July Recipes

96) I love pasta! And this one was so easy and delicious! Hubby said that the leftovers warmed up at work made his coworkers angry at him for not sharing

http://centslessdeals.com/2013/10/pot-creamy-garlic-pasta.html/

 

97) This is one of those that has been really popular on Pinterest so it should be good right? But the thing with “convenience dishes” is that they usually aren’t. This one was not. Really, it wasn’t any less work than pizza but pizza would have been 10x better.

http://sweetandsimpleliving.com/easy-pull-apart-pizza-bread/#_a5y_p=1204487

 

98) Okay, so maybe it is cheating to count a recipe that you have eaten a thousand times but have never made. I don’t care. I love this “salad”(Am I the only one that thinks it isn’t a salad if it isn’t made with lettuce?) This was at nearly every family gathering as a kid but I had never made it. So good!

http://therecipecritic.com/2013/07/strawberry-pretzel-salad/

 

99) My husband and in-laws love mushrooms. I do not. But I have to admit, they are easy to make and they usually get rave reviews. This one wasn’t as loved as others I have done but still good and took about 30 seconds to prep.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/26/baked-parmesan-mushrooms/

 

100) This one was good and got good reviews from the family. My preschooler thinks cauliflower is awesome, weird, I know. I didn’t like it as much as the potato version but that is probably because I always prefer the less healthy option.

http://rachelschultz.com/2013/05/01/loaded-cauliflower-chicken-casserole/

 

101) I have been having migraines with this pregnancy and mint and citrus are both supposed to help relieve the pain. This was a good, easy way for to help when I was having a migraine and it actually tasted great. My littlest one thought it was delicious “juice” but that could be because I don’t allow them to drink real juice so she has nothing to compare it too.

 http://keeneating.com/strawberry-lime-cucumber-and-mint-water/

 

102) This was a man pleasing meal. Like, sighing at the dinner table and rubbing his belly, man pleasing meal. It was easy too! The one downside was the baking time. We are now in the midst of a hot Nebraska summer and I try to limit my oven time as much as possible. In fact, I check the forecast at the beginning of the week and make my menu based on the temperatures.  If it is going to be a hot week we grill a lot. I will make this again but I will wait until it is chilly out. My hubby said it made delicious breakfast tacos the next day as well.

https://sites.google.com/site/oakcottagerecipes/oven-roasted-smoked-sausage-and-potatoes

 

103) Yummy and Easy!

 http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/peachy-keen-bars.html#.T2CUyHsx2zh.pinterest

 

104) We really liked this chicken but did have a lot of trouble with it burning on the grill. My grill actually caught fire twice. Learning experience for me!

 http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/05/girl-who-didnt-eat-everything.html

 

105) And easy and yummy chicken strip recipe for a night when I don’t feel like doing much. I served it with macaroni and cheese and it got a thumbs up from everyone.

http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2013/11/04/oven-fried-chicken-strips

 

106) I got my new mixer today! My Mom won a Bosch mixer in a giveaway and because she is awesome she gave it to me! She has had one for quite a few years and is the best bread baker I know so hopefully with this new mixer I can begin to catch up. My husband is very happy to my taste tester!

http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2014/02/03/english-muffin-bread/

 

107) I was very unimpressed with this one. It didn’t have a good texture and it was really quite a bit of work for something that was supposed to be fast and easy. And you still have to refrigerate it for 2 hours so you might as well make a real cheesecake or on a day when you want to cheat, Jello cheesecake is always yummy.

 http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/1/post/2012/08/mug-cheesecake-2-minutes-microwave.html

 

108) I love pasta and Pioneer Woman never lets me down.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/pasta-with-tomato-cream-sauce/

 

109) More Chinese love!

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/take-out-fake-out-mongolian-beef/

 

110) These were so yummy! Perfectly fluffy and it was a really easy recipe, without any whipped egg whites or silly stuff like that.

http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/11/ihop-pancake-recipe.html

 

111) I have made simple syrups in the past so this is kind of a cheat to call this a “new” recipe but I had never made a strawberry syrup. Hubby loved this one and it was really simple. We left in the berries and ate it on pancakes but I can definitely see the possibilities of straining it into a syrup. For milk or malts perhaps.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-strawberry-syrup/

 

112) This one was a hit but I did leave out a bit of the chiles to make sure my kids wouldn’t revolt.

 http://www.yellowblissroad.com/one-pan-green-chile-chicken-enchilada-pasta/

 

113) Starting out freezer cooking for when baby comes! I like having muffins and cookies I can pull out for when I need a quick breakfast or snack for the kids.  These are a good healthy option. I used white flour but I think they would be good with whole wheat too.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/healthy-oats-and-applesauce-muffins/

 

114) More freezer cooking! These look amazing! Really puffy and pretty and they are tasty too!

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/banana-cinnamon-muffins/479aaf26-88aa-47f2-a5c0-3f4448ecdfd4

 

115) I have never made Monster Cookies before. Well, not at my house. I used to work for a cookie store and made billions there. I didn’t have a great mixer before and worried that it would burn out the motor to try and mix up this super thick and chewy dough. With the new mixer I can do anything so I made them this afternoon as a treat for hubby who had been out gardening all afternoon. Delicious! And I love that they don’t have any flour so they are gluten free for my daycare kiddoes! Woohoo!

http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/05/07/monster-cookies/

 

116) Another recipe that I made just as an excuse to use my new mixer I did not make the garlic spread but the bread is delicious and so easy!

http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2012/04/26/cook-soft-and-chewy-french-bread-with-garlic-spread.html#_a5y_p=1963119

 

117) Chicken fried steak in the shape of chicken strips? Dipping gravy? Umm…Yes! I loved that this is just like chicken fried steak but so much easier to cook. We all loved it!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/07/steak-fingers-with-gravy/#recipe-form-220823

 

118) I always make homemade pudding. That way I know the ingredients and it is much cheaper than snack packs. This was by far the most work I have ever gone to for pudding but it is my favorite flavor and I have had a serious craving for butterscotch! O me O my! That is some scotch butterscotch! Wowza it is good!

 https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/7266-best-butterscotch-pudding

 

119) This one was yummy and easy. It called for 1/2 a pound of sausage so I just browned the whole pound and froze the other half of the meat and pepper to use for pizza down the road. I did make this cheater recipe for cooking crème rather than using the store bought. The store bought is expensive and full of odd ingredients.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/02/baked-penne-and-50-grocery-card.html#more

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/MAKE-YOUR-OWN-COOKING-CREME-52461791

 

120) These were pretty good but I need to work on my execution for sure. Or maybe not cook and parent at the same time. It leads to burning.

http://brunchtimebaker.com/2014/01/16/quick-and-easy-chicken-burritos/

Freezer cooking

With my first baby we didn’t freeze anything ahead of time. We were blessed with meals from our local MOP’s chapter but she was already 2 months old by that time. It was hard to get back into cooking after she was born because I was tired and learning a lot. Hubby tried to help, and he excels at grilling and breakfast, but anything else can be a bit of a challenge. With my second, I froze some casseroles but not near as much as I wanted to do because we only had a small freezer on top of our fridge. In the 3 years since then, my parents have bought us a deep freezer and I am striving to get is chock full before this baby makes its appearance in the fall. We have been freezing green beans and green peppers from our garden and soon I will begin harvesting and freezing squash to turn into baby food for next spring. On top of that we are filling it with casseroles(my goal is 20 full meals), sides, main dishes and baked goods. This is a compilation of meals that I have found are easy to make and freeze well.

Baked goods

http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/11/ihop-pancake-recipe.html

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/healthy-oats-and-applesauce-muffins/

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/banana-cinnamon-muffins/479aaf26-88aa-47f2-a5c0-3f4448ecdfd4

http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/05/07/monster-cookies/

http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2012/04/26/cook-soft-and-chewy-french-bread-with-garlic-spread.html#_a5y_p=1963119

 

I also have oatmeal raisin cookies(I use quakers recipe on the lid of the oatmeal container.) Dinner rolls in wheat and white, whole wheat bread and white bread. I will be doing a freezer cooking session of waffles soon. I like to freeze waffles all year round because they break up into perfect sizes to fit in the toaster. I am also going to make chocolate chip cookie dough balls and molasses cookies. The dough balls are great because I can pretend like I made fresh cookies for kids or company when I really just pulled them straight from the freezer. They taste good frozen too.

Side dishes

Twice baked mashed potatoes-I don’t have a recipe for this one but it is pretty self explanatory. Make mashed taters(I just make a huge batch for supper some night and use the leftovers), add sour cream, butter, cheese, green onion and bacon bits. Spread it into an 8x8 pan and freeze.

 

Corn on the cob-did you know you can freeze it?! Cut it in half, boil it for a few minutes then dunk in ice water. Then you can freeze it and have it year round! just add it to boiling water when you want it and get it the right color!

 

Refried beans-Okay, so I don’t have a recipe for this either but it is super easy. Just google it and you will find all kinds of variations. I like to make it plain and freeze in small bags since only 2 of us like it.

 

Main dishes

Taco meat

Pizza sausage(browned with peppers and onion)

Shredded chicken(plain and taco) I like roasting a whole chicken for supper and freezing the leftovers

Roast beef. Same as the chicken. We don’t want to eat leftovers for 3-4 days so I freeze some. Then I can make beef and noodles whenever I want.

Cubed ham

Meatballs-these are AMAZING!!!  http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/easy-freezer-meal-meatballs/

Runzas

Chicken Nuggets-I do have an amazing recipe for these but can’t post it because you need to be a member of Cooks Country to see it. I will type it up on a separate post at some point.

 

Casseroles-

http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole-day-14.html This one makes 4-8x8 casseroles.

Lasagna

Enchiladas

http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/freezer-meals-ground-beef-pot-pie/

Egg and sausage casserole.

Chalupa casserole

Tetrazzini

Meatloaf

 

As you can see, I didn’t post my recipes for some of these because people always have their own favorites. I am nearly done with baked goods and will start on the other dishes as my garden starts taking up less of my time. It is a lot of work at the onset but if it can give me an extra 30 minutes a day to focus on my new baby and babies sisters then I think it is worth it. Hope this helps in your freezer meal adventures!

7 Tips to Help You Keep Your Sanity When You Become A New Mom.

Parenting is hard. Becoming a new Mom is incredibly challenging and frightening. I didn't have a lot of friends who were Mom's when I had my first but the couple that I did gave me some amazing advice. These 7 tips were things I learned after giving birth to my 2 girls. Now that I am expecting my 3rd baby, I feel much more at ease with the whole process. So I want to share my knowledge as best I can!
I read this blog this evening and agree 100 %!
 http://www.cloudywithachanceofwine.com/10-tips-all-new-moms-should-read-before-they-enter-parenthood/#_a5y_p=1909090
But....I have a few tips of my own.

1) You are in charge of your labor. The nurses and doctors work for you. This doesn't mean that I think you should ignore their advice(those nurses are some smart ladies!) but it does mean that if they want you to do something you don't feel comfortable you do have a say!

2) Kick out the guests when you are tired. I can't even think how many friends I have had tell me that they were exhausted and didn't want company. Or they had company who overstayed their welcome while Mom needed to nurse or nap. If you or your husband don't feel comfortable kicking people out, ask the nurse to do it. But honestly, if anybody who visits you in the hospital is going to be offended because you need a nap, they don't need to be there in the first place.

3) Ignore your cell phone. You are not required to answer the phone every time it rings or answer that text from a dear friend who wants to know what you are up to. You are up to sleeping, feeding and bonding. Those are your only jobs. You can get back to people eventually but for the first days/weeks focus on that baby.

4) People are going to want to hog your baby. Don't let them. People will tell you that they can feed the baby but sometimes you really just want to feed your own baby. Take back your baby. You don't need to feel guilty for wanting to take care of your baby in your own way.

5) For Mom's of NICU babies- NICU nurses are some of the most experienced, loving and competent people you will ever meet. And they will wrap your baby up like a burrito and toss them around like a throw pillow. It's freaky. But they know what they are doing. Trust them and take their advice. We learned so much from our time in NICU. They taught us a new way to burp our little girl that was brilliant! They can change a diaper in 10 seconds(including weighing) and they are the champions of the swaddle. They are incredibly busy so they have learned how to do all of this incredibly fast and efficiently which can be scary for a new parent. Don't be afraid of them, rather ask for their advice.

6) NICU Mom's- Those scary NICU nurses? They scare doctors too. If you aren't getting an answer from your doc or just want a more thorough update, that nurse will be an advocate for you. We struggled with our second one to get any of the pediatricians to actually speak to us personally. With our first, the pediatrician would come into our hospital room each morning and give me an update but with the second I had to stalk her NICU room to get any update at all. When I expressed my frustration to the nurse she stepped in and got me some one on one time with the doctor so I could get some answers.

7) It is okay to do it different. I parent like my parents. When I need parenting advice I call my Mom or ask a Mom that I trust. I don't seek out advice on the internet. My friends do. That's okay. My friends have individual parenting philosophies. I don't. I want to raise healthy, happy kids who seek God. I don't necessarily have a plan for that but rather I play it by ear for each stage. That's okay too. No 2 parents agree(Not even Mom and Dad always agree.) so don't stress about disagreeing with your best friend about how to discipline your child or sleep training.

June Recipes

84) I have tried a few chicken enchilada recipes and have never been real thrilled with them. This recipe was really good and simple. I made the chicken by browning it in skillet and finishing it in the oven. I had seasoned it with cumin and Lawrys. Then I shredded it in my mixer and added the cheese plus I added some ranch and taco sauce to keep it from being too dry.

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/chicken-enchiladas-with-sour-cream-white-sauce/

 

85) I loved this one! My husband was a little less enthusiastic but it was simple, quick and very filling!

http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/05/chicken-lazone.html#_a5y_p=1169692

 

86) I realize that I have posted at least 4 recipes for stroganoff already but really, who doesn’t love a creamy comfort food? It was a tad dry. Maybe I baked it too long or maybe I used too many noodles. I don’t know. Hubby liked it though so I will try again with alterations to make it creamier.

http://www.framedcooks.com/2012/03/beef-stroganoff-casserole.html

 

87) Strawberry jam in the crock pot?! What? I have really been craving jelly this pregnancy but haven’t had any in the house. I don’t like store bought and haven’t been to any craft fairs that had any. So I took matters into my own hands. I didn’t want a huge batch because I don’t can so I halved the recipe and added the apple recommended in the comments for the pectin. It smells amazing while it is cooking!

http://www.the-lady-wolf.com/2012/06/strawberry-jam-in-crockpot-recipe.html

 

88) This was good but I had to stop the crockpot after 4 hours because it was starting to burn. Really tender though!

http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/

 

89) Beef and Broccoli! We were really excited about this one. It was good but it didn’t really taste like Chinese food. It tasted more like chipped beef mixed with broccoli. Still good and Molly was thrilled to have broccoli and rice for supper. I think next time I will doctor it up a bit.

http://www.motherthyme.com/2013/11/slow-cooker-beef-broccoli.html

 

90) This one was easy and pretty good. My kids didn’t like the potatoes at all and I can’t say I was a huge fan of them either. They were a tad greasy. The chicken was good but the skin on the bottom of the chicken didn’t cook well so I had a hard time getting past that. Over all, it was simple, quick and pretty. My husband even commented on how pretty it was.

 http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/herb_roasted_chicken_thighs_with_potatoes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed:+elise/simplyrecipes+%28simply+recipes%29

 

91) Mmmmm…Donuts! They made donuts on Masterchef last night and it made me want one soooo bad! Since I refuse to give into my cravings and drive to town, I made these instead. They were simple and really good!

http://www.the-savvy-kitchen.com/2013/06/old-fashioned-doughnut-muffins.html

 

92) Ooooohhh so yummy! And simple! A great side for any meal!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/dairy-contest-finalist-recipe-cheese-muffins/

 

93) This one was good. Nothing dramatic but just simple and good. We sauteed chicken to go with it.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/02/broccoli-shells-n-cheese/

 

94) We love a meal we can cook completely on the grill. These potatoes had a lot of flavor and no dishes!!!

 http://www.livebetteramerica.com/recipes/grilled-cheesy-garlic-potato-packet/a62ff884-7be9-4831-b73d-b070b094b0b6/?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Facebook&niseg4=LBA&creativeID4=Post&sf3087104=1

 

95) I have always loved pork chops and this recipe was great. They had a lot of flavor and were super tender.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/easy-grilled-pork-chops-recipe.html