Twelve Meals in Two Hours!

I've always loved the idea of freezer cooking, and I've tried it before in the past--where you spend one full day making huge batches of various meals and then stocking your freezer so later in the month you don't need to cook everyday.  The problem for me is that I don't have a full day to devote to my kitchen anymore, plus my freezer isn't that big.  Thanks to a friend's motivation and Pinterest I decided to try a new spin on freezer cooking--and oh my word it was so simple.  I love my crock pot, and use it a lot, so this month's freezer cooking attempt was all crock pot ready meals.  Because everything is designed to go into a crock pot, there's no "precooking" of any meat.  So whereas in regular freezer cooking you might need to spend time browning pounds of hamburger or chicken, this just involved sticking the raw meat into freezer bags along with all the other ingredients for that crock pot meal.  It really did take me about 2 hours--1 hour of veggie chopping and spice assembling one night after Mr A went to bed and about 1 hour of dividing up the meat and getting everything freezer ready the next afternoon during his 45 minute nap.  Yes, I'm a nerd...I took pictures as I prepped my meals....so in case you need some ideas or inspiration, here's how I did this and the recipes I used.

Step 1: Insure Baby is Sleeping Soundly:

Step 2: Place Silly Romantic Comedy on laptop for entertainment:

Now the actual work begins :)  Earlier in the day I had gone through Pinterest to find recipes.  I decided to narrow it down to 6 recipes, each of which would give me 2 freezer bags (so 2 different meals, or 12 total).  The winners were: (click on each to go to the recipe):  

Wendy's Chicken Tacos

Beeftips

Beef Fajitas

Sausage & Peppers

Teriyaki Chicken

Savory Chicken

I went through the recipes and made a grocery list.  Between the 6 recipes I needed 3 green bell peppers, 2 red ones, 2 red onions etc.  Before chopping anything, I got my freezer bags ready.  I labeled a gallon sized bag with the name of the recipe and any instructions I'd need for the day it gets cooked--so how long to cook it, what I might need to add in the last hour of cooking or mix in after it's cooked etc.  

Like I said, night 1 for me was the produce.  So I chopped my bell peppers and onions and carrots and placed them in their respective bags.  For instance my beef fajita bags each needed 1/2 of a red bell pepper and 1/2 of an onion, so I made sure that's what went into the bags.  Then I went through each recipe and added whatever spices or seasonings needed to be in each bag--so the chili powder to each fajita bag etc.  So after an hour, this is what I had:

I sealed them up, put them in the fridge over night, and the next day during one of my little one's short naps I tackled adding the appropriate meat to each bag.  

So eventually this is what I ended up with:

Everything was mixed together in the bags, laid flat and stacked in the freezer, and voila!  This is what I now see when I open it:

So rumor has it that on the day I want to cook something, I should put the bag in the fridge the night before to let it thaw a little (although my crock pot cooks everything SO fast I doubt I need this step) and then toss it in the pot in the morning.  We'll see how this all tastes, but I'm excited to not have to think about what's for dinner for awhile!

Oh, and little man woke up before I was completely done with the freezer packing.  Here's how he helped: 

Thankful Thursday

Continuing the counting of blessings large and small...all the way to 1000 and beyond....

781.  Safe and uneventual travels to South Carolina

782.  A baby who is sllooooooooowly starting to increase his napping time past 30 minutes--an hour and 20 minutes today!  Maybe it's the jet lag, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the start of something good!

783.  Cousins to help entertain him

784.  Food truck Fridays--a great summer evening activity

785.  Getting to sleep in while the husband cares for the little one

786.  Skype, what an amazing invention

787.  Quiet

788.  The amazing athletic feats the olympic athletes are able to do

789.  The amazing ministry of Father Greg Boyle that he describes in his book Tattoos on the Heart--the way that book changed my perspective on gang members.

790.  Two wonderful sermons back to back at church these past 2 weeks--the ways Kyle and Jenn brought pieces of 1 John to life

791.  Wonderful couple in the church who give us free baby sitting and rides to the airport

792.  A midday visit from two fantastic recent college grads who just wanted to come by and say hi

793.  Swimming pools for little ones

A Full Heart (and Belly...)

This week's list of things I am grateful for definitely has a common theme.  It's been a week of wonderful food that we've prepared together here at my parent's home--of course there are other things on this list, but I did notice food was a common denominator!

760.  BBQ'ed hot dogs (the only way to eat a hot dog, especially in summer!)

761.  Rootbeer floats

762.  Watermelon with every meal

763.  Skype time with my far away husband

764.  Triaminic for nights my poor baby is so congested he cant breathe well

765.  A new cousin!  Hadley Josephine!

766.  Crock pot chicken and black bean burrito filling

767.  Pork satay shish ke bobs.  One of the best things I have ever tasted

768.  Watching my little one go crazy with excitement over certain foods (Papa's rootbeer float that he was sharing)

769.  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--a beautiful book

770.  Getting to go grocery shopping all by myself!

771.  Watching clouds

772.  Playing in the sprinkler with my little one

773.  Swimming in a wading pool

774.  Thunder storms

775.  Seeing green all around me

776.  Skyping with nieces

777.  Sleeping in my own bed--not sharing it with anyone--such a treat after months of such poor sleep!

778.  Teriyaki burgers with grilled pineapple

779.  Quiet time to get work done without my munchkin around

780.  Watching my parents play with my little one and love him so well

7 Quick Takes Friday

It's Friday!!  Time for another 7 Quick Takes edition--lets be honest, with a cold filling my head and a baby who won't nap, this is all I have the energy for!

**1**

We have a new baby cousin!  My cousin and his wife had a beautiful little girl last night--Hadley Josephine--we can't wait to meet her!  It was some good news out of Colorado this morning in light of the tragic theater shooting last night.  

**2**

I just finished reading an incredible book.  If you haven't read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet please add this book to your list!!  It was phenomenal--I could not put it down.  It takes place in Seattle during WWII and centers around a Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl whose family is rounded up with all the rest of the Japanese and sent to an internment camp.  It was so so so well written, and took you back and forth between decades as you came to understand this boy's story.  

**3**

It's been so good to be here in Minnesota for the past 2 weeks.  We have one more week here before heading home, and I have been so grateful for this time.  It's been fun to see our little one experiencing things he doesn't at home--the sprinklers, eating outside, swinging on the porch swing, playing in the grass, and having a new house to explore.  I've also found it really really helpful to be around my parents for another reason--it's helped me take a step back and get a bigger perspective in some way.  As a first time mom I am so "in the trenches."  I am more concerned with moment to moment activities and events.  Being around more experienced parents has helped me think about things I never would have thought about.  I focus on getting Aidan fed.  They reminded me that part of the feeding process is helping him learn about food and learn how to feed himself.  And that involves getting messy, using his fingers, playing with the spoon, smacking his high chair tray and splattering things around.  He has had a BLAST this week playing with food, eating, making a mess, getting sticky--stuff I probably wouldn't immediately think of letting him do and he's learned a ton about textures and flavors.  

**4**

We've been having a garage sale at my parent's house these past two days.  It's been a bit of a quiet sale--apparently here in Minneapolis the custom is to do yard sales on Thursday and Friday instead of the weekends because everyone goes "up north" to their cabins on summer weekends.  I think we've decided to stay open on Saturday though and see what kind of traffic they get--it's been a little bit of a quiet sale.  Yesterday we had a bunch of traffic, today not so much.  I baked cupcakes and cookies to sell (because apparently that's what is usually the big seller at garage sales--baked goods) and no one wants to buy my goodies!  They are missing out, these are hands down the best cupcakes I have ever had in my entire life.  Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with the most amazing frosting (also a chocolate/coffee flavor).  So so yummy.  My dad and I are going to end up eating all 2 dozen...

**5**

On Sunday we're going to go down to Rochester, MN (about an hour and a half away) to visit my dad's uncle and aunt.  I have always loved seeing Ernie and Joanne and I'm excited to introduce them to my little one.  They are a riot (Ernie is an auctioneer, which is just cool) and we're looking forward to seeing them!  Next week my mom has told me she's getting me a professional massage and hair cut (I got to go clothes shopping last week) so I will be headed back home nice and relaxed :)  (Well the flight home might un do all of that, but I'm still looking forward to the pampering!)

**6**

I love Minnesota.  I don't love humidity.  Yup, never have, never will.  It's hot here.  It's hot at home too, so I'm not sure that's much better.

**7**

It's summer, which means it is watermelon season, which makes me the happiest ever.  My parents eat a ton of it too, which means we've been going through a watermelon every couple days--eating it with every meal all day every day.  I can't get enough of it.  Neither can Aidan, he is in sticky watermelony heaven here at Papa's house!  

Six Months!

It really is amazing to me how time flies.  It seems like just yesterday that you were born little one, but in other ways it seems like I can't imagine life without you and that you've been part of our family forever!  It's been an incredible 1/2 of year already with you--you amaze me more and more each day with your learning and growing.  Being able to watch the development of a little person this closely has me in awe--there is a LOT of learning to do in this first year!  You have come SO far in only 6 months!   We haven't had your 6 month doctor's appointment yet, but we're guessing you're right around 17 pounds and gaining weight every day as you experience more and more food in your life!  Although you move SO much that you burn a ton of calories--so you're definitely not all that pudgy!

Probably the biggest highlight of your last month was your baptism weekend!  You were baptized on Father's Day at First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills.  Our pastor and good friend Jim Sillerud had the honor of marking you with the sign and seal of God's covenant while 20 of your family members and a whole community of people watched.  It was a very special moment, hearing the congregation make vows on your behalf to teach you about Jesus and to help us raise you to love God. We love that this is a congregation we get to be part of for awhile, because it's an amazing community of people who have demonstrated that they love you a lot!

After the baptism we had a lunch in your honor (which you partly slept through) where we played a special song for everyone.  Rich Mullins wrote a recorded a song a long time ago called Let Mercy Lead, and it was written for his godson Aidan.  It starts with your name--"Aidan you're young, but Aidan you're growing fast..." and Mommy has loved this song for a long time.  When I realized we were going to name you Aidan I started playing this song for you when you were still in my tummy.  The words of the chorus have become my prayer for you as you grow in this life--so we gave everyone a copy of the lyrics and asked them to join us in praying this for you as you grow.  Here are the words we sang as a blessing over you that day: 

Let mercy lead 

Let love be the strength in your legs 

And in every footprint that you leave 

There'll be a drop of grace 

If we can reach 

Beyond the wisdom of this age 

Into the foolishness of God 

That foolishness will save 

Those who believe 

Although their foolish hearts may break 

They will find peace 

And I'll meet you in that place 

Where mercy leads

It was so fun to have all your family here!  You were the center of attention and people had fun passing you around and helping entertain you.  You got to play with your cousins and be loved on by lots of grandparents--you are such a lucky little boy!  You did great with all the activity and with us messing up your bedtimes and naps, which Mommy was grateful for!  

We have discovered you love the water--you just splash and kick and are so mellow and happy when we put you in water, which we love.  When your cousins were here everyone had a great time swimming together--your cousin Diana was SO good with you and had so much fun helping both you and Miss Brooke swim in our apartment wading pool.  

You have swam at a few parties and bbq's and now that we're at Grandma and Papa's house, they got a wading pool for you for the backyard so you're enjoying getting in that and splashing.  You also had a great time at the lake by their house, trying to eat the sand, watching the little waves, and splashing your toes in the sand and water.  You are adorable and I love watching you experience all these new textures and sensations and activities in life!

You have dove head first into the world of food this month too!  You have loved everything we've given you--which I am so grateful for!  You especially love watermelon, yogurt, apple juice, and carrots but you've tried all kinds of things: carrots, peas, peaches, pears, apples, avocado, sweet potato, even Papa's lemonade and Mommy's dessert the other night--a lemon curd raspberry pie!  (You were a little angry when we stopped letting you lick the spoon on that one!)  We got you a mesh teething bag and can put watermelon or other fruit in there and let you suck on it and chew on it to get the juice without worrying about you choking on something.  We've also put ice cubes in it to help you with your teething which you seem to have fun with.  Yesterday Grandma was feeding you some yogurt and you ended up eating an entire carton of it--you were so mad when she wasn't feeding you fast enough!  

Something else fun with food that you've experienced this past week is playing with it!  Grandma and Papa reminded me how important it is for you to use your hands and get messy to learn about food and feeding yourself--so they've been putting dollops of whatever you're being spoon fed on your high chair tray and letting you make a mess with it--so you've been finger painting with yogurt and avocado this week and trying out your pinching motion with your puffs--trying to get them in your hands and then into your mouth.  It's a messy process but you're having so much fun and Grandma and Papa keep reminding me that messes are okay and that's how you are going to learn!  Thank goodness for grandparents to help Mommy learn some of these things!

Books have started to get fun for you too--you won't sit still through a long book, but you like turning pages, chewing on them, looking at their pictures and having someone point things out to you.  Grandma read you a book about animals the other day and made all the animal sounds and you thought that was the funniest thing!  She swears you were trying to mimic the goat sound!  You like the bright colors of your truck book too!

We went on some fun outings with you too this past month!  Santa Monica with both your Aunts and all your cousins, San Clemente to visit mommy's friends (although you kind of had the flu that day and didn't have too much fun on that trip), the Ronald Reagan Library, and Pasadena for two parties and a dinner out.  You love being carried in my Beco carrier and are happy as a clam to look around and take in your surroundings from that view point.  

On the 4th of July I was letting you taste watermelon for the first time by sucking tiny bits off my finger when I felt a little tooth poking through!  I had no idea you were getting a tooth but that would explain all the restless sleep we'd been experiencing!  You now have TWO teeth that have popped through in the last 10 days--your bottom front teeth, which must have been painful!  But you were a trooper, and now I know better what to look for and when to break out the baby advil and teething tablets.  

Aidan, it has been a huge month for you!  Other highlights include learning how to sit (well starting to learn!), and transitioning from sleeping in your swaddled woombie to sleeping with no swaddle!  You are such a big boy--now you sleep in normal jammies on your tummy and you seem to be more comfortable.  I am SO proud of you and grateful this transition has been made!  You are such a delight to your Mommy and Daddy.  You crack us up, you literally NEVER stop moving and are the busiest baby your grandma has ever seen.  Last night she was giving you a bath and you were all over the place--trying to poke your fingers into the holes where the jets come out, grabbing for the faucet, trying to roll over--you were not content to just sit and splash--you had a new world to experience!  You are SO busy and so curious about everything all the time.  You are free with your smiles and have started giggling so much more--a sound that truly melts my heart.  We love you baby boy!  We are so so proud of you and all that you have learned in the past month!  

Counting to 1000

Continuing with the challenge I took up a long time ago from Ann Voskamp's amazingly beautiful book One Thousand Gifts, I've spent a few minutes each night before falling asleep jotting down things throughout the day that I was thankful for.  Here are some of this week's additions to the list.

721.  Little fingers examining my nose and mouth--checking each morning to be sure they are still attached!

724.  Fresh out of the bath baby smell

725.  Making chocolate cake in a coffee mug in my microwave

732.  Visiting a friend's new home

736.  A midday 4th of July walk for Frozen Yogurt with my 2 sweet guys :)

738.  Bonfires and Smores--watching my son see a fire for the first time

743. The beauty of the symmetry in the palm trees planted in the Ralph's parking lot

745.  Baby tylenol and teething tablets to alleviate teething pain.

747.  Molokai by Alan Brennert (a beautiful book)

753.  People who want to watch our son for free so we can go on dates

754.  A safe flight to Minneapolis with few melt downs!

755.  Watching Aidan take his first sips of juice--the wonder on his face as he tried to figure out what this was all about!

756. This little dancing fool who can't wait to go to another wedding so she can dance all night again!  (Watch out Christopher & Jennifer, your wedding is next and Lily is ready!)

757.  Good Mexican food at El Queso Grande with my hubby the night before we left for 3 weeks.

758.  40 minute naps from the babe instead of 30!

759.  The chance to play with new recipes here at my parent's house--while I have people to entertain my little one--grateful for getting to cook which is so fun and relaxing for me.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of heavenly lights...

Countering Pinterest-Inspired Disconent

It's no secret.  I love Pinterest.  I really do.  I have gained some fantastic ideas that have truly helped with organization in my home, with recipe ideas, and I've bookmarked some super fun ways to entertain a toddler that I know I'll be referring back to in a year or so!  I've noticed something, however.  In my life, there's become a bit of a darker side to Pinterest.  As I sit there night after night scrolling through ideas, zoning out, looking at what others have pinned, I find a bit of discontent creep slowly into my mind and heart.  "Look at this amazing and spotless kitchen this woman has!  How come my kitchen never looks like that?  She must have a husband who always puts everything back right where he found it immediately after using it or she must do all her dishes the second she uses one."  "Look at this person's amazingly organized kid's bedroom!  Do real kids even live here??  There's no way Aidan's room would look like that after 2 minutes of him being allowed to play there."  Friends of mine are pinning birthday party ideas and wedding ideas and holiday ideas that make Martha Stewart look lame, and I've started doing that too, even though I know deep down my child's first birthday party won't look anything like what I've pinned.  It will probably consist of some streamers and balloons and a happy birthday banner with pizza and cupcakes and blowing bubbles for 10 of our close friends and their little ones because that's more me than themed and decorated shindigs.  It probably won't involve perfectly homemade party favors, not because I don't want to be able to do that, but because I know that's not my gift.  And seeds of discontent start to grow.  I look around my little apartment and I wonder when it will be my turn to live in and decorate a big beautiful 4 bedroom house with a perfectly organized mudroom with individual lockers for each member of my family (if you don't get that, you might not have spent enough time on Pinterest!)  I forget to be grateful that God has provided a great apartment for us within walking distance to everything important.  Am I a bad mom because I can't keep my kitchen looking like that or can't pull off a perfect party like the Moms on Pinterest?  Of course not.  But I fear that fantastic tools like Pinterest are slowly breeding discontent and resentment and feelings of failure in moms all over America.  (Come on, I know I'm not the only one!)  I don't think swearing off social media is the answer--there are truly great benefits to using things like this.  I think God was whispering the answer to me over and over again this week in several ways.  "Sarah, be grateful.  Practice gratitude.  Look around you, see what you DO have.  And give thanks."

Awhile ago (like two years maybe?) I started a gratitude journal, and started counting my blessings--big and small.  Sometimes I'd post them here on the blog, but slowly I've gotten out of the habit of doing so.  I picked up my journal again this week, and am committing to this discipline of counting the gifts God gives me each week.  I may not have a perfectly decorated master bedroom,  I may have a car that needs to be badly cleaned out and washed, and when I throw a dinner party it might not involve homemade matching place card holders, but I have so much more than that.  So so much more.  Picking up where I left off awhile ago, here's what my heart is grateful for this week.

695.  I don't take beautiful photos of my breakfast toast.  Instead I wolf it down with one hand while preparing Aidan's breakfast with the other--because morning is his absolute happiest time of day and I don't want to miss a moment of his babbling and cooing and smiling working in the kitchen.

696.  A data entry job fell in my lap--a job I can do from home any time of the day or night so I don't miss a moment of my son's little life while working.

697.  Yaki Tacos from Islands' restaurant.  Pineapple, teriyaki chicken, lettuce, tomato....deliciousness.

698.  Seeing our friend Tuhina who was in town visiting this weekend.  Wandering through Fuller together reflecting on what a rich season of life that was.  (Seriously how many people do you know who were actively practicing Hinduism when they converted to Lutheranism and felt called to ministry and are now a year away from receiving their fist call as an ELCA pastor??  I love Fuller because I've been privileged to be friends with people who have stories like Tuhina's.)

699.  Dreaming about plans for MOPS for this next year.

700.  Fresh clean baby laundry--folding those little onesies.

701.  Sweet conversations with my husband as we lay falling asleep at night.

702.  My sis booked her airline tickets to our cousin's wedding in Nashville over Labor Day weekend--can't wait to see her again!

703.  A case of diapers arrived on our doorstep yesterday thanks to my awesome in laws.  We were down to 4 diapers and I was about to send the hubby to the store.  Perfect timing!

704.  I may not know how to edit my photos or post beautiful ones to facebook, but as I scroll through my iphoto I do nothing but smile--smile at the memories, at how my son has grown already, at the people who love us and him that make up the tapestry of our lives.

705.  Getting to see two of my bridesmaids in the past week--both Jean and Jenn were in town just for one day each!

706.  Reading a beautiful eBook called Mother Letters that has inspired me, made me cry, and reminded me over and over again of the truly important things in life.

707.  Getting to have banana bread fresh from the oven with a new friend from church and her fantastic kids.

708.  Watching the US gymnastics olympic trials.  I love the olympics and it's the one time I truly become patriotic!

709.  Finding a beautiful birthday gift for my sister in law and a very fun gift for my nephew (yes, thank you Pinterest!)

710.  Watching my niece Lily do a tongue twister on video--this 2 year old truly amazes me!

711.  Our sweet babe slept 4-5 hour stretches two nights in a row!  Praise the Lord!!

712.  A husband who is SO supportive of the decisions I make regarding our son each day.

713.  Getting to read every time I nurse Aidan--so I actually get to read a lot in chunks throughout the day.

714.  Playdates with friends!

715.  Our munchkin has mellowed enough and loves getting out in my Beco front carrier, which means we get to go places now!

716.  The way my parents interact with Aidan when we skype--talking to him, showing him little toys, waving at him, trying to build a relationship as much as possible from a distance.

717.  Being part of a community of parents and people who are incredible.

718.  Summer produce.  Can't get enough of it!

719.  The Little Blue Truck, my new favorite board book--seriously, love this book!

720.  Saturday morning alone at a coffee shop doing my data entry while daddy gets a morning with his munchkin.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...