Freezer Meals

I know I'm not the only one with a tight schedule. Between work, school, cleaning, working out, quality time with my sweeties, blogging, Pinterest, DVR clean-up, and all those other "important" things.... I've simply not had time (or made time) to cook meals! Which meant unhealthy, expensive stops at fast food joints just to keep us fed. Well, no more. I was inspired by Pinterest (nothing new!).... Low-cost freezer meals AND slow cooker freezer meals.

So Oby and I decided to give it a whirl. We picked out some of our favorite crock pot meals, made a grocery list and included freezer bags on the list. We made two weeks of meals -- lunch and dinner -- in just 2 hours, including clean up! Keep in mind, Chloe eats like a bird, so this is just 2 weeks of meals for 2 people. But we're still excited! I'm just going to get out a meal before I leave for work in the morning, pop it in the crock pot, then it will be ready for Oby and Chloe when they get home, and still simmering for me when I get home! Then there will be enough for leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day! We also cut up a lot of veggies from our garden, so they'll be prepared and fresh to go along with our meals! Looking in our freezer gives us so much sense of accomplishment!

I posted this pic on facebook and everyone asked for the recipes. So here ya go, folks!








We also made Coconut Chicken Curry from this site.

If you want more crock pot recipes, I've compiled quite a few on my recipe pin board HERE.

I think next time, I'll also try some casserole recipes or other recipes included on this site and may also try putting each recipe in two bags, just because I'm afraid with just Oby and I eating each meal, some might go to waste. This is most likely going to be a learn-as-we-go process, but I do think it's a good idea that will ultimately work for our family!

If you have any time-saving tips or yummy recipes to share, please let me know! I'm dedicated to making positive changes for myself and my family, so I appreciate any ideas!

***Update: Jen commented and recommended this book: Fix, Freeze, Feast. I already bought it for myself! Even more ideas for next time! Woo hoo! Thanks, Jen!

***Another update: Dinner is Ready is another book that has been recommended. Loving all these resources... Thanks, everyone!

*** I can't believe I forgot to mention the freezer meals recipe list on Our Best Bites. That site is just a great recipe resource all around.

Still Here

I just wanted to let the blogging world know that we're still alive. We've just not been functioning at full throttle like we usually do because Chloe is NOT sleeping, which leaves Oby and I exhausted and lazy during the day. We barely have enough energy to do the bare minimum: shower, work, eat, and play Angry Birds. So that doesn't leave much time for taking pictures of Chloe doing cute things and then blogging about it. We believe when the weather is crazy like it has been lately that it causes her brain to go a little haywire (her neurologist says it has something to do with barometric pressure change? I dunno). She's not having actual seizures, but just seizure-like activity. Anyway, we've upped her meds a titch and are crossing our fingers that all will be back to "normal" in no time.

Oh, I forgot that I did take a picture the other morning because a) I loved Chloe's sweater and wanted to document how adorable she looked in it; and b) Chloe was in an extra happy, giggly, sweet, funny mood that morning because she was so excited to go to school and I wanted to remember everything about that moment. The lighting was terrible and my camera is lame, but I think you get the idea.


Also I wanted to let my blogging peeps know that I am checking all your blogs every time you update, even though I'm not leaving comments much these days. I've been using Google Reader ever since I got my smart phone a couple weeks ago because it is a much easier and more efficient way to keep up with everyone's blogs while I'm at work. (I need to clarify, in case my boss is reading, that I'm checking those blogs while I'm on a "fifteen minute" break! lol) But either I can't leave comments while I'm on Google Reader or I'm too tired and/or incompetent to figure out how to do it. So if you're a Google Reader extraordinaire, please leave a comment and let me know what the deal is.

Also, I wanted to share something with you, my blogging friends, because you're awesome AND because I'M awesome. lol! Also I'm delirious while I'm typing this, can you tell? ANYWAY.... I made a recipe book for my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas. I think the recipes are pretty darn fantastic and the recipe cards are pretty darn cute. So I uploaded them to share with whoever might want to have some new recipes. 90% of the recipes are tried and true favorites of mine, my mom's or my mother-in-law's. The other 10% are some that sound like they would be really super delicious so I decided to include them. Anywho, click the link below if you want to check them out.

Tantalize Your Taste Buds By Clicking Here

(My top 3 main dishes to try first:
Creamy Chicken Taquitos, Chili Verde & French Dip
The dessert to give a whirl is Dump Cake. SO yummy!)

That's it for now. Pray that sleep and sanity come my way soon! Maybe when I'm less tired, I'll have the energy to share some things that have happened this week while I've been so out of it from utter exhaustion. A few hints of what's to come: "It's all jammed up!" centaurs, a fun game that I "suck" at, and.... what I'd like to call the morning I got pulled over for doing about 100 things wrong, then my secrets to getting out of a ticket, then being rescued by the same cop 5 minutes later when I locked my keys in the car. Oh, this is good stuff for anyone who may want to mock me for years to come. But I love a cliffhanger, so I'm off. Peace out world.

p.s. Listen to the song that's playing because I think it's kinda fantastic. Because let's be honest -- I have fantastic taste in two things: music and men. Also I love the word fantastic lately, but not as much as I love Angry Birds. The end.

Sunday Brunch

When Oby's dad asked us to go to brunch at La Caille, we quickly agreed! This is one of those places you go to for the ambiance. I love it!....

While the rest of us enjoyed the rare occasion of fine dining with parfaits, seafood, croissants, and other things we couldn't pronounce, Zeke dug into a Pop Tart!....

Poor Chloe had a serious tummy ache for the first half hour or so. It was actually quite a fiasco, but she was finally feeling well enough to enjoy time out with the family!...

La Caille is impressive overall, but their wheelchair accessibility was unimpressive. Oby and Mike were carrying her up and down stairs all over the place! Good thing I married a strong hunk for these situations....

Walking around the gardens felt a little bit like heaven....

At one point, Chloe seemed to be surrounded by peacocks. (We named one Kevin!)....

We finally realized that a mating ritual was going on and Chloe seemed to be a threat. The bird kept squawking at her, and Chloe squawked right back! She was not happy about getting yelled at by this bird. I'm likely the worst mother in the world because I thought it was pretty dang funny...

Zeke, however, LOVED those birds!...

We all just had a wonderful time!....

I'll Have My Cake (and eat it too!)

I've never understood that phrase.... of course you'll eat the cake if you have it. Isn't that what it's for????

So my birthday is this week and Oby's mom decided to have the fam over for dinner to celebrate! How nice! Chloe was just excited to see Papa. She's obsessed....


I was just excited for the cake. I requested Nana's lemon cake. It's SO easy and it's my FAVORITE! Here's the recipe....


1 Pkg. yellow or lemon cake mix (Nana likes it best w/ lemon)
1 Pkg. instant lemon pie pudding mix
4 eggs
1 Cup water
1/4 Cup vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Then beat on high for another minute.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured 9 x13" cake pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
When baked take the cake out of the oven let it sit 2 or 3 minutes. Prick the cake all the way through with a fork. Be careful because the cake will tear and big crumbs will come back up with the fork if you are not. Prick the whole cake. Then pour the glaze over it.

Glaze Recipe:
Juice of 2 lemons
2 Cups powdered sugar
Mix well. It will be lumpy at first just keep mixing. Let the cake sit 5 to 7 minutes. Make another batch of glaze or double it in the first place. Then glaze the cake again. You don't need to glaze it twice but Nana has to have everything a little over the top and OH MY it is GOOD!!

Chloe wanted to have the crayons and eat them too. Seriously, she played with this container of crayons for at least an hour, just picking them up and dropping them, then doing it again. Who'd've thought???....

Happy Jack Day!

Today is Oby's Uncle Jack's birthday. Even though he passed away a few weeks ago, we decided we still needed to celebrate his life. We wanted to remember Jack and be with his wife, since this would no doubt be a hard day for her. So we went out to eat at one of his favorite restaurants - Market Street Grill, yum! We had a great time and decided we should probably make a tradition of it.....

Zeke and Chloe loved giving five!

Grandpa, Sissy (Jack's wife), Grandma & Meg

Chloe & Mom
(funny, I swear I brushed my hair before I left!?!)

Nana feeding Chloe ice cream

You can shed tears that he is gone,
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him only that he is gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what he'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins

Secret Weapons

Just like most of the world, I started eating healthy and working out in January with high hopes to lose weight. It's coming off much slower than I'd like, but it is coming off! My brother shared this fresh salsa recipe with me awhile back, and it has become my secret weapon. I use it instead of salad dressing, instead of ketchup, instead of mayo.... I put salsa on almost everything, because it counts as a serving of veggies, is fat free, and it's delish! I decided I couldn't keep it to myself any longer, so I'm sharing it with you all.

6-8 Roma tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers (take the seeds out if you're shy of spice!)
1 Anaheim pepper
1 small onion
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar (add more to taste, I like it less sugary myself)
juice of 1 lime
6-7 cilantro stems
3 cloves garlic
pinch of oregano and pinch of cumin
Blend and ENJOY!

My other secret weapon is Chloe. She is such a joy to me and gets me through every day with a giant smile on my face! Her special tomato chair was delivered yesterday, and it is impossible to explain how much we love it! She looks so dang cute in it, and loves being a big girl in her own chair. She has been watching and enjoying cartoons (I can't explain what an amazing thing this is for me)! You should see how cute she looks sitting at the table with us. It makes dinnertime so much fun. I'll snag a picture sometime soon.

In other news, she is doing so well with her new therapy. The therapist today asked what I did different between last week and today because her legs were less tight and moving more naturally instead of being tight or floppy. The only thing that was different was our alternative treatment in Montana. She was convinced because Chloe felt so different to her. I'm convinced too. She is so much more verbal, and we've almost got her to say Daddy! It is kind of sad because she tries so hard without quite getting it, but it's also as cute as can be!

Let the Festivities Begin!

Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, there are birthday's, traditions, parties, it's crazy.

And I love it!

Tonight was PJ's birthday party, the first of the many get-togethers to come.....


Chloe LOVED the cupcakes.....


Don't let the toxic green color of the frosting fool you, the frosting was just delicious!

Peanut butter = Yum!

Gobble Palooza

Sooooo much to be thankful for....

Oby had not one, but two turkey bowls today. He is thankful for football....

Oby, Chloe and I had not one, but two family gatherings with not one, but two feasts. We are thankful for our incredible families and the love we share, not to mention our mom's delicious food. Yum!.....

Will is espeically thankful for the yams....

Izzy is thankful for the toy bin....

Chloe is thankful for being the center of attention pretty much everywhere she goes....

And of course we're ALL thankful for leftovers!....

Mostly we are thankful for the simplest things..... life, love, laughter, each other, our freedoms, the endless possibilities of all our tomorrows, and even our trials for they indeed make us stronger.

We hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving too!

Nana's Kitchen

Today we spent time at Chloe's Nana's kitchen for some fun Halloween traditions: decorating sugar cookies and making/eating caramel corn. {{If you don't know Nana, you should get to know her at her blog. }} Here's a peak into our fun times!....