Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches

These are SIMPLE and absolutely heavenly.  I recently made them for a shower and have been craving them since. 

Ingredients:
1 can crushed pineapple (drained well)
1 8oz. cream cheese
Sliced Ham Lunch Meat
Mustard (I use regular but Dijon is good too)
Croissants or Rolls

Mix pineapple and cream cheese together with hand mixer or blender. Spread 1 spoonful on roll, with 1 slice of ham folded and some mustard. Supper easy and so worth it!

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Lowering Your Grocery Bill with the help of Money Saving Mom

Money Saving Mom found here, is currently doing 31 days to a Better Budget.  In her posts she explains great ways to use a budget, meal planning (with easy downloads to use), couponing, stocking your supply, not over purchasing, and more to come...

I love this series because she explains things well and give lots of resources to use.  And although I did give a simple explanation of how I meal plan, grocery shop, and price match...hers is another great perspective and she explains things better than I ever could.  So go here to read all of the posts in the series!

Meal Planning download found here.

Lasagna Easy and Freezer Friendly

This was another Freezer Meal I made for my expecting Sister in Law. What makes it so easy? You don't cook the noodles, make the sauce or cook the “meat”, you just use Meat Sauce. And I will tell you Lasagna is one of my husbands all time favorite meals and he was very skeptical to hear I wasn't cooking the meat OR making the sauce. But when he ate it he loved it.

Scale of Difficulty or Time Commitment: 2 (because you spread each layer instead of dumping it all in the dish)

*Note: in this recipe I also took the ingredients below and split them into two 8x8 pans. Each makes 6 good sized servings. So if I were making them for just me I would have cooked one for dinner and frozen the other.


Ingredients:
1 package Lasagna Noodles (oven ready or regular)
2 Cans/Jars Spaghetti Sauce (At least one of the jars needs to be Meat Sauce)
2 16oz containers of Cottage Cheese
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (The almost powdery kind that comes in a bottle)

Step 1: In 13x9 inch pan spread sauce to cover. Then place a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles.

Step 2: Spread another layer of sauce over the Lasagna Noodles, followed by a layer of cottage cheese (one container worth), Sprinkle generously with Mozzarella Cheese, followed by a layer of Parmesan Cheese.

Step 3: Add another layer of uncooked noodles then Repeat step 2.

Step 4: Add a third and final layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread a generous layer of sauce over the noodles followed by both Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Step 5: Bake at 350 F, covered with foil for 1 hr. Remove foil and cook an additional 15 min.


*Tips:
When making to freeze, first line dish with plastic wrap. Once assembled freeze for 6+ hours. Then place dish in a sink of room temperature water, about 1-2 deep. Leave for 1 min. then easily remove the frozen lasagna from the dish and slide into a Gallon Freezer ZipLock Bag. Once in the bag, slide plastic wrap out. Remove as much air as possible and seal.


When baking, after having been frozen. Just cut open the bag and place the frozen lasagna into dish, let thaw before cooking or add roughly 15 extra minute to the cooking time.

*And yes, if you want to make your own sauce and meat then go ahead and just substitute them in!

Chicken Different Freezer Meal

This is one of my all time favorite recipies.  Because it is super easy, really good and freezes well.

So the other day I was making some frozen meals for my sister in law who is due to have her third boy any day and this was of course one of them.

Scale of Difficulty or Time Commitment: 1 Super Easy & Fast!

Recipe:
Chicken Different
2 c. uncooked regular rice
2 ¼ c. milk or water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup (or another cream of chicken)
Approx 6 chicken pieces*
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
Grated Cheddar Cheese

*For the Chicken Piece, bone-in are the most moist and give great flavor, but I had eating around a bone so I always use boneless skinless breasts, and anywhere between 1-2 lb of chicken. I also cut mine in half or in thirds just for serving size convenience.

For regular baking directions:
Sprinkle rice into bottom of a greased 9x13 dish. Mix soups with milk and pour over rice. Mix well. Place chicken pieces into soup, sprinkle with dry soup mix and cheese. Seal pan with foil. Bake 350’ for approx 2 hours until rice is done.
 
For crockpot directions:
Sprinkle rice into bottom of a greased crockpot. Mix soups with milk and pour over rice. Mix well. Place chicken pieces into soup, sprinkle with dry soup mix and cheese. Seal pan with foil. Cook on low for about 6-8  hours, until chicken is done rice is soft.
 
For Freezer Meal directions: (This is seen below in the pictures)
Line dish with plastic wrap and spray with Pam. Sprinkle rice into bottom of a greased 9x13 dish. Mix soups with milk and pour over rice. Mix well. Place chicken pieces into soup, sprinkle with dry soup mix and cheese. Seal pan with foil. Freeze 8+ hours. Then remove from freezer and place in a sink of 1-2 inch deep water (room temp).  Let sit for 1 min, then the frozen casserole easily removes from the dish.  Place into Gallon sized freezer ziplock and slide plastic wrap out of bag.  Seal with minimal air in bag and freeze.  When ready to bake, while frozen remove from bag, place in dish and Bake 350’ for approx 2 hours until rice is done.
 

Here they are ready to be frozen...(uncooked)

 

Frozen and in Ziplock Bag Labled with Directions

*Personal Tip*
Since my family is small, I ALWAYS split this recipe into two separate casserole dishes. One I cook for dinner that night and one I freezer for future use. One time work for two meals. I can easily get four good sized servings out of my "half" recipe.


Also, you can add in vegetables if you want, frozen mixed vegetables, broccoli, etc. 

Easter Cupcakes

Yesterday I was teaching the girls at my youth group to decorate cupcakes and even though the idea was so simple, I loved how they turned out...and so did my son.

Just a little frosting in the shape of an egg, add some grass, and decorations!

Tips:
1. I used freezer ziplocks and just cut a small hole for piping all of the frosting. 
(But freezer bags are the trick, just regular ziplocks can't take the pressure and the seams split)

2. When adding food coloring to "whipped" frosting from the store, be sure to gently stir it in or the frosting loses its consistency and becomes runny.  I usually just add a scoop or two of powdered sugar to thicken it back up.

Spring...

I love the Holidays and the Seasons, all of them... And I love decorating for each.  So here are a few simple and inexpensive ideas I thought I would share...

1. Apothecary Jars:

Filled with festive, yet inexpensive things.  I used marshmallows, blown and dyed eggs, and jelly beans with a touch of fake grass and some ribbon.

(I let my marshmallows dry out, so they didn't squish.  I also put a glass cup inside the jar so I didn't have to buy as many marshmallows.)

2. My Crate filled with Paper Mache Eggs
 Usually I like to line my crate with foil then lay a strip of sod in it.  The grass grows tall and looks amazing!  But since I am now in Arizona and it is super hot and dry and we have been out of town a lot this month, I opted this year for moss.

I made the eggs with paper mache'd balloons.  Here is the recipe I followed and I did use both the optional salt and cinnamon it suggested.  They were very easy, but I wish I used thinner paper so the strips would lie smoother...maybe next time. 
* I also happen to use this crate all year long, swapping out the seasonal decor.

3. Additional decorations:

-My Spring blocks with directions here.
-Some Spring Garland clearanced at Micheals
-And more Paper Mache Eggs with moss and grass!

Spring/Summer Blocks

I love these blocks!  They were supper simple and inexpensive to make.  Plus they are reversible saying "SPRING" on one side and "SUMMER" on the other, so it makes for less storage space...which I always like.

Spring:

Summer:

So here is how to make them.

Materials:
  6 blocks of wood in varying sizes*
       (3x 6in, 1x 7.5in, and 2x 8.5in)
  Sandpaper
  13 bottles of Acrylic paint* (6 spring colors, 6 summer colors, and white)
  Stenciled Lettering*
  Sponge Paint brushes
  Scissors & Tape


First a few notes:

• I bought my wood at Home Depot and I got one 4x4 that was eight feet long for $7.00. Then I had them cut it for me to the specified dimensions. (They do this for free)
• The paint, Micheal's had a new selection of paint: Craft Smart and each bottle was only 59cents! Cheapest I have ever found!
• And for the lettering you could use stencils, draw them on, etc. But I found it easiest and cheapest to print them out on the computer in a font I liked. The dimensions of my letters were about 5.5 inches tall by 2-2.5 inches wide (depending on the letter). Then I cut out my letters creating a “stencil” to use.
• I also did this with a group so we could split the costs...which helped a lot!

Prep:
I found it helpful to sand any rough/splintering parts of the wood, due to the saw's cutting.
I also chose my block order/arrangement and which sides I liked best for the “front” and “back's”

Now getting started.
1. I painted the block white.

2. Then I painted all of the “front” sides in the varying spring colors I chose, keeping a small white edge.

Then I painted all of the “back” sides in the varying summer colors the same way.

3. Stencil on lettering. I did this by taping my paper stencil down to the wood block, then “sponged” on the white with the sponge brush.

4. Once completely dry, I sanded it. I sanded all the edges, and lightly sanded quick strokes over the lettering to give them a slightly worn look.

And you're done!

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Left overs: Seasoned Chicken Salad and more

The other night I made Herb Seasoned Chicken . In my previous post about it (here) I explained how simple and easy it is, but I failed to mention the left overs can make some great meals as well. This is the one I had last night.
Seasoned Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
-Left over seasoned chicken (sliced)
-Lettuce
-Shredded Carrots
-Chopped Tomatoes
-Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-Dressing (I like it best with Ranch or House Italian)

Other simple ideas with the left overs:


Seasoned Chicken Cheese Quesedillas
-left over chicken (sliced)
-tortillas
-shredded cheese (try different kinds to mix it up- I like pepper jack)
-sliced bell peppers

Top with
-salsa
-sour cream & guacamole
-shredded lettuce and tomato
Cover half of tortilla with chicken, peppers, and cheese. Fold and heat on skillet (or in microwave).
Serve warm with toppings


Seasoned Chicken Wraps-

-large tortillas
-left over chicken (sliced)
-chopped lettuce
-chopped tomato
-shredded cheddar cheese
-dressing (I like it best with Ranch or House Italian)
Combine all ingredients inside tortilla, add dressing, and wrap up.


Seasoned Chicken Soft Tacos
-tortillas
-left over chicken (sliced)
-shredded lettuce
-chopped tomatoes
-shredded cheese
-sour cream

Warm Chicken, then layer all ingredients on tortilla. 
Add some rice and black beans and make it a meal!

Seasoned Chicken Alfredo
-left over chicken sliced
-1 jar of Alfredo sauce
-Parmesan Cheese
-Alfredo noodles (or any other favorites)

Heat sauce as directed on jar, boil noodles as directed on package.  Then top noodles with sauce and chicken.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.
Add some French bread and you're good to go!

My Favorite Air Freshener

My absolute favorite air freshener is: Pure Citrus Air Fresheners (in the Orange Scent).

I learned about this years back in a seminar on Organization and Reducing Stress.  They sprayed this and recommended it for relaxation.  And yes, it is relaxing, but it also smells amazing!  It's just like that smell when you peel and orange.  Which would make scents because it is made from highly concentrated citrus oils from fresh oranges or citrus fruit (depending on the scent you choose). 

It is 100% NATURAL, Non- Aerosol, No Chemicals, Eco-Friendly, and eliminates odors imediately and naturally.

The ingredients are: 100% oils found in fresh citrus fruit. (pretty impressive)

It also doesn't stain or discolor fabrics, carpets, etc.
I used to buy it at Walmart, but recently went to get some more and my Walmart was out, so I found it here at CVS.com ($5.99) and here at drugstore.com ($4.99) , both are slightly higher priced than Walmart (I hope I remember right) at $3.50 ish.

Anyways, it is great smelling and I never worry about the chemicals in my house with kids, being pregnant, or just for overall health...and it helps that my husband loves it, so we use it regularly!

Snicker Poodles

My cute friend Angela, found this recipe for Snicker Doodles that you decorate as poodles, hence the Snicker Poodles.  They were really simple and turned out so cute!

I found the real recipe from TLC here.  The ingredients and directions are all there!


The recipe, if you can call it that...uses refridgerated cookie dough.  So you just mix it with a little vanilla and cinnimon then roll it in cinnimon and sugar.  So it was really fast. 

The trickiest part was the decorating, but after a trial cookie we got the hang of it!

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

So if you like chocolate and peanut butter, even a little...these are to die for!

I had been craving them, but not wanting to make a whole pan that I know I would end up eating... So when a bunch of girls came over for a craft night I jumped at the chance to make them.  And they were worth it!


 The recipe can be found here at Betty Crocker's website.  But I will explain it below.

Ingredients:
-Brownie Package
   (and ingredients called for on box: oil, water, eggs)

P.B. Layer:
-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp milk
Chocolate Topping:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup butter

Baking Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13 x 9 inch pan (I suggest greasing with butter wrappers discussed here).

2. In medium bowl mix brownies as directed, then pour into pan and bake as directed on package.  So that a toothpick inserted a few inches from the end comes out almost clean. Let cool, about an hour.

3. In medium bowl (I just used the well scrapped out brownie mix bowl) beat Peanut Butter Layer ingredients with electric mixer on medium, until smooth.  Spread evenly over brownies.

4. In microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate topping ingredients in microwave for 30-60 seconds on High.  Stir until smooth. Cool tem min. Then spread over peanut butter layer.

5. Refridgerate for 30 min.

Enjoy!!!

Greasing You Baking Dishes

I love this simple tip I got from a sweet friend...

When ever you use up a cube of butter save the butter's wrapper in a ziplock and freeze.  Then store in the freezer until you want to grease a pan or baking dish.  Just remove one wrapper from the bag and smear the butter side down into the pan.  Fast, simple, cheap, reusable...and a whole lot less of a mess!

I store all of my wrappers in the same ziplock and I even add 1/2 wrappers as I have them.  It works great!  No over spray from Pam, or greasy paper towels!

A simple trick for: Moisturized Skin

I got this trick from Kayla's amazing blog located here, and immediately tried it out.  After having a baby, I don't know about you, but I had several bottles of Baby Oil Gel around that have never been used.  So instead of throwing them away I put them to the test...and loved the results.

If you choose not to read about it on Kayla's blog, I will quickly explain how I use it. 

First of all, I am really bad with lotion.  Although I need it desperately in this dry climate, I forget to put it on and usually I am already dressed so I only get my hands. 
But instead, I keep the bottle in my shower and after I am all done, I quickly towel off. Then lather up with the Baby Oil Gel.  I use it all over.  Then I simply wrap myself in my towel and mosey around for a few minutes.  From brushing my hair, teeth, etc.  This just lets it absorb a bit before I put my clothes on.  (I take 2 or 3 min. tops!)

And no I have never had any "oil" residue or marks on clothing or furniture and it doesn't leave me feeling greasy. 

And I have found any brand works well, I am just using up whatever brands I have on hand.  And I find the GEL is important, regular baby oil leaves me feeling greasy!

Also, Kayla refers to using this while she was pregnant.  And although I am very recently classified in that group I tried this before being pregnant and found it worked wonders.  But for those of you who are pregnant or plan to be one day, this is a "safe" option and works wonders on crazy preggo skin!

Shower Power

Shower Power is this cleaning supply I discovered while in college and I have yet to find something more effective at cleaning showers, mineral deposits, and other hard to clean problems.

And it isn't just for Showers, it works on all kinds of hard surfaces, faucets, etc...and what I also love about it, it SMELLS good!

I love cleaners that smell good and clean!
So, try it...you won't be disappointed!