What's in the Freezer

I have to say that I am not a good planner when it comes to meals. Anything else I am usually good at but not planning meals. Mike and I have tried having a meal calendar and it just doesn't work.

Tonight however I did pretty good and it's something we need to do more often. Mike called me on his way to pick up Gabby from daycare. He said what do you want to do for dinner. I had no clue, he mentioned chicken. I told him I was being lazy and we could just do sandwiches. Well about 5 minutes later after throwing a load of laundry in, I was up in the kitchen going through the freezer. So much for sandwiches.

Out came the frozen chicken breasts - into the microwave to defrost before throwing on the stove - They were pre-seasoned, so how easy is that!

Out came the back of Pierogies....you always need a good starch and there were only 9 in the bag - perfect serving size for the two of us - Gabby hates them and refuses to touch them.

Out came the frozen steam back of Peas and an onion to go along with the peppers.

Add some Milk and Goldfish & yogurt for Gabby girl and you have a dinner! I need to start throwing stuff together more often.

Wordless Wednesday

 Our backyard after the snow hit last night

You can see all the ice. So pretty!

Potato Pizza Casserole

About a month ago at my Best Friends Baby Shower, a good family friend of mine made an awesome casserole. For those not from the Midwest you might be saying to yourself what is a casserole (or a Hot-dish).

Well in this household I LOVE myself a good hot-dish. So after I had this I had to make it myself and boy did it turn out great! Thanks so much Judie!

Just some of the yummy ingredients

Ground Venison, Peppers & Onions

Cubed Hash browns, seasonings, Cheddar Cheese soup & Pizza Sauce

It turned out a little more "Soup" like but it's still great. I would suggest serving it with your favorite bread.


Potato Pizza Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
½ lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 jars (14 oz. each) pizza sauce
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
½ cup milk
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 pkg. (32 oz.) frozen cubed hash browns, thawed
15 slices pepperoni, chopped
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Italian cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook the beef, mushrooms, green pepper and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pizza sauce, soup, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper flakes. Stir in the potatoes, pepperoni and beef mixture. Transfer half of the mixture into a slow cooker, sprinkle with half of the cheese, repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Leaving my little one - My First Blog Hop

To all my blog readers - I have finally done it and jumped in on a blog hop, and on one that is a topic near and dear to my heart - Breastfeeding.

This weeks topic is Leaving your little one for the first time after I had her when I started breastfeeding. I have to say it was a difficult time. I wasn't pumping a ton right in the beginning but I REALLY needed to get my hair cut. So I left my little Gabby girl with her dad with about 4oz of milk and almost cried as I left.

I was going to get my hair cut, go to target and kohls and all I did was get my hair cut. He ended up calling me about 4 times because she was refusing the bottle. Eventually she did take it and was a happy and content little baby girl. It was much harder on myself and my hubby then it was on her.

I have to say that going forward it was a lot easier for me to not leave her because it was something I didn't have to replace. Like Erin from Slacker Mom says, leaving means you have to replace it.

For me I was always nervous my supply was going to go away when I went to work and started pumping during the day 5 days a week. So I was becoming a hoarder of my breastmilk and not wanting to use and lose any of it! It ended up working out and I was able to freeze about 200oz or so at a time and it allowed me to stop pumping when she was around a year old and still have milk for her a few weeks after her first birthday.

So since this is my first blog hop - hopefully this works and who is next??

My Baby Girl is a Year and a Half

I know I am late with this one but it's been a crazy week:

Weight : 21lbs 6oz(25th Percentile), 32 inches Long (75th Percentile)

Clothing Size: 18 Month Pants - 18 -24 Months Shirts

Diaper Size: Up and Up 3

Feeding: Breakfast, Lunch & 2 snacks at daycare, so it's whatever they are having for the day. Drinking out of a big cup (not a sippy). She is still nursing at night and in the morning, but mostly drinking whole milk and eating solid foods.

Bedtime/Wakeup Times:  Bedtime: anywhere from 6:00 - 7:15 and usually sleeping until 6am. Usually 10 to 12 hours on average. You take a 1 to 2 hour nap once a day now except on the weekends when she refuses to nap.

Milestones:

* She is talking a TON now! Her list of words is getting much much longer.
* She is listening like crazy and responds to commands
* She is starting to show signs of readiness for Potty training.
* She is also starting to understand that there is a time and place for nursing and she can't always have mama's milk when she wants to
* She really tells what she wants now which is great to be able to communicate with her!

Word-ish Wednesday

Tuesday's Unwrapped - Always In Wonder!

Hi everyone. My name is Jennifer, and I blog over at Always In Wonder.



I am a stay at home mom with two little ones, ages 3 and 1 1/2. My kids and my husband are pretty much at the center of my world. I love them to no end, but after my daughter was born I felt like I needed a way to connect to other people. It was hard going all day and the only conversations I got to have were with an infant and toddler. I know plenty of you know how I was feeling, right? 


So I started blogging. I started posting about decorating my baby’s nursery, and moved on from there. I found I loved being creative, making our house into a home, and sharing my love for painting, cooking, and my family with others. 



I’ve only been blogging for a little more than a year, but it’s been an amazing year. I’ve befriended amazing women who share the same passions about creating as I do, I’ve stepped away from boring browns and beiges in our home and fell in love with color.  I’ve tried new foods, taken steps to eat less processed foods, and searched out bloggers whose recipes inspire me to create more in my own kitchen.



Blogging has become an escape, an outlet for all this creative energy trapped inside of me, and something I am truly passionate about.  I’d love it if you would come over to my blog and introduce yourself, and stay for a while. I absolutely love making new friends, and sharing all the things I love doing, with you.  So come find me on Facebook, Twitter, or even Google+ and say hi!

Jennifer
http://alwaysinwonder.com
alwaysinwonder@aol.com

Wordless Wednesday

When Mama gets lazy and doesn't want to fill the entire tub

Reasoning with a 17 Month old

Well fitting with my nursing a 17 month old post I thought this would be another good one to put. Here is a conversation with Gabby

Gabby: Pointing and whining....
Mama: Gabby use your words, what do you want? Would you like (picks up an item)
Gabby: No - shakes head
Mama: (Puts item down), this? (Picks up another item)
Gabby: No - shakes head
Mama: (Puts item down), this? (Picks up another item)

Gabby: No - shakes head
Mama: (Puts item down and picks up first item) this?
Gabby: Yes - Smiles!

Man - I love her and it's a good thing she smiles...because this can be so frustrating. I asked for God to give me patience, so apparently he is giving me PLENTY of opportunities to practice patience.

Wordless Wednesday

This is an old picture (over a year old) but I just love the look on my grandpa's face. He loves his little grand baby & great-grand baby.

Nursing a 17 month old...

...is a lot like nursing a wiggly worm. This is how it's been at bedtime the past few nights

Gabby lays down on my lap to nurse in my glider.
Nurse for 2 minutes
Says Switch - Signs More
Nurse for 2 minutes
Says Switch - Signs More
Nurses for 2 minutes
Sits up and gives me a hug
Plays with my earrings & my hair
Lays down - Nurses for 2 minutes
Sits up - Looks at the nightstand - asks for book
Mama says No - asks for book again.
Mama says No - asks for ibuprofen (Yes my child loves her medicine)
Mama says No
Signs for More for Milk
Lays down and nurses - The switches every 5 minutes goes on for another 15 or 20

Time for bed! She is adorable and at least keeps it interesting!