2 weeks of Freezer Meals part 1

I love to make meals ahead of time in one full day of cooking. This helps in those times where you know your days are going to be packed full and you will not have a ton of time to make a great meal. While the cooking day can take a little planning and feel very intimidating at first once you do it you can see how simple it is to do. For your cooking day plan another pre-made meal if you have it or order some carry out! You will not want to have to cook a dinner for that day! Make sure to check your pantry for any of the items in the recipes so that you do not have to spend more than needed. Also remember when making your list to check your items against any coupons that you may have! As Always shop the sales add for even larger savings!

The Menu

Week 1

Monday ~ Beef Taco Lasagna

Tuesday ~ BBQ Brisket

Wednesday~ Sheppard's Pie

Thursday~ Cheddar Beef Enchiladas

Friday ~ Colorful Chicken Casserole

Saturday~Sausage and Rice

Sunday~ Cheddar Chicken Spirals

Week 2

Monday~ Asian Noodle Toss

Tuesday~ Zesty Chicken Soup

Wednesday ~ Taco Filled Pasta

Thursday~ Mexican rice with Chicken

Friday~ 3 Cheese Kielbasa

Saturday~ Chicken Mac

Sunday~ Pizza Meatloaf Cups

The Recipes

Beef Taco Lasagna

This yummy dish makes 2 big pans! This gives you another meal down the line or one to share with friends. Each Pan serves 8

24 lasagna noodles 2 lbs ground beef 2 envelopess taco seasoning 4 egg whites 2 cartons (15oz) ricotta cheese 8 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 jars chunky salsa

1. cook noodles according to directions. While cooking noodles brown beef in large skillet, drain then add taco seasoning.

2. in small bowl combine egg whites and ricotta cheese. Drain noodles

3. In both of the 13x9x 2in pans lap cheese layer four noodles, 3/4 cup cheese mixture, half of the beef mix, 1 1/2 cups salsa and 1 1/3 cups of cheese. Repeat

4. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. thaw then Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving!

BBQ Beef Brisket

serves 12

1 10oz bottlesoy sauces 1Tbs liquid smoke 2 tsppepper

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1tsp garlic salt 1tsp onion salt

1tsp celery salt 1fresh beef brisket (5 lbs)

BBQ Sauce

1bottle ketchup 1 to 2 tbs sugar 1Tbs cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tsp prepared mustard 1Tsp Worcestershire sauce 1tsp soy sauce

1. in a large ziplock bag combine the first 7 ingredants add brisket. seal the bag and turn to coat. refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Drain and discard marinade. place brisket on a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Seal tightly place in a 15 in x 10x1 baking pan coatedwith cooking spray. bake at 325 for 4 hours or untill meat is tender.

3. remove brisket and let stand for 20 minutes. Thinly slice meat across the grain. place in uncreased 13x9x2 pan.combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. cover and bake for 1 hour or until heated through. May be frozen for up to 3 months.

Shepard's Pie

serves 5

1 lb ground beef 3 tbs chopped onion 1/2 Tsp minced garlic

1/3 cup ketchup 1 tbs cider vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/4 cups water

3 tbs butter 1 1/4 cups instant mashed potatoes 1 (3oz) package cream cheese cubed 1 (12oz) tube buttermilk biscuits 1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1. in large skillet cook beef, onion, and garlic over med. heat until meat is no longer pink. drain meat then add katchup, vinagar and salt then set aside.

2. in small sauce pan bring water and butter to a boil. remove from heat and add instant potatoes. Whisk untill well blended. beat in cream cheese until smooth.

3. press biscuits into the bottom and up the sides of 10 greesed muffin cups. Fill with beef mixture. Spread potato mixture over beef. Sprinkle with potatoe chips. press down lightly

4. . Then bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. cool before placing in a single layer to be frozen.

Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw over night then bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until heated through.

Cheddar Beef Enchiladas

2 pans each having 5 -6 enchiladas

1 lb ground beef 1 envelope taco seasoning ! Cup cold water

2 cups cooked rice 1 can refried beans 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided 10 - 12 flour tortillas (8 inch) 1 jar salsa 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

In large skillet cook beef over med. heat. Drain then stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in rice and cook for 4 minutes

Spread about 2 tbs of refried beans , 1/4 cup beef mix and 1 tbs cheese down center of each tortillia. rollup and place seem side down in 13x9x2 pans.

Combine salsa and soup and pour down the center of enchaladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake thaw over night . Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 375. uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Colorful chicken casserole

Makes 2 casseroles each serve 4

1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped green pepper 3/4 cup chopped onion 2 Tbs butter 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen peas 1tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 3 cups cooked chicken cubed 1 package cooked and cut spaghetti 1 jar sliced mushrooms drained 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In large skillet saute green pepper, and onion in butter until tender. Add broth , corn , peas. Stir in chicken and spaghetti

Devide between 2 8in square prepared dishes. . top with mushrooms and cheese.

Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook bake at 350 for 35 minutes if frozen, if thawed bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes.

Sausage Rice

Serves 6-8 makes to dishes

2 packages rice pilaf 2 lbs bulk pork sausage 6 celery ribs chopped

4 med. carrots, sliced 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp pepper

Make rice according to the package. in large skillet cook sausage, celery and carrot over med. heat until no longer pink and drain.

In large bowl combine sausage mixture cooked rice, soups, onion powder and pepper. Transfer into 2 greased 11x7x2 pans.

Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. thaw then bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes.

Cheddar chicken Spirals

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups uncooked spirals 1/2 cup mayo 1/3 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dried basil 2 cups frozen mixed veggies ( thawed) 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Cook noodles according to package, meanwhile in large bowl combine mayo, salt, milk and basil. Stir in vegetables, chicken and 1 cup of cheese. drain pasta and then add to mixture

Place mix into 1 1/2qt. microwave safe casserole dish. cover with remaining cheese. cover and microwave for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

This dish can be made and frozen with out cooking in the microwave. Use freeze and microwave safe dish.

One Week of Dinners

Ok SO here is one week of dinners with no sides. All of the meals can have sides added to them for what you or your family want or like.

Sunday ~~ Chicken in Gravy

Monday~~Homemade Pizza

Tuesday~~Velveeta Tex Mex

Wednesday~~Super Stuffer Potatoes

Thursday~~Slow Cooker Lasagna

Friday ~~Cheesy Chili Soup

Saturday~~Sloppy Tacos

Chicken and Gravy

makes 4 servings

4 slices Bacon ( chopped) 4 Large carrots, thinly sliced

1 large onion, chopped 1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 oz. low fat cream cheese 3 cups cooked brown rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (halves)

1. In large nonstick skillet cook bacon on medium heat for 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove from pan and place on paper towel to dry. Discard drippings.
2. In same skillet add chicken cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F. Move chicken when done to plate and cover to keep warm.
3. Add veggies and half a cup of chicken broth to skillet. Let Simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
4. Stir remaining broth and cream cheese cook uncovered for 2 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Stir constantly! Return chicken to skillet and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Spoon rice onto plates and place chicken, sauce and bacon.

Homemade Pizza

Your favorite pre-made pizza crust Pre-made pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese Other pizza toppings of your choice

1. Make crust according to instructions on package.
2. Cover crust with pizza sauce
3. Cover Pizza sauce with all your favorite toppings
4. Bake at 350 until pizza is cooked through. ( If your crust has different instructions please follow those cooking instructions for temp.)

Velveeta Tex- Mex

Makes 6 servings

1lb ground beef 1/2 cup water

1 red pepper, chopped 4 cups frozen cubed souther style hash browns

1 onion, chopped 1 10 oz package frozen corn

1 package taco seasoning 1/2 Lb velveeta cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. brown meat , red pepper, and onion in large skillet. Drain and then return to skillet
3. Stir in taco mix and water. Add hash browns, corn and cheese. Mix Well!
4. Spoon into a 13x9 baking dish. Bake covered for 20 minutes
5. Stir and then bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Super Stuffed Potatoes

Serves 4

4 small baking potatoes 1 lb ground beef

1/4 lb velveeta, cubed 1 small tomato, chopped

2 green onions, sliced 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1. Prick potatoes with fork then microwave on high for 14 minutes or until tender. Turning them after 7 minutes
2. While potatoes are cooking brown hamburger in large skillet. Drain and then add velveeta, tomatoes and onions. Cook until cheese is melted and well blended. Remember to stir frequently to keep the cheese from burning!
3. Split potatoes and mash insides with a fork. Top with meat mix and top with sour cream if desired.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Serves 8

1 lb ground beef 1 jar spaghetti sauce 1 cup of water

1 (15oz) Ricotta cheese 7 oz shredded mozzarella 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 egg 2 tbs chopped parsley 6 lasagna noodles

1. Brown meat in large skillet and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix in ricotta and 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, 2 Tbs of Parmesan, egg and parsley.
2. Spoon 1 cup of meat sauce into slow cooker. Top with layers of half each of the noodles broken to fit, and cheese mixture. cover with 2 cups of the remaining meat sauce and repeat layers.
3. cover with lid and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and let stand covered until topping of cheese melts.

Cheesy Chili Soup

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 15oz kidney beans rinsed

1 can 14 1/2 oz chicken broth 2 stalks celery

2 carrots Chopped 1 onion chopped

2 tsp chili powder 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

1. Bring all ingredients except cheese to boil in medium saucepan.
2. Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in 1/3 cup of cheese.
3. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese.

Sloppy Tacos

Serves 8

1 lb ground beef 1 (160z) jar of salsa

1 package of hamburger buns 1 package of american cheese slices

1. Brown meat in large skillet and Drain.
2. Stir in salsa. Cook until heated through. Stir as needed.
3. Spoon mixture into hamburger buns top with cheese.

My stance on "The Speech"

Ok so many think that this for me is an issue because I am a conservative republican and have fundamental issues with the policies that are being worked. This is not the case. If Bush or any other President wanted to do this I would have the exact same response to it. My issue is that here in California we are so tight in our budget that we can not afford many or the things that in most areas are expected and covered by the school district. Our children are in schools that can not be repaired when they have issues because the money is not there. Music, Art, PE and Computer is paid for by the PTA because the schools can not afford to pay the teachers. We have over crowded class rooms sitting in some rooms are at 35 to 1 ratios. Teachers having to teach a combination of grades class just so that the ratios are not worse than where they are. The high school can not afford to pay coaches for sports teams and forget paying for buses to get them to games. Oh that and if you are lucky enough to be on a bus route then you have the privilege to pay $200.00 per child to let them ride the school bus. With the teachers having so much on their plate as it is to me it is unfair to take their valuable time up with a 20 minute speech. Add to that then having all of the "recommended" activities that go along with that speech. While here in California we are into the first month of school the teachers have more of a routine at this time to get the amazing things done that they do every day with the little that they are given to do it with. For those that have this speech on the first day of school it is even more of a burden. The first day is hard enough in all grade levels for many reason that adding in this speech is an unreasonable request. I would have no issue with this speech if a little bit of common sense was applied and it was done Monday or Tuesday night where the kids would be able to watch it at home. I also feel that this topic is something that parents should be able to discuss with their child. This is not up to the teachers to have to cover with the students when the parents can just as simply do the same things at home with the materials provided to go with this speech. I think that the message of stay in school and get a good education is wonderful but not something that needs to be covered in the class room. Teachers are under so much pressure to teach to the testing standards for each state that they have little to no freedom to work with the children on things that do not fall on the test. Some of this is stuff that is important. In Virginia my children were taught simply to pass the Standards of Learning ( SOL) Test. This test was the only focus of the schools for the year. Everything revolved around what was on this test. Children would be so stressed out by this test that they would get ill from worry about doing well on the test. This is even in the elementary levels! Here i California we have the Star testing and the Bench Mark testing. The children are forever in some type of testing or prep for the testing. In Virginia my children were taught history... Virginia's History. Here in California they are taught something else. Personally I feel that this is an issue that Obama should be looking at. With so many dropping out and failing he should spend the time looking at the true cause of this and not preaching at them to stay in school. This message is told to them over and over. They know why to stay in school they know why it is important. If Obama is worried about our children competing in the Global marketplace as they get older then the focus needs to be less on stay in school and more on improve the education that is being provided to the children that are in school. Make an National Grading scale so that kids graduating High School have the same GPA in one state as they would in another by having all using the same grading scale. Not having this puts these children at a disadvantage when they are applying to college. Having a curriculum that is the same across the nation would help as well this way all children are being taught the same thing regardless of where they live. There is no advantage or disadvantage by state standards. For me personally there are many issues that I feel need to be addressed by the country as a whole so that the education system can get back on track. As a military family we have the unique ability to move many times during the time that our children are in school. This affords us the ability to move to a better area and in some cases a far worse one with little or no say as to the education that is provided by the schools. This is why many military families feel it imperative to home school their children. This helps those children to receive a great education and many times that is something that the schools that the children would have attended could not do. With the challenges that military children face every day I feel that education and the right to a good education is something that should never be an issue! Our Children send their mothers and fathers off to war. Spend months at a time with only one parent or in some situations other family members because both mom and dad are deployed. They never know if Mom or Dad is ever going to be able to come back from war they know the price that may be paid.

They are not like the other children in the schools and they speak a different language than that of their friends. For those that do not know Military speak is far different than that of a civilian. For instance my husband receives and LES where we can see what he got paid for BAH, BAS and what deductions were taken for SGLI and other such things. Now if this does not have you confused my children will ask where the Head is, what time you hit the Rack, if you wear your cover in the house. Ok those are simple. In a conversation with other spouses you can here words like duty , TDY, Ditty, pcs, prd, duty and so on. Those are also terms that i hear the kids using as well. With the many challenges that the kids face having education being another one is even more unfair to them.

So President Obama if you would like to see our children do better in school and stay in school make school a better place with education levels being to the standards that they had been years ago when we were as a country one of the best places to get educated!

The longest day EVER

I have officially lost track of the days. So let me start at the beginning to figure it out. First thing Monday morning we have to get mr man ready to go. Not a problem he is set and can not wait. ( As you can tell he understood what was going to happen but not fully the extent of what it would be like. Before he is able to get dressed we have to wash him down with some special wipes. Will is not going to have that. He informs me that he does not need to do that because he is not stinky since he took a good shower sunday night. Now mind you that this is being said while he sniffs himself and says see not stinky! I informed him that this was not to help him not stink but to kill the germs. He reminded me ever so sweetly "mom the shower washed the germs off!" Long story short there I Won he was washed down and then we were on our way. We arrived here for surgery at Stanford's Children's hospital. We got here at about 10 am after getting stuck in some nasty traffic. Everything went very smoothly that morning until they told us that he was not going back for surgery until 1:40 in the afternoon. We were not thrilled but these things happen.

The PACU ( Pre- Anesthesia Care Unit)

We all travel into the PACU where Will gets his giggle juice. This in theory is to help him relax. As you can guess this was not the case for my darling William. Heck no that would be to simple. My son has the reverse effect and starts getting hyper and well extremely goofy. This is great fun for all involved.. no really it was. He soon there after is taken to the holding area that we can not go with him to. He said good bye and that he would see us after his surgery.. then told the nurse that he was ready to be surgeried. We take our leave of him and head to the family waiting room.

The Wait

When we arrive in the waiting room we are told that we will be taken on a tour of the CVICU and that we will meet with our social worker. But seeing as this is going to be such a long process and we were both starving( poor Will was sooo hungry as well) we said that we would go grab a bite to eat and then come back. we took the handy dandy pager and went on a short walk. Come to find out the pager is not worth its weight in plastic! It has such a limited range it does not even work on the 2nd floor! Any way they had our cell numbers so off we went. We walked over to the Stanford mall and back. Ok let me just say the only store that I could afford was Gap... and that was pushing it! Brad and I both joked about me going into Cartier or Coach to pick out my Christmas present! When we returned we took our tour and found out that at what was then almost 3 pm Will had only JUST gotten into surgery. We waited a little while to talk to our social worker and then planned to get walking again. All said and done we had only just started walking when we get a call from my MOM telling us that Will is out of surgery. They called the HOME number to let us know. I think that the Area code being different should have made them check again but what the heck! We RUN back in to talk to the doctor and miss him.

Up to CVICU ( cardiovascular Intensive care unit)

We knew coming up stairs ( to the second floor where the pager does not work) that it would be about 45 minutes from the time he was brought into the room until we could finally come and see him. Seeing as he was out cold it was not going to be an issue. We waited and waited and waited and then finally Brad went in to see why almost an hour and a half later we were still WAITING!!! They were Just coming to get us! SHUUURRREEE that is it. We are able during our wait to talk to the surgeon who was thrilled with the surgery and how well it went. He stated that Will should never need another heart surgery for repair. YIPPEEEE!

Reunited

The first night we were told that they were going to try to remove Will from the ventilator . AWESOME. Or so we thought. If you have never seen this I hope you never have to! They bring down the meds and he wakes up. Combative to say the least trying to pull every tube he can get his hands on. Chest tube included... talk about fun. I am holding him down trying to keep him from ripping everything out as he starts to fight his vent. Bloody foamy phlegm and water come up into his vent tube. If you can imagine the sound of someone drowning this is the sound he is making. Add to this that he is absolutely terrified and out of sorts so he is franticly looking around while gasping. Every time this happens add to that fun rushes of "blood" coming out of his chest tube along with all of the regular bells and whistles that happen in a hospital. Fun right.... well this was the first night over and over and over again. Until that is about 3 in the morning when they say Too much fluid on his lungs... maybe tomorrow. I at this point have been up for almost 24 hours... woo whoo party time!

Less than 24 hours

Well the morning is quickly arriving here. I know it is not even 10 pm but it seems so much later. We got the call this afternoon that Will has been moved up to the second surgery. This puts Will back to the slot that he was in when we left the other day. This is wonderful news for us all!

Our Physician assistant Harold called this evening with this news. Due to the situation that we are in with the 4 different schools and my mom being here and all of the planing... yadda yadda.... Well that was of enough interest to the Surgeon that he decided to move Will up. He also told us that it would take a problem with ICU or a Transplant to stop his surgery.

We are as you can imagine very nervous about this surgery. There is no good way to get ready for this. We are telling ourselves each in our own way that we are prepared but truth be told there is no way that we truly are. I have done everything that I can to wrap my head around what all I am going to see and what Will is going to got through.

Will is as ready as he can be for all of this and I am sure that he will be able to go through this with genuine Will Flair! He is a riot and I am sure that he will come up with some big comments to lighten the mood. As of right now tomorrow after the surgery I have to wake Will up by crowing like a rooster. Yes that is right cock a doodle doo!!!! Hey bonus is that I no longer need to DRESS like one!

Well off to try to get some more stuff strait for tomorrow and try to sleep.

I will try to keep this updated while at the hospital. depending on connectivity that may not be easy but we will see what I can do.

It is ok to scream... RIGHT??

I am having that day. You know the day that I am talking about.. the one where everything is just that little bit off. Then you get that one piece of information that just pushes you to the edge. Well that would be my day today.

I have been trapped in my home with my toddler for several weeks now for the most part. I get out very little just to get some sanity and then the other things that are needed for life in general. Now I am locked in the house with my Mother and a 3 year old. Did I mention how small the house is... oh yes... we are all right on top of each other all the way around. I love that my mom is here to help out with all of this and God knows that we could not be doing this with out here but... Well let me be honest we all have nothing to do right now but wait. And well that is not something that either of us do well.

Now with that said let me tell you about my evening... I went to pick up Eric from football practice. Something that I was looking forward to ... it means going out of the house and normally 10 minutes of peace to my self. Well this time Mom needed to go with me. Not a big deal but this effectively took away my little piece of downtime. While on my excursion to the high school Bradley is back at the house with the kids and on the phone with the hospital.

Will had started out as the first surgery on Monday morning. Then before we had even left the hospital he was the second surgery slated for 11 am. Well now as of 6 pm this evening Will is now the third surgery. This means that he will not be going in until 4 pm. and God willing no one else needs to be placed ahead of him for an emergency. If this is to happen they for some reason can not tell me when they would be able to place him back on the rotation.

I pray that they do not pull him for something. Mom being here and all of us being forced to be trapped in the house and scrubbing everything to keep Will from getting sick is not an easy way to live. Let alone the fact that all of us have to stay healthy. If anyone is sick Will can not get the surgery for 3 more weeks. With 4 people in 4 different schools it makes it hard to keep everyone healthy. Brad and I have both taken time off from school as well as other responsibilities for the time that is needed for Will. We have no problem doing it but may have issues if we have to do it again in a few weeks. School for Brad being the most difficult. Not even touching on mom having to be be here until this is figured out. I know that she does not mind but we all know how hard it is to be away from home for some time. And with the added stress of the surgery it just makes everything more intense.

Now for the plans if Will is able to remain ( as we are praying) the third surgery. With this he can not eat after midnight and can only have clear fluids for some time there after. That is going to be a ton of fun to try to explain to him when he can not eat all day! For a child that loves to eat constantly he is going to have a big issue not having anything at all. Now once we get to the hospital he will be in pre-op until 5 pm and then the operation there after. The surgery will take about 4 to 5 hours. This means that Will is going to be out of surgery at 9 pm give or take.

When Will gets out of surgery he will be on a ventilator and will have quite a few tubes for the first 24 hours or so. From there we will have 1 to 3 days in ICU and then 1-3 days in the intermediate care and then a few days if that in the regular room. All said and done they say that he could be home in anywhere from 3 to 10 days.

So Please pray that Will is kept on the Monday rotation for the surgery and that all goes well!