Food storage

We never had a good set of tupperware. When we got married, we combined pieces that our mothers had given us when we moved out for college. That was a time when our diets consisted of a lot of sushi, pizza and in n out, and while these are still present staples, we have a new need for food storage.

We went to costco:) My mom has a great set of food storage pieces that has snap on lids and i loooove that. I found something similar at costco and we brought it home! The containers were set out on the counter prior to bedtime, in preparation for sanitizing in the dishwasher. That was the end of that. . . . we have two teething toddlers and N needed some tylenol before bedtime. (yes, we use the generic, non-recalled, kind) As I struggled to get the proper dosage in the dropper and into N's mouth, he somehow knocked the containers on the counter and one of them chipped. They had to go back. If these things couldnt handle a minor knock by a toddler, no way theyd last here.

So, back to costco we went. (they have the easiest exchanges! well, them and bed bath and beyond) I searched the aisle for a better alternative to the cheapie glass containers we returned. All the while feeding crackers, cereal bar and juice/water to the squirmy twosome. On the end cap, I saw it. PYREX! HELLO?!!? Pyrex is good stuff man! Grandma's use pyrex, and not just my kids grandma's, MY grandma! $30 for a set that sells for $45. DONE:) http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-16-piece-No-Leak-Storage-Container/dp/B003UNSN4Y/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1288416033&sr=8-16

I like it because the containers are glass, and they have rubber lids, with heat vents. The whole thing is freezer/oven/microwave/dishwasher safe. Not the the lids though, they can't be used in the oven.

The freezer part will come in handy over the next weeks as once my new hand chopper arrives, we will be chopping and freeing veggies!

Italian dressing crock pot chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
1 bottleKraft - Free Zesty Italian (Fat Free Dressing)
2 cups water
2 small onions, or 1 large, quartered
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup sliced portabella mushrooms
3 small red potatos

Place chicken on the bottom of the crockpot
pour dressing over the chicken
add water
place onion pieces around perimeter of the crock pot
add other veggies
cover, and set to low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-5

this came out awesome, and the kids ate it up! we did too:)

Almond butter shake

Once again, thanks to my mom recycles:

http://mymomrecycles.com/almond-butter-banana-shake/#more-509

great way to get SOME nutrition into N. . . picky, teething eater he is!

Preparing veggies!

There are people in this world who are brilliant. My mom recycles is one of them! Check this out:

http://mymomrecycles.com/prep-your-vegetables-ahead-of-time/

Its good enough to keep ingredients on hand that you might use a lot, but this is just awesome! Im looking forward to getting on board with this veggie freezing with my new pampered chef hand chopper, thanks dad!

http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=240&catId=4

Crock pot Chicken Cacciatore

Thinking of making this tomorrow:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=180352

(im having trouble adding links for some reason:( )

Looks good, and I have everything exceot the zucchini. . . I can use some other veggie I suppose. We have mushrooms!!

Crock pot chili

We had a crazy busy weekend, and no meal planning. I wanted to get something going today during the kids nap, so I called my friend at mymomrecycles.com and asked for her yummy crock pot chili recipe! I had some for lunch last week when the boys and I popped over by chance. I grabbed the ingredients this morning, put the kids in bed for a nap after lunch and got this going!

Check it out at:

mymomrecycles.com/crock-pot-chili

It came out AWESOME! The house smelled sooooooo good:) We used her suggestion of serving in an acorn squash 'bowl' and it looked beautiful. If I can remember how to post pix on my blog, I surely will:)

Fantastic cold weather recipe!

Sunny's Crockpot Brisket

3 pounds of brisket
1 cup water
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix (or other brand)
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
3 Tbs of chili paste (or substitute 1 bottle of chili sauce)

Mix ingredients together. Pour over brisket in crock pot. Slow cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, take sauce and boil for two minutes. Then shred meat with fork and add to boiling sauce. Boil for one minute longer, stirring. Serve on toasted bun.

Helpful hint: If the brown sugar is hard, you can put in plastic container with a piece of bread over it and put in microwave for 30 seconds and it will loosen up the sugar.

this is a recipe from a friend sister in law:) thanks sunny!!!

Awesome travel booster

Over the summer, we made a fantastic purchase. The munchkin travel booster:

http://www.target.com/s?keywords=munchkin+booster&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0

It folds into a bag type size and opens into a seat for your child! This is definitely one for the confident sitter, as it does not have a 5 point harness. There is a section under the seat for holding eating utensils, snacks, diapers, toys, whatever you want! I keep these in my car and have used them a ton of times. They are great for going to a friends house who either doesnt have kids or whos high chairs/boosters are full of their own. Some restaurants dont even have high chairs - gasp! - and these little things save the day there too.

They are small enough to just leave in the car (empty of dirty food containers of course) and to have whenever yo might need them.

I am really thinking of making them my favorite gift to a newish mama. Its just been SOOO handy:)

Bruschetta Chicken bake in the crockpot

This recipe was forwarded to me by a friend.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=41432&src=droid

I havent made it yet because I need to cut up the chicken before cooking, and Im lazy. . . but she said it was awesome!!!

Chicken marinara on the crockpot

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Place chicken in the crockpot
Pour marinara sauce over the chicken

cook on low for 6-8 hours

about 15 minutes before you want to eat, sprinkle cheese over the chicken and re-cover.

everyone enjoyed this too! we had it with steamed broccoli

Mom's cranberry turkey breast in the crockpot

Its a sad thing that I dont cook, because my mom actually can! As can my grandmother. . . there really are a lot of great cookes in my family, all over the place, and I just havent found my own inner chef. Or am I finding her now? hmmm. . . .

1 turkey breast (found next to all the chicken parts. this may be a dumb note, but I didnt know where it was. . )
1/2 cups orange juice (i used 3/4 cups because i was afraid it wasnt enough liquid. my crock pot is rather large though, so you can decide for yourself)
1 container lipton onion soup mix
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

Place turkey breast in crockpot
Mix all ingredients together, and pour over the turkey breast.

cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4

note - I put the turkey breast in the pot, and dumped each individual ingredient over it. my mom told me afterwards that its better to mix and then pour. . . . guess what? It was still super yummy:)

Stuffed Peppers in the crockpot

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were frequenters of the Trader Joes heat n eat section. One of our weekly staples, which the kids love also, is their stuffed peppers! Ground turkey, rice, spices - YUM!

I used this recipe, also from mymomrecycles.com, and was VERY pleased with how it came out. I used yellow, orange and red peppers, and it was so pretty! I have pictures and might just post them:)

http://mymomrecycles.com/?s=stuffed+peppers

Chicken and dumplings in the crock pot

Pure comfort food! I got this recipe from my friend at mymomrecycles.com

check it out!

http://mymomrecycles.com/chicken-and-dumplings/

I used Trader Joes multigrain pancake mix for the dumplings and whole grain flour.

This recipe is VERY good. Another success that we all enjoyed!! The dumplings were a bit of an issue for me since we got home later than planned from the pharmacy due to another need antibiotic. I had two whiny, crying toddlers stuck in high chairs while I read, measured and rolled dumplings out. SO, I might make this again, when someone is around to amuse the little monsters. VERY good, and plenty of leftovers!

Mushroom Chicken Marinara in the crockpot

8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tsp bottled minced garlic (i used trader joes crushed garlic, also bottled)
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar, 26 oz, spaghetti sauce

place mushrooms, garlic and lemon juice in the slow cooker
place chicken breasts on top
pour spaghetti sauce over the chicken
cook on low for 8 hours

This once turned out GREAT! I believe we had this with sweet potato, and mmmmm mmm MMMM!

Broccoli soup mix chicken in the crockpot

• 2 pounds chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts cut in strips
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked converted rice
• 1 package Knorr's Cream of Broccoli Soup Mix
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Place rice in a lightly greased slow cooker/Crock Pot. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Top with chicken pieces. Mix together the soup mix and broth. Pour over chicken and rice. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.


This one wasnt as good as some of the others, but still a decent meal. You might have better luck with it than I did.

Salsa chicken in the crockpot

Place 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your crockpot. Pour a jar of salsa over the chicken and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours.

Use the chicken on tortillas, rice, whatever you like. Add a veggie for a complete meal. (I love those steam in the bag things! Trader Joes also has white and green beans in the fridge section, and you poke the bag a few times and heat for 3-4 minutes - so yummy and VERY low cal:)

This was way too easy, and I loved that:) SO good too!!! Everyone enjoyed:)

Ground turkey and potatoes in the crockpot

Ground Turkey Crockpot Recipe
Ingredients
o 1 lb ground turkey, browned
o 2 large potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
o 1 small onions, diced
o 2 teaspoons garlic salt
o 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
o 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine (i didnt do this)
o 2 teaspoons steak sauce lea and perrins
o 1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
o 1/2 cup beef broth (i used low sodium chicken broth)
Directions
1. Put potatoes on bottom and sides of crock.
2. Then add turkey, onion, and garlic salt.
3. Then add soup and other wet ingredients.
4. Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or high 4-6 hours.

This recipe was SOOOO yummy! We all enjoyed it, even picky Mr. N!!! It was a bit more work than Id like, being that I needed to brown the turkey meat the night before. I recently read on a friends blog, that she buys ground meat in bulk, browns it, and freezes it!!! That way, when she needs it for a recipe, she just adds it to the crockpot. GENIUS! This fancy lady also buys fresh veggies at the farmers market in bulk, chops them and freezes them for later use too. I keep thinking about doing that, and just need to make myself the time. SO SMART Ms. W!


This recipe was from a twin mama in a group I used to belong to, not my own, lol.

Cooking with twins

I was never a major chef. Ive been good at the pasta and cookies from a log deal for quite some time. Once I got pregnant, I was motivated to do better, but too tired to actually do it. Growing twins is a lot of work! Finally, around 18-19 weeks, I got it together enough to make some crock pot meals. It was cold weather in Texas at the time, and that made it even more appealing - a warm, non-takeout meal waiting for us at home was a great idea! With a few recipes from online, and my foodie sister in law, I was armed to feed us for a the week! I was doing great with it too! And then. . .. I was put on bed rest. There was NO way B would have been able to keep up what I had tried to start, AND manage the whole house, me, and his job on his own. We avoided takeout as much as possible, but cooked a lot of pre-made items to make sure we stayed nourished.

Upon my bed rest release, I was a new mom to twins. Cooking was no where near the top of my list. Both boys started out in the NICU and E, as most of you know, had surgery early on. It was 28 days until our little family was home together. When I wasnt hooked up to the breast pump, I was cleaning, napping or handling some other baby duty. Sleep just wasnt really happening - for like 10 months mind you! That was awful, but another post. . . . The cooking remained scattered and as easy as possible.

We moved back home a year ago, and took up enjoying many of our favorites - In n Out, Trader Joes heat and eat stuff. . . but its time to do better. The boys are nearing 17 months, and I dont weigh what Id like (typed as I had a weak night and an empty ice cream cup sitting next to me - it happens!) I remembered my old buddy the crock pot! Its been a couple of weeks now, and we are bonding nicely:) I plan to post my recipes as they come to me - please note that just because a recipe is posted on my blog, does NOT mean I claim creative rights to it. I get my recipes from online sites, friends, family, etc. I will try to post sites as often as I can. My posting the recipes here is just a means of sharing for my own reference, and if you get use out of them as well, so be it:)

Meet Mama

I have twins. Therefore, since we left the house for the first time on an excursion other than to see the doctor, my twins and I have been a spectacle. Its like we are a set of freaks wandering the world! For the first 4 months, I was actually terrified to be alone with them. I had fears they would scream and rise up against me in fits of rage while I was alone and that I would be beaten down by these two teeny infants. And then whats worse? Who would give feed them? Who would take care of them? Who would pump their breast milk?!?! One of my boys had acid reflux, so of course, I KNEW no one would remember his medication if they did indeed defeat me, and NO ONE would remember he needs to be up right after eating for 30 minutes. . . .

My husband, B, was thankfully very patient with me. We had a helper, C, who saved me, and my boys actually on several occasions. Sometimes, I just HAD to walk away! In the early months, we lived a few states away from 'home' and had a lot of family visiting. On one occasion, B's cousin, CC(yes its two c's. her name is the same is our helpers), was out to visit us for a few days. She joined us on an excursion to the mall. During our morning routine - whatever THAT was way back then with twin 2 month olds, I shared stories with CC of the millions and gazillions of random people who thought I gave a sh*t about their twin relationships and experiences. I cant tell you how many stories began with, "OH!!! My second cousins girlfriends brother in law is a twin" I also cant tell you how much I fought to hold my tongue and fists back from punching out this stranger stealing my precious moments from me. Didn't they know it took us LITERALLY an HOUR to walk out to the car?!!? That it took meticulous planning to make sure breast milk was pumped JUST before leaving so I had 3 hours til I was back to moo-ing in my stall? I wanted to scream at them to just 'SHUT UPPPP!" But of course, I couldn't yell at the lovely old lady who just wanted to know, "are they twins?!" Uhhh, no. . . . they're just really close in age. . . . ACK!

Its not that the questions and invasions of my day weren't well intentioned, its just that I didn't care. I'm BUSY. I HAVE TWINS!!!

CC is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. She smiled sweetly and rubbed my back, almost telling ME to shut up. . . but in the nicest way possible:) (no sarcasm here, we do ADORE her)

It didn't take long, we were at the mall for less than an hour, it may have even been less than that. And she saw it. CC stopped me and shared that she had counted how many times we had been stopped just walking around the mall. 13 times. THIRTEEN?!?!!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!?How many more mall freaks are waiting to slow our pace? I'm due back at the pump soon! We haven't had lunch! Baby E needs his bottle right this second so he will be done in 15 minutes, so he has 30 minutes of upright time before getting back in the car seat so we avoid a reflux episode and end up the emergency room - again, so we can be home within my 3 hour window so I can get back to the pump, so we have more food for my babies and my breasts don't EXPLODE! We took the cold shoulder route and proceeded to ignore everyone. C, CC, me, and the kids. . . . an entourage just to get through a lunch outing.

We found a quiet seating area, and split up baby duties. However, the double snap n go was like a flashing neon sign that 'i have twins' People leered like we were a zoo attraction. Really? Its JUST two babies. . . . move along now, THANKS. During this feeding time, the 3 of us girls decided it would just be awesome if I could simply react to these mall oglers as I wanted. To the teen mall worker who was too busy texting, chatting up customers or just being lazy, I could punch him in the face (I know, not nice, but its real either. . . ) To the customers holding up the line and paying with a CHECK (?!?!!!??) Id light up my rocket boosted stroller and zoom ahead of her to complete my transaction. To all the random people with their comments; 'oh my, you must have your hands full!' 'look at that! double trouble! haha' (hahahHA my @$$) I got to cinnaBOMB them. I'm not sure what a cinnaBOMB does yet, but I'll let you know as I decide:) Something along the lines of a creamy cinnamon and frosting mess that renders the annoying person stuck and I get to move about my day - I only have TWINS, full hands apparently and a million things to do that are more important to talking to you, random stranger.

Oh, and the mall security can't touch me, because I'm lightening quick and they miss the chaos I cause. Plus, I'm super charming and I have twins. . . right?