They Can Hear You

July 24, 2014June 22, 201612 Comments

We have kids. A few of them. Four to be exact and we had them all right in a row. Our three sons came first within three years of one another and then our daughter is our youngest. Our oldest will begin kindergarten in a few weeks which means for the last few months I have had the opportunity to take all four of my small children out into the world with me wherever I go.

If you have young kids, or have encountered anyone with young children, or even if you’ve read my blog before, you will not be surprised to hear the comments I have received when I venture out into the big world with my small family.

You have your hands full.

Do you know what causes that to happen?

Wow. Are they all yours?

Three boys, bless your heart.

You got your girl. (This is a new one.)

And recently my favorite, Wow, you are either crazy or very unlucky.

Now, I am not saying all of these comments are said with ill will or evil intent. Sometimes my four small children hanging off the Kroger shopping cart is quite a miraculous thing to see. Not everyone is out and about with all their children and I understand that when you see us you don’t know what to say. So one of the above comes out… (hopefully not the last one.)

For the last year I have processed these phrases I hear when I am out only thinking about how the words made me feel. It wasn’t until today that this has changed.

A kind man passed us by in the parking lot and said one of the above phrases. He was kind. He was applauding all my efforts. He was not intending evil but my four year old commented, “I heard that.”

He heard it.

For all these years it has slipped my mind that my children are hearing these phrases with their functioning ears and active minds.

They can hear the comments, see the looks and interpret the phrases. This has completely changed the way I think about hearing “you’ve got your hands full” when I am out in the world with my young family.

They can hear you. My kids can hear you.

What broke my heart in that moment was the sadness in my little one’s voice, “I heard that” was said with sorrow. He wanted me to know he can hear the words too. He is standing right there.

He is not a circus act. He is a person, a person created by the Most High God and perfectly placed in our young family at just the right time and that Most High God perfectly placed just the right amount of months…and days…and years in between all four of my young kids.

My children are not accessories in the stroller or shopping cart, they are people and they can hear you.

I began to imagine what it has been like for them to hear the uncomfortable phrases for all these years. Especially when someone calls me unlucky to have them or comments something implying that my boys were just unsuccessful attempts for my prize daughter. They probably have felt hurt, mistreated and unwanted when we are out in this big, big world.

I know my husband has his hands full with me but no one would say that aloud to him when I am standing right by his side. Any person would avoid saying, “is she yours?” It’s just bad manners.

Why in our culture have we deemed it acceptable to say things about children we would never say about adults?

My kids can hear what you are saying. I want you to know. You comment is ringing in their ears.

As a mom, I fight to teach my kids that they are important and loved by the Most High God. I fight to teach them they were brought into the world for a purpose, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I fight to teach them they are precious to me because they are precious to God. Their existence is not unimportant or invisible to God.

God sees my kids hanging off the cart. God always sees them and He knows my kids by their names. God sees them as important. God knows all four of my kids so intimately that He knows the numbers of hairs on each of their heads.

So if you know they can hear you and you know God does not think of them as a handful, or a curse, or an unsuccessful attempt to have a daughter does this change how you might respond to us when you see us in the aisles of your grocery store?

Knowing they can hear you changes the way I think about “this way we have learned to talk about children” in our culture that is just bad manners.

I would like to share some encouraging comments I have received in hopes that we can redress these awkward encounters with the truth about children. I hope we can fight to redress the awkward comments to reflect how God views having lots of young kids hanging off shopping carts.

Next time try one of these instead…

Look at all your beautiful children.

The Lord has truly blessed you.

I bet those boys love their little sister.

What nice boys and girls you have, I’m sure it’s not easy for them to tag along on errands with mom.

Pslam 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

They can hear you. I hope this might help you think about how you are talking about them.

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Easy Freezer Meals

July 4, 2014February 20, 20161 Comment

The name of my cooking game is efficiency. I cook for efficiency only.

If your looking for Martha Stewart caliber dinners or dinners that would impress your all-natural-eating-yogi neighbor, you will not find that here.

If you are looking for simple efficient ways to feed your family then welcome to my blog and I am excited to share my time and money saving ways of prepping and freezing dinners with you.

**A note about me: I am a stay at home mom with four kids, three boys ages 5, almost 4 and 2, and a 7 month old daughter. My kids are all little so my dinners may stretch a little farther than yours because my young children eat like they have like tummies. And my sweet husband… I never put anything in front of him that he does not in return tell me, “this is the best dinner I’ve ever had, thank you for making dinner.” He is very gracious husband.

I cook for mostly children so almost everything on here is kid tested and approved.

In this post you will find two different sets of recipes. A starter freezer meal recipe list and the mother-load of recipes.

The starter list contains mostly crock pot recipes with simple ingredients to just get your feet wet in the world of freezer meal cooking. I even have included a list of ingredients at the end of this post.

The mother-load recipe list is if you are a go getter, sleeves rolled up and game face on ready to bust out an entire day of productivity. You will be tired but at the end you will be thrilled with all you accomplished in one day!

I prefer to shop one day and cook the next so I am only focused on one thing at a time. I do not feel any shame in putting a movie on for my kids or sending them out with their dad so I can get my cooking done. I also sacrifice my beloved nap on cooking day. Like I said: game face.

You will need:

Plenty of Ziplock Freezer Bags (I double bag everything)

Sharpie

Aluminum Foil Pans (I’ve heard from a friend you can buy these in bulk at Sam’s Club)

Saran Wrap or Wax Paper

Aluminum Foil

Cutting Board and good knives

Empty Dishwasher (I like to clean as I go)

Empty trash can (I don’t have time to waste taking out the garbage)

Apron (Check out ckstitches on etsy for cute handmade aprons from a friend.)

For Freezer Space:

I don’t keep much in my freezer except my dinners, Eggos (my middle two sons love Eggos), Chicken Nuggets, Popsicles, Uncrustables and steam fresh vegetables.

I have a freezer that is a pull out freezer underneath my fridge. I ditch all the bulky packaging of the Eggos, Popsicles, Uncrustables and those are all loose or in ziplocks in the top two drawers of my freezer. This leaves the two deeper bottom cavities of the freezer strictly for meals. You can also stagger when you buy your freezer junk. If you know your cooking at the beginning of the month maybe wait until mid month to restock your chicken nuggets and corn dogs when you’ve depleted your dinner stash a little.

Also, do not forget to press all the air out of your ziplock bags.

For Planning:

I have a dry erase monthly calendar on my refrigerator where I plan out all our meals. I have also found it helpful to plan in iCalendar on my iPhone or iMac. Then your planning is saved electronically.

For weekly planning I have an old picture frame on my counter which I have put cheery scrapbook paper inside and scrapbooking sticker letters. I write out what we are eating weekly in dry erase marker on the glass.

I pull meals from the freezer two-three at a time the day before I need the first one and keep them in the fridge.

For Fun:

I like productive cooking with a friend. Someone needs to pack up their stuff in a cooler and someone needs to share their kitchen but it is fun being productive and kicking mom life butt when you’re doing it with someone else.

Please share your pictures with me of your freezer meal cooking productivity on Instagram @rachelann314 . We can all kick mom life butt together and celebrate all productivity.

Cheers to cooking for efficiency. Recipes found in the links below.

The Starter Recipes

Starter Recipes Grocery List

The Mother-Load

Shopping List For Starter Freezer Meals

July 4, 2014July 4, 20141 Comment

Proteins

12 Chicken Breasts (one large package of chicken breasts from Costco)
A package of pork tenderloin (costco)
5 lbs of hamburger
1 package of flank steaks

***i will cook 4 of the chicken breasts and 1 pound of the hamburger the night before

Other

Gallon Ziplock Freezer Bags (enough to double bag)
4 large onions
Celery
Carrots
Breadcrumbs ***
2Eggs
Minced Garlic
Large Container Chicken Broth
1 can whole cranberry sauce
Orange juice
Sugar ***
Brown sugar ***
Cloves ***
Pepper ***
Chunky applesauce
BBQ sauce ***
Chili powder ***
Taco seasoning ***
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans beef consumme
Frozen tortellini
Frozen green beans
Cumin ***
Frozen Corn
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can chopped green chile peppers
Bay leaf ***
Cilantro
Ranch Dressing Mix (2)
Italian dressing mix (3)
Olive Oil***
Medium Red and Green Bell Pepper
Dijon Mustard***
Red Wine Vinegar***

***these things you may already have

The Mother-Load of Freezer Recipes

July 4, 2014July 4, 2014Leave a comment

Freezer Meal Recipes- via WildTree Comfort Foods

Chipotle Lime Fajitas (2 dinners)

2 pounds chicken or steak, cut into strips
2 cups bell peppers (approx. 2-3 peppers), cut into slices
1 white onion, cut into slices
4 Tbsp Roasted Garlic GSO
2 Tbsp Fajita seasonings (Optional)
2 Tbsp Chipotle Lime Blend (3 Tbsp if not using Fajita Seasoning)

Italian “Medallions” (2 dinners- I toss this chicken with pasta and a white wine reduction sauce)

2 pounds chicken tenders
2-3 tsp Italian salad dressing blend
3 Tbsp Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (or 4 Tbsp if not using lemon or basil pesto oil)
1 Tbsp Zesty Lemon OR Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil (OR one more Tbsp Roasted Garlic Grapeseed oil)

Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks (1 dinner)

10-12 Chicken drumsticks (or 6 chicken breasts) (I de-skin my drumsticks)
½ cup European Dipping Oil- Mediterranean Balsamic
½ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce

Crockpot Chipotle Lime Chicken (2 dinners)

1 cup onion, sliced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken thighs (or other chicken)
2-4 Tbsp Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub
1/4 cup lime juice (juice of 2 limes)
1-15 ounce can tomato sauce

Adobo Chicken (1 dinner)

1 Tbsp Wildtree Adobo Seasoning Blend
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil
2 pounds mixed chicken pieces (breasts, thighs and legs)

Mozzarella and Tomato Chicken Pasta (2 dinners)

1 ½ – 2 pounds chicken breasts, cubed
4 tsp Wildtree Smoked Mozzarella & Tomato Blend
3 Tbsp Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (or your choice of GS oil)
1 tsp Rancher Steak Rub (or more to taste)

Freezer Mac and Cheese (2 dinners but I do two of these making 4 dinners)

via rachaelray.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cavatappi pasta, or any shape you like
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3 cups NY aged sharp cheddar (12 ounces), grated

Serves 4-6

PREPARATION

Pre-heat broiler to high or oven to 400°F.

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook just shy of al dente, according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in the milk, season with salt and ground black pepper, and bring up to a bubble. Turn the burner off and stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it’s all melted.

When the pasta is done, drain it well and combine with sauce. Pour into baking dish and place under the broiler in or the oven to brown the cheese and enjoy.

Leftover idea!

Make a double batch, pour the pasta into a baking dish and stir in your favorite mix in. Let it stand on the counter until cooled, then wrap in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, it can go straight from the freezer into in a 400ºF oven. Cook for 1 hour, covered with foil, the take the foil off and bake for another 15-20 minutes to brown the top.

Baked Ziti (I double this making 4 meals)

via thepioneerwoman.com

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
1 pound Italian Sausage
1 pound Ground Beef
1 can (28 Oz. Size) Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt And Pepper, to taste
16 ounces, weight Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
1 tub (15 Oz. Size) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1-1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 whole Egg
Fresh Minced Parsley
Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.
Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Ranch Salmon for the Grill (2 dinners)

I buy one large salmon fillet from Costco and cut it into two pieces.

I season both sides with a ranch packet, olive oil and 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing.

Thaw and grill

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Starter Freezer Meals

July 4, 2014July 4, 2014Leave a comment

The Starter List = 17 Dinners

Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Meatloaf (2 nights of dinner)