Italian Wreaths

Um...yum.  I was inspired by a Pinterest post I saw using crescent rolls but it was a picture only so I modified using my own     Ingredients.  Not the healthiest of things I have made but it was really hands on for the kids to help.  This would be a great item to bring for a party or on its own for dinner.  Mangia!

Ingredients: 

2 cans reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls 

Salami

Mortadella 

Prosciutto 

Peperoncini peppers

Chopped red onion

Chopped spinach

Chopped green onion 

Chopped basil, rosemary and sage

Mozzarella cheese (shredded or sliced) 

Olive oil

Spaghetti sauce (1 cup) 

Garlic powder

Salt/pepper

Step 1: 

On an ungreased cookie sheet lay out the crescent rolls in rectangles slightly layering each.  Pinch dough slightly to form circle. 

Step 2: 

Layer all of the meats by folding each one in half all the way around the circle then layer on all of the vegetables and then top with the mozzarella cheese. I spooned dollops of sauce on top.

Step 3: 

Fold the remaining dough over, again trying to overlap each layer.  Once complte pinch the seams of the dough together.  Rub top with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper then top with chopped sage and rosemary.

Step 4: 

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.  Bake until dough has browned but still golden. 

Let cool for a few minutes and slice! 

 

Once a Month Meal Challenge

Once a Month Meal Challenge- Mission Completed
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE LIST (same order as below, you're welcome) 

I have been trying my hand at freezer meal cooking for some time and definitely found some meals that work and others that don't.  It is pretty much trial and error.  What I did find is that a significant amount of time gets put into planning, preparing, executing.  There's not a lot of advice out there on the entire process, just individual ingredients.  The first few times I did this I was a disaster, stressed over a messy kitchen, doing a million other things, and had a lot of wasted food.  

I put together this blog post as a guide for the entire process, using some of my own recipes and some from others.  In all, this once-a-month meal guide cost under $300 and from start to finish took about 6 hours (including eating time and a run to Kroger for a few ingredients I forgot).  I've created a master recipe list and shopping list for you.  Pay special attention to the order in which this all happens.  It will make your life easier if you just doing exactly what I tell you to do, trust me.  

Get your ingredients together: 
Shopping List: CLICK HERE- Cross off anything on the list you already have 
I am pretty strict about buying all organic animal products (meats, dairy, etc) which costs a little more than non-organic.  I encourage you to do your own research about what non-organic animal products are doing to our bodies.  As a mother of two daughters, I did a lot of research about what the hormones do (early onset puberty, prolonged estrogen exposure and increased breast cancer risk, etc).  Yes, my milk is $7 a gallon but oh well.   I only buy organic fruits and veggies if I plan on using/eating the skin.  

Side note: When you check out, people will probably look at you like you're part of the Duggers.  Who buys 20 chicken breasts? 

Ready?  

1.  Go to the grocery store.  Do not bring your children.  I repeat.  Do not bring your children.  I made this mistake and it resulted in me pushing the cart with my 1 1/2 year old and side-hip ninja carrying my other while she was kicking and screaming so I could take her to the bathroom in privacy to "correct" her behavior.  I ended up buying random items they threw in the cart without my seeing (pudding packs, whaaat?).  

2. Prepare your space
- Clean all of your surfaces (I use vinegar and lemon oil for cleaning my food surfaces...cheaper and non-toxic).  
- Get all of the clutter off your counters (flowers, toaster, candles, etc).  
- Put all cold items in the fridge, put dry ingredients on a separate counter so they are easily accessible.  
- I had two separate cutting stations setup- one for fruits/veggies/etc and one for meats.  This way I reduced any cross contamination and wasn't washing a million times.  
- Wash all of your veggies, place on cloth to dry.  

3. CRUCIAL STEP: Pour a glass of wine and get your kids out of the house. Hire a babysitter if you have to.  This is olympic style cooking, you have to be in the right mindset to compete.  Trying to find "Sofia the First", getting more juicy, finding Barbie's purple hair clip just doesn't fit into what we're doing here.  Bye Bye.  Now, put on your favorite music and try to enjoy this.  




4. Boil eggs- I boil 1 dozen.  (Leave water in pot, use it for pasta later).  You won't use all dozen but whatever I don't use, goes into the fridge for salad toppings.  

5. Put 6 chicken breasts in Slow Cooker (Shredded Chicken recipe) 

6. Get your Chop On
- Your life will be much easier if you get all of your chopping out of the way so you have the space to do what you need to do.  Most ingredients overlap between recipes so it's not that bad.  I use the empty egg carton to put small chopped stuff so I can just throw away when I'm done.  My husband thinks I'm a total hippie for doing this.  

7. Start your Lentil Soup

8. Salmon and Asparagus 

9. Kale Salad- Doesn't freeze, eat throughout the week with Grilled Chicken

10. Asian Lettuce Wraps

11. Szeshuan Steak- I do these in this order so I can use the same pan for the lettuce wraps and szeshuan sauce.  Similar flavors, less washing.  

12.  CRUCIAL STEP: 10 minute Quick Clean (Wipe counter, hand wash any bowls/tools used, place on counter to dry.  Pour Wine.  

Time Check: 2 hours in) 













13. Meatloaf

14.  Honey Garlic Chicken

15. Salmon Patties

16. Burger Patties

17.  10 Minute Quick Clean

18.  Chicken Piccatta

Time check: 4 hours in

19.  Shred Chicken (quesadilla's, BBQ, Quesadillas) 

20 . Grilling Chicken

21.  Calamari Pasta

22. Package your Lentil soup into containers, clean pot, set aside.  

22. Banana Dessert

23.  Garbage Salad- I put all unused veggies that have been chopped and prepared in a pyrex bowl to keep in the fridge.  Most days for lunch I pour over lettuce for a healthy salad.  No waste!

24.  Clean kitchen, pour wine.  I don't know about you but I was tipsy by the end.  

25.  Feed family calamari pasta, save and freeze other half.  

DONE! You did it! :) 

Helpful tip: I keep a small piece of paper on my fridge with a list of all of the meals in the freezer.  When I take one out, I cross if off the list.  That way I know what our dinner options are and I prevent freezer pile-up.  

PLEASE REMEMBER TO PIN THIS POST IF IT WAS HELPFUL FOR YOU

5 1/2 hours later this was my kitchen, back to normal.  

Kids Games!

If you're reading this post and you happen to be in my family, then you get it.  If you're not, please be prepared to think we're absolutely wacko for taking our Family Reunion so serious.  Since our family came on the boat from Italy we have celebrated the tradition of food and family by joining for our annual gathering.  Saturday, a smaller group of our family, has a "Corn Roast".  We literally roast corn.  In Ohio we take our corn VERY serious.  

Sunday is our Family Reunion day.  It can be pretty intense and have a chairperson, treasurer, secretary, etc.  We also elect next year's committee leaders and last year volunteered to organize our kids games.  Here's our challenge: No prediction of number of kids, age ranges from 1-18, and to boot we're Italian so chances are you only have the attention of about 5% of your audience.  

Step 1: Organize

To reduce confusion I placed the following on each table and asked for parent volunteers for each team.  I decided the best way to do this was to create games that would appeal to all age groups and sort the kids in order of tallest to shortest.  I then assigned each a number (team) so that age ranges were evenly distributed in each team.  

 Games: 
Marshmallow Race
Doughnut Eating Contest
Sack Race
Water Relay
Balloon Toss
Giant Angry Birds - I can't take credit for this one.  I found on a very lovely blog.  Click here

For all kids under 3 years old they had the following to do: 
Cloud Sand with toys- 8 cups flour to 1 cup baby oil.  Stir.  Add toys.  Genius.  
Bubble Bin- literally pour bubble fluid in a shallow storage container, throw in a few dollar store wands, and you're good to go.  

Step 2: Prepare

- Make a list of all items needed and head directly to The Dollar Store.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200.  

- I made a "Team Bag" in a gallon sized Ziploc containing all of the items needed for each of the games.  This helped reduce confusion and will definitely be doing again next year.  

- Since I live two hours away from where the reunion was held, I won't be doing Angry Birds next year.  At 10:30 pm the night before this was me at Walmart sourcing boxes: 

<-------Don't be that guy

Step 3: Execute

Here are some rules for wrangling 20 kids:

1.  Speak loudly.  

2. Use as few words as possible.  

3. Disqualify anyone not following the rules.  That's like a life lesson right?  I'm practically Buddha.  

4. Give prizes to all kids for playing but recognize actual WINNERS.  THERE ARE NO AWARDS IN LIFE FOR PARTICIPATION.  If you lost, get better next year.  

Hilarity ensues....

 

<---1-3 Year old 

Let it Go

This is now my 2nd blog post, approximately 9 months since my last.  Awesome start, Kendran.  In all honesty, I never published or publicized the fact that I had even started a blog because I was of course insecure about the whole thing.  What if people thought I was so egotistical that I think people actually want to hear what I have to say?  What if people thought I was a horrible writer?  What if taking the time to read my blog was an absolute waste of their 4 minutes in that day?  What if people thought I was batshit crazy and a horrible parent for the things I post?  

Are you ready for this?....
I don't care.  

Turning 30, and my Dad being sick, made me realize that life is really short and too much time is wasted worrying about what other people think about you.  I don't really take myself too seriously, if if you take me too serious then that is just a waste of your time.  

My daughter drew pictures of my husband and I the other night and I saw myself more clearly than I have in my past 30 years.  

Mommy: Line though the face making fun of my mustache (By the way, its BLONDE).  

Daddy: Erratic hairs all around his body making fun of his excessive back and body hair.  

Both- Giant heads and chins



Here's the interesting part:  To her, this was a masterpiece and truest depiction of the two people she loves more than anything in the world.  She said we were beautiful! To me, my insecurities were brought to surface by an innocent 3 year old.  

I realized in that moment, that if I could work on seeing myself the way my daughter's see me, and the way God sees me then any negative thoughts I have about myself (or others have about me) are a total waste of precious time.  

I also realized they make Nair for a reason and you better believe I was a the drug store the next day.