I Plan Ahead and Make Freezer Meals

        Baby #2 should be here any day and I am really trying to get prepared for him and my life changing from that of a semi-organized mama of one to what I am sure will be complete and utter chaos as a mama of two. There were a lot of things I didn't do when I was pregnant with Baby Thor that I regretted and am trying to make sure I get done before baby comes. Meal freezing was a big one on my to-do list. With only two days left of Christmas vacation before I have to head back to work I put on my big girl (maternity) panties, scoured the internet and Pinterest for freezer meal  recipes, and headed to the store. When it came to the recipes I tried to stick with familiar foods we have had in the past that I knew everyone would eat but I did find a couple of new ones to try. They smelled super yummy making them so I am hoping that they taste just as good when it comes time to eat them!

        First things first I cleaned out our little deep freezer in the garage. We rarely use it and honestly has had my old roommate's food in it since she moved out and hubby moved in. I made the executive decision to throw the food out since she moved out three years ago. I guess she didn't want the 7 or so boxes of Boca burgers in there. I also cleaned out my fridge to make room for what was bound to be a big grocery shopping trip. Then I cleaned out the cupboards to take an inventory of what I already had so I could plan my menu around things I wouldn't have to buy.

        Next was the fun part of menu planning! After getting sucked into cute toddler crafts and baby onesies on Pinterest I finally found some good recipes to make! I chose to make a simple tuna casserole, meatloaf, baked peen with chicken and sun dried tomatoes, chicken cordon bleu casserole, cheesy chicken and black bean enchiladas, baked potato casserole, butterscotch-pumpkin spice lactation cookies, and some pumpkin muffins.

        This is what my ingredient list looked like:

Ingredient List
Food	Amount	Need	Have	Cost
Flaxseed	2 TBSP			4.59
All Purpose Flour	2 cups 2 TBSP		X
Baking Soda	1 tsp		X
Baking Powder	1 tsp			0.99
Brewers Yeat	4 TBSP			15.99
Rolled Oats	3 cups		X
Butter	1 cup, 6 TBSP			1.99
Coconut Sugar	1 cup			Couldn't find. Substituted with white sugar.
Brown Sugar	1 cup		X
Eggs	6			1.69
Vanilla	1 tsp		X
Pumpkin Puree	1 cup		X
Pumpkin Pie Spice	1 TBSP			Mixed cinnamon and nutmeg together.
Butterscotch Chips	2 cups			1.59
Chicken Breasts	4 lbs			6.49/bag I bought two bags
Breadcrumbs			X
Milk	7 1/2 cup			3.39
Swiss Cheese	8 ounces			1.79
Ham	8 ounces		X	Leftovers from New Year's Dinner
Cream of Chicken Soup	1 can			0.59
Olive Oil	3 tsp			I thought I had some in the cupboard but didn't. Substituted vegetable oil.
Garlic	6 cloves			1.99
Black Beans	1 can		X
Enchilada Sauce	2 cans			0.65/can I bought two
Tortillas 8"	one pack			1.99
Cheddar Cheese	1 1/3 cups			1.79
Salt			X
Ground Pepper			X
White Mushrooms	10 ounces			0.59/can I bought two
Sun dried tomatoes	1/2 cup			Couldn't find. Substituted with a can of diced tomatoes from my cupboard
Provolone	1 1/2 cup			3.49
Parmesan	1 cup		X
Penne Rigatta	1 pound			0.89
Tuna fish	4 cans			0.68/can I bought four
Egg Noodles	1 pound			1.29
Peas	1 bag			0.95
Cream of Mushroom Soup	2 cans			0.59/can I bought two
Ground Turkey	3 lbs			1.69/pound I bought 3
Onion Soup Mix	1 1/2 packs		X
Potatoes	5 pounds			3.19
Cream Cheese	1/2 cup			1.29
Sour Cream	1/2 cup			1.29
Bacon	1 lbs			3.49
Ketchup	1 cup		X
Total Cost: $78.69

 I figured I would end up spending a pretty penny so I went to the discount grocery store in town (ours is Aldi's which I love!) and spent about $80 to get all the things I needed. The most expensive purchase was the Brewer's Yeast for the lactation cookies which was $15 but I figured I could use it in lots of things including smoothies and baked goods so it won't go to waste. I did a lot of money saving things like buying block cheese and sticking with generics instead of name brand. Also like I mentioned before I tried to keep in mind what I already had in my cupboards when it came to making the recipes so that I could save even more. I also went to Dollar Tree to get the containers for the food so that was an additional $6.

        After shopping for what seemed like forever but really only took a couple of hours I was ready to head home and start cooking. :)

     The first item I made was the tuna casserole since all I needed to cook was the noodles. I used my mom's recipe which is pretty basic. I found this recipe which is similar http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/tuna-noodle-casserole-24254 although I don't add the pimentos. I put all of the ingredients into a bowl (except the breadcrumbs) and mixed them together and just divided it into three. I only made a double batch since my dinners only have to feed two adults and a toddler. Don't forget to date and put cooking instructions on your lids. The tuna casserole is something I make often enough I didn't need to remind myself but I put instructions on everything else. :)



        Next up was the baked penne. I haven't tried this before but it did smell amazing while cooking! I only made a single batch of the recipe but it made enough to make four diners! I had some trouble finding sun dried tomatoes so I substituted with the plain old diced tomatoes I had in my cupboard. http://www.delish.com/print-this/baked-penne-chicken-sun-dried-tomatoes-recipe-mslo1010?page=all

 

        Then I turned my attention to another family favorite: baked potato casserole! I had enough ingredients I could have made two more dinners at least but this one is really starch heavy so I only made the two. Baby Thor and I are both allergic to onions so they are omitted from every recipe. http://americanfood.about.com/od/potatosidedishrecipes/r/Loaded_Mashed_Potato_Bake2.htm

 

        Since I know we would get sick of casserole's day in and day out I tried to find at least one dish that wasn't a casserole. Yummy enchiladas! I had a can of refried beans in the cupboard that I added to this recipe since the whole onion allergy means no salsa for us. http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2009/11/cheesy-chicken-and-black-bean-enchiladas/

 

        By this point hubby and Baby Thor were starting to get really hungry and I had been cooking for about five hours. I decided we would try one of the new recipes I found online for dinner. I am glad we did because the chicken cordon bleu was so good! It makes me sad that we only get one freezer meal out of it but I am sure I will make it again! I think next time I am going to add some broccoli and tomatoes to it but it was great just the way the recipe had it!

 http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=17917



 

        While the chicken cordon bleu cooked I made the last of my dinners- good old fashion souperior meatloaf from the Lipton Onion soup mix. (This is where I say that Baby Thor and I can tolerate dehydrated onions but not the fresh. Weird- I know. ) I use turkey instead of beef in these babies and I also make only a half loaf because really three people don't need to consume two pounds of meat in one meal. :) Also because I was tired of dishes I just mixed these and made the loaves in the same containers I froze them in. I'm sure I probably shouldn't have but since I am freezing them raw I figured it wasn't a big deal. Hopefully I didn't just give my family salmonella. http://www.makinglifebetter.com/recipes/detail/9252/1/souperior-meatloaf.

        It took me from 8 in the morning until 8 at night but I made 15 frozen meals. Technically 16 but since we ate one of them I won't count it. All my hard work looked like this!



My kitchen looked like this...

It helped that I washed and reused a lot of the same dishes through out so I wouldn't have a ton of clean up. It did take me about an hour of cleaning up to make my kitchen look normal again.

 

        The next morning I woke up and made some yummy treats! I had a box of pumpkin bread in the cupboard I added brewer's yeast and flax seed to to make lactation muffins. Since it will be just Baby Thor, baby #2, and I at home during the week I packaged them two to a bag for the freezer. 

 

        Baby Thor was very excited to help me make the lactation cookies. Especially since he got to eat the little bit of left over butterscotch chips in the bag. They are super yummy and if I didn't have gestational diabetes I would have to make these again before baby came since I would eat them all. Luckily they went to the freezer to be safe until I can have cookies again!http://wheybeyondthenakedtruth.com/2013/09/03/lactation-cookies/

 

I know this was a very long blog but hopefully it helps any mama to be or anyone wanting to do freezer meals to have a good idea of some recipes and ingredient lists. I was able to do all of this while watching my Baby Thor who was very patient with his mama while doing boring adult stuff like shopping. Hopefully my life as a mama to two boys will still be somewhat productive. :)



We Get to Play With Slime

 Decided to try some winter pinterest activities today while ubby did yard work. I found a recipie for slime online and gave it a try. It was AWESOME! Baby Thor and I had so much fun playing with the slime. I got out my mom's cookie cutters and we even worked on making shapes. Can't wait to do this again!

Here is the recipe I found, slightly modified.

In one bowl:
1/2 cup Elmer's glue (this is about the amount that comes in one bottle)
1/3 cup very warm water

In another bowl:
1/4 teaspoon of borax (technically its suppose to be 3/16 of a teaspoon so you can be a little generous)
1/3 cup very warm water

Mix ingredients in each bowl and then mix bowls together. There was a little bit of extra water left over I just poured down the sink. After a couple minutes of playing with a weird goopy texture the slime really forms. And that's where the fun begins. Just make sure that there is no eating of said slime. Baby Thor tried to lick some off of his fingers (AFTER the whole "we don't eat slime" discussion and based on the look on his face it was not a yummy experience).

I can share my love of Cloth Diapering

For all those momma's who want to make their own diapers but aren't quite sure how here is my tutorial. I am by no means an expert so please bear with me. Don't hesitate to ask any questions. :)

Step 1: Cut out a diaper pattern. I use one from Babyville Boutique but you can find plenty for free online. You will need to cut out two to three pieces of cloth from this pattern so I recommend tracing the pattern onto something like cardboard so it doesn't get ruined. The three pieces of cloth you will need to cut are your outer layer, your PUL (unless your outer layer is a PUL), and your inner layer. I use fleece for my inner layer and tend to go towards flannel for my outer layer.

Step 2: Sew your PUL to your outer layer. (Straight stitch works fine)

Step 3: Apply the snaps to the outer layer. I use 12 snaps for this part. two rows of three on each side. This way if baby has chubby legs, skinny legs, or is growing the diaper can be adjusted to prevent leaks and blow outs. I get my snaps at kamsnaps.com but you can purchase them at Joann's too. Make sure all the snaps face the same direction as you will be apply more snaps later on. Instead of snaps Velcro can also be used but I think snaps work better and last longer.

Step 4: Cut out the pattern for the insert. You will need to cut two pieces of the outer cloth you plan to use for the insert and two pieces of whatever the insert is. In my case I use fleece as the outer part of the insert and bamboo for the actual insert. Sew these together with the two pieces of insert in the middle sandwiched between the outer material. (Straight stitch works fine) Side note: When I sew I like to make it look pretty so I actually sew the outer layer in the middle and then flip it around- you don't have to do this. If you are a novice sewer sewing the inserts in the middle and the outer layer on the outside is great! :)

Step 5: OPTIONAL STEP: Sew the insert to the inner diaper fabric. With my Baby Thor I had all of my inserts removable but with Appleseed I am sewing in the inserts so I have one less step when I change diapers. It is completely up to you. (Straight stitch works fine)

 

Step 6: Sew the inner layer of the diaper to the outer layer. Make sure you DO NOT sew the top section between the outer flaps as you will need this open to wash the diaper, add inserts, dry the diaper, etc. A straight stich is fine for this or if you want to be fancy go for it. I tend to go over this part at least once since I want my diapers to last for a long time! So far Baby Thor diapers have lasted almost two years so well worth the extra five minutes to go over the stitches. You want to be sure to sew the insert upside down to the front of the diaper so that you can flip the diaper after you are done sewing. This allow for easy drying when you are washing the diaper as well as not having to have visible elastic or leg gussets.

 

 

 

 *YOU CAN SEE THE PART OF THE DIAPER YOU DO NOT SEW TOGETHER IN THE ABOVE PICTURE! NOTICE MY STITCHING STARTS AT THE DIAPER FLATS!!

Step 7: Attach the elastic for the legs. Measurements vary depending on the pattern you use and the size of diaper. Send me a message and I will let you know my lengths. Placement also is dependent on pattern. :) You a zig zag stitch to attach the elastic.

 

Step 8: Flip your diaper inside out: Make sure that there are no openings and everything is sewn up nice and tight!

Step 9: On the unfinished edge that you did not sew together because you understood instinctively that my CAPS LOCKS typing meant not too fold down the edges about an inch and sew with a straight stitch. You want to make sure to sew low so that you can add elastic to the inside of the fold down for the back.

Step 10: Add elastic to the inside of the FRONT of the diaper and secure with a zig zag stitch. Like before the length depends on the pattern you use.  This step will prevent those lovely back blowouts that all parents are familiar with. The best way to do this is to attach one end of the elastic to a safety pin. Feed it through until you can anchor one end. Sew the anchor. Finish feeding the elastic through and sew the other anchor.

Step 11: Add the remaining snaps. 3 on each side of the flaps. These snaps should go through each layer of the diaper instead of just the outside layer like the first 12 snaps did. Make sure the snaps are complimentary to the first 12 snaps.

 

 

 Step 12: Sit back and enjoy your new diaper! If you have children and they have been quiet the entire time you have been working on the diaper check on them. If they have removed all clothes in a fit of toddler rebellion maybe try out your brand new diaper. :)

I know all the diapers in this blog vary. I'm sorry. It is apparently hard for my pregnant brain to remember to take pictures throughout the whole process of making a cloth diaper. Also I can't find any recent pictures of Baby Thor in a diaper (I mentioned the toddler naked rebellion right?) and so here is a picture of him in one of the favorite diapers I ever made him. The pictures of his John Deere diapers are from April 2012 and he still fits into that diaper and its one of the ones he wears at bedtime. I even saved some fabric so was able to make one for Appleseed so my boys will be matchy matchy!