It's So Easy

As promised, I tried another chicken recipe from the slow-cooker freezer meal experiment:  Chicken Teriyaki.  Maybe there was a bit too much pineapple, maybe there could be more chicken, and maybe some red bell pepper would be a nice addition, but overall, I was pleased with this meal.  My sister doesn't like what she calls "sweet meat," and I was concerned that this might be a bit sweet.  While it did have a sweet hint to it, it was not at all too sweet.  And all the kids ate the chicken meat without complaints, and my husband did not complain about having it for two nights last week.  Like with most of these slow-cooker freezer recipes thus far, this one yielded us two dinners and two lunches.

Teriyaki Chicken

 16 oz. carrots

red onions in chunks

2 lg cans chunk pineapple, undrained

4 garlic cloves

4 chicken breasts

1 cup teriyaki sauce

Divide among 2 freezer bags.

Freeze.  Defrost 24 hours prior to cooking.

Add 1/4 cup sauce (extra) to pot when cook.

Low 6-7 hours.

Again, it was so convenient to just throw this in the crock-pot and have dinner ready; convenience is especially important to me at this time of year when the papers start rolling in from my students, Trey has more "challenging" assignments to complete, and illness continues to strike our household (I think a Lysol or Clorox bomb is called for!).  If your life is anywhere as hectic as mine and you haven't tried this crock-pot freezer meal method yet, I highly recommend doing so!

Even if you don't try this method, one of my cousins reminded me of another great crock-pot meal that is so tasty that it's almost hard to believe it's so simple! 

Salsa Chicken

16 oz. bag frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained

4 chicken breasts

1 24 oz. jar salsa

1 envelope taco seasoning

Layer corn, beans, & chicken in crock pot.

Sprinkle with seasoning, and top with salsa.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4 hours.

Shred chicken and return to pot.

Serve on chips, in tacos, as burritos, as quesadilla filling, or chilled on a salad with desired toppings, like cheese and sour cream.

I usually freeze half of this after it's made because it makes so much!  I could also see this being used as a crock-pot freezer meal; I don't see why it couldn't be made and frozen raw and then defrosted and cooked.  I might try doing that the next time I make a fresh batch of freezer crock-pot meals.

I've had quite a bit of chicken here lately, so I'm going to shake things up a bit and try the Cuban Braised Beef & Peppers next!

When the Saints Come Marchin' In...

Trey got a calendar from my mom for Christmas last year.  He became enthralled with looking at dates with "holidays" listed.  When he asked about Mardi Gras, I immediately went down the rabbit hole of memories of when I spent time in New Orleans (and Mobile, AL for Mardi Gras) during my MS/AL upbringing.  

New Orleans was a short road trip away; in college, we'd finish up Rush and head to New Orleans for the week-end, no big deal.  Most of my memories, honestly, are filled with quite a bit of debauchery, including too many Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's, resulting in things that will remain unmentioned, and the infamous Lucky Dogs that look much better going down.

But then I remembered all the other exciting aspects of New Orleans and its culture, the music, the architecture and history, the Mardi Gras parades with the elaborate floats, colors, and costumes, and the food--crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, beignets at Cafe du Monde, and King Cakes.

It was at that moment that I decided we would have a Mardi Gras party of our own--family friendly style.  We wouldn't be able to go to New Orleans, but we'd bring New Orleans to us:

Trey and I made our own Mardi Gras masks, using sequins, glitter, and feathers, and stock metallic masks, all from the Dollar Tree.

We ate King Cake--from Kroger for $6.  (If you want to get really authentic, you can order them online straight from New Orleans, but with shipping, they're nearly $50.)

And we had our own Mardi Gras parade, consisting of me standing on my "float" (ok, so it was the couch), tossing beads and coins (again from the Dollar Tree) at my kids while singing "When the Saints Come Marchin' In."  I'm sure we were a sight--my husband just watched us and shook his head--but it was a lot of fun.  

This was our second year having our own Mardi Gras party, and I intend to make it a family tradition.  Maybe next year we'll add some jambalaya to the mix (though Trey won't eat it).  And who knows, maybe one year we'll actually make a float--or at least dress up the couch!

Savin' Me

I tried two of my slow cooker freezer meals this past week, and they truly saved me!

I came down with strep throat, and normally under these circumstances, it would've been fast food to the rescue for the family.  But since I had taken "Beef Tips and Gravy" out of the freezer to defrost Sunday night, all my sick body had to do on Monday was throw it in the crock-pot.  Later, I made some instant rice in the microwave and warmed up some canned green beans, and the family had a warm, wholesome dinner as I staggered back off to the bedroom.

The Beef Tips & Gravy was a huge hit with everyone, especially Ron.  And it is super simple:

3 lbs. beef tips or cubed stew meat

2 pkgs dry onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cans beef broth

Divide among 2 freezer bags.

Mix together.

Freeze.

Defrost 24 hours prior to cooking.

Cook on low in crock-pot 6-8 hours.

Serve with rice.

We got  2 dinners out of one freezer bag.

And while I was still recuperating, I took another meal, "Ranch Pork Chops," out of the freezer to defrost and made it on Wednesday:

3 lbs pork chops

2 Ranch dressing mix

2 cream of chicken soup

Divide among 2 freezer bags.

Mix together.

Freeze.

Defrost 24 hours prior to cooking.

Cook on low 4-6 hours in crock-pot.

Serve with mashed potatoes. 

This one was okay.  I will acknowledge that I didn't have the best cuts of pork chops, so that might have affected our overall impression.  I'm actually having to cut up the rest of the chops and find some type of casserole to use the meat in to finish it up.  But overall, it wasn't bad, but it just didn't taste as great as I had expected.

I'm cycling back to another chicken recipe this week, so I'll let you know how it goes with a later blog!

As Frankie says, "Relax!"

It's both funny and refreshing to observe and reflect on the attitudes of children when it comes to social expectations.

For instance, I know kids go through phases where they don't like to wear clothing, but James David seems to really embrace his nakedness.  He will beg, scream, plead, stomp his feet until I agree to help him out of his clothing.  The other day when I asked him why he wanted to wear no clothes, his response was, "Why not?"

Later, when trying to coerce him to wear pajamas, even pulling out all the stops--his favorite Spiderman PJs--he said, "No Spiderman.  I wear my baby body!" as he rubbed his hands up and down over his chest.

I have a difficult time getting him to wear clothing outside of the home, and it's beginning to wear off on Jacob.  For example, neither was interested in wearing clothing to go out in the snow this past Saturday, but they both were quite aware of needing hats and mittens.

What makes this "situation" even more laughable is although James David does not wear any clothing, he usually still wears his cowboy boots.  He adamantly refuses to take those off.  I can envision him taking over the role of the Naked Cowboy in New York one day.  Boy, will we be proud parents!

But maybe we should all be a little more like James David.  I'm not advocating becoming a nudist, by any means, but most of us, myself included, could be a little more comfortable in our own skin. 

Somewhere along the line, we start to worry about what others think.  And maybe some degree of that is okay and healthy.  I mean, after all, it's just good health practice and common courtesy to brush your teeth, right?  But for those of you who really know me and my OCD personality, well, I can take it to extremes, not just when it comes to me, but also when it comes to my children and my home.  (I've learned by this point that Ron is an entity unto himself; while he does seek my feedback, I have no control over him, and I'm at peace with that--I think.)

I don't want to be seen as the slob housekeeper, the unkempt wife, or the parent with the stinky kid.  My sister has laughed at these concerns, and you may too, but I've been caught with my proverbial "pants down" on several occasions, and I have confirmation that those thoughts registered in the minds of those who have witnessed such occasions.

Ultimately, I know there's a fine line between being respectful, appreciative, and courteous (which I am a strong advocate of) and going overboard into the counter-productive abyss of "what others think."  

For those of you who have found this balance, I both admire and envy you!  But just so you know--because I don't want you to think poorly of me!--I'm working on it!  :)

Freeze Frame

So once I determined I was going to try this slow cooker freezer technique, I then set out to find recipes for slow cooker freezer meals.  Searching both on Pinterest and online, I found various recipes, but I noticed most of them were repetitive, and I questioned the taste quality of some.  I then concluded that as long as the ingredients were freeze-able, any slow cooker recipe should be viable.  I stayed away from recipes with ingredients like sour cream and potatoes as I just wasn't sure how those items would freeze.  After several afternoons, I came up with a meat varied menu:

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Teriyaki Chicken

Chicken Cacciatore

Ranch Pork Chops

Italian Pork Chops

Honeyed Pork BBQ

Cuban Braised Beef & Peppers

Beef Tips & Gravy

Mongolian Beef

While there's probably an app or some program that can do this more effectively, I created a grocery list of all my needs using a spreadsheet.  The list will be quite extensive; each recipe has been adjusted to make two freezer meals (for a total of 18 meals).  And it's a good idea to look for meats on sale.  (I ended up using varietal pork chops rather than the loins I prefer; I will plan better next time.)  Don't forget gallon sized freezer bags!

Several pinners and bloggers commented that it took them only around an hour to prepare their freezer meals.  It took me 3 hours.  However, there were a few things I think affected this time: 1.  my kids were awake and running wild in the kitchen with me, 2.  I also prepared chicken and dumplings while completing this process, 3.  I chose a couple of recipes that were a bit more complex than others, and 4.  I washed, peeled, and chopped my carrots rather than using the prepared ones (I just don't think they taste as good).

Prior to beginning the process, I used a sharpie to write the name of the meal and cooking time on the freezer bag.  I then placed a laminated copy of the recipe beside the bag for easy reference.  And, most importantly, I cleared out a shelf in my freezer to accommodate the meals.  However, a note of caution:  the meals took up more room than I had anticipated--actually requiring two shelves.

I then started the process, beginning with cutting up the vegetables and then assigning them to their appropriate freezer bags.  I then added any required spices, sauces, etc, concluding with the meat.  Carefully squeeze as much air out as possible, lay flat, and freeze.  Remove from freezer to defrost 24 hours prior to cooking in the slow cooker.

I tried my first slow cooker freezer meal this past Monday night.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

3 pounds chicken breasts

32 oz frozen broccoli florets

4 16 oz jars Alfredo sauce (light if desired)

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 4 oz cans sliced mushrooms, drained

Divide among 2 freezer bags.

Mix together.

Freeze; defrost 24 hours prior to cooking.

Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Serve with fettuccine noodles.

It could use some salt and pepper, but that's easy to add/adjust based on taste.  Overall, this is a good meal, and everyone (except Trey) has enjoyed it.  I predict we'll get 2-3 dinners out of it or 2 dinners and lunch.  I will definitely make this one again.