Eat @HOME August Finale & September-Menu Planning

Well, it's official...we DID IT!  We ate at home for the entire month of August! (With the exception of Eli's Birthday Happy Meal!)  Anybody else out there try it?  I think the team's favorite new meal was the Baked Tacos followed closely by Chicken Rollatini.

It was a lot of cooking, but it was SO worth it.  So much in fact that we are doing it AGAIN!  Ahhh!  We are crazy! :)  We won't be AS strict this time.  We will allow ourselves a couple of times to go and grab something if we are in a pinch.  

Honestly it wasn't too bad!  True I did complain a few times, but those were times that I hadn't planned very well.  So that was my fault. :)

So here is my Eat @HOME September Menu!!  There are a few meals still left from August that I didn't get to.  You'll also see some repeats from August because they were so yummy.  I also added a couple of brand new ones to try out! (Those are noted by the *.)  I've also added a Snacks/breakfasts/Freezer category.  These are things I like to keep on hand at various times for the boys to either add to their school lunches or to take for snack.

Eat @ HOME September 2013 Menu

1. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos *
2. Chicken & Dumplings
3. Pancake Squares *, Eggs & Bacon
4. Navajo Tacos
5. Chicken Rollatini , Pasta, Salad
6. Crockpot Lemon Chicken *, Baked Potatoes
7. BBQ Pork Ribs, Potato Casserole, Corn on the Cob
8. Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Sea Shell Pasta Salad*
9. Baked Tacos
10. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs *, Pasta, Ratatouille *
11. Garlic Chicken with Orzo*, Roasted Carrots
12. Crockpot Rotisserie Style Chicken Breasts, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Corn
13. Shepherd's Pie
14. Meatloaf, Oven Roasted Potatoes
15. Meatball Subs, Caprese Pasta Salad*
16. Baked Chicken Taquitos, Rice, Black Beans
17. BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Parmesan/Spinach Orzo
18. Chili, Cornbread
19. Pizza, Cheese Sticks, Salad
20. Spaghetti, Salad, Green Beans
21. Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken*, Rice
22. Crockpot Chicken Fajitas*
23. Pan-seared Chicken breasts, Baked Potatoes
24. Beef & Potato Hash
25. Hamburgers, French Fries
26. Pancakes, Eggs & Bacon
27. BBQ Chicken Legs, Oven Roasted Potatoes
28. Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Okra

Snacks/Breakfasts/Freezer

1. Hot Ham & Cheese Pinwheels*
2. Granola Bars
3. Poppy Seed Bread 
4. Banana Bread
5. Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
6. French Bread
7. Pizza Dough

Confession: I'm a Junk Hider!

I can't believe I'm posting this picture! :)  But, yes, that IS my floor!   

I was sweeping up the living room a couple of weeks ago and moved my couch!  BIG mistake!  And like a crazy woman, I HAD to take a picture!  (Someday I'll need evidence to prove to my boys all of the ways they have driven me crazy!)  I have thought about that picture a lot in the past couple of weeks.  And I wanted to share some thoughts with you about it.

You see, all of that "junk" was hiding out under my couch.  I'm not proud of this, but hey, just keepin' it real folks!  :)  

Let's play a quick game of I Spy, shall we?

I spy:

at least 3 dirty socks

a jolly rancher

a lollipop stick

a Gogurt Wrapper

Some Goldfish

A peanut butter cracker

Monopoly Money

A Dum-Dum wrapper

A Cheerio

A Cheeto

A headless Lego Man

A M&M

One goggle lens

An empty push pop container

A Straw wrapper

A bouncy ball

A wand

And countless other things that I can't even figure out what they are

You see, I am a junk-hider!

I promise you, I sweep my living room floor.  I know what you are thinking, "Yeah, OK!  Sure you do!"  I do sweep!  But let me tell you how I do it.  I do a quick sweep up around the furniture and in front of the door and through the doorway into the kitchen. 

So you may ask, "How in the world did you miss all of that junk?"

Well, I didn't dig into my couch.  I didn't do the heavy lifting of moving the couch out of the way to see what had accumulated under it. 

Why not?

Because sometimes it's just too much work and I'm tired! :)  Can I get an amen?   If I don't move my couch, I can't "see" the junk.  I MAY know it's there, but I know that no one else can see it.

You see, it's sooo much easier to do the work that people will notice.  Doing just enough to look good.  Doing just enough to get by.

I could try and argue that my floor is clean.  You can't see any of my "junk" so it has to be clean, right?

Nope, because I'm a junk-hider!

Junk...don't we all have junk?  We have junk hidden in our closets, our garages, some of us may even have a little "junk in our trunks!"  :)  But what about the junk that's hidden in our hearts?  What about the failures, the hurts, the pain, and the struggles that we hide deep within ourselves that we keep hidden from everyone else.  What about that "junk" that's weighing us down.  That "junk" that no one even knows is there because we present ourselves as "junk free"!

Guess what?  It doesn't work! We ALL have "junk".  

So what do we do with it?  I say we yank it out, dig it out, and deal with it!  God doesn't want us to live paralyzed by our past.  He wants us to live life abundantly!  He gave us Jesus so that we can live "junk free".  

Jesus said in John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

God gave us Jesus so that we can give Jesus our "junk".  What a wonderful gift!  A trade that is in NO way even!  But God did it because He LOVES us, even in spite of our "junk".

Because of Jesus, our "junk" doesn't have to stay with us.
Because of Jesus, we can be forgiven of our "junk".
Because of Jesus, we can forgive others of their "junk".
Because of Jesus, there is NOTHING that can separate us from God love for us.

WHAT a GIFT!

So if you are a fellow "junk-hider" and are holding on to "junk", get in there and dig it out.  Deal with it!  Give if ALL up!  You don't need it!  Jesus can handle it!  What are you waiting for?

If you need guidance, see a counselor!
If you need prayer, call a prayer warrior!
If you need to know more about who Jesus is, ask!

Go and live your "life to the full"!  That's God's plan for you!

Do you need one more laugh for today?  

Here is what's under my couch this morning, August 31, 2013!

Yep, I still have a few things to learn! :)  So does my team! 

~Kristee

Eat @HOME August Day #27 Update-Baked Tacos

We are almost done!  It has been a long month!  As of today, the only money we have spent on eating out was about $4 for Eli's Happy Birthday Happy Meal!  For birthdays, we take them the lunch of their choice to school.  We couldn't skip Eli's special day! :)

Last night I made Baked Tacos.  They were really good!  Thumbs up from the whole team!  Well, Eli technically gave me a sideways thumb because I put too much meat in them and his fell apart! :)  Such a critic!

They were fairly easy to make.  I loved the idea of toasting them upside down on the oven rack!  Just be careful when toasting up your tortillas not to burn them.  I only burned one which is amazing!  I'm notorious for burning tortillas in my house!  I used both corn and flour tortillas.  They both turned out great.  By toasting the tortillas in the oven, it makes the base wide enough to fill them without them falling over, which is AWESOME!  

The meat mixture for this is amazing.  By adding the refried beans, you can make your meat mixture go farther.  It also bumped up the fiber and protein.  My boys didn't even know it had beans in it!  This is probably how I'll make my tacos from now on!  They are that good! :)  I highly recommend these!

Baked Tacos

Topped with some lettuce, tomato, salsa and fat free sour cream!  YUM!

Here is what my menu looks like.  I'm going to end up with some extra recipes, but that's OK.  We will just roll those over into September.

Eat @ HOME August 2013 Menu

1. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos *
2. Skillet Chili Mac *
3. Pancake Squares *, Eggs & Bacon
4. Pan Seared Chicken with Tomatoes *, Parmesan/Spinach Orzo*
5. Chicken Rollatini *, Pasta,
6. Crockpot Lemon Chicken *, Baked Potatoes
7. Pork Loin *, Potato Casserole
8. Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sea Shell Pasta Salad*
9. Baked Tacos*
10. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs *, Pasta, Ratatouille *
11. Honey Lime Chicken Skewers *, Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Sauce*
12. Crockpot Rotisserie Style Chicken, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Corn
13. Shepherd's Pie
14. Meatloaf, Oven Roasted Potatoes
15. Meatball Subs, Salad
16. Baked Chicken Taquitos, Rice, Black Beans
17. BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pie
18. Sloppy Joes, French Fries
19. Pizza, Cheese Sticks, Salad
20. Spaghetti, Salad, Green Beans
21. BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Potatoes
22. Enchiladas, Rice, Black Beans
23. Beef & Potato Hash
24. Hamburgers, French Fries
25. French Toast, Eggs
26. BBQ Chicken Legs
27. Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Okra-Jeff's meal! :)

~Happy Cooking!

Kristee

Trainer Tips: Bible Printables

So a couple of weeks ago I went a little crazy on Pinterest.  I had seen free printables floating around Pinterest for some time.  I had never actually printed any of the ones I had "pinned".  And much to my excitement, I figured out just how easy it was.

For some time, Jeff & I had been trying to figure out a way to incorporate more Bible verses around the house.  In the past, we've just written them on note cards and have stuck them on the fridge, wall, and bathroom mirrors.  That works OK, but it really doesn't look "pretty".

So I ran across all of these printables and the light bulb came on.  I just printed them up on some card stock.  I'm not sure how long the will last without fading.  If you were concerned about them fading, you could print them out on photo paper or even send them to your favorite photo printing site.  I'm not too worried about that for now.  I hope to keep accumulating more so that I can rotate new ones in, if they begin to look too faded.  You can print them to any size you want.  Several of them had different color options as well.

As for the frames, I just went cheap.  I found so many verses to print, I knew I'd never be able to purchase expensive ones.  I opted for IKEA.  I was able to find some for $1.99 each.  Of course since they are from IKEA, they are a strange size, 8.5 X 11.  So keep that in mind when printing, if you opt to use them.  You will want to make sure your picture is centered for 8.5 X 11 rather than printing an 8 X 10.  Some of mine aren't exactly even, which I'm OK with.  :)

Here is what I came up with!   Did I mention they were all FREE?

If you'd like links to these freebies.  You can check the out HERE on my PRINTABLE Board on Pinterest.  I don't think that they are all on there.  Some of the sites that I pinned had multiple free printables, so you may just need to click around on their sites.  When I found more than more, I just printed it and didn't take the time to "pin" them all.

Now I just have to get them on the walls!  It certainly doesn't end with getting them put up.  We have to take the time to read them to the boys, and find ways to integrate them into day-to-day conversations.

Give these are try!  There are some really cute ones out there!  Let me know if you have any that you've found.  I was so surprised at how easy they were.  I'm also playing around with a couple of different sites to design my own.  Does anyone out there have experience with that?  I'd love some hints!!

~Kristee

Trainer Notes: Living Dangerously

This past weekend Jeff preached at all four services at our church.  He also had finals for a class he's taking for his Master's degree.  So it was a bit hectic around here.  We also had some friends here visiting from Indiana.  They were borrowing our van on Saturday to move their daughter into ASU.

So...funny story:

Since they were borrowing our van, Jeff had taken all four of the boys car seats out.  When did I remember this?  Yep, Sunday morning at 9:15, when I opened the van door, of course.  So I opened up the garage to get them out...not there!  :/  Jeff had put them in HIS van.  His van was at church!  He was on stage preaching at the 1st service!  Hmmm!?

Who could I call?  Nobody I know has four extra car seats laying around.  So I thought, "well bummer I guess we aren't going to church!"

Then I thought, "Forget that!  I have to go hear my man preach!"

I told the boys to get in and buckle up.  Eli was on the verge of a panic attack.  WHAT no car seats?  I stuck Micah's carrier on the seat and was able to use the seat belt to keep him stable without having the base.  Eli was concerned it was not safe.  So he said, "I'm gonna pray!"  LOVE him!

I got the other's all buckled in.  Jonah thought it was awesome.  He felt like a big boy.

We took off!  I was praying that I wouldn't get pulled over for some weird reason.

We made it.  It was a completely uneventful drive, aside from the giggling in the back!

As I pulled into the parking lot this song came on the radio.  Dangerous by Group 1 Crew
Take a listen it's a pretty catchy song!

The first line of the chorus says, "I want to live dangerous, risk it all for you Lord!"

It just cracked me up at God's timing!  I love it when He makes me laugh!  We lived "Dangerously" and made it on time.  

Jeff did great!  I always love getting to hear him speak!  If you want to watch Jeff's sermon you can check it out  HERE.

~Kristee

Eat @HOME August-Day #18 Update

We are still at it!  But boy I'm I tired! :)

 A few days ago we tried the Pan Seared Chicken with Tomatoes & the Parmesan/Spinach Orzo.

Turns out, the chicken is just pretty much grilled chicken with a tomato/olive relish.  I personally don't really care for olives.  I can eat them it they are thrown on a pizza or a Mexican dish, but that's about it.  I didn't realize the recipe included olives! :/  So I made the tomatoes and served it on the side.  Nobody like those but me.  It was just tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  I thought they added some flavor to the chicken.

I was worried about the Orzo.  All of that green spinach in there.  I wasn't sure how the boys would react.  I just told them it was a new recipe for Mac & Cheese.  Much to my surprise it worked! :)  Eli and Noah loved it.  Jonah wouldn't try it, which didn't surprise me.  Eli even took some in his lunch the next day.  It was really easy to make and the orzo cooked up really quick.  The ingredients were all what I would consider "normal", with the exception of the orzo.  I really like it as well.  The boys didn't complain about the spinach, so I'll be trying to sneak that into future meals! ;)  I think adding some artichokes and mozzarella cheese would be awesome!  I may try that next time.

I fear that I'm running out of motivation to cook!  I'm starting to dread fixing dinners now.  I'm praying that it passes and I get a second wind! :)

~Happy Cooking!
Kristee





Eat @ HOME August 2013 Menu

1. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos *
2. Skillet Chili Mac *
3. Pancake Squares *, Eggs & Bacon
4. Pan Seared Chicken with Tomatoes *, Parmesan/Spinach Orzo*
5. Chicken Rollatini *, Pasta,
6. Crockpot Lemon Chicken *, Baked Potatoes
7. Pork Loin *, Potato Casserole
8. Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sea Shell Pasta Salad*
9. Baked Tacos*
10. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs *, Pasta, Ratatouille *
11. Honey Lime Chicken Skewers *, Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Sauce*
12. Crockpot Rotisserie Style Chicken, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Corn
13. Shepherd's Pie
14. Meatloaf, Oven Roasted Potatoes
15. Meatball Subs, Salad
16. Baked Chicken Taquitos, Rice, Black Beans
17. BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pie
18. Sloppy Joes, French Fries
19. Pizza, Cheese Sticks, Salad
20. Spaghetti, Salad, Green Beans
21. BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Potatoes
22. Enchiladas, Rice, Black Beans
23. Beef & Potato Hash
24. Hamburgers, French Fries
25. French Toast, Eggs
26. BBQ Chicken Legs
27. Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Okra-Jeff's meal! :)

Eat @HOME August Day #12 Update

Well Eat @HOME August is STILL going strong! :)  We haven't given into temptation, not even once!  No McDonald's sweet tea, no fast food, not even donuts and juice at church.  The boys have done really well.  They haven't really complained.  They did want Gatorade at the Bridge on Saturday, but they used their own money for it! :)  Eli keeps coming up with things that I should make instead of buying.  He told me yesterday we should get some chickens so we wouldn't have to buy eggs!  Really?  As if our neighbors need another reason to be annoyed with us!  :)

We are cooking our way through our menu.  We've eaten 10 meals off of the menu so far.  Not too bad for day #12! :)

Eat @ HOME August 2013 Menu

1. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos *
2. Skillet Chili Mac *
3. Pancake Squares *, Eggs & Bacon
4. Pan Seared Chicken with Tomatoes *, Parmesan/Spinach Orzo*
5. Chicken Rollatini *, Pasta, 
6. Crockpot Lemon Chicken *, Baked Potatoes
7. Pork Loin *, Potato Casserole
8. Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sea Shell Pasta Salad*
9. Baked Tacos*
10. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs *, Pasta, Ratatouille *
11. Honey Lime Chicken Skewers *, Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Sauce*
12. Crockpot Rotisserie Style Chicken, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Corn
13. Shepherd's Pie
14. Meatloaf, Oven Roasted Potatoes
15. Meatball Subs, Salad
16. Baked Chicken Taquitos, Rice, Black Beans
17. BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pie
18. Sloppy Joes, French Fries
19. Pizza, Cheese Sticks, Salad
20. Spaghetti, Salad, Green Beans
21. BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Potatoes
22. Enchiladas, Rice, Black Beans
23. Beef & Potato Hash
24. Hamburgers, French Fries
25. French Toast, Eggs  
26. BBQ Chicken Legs
27. Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Okra-Jeff's meal! :)

Last night a made a meatloaf and some oven roasted potatoes.

I thought I'd share my potato recipe with you!  They are really easy and my team really likes them.

Oven Roasted Potatoes
*Potatoes
*Drizzle of Olive Oil
*Italian Seasoning
*Parmesan Cheese
*Salt and Pepper

Peel your potatoes, then slice thin on a mandolin slicer. (This is the one that I have.)-It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
Put them in a Ziploc bag, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add other ingredients to your liking.  Shake it all up.  Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Give it a try!

Has anybody out there tried any new yummy recipes?

~Kristee

Silly is as Silly Does: 5 Ways to be Silly with your Boys

One morning last week, in the rush of getting everyone and everything ready, I walked into the kitchen and smiled at Eli.  He stopped what he was doing (unloading the dishwasher) and just looked at me and grinned.  He looked happy but also a bit perplexed.  I kept smiling at him and he laughed and said, "what?".

It dawned on me... "He's acting surprised that I'm smiling at him!"  Oh my goodness!  I instantly felt sad.  I asked him if he sees me smile very often or if I just look grumpy all the time.  (I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know.)  He looked down.  I told him he could answer truthfully and that whatever he said was OK.  He said, "It's about 1/2 grumpy 1/2 smiley!"  *Sigh...at least he thinks I'm happy 1/2 of the time.

Goodness, that is a wake up call!

I started thinking about JOY and what that looks like being "lived out".

I looked up the word JOY and this is what Mr. Webster had to say:

a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires :delight

 JOY seems hard, because we don't always possess what we desire. Whether it's money, a new home, a car, fabulous vacations, obedient children, we are always longing for something we don't have.

So exactly what is it we need?

 Jesus tells Paul,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

Since Jesus says HIS grace is all we need then we should have JOY because he freely gives it to us!

Psalm 92:4

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

Psalm 118:15

Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

The second part of Webster's definition states:

b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

I have forgotten how important not just having JOY is, but also displaying JOY.  What good is being joyful if we don't show it?

Mr. Webster also listed the synonyms and antonyms:

Synonyms
beatitude, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, felicity, gladness, happiness, warm fuzzies

Antonyms
calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, unhappiness, wretchedness

Yikes! Those antonyms are really awful!

So how can we show JOY to our children?  I don't think it's just about having a smile on your face.  I think we have to have FUN.  Show them that we can be silly for no other reason than just to be SILLY! 

As a parent, we spend so much time training, teaching, cooking, cleaning, you name it we do it.  We can become so focused on what HAS to be done that we forget the little things like being silly.  I wonder how many times instead of reprimanding them for the 100th time about not splashing water outside of the tub, I could have run in with a pitcher of water and dumped it on their heads.  Or what about the times they take off the couch cushions to build a fort and I huff and yell, "BOYS!"  What if I just joined in?

So I started thinking of ways that I AM silly with the boys.  Instead of focusing on what I don't do, I thought it might be a good idea to improve upon what I, do, do! :)

So, here we have it:

5 Ways to Show Your Silliness

5. You must dance and you must dance badly!

I have learned that the more ridiculous, over exaggerated dance moves you have, the bigger giggle you get from them!

4. When they ask you a question, answer them with a British accent.

My boys are fans of Peppa Pig.  I think it's on Nick Jr.  They speak with British accents.  One day, Noah asked me for a tomAHto.  Yep, he sounded like he was British.  I said, "do you mean tomAYto?"  Poor kid doesn't even know how to say tomato! LOL  Anyway, since then, I'll randomly start talking with an accent and they think it's hilarious.  Although my British accent at times has a hint of Spanish and perhaps Chinese!  It's pathetic!

3.  Quote Duck Dynasty!

This is a must at our house!  We just got hooked on this crazy show!  There is nothing quite like a good Si-ism!  Our favorites are "That's Si-entistic!" "He gone!"  "That's a fact Jack!"  Of course when Jonah says it, he says, "you're fat, Jack!"  When I start quoting them, the boys are sure to bust out laughing!

2. Use the "FORCE" and use it dramatically!

Yep, as in the Star Wars Force.  The boys will be running around playing something, using their swords and various toys that have been turned into weapons.  I'll pretend to use "the force" on them to try and get them to do something I've asked.  They always laugh!  And it never fails, for some reason their fake "light saber" can stop my fake use of "the force".  I don't really think that's fair, but whatever!

1.  Kiss their dirty little faces!  (Multiple times if needed!)

My boys are pretty affectionate with the exception of Noah.  I have no idea why.  He hates to give hugs or kisses to me.  We've pegged it down to the fact that I'm a girl! :)  BUT he does want me to rub his back every night at bedtime.  Often when I'm done rubbing his back and ask for hugs and kisses and he denies me, I'll kiss him anyway.  I'll grab his cheeks and plant kisses all over his face.  He claims to hate it, but he's laughing uncontrollably!  Several times he's even asked me to do it again.  Then little brother Jonah pipes in and says, "Kiss my face too Momma!"

When my boys are grown, I'd love for them to be able to say: "Man, my mom always smiled at us even when we were driving her crazy. She was never afraid to join in on the craziness! That's how I knew she loved ME!" Writing these words, makes me tear up. I know that the boys will all too soon be grown and gone. I know that I still have some growing to do in this role of a "parent"...OK a lot of growing. Even though I've messed up a few years, I'm so thankful for the years I have left to get it right!

Proverbs 23:24-26

New International Version (NIV)

24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
    a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
    may she who gave you birth be joyful!

Eat @HOME Day #5: Skillet Chili Mac

Well the Eat @HOME August challenge is still going strong here.  Day #4 (Sunday) was tacos for lunch and leftovers for dinner.  I had a weak moment before dinner in which I told Jeff, "man, In-N-Out sounds really good right now!"  Seriously on Day #4!  Come on Kristee!  I had leftover pasta from Chicken Rollatini and a spinach salad.  I can't remember what Jeff ended up eating.  We survived! ;)

Last night I made Skillet Chili Mac.  All I can say is that is was OK.  It was definitely not spectacular!  We all thought my regular Chili was better.  I probably won't make it again.  But if you don't have a good Chili recipe, you might give this a try.  It did have good flavor.  I may try to add some of the seasoning to my Chili recipe.  I did like the green chilies in it.  I made a few changes to the original recipe.  Below is my recipe that I adapted.

Recipe: Skillet Chili Mac

I adapted this recipe :  From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 40 min |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
• 2 cups of water
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can red kidney beans,drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-1/2 cups of dry medium cut pasta (like elbow macaroni or shells)
• 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese, to taste, plus more for garnish
• Optional Garnishes: Sliced green onions,fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream or your other favorite chili toppings

Instructions

Cook the ground beef, garlic and veggies, breaking up the meat and cooking, until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasonings.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and green chilies; stir. Add the water, beans, pasta. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked through; uncover, stir and let simmer, uncovered, until reduced to desired consistency. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover and cook over low until cheese melts. Garnish with sliced green onions, fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream or your other favorite chili toppings. 

Skillet Chili Mac

We have a busy evening tonight, so we are having BBQ Chicken Legs cooked in the crockpot!  Fancy! :)

I'll have a new recipe review soon! :)

Happy Cooking

~Kristee

Eat @HOME Day #3: Pancake Squares

Last night's Dinner was Pancake Squares.  I was very happy with how they turned out.  The recipe is very similar to my regular pancake recipe.  Most everyone will have the ingredients already on hand to make these and those ingredients are CHEAP! :)  I quadrupled the batch, just like I normally do when I make regular pancakes.  I wanted to have leftovers to pop in the freezer for a quick breakfast.

They were very easy to mix up!  I made a 13x9 pan plain and two 8x11.25 pans.  One was chocolate chip and one was blueberry.

Before I baked them

The team liked them.  Jeff thought they were just OK.  They are obviously thicker than regular pancakes, more of a cake texture.  I thought they were really good.  I liked being able to just pour into the pans and bake in the oven, instead of flipping individual pancakes.  I would make these again. 

 They would make a great breakfast for a crowd.  I'm thinking MOPS breakfast, mommas! :)  They are also very customizable.  You could do banana with walnuts and cinnamon.  The website also showed a cinnamon roll option.  It looks yummy too!

We added eggs, turkey bacon, strawberries for our Breakfast-Dinner!

Here is the rest of my Eat @HOME August Menu!

Enjoy!

~Kristee

Player Updates: Noah & Kindergarten

Well we've made it through 2 whole weeks of school!  Noah has transitioned into Kindergarten so well.  He is loving it.  He's not cried at all and hasn't even fought against going.  He's quick to get ready every morning and get out the door.

He's a very quiet guy at school.  He keeps telling us that he goes all day without talking to anyone.  Of course then he grins like a crazy person & we know he's "stretching" the truth  lying.  He's also made up the story that a kid punched him in the face because he wouldn't play with him.  :)

Anyway, he's really doing great!  I can tell that his confidence has already grown and that he's proud to be a "big kid".  He says his favorite part of the day is snack and lunch!  As he says, "it's because I like to eat!"

Today he came home with a special sticker.  He earned it because he was a "good listener" in his class!  He was so proud!  We were too!  That is until he showed us where he wanted to put his sticker...

Crazy Boy!

We are really proud of this little guy and love him to pieces!!

~Kristee

Eat @HOME : Day #2 Chicken Rollatini

Dinner tonight was Chicken Rollatini with spaghetti and salad!  Let me just say, it was SO good!  You guys have to try this one.  The whole team loved it!

I made a few changes to the recipe nothing huge.

*I used 2 big chicken breasts, cut them in half, and then pounded them out thin.  So I had 4 portions.
*I used just regular bread crumbs that I had on hand.
*I used 2 beaten eggs instead of the egg beaters because it's what I had.  Part of them went into the cheese/spinach mixture and the other part was used to dip the chicken in.
*I opted not to put mozzarella cheese in with the spinach/ricotta mix, because Jeff isn't a fan of cheese.
*I just used a canned sauce to top the chicken and the noodles with.
*I also drizzled a bit of olive oil on top before I put it in the oven.

This is a pretty easy recipe.  It just has a lot of steps for assembly.  One option for those of you who might be hesitant to try it due to time constraints would be to assemble it the night before and then just pop it in the oven for dinner the next day.  I think it would hold up fine.

Don't forget to check out my menu for Eat @HOME August!

After it had baked for 25 minutes before I added the sauce and cheese.

Yummy yummy...with a copycat Olive Garden salad!

Jonah cleaned his plate & he is our SUPER picky eater! 

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try it and how you like it!  For our team, this is definitely a keeper!  We'll be adding this to our rotation!

~Kristee

Game Film: Jonah/Darth Vader

If you are needing a smile today, you should watch this!  This is Jonah singing his tribute to Darth Vader!  He does it all the time.  I was finally able to get it on video!  Pardon the extremely poor video skills,  I was holding Micah at the time! :)

My silly boys and their love for all things Star Wars!  AHH!

~Kristee

Eat @HOME Day #1: Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Well here we are, our first day of my Eat @HOME Challenge!  I left this morning without starting my dinner in my crockpot! :-/  I remembered right before Jonah and I walked into the movies (our last of the Harkins summer movies).  Luckily Jeff is off on Thursdays and was home with Micah.  So I called him to ask if he'd help me out.  Have I mentioned before how much he hates cooking? LOL  But this was an easy one so he was able throw it all in for me! :)  Thanks Babe!

This is what the recipe calls for:

Crockpot Lemon Chicken ~ Put cube of butter in bottom of crock pot. Lay chicken in pot. Sprinkle Italian dressing packet over chicken, drizzle with lemon juice, and pop the lid on. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours.

He did it all! Except the lemon juice (I forgot to tell him that part.) I have to say it was really yummy. The whole house smelled great all afternoon!


Our team, well they loved it and gobbled it right up! (I think it was because Daddy "made" it!) They even named it "Daddy's Famous Chicken"! LOL I even have leftover chicken to throw on a spinach salad for lunch tomorrow! Double duty!


Next time I think I'll add in some cubed potatoes and green beans and cook it all up together. Can't beat a one pot dinner! :)

~Kristee