Freezer Crock Pot Cooking.... the Beginning

Howdy Ya'll!

So, I know its been quite a while since I have dabbled in the blogging area with my food blogging............
But I have been very intrigued and now taken by a certain thought.
The thought that Less time in the kitchen means... More time with my sons.  So, Thus I was very inspired when i came across a post by Money Saving Mom Posted back in November on their facebook page. Well Of course I went to read the blog.........
Which linked up to....
Who Needs A Cape???
 Which Again... took a it more reading and time.....
WOW just wow is What  I was thinking at the time..... Spend 4 hrs to make and prepare for approximately 40 meals in just 4 hrs. Freeze and then  just pull out what you want the night before throw in the crock pot the next morning AND....... TADA!!!! Nice hot  home cooked meal! How awesome would that be? Just add  vegetable and/or a carb/starch and you are good to go, Those two do NOT take too much time! So... I did it! I took time jotted down the  items to the master shopping list  and headed out to the store... Just Me and my four guys. Ok that was a lot harder than you would of imagined. 1- 32 yr old, 2- 23 month olds and.... 1  30 day old.... It was Fun needless to say. Took two trips to two different stores in two different cities..... because IMO there was not exactly enough listed on the master shopping list for what was needed when i took it and went shopping.
SO, I split up the meals into 2 days worth of my doing this, being with the kids and husband...... and our normal schedule....I had a heck of a time  getting more than 2 hrs to do it, I had to do it after the kids were asleep which put me at doing it and stopping at about 1 am each night LOL. Just a lil long for me.  YES it did take me 4 hrs.... but, that was also with me VERY UNPREPARED!
I will Not tell a lie there.
Def Print out the recipes, Def pre prep the veggies and items that can be chopped cut separated crushed and/or opened. this i actually think will have to save time.. Oh yeah and gather all your items in ONE area... and work from there.... I did not do these things and it took me the 4 full hrs. I actually tired my best to break the time on that =)
Now my plans for the future blogs..........
given time (which will take away from family but Im going to truly attempt this.... ) I will break down the calories, carbs, sodium, and TRUE servings....  I will break down MY Texas cost of the meals, and of the total spent.
I did save receipts but i will have to sit down and calculate everything out to a T.  I really am uber picky on these things.  and I am VERY determined!  I will give it 1-4 stars.  ;) I will try and state if it was or was NOT really truly kid friendly. My boys will try just about anything. including meats but if they don't like it is straight onto the floor, and they are actually for almost 2 yr olds very open to taste! I will tell you if there should be something added for flavor, what i added for sides and stuff. and what i did or didn't do with  the left overs ;)
 we have tried several of these meals so far. Each one i will blog about and let you know...
Just a few that we have tried so far:
Applesauce bbq pork

Mongolian Beef

Ranch chicken tacos (I just added ranch dressing to this recipe)

Hearty beef stew

Beef/chicken fajitas

Balsamic glazed chicken

Teriyaki chicken

So if you can bare with me. I will try to catch up on the blogging about the meals and if all works out will get the cost and stuff done asap..... that seems to be what will be holding me up the longest..... that will take a bit of time........  

Tomorrow we will be having green chili pork stew..........  Hubby is beyond excited!!

But let me add this, It really truly has been so nice to come in the kitchen throw on a side and sit down with my boys playing and coloring at the table when that is going on... vs having to really stand there and  keep and eye on things with the kids in another room or doing their own thing. 
I am super mom (ok maybe i just try to be HAHA)  but I do what I can and now it seems I can do more. We HAVE eaten out less..... and that too has been very enjoyable!!! 
Well, I'm off of this one and on to the other now! 
Peace and Lettuce =) 
Jessica

New me…………. =/ really???

 

 

So, I’m trying to start to be a new me…….. TRYING to plan things….. instead of spur of the moment………… SO short blog……
I didn’t do too badly tonight at the store…… spend 98.00 and that’s with some cleaning supplies and stuff thrown in too. but this is what I believe will be on the menu for the week…… which day and stuff will have to be decided tomorrow(well hr. wise today haha)

vegetarian lasagna (oven of course)(Tuesday??)

sweet potato chicken curry(crock pot)Wednesday??)

leek and potato soup…..(stove top =D ) Sunday??)

Chicken Meat loaf ( haven’t decided what kind of flavor yet! )(Saturday???)

I have a butter nut squash and a acorn squash…. so one of those and something…. Haven't quit got my finger on that one yet.(Thursday??)

maybe some ribs??? Boneless or on the bone not sure yet…..
(Friday?? or maybe leave this till the following Saturday and let hubby grill!)

fajita salad?!?!?! (Monday??)

Ok so really tonight is just a rough draft… but…. first 4 are must!!! I have the stuff…… and need to make it NO matter what!!!

I love eating out…….. but I'm tired of the cost!!!! With the diabetes, and the needing to work on more than likely lowering sodium…. I must get off my hiney and hold my self accountable for foods cooked at home! and keeping the kids my self (Daniel ) and Hubbys happy and healthy!
OH Hubby did get a new job…. knew in time to quit the old one…. take a week off. and then begin the new one! this one will pay weekly… so… I should be able to grocery shop every week instead of every other or once a month! might be more interesting in fresh produce! =)

Any feed back or thoughts????

Nighters!!(early morning really!)

Jessica

Name the meal…

 

Every one in a while I create a meal…… That I have no name for… It might be a soup or a stew or even a stoup.

Could just be something Fantabalous Just thrown together as fajitas or with a roast.  I never know.   I don’t usually plan a meal,  it is more of a spontaneous thing with me. spur of the moment.  Or what I just feel like sounds good to me at that time…… (go figure with the pregnancy hormones at the moment!)

So…… This is what is for dinner tonight.. It is already looking and smelling Delicious!

(4) Boiled Chicken breast (no skin no bone[always boiled in water with garlic salt and pepper])

Then it will be shredded, and tossed in with.

(1 pkg) frozen Peas ,carrots ,corn (mix that I got at my local H.e.b.)

(1 can) Diced tomatoes with green chilies,

(1 can) Diced tomatoes with onion and celery

(2 cans)black beans

Salt, pepper, Garlic, cumin and Chili powder (sorry ya’ll you know I hardly ever measure!)

and four cups of water.

The chicken is boiling right now. the stoup like substance is smelling totally delicious and mouth watering at the moment.

 

I'm guessing its about…………

 

Nutrition Facts 6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314.0

Total Fat 3.9 g 

Cholesterol 50.0 mg 

Total Carbohydrate 53.2 g

Dietary Fiber 9.0 g

Sugars 13.7 g

Protein 29.3 g

that is just a rough estimate =) for saying 6 but I'm  very sure it could serve more like 8, except my hubby is a foodie! LOL. Gotta love a man with an appetite!

Hope someone enjoys the meal! Please leave feed back if your reading or eating anything =) Anything you would like to see tried? something you have wanted to cook but haven't gotten around to but want a test subject?? ?  Send me a message! lets chat!

Peace and Love to all My PEEPS! =)

Changes ahead….

It' has come to my attention finally………….. That I just can not seem to blog enough!

 

So, Here I am now.  Finally trying to get back into this.  This round is for a different reason, The reason being that My hubby ,K, and I just found out we are expecting again.  With the Twins, G & Z, being 15 months come this Monday.  I’m realizing I need to be held accountable.  I need to Get back to home cooking.  To Not eating out unless its just about once a month!  Yes, you just heard that right,  I’m planning on a once a month “date” with my husband.  So that Once a month I can take a break from the cooking , the cleaning, the chores, and just sit back and enjoy some quality time with the love of my life!

Which brings us back to cooking……. and this cooking with twinspirations blog!  If I hold my self accountable here, On this blog, I will have to stay focused.  No more unnecessary  carbs,  More freggies (that’s fruit and veggies) .  All this Plus walking every afternoon as a family.  I am hoping and praying this will lead to a healthy uncomplicated pregnancy! So, Diner tonight is nothing fancy, But it is healthy Oven baked Chicken breast with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, red peppers and Corn.  Might have to figure out a Snack for afterwards but So far I have been doing swell at eating healthy snacks too!

 

Now what I did with the meal………………………..

Baked Chicken and  Veggies

took a 9X13 pan Sprayed with cooking spray, then I laid 6 boneless skinless chicken breast on bottom.

Topped with the  veggies sprinkled with salt pepper garlic and Tony’s More spice seasonings

(update 5/8/12  Note to self: Tony’s More spice seasoning is Amazing Very very spicy! the boys Could not eat this and I had to warm them up something different. Either use a lot less of it when testing the waters again or… skip it and move on! =) )

So, Lets get on this journey and Lets do this! Shoot me a message about anything you would love tried either just on adults on the 15month olds or even if it’s the picky ages of 6&11! =) we have a house full and I can have a ton of testers!  I love new and inventive ideas and am always willing to try something at least once!

Spinach and Chicken stuffed Shells

This is what Our dinner looked like tonight!

Needless to say For having a husband who does NOT like spinach at all He ate this like it was the best thing on earth!

Estimation wise, I would say with a salad and maybe a slice of garlic bread i'm pretty sure it could feed between 6-8 people. 

Ingredients:

1 box of Jumbo pasta shells

1 32oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 32 oz can of tomato sauce

1 1/4-1/2 jar of Italian seasonings

1 lb Ground Chicken

1 container of ricotta

1 bag (small) of mozzarella cheese

3 eggs

salt, pepper & garlic to taste.

10 oz of frozen spinach

Directions:

Bring water to a boil with salt added and a touch of olive oil(or cooking spray) placed in the water.

When water reaches a full boil, add in the shells a few at a time making sure to stir to keep them from sticking. 

Boil for appx. 15 mins stirring off and on to continue to keep them from sticking together. When al dente, Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside.

Spray a frying pan with non stick cooking spray and heat up. Add the (thawed) ground chicken, season with salt pepper and garlic. Break it up with a spatula as you would any other ground meat. :) There should be no need to drain because ground chicken is very lean.

While chicken is cooking.......

Place in a sauce pan, add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasonings ( to your liking) allow it to simmer for several minutes(if you do not want to make "home made" sauce Skip this step and use a jarred sauce)

Take your frozen spinach, place in strainer and rinse with water til thawed. Precede to squeeze the water out. 

Now, you make the "GUTS" to the shells. Mix the ricotta, ground chicken, Spinach eggs and mozzarella. add salt and pepper to your liking.

Grab a baking dish and spray with non stick cooking spray. 

I opened up the shells by squeezing the pointed ends, so that it opened up like a plastic coin purse.

Spoon in the "guts" till stuffed to your liking, ( i used a fork while making this and totally didn't think about judging how many spoons i would of used.)

Places the stuffed shells in the baking dish cover with sauce. Bake at  375* for about 30 to 40 mins. 

I had a lil extra sauce left over which was nice Because I could cut back on the amount in the pan but still Let my hubby add extra to the sauciness he liked =) 

Must of been a decent recipe Because my picky husband and our 11 month old twins ate a ton!!!!

This made for me appx........33 stuffed shells. Defiantly plenty to feed a hungry and growing family =)

 If i am correct (cause i might of messed up the adding all of it on spark recipes to get the correct calculation) If you use this to feed just 6 people it comes to about 575 cals a serving. I believe it could definitely feed 8 and that comes to 431 cals a serving (but that's also with me calculating in onion and bell pepper being sauteed  and added to the sauce. which does not add much)

ANd now lookie!!! I have finally posted a blog about food i have cooked! YAY ME!!!! =)
please comment and let me know if you have tried this and enjoyed it!!! Bon appetit!!

Basic Spices and Staples

Spices are the basis of everything I cook.  If I did not have Spices I would probably just Kill over of a heart attack. OK, That is a little over kill, but is really is the way I feel about having spices. I never use anything like Onion salt, Garlic salt.....etc


So, These  are the spices and seasonings that are actually in my kitchen Cabinet:



Baking soda
Baking Powder
Balsamic vinegar 
Ground Ginger
Ground Nutmeg
Ground sage (i have two and i dont know why)
Paprika (have three of these but i love love love it!)
Poultry seasoning
apple pie spice (why? I am unsure i just spice my pies my self any how) 
Dill Seed
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Chili powder(times 2 I use it a lot!)
Ground Cloves(have two?! Unsure why!)
Whole cloves( i use these in presentations and drinks)
Ground Cinnamon (this i have so many of but i use it so very much!)
Black Pepper (which i have in 3 varieties whole  restaurant ground and fine ground)
Parsley flakes
Cayenne pepper
hot madras curry powder
ground comino ( aka cumin)
Garlic Powder
Tony's
Uncle Chris' steak seasonings
fajita seasonings
crushed red pepers
lemmon pepper
enchilada seasonings
fiesta lime
rosemary
soul food( not sure why cause i dont seem to use it much)
tomato basil garlic (great on veggies and other stuff)
barbecue
And Bullions( beef, Chicken, Shrimp & Chipotle) 
Sea Salt
Vanilla






And In the Fridge we have:
Parmesan cheese
 tobasco- habanero
tobasco  milder jalapeno 
reduced sodium soy sauce
sweet n sour
teriyaki
worcestershire sauce
pure sesame seed oil
 liquid smoke
sriracha hot chili sauce
franks red wins sauce 
concord jelly 
peperoncin peppers
hot sauce
italian dressings




I usually have onion powder too, But I have been keeping frozen Chopped  Onion and Bell pepper in the freezer...........
Oh and yes WE have to keep a note in our mind that the Holy Trinity In cooking is Onion, bell pepper and Celery! 
Garlic i have on hand at the moment is also fresh minced in the Fridge, whole fresh, and Ground. Lets just say I have a love of Garlic.


Since this is just about basic spices, Everything I cook meat wise  will always have a base of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. 


Just that is almost enough for me!




Well, Now that you know what I have on hand for seasonings and flavors ;) I will let you think about it and I guess see if anyone would have any questions as to why i have these?  =) 
So far I really have not found a flavor that i don't like, well, other than greens hahaha. But I am working on powering through not liking them so that The Twins Do like them! 




And Since this is My First blog Under "Cooking Healthy with Twinspirations", Let me explain the Purpose of this blog.


I am a mother of twins, who is trying to get back to her healthy Goal weight after gaining 99 lbs during a very very strict bedrest filled pregnancy.  The boys are 11 months now, and Really Since they eat what we eat, they are my Inspirations, My TWinspirations,  The reason, to live life to the fullest, To love like there is no other way, and to Stop and take in every moment possible.  So, Cooking and healthy cooking with them every day is what i aspire to do. They will be raised knowing how to eat right and how to fight off the diabetes and other conditions that run in our families. 
So, Welcome To Cooking Healthy with TWinspirations. 
I hope you will find things in the future that will help you lead a health conscious life and learn to enjoy every moment of food, from the cooking, and aroma to the sitting at a table and enjoying every bite!
Here's wishing you health and love in every bite! =)
Jessica