Another Adventure!

I am exhausted and terribly nauseous, but we had a rather different experience tonight.  We were going to enroll the boys in online school, but decided too open up the decision to Trenton, to go to public school . This in turn came to everyone deciding it would be best with everything we have going on, to enroll everyone in public school. I am a little nervous, but I think it will be good. At first I felt like a failure, but I was instantly reminded that I am providing the best opportunities I can for my children. I will not have the time or energy to invest in planning and teaching my children all they need to know. It will be a big change for everyone, but to me, it is better than not giving them what they need. 

Our Latest News

To add to the craziness that is our life, we got this nice surprise this week.

It is still early, but we are excited and we like to share the joy, no matter what happens.

So, baby #5 will be joining us in the middle of March. Rex thinks it is twins. We will find out in a couple weeks!

My List of Recipes and Meals!

Today I had a marathon of cooking! July is going to be crazy, so I thought meal prep was a good idea.

So, here is my list of July Meals

Pigs in a Blanket-2-

Tuna Noodle-2-

Sweet and sour meatballs-2 

Coconut chicken-

Orange Chicken-

Sesame Chicken --

BBQ Beef Sandwiches-

French Dips- 

Spaghetti -2- 

Chicken Pot Pie-4

Chicken Fajitas

Soup and Sandwiches-2- 

Whatever-4

Out to eat - 2

Mac and Cheese-

Shells 2- ,

Tacos-2

Roast

BBQ

Frozen French bread pizza-2 

Any questions, feel free to ask. 

 

Now for the recipes!!

 I cooked my hamburger meat ahead of time and let it cool to room temp, then divided it into meal size portions and froze it. It is great for a fast meal. Just put it in the pan and  make whatever you need. I use it mainly for spaghetti. I did the same with taco meat. cooked my hamburger and added the seasoning. I let it cool then bagged it. 

French Dips- Non Freezer Meal

2 lbs deli roast beef

Au Jus Sauce

Hoagies

Swiss cheese

Put roast beef in with Au jus sauce and cook on low

I butter the hoagies and toast them on the griddle then add cheese to one side. Fill in with Cooked roast beef. Serve au jus on the side to dip sandwiches in. 

Pigs in a blanket-- Freezer meal

2 packs of all beef hot dogs

2 tubes of Pillsbury Pizza Dough

 Roll out dough, lay hot dogs on dough. Cut rectangles around the hot dogs leaving about an inch of dough on each side ( enough to wrap the hot dogs in dough) 

place dough wrapped dogs in a ziplock bag, making sure each hotdog is wrapped in wax paper) Freeze. When ready to use, defrost in fridge the night before. Bake at 425 on a greased cookie sheet for about 15-20 minutes

Tuna Noodle Salad- Non Freezer

Half a box of Medium Shells cooked

Half a head of lettuce, chopped well.

Mayo

3 cans drained tuna

Mix everything together, adding enough mayo to coat everything evenly . Its really good topped with paprika and salt and pepper

Sweet and Sour Meatballs- Freezer meal

• 1 pkg cooked meatballs- I use Turkey Meatballs
• 1 diced onion
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1 cup diced red pepper
• 1 bottle sweet and sour sauce
• add one hour before serving
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• Rice, cooked

Instructions

Place in a ziplock and freeze. 

 

When ready to cook

1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
2. Cook on low for 4 hours.
3. Serve over rice.

Sesame Chicken - Freezer Meal 

Ingredients

• 5-6 chicken breasts
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 tsp diced garlic
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• add to sauce at the end
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 T sesame seeds

Instructions

 

Place all ingredients in ziplock

 

When ready to cook

1. Place all ingredients into a crockpot.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Coconut Lime Cilantro Chicken= Freezer Meal

3-4 limes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 can coconut milk

3-4 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bunch cilantro

3.5-4 pounds boneless chicken

 

Place all ingredients in ziplock . 

When ready to cook

Place in crock pot cook on low for 4-6 hours

Makes good tacos 

Stuffed Shells= Freezer Meal

ingredients:
12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
directions:

• in a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. cook pasta shells only until al dente. the pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. drain the pasta shells and set aside.
• in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.
• preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

to make ahead/freezer meals -

• prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze.
• when ready to prepare, defrost. preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese

Pot Pies 4 --- Freezer Meal

Ingredients

• garlic
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• ⅓ cup butter or margarine
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half or evaporated milk (I personally use skim or 1% milk and it’s still good!)
• 2 cups chicken, cooked, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 4 unbaked pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
  

TO MAKE FILLING

1. Saute the first 3 ingredients in butter in a big skillet over medium heat until tender. Add flour; stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and half & half/evap. milk; cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
2. Stir in chicken, peas, salt, and pepper. Cool before pouring into pie crusts. VERY important!
   

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. At this point you may freeze the filling in a labeled freezer safe container/bag. To prepare from frozen, read instructions below.
2. Or you may also assemble the whole pie and freeze whole.
3. To do that, prepare crusts. Roll them out and place the bottom crusts in the pie plates and set aside the top crusts until ready to cover. Pour filling mixture into bottom crusts and cover with top crusts. Fold edges under and crimp. Poke slits in the top (you can make a nice pattern here too!)
4. Cover with foil, label and freeze. See below for preparation instructions
   

• To do so, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 16 (from two pies--if you're just making one pie it will just serve 8).

• Freezes very well separately or fully prepared in the crust. Try them both and see which way you prefer!
  

Chicken Fajitas --Freezer Meals 

          2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast sliced

• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

• 1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned

• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp paprika

• 3/4 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp pepper

• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1 Tbsp honey
  Slice chicken
  
• 
  
  
  • low 6-8 hours
    
• mix in liquids, Put in the rest of ingredients into ziplock
  
• 
  

Cook in crock pot low 4-6 hours 

Mac and Cheese-Freezer meal

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 

• 1 pound medium or sharp grated cheddar cheese. (This will give you about 7 cups of grated cheese. Set 3 cups aside for later.)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
  

Cook macaroni in 4 quarts of salted water, following package instructions for al dente. The noodles will continue to cook in the casserole and you don’t want them to get overcooked. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Add 4 cups of the grated cheese, the milk and salt to taste. Mix it all together.

Spray a 4 quart container with Pam. I use the Pyrex Easy Grab 4-Piece Value Pack because I love that they have a lid so things can be stored on top of them in the freezer. Add the homemade mac and cheese to the casserole and top with remaining grated cheese. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the macaroni gets bubbly and a little brown around the edges.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cover with two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil wrap. Place in freezer until ready to enjoy.
Remove your casserole from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then place in a 350 degree oven and heat for about 20 minutes



Orange Chicken-Freezer meal

1 onion chooped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/2 t red chili flakes

1 jar of orange marmalade

1 t soy sauce

1/2 c orange juice

4 chicken breast Chicken 

Combine in ziplock 

cook in crockpot 

Low 6-8 hours

BBQ Beef - For sandwiches- Freezer Meal

1 chuck Roast
2 t minced garlic
1/2 c onion
1 bottle BBQ sauce

Put all into a ziplock and freeze

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours +


Roast- Freezer meal

1 sirloin roast

1 cup onion
chopped Celery- to taste
chopped carrots- to taste
1 small can tomato sauce
1 packet ranch dressing mix

combine all in ziplock- or two separate bags and freeze

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours+


French Bread Pizza-Freezer Meal

1 loaf french bread
pizza sauce
mozerella
pizza toppings

cut bread in half length wise
Put on sauce, cheese and toppings and wrap in foil.
Freeze

Unwrap and cook on a cookie sheep at 350 for about 20-30 min. Keep an eye on it. Each loaf of bread is different.


 

Not So Lazy Hazy, But REALLY Crazy Days of Summer

And so it begins. Here I sit at almost 3am, working on my very large to-do list. I love it though. I am still amazed at how our prayers have been answered.
Liz- My dad moved to Idaho about a year ago. It has been amazing having him here!! We LOVE it.

So, dad and I went and worked on the estate sale some more today. It is going to be a very large job, but so wonderful. I can't wait to really get to work. I have a lot more to do though. We still have to work on the store some more, we are just waiting on our business license and tax ID number.

Ben gets a walking boot tomorrow, HOORAY! Trenton is at scout camp. He is gone allllll week, and I cant call him, or talk to him.... It is killing me. I hope he is having a blast. I am sure he is.

My eyes are getting heavy, so I would think that it is time to head to bed. Until tomorrow!

Prayers Answered

I have been remiss on updating our family blog, and I am working on improving as we have a lot of exciting events taking place!

 There are so many events taking place, I cannot be more than overjoyed with this news. Rex and I have been praying, asking advice, researching looking for something else in our lives to support our family. We had considered many ventures, but nothing seemed to fit or work with our needs.
  My dad moved from Palm Springs last year, and in that time it seems as though everything started to fall into place. In the last month there are four opportunities that came to fruition, and rather quickly.

#1 -- My dad and I started a business called Our Family Estates - Estate Liquidators . We have been marketing, investing and promoting this business in which we organize, price and conduct sales for full state properties in need of liquidation. We booked our first sale today and it will take place the first week of August.


#2-- Rex felt very impressed to take on a second job, part time, to help uplift our family financially. He got an early morning stocking job at Lowes, and starts next week.

#3- I shy away from at home business and pyramid style sales companies, which seem like a HUGE deal right now. However, I felt very impressed to take on the duty of selling as a representative of Sass n Frass boutique. I just started this week, and we will see where it takes me, but there itesm are adorable and seem to offer EVERYTHING. Check it out!

#4- This is the most exciting! My dad called me while he was on business in California and told me to call on a property that was for rent on Main street. He said he got a great idea for a store front, and we needed to act fast. I called the number, talked with the owner and my dad and met with her two days later. Come to find out, she is related to us, is really endearing, sweet and ready to rent. We did not have the money right away to hold the property, but she gave it to us anyway, with promise to pay the first week of August. We will be opening a store called Leftover Discount Store . We will be selling clearance antique and collectable items that we have leftover from estate sales, auction items as well as items my dad has leftover from his sales conducted in California.


All of these events took place within this week.  Can you say answer to prayers and hard work???

So, life will be extremely busy, and crazy, but it will be amazing!!

Broken Bones

What a day what a day. . Our little Benji took a spill on the trampoline, resulting in a broken ankle. Ben has amazing self control and tries so hard to keep an even temperament even in difficult situations. However, with this accident, he could not keep control, which scared him and me.  He is all bandaged up and in a splint for 4 weeks. I have never seen crutches so tiny. He is doing well now, but its going to be a long month.
What is nice to see, is Ben's siblings pull together to help him out. Joe stayed up all night with him, making sure his toes stayed covered up, his foot stayed elevated and that he was comfortable.. It was so sweet!
We will see how this all plays out and what it brings to us all.

Overwhelmed By it All

Does anyone else feel overly burdened by the world around you ?

It really gets to me at times, more and more actually, with Pinterest, and Facebook. There are extrodinary people in this world, whindo amazing things. Of course it is easy to see all of those amazibg , as people want to share their achievements and their ideas . However, not everyone is extraordinary. At times I feel inspired to do more, be more, and so on, and sometimes seeing the wonderful life others are living, makes me feel defeated, and inferior.

I truly wish we could go back to the days of minimal social media, and when people kept to themselves a little more.

I like the advantages of all the technology , at times, but I truly yern for simpler times .

For Joe

Joe wanted me to post pictures of the iron man suites at Disneyland.