Be patient Mama, and stocking up!

Out of the mouths of babes.
So a few weeks LM and I were in the grocery store together.  I was trying to hustle him along because it was the afternoon and I (selfishly) wanted to get home, change into my jammies and throw that fake log on the fire that was in my grocery cart. LM was walking and NOT in the cart. I asked him to "move out smartly" because he was lagging behind and I didn't want to invoke The Cart Rule. The Cart Rule in our house states that when in a store if you can't stay NEXT to Mama then you get in the cart.  I have no idea what the rule is with Dada, but it is a FIRM rule with me.  Poor LM was really dragging his feet and when I asked him again to put a little hustle in it, he looked up at me with his crazy long eyelashes, gave a big sigh and said, "I am moving, you have to be patient."  Well said LM, well said.  With that I took a minute to slow down my aggressive power walk and wait up for him.

On another note, I spent time last weekend restocking the freezer with a few freezer meals so I CAN be more patient.  I am always more patient when I don't have to freak out what to cook for dinner.

Here is how I do it.
Planning

• I always grocery shop the day prior to my prep day.  I can't pull myself together for doing it all on one day. I generally do one type of protein (holla Top Chef) at a time.  I find this easier for me with planning.
• assess freezing supplies- I use FREEZER gallon and quart size bags, aluminum foil casserole dishes (or what ever I can find).  I bought a TON on sale after Christmas so we will have snowman on our dishes for the next year. There are different techniques and the book can help you with this, but I mostly use the disposable pans.  I like the no mess, no clean up of it.  I also don't have to flash freeze the dish then pull and wrap.  Do some research and decide what you want to do.  Remember this should make your life easier!

• Sale items dictate recipes that are used

• I heavily use the internet as resources and this book- Don't Panic- Dinner is in the Freezer (I would link to this book but I can't because I am writing this at work and they block EVERY website ever!).  I scan the Sunday paper looking for the best deal on the protein (Top Chef) and match them up with the appropriate recipe.  This time around I hit some crazy sales on boneless chicken breasts.  However, I was short on time so I totally went the easy way.  I bought 6 packages of chicken (3-4 breasts each) for about $1.50-$2 a package. I also wanted to make a few meat things so I also got a total of 4lbs of ground meat- it was on sale but not for an awesome price.

Menu

• 6 packages of marinated chicken- ready to grill
• 2 meals of sloppy joes
• 2 baked ziti casseroles
• 40 meatballs (raw, need to be thawed and cooked for 20 minutes)- good for meatball subs, spaghetti or a white sauce.

Prep Day

• I set aside about 2 hours for this, but it didn't take that long.
• Cut up three onions and measure.  Place any left over in freezer bags of 1 cup servings to use later.
• Brown meat for meat based dishes.  I made baked ziti and sloppy joes.  Both have a base of browned ground beef and onions.  Easy peasy.
• Make sloppy joes and simmer on the back burner
• Make and assemble baked ziti
• while everything is cooling, bag up chicken.
• I had at home already several McCormick packages of meat marinades and some Italian dressing.  Three breasts in a gallon size FREEZER zip lock with the marinade mixed, labels on front and six meals are ready for the grill.  The night prior or when the first person gets home, the bag is pulled.  As the chicken thaws, the marinade does it's job.  Grill the chicken and you can either eat it straight, cut it up for chicken salad or a regular salad.  I make small batches because it is easier to pull two bags out then make too much and then not eat it.
• Make meatballs and flash freeze on a cookie sheet.  You do this so that they don't stick together in the bag and so that they don't get as much freezer burn.

Bag it up

• Soooo my chicken is already bagged up.  I make sure I have a label on the outside with what kind of chicken.  Freeze it flat or roll it is up to you.  I roll.
• When cool, double wrap the casseroles in foil and saran wrap.  Put a label on the front with then name and cooking instructions.
• Put the meatballs in a freezer bag and label.
• Cool sloppy joes, place in freezer bags, label and flash free flat (place bag in a cake pan). When they hold their shape you can pull them out.

Last words

• I always write up a freezer inventory and put it on the fridge upstairs so ALL of us know what is in the basement.  On this inventory, I also put what needs to be done to the meal (cook, thaw, fully cooked, raw, etc).
• I like to use disposable things for this.  I am usually desperate when I pull from the freezer and I don't want to deal with dishes after.  The book has different freezing techniques that use other things.  Bottom line is use what is easy and good for you.
• I encourage my husband to "shop" from the freezer on his nights.
• Make meals that can double or triple.
• Don't feel like you have to make a ton of food.  My goal this year is to just have one meal a week for the freezer if I need it.  If I don't need it then no biggie!

I can't give you the recipes for the sloppy joes or the meatballs, but I can give you the baked ziti.- Enjoy~

Baked Ziti

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lg onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (26-28 oz) 
• 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 10 oz dried ziti cooked, 7 minutes and drained
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1. Brown bee, onion and garlic.  Add sauces and oregano.
2. Bring to a boil and remove from heat
3. Combine 1 C sauce with ziti
4. Spoon 1/2 ziti mixture in a 13x9 pan (I use two 8x8 pans)
5. Top with ricotta, 1 C mozzarella, 1C sauce.
6. Add remaining ziti and then the remaining sauce
7. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes
8. Sprinkle with remining cheese and Parmesan cheese
9. Bake 10 minues longer

If you are going to freeze then-

1. Follow above including step 6
2. Cover with foil and saran wrap
3. Freeze
4. When ready to cook, remove saran wrap
5. DO NOT THAW
6. Bake covered at 350 for 2 hrs until done.

Linking to:

Too Long

Hi!  It has been awhile since I have posted.... I know there is no real excuse.  I have been busy with an online class I am taking to add an endorsement to my teaching certificates.  I keep all of my teaching certificates current just in case I might have to go back to the classroom (shudder).  The next thing I knew, Halloween was here and then Thanksgiving!  Here are some very late pictures from our fantastic trip to a local pumpkin patch.

Picking pumpkins is serious business and can make a certain little boy cranky when he can't find the perfect pumpkin!

You have to weigh the pumpkin.

Then you have to run around like wild guy and tolerate kisses from your Mama.  Play in some corn and slide down a cool slide.

And lastly.... take a minute to look around and appreciate everything put on this Earth for our enjoyment. Our cup runneth over with the perfectness of the day.

Halloween Fun

I am working on getting LM's Halloween costume finished.  This year should be fun as this will be the first time that he is able to Trick or Treat and actually get the entire process.  We also might begin implementing the Switch Witch this year.  How it works is that after selecting a few pieces of candy, LM will leave his loot out and the Switch Witch comes in the middle of the night and switches his loot for a present that he has been wanting.  In his case, I think it might be a few more matchbox cars.

How do you handle your kid's loot?

Lastly, here is a cool Halloween light show.  I love it but am thanking my stars that they don't live on my street or next door!

Two Sided Bunting Tutorial

Two Sided Bunting Tutorial

So, with the anniversary of 9/11 my team wanted to have an all-American theme this time for our food table to acknowledge the day and our fellow Americans.  Even though I am struggling to pull my life together, my team thinks I have it ALL together and they expect something neat and cool from me for the table. I decided to make a bunting for the day.  I figure I can always reuse it on subsequent Fourth of July celebrations.   Here is my version of the every day bunting that you see ALL over the Internet now.

           

Marking (the confusing part)

1.     My fabric is utilizing the patriotic theme (or what I call the sale table theme) for this bunting.  I have several different colors, but you want to have at least pieces that are 20 inches wide by 44 (or 42 ) inches long.

2.     Fold your fabric in half so you now have a piece that is 10X44.  If you want, you can press the fold.  I find that this does make it easier.  If you do this, fold it so the WRONG sides face each other.  If you want to iron a bit of stabilizer in between the pieces this is the time.

On one long side, you are going to want to take your water-soluble fabric marker and make a mark 4 inches in from the corner. Then, mark every 8 inches. On the other long edge start FROM THE SAME SIDE AS THE OTHER; continue marking every 8 inches and ending with the last mark 4 inches from the end.  You may have to fudge this depending on if your fabric was 44 or 42 inches.  You will see when you start cutting. 

3.     This is the magic part.  Connect one dot on one side to the dot closet to on the other side so it looks like you are making a zig zag line back and forth across the fabric. You now have your flag triangles for your bunting!  Once again, you might have to fudge this or be ok with having half flags left over for another project.

Cutting (the nerve racking but easy part)

4.     Cut your flags out using the ruler as a guide. You will have 10 flags. You will not be using the half flags from the ends.  If you want more, make more!

Sewing (the fun part)

5.     Sew the two long sides of each flag together, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Don’t worry about the flat side as that will be covered.  You can be creative here and use a decorative stitch if you want.  Just make sure you leave enough room to use your pinking shears on the sides for that “special touch”.  Pink after you sew- not when you attach them together with the bias tape.  Don’t ask me why or how I know this.  I just do.

6.     Run and get your 2-inch bias tape. How much do you need, well that depends on how many flags you have.  So you might want to eyeball this ahead of time. 

7.     Sew the first 12 inches of tape- this will be the tie.

8.     Put the open end of the flag on the tape making sure it is up in the crease. Fold over the bias tape and pin if you want.  Lay the next flag down about an inch from the other. Repeat the same process until you have about 12 inches left at the end.  You might have to add more bias tape.

9.     Sew the bias tape closed making sure to catch both sides of the tape.

10.  I found that I really don’t need to pin the flags in the tape as it is easy to just “wing it”

11.  Sew the length of the bias tape as close to the pinned edge as possible. Use the ends as ties to hang your flag bunting.

12.  Hang your bunting in a fun place- I am going to use this one for my tennis match on 9/11.  What a nice way to honor fellow Americans on this day!

Extra notes

·      I have heard of people who make a triangle template out of cardboard or paper, but this seems to be one extra step for me.  So I don’t do it.

·      I use a fusible interface between my fabrics so it holds a bit better in the wash, the wind and when making.  I think the pinking shears also make crisper marks.

·      Since this is a two-sided bunting, you really can make the different sides different patterns or different colors.  Just cut two 10X44 inch pieces of fabric and fuse together (wrong sides together) I decided not to do this as you would be able to see the bunting from two different sides (sometimes I am smart like that).


I am linking up to Skip to my Lou and Mady by You Monday

Hag- I mean bag follow-up

Hi- this is not an exciting post, but because I promised and that last 10% is hard for me, here is a post with how I store my plastic bags at work.  Feel free to skip this post :)

I tend to reuse a lot of plastic grocery bags.  I have reusable ones but sometimes I don't have them with me or just want the protection of a plastic bag.  I don't like to throw them away so when I use them to carry my lunch to work (I am classy like that) I need to have some place to store them that doesn't take up space.  He is my very, very, very unclassy way of storing them.

They are small and neat and tidy in my desk.  Here is how you fold them- I know you are excited....

Step 1) smooth the bag out flat

Step 2) fold in half and then half again so it looks like this (yeah, I shop at Wally World!)

Step 3) Take one of the bottom corners and fold it so it makes a triangle

Who's old hand is that.... it can't be mine because all of those veins make it look like my Mom's hand

Step 4) Take the far left point of the triangle and fold it over like your are turning a book page.  This makes the triangle thicker with another layer of bag. It will look  like this.

There is my Mom's hand again (crazy)


Step 5) Keep folding until you get to the handles.

 Can you see where I took my wedding ring off up there?  I ate Mexican and my hands swelled from the sodium (I am very sensitive like that)

Step 6) On the side of the triangle closest to the handle you should be able to see where you can pull out the plastic to make a pocket.  Pull this out.

Step 7) Tuck the handles in and work them around so that you have a nice plastic triangle or a slightly puffy one like this one.

This way, I can throw a couple in my desk or throw them in my purse to take home to use for daycare and they don't take up any space!

Was this awesome or what?!!?? To my one follower ( there are two signed up but it really is only one person with a split blog personality) don't you totally want to sit down and immediately do this to all of your plastic bags?

Spilled Milk

So back when LM was a wee one- a left over, half filled bottle spilled in the barely 3 minute ride from daycare to the house.  Spilled. on. the. carpet. of. the. car- milk.all.over!  Apparently the lid was not on correctly.  We all have had these accidents with those bottle caps!

Lesson learned so now ALL leftover food containers travel to and from in a plastic bag.  I know I drive daycare crazy with this quirk but what ever, I am a nice parent besides this (or at least I think I am, they might say something else about me).  So, now I kill two birds with one stone and recycle grocery bags into daycare food bags.  For the longest time I kept them in a mason jar on my counter so I could get one at any time.  This was cute, but didn't hold many bags and although I like it, I have been searching for a new container.

My temporary solution is to use one of the many wipes cases we have around the house.  However, I am not a fan of 1)the look and 2) having things unlabeled

Here is what I did-
I took some black contact paper (only color I had around)

eyeballed it and started cutting and adhering to the wipes case.

This is what I got

I now need to add a cute but yet streamline label and stuff with bags!

I know I could have gone all out and decoupaged it or painted it, but that just seemed like such a big commitment to a temporary solution.  I am the 90% completion queen and wanted to finish this and move on!

I figure that when I find my final solution I can put latex gloves in it that we keep stored in the garage.

What do you keep your plastic bags in- I want something that the LM can't get into and pull them all out!   Next week I will show you how I store my plastic bags at work!

I am linking up to Skip to my Lou again!

End of Summer Fun

Well here it is the end of the summer and we are almost out of fun water toys.  I know everyone has probably seen these around the internet this summer as they seem to be pretty popular.  I first ripped this out of the magazine Family Fun, but it is also ALL over Pinterest (if you are not on, you need to be).

Anyway... today was a nice, crazy humid, overcast Georgia day perfect for hitting the pool for a few hours.  Perfect because I wouldn't scorch to death and it would give us a much needed break from potty training.  Prior to going, LM and I made a few of these.  They are super easy!

Supplies- 3-4 sponges, dental floss or any other strong thread or string and scissors

• Take your sponges and cut into strips- I cut into four strips but you can do five if you want.

You can see I had a little helper in this picture.

• Stack them on top of each other and tie with string- I don't have a picture of this as someone was grabbing at the strips to practice counting and colors so I had to act fast.
• Double tie the string to make sure it is as tight as you can get it!
• Go play and have some fun!

The best thing about these (besides being cool and fun to play with) is that you can just throw them in the dishwasher when they get nasty!!!

Now go out and have some fun with your little ones!

I am linking to Skip to my Lou
and Bear Rabbit Bear