Valentines Day

My sweetie and I had an awesome Valentines Day celebration. We actually celebrated a couple days early. Since babysitters are pretty hard to come by for us, we take advantage of the time when our kids are at school. Normally we are at work during the day while our kids are at school, but once in a while we coordinate vacation days and have a kid free date day.

It's so nice to have a leisurely day together. On this particular day we REALLY treated ourselves. We headed over to the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort and Spa in North Bonneville, Oregon. It's located in the Columbia River Gorge and the drive out was spectacular. The Gorge really is a MUST SEE. It will take your breath away. The Columbia River Gorge provides views of the Columbia River, rugged mountains of the cascade range, and gushing waterfalls.

Why did we head over to the Resort and Spa? To get pampered with spa treatments of course! You see my husband loves the pampering just as much as I do. We opted for the couples soak, wrap, and massage package. The couples rooms are nicely appointed with a large two person soaking tub, fireplace, large picture window with a view, and a massage area. First you soak together in the mineral bath while enjoying the fireplace and view. Next you are wrapped in warm linens on a heated cot. Lastly you finish off your treatment with an 80 minute massage. If you're up for more relaxation, you can head over to their hot springs tub and pool to soak again.

By the time we were finished with our spa treatments (2 1/2 hours later) we were STARVING! So, we headed over to a favorite restaurant and devoured our seafood and lobster lunch. How do you end such a great day? With a long nap before heading over to pick up the kiddos from school.

I hope you had a great Valentines Day to reconnect with your loved ones as well.

Another Breakfast Recipe For The Freezer - Single Portions

I have become a big fan of preparing foods in advance and storing them in my freezer in single size portions. We use these items as our convenience foods in order to avoid fast food drive thrus. This allows us to eat healthier and save money.

I have frozen meals that I've prepared in advance before and that works great. But what happens if you just want a lunch size portion or a snack? Do you thaw the entire dish and hope that it gets eaten before it goes to waste? I have found that we really enjoy the flexibility of single size portions.

Previously I showed you how to make and freeze Breakfast Burritos. The next most popular breakfast recipe at our house is:

Blueberry Pancakes: This recipe makes 12 pancakes. You can omit the blueberries and serve plain pancakes or substitute another fruit in it's place.
Ingredients

• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (if you don't have wheat flour or don't like it, just use 1 1/4 cups white flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tablespoon butter melted
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries thawed

Instructions

• In a large bowl mix dry ingredients.
• In a small bowl beat together egg and milk.
• Mix the egg/milk mixture, butter and blueberries into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
• Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and brown on both sides.
• To freeze, let the pancakes cool completely. Then wrap either one or two pancakes in plastic wrap (I'm totally addicted to Press & Seal!) and then into a ziploc bag. Be sure to remove as much air from the bag as possible. I like to use a straw to suck the air out.
• To reheat frozen pancakes, remove from bag and plastic wrap. Set on a microwave safe plate in a single layer. Microwave for one minute to one minute and 30 seconds. You could probably reheat them in the oven, but I never have that much time.

My kids eat these pancakes for a quick meal or snack. Since we oftentimes eat breakfast in the car, this is a good grab and go item that doesn't make a big mess. When we eat them on the go, we don't top them with anything. They taste great on their own.

In the next installment of freezer meals, I'll show you some of our favorite muffin recipes. Muffins always freeze well and can be packed with fruits and even veggies to make them a healthy snack or breakfast.

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes.

My Baby Boy is Four Today!

Today my baby boy turns four. Happy birthday to you, big guy. Here is how he chose to celebrate: He invited his preschool classmates and cousins to a swimming party, he had family over for dinner with a special menu of his choosing, and he played with all of his new legos for hours and hours and hours. That pretty much sums up a perfect day for him.

What does a four year old choose for his birthday menu? If you're Brady you choose sausage (which apparently looks like a giant weanie), macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and pink lemonade. For dessert we had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (from a can).

He loved his new Spiderman bike. He said that it was "big and strong". He's so funny!

Happy birthday, my love.

My New Appreciation For My Freezer

I have these fantasies of being a stay at home mom and preparing perfectly balanced and delicious meals for my family every day. I can just see myself in the kitchen with my apron (channeling June Cleaver) humming as I prepare what is sure to be a meal that my family will savor and appreciate. Nobody would complain that they didn't like the dinner. Nobody would ask for chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese from a box. Nobody would cry that they want each speck of green food removed from their plate. I would serve these meals on matching china as we all sat together to discuss our days. We would linger at the table savoring the evening and the time we have together.

That is my fantasy; what is my reality? I get off of work at 4:30, rush to the gym for an hour, get home shortly before 6 pm, eat a quick meal (sometimes well planned and executed and sometimes pizza for the third night in a row), play with the kids for a short while, bathe the kids, get the kids to bed, get a bit of housework done, lament that it's now past my bedtime and I haven't sat down once, go to bed, and do it all over again.

I am slowly realizing that I can prepare delicious homemade food for my family to enjoy anytime. I just prepare it when I have time and then put it in single size portions in the FREEZER. I've already shared one recipe with you for make ahead lunch wraps. In the coming days, I'm going to share with you even more recipes for freezer eats.

I really love having these prepared items in single size servings. We use them for lunches and quick easy dinners. I REALLY hate packing my lunch for the next day each evening. It only takes a few minutes, but it is really a pain in the butt!! This has really helped me save money and calories by not eating out as often. The excuse that fast food is more convenient just went out the window!

I can still retain some of my June Cleaver fantasy, but I get to do it on my own schedule. My family is still savoring the fruit of my labor, just not exactly how I pictured us sitting down for a leisurely meal.

So let's start at the very beginning: Breakfast. Since I love to sleep every minute that I can, I have to eat breakfast on the go. Oftentimes it would consist of one or all of the following being eaten in the car: toast, yogurt, banana. Then one day while perusing my favorite recipe website (www.allrecipes.com) I found a recipe for breakfast burritos. What's great about these babies is that you can make them to suit your preferences, freeze them, and then eat them for quick on the go meals.

Breakfast Burritos (adapted from allrecipes)

Ingredients
12 slices bacon, diced
12 eggs, lightly beaten salt and pepper to taste
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1-2 tablespoons drippings. Add eggs, salt and pepper to drippings; cook and stir over medium heat until the eggs are completely set.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of egg mixture down the center of each tortilla; sprinkle with cheese, onions and bacon. Fold bottom and sides of tortilla over filling. Wrap each in waxed paper and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
To use frozen burritos: Remove foil. Place waxed paper-wrapped burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave at 60% power for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 20 seconds.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
Don't like bacon? Are you crazy?!?!?!? You can substitute sausage instead. I typically use turkey breakfast sausage. In keeping with the original recipe, I cook the sausage, remove from pan, then cook eggs in drippings as directed. This recipe would also be a great way to use up leftover ham.

My kids don't like either bacon or sausage. For them I omit the meat and begin the recipe at step 2 making them egg and cheese burritos.

Often times I will add in extra sauteed veggies. I have added onions, peppers, chiles, and mushrooms.

Go crazy with the fillings and cheeses, add some yummy toppings (if you're not eating this in the car on the way to work) and enjoy!

A Favorite Side Dish

I'm back. Did you miss me? Aw, thanks!

I'm getting back into the swing of things slowly by posting a short recipe today. I'll attach a photo later this evening.

When it comes to menu planning I generally don't have a problem choosing main dishes. It's the side dishes that get me. I tend to go back to my stand by dishes, can you say steamed broccoli, more than I care to admit. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with steamed broccoli, but sometimes I need a change and want to spice it up a little. Sure I'd love to have the time to whip up fantastic elaborate sides that would knock my family's socks off, but it just doesn't happen. While we're trying to prepare dinner the kids are vying for our attention, so whatever we make has to have a short prep time.

Today I'm sharing with you one of our favorite side dishes. It goes together quickly, cooks quickly and doesn't need babysitting. I LOVE roasted veggies and when you pair them together with two of my other favorites (garlic and balsamic vinegar) you've got a recipe that I cannot resist.

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar

1 pound fresh asparagus
2 garlic cloves chopped (I tend to add more, but this is the recommended dosage)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus by holding both ends and bending gently. The snap will naturally occur between the edible portion and the woody stem. Rinse the asparagus and dry completely.

Mix asparagus, garlic, olive oil, and salt & pepper together. I generally put them all in a baggie together and shake to ensure that everything is properly mixed and coated. Arrange on a baking pan (I use a cookie sheet lined with foil for easy clean up) in a single layer.

Roast in oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Upon removal from the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

It's just that easy. To make the preparation even easier, I buy the pre-chopped garlic. This is can be a non-cutting board side dish. Less dishes is a good thing in my book!

Slow Cooker Meal We All Enjoyed

The weather on Saturday was AWFUL! It was cold and rainy. After braving the elements for a short while in the morning, we decided we needed a warm and hearty meal. I visited my old standby(http://www.allrecipes.com/) and found a recipe for slow cooker beef stew. It was divine! We all gave it a thumbs up except for the three year old who pronounced it "icky" because of the "veguble" he saw in it.





Slow Cooker Beef Stew (adapted from allrecipes)

Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup red wine

Directions:
Coat meat with flour and saute in olive oil with onion until browned (doesn't have to be cooked through). Remove meat and onion from pan and place in slow cooker. Add broth and wine to the pan and bring to a boil while you stir. Be sure to stir up the bits of meat and flour which will add a lot of flavor to your stew.

Pour the sauce into slow cooker over meat. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

To this base recipe I added some veggies I had in the freezer (green beans and corn).

Also note that if you don't have the wine on hand (or you drank it last night) just add additional broth.

To accompany the stew we prepared this YUMMY fococcia bread found at www.joyinmykitchen.com. It was so easy to make. I made the 9x13 loaf and my six year old has eaten over half of it in the last day. She has it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Awesome Game Deal at Toys R Us

I just got back from a Toys R Us trip and am soooooo excited to share with you the great deal I got. (This deal is good all week through Saturday, so get your butt over there and stock up either for gifts or donations to Toys for Tots.)

TRU has Hasbro games on sale this week along with a promo where you get a $10 TRU gift card if you buy $25 worth of Hasbro Games. On top of that Hasbro has a Family Game Night rebate they are offering on the purchase of select games.

Here is the deal I did:
Ants in the Pants $3.99
Hi Ho Cherry O $3.99
Don't Break the Ice $3.99
Memory $3.99
Connect 4 $9.99
Total Paid $25.95

I then get a $10 gift card and will submit for an $11.00 rebate. My net price after gift card and rebate is $4.95 (Just $.99 per game!!!!).

Go here to view the rebate for and a list of participating items.

Even if you don't have children of the age to enjoy these games, please grab some to donate this holiday season.

A few notes about the deal above: The participating games are very specific. Be sure to match the game on the rebate form with the game you are buying. Only the EXACT pictured varieties will receive the rebate. Also note that you can only get a rebate on ONE of each game so you'll have to purchase different games.