Summer Surprises!!

What a crazy summer!! First of all, our house is in bloom! I came home one day and the roses out front had EXPLODED. 

This is such a better picture than the gloomy, rainy one from a few months ago. It's really starting to feel like home!

Also, at the end of June we got an addition to our family. His name is Moony, named after the werewolf Remus Lupin in Harry Potter. 

 

So far he's been such a good puppy! I was prepared for potty messes everywhere, all shoes being chewed to a pulp, and general puppy naughtiness, but he tries SO hard to be a good boy. Only a few little messes here and there, and floors can always be cleaned. Ü (Thankfully, no shoes have been harmed.)

And of course last but not least, we finally shared some fun news with our family and friends. 2014 is looking to be an exciting, fantastic year! December 9th. It's a boy. We are thrilled. :D

Crockpot Freezer Meals = SUCCESS!

Last Saturday, Mom and Morgan came down and helped me prepare a bunch of freezer meals - and it was awesome. If we hadn't kept stopping to chat, and stopped for lunch, we would have been done in less than two hours guaranteed. Two hours of work and now I have 10 meals that I can pull out whenever I need to, throw one in the crockpot on my way out the door, and it will be ready when I get home from work. I'm stoked.

I shared my before and after pictures on facebook and several people asked for the recipes, but I couldn't find a good way to just share my word document on FB. So I figured I would just post it here for the world to see. And also so I will be able to personally find and use it again after my laptop finally bites the dust..... probably any day now....

A lot of the recipes were from this blog, and I just simplified her instructions. I strongly suggest looking at the other recipes she has if you want more ideas. They all sound great!

In the beginning, your kitchen will probably look like this:

But by the end, your freezer should look like this: 

The meatballs are not part of any of THESE freezer meals, but they are part of my freezer meal system.
Hence why they are included on one of the shelves of honor.

Not too shabby. :) All instructions and ingredients are below. Good luck! 

List of Included Recipes:

• Hawaiian Chicken
• Chicken Fajitas
• Dijon Chicken
• Taco Roast
• BBQ Chicken or Pork
• OVEN Chicken and Broccoli
• Jambalaya
• Taco Soup

Disclaimer: Except for the Jambalaya and Taco Soup, we have not yet tasted any of these recipes….. So I can’t personally guarantee how awesome they are, but they all had rave reviews online!
And they are all now in my freezer, so I can provide reviews after the next couple weeks. :)

Start by labelling each Ziploc freezer bag (at least 1 gallon size) with the name of the recipe and the included cooking instructions. Chop and dice all of the chicken, peppers, onions, etc. and then begin assembling the meals. For each of the below meals, all ingredients should be thrown together in their Ziploc freezer bag raw (unless something is specified as COOKED) and then put the bag in the freezer until ready to cook. Enjoy!

Helpful tips:

• All meals are intended for the crockpot unless it says otherwise.
• For crockpot cooking times, all crockpots vary slightly but usually 6-8 hours on low = 3-4 hours on high in my experience.
• With most of the chicken meals, you can either chop the chicken before adding it to the recipes (which makes them cook faster) OR throw the chicken breasts into the bag whole (ideal if you buy frozen chicken breasts; do NOT thaw chicken and then try to refreeze without cooking it).
• Some of the recipes call for 1 lb. of chicken instead of specifying how many breasts…. I figured 1 lb. = 2 large chicken breasts or 4-5 smallish ones.
• For the meals with lots of spices and seasonings, we tried to squish and shake the bag around after sealing it to mix them all together a little before freezing.
• A full ingredient list can be found at the very end. Ü

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Hawaiian Chicken

(4-5 servings)

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup white sugar

½ cup vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

½ can of large pineapple chunks

½ cup of pineapple juice (use what’s in the can)

Cook in crockpot 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Serve it over rice and enjoy. While cooking the rice, you can shred the chicken and put it back in the juice before serving it.

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Chicken Fajitas

(5-6 servings)

1½ pound chicken breast

2 peppers (your favorite)

1 onion

½ cup chicken broth

1 taco seasoning packet

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

Cook in crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. When it’s cooked, shred the meat and add it back to the pepper mixture and serve on warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.

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Dijon Chicken

(4-5 servings)

2 pounds chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water & 1 Tablespoon bouillon)

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves (optional)

½ – 1 tsp thyme (depending on how much you like thyme)

This can be baked in the oven for 35-40 minutes in the sauce or can be cooked in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low.

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Taco Roast

1 (2.5 lb.) chuck roast (or whatever kind of roast you have)

1 (14 oz.) can beef broth

1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 Tbsp. onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Juice of 1 lime

Serve in tortillas or as a sandwich or on a salad... Cook in crockpot on low 6-8 hours. It might need some extra seasoning with salt and pepper once the beef is mostly cooked.

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BBQ Chicken (or Pork)

4-5 chicken breasts or 1 large pork roast

20 oz. your favorite BBQ sauce

½ white onion, sliced or diced

Cook in crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the meat. Put it on a bun and top with crispy bacon slices.

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OVEN Chicken and Broccoli

(3-4 servings)

1 pkg frozen broccoli spears

2 cans cream of chicken

2 cups COOKED chicken pieces (or 2-3 cans of precooked chicken)

1 cup mayo

1 tsp. lemon juice

¼ cup grated cheddar

1 cup COOKED rice

Combine all ingredients. Pour in bag and freeze. When ready to bake, top with ¼-½ cup more grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

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Jambalaya

(8-10 servings – mix this in a separate big bowl and then split into 2 freezer bags. Or halve the recipe if you don’t need it to make that much.)

1 pound chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch cubes

1 pound smoked turkey or pork sausage, sliced

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

3 Tbsp. dried minced onion flakes (or ¼ cup diced fresh onion)

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp cayenne pepper (or regular red pepper flakes)

½ tsp dried thyme (optional)

Cook 7-8 hours on Low, or 3-4 hours on High. Serve over cooked rice.

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Taco Soup

(8-10 servings – this one will also need to be mixed in a bowl and then placed in at least 2 bags, or cut the recipe in half)

1 lb. COOKED ground beef

1 large can corn

1 large can diced tomatoes with juice

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans black beans

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder

1 packet taco seasoning

You can either drain the cans before adding them or not, it’s your preference. Draining them makes this more like a chili than a soup. Either way, don’t drain off the juice from the tomatoes. Cook in crockpot 6-8 hours on low.

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Ingredient list:

• 24-30 chicken breasts, depending how large and how much chicken you want in each meal.
• 1 (2.5 lb.) chuck roast (or whatever kind of roast you have)
• 1 pound smoked turkey or pork sausage, sliced
• 1 large pork roast (unless you choose to do BBQ chicken instead of pork)
• 1 lb. COOKED ground beef
• 2 cups COOKED chicken pieces (or 2-3 cans of precooked chicken)
• 1 cup COOKED rice
• 2 peppers (your favorite)
• 2 large onions
• Lime juice
• Lemon juice
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced (or a jar of pre-minced garlic)
• 1 pkg frozen broccoli spears
• ½ can of large pineapple chunks
• ½ cup of pineapple juice (use what’s in the can)
• 2½ - 3 cup chicken broth
• 1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
• 2 cans cream of chicken
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large can corn
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 2 cans black beans
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Dijon mustard
• 20 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1 cup mayo
• ½ cup grated cheddar
• Dried minced onion flakes
• 2 taco seasoning packets
• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Bay leaves (optional)
• Thyme (optional)
• Cumin
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Dried oregano
• Dried parsley
• Cajun seasoning
• Cayenne pepper (or regular red pepper flakes)

House :]

One of the biggest changes in our lives is our new HOUSE! We managed to get everything in order and sign on it in just three weeks. Our loan officer and realtor were incredible. There are several things on our Project List (like replacing the BLUE carpet), but for now we are thrilled to have the problem of too much space instead of not enough. ;)

This was taken the first time we looked at the house, and I'm glad to say the grass is already MUCH greener. Woot!

*Truck not included

We love coming home every night and knowing it really is OUR place. Now if we could just agree on paint colors.....

MIA no longer!

It's crazy to think that almost 6 months have passed since the last time I updated our blog! And what a whirlwind those months have been. We have hit the highest of highs and lowest of lows. I'm glad to say that now that things are settling down a little, I think we've come out better than hoped for. 

So what's new since October, you ask? Well, the current list includes:

• New year

• New town (in a new state)

• New house

• New ward

• New police officer job for Levi

• New loan specialist job for Brittany

and pretty much, a whole new life!

Levi started working for Chubbuck City Police Department mid-December, and then in January they sent him to the Idaho POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) academy. That meant that every Sunday, he would leave Logan, drive to Pocatello to meet up with the other newly hired officers, & they would ride to Meridian together. Friday nights after class, he would hurry back to Poky and then on to Logan. Roughly 10 hours of driving total each weekend. By the end of the 10 week academy, we were both FRIED. 

While Levi was learning arrest techniques, emergency vehicle maneuvers, and criminal code, I was still living in Logan working 10-12 hour days at Thermo and spending the evenings looking for a job and house in Idaho. (Geez, just rereading that sentence made me want a nap.) By mid-March, everything was starting to come together. My last day working for Thermo Fisher was on the 12th, we closed on our house on the 13th, Levi graduated from the POST academy on the 14th, we moved on the 15th, Levi started at the police station on the 17th and I started at Idaho Central Credit Union on the 18th!
What a week!! 

Couldn't be prouder of my Officer Nutt and all his hard work!

Aaannnd this is what it looks like when you are finally done with 10 weeks of insanity. Ü 

Now that things seem to be calming down a little, we are excited to get settled into our new life and maybe start on our house project list. Yay! Ü

The Mighty Hunter / Things I Hear The Kids Say

Levi had a successful hunt last week! He had asked for almost a full week off work so he could go chase the animals in the woods, but he ended up getting a nice 4-point on opening day. Yay!


I think his shirt is very appropriate. :)
But does anyone else feel like the deer is almost smirking in this picture??



I decided I'd better start using some PTO too, so while he was off being a manly man I went and played at Mom and Dad's. Ü

As I soaked up getting to be with my family for 3 days straight, I started really listening to the things they said (mostly Morgan and Zane). At our house, Levi and I talk about a) work, b) who has to teach the Sunday School lesson that week, c) Harry Potter, or d) how we can incorporate bacon with our next meal. That's pretty much it. I know. We're boring.

When they moved to Nebraska, Zane was 4 and Morgan was 7, so I still expect them to be . . . not so big and grown up! So allow me to share some of the conversations that I found most interesting/hilarious. (If you don’t know the kids very well, this will probably not amuse you in the slightest and I will not be offended if you skip to the next post now.)

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Mo and Zane (ages 10 and 7), discussing whether or not to watch “The Little Mermaid”.

·         Mo: "Ooo this was on at Speech last week! But I didn’t get to watch it, I just kinda saw the part where they’re all 'daadada dada dada daaaadaaaaa' [basically monotonous, incoherent singing], you know?"

·         Zane: "Oh, the Under The Sea song. Yeah, that’s a good part."

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Mo and Zane, now watching the end of “The Little Mermaid”.

·         Mo: "Oh no! Is he going to try to steer the boat into Ursula?? What?!?"

·         Zane: "Well, he’s spent his entire life sailing the sea, so he’s pretty good at steering a boat by now." [Sometimes that kid’s logic surprises me.]

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I made dinner.

·         Mo: "What are we having?"

·         Brit: "Enchiladas!!"

·         Mo and Zane: "Ohhh….. we don’t like enchiladas..."

·         Brit: "Oh good, I was just kidding – It’s Mexican lasagna….."

·         Mo and Zane: "YAAAY!"

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I’m doing my makeup in the bathroom. Suddenly Zane’s voice is coming out of the heat vent at my feet.  Apparently they’ve discovered they can communicate from one end of the house to the other by yelling thru the heat vents. I was laughing too hard to be able to tell who said what.

·         "What are you doing??"

·         "Heating up my socks!! What are you doing??"

·         "Talking to you!! And looking for pants…"

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I introduced the kids to the NFL Bad Lip Reading on YouTube. If you’ve never seen it, it is hilarious. For the rest of the weekend, I would randomly hear Zane spout off phrases from that video (which I'm sure Mom was thrilled about hehehe), such as the following:

·         “An orange peanut? An orange peanut for me? Wooowwww… Well I accept you.

·         “I want it now!! I want cake now!”

·         “Double side of Scooby snack.”

·         “Come pick up all your floor bags, you’re not living in southeast Asia!”

  

 So grateful to be so close to those we love!!  (And to have a full freezer for another year. Ü)