EASY CROCK POT BEEF ROAST

So, I've been trying to stick to planning meals every 2 weeks. It's working, but I've learned that I need to be flexible. Intended on making a Sunday Roast but, ended up spending more time at the Zoo at the Halloween event! Such an amazing event, and great time with friends!! I'm glad my son got a little into dressing up. Although we had to convince him to put his costume on, and to keep it on we had to do a little bribe. He wouldn't wear the entire costume, but he did keep it on long enough to get some good pictures!

Since I didn't get to the roast on Sunday, I came home on Monday on my lunch break to get it started in the crock pot.  This was seriously one of the easiest meals ever. The only think I would change is to THAW the meat before actually putting in the crock pot. 

I'm coming to realize that you can cook chicken frozen, but beef just doesn't follow that same rule. I mean I'm sure cooking ground beef frozen isn't a big deal, but an actual chunk of beef, probably needs to be thawed out before cooking. Every time we attempt, the meat just is not as tender, doesn't fall apart when you cut into it.  Now last year, I believe, we had a beef roast that was fresh when we put it into the crock pot. It was a stew my husband cooked.  The meat just fell apart. Maybe it was also because the pieces were cut in large cubes?? I don't know. But next time we do a roast, I'm thinking cook fresh, or even in the oven.  If we do the oven, maybe I can even get it to medium instead of medium-well. 

Anyway, the meat was still really good, much better than that manager's special crap I got a couple of months ago. The seasoning and flavor was great! Soooo good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 packet of ranch dressing (dry)
• 1 packet of zesty Italian dressing  
• brown gravy packet
• 1/2 cup of water
• beef roast
• any veggies you typically throw in your roast. I threw in a full medium sized onion, 1 bag of baby carrots, 6-8 Rossett potatoes - sliced. If you have celery, then that would probably be good too! 
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil
• any other seasoning that just sounds good  :o)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop potatoes, slice onion, cut celery. Put in crock pot and season as desired. I used italian seasoning and just sprinked it over. I also added some olive oil, seasoning salt, and pepper. I tossed the veggies with my hands so that everything was coated. Season meat with salt and pepper. I cleared a spot in the center of crock pot and placed frozen roast there.
2. Mix packet of ranch, packet of italian dressing, packet of brown gravy packet, and 1/2 cup of water in a mixing bowl. 
3. Pour the packet mixture over the roast. 
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  
5. Throughout the cooking, I kept stirring the dish, and I flipped the roast over probably half way through.

Before

After, ohhhh sooo good!!!

 So, easy and so good -- didn't really know what to expect but this was a great meal!! Yet, my 2 year old son was really enjoying it. He ate a few potatoes, but that was about it!

HOW LONG CAN I KEEP MEAT IN FREEZER??

Found this on pinterest. Thought it was an easy guide on how long food (specifically meat) can stay in refrigerator and freezer. Good to have!! Although I have to say we keep bacon a little longer than a month. Ooopss... 

Guide was originally found on pinterest.
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/meatsafety/storage.cfm 
 

BAKED PARMESAN & GARLIC CHICKEN

This was an easy weeknight meal.  I just wish that I would remember to take chicken out before I leave for work, so I don't have to spend the 15-20 minutes defrosting in the microwave!!

So, while the chicken was defrosting, I loaded up the dishwasher, mixed up the ingredients for the recipe, cut up some veggies, and got the sides together. Thankfully it was still nice outside for my son and husband to go outside for a bit, so I could really hustle and get everything started!

Of course even though I defrosted for 16 minutes, my chicken was still slightly frozen, but no biggie! Made an extra side because I wasn't sure what would taste good with the chicken.  My chicken breasts also seemed to be much larger than normal so, I only used 4, instead of the 6. Although for leftover purposes I really should have made 6. There would not have been enough of the cheese mixture for me to cook 6 though. I would have had to make another batch!



INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder.
3. Moisten chicken breasts with water; coat with cheese mixture. Spray shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place coated chicken in shallow baking dish.
4. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. (I had to cook a little longer because my chicken was still frozen in the center.)

Serve with sides.  I steamed some fresh carrots and broccoli, had white rice, and an herb pasta side that my son devoured (of course he did, it came out of a box). Also added some Texas garlic toast as a special treat.

Easy recipe for a busy weeknight, and my husband packed it for lunch. I always know if a meal is good if he packs it for lunch. 

Original recipe is from:
http://www.momswhothink.com/chicken-recipes/baked-parmesan-garlic-chicken.html 

ANOTHER SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Like I said in a previous post, we eat spaghetti probably once a month.  After the same way of making it, it starts to get a little boring.  I didn't necessarily follow a recipe for this one, I just started adding different things in that I typically wouldn't do.  It doesn't even really require a list of ingredients & directions because it was simply me just being a little more creative.

Did my usual and browned the ground beef but this time I added some chopped onions and minced garlic. Drained the grease. Added jar of ragu, and added a can of diced tomatoes. Stirred. Then I just added some italian seasoning and whatever else sounded good. Oregano, pepper... 

So although it was basic and simple, it gave it just a little different taste.  Slightly more homemade tasting, instead of just doing the typical brown the ground beef and pour in the ragu. I let it simmer for about 15 minutes while the noodles were cooking. 

My husband wasn't impressed and was a little bummed because he doesn't like tomatoes! But, he ate it for dinner, and even packed it for lunch so it must not have been that bad!

Just adding some little things can change up a meal a bit... 

 

CROCK POT CHEESY CHICKEN

Yesterday was Columbus Day, so my office was closed for the holiday.

It was so nice being able to relax, and hang out at home, without having a real agenda.  Altough I had a lot of things that I wanted to get done, I chose instead to just chill out.  It was well needed, and deserved! Such a restful day!

One thing I did do though was cook! Well, I guess I prepped food, the crock pot actually cooked the meal for me!  This was another simple recipe, I had pretty much everything already available, except for the rice.  Must have the rice though -- I think it really gave it the flavor that the recipe needed. It didn't seem like it was going to be a lot of food until it was complete. 

Recipe serves 8 so be ready for leftovers! Also, I had never cooked Zatarain's and didn't realize that it took 25 minutes to cook.  So during the last half hour of cooking in crock pot, get the rice started so it does hold you up!

Husband and 2 year old son loved this recipe! Felt bad because I didn't plan very well for this meal. My son had pretty much the same meal for lunch at day care.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8oz) box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice, cooked according to package.
•  4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen chicken, of course)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or cheese blend
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I used just half an onion only because my son is pretty sensitive to onion -- although usually only raw onion, not cooked -- but didn't want to take the chances)
• 1 (10.5oz) can cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat free, reduced sodium "healthier" soup)
• 1 (15oz) can of corn, drained
• 1 (15oz) can of french cut green beans, drained (or any kind --this was not in the original recipe but I have had this lonely can of french cut green beans in pantry for what seems years. I just decided to use it to get rid of it)
•  2 cups chicken stock  
• Minced Garlic (original recipe did not call for this but I added it in anyway. I used the stuff in the jar so I just scooped and stirred it in)

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken into crock pot and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle your chopped onions on top of chicken.
2. Mix together the two cups of chicken broth and can of cream of chicken soup. Pour mixture over chicken (will still be lumpy).
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
4.  Right before serving, use 2 forks to shred chicken
5.  Add in cooked Zatarain's yellow rice, cheese, corn, and green beans.

Please, Ignore the messy crock pot splatter lol.

6. Mix well, until cheese is completely melted.


Original Recipe from Family Fresh Meals Blog
http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2012/02/crockpot-cheesy-chicken-rice.html

CHANGED THE LAYOUT

Changed the blog layout to kind of force myself to take more pictures of the meals I make! 

Even if I don't get the chance to snap my own picture, I will attempt to take from the source I found the dish from. Of course I will give credit to the owner of photograph/blog.

Cry it Out

Facebook has been full of surprises lately.  Not only is my layout different on my phone, but I'm actually getting some interesting articles coming through my news feed.

The article that popped up in my facebook today is in the link below. It's called, "Letting Baby 'Cry-it-out' Yes, No!"

Letting Baby Cry-it-out Yes, No!

It's a Dr. Sears article so of course I knew it would be an interesting (and easy to grasp) article.  Sometimes when I read his stuff, it just amazes me that things just "click."  I may be feeling or thinking the same thing, yet he just puts it into words that is easy to understand and relate to.

Before my son, I thought for sure I was going to follow Dr. Ferber teachings/methods and "ferberize" my baby.  I just knew that when the time came, I was going to control the situation by being the adult, and not let my kid manipulate me by crying, and getting his way. Boy was I wrong! 

Thankfully, it didn't take me reading an article to realize that I wasn't going to be able to let my infant "cry-it-out." It was an instinct, a gut wrenching feeling to go to my infant son when he was crying.  To me, hearing any crying baby is stressful. But when it's my own son crying, I feel a twinge of actual physical pain. 

It is amazing that it only took days, maybe a week, to learn my babies initial cries. I knew the cry of hunger, being startled, needing comforting, being over stimulated, and of course just the I'm bored/fussy cry. When my son was diagnosed with acid reflux at about 5 weeks old, I listened and quickly learned his different cries that surrounded feeding time. Although it was tedious and many nights frustrating, I understood that the only way he could tell me how he was feeling was to cry. He cried when he was done eating, or wanted more food, needed to be burped, going to puke (again), need to be propped up. 

There was a 2 week period during the early diagnosis of acid reflux that all my son did was cry from 5 pm to 9 pm. The doctor called it the "witching hour" -- except as many know, it is typically more than just one hour!! This was a tough 2 weeks. It seemed like forever! My husband was frustrated and didn't know what to do but to just support me by sitting out in the living room with me while our son cried. Although it lasted 2 weeks (maybe longer), I can't imagine just putting my baby down and just saying, "let him cry it out." Now, I know I have heard that in some situations (e.x. babies with severe colic or babies born addicted to drugs) that there is just nothing you can do soothe them. I haven't done the research, but, maybe putting them down in a safe place and allowing them to cry is all that can be done.  But, for me, and our situation of knowing that my baby was in discomfort, it felt only natural to hold him, and interact with him, even through his loud screaming.

Fast forward to "sleep training." Oh wait, we didn't have to do "sleep training," my kid must have realized that mama had to go back to work and needed to get good sleep! He started sleeping through the night, although waking up early (5 - 530 am) at around 10 weeks old.  Not that I haven't had my fair share of rough nights.  There were time periods when my son wasn't going down as easy as he typically did. So, guess what, I tried the cry it out method.  I was getting desperate!! I work outside the home, tired, and wanted my son to get back on schedule. So, I tried to let him CIY. It was so ridiculously draining and stressful that I just couldn't do it. I followed the "rules" and let him cry, checked on him at 5 minute intervals, patted him on the back yet never picked him up. The few times I attempted to CIY, I never made it more than 40 minutes.  And guess where my kid ended up on those nights that he was having a difficult time sleeping???  Yep, in my bed!  And after what ever he was going through (i.e. teething, growth spurt, fever, head cold, or maybe even just wanting to be close to his mama) was over, he went right back to sleeping through the night, like he never skipped a beat!! He never spent more than 2 or 3 consecutive nights with me, but, he seemed to be more comforted with me then in his CIY.  And at his age now if he is struggling with sleep, it usually only takes a few minutes of quiet time on the couch or even in my bed.  There is usually no need to stay in mama's bed overnight, 10 - 15 minutes of comforting and he is typically ready to get right back into his crib. 

Definitely enjoyed this article and made a lot of sense to me.  Not that I disagree with what other parents have done with their own kids.... I just know that the CIY method (which I swore by before having a child) just didn't work with me. 



 
 

So far so good...

Well, I've been sticking to the meal planning which makes me feel good!! 

It's been easier to stay focused in the kitchen, and save some money!!

Not only is it saving money, but it feels good not to have to come home from work, and try and quickly figure out what to make for dinner. It makes me feel a little more organized, less frazzled!! If we get off track, and our evenings change, it's nice to have the meal planning schedule available to fall back on. 

Still sticking with planning 2 weeks in advance, and trying to only grocery shop every other week (unless we need the necessities of milk, bread... ). 

Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

We have spaghetti at least once a month! What can I say, it's a go to meal that is always good and leftovers are likely. It's something that the entire family enjoys, and really, who doesn't love the comfort of pasta!! Well, for some reason I decided to change things up a little bit with the spaghetti. Not going to lie, we don't get fancy with our spaghetti. Boil the noodles, brown & season the ground beef, throw some Ragu in it and bam, it's done! But this time I wanted something different. I didn't just want the plain ole' spaghetti... So I searched for a recipe and the first one that popped up sounded good (considering I already had all of the ingredients).

This was an easy recipe to prep, yet the actual cook time was long. My kid was so hungry that I ended up giving him his fruit before dinner. Which in our house fruit is dessert so that was huge for him!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground beef (I use 90/10)
• 1 onion chopped (Although my husband I love onions. I didn't use an entire onion because my son can pick up the taste and will immediately let you know, "No like it!!")
•  4 cloves, garlic, minced (I know all great cooks say that you have to use fresh garlic, that it makes all the difference. Well, I have never used it, I use the stuff out of the jar.)
•  1 small green bell pepper, diced (I also had a red one so I used that too)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano (what else would it be but dry?? wet?? who knows)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teasponn salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper   

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper in a large saucepan. Cook and stir until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease. (I did this a little different because I had pots/pans that were not available. My ground beef was frozen too which caused some issues.)
2. Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer spaghetti sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

All in all this was great! It definitely had a different taste and more flavor. Wouldn't do this on a go to meal because I didn't realize the cook time was going to be so long -- even though the recipe mentions it right on top!  When my husband realized that I was getting frustrated at how long it was taking to cook, he even questioned why I decided to change things up with the spaghetti sauce. He is one to say, spaghetti is spaghetti no matter what you do to it. He doesn't even like to acknowledge that there is a difference between penne, spaghetti, ziti. You can forget farfalle because in his mind that's just silly! 

Will definitely cook it again though because it was tasty and a nice change!! 

Allrecipes.com
Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken

What can I say... The days are shorter, the weather is cooler, and I am just too excited to try out the many crock pot recipes I have stored away!!

This was another quick & easy recipe! I came home on my lunch break to put it together and start cooking. Unlike many recipes that require the "cream of ______" Campbell's soup, that tend to be bland, this one had a lot of flavor and quite tasty!! I really thought that my 2 year old son would also enjoy this recipe since it had noodles and was creamy.  Unfortunately he took just a few bites and then said, "I all done, Mommy."  I think it was more the fact that I gave him his drink before he started eating which filled him up. We will find out tonight with the leftovers!  My husband loved it, and I think that it will be a recipe we try again, with just a few modifications!!


 
Picture is from The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/07/crockpot-italian-chicken.html 



INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Chicken Breasts (I cook with what I have, and yesterday t it was frozen tenderloins. I probably used about 8-10 of them)
• 1 packet of DRY Zesty Italian Dressing (the more chicken, the more seasoning - I used 1.5 packets)
• 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 Cans of cream of chicken soup (I used 2 cans of the reduced fat kind. If you want it to be less creamy then use less cans)   
• Noodles or Rice (I used egg noddles)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1.  Place chicken in crock pot and sprinkle the Zesty Italian dressing over chicken.  Like I said, my chicken was frozen. Even though it didn't look like it was getting stuck onto the chicken it was. I flipped the chicken over and did both sides on most pieces.
2.  Combine cream of chicken soup and cream cheese in a small pot over low heat. Poor over chicken. 
3. Cook on low in crock pot for at least 4 hours. Once chicken is done it's up to you how you want to serve it. Chop, shred, or keep it whole. I got the cutting board and chopped it up and placed back into crock pot. I tossed the chicken in the creamy sauce and let it sit for another 15-30 minutes while I cooked the noodles.
4.  If you feel that the sauce is too thick you can add milk to it -- I was all good with the consistency. 
5.  We had opened bag of egg noddles so I wanted to use them up. Boil according to directions. 

I served with a side of green beans but next time I will more than likely add the green beans (and maybe some corn) into the crock pot about 10-15 minutes before we are ready to eat. That way I can just hide the veggies. 

This recipe was on many different sites but I took it from this blog.  The picture was pretty on target with what mine looked like!! Except for the different noddles.

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/07/crockpot-italian-chicken.html 

Changing Things Up in the Kitchen...

My husband and I took an early anniversary trip to Chicago last month, and although it was well needed (and deserved), it was a little pricy! It was both of our first times in downtown Chicago and we went with a more trendy hotel!! We ended up only spending about 1 hour in the hotel room (besides sleeping). Although it was modern and beautiful, the hotel room was a complete disappointment! It wasn't break the bank expensive but now that we have a better feel for the city,  we will be much more thrifty on our next trip to Chicago and go cheap since we are really there just to see the sites!  

I'm not the one to spend frivolously. I hate clothes shopping, eat out once a week, barely buy extras.  I'm one of those people who wants to buy things but never does because I don't want to spend any money.

After our trip, I started going through some bank statements and decided that I needed to spend some time rearranging my budget.  I started flipping through the pages and realized that I'm just spending way too much money at the grocery store!! I am at Kroger's just about every week spending anywhere from $40 - $140. At first I couldn't believe that I was spending so much on groceries. I thought about it a little longer and it's true. I can make plans to run to Kroger's after work for milk, bread, and cheese, and unfortunately come out spending anywhere from $50-80 more on other stuff!! 

I sat down and started reading some quick budgeting articles and realized that spending too much at the grocery store is a common problem for many people!!  I kept reading the same common thing. Make a list, and if it's not on the list, you don't get it. Other articles suggested meal planning to save money because you actually know what you will cook and only buy the ingredients needed for those recipes. 

So, after reviewing the articles I made an effort to stop spending as much money at the grocery stores. My first project was to clear out the pantry, so that when I am grocery shopping that I'm not just buying things "just in case" we don't already have it at home. Not only did I get rid of expired and not needed items in the pantry, but now I have a mental note of what we need, and what we definitely don't need any more of (i.e refried beans & ranch beans --ewwww?? must be my husbands).

I so wish I had the before and after pictures of the pantry still. I had to reset my phone and lost those pictures but the difference was ridiculous!! Even just getting things organized and in order is helping us out with knowing what we need and don't need!

After the pantry was cleared out, I went back to making grocery lists of things that we needed from the store. One thing is, even though I was spending a lot on food, the food wasn't going to waste. It was more of not needing the food -- buying 2 bags of gold fish instead of one. Buying 2 jars of apple sauce instead of just one. I will have to admit that those Kroger 10 for 10 or whatever deals makes it difficult not to purchase your favorite items when it's on sale! Yesterday when I went to the store I stuck to the list! It wasn't even that hard!

I also started making the meal plans again. And instead of just going week to week, I did it for 2 weeks at a time. I also coordinated meals around my son's school lunch menu so that we weren't repeating meals for him. I have decided to go home on my lunch break at least one time a week and put something in the crock pot to cook. That way it will be less stress in the evenings and I won't have the urge to stop at the store after work.

The biggest change is not going to the grocery store every week!! I am proud to say that last week I did not go to Kroger. Literally a full week!! I found out that our rite aid has milk for the same price as Kroger so, I stopped there after work when we were close to running out. That way I was in, and out, and didn't pick up any other things. 

I know that some weeks there will be larger grocery bills. But, I am trying to make myself more aware of my grocery shopping habits. I always have a stockpile (at least 10-12) of lean cuisine dinners because that is typically what I grab for lunch every day at work.  

Was really surprised at how much I was spending -- even more surprised at how much I probably saved by just cutting out that one week at the grocery store!