Look Whooos 3!

Kenzie had an owl themed birthday party! I made her cakes and cupcakes and decorated with a lot of owls. Kenzie began liking owls when she heard one out her bedroom window a few months back. Kenzie took in a lot of loot for her birthday! She's one special girl.

Here is one of her '3 year pictures.' She has grown up so much!

My baby girl is 3!

Happy birthday Kenzie! It's hard to believe that you are already 3!
Weight: 41 pounds
Height: 39 inches
(Both are off the charts)

Favorite color: blue
I like to eat: hotdogs
My friend is: Abby
When I get big, I want to: play ball games

Stay tuned for the results of Kenzie's allergy testing. Preliminary thoughts....milk allergy.

Hungry Man Casserole

Hungry Man Casserole

1 pound hamburger, browned
1 cup macaroni, cooked
1 can baked beans
1 cup bbq sauce or ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can refrigerator biscuits

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. Cut the biscuits in half circles. Place the biscuits on top of the hamburger mixture, cut side down. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Helpful Meal Prep Tips

Below are a few tips that I use to help me save some time and stress when planning out my meals.

Plan your menu and then check your pantry. Only buy the foods you need. Change around you menu to adapt to the sales, if you wish.

Brown several pounds of hamburger at one time. Divide and freeze in 1-2 pound portions.

Make up things like meatballs, lasagna or enchiladas ahead of time and freeze them. Get them out the night before and pop them in the oven when you get home.

The crock pot is a great time saver. Prepare the meal in the crock pot the night before and that morning pull it out of the fridge and turn it on. Use the crock pot for roast, chicken breast, pork chops, taco soup and so much more.

Make a double batch of sloppy joe meat so you can use 1/2 for spaghetti the next night. Less prep time. You can also use your leftover roast for BBQ brisket. Two meals in one!

Our garden (and my in-laws) supplies us with green beans, corn, fresh peaches, peas, strawberries and so much more produce. Use the seasonal produce all year around. Freeze or can these items for use later.

Month of Meals

Recently some discussions have come up about what to prepare for dinner. For the past couple months, I have been trying to plan out my dinners. As a working mom, breakfast is usually something quick (except on the weekends) and lunch for us is usually leftovers. Below you will see 30 dinners that I have mapped out. Remember, I'm a farm girl so we have to have meat at every meal!

1- Tuna Noodle Casserole w/peas, applesauce
2- Chicken wraps, corn, strawberries
3- Grilled Ham Steaks, baked potatoes, green beans
4- Ham & Macaroni Casserole, peas, peaches
5- Leftovers
6- Grilled chicken breasts, lettuce salad, mixed fruit
7- Sloppy Joes, potato salad, strawberries/bananas
8- Spaghetti, Green Beans, Garlic Bread
9- Leftovers
10- Crock pot Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli
11- Homemade Pizza, lettuce salad
12-Roast, potatoes, carrots, mix fruit
13- BBQ Brisket, potato wedges, peas
14- Leftovers
15- Hamburger Corn Casserole, crescent Rolls
16- Chicken Enchiladas, rice
17- Sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs
18- Leftovers
19- BBQ Meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans
20- Crock pot chicken breasts, fried potatoes, peas
21- Lasagna, bread sticks, peaches
22- Grilled ham & cheese, tomato soup, cantaloupe
23- Leftovers
24- Oven baked chicken, scalloped potatoes, green beans
25- Tacos or Taco Salad
26-Tenderized Steak, mashed potatoes, corn
27- Leftovers
28- Hungry Man Casserole, applesauce
29- Runzas, peaches
30- Chicken fajitas

My next posts will be about some helpful tips to help you prepare the meals, followed by a few recipes.