and other's I've obtained through various avenues - friends, books, blogs, etc. Enjoy! If you give any (or all) of them a try, let me know how they turned out!
I use a ton of vegetables in each meal, because I don't tend to eat a lot of veggies through out the day, so I try and get them all in at dinner. And my boys are more apt to eat veggies if they taste like barbecue or curry than as a plain side dish.
Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken
3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or the spice so I did a little of both)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer.
Goulash
3 cups chopped onions
2.5 cups coarsely chopped green sweet peppers
4 large beets, peeled and diced
2 cups of carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into one inch cubes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 teaspoons Hungarian paprika or regular paprika (I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups hot cooked noodles
1/2 dairy sour cream
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. EXCEPT the sour cream and noodles, that is for garnish after the meal is cooked.
Chicken Curry
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons curry powder
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes
2.5 cups baby carrots
2 cup coarsely chopped mango
1 cup chopped onion
1 zucchini chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
chicken bouillon
.5 cup raisins (for garnish)
.5 cup peanuts or cashews (for garnish)
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer.
To cook, take out of freezer and set on counter for about 30 minutes, then dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
Here are a few others that are easy to prepare the night before and throw in the crock pot before leaving for work the next day:
Minestrone Soup
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
salt and fresh pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.
In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese
Orange Chicken (I freeze this one ahead of time)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced about 1/2-inch thick
2 large red or green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 ounces orange juice concentrate
2 cans Mandarin orange segments, undrained
2 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
2 cups hot cooked rice
Put carrots, bell peppers, garlic, then the chicken, ginger, salt, pepper and frozen orange juice in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. Serve chicken on hot cooked rice on platter. Top with orange segments and green onions. Serve chicken liquid in gravy boat, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
I like to use about 3 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced, but if you don't have fresh, use the ground. If you don't like ginger, leave it out.
Thicken up the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch; mix until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Mix into sauce and let sit for a minute).
I like to make some stir fry Chinese veggies to go with this. I use baby bok choy, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and broccoli.
Easy Jambalaya
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound extralarge shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 3/4 cups long-grain rice
Parsley, optional
Combine chicken, sausage, onion, green pepper, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, spice mix, thyme and oregano in a large (5-quart) slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours.
Add shrimp and rice; raise heat to high and cook for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Another thing I do on a pretty regular is make baked potatoes in the crock. Just put a little butter on em, salt em ( i use kosher salt), wrap em in foil, and stick em in there for 8 hours. Perfect potatoes, ready to garnish when you get home.
And, because I can't get by with a blog post and not include a picture of my sweet boys, here's one for the road:
I use a ton of vegetables in each meal, because I don't tend to eat a lot of veggies through out the day, so I try and get them all in at dinner. And my boys are more apt to eat veggies if they taste like barbecue or curry than as a plain side dish.
Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken
3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or the spice so I did a little of both)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer.
Goulash
3 cups chopped onions
2.5 cups coarsely chopped green sweet peppers
4 large beets, peeled and diced
2 cups of carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into one inch cubes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 teaspoons Hungarian paprika or regular paprika (I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups hot cooked noodles
1/2 dairy sour cream
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. EXCEPT the sour cream and noodles, that is for garnish after the meal is cooked.
Chicken Curry
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons curry powder
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes
2.5 cups baby carrots
2 cup coarsely chopped mango
1 cup chopped onion
1 zucchini chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
chicken bouillon
.5 cup raisins (for garnish)
.5 cup peanuts or cashews (for garnish)
Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer.
To cook, take out of freezer and set on counter for about 30 minutes, then dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
Here are a few others that are easy to prepare the night before and throw in the crock pot before leaving for work the next day:
Minestrone Soup
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
salt and fresh pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.
In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese
Orange Chicken (I freeze this one ahead of time)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced about 1/2-inch thick
2 large red or green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 ounces orange juice concentrate
2 cans Mandarin orange segments, undrained
2 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
2 cups hot cooked rice
Put carrots, bell peppers, garlic, then the chicken, ginger, salt, pepper and frozen orange juice in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. Serve chicken on hot cooked rice on platter. Top with orange segments and green onions. Serve chicken liquid in gravy boat, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
I like to use about 3 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced, but if you don't have fresh, use the ground. If you don't like ginger, leave it out.
Thicken up the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch; mix until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Mix into sauce and let sit for a minute).
I like to make some stir fry Chinese veggies to go with this. I use baby bok choy, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and broccoli.
Easy Jambalaya
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound extralarge shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 3/4 cups long-grain rice
Parsley, optional
Combine chicken, sausage, onion, green pepper, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, spice mix, thyme and oregano in a large (5-quart) slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours.
Add shrimp and rice; raise heat to high and cook for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Another thing I do on a pretty regular is make baked potatoes in the crock. Just put a little butter on em, salt em ( i use kosher salt), wrap em in foil, and stick em in there for 8 hours. Perfect potatoes, ready to garnish when you get home.
And, because I can't get by with a blog post and not include a picture of my sweet boys, here's one for the road:
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Dear Pinterest,
My love. My sweet love.
You carry me through sleepless nights.
You inspire me to better myself in ways I could have never imagined.
Without you, I wouldn’t know 500 different ways to braid my hair
I wouldn’t be longing to follow all those recipes to make something fatty and delicious.
I would have never caught an early glimpse of this adorable throw blanket from Target that I wanted so very very much, and then had the Ebay vultures in my town swoop down and steal it from my fingertips an hour before I was able to make it to the store so they could sell them online for more money because they’re selfish, evil monsters and no I’m not bitter at all. (True story.)
I wouldn’t know the cheapest way to make a wreath
or the magical way to get sand out of my baby’s cracks and crevices at the beach.
And most important of all, I wouldn’t have been quite as terrified of Paula Deen as I am now.
Oh, Pinterest. Stay with me forever.
You carry me through sleepless nights.
You inspire me to better myself in ways I could have never imagined.
Without you, I wouldn’t know 500 different ways to braid my hair
I wouldn’t be longing to follow all those recipes to make something fatty and delicious.
I would have never caught an early glimpse of this adorable throw blanket from Target that I wanted so very very much, and then had the Ebay vultures in my town swoop down and steal it from my fingertips an hour before I was able to make it to the store so they could sell them online for more money because they’re selfish, evil monsters and no I’m not bitter at all. (True story.)
I wouldn’t know the cheapest way to make a wreath
or the magical way to get sand out of my baby’s cracks and crevices at the beach.
And most important of all, I wouldn’t have been quite as terrified of Paula Deen as I am now.
Oh, Pinterest. Stay with me forever.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Our weekend
We had a really fun weekend and did a whole lot of nothing. Saturday morning, Heath and Lucas went dove hunting as soon as Heath got off (6:30a). After they got home, Heath went to bed. The boys and I got up and played outside for a few hours before heading into town to meet Papaw and Nana at Sonic for lunch and play time. Here are a few pics of the boys and the dogs:
Sunday afternoon, we all four headed out to shoot a little. We were prepared to dove hunt, but it was SO hot out, we wrapped things up well before time for the dove to start flying about. The boys played - with sticks, rocks, Lucas' bb gun, cow patties - you know, the usual. Lucas enjoyed climbing down into what he called the "valley" and Cason liked throwing the patties. (thankfully they were not fresh!) Heath and I had a good time shooting (cow patties) and spending the afternoon together.
Happy Monday!
 |
| Laughing because the puppy was licking him... |
 |
| and tell ing his brother about it! |
 |
| ain't he a beaut? |
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| my other beauty |
 |
| playing outside is hard work! |
Sunday afternoon, we all four headed out to shoot a little. We were prepared to dove hunt, but it was SO hot out, we wrapped things up well before time for the dove to start flying about. The boys played - with sticks, rocks, Lucas' bb gun, cow patties - you know, the usual. Lucas enjoyed climbing down into what he called the "valley" and Cason liked throwing the patties. (thankfully they were not fresh!) Heath and I had a good time shooting (cow patties) and spending the afternoon together.
 |
| throwing sticks into the valley |
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| playing in poop, basically |
 |
| Lucas took this picture- I'm proud of his skills! |
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Crockpot Palooza
I forgot to mention one of the things I did on my day off, Monday- I chopped, mixed, seperated, bagged, shook, and froze 11 different meals that are READY to be dropped into the crockpot! We are having our first one tonight- Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken. That means, that when I walk in the door, I'll literally already have a hot, healthy, scrumptious dinner ready for my family! And clean up will be a breeze. I plan to make up a hearty batch of these bagged meals at least once per month, especially with baseball season quickly approaching. This plan will definitely support our plan to eat healthier and spend less money on eating out!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
LABOR Day weekend
Well, we had a somewhat busy but relaxing weekend. I had a partial day to myself on Saturday- got my hair done, met my brother for lunch, went to hobby lobby, and then a retirement party.
That evening the boys and I had a movie night in the living room. Sunday afternoon, we went to Willis to the new Kroger Marketplace to grocery shop (exciting huh?) Lucas thought it was so cool that they had kid-sized shopping carts and samples on every corner:
Heath got home from the deer lease around the same time we got back from grocery shopping. The boys hit the yard to play while we talked and cooked dinner. Suddenly, Cason ran up yelling, "mon-tah" (monster- thats his new thing). Come to find out, there was a squirrel in the yard. Lucas grabbed his bb gun and off they went to get the mon-tah! The little booger was so fast though, I didn't get a picture of him!
Rex wasn't sure what to think about all the commotion, and Cason was still on the lookout for that mon-tah. (notice the unbuttoned-off the shoulder look he is sporting)
Yesterday, I completed a project that had been on my "list" for quite some time. We have a coffee table that was in our living room but had to be taken out due to space and matching issues when we got new furniture. It's been in the closet, in the kitchen, on the porch and in the entry-way ever since (6 mos or so). So, I decided to turn it into a table for the boys. First, there was sanding to be done. Heath jumped in and did most of the work.
Then Papaw showed up and pitched in:
Painting was my part:
Of course, Lucas did his fair share, too.
As did Cason...........
Here's the ((almost)) finished project. The top is a chalkboard! I also got some black wooden stools this weekend so that they can sit at the table and draw, play, do homework...etc. I think I will do one more coat on the top to smooth things out before we put it back inside.
That evening the boys and I had a movie night in the living room. Sunday afternoon, we went to Willis to the new Kroger Marketplace to grocery shop (exciting huh?) Lucas thought it was so cool that they had kid-sized shopping carts and samples on every corner:
Heath got home from the deer lease around the same time we got back from grocery shopping. The boys hit the yard to play while we talked and cooked dinner. Suddenly, Cason ran up yelling, "mon-tah" (monster- thats his new thing). Come to find out, there was a squirrel in the yard. Lucas grabbed his bb gun and off they went to get the mon-tah! The little booger was so fast though, I didn't get a picture of him!
Rex wasn't sure what to think about all the commotion, and Cason was still on the lookout for that mon-tah. (notice the unbuttoned-off the shoulder look he is sporting)
Yesterday, I completed a project that had been on my "list" for quite some time. We have a coffee table that was in our living room but had to be taken out due to space and matching issues when we got new furniture. It's been in the closet, in the kitchen, on the porch and in the entry-way ever since (6 mos or so). So, I decided to turn it into a table for the boys. First, there was sanding to be done. Heath jumped in and did most of the work.
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