Friday Things
1. This sweet boy turns THREE today!! I seriously cannot believe how quickly the last three years have gone, and how much of a little boy Joseph has become over the last six months or so. Itโs been so much fun to see him learn and grow and develop his own little personality. Weโre having his birthday party tomorrow and I will be sharing all of the details with you next week!
2. Can you believe Iโm already in my 3rd trimester?! Each of my last two pregnancies has absolutely FLOWN by, itโs insane. I had to spend yesterday morning doing the 3-hour glucose test since I failed the 1-hour last week (ugh). I also failed the 1-hour with Dominic and went on to pass the 3-hour one just fine, so fingers crossed for the same result! Other than that, Iโve continued to feel really well with no complaints, other than the baby seems to like to kick REALLY HARD juuuuuust as I start to fall asleep at night. We still havenโt picked out a name, and still havenโt assembled the nurseryโฆ first step is for me to actually clean out the closet in what is now the guest room since itโs a catch all for all my wrapping supplies, the boysโ bins of clothes, and random seasonal decor. Baby steps :)
3. Speaking of the baby, Iโm going to want to get some food into the freezer like I have the last two times, but Iโm struggling with what to stash. Joseph was born in January and Dominic was born in October, which was very conducive to heavy, hearty foods like chili, soup, baked pastas, etc. Iโm just not sure that Iโll want those types of food in the spring. If youโve had a spring or summer baby, what types of foods did you want to have at the ready? Things like muffins and cookies are a given, but Iโm thinking more in terms of mealsโฆ
4. I totally felt like my grandma yesterdayโฆ I donโt think she ever set an alarm in her life. She used to tell us that if she had to be up for something in the morning, she would just tell herself before she went to bed what time she had to get up and โ POOF! โ thatโs when she would get up. Iโve never been so lucky, but I had set my alarm for 6:00am yesterday since I had to be at the lab for my glucose test at 7am. Well, I woke up yesterday, rolled over to check the time, and it wasโฆ 5:56am. I immediately thought of my grandma and figured sheโd be pretty proud of me, ha!
5. This is crazy (and eye-opening!) >> What Happens To Your Body and Brain If You Donโt Get Sleep
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6. My favorite roasted red potatoes recipe has been going bonkers latelyโฆ have you ever made them?
7. Loving this article on improving ourselves to death, which reminded me of the story I shared quite awhile ago โ What If All I Want is a Mediocre Life?
8. I havenโt watched the Tonya Harding special yetโฆ did anyone see it? Iโm starting to get Olympic fever and I STILL remember that whole debacle unfolding!
9. Do you have any Valentineโs recipe-related requests? Let me know if thereโs anything youโre dying to see!
10. TGIF! Itโs been awhile now that the boysโ bedtimes have coincided, so we all go upstairs together and usually I get Joseph to bed while my husband puts Dominic to bed. Sometimes we switch off, but one thing is constant โ Duke puts Dominic to bed, and I think they both love it :)
My daughter is almost the same age as Joseph and Iโm due with twins in May! So some of our kids have or will have birthdays in common! Iโm glad you asked the question about freezer meals. I want to stock up with plenty before we bring home babies, too. Iโll be watching the comments here and watching for if you talk about freezer meals in the future!
Valentines Day: Iโd love to see a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting!
Both your and your grandmothers potatoes sound divine. ย I could eat a lot of potatoes like those. ย I must try them. ย The idea of having a certain kind of life is no longer of importance to me. ย At 64, having ย recently retired, moved back to my homeland (Canada) to a small town I lived in during my early 20s, I am content to be in this stage of my life. ย I read self help books earlier in my life. ย After awhile, enough is enough and being told how to live just doesnโt wash. ย Iโm finding my groove where I am now. ย Totally relate to the sleep thingโฆas a former nurse who did shift work, I was sleep deprived and now have found out I have sleep apnea which also deprives me of good quality sleep. ย Treatment soon and I will be well rested. ย Love those boys including Duke, canโt wait to see your little girl.
Happy Birthday to Joseph!!! He is truly adorable.
Hello and happy Friday to you:) Thank you for linking to my post โ after this Iโm heading over to the link you shared about improving ourselves to death:)
Happy birthday to Joseph! :)
I like to freeze biscuits (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), two or three types of meatballs for pasta or sandwiches, mini frittatas, cookies, soups, and rolls.
I gave birth in October, in Houston so it was HOT. I was honestly just happy to have any foods at all, but some of my favorites that I remember: quiche, a spinach, artichoke and sundried tomato pasta that a friend brought over, a beef stirfry that I put in the slow cooker. I really just ate tons of cereal, eggs, energy bites, and carbs.
I did bring a chicken salad to my friend when she had a baby and she LOVED it. Not sure you can freeze chicken saladโฆ
Hi Michelle, you asked about Valentines recipes we might like to see. I work in an assisted living facility and am looking for quick and simple recipes for Valentines Day that I can make with residents. If you have anything, Iโd love to see them! Doesnโt have to be a quick bake or cook, but easy prep without too many expensive ingredients is great. Thanks! I love your blog and itโs the only one I read word for word when it arrives. Your family is lovely! Laura.
Enjoy it because time really does fly. My โlittleโ boy (also named Joseph) celebrated his 35th birthday yesterday!
I had May babies less than a year apart. I kept on hand different oils and vinegars and restocked my spice collection because I wanted lots of salad and it was nice to have the ingredients for homemade dressings ready. Grilling season starts at the end of May in my area so I also bought meat but re-packed it with different marinades and froze it. Take it out in the morning and itโll marinade as it defrosts. Husband threw it on the grill when he comes home from work while I made the sides. Done and done.
Quiche stocked in the freezer sounds like a great option. ย Since itโs spring, perhaps just having a supply of grilling meats, like chicken, beef, shrimp, already portioned out and frozen so that all you would have to do is thaw and grill and add a salad. ย Youโre right about the heavy foods and spring time. ย Once the weather begins to come around, I rarely use my kitchen for cooking; itโs all about the grill. ย Boy! you posed a tough question!
On a different note, I adore that last picture. ย I think Duke is guarding Dominicโs crib. ย Such sweetness!
You know, I just thought of pre-packaging your own stir fry meals, and then all you have to do is the quick making of it and the rice or noodles. ย The time consuming prep of the meat and veggies is already done. ย Stir frys are a light enough spring meal.
I had a May baby and the freezer meals I made were still kind of wintery but I think I have a few ideas for you! I did a few veggie lasagnas which froze the best and that was our favorite! ย I made a few trays of Two Peas and Their Pods Quinoa Enchilada Bake. ย I did a few crockpot dump meals. ย (Like Teriyaki ChickenโฆPut chicken breast and whatever sauce in a ziplock and thaw overnight and throw in the crockpot in the morning). ย Those were very helpful! I did meatballs- you can make a lighter version and then serve with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash for something less heavy. ย Sally from Sallys Baking Addiction recently made a list of her freezer meals that looked really good!
Did you try your instant pot yet?!ย
Thanks so much for the suggestions, super helpful! I did use my instant pot once so far, and we really loved the meal! (Korean beef tacos from Pinch of Yum)
Duke and Dominic are so adorable! Itโs been a number of years since Iโve had babies but I do some freezer cooking nowadays just to ease weeknight dinner stress. I second Amyโs suggestion for quiche. I, however, do not pre-bake mine; I just freeze solid then wrap in foil and put in a big zip bag and then bake from frozen. I also like to cook up large batches of boneless skinless chicken breasts, shred them and portion into bags to use as an ingredient in future meals like chicken salad, tacos/burritos/enchiladas/quesadillas etc. I do the same with ground beef and sausage, sometimes cooking them with onion and sometimes not. That way I at least have a base for numerous recipes and donโt get stuck with a specific entree if that is not what I am hungry for. Rice and quinoa freeze really well as does shredded cheese. Pizza dough or partially baked pizza crusts. Pizza/pasta sauce is another freezer staple. Then you can have a pizza โkitโ ready when the pizza mood strikes and only have quick assembly to do and you are ready to bake. I also keep pancakes, stacked between pieces of wax paper, in a large, gallon-size ice cream bucket, in the freezer for quick breakfasts. And nobody will die if you serve scrambled eggs and toast for supper every once in a while! :) Best wishes to you!
I do the same as Theresa Murphy. ย I cook chicken, beef (usually brisket), pork butt or shoulder or brown ground beef with onions and freeze he shredded meat in serving size or recipe size portions. ย I have a list of just about two dozen things I can make with almost any of them. ย I also freeze cooked rice and marinara or meat sauce. ย
The weather where I live is much the same as it is where you live. ย Over the past few years Iโve noticed that the way I cook and eat doesnโt change much except for the very hottest days of summer โ or the coldest days of winter. ย Soups and baked pasta dishes appear year-round. ย I also agree with Theresa about eggs โ I rely on various egg dishes often for quick meals โ scrambled, frittatas, omelets, poached or fried over vegetables or starches are great quick meals. ย
Happy Birthday to Joseph โ and me!
I enjoyed the article about improving yourself to death. ย I remember reading the article about wanting a mediocre life and reread it this morning, as well as the second article she wrote about it. ย I learned long ago that trying to excel at everything or do, be, or have the best only made me crazy. ย
I had my son in June and made a bunch of quiches ahead of time. They freeze really well. Cook them completely before freezing, then just pop them in the over to warm up when you want to eat them. You can add cooked quinoa to the egg /milk mix to increase protein and goodness or make a cauliflower crust or shredded potato crust to switch it up. Carmelized onions are a staple in mine. I started reading your blog years ago and happened to have ย my two kids around the same time as you, so itโs been neat to see you go through the same stages :). Best of luck with the third trimester!ย
Oh yes Quiches! I forgot about those. I made a ton of those that was a great freezer friendly meal that was perfect for breakfast lunch or dinner.
You can also make miniature quiches using your muffin tin. I donโt do a crust when I make it that way but it makes them super easy to personalize while still getting the quantity you need/want. Plus you only reheat what youโll eat for the meal.ย