Friday Favorites

Oh, hey there! Silly me thinking I could keep up with my blog during the months of August-October. This is my toughest time of year as a teacher. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE teaching though - I just need constant reminders at this time of year.

It's also been REALLY difficult to get my head in the game when I am just a few short weeks away from Thanksgiving, Christmas vacation, and maternity leave! 

I'm happy to have a few moments to return to my blog for now though and look forward to the holidays and maternity leave, where I will hopefully be able to post more often. 




One. Zoey. We happened upon the Frisco Arts Walk one weekend in early October and Zoey's whole 2.5 years of life was made when she ran into Anna and Elsa. She still talks about it.

 

She also dressed as Elsa for Halloween and enjoyed her first trick or treating experience at Trick or Treat the Square in Frisco.




Two. Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, this year we found an 80 pack of Play-Doh at Costco back in August and purchased it for our Trick-or-Treaters at home. I have to say, even the middle schoolers were psyched to get Play-Doh over candy. We will definitely be doing this again next year! #TealPumpkinProject



I also put together treat bags for Zoey's Halloween party. It took me two years, but I finally caught on to the untold treat bag thing Zoey's classroom seems to do at holidays. I was proud of myself. If you can't tell, we don't do candy in this house...Halloween is tricky.



Three. Pantry. It's been over 2 years since I last organized our pantry! I finally got brave and tackled that one weekend in September. My genius husband took it to the next level by installing some lighting in the darkness of our pantry. Glorious.





Four. Weekends. I live for the weekends with my family. Nothing better than cooler (slightly) weather, college football, and precious time with my little family.





Five. School. As luck would have it, our annual flu clinic occurred during my third trimester, which meant I was able to get my flu and TDAP shots knocked out in one go, on the clock, fo' free!!



I also had the pleasure of making my favorite recovery meal for a coworker. It beats the casserole and it's so easy to prepare. Seasoned taco meat {my taco seasoning recipe}, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, soft and crispy shells, refried beans, Mexican rice, chips, salsa, and a little dessert!



Six. Nursery. At 31 weeks pregnant, we are finally starting Luke's nursery. We've been moving and consolidating our guest rooms - which, of course, entails some renovation (removal of "decorative" shelves surrounding the room, addition of a ceiling fan, and paint (the very last room of the house not painted by us!)). Luckily the nursery is already painted and ready to be Harry Potter-fied as soon as the guest room furniture is moved out! I AM SO EXCITED.

My Sooners are about to wrap up a sloppy win against Iowa State tonight. I am looking forward to wrapping up my Friday by chaperoning a sixth grade dance and then heading out later this weekend for a little solo time with Chris to see Doctor Strange. 

That's it for this week! Have a fabulous weekend!

              

Tomato, Basil, Cheddar Soup

What better way to fight the cold, icy weather blues than to whip up some comfort food! This recipe is super easy and amazingly delicious!

Unfortunately the blog that I originally found this recipe on no longer exists but I'll still give it credit on my recipe card. This soup is so much tastier than the canned version and pretty healthy too!

You can use a regular blender, but I highly recommend purchasing an immersion blender if you like this recipe. We have this one:

Target

The adorable vintage recipe card I used can found here in a printable version!

This soup is best served with a grilled cheese - possibly cut up into bite sized pieces for easy dipping. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals - Part 1

As I mentioned in last week's Trial Tuesday post, we've gotten back into crock pot cooking now that the weather has cooled down. So as I officially enter my late twenties today, let me share with you my love of crock pot cooking.

A lot of people shy away from crock pot cooking during the week because there is usually a lot of prep involved. If you're not a morning person it's hard to handle a full dinner prep, eat breakfast, and get dressed and be on time for work. 

Prepping for an hour or two over the weekend and freezing those meals makes crock potting a breeze! 

I usually start by picking 5 or 6 recipes and gathering all of the ingredients. 

Then I cut and prep all of my meat, then veggies, then sauces. 

I label everything and freeze it.

It takes about 2 hours to make 6 of these by myself but then it takes just 5 minutes to make dinner during the week! Worth it!

Here are some tried and true crock pot recipes we've discovered over the years. All frozen and cooked to perfection. Of course there are a bevy of recipes out there and we're trying new ones all the time, so expect a part 2, 3, etc. of this post. What freezer meals work for you?

Chicken & Rice

2 Cups Wheat Minute Rice
1 Can Reduced Fat Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1 Can Water
1 Packet of Dry Onion Soup Mix
4 Chicken Breasts - Cut up into strips or chunks

I usually start by cutting up my chicken and placing it in a freezer Ziploc bag, then I add the rest of my ingredients, mix it up and freeze it! Thaw it in the freezer overnight and cook in the crock pot on low for 8 hours. Be sure to label your Ziploc with the name of the recipe and how long to cook it.

Creamy Chicken and Chives - Betty Crocker
1 Can Reduced Fat Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 8 oz container of Chive and Onion Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Packet Italian Dressing Mix
4 Chicken Breasts - Cut up in strips or chunks
1 box Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta

Again, I start by cutting up my Chicken and placing it in a freezer Ziploc bag, then I add the rest of my ingredients. With this recipe, you'll need to melt the butter in a sauce pan and combine your cream cheese, dressing mix, cream of chicken soup and white wine - stirring until well combined. When the mixture has cooled, pour it into your freezer bag with your chicken and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over pasta.

Chicken Curry

4 Chicken Breasts - Cut up in strips or chunks
2 Bottles of Trader Joe's Yellow Curry
4-5 Red Potatoes sliced or cut into chunks

This one is easy - Cut up your chicken and potatoes, toss them in a Ziploc freezer bag and pour in your ready made sauce. Freeze. When ready to cook, defrost in fridge overnight and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with Trader Joe's Microwave Jasmine Rice.

The Most Amazing Pork Chops Ever - Crockin' Girls

You must make this one...they truly are AMAZING Pork Chops. I added potatoes to the mix this time - I'll let you know how that turns out. The gravy is so, so good! I imagine they would be incredible with mashed potatoes.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken - Saving You Dinero 

This one is also quite delicious and so easy to put together! Try it!


Most people recommend freezing your bags flat for more freezer room but I like to freeze mine upright so it kind of takes the shape of my crock pot. I find it doesn't defrost that much overnight and its hard to make it fit in the crock pot if it's frozen flat. Just a thought.

Happy Crock Potting! I'll be back with more recipes soon!

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

We've been making this Taco Seasoning for a few years now and it's just too easy and delicious not to share! Not only is it much cheaper to make your own taco seasoning but you can also control the sodium, which is what makes those taco seasoning packets just slightly unhealthy. 

You can tweak this recipe to your own tastes by making it more or less spicy or by adding more garlic, salt etc. As long as you add the Chili Powder, it's hard to mess this one up! We adapted this recipe from Plain Chicken. 

Taco Seasoning
 (per 1 lb ground beef)
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Mix spices and stir into cooked ground beef. Add 1 cup water, stir, and let simmer over low heat until water has cooked down.

**Quick Tip** Make a few batches of this seasoning and store them in sandwich baggies for quick use later.

Salsa is the perfect companion to your Tacos!

Visit my fabulous sister's blog, Bubbles and Icing, for her AMAZING salsa recipe!

Enjoy!