Halloween candy, freezer cooking and celebrating 80 years!

This past week saw a lot of food challenges. I rose up to meet some and fell so far from goal on others.

Lets start on Wednesday October 31st. Oh Halloween how you taunt me with your delicious fun size candy bars. I have three wonderful little ones so just not having it in my house is not an option. My dad will be quick to remind everyone that Halloween is for little kids and to let them be little. Not to say we don't have some rules about trick or treating.

Rule 1 - NO candy until we get home and mom/dad have a chance to inspect it. This is not a rule that will ever get bent, even though it would probably never happen that our kids will get a piece that could cause them harm. Sometimes I have to remove a piece that for whatever reason is not fully wrapped. This usually is the fault of quick manufacturing. Sometimes I pull candies that the kids could choke on or are really bad for their teeth. We do not have jolly ranchers or caramel suckers for this reason.

Rule 2 - All candy goes into the communal bucket. I know part of the fun is the trading but I was always the kid that could convince someone that a tootsie roll was a fair trade for a Resses (it is not). It would cause fights when the trade was over and my siblings saw that the tiny tootsie roll was just traded for a larger candy. Plus the boys are young and just see the candy and don't care about the brands.

Rule 3 - If we collect more than what can fit in the bucket, it is in the trash. I know I could donate it to organizations but I also know it will sit in my house a few more days and I will eat it. It is best to just go in the trash and take the trash out immediately.  I do this when the boys are in bed because they are still too little to understand why I have to do it this way.

Rule 4- One piece of candy a day, even on Halloween night. This is a rule that Losing It Daddy breaks but so far I have been very good at it. I have even gone a few days without anything. The boys love to choose their candy and we take turns on who picks first. We have candy choosing time right after Losing It Big gets home from school along with a piece of fruit or carrot sticks.

 Losing It Big was a fireman, Losing It Middle was Elmo and Losing It Little was part of a chicken. I got him to wear the chicken costume for 1 min, this picture. Then he would only wear the legs. Every year this has happened (Big and Middle have also had this costume) and every year on November 1st, the go and put the whole thing on themselves. I will never understand it and just remember my dad saying, "it is for the kids". So I just laugh and take my half a chicken trick or treating.

I was a runner. I thought I would wear a piece of each race that proved to be meaningful to me. I wore my headband from the color run I did with my brother, the color run bib I did barefoot (I did 2 races), the shirt from the cheesetown challenge, socks from Saint Patricks 5K, metal from mud run I ran with my sister and the new pants I got right after the trail run I did, since my old ones were falling off me. It made me feel strong and proud of all that I have done this year. I have to hang up my shoes for a few races because we should be saving our money for other things. This doesn't mean I am out though. I really feel I will be able to run all of St Patty's in 2013. I just have to remember to train for it.



On Saturday I spent the morning with some lovely women. I am a Great Lake Bay Mom and was asked to do a mini freezer cooking session with a few of the other moms. It was a great morning where we shared cooking tips and got to know one another a bit better. Plus we made some food. It was a learning experience for me since I am usually by myself cooking, so I had to remember to explain what I was doing. I started out slow but then was able to start to delegate for a few things. We made 2 breakfast items and 4 dinners:
Sausuage Cheese Muffins
Banana Bread
Apple Cherry Pork Tenderloin
Spicy Honey Chicken Breasts (we almost always sub breasts for other cuts of meats)
Taco Pasta
Breaded Chicken Breasts

*the banana bread was made to the point of batter and then placed in pans. When ready to cook, thaw and bake for 45 minutes.

That evening I traveled to New Lothrup to celebrate my grandfathers 80th birthday. It was at a family bar style restaurant and I choose (quickly) a burger and fries. I arrived late and just picked the first thing that looked good. When it was time for cake I decided not to have any because of the burger. I didn't really feel all that bad about it, and I LOVE cake. I actually didn't put much thought into it until I was driving home. I stopped for something to drink at a gas station and saw some "fruit" pies. For a brief moment I thought about getting one because I was so good at not having cake. Then I shook my head and thought about how silly that was. Why would I 'reward' my choice by making an even worse choice. So I ended the night with no sugary treats. YAY ME!!!

Freezing Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We have heard this over and over again, yet almost half of our population skip this meal. Why? Most are too busy to sit down and have a meal first thing in the morning. We are running around getting the kids ready for school or ourselves ready for the day. If you are like me, you are still trying to wake up and should not be near a room with sharp objects and fire.

I do, however, have breakfast every morning, even in my tired state. I enjoy having a quick meal that I don't have to think about to prepare straight out of my freezer. I could spend lots of money on food from the frozen food aisle but I choose to set aside a few hours every so often and make my own.  I enjoy knowing what is in my food and where it came from.

Many baked goods can be frozen. Muffins, scones, fruit breads, and waffles are all in my freezer. I like to bake them fully and just freeze flat on a baking tray. This is called flash freezing. Once they are semi-frozen, about an hour or so, I take them off the tray and place them in a freezer safe bag. This method will prevent the items from sticking together so I can pull out 1 or 5 items at a time. Partner these up with some scrambled eggs and a side of fruit and you have a meal that will keep you going all morning long, in about 1 minute.

Smoothies and breakfast burritos are a huge hit for our family as well. I can blend up some fruit, yogurt and add a scoop of protein powder in a matter of minutes and walk out the door. As an added bonus, we put 3 cups of fresh spinach and the kids will be having their veggies without any complaints. We call it the Green Monster and my 3 toddlers are more than happy to drink it up. A breakfast burrito takes 3 minutes in the microwave and you can carry it with you as you get those kids to the school bus.

If time is the reason you are skipping breakfast, please spend an hour or so every few weeks and make some things for the mornings that are so hectic. You will be calmer and your kids will be able to focus on school and play.

 Looking for ideas? Here are some of our family favorites:
Apple Snack Cake
Baked Oatmeal
Coffee Smoothie
Cranberry Orange Scones
Fruity Breakfast Burritos
Carrot Apple Nut Muffins
Breakfast Burrito
Green Monster
 Clone of Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls    (these are a Christmas morning tradition)

When Slow Cooker meets Freezer

Don't put your slow cooker in the freezer!!

I heard about making crock pot meals ahead of time about a year ago. I thought the woman who came up with this idea was a genius. I also thought that it was so simple it shouldn't have taken a year of traditional freezer cooking for me to figure this out. I now keep at least one chicken, one pork and one beef crock pot meal on my rotation every month when I set up the types of meals I want to add to our freezer. 

The things I love about using both the slow cooker and freezer for making our meals are:

• The quickness of making them ahead of time. Most of the time I only have to chop the veggies and dump in a bag.
• I can use up extras from other recipes. If I have a little bit of chicken, pork or beef  I know can add a few more ingredients and have another great meal.
• The managers specials are great ways to find cheap cuts of meat for meals but you have to use them quick. Since crock pot meals are easy to toss in the freezer, you can take full advantage of these discounted quick sales.

The only draw back of having slow cooker freezer meals is you need to be discipline enough to think ahead of your meals. Most of these meals need 4-8 hours in the crock pot and it is best to thaw them out a little in your fridge. I like to plan my meals on Sunday for the entire week. I write them in a few places so everyone knows what we are having for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that week. You don't have to be THAT specific on your meal planning, but having an idea the night before is needed for these meals.

Most every crock pot recipe that requires you to just dump your ingredients and turn the machine on will work for the freezer. All you do is label your gallon freezer bag, gather your ingredients and dump your ingredients in the bag (instead of the crock pot) according to the directions. Raw meats, sauces, veggies, fruits, whatever - NO COOKING REQUIRED! YAY!!!! Get as much of the air out of your bag as possible and freeze. When you are ready to cook I recommend getting it out the night before and thaw in your fridge, not your counter top. If it is still a little frozen in the morning, that's ok. You don't want to chance making your family sick by leaving it out all night and getting too warm too fast. If you forget to thaw in the fridge you can run the package under hot water but it may make your cook times a little off.

I will offer one note about our friend the potato. Some people have blogged about success with freezing raw potatoes for these recipes and having no issues. I am not one of those people. I have tried red, Idaho, Yukon and Bay City, MI potatoes. Each and every time they have come out of the freezer black and mushy. I don't know what I am doing wrong but I no longer add these to my meals for the freezer. I do, however, cook the meal in the slow cooker and then portion and freeze. As long as I reheat the item on the stove top, my potatoes come out looking as fresh as the day I made the dish.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes:
Beef Stroganoff
Spicy Honey Chicken Breast
Apple Cherry Pork Tenderloin
Super Bowl Chili

I hope you are enjoying a peek into how I cook for our busy family. If you ever have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to get the information to you.

I will be back Monday October 22nd

I wanted to take a quick second to let you all know that I am taking a break so I can get my life together. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by being a stay-at-home mom (it should be easy right?) so I have been taking my nap time 2 hours to create a second brain to help me feel less overwhelmed. I will be taking photos and sharing all the links to the great printables I have found soon.

Just sit tight and know I will be back with more talk or freezer cooking, life as a mom, losing weight AND soon a home management binder. OH I just love binders and getting rid of the paper clutter!!!

Meal Plan Monday

Link back to orgunkie.com

 My meal plan this week is a bit similar to last week. Everything is already made and waiting the freezer to be reheated. A few things will need to be cooked but nothing will take me more than 20 minutes to cook up.

Monday October15th
Breakfast : Cereal and yogurt
Lunch : Corn chowder, apple slices, and pretzels
Dinner : Leftovers (salad, lasagna, pork chop, and tater-tot casserole. About a serving of each so I think we will let the littlest choose first, then middle, and big)

Tuesday October 16th
Breakfast : Banana muffins and scrambled eggs
Lunch: Mashed potatoes, peas and carrots and Ranch chicken
Dinner : Birthday party. Night off for me!

Wednesday October 17th
Breakfast : Baked oatmeal
Lunch : Crockpot Beef Stroganof
Dinner : Pita bread pizza, red pepper strips

Thursday October 18th
Breakfast : Scones
Lunch : Ranch pork chops, rice and broccoli
Dinner : Cheese slices, cucumbers slices, oranges and pita bread

Friday October 19th
Breakfast : Cereal and apple slices
Lunch : Sandwiches, fish crackers and carrot sticks
Dinner :Chicken fried rice

Saturday October 20th
Breakfast : Breakfast cookies
Lunch : Fend for your self - whatever you can find in the fridge or sandwiches
Dinner: Meat ball sandwiches and potato wedges

Sunday October 21st
Breakfast : Banana muffins and scrambled eggs
Lunch : Chicken Packets and salad
Dinner : Chicken strips, mash potatoes and corn on the cob

The snack bin is still full from a shopping trip this weekend. Lots of prepackaged cookies, pretzels, apple sauce and some string cheese. We also have frosted mini-wheats, a huge hit with my boys for snack time. 

Fitness Friday - Where I am at

That is me a bit over a year ago. I was 240lbs and I had a heck of a time finding clothes for my cousin's wedding. Something needed to change.

Being a stay at home mom to three toddlers, my needs tend to take a backseat to everything else going on in our home. I am also an emotional eater and struggle with anything sugar. I still will grab a candy bar when the boys are running around screaming about a toy that did not go through the proper channels of ownership.

I feel I deserve a pizza (yep, I will eat a whole one if no one is watching still to this day) if we made it through the week with no broken bones and all the chores are completed on time. So maybe I am not THAT bad, but I do (still) reward myself with food.

I have been struggling since August to get things back on track. I blogged about races I was doing, tracked my food everyday, attended every Weight Watcher meeting, and got in all my water UP TO August and then for some reason I gave up. I stopped doing all that had got me to this point, except attending meetings, and felt horrible that each day I said "tomorrow".


Well TOMORROW is TODAY!! I wrote down all the reasons I would like to lose weight. I thought about all the things I have done that have gotten me to this point and WHY I need to keep doing them. I also set little goals for myself so I can see that it is truly working. I have a list of fitness goals and food goals and will add a new one once I feel I have successfully done what I have previously stated I was going to do. I am not sharing them right now because some are pretty personal but I also want you to think of what you need to do and what you can do to accomplish that.

Currently my food goal is to track every single day. Good, bad or otherwise, I just want to get back into the habit of writing down what I eat. My fitness goal is to complete C25K, no matter how long that will take. In July I was up to the 4th week of the 8 week program and gave up.

And this is me today. Sorry for the awkward photo, I am not that great at taking my own photos and Losing It Big was taking more of his own face than of me. I have lost 35 pounds in the past year. Not as huge as so many out there but I have only been adjusting small things. I never want to see the above photo again so I am doing things I know I can do FOREVER and working out for 2+ hours and eating carrots is not something I could do for 3 days, let alone the rest of my life.

Today, on my home scale, I saw 204. I want to see 135 someday and will have to work very hard to get that. I am not down and out. I am at the 1 mile mark looking for that water station.

Three Boy Thursday - The Collection Box

The Losing It Kids have got the collecting bug. Collecting is a very normal thing for kids. In our house we have little nature lovers, collecting things like leaves, rocks and parts of plants. When Losing It Big comes home from pre-school, we have a routine of checking his pockets and backpack for his "collections".

At the start of school this year I was noticing the outdoors was finding it's way indoors. I needed to come up with a way to keep the small stones and other things that Losing It Little could put in his mouth out of the house, but still respect the growing curiosity Losing It Big was developing. I started by having him store his goodies in the mail box, but that only lasted a week because we needed our mail box clear. I then started having him leave them on the porch, but when he would check in the morning for the sticks and leaves, mother nature had moved them along. I spent a few days trying to come up with something small enough not to be an eye sore but large enough to hold his treasures. I found a plastic shoe box in our basement that wasn't being used and sat it next to our front door. It has been there for weeks and I imagine will be for quite some time.

 As you can see he is quite the scientist, collecting all sorts of things to examine. He loves to tell me all about the world around him and how things change in the Fall.

If you were wondering, he will tell you all about how the Earth turns and that is why the sun goes down at night, all the colors leaves can be (and can't be) and that little rocks are the best. He will also show you his favorite thing of all, a pumpkin stem he found the first week of school.

Do you have a little collector in your house? What are the things your little ones like to save?