Recipes: crock pot and freezer meals

I've been trying out a few new recipes in addition to making some freezer meals. I thought I should post them here in case anyone is interested in trying them.

First a slow cooker chicken and dumpling recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-and-Dumplings/Detail.aspx

I made a few changes after reading the reviews. Instead of 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup I used one can of cream of celery and one can cream of chicken. I think both were the low sodium kind. Instead of water I used chicken broth. I added frozen peas and carrots when I added the refrigerated biscuits. The biscuits took more than 90 minutes before they weren't raw in the center. Only one tube of biscuits was needed in the crock pot. I used the other to bake in the oven just in case. They were nice to have with it but not necessary.

CHICKEN & RICE WRAPS
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 c. water
1 c. mild salsa
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
8 - 12 flour tortillas

In skillet or saucepan, combine chicken, water, salsa and seasonings.
Bring to a boil.
Add rice and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
Spoon mixture into center of tortillas and wrap. You can add cheese to mixture before wrapping, if desired.

To FREEZE: Simply wrap each folded tortilla in tin foil and place in 1 gallon freezer bag. I like to have 8 to a bag (for our swaps).
To SERVE: Reheat and eat.
*I tried the filling for these and it was very good!

BEEF & BROCCOLI
1 lb. Ground beef, browned until crumbly and drained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
½ c. chopped onion
¾ c. sour cream
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
To FREEZE: Combine ground beef with other ingredients (except bread dough) in a bowl. Roll our bread dough to a 9"x13" rectangle. Spoon filling onto one side of the dough, leaving a border of dough on three sides. Fold over bare side of dough and pinch ends together. Spray lightly with cooking spray and wrap in plastic wrap. Wrap again in tin foil and freeze.
To COOK:Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Unwrap calzone and place on cookie sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Allow to rise, but not double. Cook 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden. Slice and serve.
*I thought the filling made enough for 2 BIG calzones.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 jar (8 oz.) Fat Free French Dressing

1 can (8 oz.) jelly whole cranberry sauce

1 package Dried Onion Soup Mix

1 bag stir-fry frozen vegetables

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (you can add more or less - cut into cube pieces)

TO FREEZE: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.

TO SERVE: Mix all ingredients in a 13 x 9 glass pan. Cover with tin foil. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir and serve over rice or noodles.

*This smelled good. I thought the combination of cranberry sauce and french dressing would be strange but it looked good.

A homemade Mac and Cheese recipe:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Fannie-Farmers-Classic-Baked-Macaroni-and-Cheese-135350

* This isn't the healthiest but it was good! I made double and froze half of it. I'd use less bread crumbs the next time.

Another link full of freezer recipes:

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/oamc-freezer-make-ahead,main-dish?categ=285%2C89&ls=h&pg=3&Search=Search&s_type=%2Frecipes.php

Hope you find something you enjoy!

Happy 2009!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this. I got caught up with the holiday season and neglected certain things.

First, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes this year!

It's hard to believe that we will have our baby boy this year, let alone this MONTH! Matt kept reminding me of this yesterday. He said "we're going to have a baby this month". Seems it is becoming much more real for Matt lately. At my OB appt last week the doctor said that the baby could come any day now or it could be weeks before his arrival. I'm officially 37 weeks pregnant today!

What has happened over the past month?
-I've developed acid reflux and Zantac has been a friend of mine. Most days it helps. I truly feel for those who suffer from non pg-induced acid reflux and have to deal with it on a regular basis. What a pain!

-My slow and steady weight gain is a thing of the past. At 32 weeks I had gained 15 pounds. 4 weeks later, A LOT of holiday eating (I seriously couldn't resist the cookies!), and hopefully added weight to the baby, has helped me gain 10 more. Still not terrible but not comfortable either.

-The added weight and looser joints have taken a toll on my knees. Both of my kneecaps dislocated in a 2 week timespan. I usually only have one dislocation a year (since the age of 13). It occurs out of no where, no warning, it pops out, and I immediately fall over. I fell down a few stairs but everything was fine. Just a bruise on my belly. I'm seeing an orthopedic next week in hopes that he'll have some suggestions to get me through this. I'm more concerned about it contining to happen after the baby is born. He is protected inside of me right now but I'm worried about falling while holding him after he's born. I'll still be carrying extra weight and the OB said that joints can stay loose for more than 6 weeks post partum. I hope the orthopedic can give me knee braces to help keep my kneecaps in place. Those will be something else oh so attractive to wear.

-Speaking of attractive, I'm sporting compression hosiery due to varicose veins. Getting those things on takes quite a bit of effort and must be a comical site. Thank goodness they are only thight highs or else I'd have to deal with them on each trip to the bathroom.

-I'm moving a lot slower these days. Christmas shopping was a whole new experience. I ventured out on Black Friday and laughed at myself several times. I had to stop for breaks, ask employees to reach items on very low or high shelves for me, and pack even more snacks & water than usual. It was great though. I got a lot of good deals on clothes for Matt and the baby.

-I'm not swelling very much. Just this past week my rings felt tight for the first time.

-I'm still walking fairly normal. Well, most days. The days following my last dislocation I took some funny looking strides. Matt asked me what time the gun show was.... you know, the way the cowboys walked in old western movies before a shootout challenge? I pulled a muscle in my leg when I fell so between the bum knee and pulled muscle I had a bit of a limp/waddle/bow legged walk. Guess he thought it was best to help me laugh at it. He was right :)

-Some days I remind Matt of his grandma! Sweet, huh? We have an awkwardly placed light switch in our kitchen. It's in a corner and my belly makes it difficult to reach. I've resorted to using spatulas to reach it and that is something Matt's grandma used to do (use utensils to reach things). Matt just laughed the first time he saw me do that. I also lean over the grocery cart when I'm getting tired. I guess Grandma used to do that too :)

-I'm starting to get tired more easily and often. Thank goodness for my flexible job. I'm able to go to a home visit, come home and lie down for a bit, then go to the next appt if it works out to schedule my day that way. It depends on when clients can meet too, but this was especially helpful during the week when I was feeling sick with a cold.

-The baby has moved down a little bit. Not enough to make me uncomfortable in my hips/to waddle but enough to give me some more breathing room. I'm not as winded after walking up our stairs. His moving down seemed to cause my belly measurement to change at my last OB appt. At my 34 wk appt I measured 36 wks. At my 36 wk appt I measured 33 wks. The doctor was concerned that I might have been leaking fluid, though I didn't see any signs of that, so she sent me for an ultra sound. I was scared that something was wrong but was excited to see him again. I ended up not seeing very much because he is so squished in there. His head looked rather large and it freaked me out! I kept thinking "I have to push that out?!". Thankfully, the results showed that he is head down (he had been breech for a few weeks) and my doctor wasn't concerned with my fluid levels.

-His movements are less frequent because he doesn't have as much room in there. They are also less like little kicks and more like jabs. The bulges he creates on my belly are funny to see. I still love feeling him move!!

-Each weekened we've spent some time working on getting things ready for his arrival. That includes a few trips to Babies R Us, putting together things like the pack and play, swing, etc, organizing his room & closet, and washing his clothes, bath items, and bedding. We've also been working on lists for our hospital bag and items that might be necesary the first week home. I've also made a few feezer meals to help prepare.

I'll post pics of his room soon.

Belly pics!

Documenting the progress of my ever expanding belly.


27 wks


28 wks


Photo shoot with Matt to document the season and 29wks!

Then it snowed at 31 weeks so we took more pics. We need to get a tripod so Matt can be in these pics too!

Family visit

The week before my first baby shower my sister-in-law from Arizona and her family came for a visit back to Pa. It's always fun to see them, catch up, and marvel over how big our nephews have gotten. We had a great week visiting with them with events including a trip to Hershey Park, the pumpkin patch, the Coliseum, and dinner at our house where we played out back and used the smores maker in our kitchen :) . We wish that part of our family didn't live so far away but we hope to visit them with the baby next summer.

Uncle Matt playing wack-a-mole (his favorite) with 3 out of 4 nephews.


Us on a hayride at Ashcombe's

Belly shot in the pumpkin patch. 27 wks.


Uncle Matt and the boys playing football/wrestling. They love their Uncle Matt!



While all the nephews were over I cut out 4x6 cardstock and had them draw/color anything they wanted. I put the pics in this frame for the nursery. I think it turned out pretty cute! Sneak peak of the nursery paint color in the back ground of this pic too.

Baby Showers!!!

Weeks later and I'm still feeling incredibly blessed (and still working on Thank you notes. I'm sorry for the delay ... I wanted to hand make them all so they're taking some time). We are so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends. It was great to spend time with them and celebrate our baby-to-be!

The first shower was hosted by my dear friends, Jen and Charlene, along with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. My mother-in-law graciously offered to have it at her new home. I was blown away by the amount of thought and effort that went into the shower planning. To say it was amazing is not giving everything they did enough credit. I'm still thinking about all of the hand made details and how nice everything was. We played 2 cute games and I think every guest left with a gift! The invitations were PERFECT as well. The girls went with a nest/baby bird theme. I LOVED every detail.

Here are some pics to show off their hard work!

Me with hostesses. I'm still waiting to get a copy of a better pic of Charlene, Jen, and me where we're looking at the camera. Sorry girls!

The group of ladies

The favors ... adorable bird cookie cutters and lollipop cookie rattles. Seriously, how cute?!


LOVE the banner and this photo tree! They included pics of Matt and me all throughout my pregnancy and ultra sound pics.

The diaper cake and baby clothesline. Can you guess how many diapers?

Like I said, I'm still amazed by all of the details. They are so thoughtful.

The second shower was hosted by my aunt and cousin at my aunt's new home in Maryland. I was able to catch up with old family friends, my aunt's friends, and my family. Some of those ladies helped send me off to college, danced at our wedding, and are now helping us prepare for our first baby. It was another great day! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people a part of our lives. It was fun to share the excitement with all of them!


A pic of Matt and I at home before I left for my 2nd shower. 29 weeks.

One of the few pics from the shower that wasn't blurry.

With my cousin Erin and Aunt Cathleen. Sorry for the dark photo. I'm not sure what was going on with my camera that day.

We're so thankful for all of the generous gifts too. Our little guy is stocked up with books for us to read to him, clothes, and necessary baby gear! It was fun to sort through it all in HIS room too.

Head or Heiny?

Our little guy is certainly getting bigger. The movement that I can SEE across my ever expanding belly is strange and amazing all at the same time. I like to show Matt and watch him squirm :) His phrase for it is "it's beautiful but it's weird". Honestly, he's right. It's awesome that it's our baby in there and I love to feel his movement but it's strange at times too. It's especially strange when I wonder WHAT he's moving in there... my body parts and his!

For the past couple of weeks I've noticed & felt a bulge appear on an area of my belly. That bulge is either our baby's head or his bottom!!

I'm seeing the OB every 2 weeks. I seriously cannot believe that I'm getting THAT close to my due date. At this weeks appt she felt my belly and listened to his heart rate, which are all normal things done at these appts, but this time she informed me that it seems he is BREECH! He still has PLENTY of time to move so we're not concerned yet but I hope it's soon. His head in my ribs is not the most comfortable feeling but it's reassuring to feel him move everyday.

30.5 weeks.

7 years later

Seems like 7 years since my last post. I've been thinking of a lot of different things that I want to blog about/document on here but have been caught up with life. My job is in transition since we merged with a much larger company. I've been learning new documents and completing new tasks, all the while maintaining my caseload and trying to make sure paperwork is in order since I'll be on maternity leave in hopefully about 2 months (or less).

So ... 7 years later ... what I really meant by that is 7 years ago this week was the first week that Matt and I spent getting to know each other...the week we started 'dating'. It doesn't seem like that time in our lives was 7 years ago. Time has flown by.

On our way to childbirth education class on Monday night (we're doing a 4 wk course) we talked about how different our lives are now compared to then. We laughed and wondered if we knew then how our lives would be now, would we think we were boring 7 years later? We compared the differences:
--7 years ago this week our minds were focused on tailgating, happy hours, college classes, and all that the life of a college senior entails. Mostly fun stuff :)
--Now, this week, our minds have been focused on childbirth class, choosing a name for our son, making sure everything is set for my short term disability policies, planning dinners for the week, researching baby products, WORK, making plans and getting our house ready to host Thanksgiving. Not as much fun stuff but still an exciting time.

It's only fair to list some of the similarities in our lives from then and now too...
We're still spending as much time with each other as we can (that lazy time on the sofa together in the evenings is still my favorite part of the day), spending time with friends, and anxiously waiting for the PSU game on Sat (it's a BIG one).

Boring or not, we agreed that it's the way we want it to be. College was one of the greatest times in our lives but I wouldn't want to go back at this point. I'm thrilled with where we are RIGHT NOW. Being content is one of the greatest feelings I've ever known!!

Stayed tuned for pics from my awesome baby showers, our short list of possible baby names, belly pics, etc.