Freezer Meals/Meatloaf Muffins

I've become a big fan of freezer meals lately. I realized I spend way too much time in the kitchen.  Eating healthy and eating at home requires a lot of time.  A lot of chopping, a lot of cooking, and a lot of cleaning. I felt like I was cooking and cleaning dishes all day long. So, I started making freezer meals and freezer snacks.  BEST DECISION EVER.

Here's a few examples:

Mini corndog muffins (these are great for toddlers/preschool lunches)
I make huge batches of these and freeze them. Rhett LOVES them in his school lunch - I pop a few in his lunchbox the night before school and they are defrosted and ready to eat by lunch time the next day.  When he's at home, I cook them in the toaster oven, straight from the freezer, for a few minutes.  Easy, hot lunch in just a few minutes.  If you use applesauce instead of oil for the cornbread, get uncured hot dogs, and throw in a veggie (peas work great), these are pretty healthy and very kid friendly.

Mini-any muffins
Any kind of muffin freezes well and defrosts pretty quickly.  Great for breakfasts and snacks.
Again, I use applesauce instead of oil.

Tonight I made turkey meatloaf muffins. These were pretty easy to whip up and makes for several meals.
I used 2 packages of lean turkey, 1 pkg of mushrooms (chopped), 1/2 red onion (chopped), 1 red bell pepper (chopped), 2 eggs, about a cup of breadcrumbs (add more if you think you need it), and 7 tablespoons of ketchup. Mixed it all together with my hands.  Added some sea salt and pepper. Added a few dashes of garlic powder with parsley. Added a dash of chili powder. Scooped little balls into a muffin pan. Cooked on 400 until internal temperature reached 170.
The mushrooms make these extra moist. Yummmmm.

Yummi Pouches

As a baby, Rhett ate everything. Lots of everything.  There was no vegetable, fruit, meat, or grain he didn't like.  I went to great lengths to feed him raw, natural, unprocessed food and he loved it. He's become more picky now and we have to do the "Okay, are you ready to go to bed then? No? Then eat your food." Repeat, at least 10 times.  Eventually, he caves and eats some of what's in front of him but it is WORK.  Getting him to eat green vegetables is the worst.  Broccoli has become "Trees! Look at this tree! Dinosaurs eat trees.  How do dinosaurs eat? Mmmm!!" So let's be real, ain't nobody got time for that.

One morning, I was sipping my coffee and browsing Zulily and saw these Yummi Pouches.  They claim they are easy to clean and easy to fill, so I bought a pack.  GREAT BUY!

Rhett WILL drink a smoothie sometimes, so this is a great way for me to sneak veggies in him.  Today he had a smoothie made with frozen fruit, almond milk, kale, honey, and a banana.

These pouches are very easy to fill and clean.  There's an opening at the top with a zip-lock type closure.  You just open it and pour in whatever you made.  And to wash, you rinse out then put on the top rack of your dishwasher upside down.  SO easy and very convenient.  You can even freeze them, which is great for preschoolers and making lunches ahead of time!

Hello, Fall.

Hey ya'll. (Can you tell I don't live in El Paso, anymore?)

It's been awhile, eh? But I think I say that every time.

It's been a very good, very busy year! Fletcher wrapped up his first year at his new job, and we had a travel-packed summer.  First stop was the big city! My mom graciously watched the kids for 5 days while Fletch and I traveled away for a much needed, super awesome vacation to New York City.  It was our first real vacation since our honeymoon and boy did we have fun! We basically just porked out the whole time, but that's what you do when you go on vacation, right?

Next stop was Galveston with the kiddos.  This trip was totally impromptu, and we scored a great deal on a cute little condo since it was so last minute.  It's only a 4 hour drive and the kids did great traveling.  Galveston is a cute beach town.  It's not a very pretty beach, but it's a beach! They have some good seafood and a cool pier with amusement rides and stuff.  We skipped that part since the kids are too little, but we spent time on the beach and took advantage of the food. (Notice a trend?)

Rhett LOVED the ocean.  He thought the waves were funny, but he wasn't amused by the slimy seaweed creature things that get washed up with them.  Every time one would touch his foot, he'd freak out.  He's definitely my child!  I, of course, stayed on the shore.  If you know me, you know I don't do two things.  Bugs and the ocean.  Fletcher went in pretty far, though.

  

We were so pleased with how easy the trip with two went, that we decided to drive to Benton, Arkansas to visit my friend Emmy and her family! Only a 4 1/2 hour drive.  It was 4th of July while we were there, and we went out on the lake for the holiday.  It was a blast!  They brought jet skis and a boat.  Rhett LOVED it and still talks about "skis" every day when we drive over the lake at home.  Emmy's son is Rhett's age and they had a great time running around.

I could't have asked for a better summer! 

With that said, it's been really nice to get back on a schedule.  In fact, it's made me sane.  Fletcher is working a lot, so I try to stay busy with the kids.  Rhett started a 2-day preschool this year, so he's gone Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-2:30pm.  Blair and I take advantage and do things like browse Home Goods, go to the post office....ya know. Things that you can't do with a toddler.  

Blair just started crawling and is now all over the place and all into her brother's stuff.  He's not much for sharing.  Yet.  He also doesn't appreciate when she opens her mouth.  Ever.  Anytime she babbles, he says "STOP IT!".  Other than that, he's a super loving, huggy-kissy brother.  He'll get right in her face and say "HI!!!! HI!!!!!".  It's too cute.  Blair thinks anything Rhett does is funny.  It's so fun to watch.

Anywho, that's a little update on us.  I plan to start posting a little more often and would like to incorporate some kid-friendly food type posts.  It's been a struggle lately to get Rhett to cooperate with meal time, so I've had to come up with some tricks.  

Until next time!

XO

Quinoa - my new best friend.

Quinoa is SO good.  I made it a few weeks ago, for the first time.  Costco sells a giant bag of it.

The first time I cooked it, I made it in a rice cooker with chicken broth instead of water.  While that was cooking, I browned cubed chicken breast in olive oil and garlic.  Added fresh spinach.  When the quinoa was done, I added it to the pan, and tossed it all with some pesto.  You can add a pinch of parmesan to make it more gooey, but you don't really need it.  This was really yummy and filling.

Yesterday, I made quinoa again - this time tossing it with fresh lemon juice.  I added sliced cherry tomatoes, some feta cheese, diced avocado and cooked spinach to it and it was AMAZING.  It's good chilled, too.

My goodness! It's been 6 months since I last posted and wow, how life has changed.
We recently moved to DFW.  The metroplex. We absolutely love it here and are settling in well.
I left my event planning business behind, so now my days consist of toddler activities and COOKING! And baking.  I've just become very fond of baking.  We also found out that I'm pregnant - with a girl! Perhaps that's why this pregnancy I'm all about sugar while my last pregnancy was alllll about salt.

Anywho.  I made some lemon cupcakes with blueberry curd and buttercream frosting today and decided it was time to start sharing again.

I had some lemon cake mix that needed to be used, so the actual cupcakes are out of a box. : /
Fear not. The fresh blueberry curd and homemade buttercream frosting make them worthy of blogging.

Made a blueberry curd by simply cooking a pint of frozen blueberries, with a stick of butter, 5 egg yolks (slightly beaten), 3/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt on medium heat.  As the mixture cooked, I used my spoon to mash up the blueberries.  I wasn't really successful at mashing them, so I ended up throwing the mixture into the food processor once it had simmered for awhile.  After I blended it all up, I put it in a bowl and refrigerated it overnight. 

Next day, per Betty Crocker, I made the lemon cupcakes.  Set them aside and let them cool.

The buttercream frosting is so simple and SO good.  With a mixer, I blended a cup of softened butter, 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, and a dash of salt.  Once it's nice and blended, add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of milk.  Keep mixing, on high, until it's nice and fluffy.

Once the cupcakes cooled, I made a small (not very deep hole) in the center.  Filled it with the blueberry curd, and topped with buttercream frosting.  For a cute garnish, I added a blueberry.

Tell me that's not an EASY way to make boxed cupcakes gourmet.

Pampered Chef Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer

I made my first Pampered Chef purchase and discovered my new favorite kitchen tool!
The Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer. When I saw the picture of this thing, I was a little intimidated.  It looks like a torture device that would be complicated to set up.  Good news is - it's already assembled, so all you have to do it attach it to your counter or buy the stand and attach it to that.

I bought this because I always buy an abundance of apples at Costco (did I mention that's my favorite place EVER?), and rarely do we eat them all.  Rhett loves apples, and we've gotten away from purees, so this tool is aamaaazzzzinnngggg for that purpose.  It takes me 10 seconds to stick an apple on, and have it peeled, cored, and sliced into the perfect little slices for his tiny fingers to grab and eat.  He loves them!

I highly recommend this product to all mommies with babies that have moved on to finger foods.
I'm looking forward to using this during the holidays, also.  Baking an apple pie will never have been so easy.

My go-to Pampered Chef consultant (and friend) is Renee Rodriguez.  You can order from her website here.

Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa consists of a few spears of mango, chopped fine.  A small bunch of cilantro, chopped fine.  Two large tomatoes, chopped fine.  Green onion, sliced.  I'd normally add avocado and cucumber, but didn't have those this time.

I used garlic powder with parsley and drizzled honey on the salmon before grilling it.  Mmm.

Grilled Mahi Mahi Sliders

These take NO time at all and are so good.  I impressed myself on this one.

First, I mixed up some pre-chopped cabbage (thinly chopped) with fresh, chopped pineapple and cilantro.  Mixed it all together.  Added some of the pineapple juice from the container, and a tablespoon of Simply Dressed Ranch.  Topped little slider buns with the cabbage, some sliced red onion, a slice of tomato, and then spread avocado on the inside of the top bun.  Grilled the mahi mahi for a few minutes (one steak for two sliders).  Cut it in half.  Topped the buns with the mahi mahi.  Ate.  Mmmm.  Didn't even need sides.  Oh, and I squeezed some lime on top of the fish, and topped with cracked pepper and crushed red pepper.

SO GOOD.  Make these.  You will love them.

Beef Chili w/ Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

I stole this chili recipe from a friend.
It's super simple, doesn't take too long to make, and is so hearty and delicious.
You can substitute the beef for turkey or chicken.  I've tried both, and it's just as good.
I highly recommend adding some grilled steak, chopped up, to the beef version!

Here's what I did.
Chopped up a white onion, green bell pepper, few stalks of celery, 4 tomatoes, and 4 cloves of garlic.  Added it all to a pot, with a drizzle of olive oil, and simmered until the vegetables were cooked through.  Added one can of kidney beans and one can of black beans (I rinsed the beans before adding them to remove any excess sodium).  Added a few handfuls of frozen corn.  Added 2 pounds of ground beef.  Let the beef cook on low for awhile, until almost cooked through.  Added a large can of tomato sauce.
Once everything is all mixed up, I let it cook on low for a good while.
Next, the cornbread.  I have a huge bag of cornbread mix - all you add is an egg, butter, and milk.  Once I mixed the batter, I added a cup or two of shredded cheese and some pickled jalapeños from the jar.  Bam.  That's it.

If you use lean beef, chili really isn't that high in calories.  It's packed with protein and makes you feel like you're eating a good, hearty, comfort food!

Rhett feeds Chloe. And loves it.

Today Rhett realized that Chloe eats the food he drops.  He thought it was hilarious and started feeding her on purpose!