This is post one in a three part series. I have three freezer cookbooks that I couldn't live without, I am going to share each one with you along with my reviews on the recipes I have tried in each one.

First up is Fix, Freeze, Feast!

Chicken Main Dishes

Cherry Skillet Chicken p.20: Very easy to make and very yummy!

Mango Cranberry Chicken p.36: Another simple and fast recipe that turns out delicious.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips p.38: YUMMY!! Probably the #1 for our whole family! So much healthier than chicken nuggets and tastes so much better.

Tequila-Lime Chicken p.50: I had to buy tequila and margarita mix for this recipe and neither ever got finished off. For this fact I wouldn't make it again. The taste was okay but not worth the cost of the ingredients that would go to waste.

Beef Main Dishes

Beef and Bean Burritos p. 76: I made up a stack of alternating tin foil and tortillas so that I could add the filling, fold up the tortilla and wrap in tinfoil. Helped the  process go smoother.  Easy to make and a great lunch on the go!

Cheesy Chilada Bake p. 78: So yummy! The texture of the corn tortillas after baking is to die for! Great for a game day meal or snack! 

Classic Lasagne p.80: Just as the name implies it's your perfect lasagne easy to make and freeze! The recipe also calls for the "basic red sauce" which is a recipe you will find on p.178 which you can also freeze leftovers in portion perfect bags for later use.

Mozzarella Meatballs p.88: These have a surprising little bit of a kick to them. We loved them, one word of caution I don't know if it's the garlic in them or what but they have the ability to smell up your freezer and make other things taste like mozzarella meatballs ;) I'd recommend double bagging these guys.

Pork Main Dishes

Pepper Jelly Pork Chops p.113: So quick and easy to make. You can grill these but for the winter we cook indoors using the broil pan takes only 15-18 minutes! Taste is amazing!

Basil-Balsamic Chops p.114: another quick marinade and great for indoor broiler cooking. I love balsamic vinegar so these are another fave of mine!

Apple and Cranberry Pork Loin p.129: I have made this more times than I can remember the flavors of the marinated and cooked apples, onions and cranberries are like none other!

Meatless Mains, Sides, and Sauces

Rice Pilaf p.151: I ALWAYS have a stock of these sides in our freezer! Make up a huge batch and you are good to go for months worth of sides with you meat. I was skeptical the taste would compare to the store bought bags of rice but it's even better!

Feta and Spinach Lasagna Rolls p.152: Take a little bit of time to put together, but worth it especially if you vegi hating husband will eat them!

Manicotti p.159: Another yummy recipe using the "Basic Red Sauce".

Apples and Cheddar p.164: Very easy and delicious. My recommendation is that this recipe is better when eaten the same day you make it.  After freezing the half-and-half, cheddar mixture loses it's consistency and becomes kind of grainy.

Sauces, Marinades, and Butters

Basic Red Sauce p.178: Used in a few of the recipes in the book, you can also freeze for later use.

Breakfast , Snacks, and Sweets

Breakfast Burritos p.190: I used the same method as with the Beef and Bean burritos to make assembly a breeze.  Great for breakfast on the go!

Granola p.194: Makes a lot, Fun for the kids to help with.

Zoo Day snack mix p.197: Another fun one to make with your kids.

Pumpkin Muffins p.198: Perfect for fall.  I didn't have cake spice on hand so I used the homemade version you can find the recipe on p.136.

Tropical Fruit Smoothies p.201: Easy to make. Nice to have on hand when you don't have the time to get out all the separate ingredients.

Tried and True Registry Guide

Here is a list of my "necessities" for a new baby. Building your baby registry can be overwhelming just try walking into any big box baby supply store and you will know what I mean. You will feel like you need every single gadget and gizmo offered and while some are worth their weight in gold others you can easily do without!

Without further ado in no particular order:

1) Boppy Pillow

Whether or not you plan to breastfeed the Boppy is a great tool to have. It helps prop baby up for easier breastfeeding. Also holds baby up off of c-section incisions whether breast or bottle feeding. Boppy is excellent for tummy time and supporting baby when he begins to sit up on his own. I recommend purchasing the waterproof slipcover as well. 

2) Stroller

I've been through my share of strollers before finding the perfect fit.  With our first I believed we needed the regular stroller/carseat combo as well as an "umbrella" style stroller.  The City Mini by Baby Jogger stroller allowed me to get  rid of both of those in favor of one stroller that will work for every situation. Yes the price is fairly high but I promise it's worth it! The awesome features include: front swivel wheel, one hand fold, extra large canopy, reclining seat, 5 point harness and much more. It folds so compactly it takes up not much more space than the umbrella stroller. 

3)Carseat

Again do not be afraid of the price of this carseat it is worth every penny! It is convertible and can accommodate your baby/child from 5-120lbs! In other words the only carseat you will ever have to buy! It is in my opinion one of the safest out there with excellent ratings as well as a steel frame! I'll be honest not the lightest at 31.6 lbs. but it does fold up for use as a backpack for those trips through airport security. 

4) Cloth Wipes

Shameless plug as I make these but I have used the same ones I made 4 years ago and they have held up excellent. Great for use with cloth diapering, tubby time, kitchen clean up as well as tissues. FYI boogey wipes are far from a necessity! Neither of my boys enjoyed me wiping their noses with those wet cold wipes which are sceneted and I personally disliked the scent. 

5) Waterproof mattress pads. I recommend getting two so you have a clean one to put on in the middle of the night when baby spits up or wets through.

6) Swaddling blankets

We love the Aden and Anais swaddling blankets. You won't need any other recieving blankets. I love the large size of them at 44''x44''. They are wonderful for swaddling as they are stretchy. My favorite though is how breathable they are.  For someone who borders on insanity with safe sleeping I have peace of mind when using these blankets. My second son attached to them and I found they make "lovey" size blankets as well!

7)Cloth Diapers

Over the past four years we have tried out over 6 types of cloth diapers before finally settling on these. Elementals by Bum Genius. I love the soft organic cotton inside. The all-in-one feature makes them very "daddy friendly" and you won't spend time stuffing or matching up pieces after washing. Theses are also a One-size adjustable diaper. The link will take you to our local Cloth Diaper store. They will be able to answer any questions you may have and help you find what will work for you!

8) Reusable Nursing pads. 

The are easy to clean and you won't be purchasing box after box of disposable pads. 

9) Diaper rash cream

Grandma El's diaper rash cream is the bomb ;) And smells amazing to boot! Safe for use with cloth diapers as well. 

10) Bath products

With our first son we started out with Johnson and Johnson baby products for bathtime but he had a reaction to them and they didn't help at all with his eczema. Our pediatrician recommended Aveeno products and we have used them ever since. With all things going on baby's skin you want to stay away from scents and fragrances. The Aveeno wash and shampoo is lightly scented and the lotion is unscented. 

11) Co-sleeper

The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper offers a safe way to keep baby close to you. It comes with straps to hook up right to your bed and one side can lower so baby is level with your mattress. Makes those nighttime feedings so much easier. The mattress does drop to the bottom for later use as a pack n play. 

12) Breastpump

You can't go wrong with any Medela Breastpump but this one is by far my favorite especially for moms having to go back to work. When looking for a pump I'd suggest electric as it's more efficient than a manual pump. The double pump allows you to cut your pumping time in half.  What I love in particular with the Freestyle is how it comes with a hands free pumping option.  The pump itself is small and lightweight and gives you the option to hook to your belt loop!

13) Bottles

If you plan to use them I don't recommend registering for 20 of the same type of bottle. You never know which bottle your baby will take and it's almost nicer to have 2-3 different types of bottles on hand so you can find what works best for you. Our favorites have been Playtex Ventaire and Dr.Browns bottles. Although no matter how many we tried with our second he NEVER took a bottle.

14) Pacifiers

The same deal with bottles it's nice to have a few different ones on hand. Personally the soothie brand ones make me nervous as they are so pliable I have seen older babies get the entire thing in their mouths and recently have heard of babies choking on them! They are still given out at hospitals though so they can't be that bad I suppose. Be sure if you are breastfeeding to wait until you supply is well established (around 2-3 weeks) before introducing a pacifier as they can interfere with the breastfeeding process.

15) Baby Carrier

Baby carrier was a life saver especially with our second baby. Ergo is excellent for it's ease of use, padded shoulder straps and how it holds baby ergonomically correct (as opposed to other infant carriers that hold baby facing out from you). Ergo also makes an infant insert which is helpful in bringing baby up closer to you. Always be sure no matter what carrier you use that baby is close enough for you to kiss the top of his head and his chin is not resting on his chest. Many places offer "baby wearing" courses where you can learn the correct way to baby wear and try out different options as well. I particularly love to have my baby close to me in public spaces as strangers are less likely to touch them. You can nurse discreetly with your baby in a carrier as well! 

16) Baby Gym

Both our boys loved this gym from just a few weeks old up until they started crawling around.

17) Highchair.

We actually sold our Graco brand highchair in favor of an antique wooden highchair that I refinished. The main reason for the switch (other than how cute it turned out) was the fact that I got tired of throwing the fabric cover in the washing machine every couple of days. So if you find an all wooden or plastic high chair it will make cleanup a ton easier. I have seen some very simple functional highchairs at IKEA too!

Freezer cooking for the Holidays

Last year was the first time I intentionally made something ahead of time for all our holiday parties. I had gotten a great deal on frozen hash browns and cheese so I made up 8 pans of cheesy potatoes. I brought them to various parties as my "dish to pass" and also served them for Christmas dinner at our house which helped with dinner prep immensely! This year I made three different recipes including a brand new one. I had to make the cheesy potatoes again who doesn't love those? I also made a baked bean dish with lots of different hearty beans, and an apples and cheddar dish that the recipe promised could be served along side the meal or as a dessert. I figure I have all my bases covered depending on what I am asked to bring to a gathering. The main goal being simplifying and enjoying the holidays more!

If you are new to the idea of freezer cooking and wondering "why"....
1) Being able to pull something out of the freezer for a weeknight dinner when you have been going all day means you don't have to pick up a pizza or eat cereal for dinner!
2) Doing all the prep work at once means fewer messes to clean up. If you have to chop two onions whats the difference in chopping six?
3) Simplifying the Holidays by spending time with family and not in the kitchen is *priceless*.

Above: Cheesy Hashbrown mixture into gallon bags and flattened for easy storage in the freezer. Cheese topping is separate since you will pour your potatoes into your dish and top with the cheese. If you like you can put the topping into a larger bag with the mix. I personally keep all the "toppings" for various dishes in one spot in my freezer.

These Baked Beans are delicious and a hearty addition to any Holiday meal. I have never added the soy crumbles the recipe calls for, they don't seem to be missing it either!  Put theses into freezer bags or containers for the serving size you like. 

Apples and Cheddar recipe comes from my most used cookbook, "Fix Freeze Feast" So go buy it you won't regret it!
Again this recipe had a topping so I put that all into a separate bag. Can be used for a side dish or as a dessert.



I admit I was skeptical about these Butterhorn Rolls Crystal from "Money Saving Mom" (if you aren't already a subscriber to her emails please do!) promised you could freeze these uncooked then thaw and bake them later.... Let me tell you it worked! They taste ah.mazing! You can pull out just what you need instead of making an entire tube of crescent rolls which don't taste near as great as these! So again no slaving in the kitchen kneading bread the day of the party you can have fresh baked rolls with 2 mins of active prep time!

Favorite Things November 2013

Favorite Things Post #1 November 2013

One of my favorite bloggers Andrea Dekker does this, and I thought it was a neat way to give our favorite products some recognition! So here  goes ;)


#1 Felicity Slimming Cami 

I have been wearing these since day one with our second. He is now 13 months and the two I had from the start start are in as good of shape as the newer ones I've boughten recently. I do have one in white but for obvious reasons the black ones look newer longer. Maybe it's just me though I have problems keeping my whites from becoming dingy! These camis are great at giving you the slimming look, not being bulky and providing enough support to wear as a bra sometimes too! I love that when I pull up my shirt to nurse the cami still covers my stomach as well! So worth the $25 at target stores.

#2 Squooshi Sipn Combo pack

These were $18.99 for a pack of two of the reusable food pouches and two of the Sip'n caps. I went crazy with the canned applesauce this fall and my boys love those applesauce pouches so I figure this could save us oodles of moolah. :) What I love about these particular pouches: they open from the bottom so they are much easier to clean. They come with the normal hard plastic tops similar to the store bought pouches.  This particular set also came with two of the Sip'n caps with flow control (which basically means non-spill, your child has to suck on it in order for it to come out). My one year old immediately got the hang of it and that's saying a lot coming from a kiddo who refused to ever take a bottle and is just now getting okay with sippy cups. :) I love that I can control what goes into our pouches, and put less trash into the landfill too!

After using these 4.5oz. pouches I will go back and purchase the smaller 2.5oz packages.  The 1yr old couldn't finish the larger size pouch and once it gets to the bottom it's hard for him to realize how to "squeeze" the rest up. I actually end up rolling up the bottom and putting a clothes pin on it to hold it in place. :) My 3-year old has no problem with the 4.5oz size. Well worth the money spent!

#3 Cloth Wipes

Shameless plug here...:) I purchased about 12 of these when we first started cloth diapering N back in 2010 and we are still using those original 12 (along with about 30 more....).  I actually took over making these particular wipes for our local cloth diaper store a few months back. They are the perfect size to fold in half and fit into your regular wipes tub to use in place of throw-away wipes. Also great for bathtime and meal-time cleanups. My absolute fave use though is in place of tissues! My boys hardly ever get those red raw noses when we are using these super soft organic cotton sherpa wipes on them.  You know with kleenex your fingers tend to get wet after wiping a runny nose? (GROSS I know!) never happens with these babies! And obviously they are super cute! ;) Like I said our original dozen are still in great shape after 3 years of use! I sell them on my facebook page for $1 each. (The cloth diaper store marks them up to about $1.60 each).

#4 Thatsa Bowl

I have an older style pink Thatsa Bowl that I use All.the.time. I'm having a Tupperware show this month so that I can purchase the ThatsaMega Bowl! I quite obsessively frequently freezer cook and can foods and use my bowl almost every time. It's necessary when working with such large quantities of food. It also works great for making chex mix or any other snack mix and travels well due to the included lid. My bowl is so old it doesn't have the nifty handle they do now which I can see being a big help in carrying and storing the bowl. I admit I will have to buy a new thatsa bowl as well so they can match.... :)

#5 Pressure Canner I just purchased this a few months ago and have already used it numerous times! The thought of pressure canning used to be scary until a friend helped ease me into the idea.  I love this particular canner because you can also use it as a hot water bath and a pressure cooker. You can even stack your jars 2 high! It has a pressure regulator so no worries of it "blowing up" as my grandpa warned me of. ;) 

So far I have used it to can salsa, spaghetti sauce, applesauce (regular and strawberry), pinto and kidney beans, salsa verde, and grape juice! The instruction booklet that comes along with it is very helpful and includes all the recipes you need to get started. By purchasing through the amazon link provided you save 25% off the regular price as well! Score!

Great Wolf Lodge October 2013

This week (tue-thur) we were able to take a mini family vaca to Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. And let me tell you it lived up to expectations and then some!

Took J sometime to warm up to the water but N jumped right in even going down the big slides with daddy!!

Cutie Patootie 

For the month of October they had nightly trick-or-treating around the lodge, and "spooky" bedtime stories. J was Charlie Brown and N was Linus.

Their costumes costed me less than $10 to make! Two shirts from Hobby Lobby at $3 a piece, a pair of white socks from Target and some yellow and black paint.

I purchased ahead of time the breakfast buffet at $9 per adult (children eat free). Since we were there during the week there wasn't enough people to have a buffet and they let us order off the menu. We ended up getting around $35 breakfasts each morning for only $18! So yummy and everyone in the restaurant was very accommodating to children.

Storytime occurs every night, during October they read "spooky" stories and encourage the kids to come in their costumes for a costume parade following. J was very intrigued by the pretty girls and sat down next to them all on his own :)

They have a bowling alley that is half the length of a normal alley with "one size" bowling balls at 5lbs. and a strict "no rental shoes" policy :) 

I was so excited for Nicholas to go bowling as he's always playing with his little tikes bowling set and loves to bowl on the wii with daddy. He had an absolute blast!

First time in an arcade! Boy my little man sure is growing up fast!

Every morning at 10am the kids get to "turn on" the waterpark by turning this wheel. Nicholas thought it was pretty cool! We missed it the first morning as we all slept in, but I set the alarm the next morning to be sure we didn't miss it!

I managed to break a toe while climbing up a rope ladder lol guess i'm getting old!

More trick-or-treating fun!

We ate a couple meals in the hotel room. I brought the crock pot and had taco soup ready and waiting for us after a morning in the waterpark. and yes I brought sheets from home to "slipcover" the couch and cover the table... lol everything else gets a clorox wipe down.... believe it or not i'm getting better though! 


Click to watch the video below! 

When I made our reservations I paid an extra $7.50 to have Wiley the wolf bring fresh cookies and milk at bedtime. Boy was N surprised to see Wiley at his door! This smile was priceless!!! (and the cookies were delicious!!)

Isn't he so handsome? :)

The effects of three fun days at the indoor waterpark!

We can't wait to go back to GWL I don't have a single complaint about our stay everything was perfect and we all had so much fun!