Crock Pot Freezer Meal: Italian Steak Marinara

Here we go stocking the freezer!!!  We made 2, yes TWO yummy, delicious and healthy meals for the freezer to be used any day of the week. Let's get into it.  

I started by browning approximately 2 1/2 pounds of steak, striped. 

In a freezer bag combine the following: 

Half the browed steak in each bag (I did a little over 1.5 pounds in 2 Ziplock bags)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 t Italian seasoning

1t minced garlic

1 t basil

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t red pepper flakes 

1 cup Marinara sauce 

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup water 

Defrost!  Cook in the Crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.  

Can be served with spaghetti noodles, zucchini noodles or sliced zucchini.  Get creative and ENJOY!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals: Cilantro Lime Chicken

 Are you as busy as we are as a family?  I'm certain many can answer with a resounding YES!  I have been stocking my freezer for years with amazing healthy alternatives to fast food.  I t wasn't until I shared my 20-minute process one day on my personal Instagram where I had quite a few questions about the meal prep process.  It started as a rather funny tongue in cheek joke where I showed my friends and family how much I can get done in less than 20 minutes.  I wound up making 3 freezer lasagnas and everyone wanted the recipe because many people think lasagna is a super difficult messy dish.  But my son just loves it and requests it often so, when I make big batched to freeze it seems less of a daunting task.   

I'm sure we all are faced with a night or two that we just can't figure out what to cook for dinner.  Those are the most stressful nights, 5 o'clock rolls around and as you should be pulling something from the oven or stove you rush off for another night of fast food.  These fast-food options are often expensive and far from healthy or nutritious.  Enter:  Crock pot and freezer meals.  The best part...YOU decide what ingredients fit your family best. I have a few very picky eaters and some food allergies so right off the bat we have some limitations.  My husband is allergic to potatoes so you will rarely see potatoes on my shopping list.  We simply replace starchy potatoes with gluten free rice. See, easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Let me also add that I do not have a ton of time to devote to meal planning for hours or days on end.  I typically have maybe 20 minutes before heading off to carpool or dance class.  If I'm making a from scratch meal for the day, I often bring out a freezer bag or pan and double the recipe while I'm making the meal. One for the night and one for the freezer.  So soon you will have a fully stocked freezer and you can reference those easy meals when you schedule gets hectic.  Happy Prepping!

Cilantro Lime Chicken 

4-6 Chicken Breast 

1- Bunch of cilantro torn

1 cup frozen or canned corn

1 can black beans drained 

1 t minced garlic

1 red onion chopped

1 t cumin 

1/4 cup lime juice  

Mix all ingredients in a Ziplock freezer bag.  This meal will typically stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.  When ready to use, I defrost the night before in the freezer then dump in the crockpot and cook on love for 5-7 hours. 

I like to initially freeze my meals stacked horizontally 

flat, then once fully frozen I can stand them up vertically in my 

deep freezer and save on space.  Of course, this is

 just my personal preference, I've seen people store

 their meals MANY different ways. 

Check out my You Tube video a watch how quickly it all comes together!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj2_YzE4SFc

A New Beginning

A wonderful thing happened a few weeks ago. I came across an old piece of paper. Simple I know....but that simple scrap had amazing words of wisdom scribbled on it. It was my birth plan for my first child from 2006. My eldest daughter was only a twinkle in my eye yet I had oodles of things I wanted her to know, to feel, to do; I even scribbled down things as mundane as, "wood toys only", "no make-up" and "less is more". Where had this mom gone?!  Why had my priorities and my hard-line set of rules taken such a back seat to the mom I had become?

I begain to think hard, to analyze the person I am versus the person (the mom) I wanted to be. Eight years and four children later I want to take back my family and my kids. I remember fondly sitting with the love of my life and essentially creating a roadmap for our future, for our children. We had wants,  wishes, and goals. The number one thing we agreed on, "don't allow stuff to become more important that people."
Somewhere along the line we found ourselves swimming in the belongings of our children. Something we promised ourselves we wouldn't do.  But after every turn we also found ourselves buying more and more until our home was filled to the brim. After awhile 'stuff' is just 'stuff' but still it is a need so we continued to  fill already full rooms with one of a kind 'stuff' and  hard to find 'stuff' trying to justify the purchase.  We came to a serious realization this holiday.  WE were going to take back Christmas! We wanted moments not things. And the things that we were going to buy were going to mean something. We settled on each child receiving four gifts... a NEED, a WANT, a WEAR, and a DO. Actually it shows how little we truly NEED. Not one of the kids received a NEED gift and we actually told them we have it all. We have faith, family,  friends and most importantly we have our health. 

I actually think this was the best Christmas to date. We took pictures at the mall, baked cookies, drove around the neighborhood to look at lights,  we had dinner out, wrapped gifts, and talked about the miracles of the holidays.  It may sound too good to be true or like something out of a Rockwell painting and honestly....it's better.
My goal for my children is to be well rounded, respectful, and feel so deeply the love that I have for them. And you know what?   I think STUFF just gets in the way.

2013 has been an amazingly busy year!  We have had Jr. Kings hockey tournaments, Tiny Star Dance Competitions, Preschool, Hollywood stardom in our children's eyes and 2 Small Business ventures (All City LAX and Nikki Rose Creations). We have settled into our home FINALLY and are busting at the seems. Look for some solutions to kids storage and home improvements in '14.  I'm getting antsy to re-decorate.

I have new products that I will be bringing to Nikki Rose Creation in 2014.  Look for more large stacked  spike hair bows, headbands, smaller hair pretties, & Bubblegum necklaces. I am trying to go hard and really make this venture work for my family. It is a struggling balance.

We have a new superhero in our home, and with 3 girls to protect....boys watch out for BATMAN!!!  Happy New YEAR!!!!

A Fresh Start

My mom always told me, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." So, I've been sitting here thinking of the right thing to say...and I heard my mom in the back of my mind.  I took a break from the blog to complete our home remodel nightmare that ended with us being sued by a less than perfect contractor (keeping it nice).  But in the long run we came out ahead and the legal system sided with us.  With a fresh start and a new perspective I now have tons to say...AND we are keeping it positive! We are happy, we are healthy and we have a 30 year roof over our head...who know where we might go with this we are feeling lucky.   I usually post some eye candy, but we are keeping it simple.  Just getting my toes wet again, come back soon.

Avery's 1st Birthday ....Finally

I have really wanted to do personalized birthday bibs, shirts or hats for a while. I just wanted to know that I could. It was less fun that I thought but not as hard as I imagined.  I had intended to make the matching bib, just didn't get around to it with moving the same weekend as the party. 

Fondant owl toppers and paper cupcake toppers I created.  Love love love the fondant owls made by KidsCakes on etsy.

Avery dove right in to her mini cake.  She is the first of the kids to really attack their birthday cake.  Priceless.

I loved the way the old wooden shelf and my grandmas old lace table completed the milk and cookies station it was sweet and perfect.

The kids loved decorating their birdhouses.  They were so cute how much effort they put into them.

Paper straws...love.

My baby and my love...I can't believe she is ONE.  Where does time go?

32 things you might not know about me...

1. My middle name is Rose (after my God mother) Anne (after my mom)
2. I was an only child and hatted it
3. I love things that come in 3's it's an OCD thing
4.  I constantly count and spell things over and over in my head
5. I was Miss Lakewood USA
6. I spent 2 1/2 years studying Criminal Justice and Psychology to become a Profiler for Serial Killers (my dream career) and no I am not a pro-filer now.
7. I was about to join the United States Air Force when I met Scott, and I chose Scott 
8. I competed in Miss California USA and placed in the top 12
9.  I love planning parties
10. I am very logical but also irrational
11. I lived in Paris, France as an exchange student only because my family said NO to the archeological dig in Africa
12. If my mom wasn't sick I would have NEVER come home from Paris....and she knows that.
13. I alphabatize my kid names(C,B,A) and I have 2 more ideas....just in case.
14.  I love mexican food, burritos to be exact
15.  I am a Christian ...a REAL Christian
16. I worked with kids with Autism for 5 years, in education for 10.
17.  I was in Jobs daughters and held the office of Grand Bethel Jr. Princess (look it up)
18.  I attempted modeling (a corrupt business) and was picked for a Colgate commercial when I was 17. 
19.  I love John Grisham books
20. I love photography
21. I use to listen to house music...and hung out with Mark Ferina
22.  Scott and I disagree about how to school our kids
23. I think a lot of TV is inappropriate
24. I only buy novels in hard back so they will line up nicely, but I can't stand to have them out
25. I color organize my clothes (as in ROYGBIV)
26. I won't wear socks if they get too dirty looking
27.I could eat chips and salsa everyday
28. I am VERY shy, Scott has brought out the talker in me
29. I worked for Davidson, CENDANT, and Sierra Software...bring it on War Craft nerds.
30. I learned to drive in a '67 Mustang
31. I have tried for years to be published in Creating Keepsakes magazine
32.  I give Scott a hard time A LOT, but I am beamingly ( I know, not a word! But still) proud of my husband the author, and sometimes jealous.

There you are 32 years, 32 things you may or may not know about me!!!!

GOT craft scraps? Valentine decor idea

I love decorating for LOVE Day, after Christmas the Valentine decorations go up. I made this little framed heart collage a few years back and I still LOVE it.  It was so simple; all you need is a heart shape punch from the craft store and some scraps of scrapbooking paper.  After you have all of the hearts punched simply glue them to a 'base' scrapbook paper. I used a frame I already had so it matched my living room decor. 

Try to make your LOVE Day collage today.  Not into the symmetry? Try mixing it up with different size punches or place them randomly around the page, or why not add heart shaped photos of your loved ones.

 

POTD (Picture of the Day)

 I have been working on a new project, a new way of documenting our family's story.  Project Life, or as some view it,  Project 365.  However you look at it, it is revolutionary.  I have seen scrapbookers blogging about this easy, simple way of scrapbooking and people are happy.  I jumped on the bandwagon and I too am HAPPY.  Thrilled actually.  Camryn has joined suit and I have been working with her and Project 365.  I was so excited to share this passion with her and let her creativity go wild.  She really is embarrassing it....as much as a 4 year old can.   Ave's put a halt to Cam's project when she dropped her camera in the dog bowl.  I am hopping to get her a new camera soon.  She is such a great little photographer.

These are a few of Camryn's POTD's (picture of the day).  I don't think I will edit her photos at all because I want to look back and see images that were ALL Camryn.  These photos are raw and unedited.

Sweet Love

Although Valentine's Day is not about sweets, it IS about love and a little sweetness doesn't hurt either.  Here are two oh-so-simple ideas to share your love.  The first is a candy bar wrap. I simply placed sticker paper in my printer and printed these little cuties, cut and wrapped. The suckers were purchased at Walmart.  I created a little design in Adobe, printed multiple images on a sheet (again on sticker paper) and used a big square punch to create a sticker the perfect size for the front of the sucker.  So simple and the kids had fun helping.  We had a little assembly line going. I'd just peruse Pinterest for some superbly sweet and FREE downloads. 

Valentine Sweets for Preschool

Valentines Day is just around the corner and it will be here before you know it.  Need a cute treat for your kids class?  You really can't go wrong with a sugar cookie.  What says love more than conversation hearts? I gave each kid one large cookie, two small cookies and a sprinkle of conversation hearts all tied up in a clear cellophane baggie with a tulle bow.  Super easy and the kids LOVE sugar cookies.  The only more fun would be allowing the kids to bake them themselves.

Fabric Flower Headbands...

This is my latest project. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Are they cute? Would you or your daughter wear one? Suggestions?

I know this should be fun....

We have been an apartment for about 6 weeks now. We will be moving out November 30th. The internet service in this area is horrible to say the least. I am trying to update and upload more photos, and I will be getting to that soon, real soon. I promise.

On our way...

Construction has begun and we can't wait to get back in our home! The foundation was poured today.

Star Wars Party

When my ideas of a Buzz and Woody party were foiled by Brady's love of everything Star Wars I had to go back to the drawing board to make his third birthday come to life. There was one requirement set forth by my "client", to make Star Wars Brady's reality. I knew this task would not be easy. I mean the kid sees Star Wars in constant replay in his mind and reenacts the movies on a daily basis. I know more about Star Wars than I ever imagined possible at the age of 3.  The Star Wars extravaganza is over and all we have is photos and memories. I want to share a few photos of Brady's favorite part: Darth Vader. I'll share more details later. All of the kids loved Darth Vader, even the girls were chasing him around with light sabers. Having a heart to heart. Luke and Darth. Darth was amazing! He was so hot I could see the sweat dripping from his mask. Not one moment did he complain, remove his mask or break character. He truly loves his job and it showed. Worth every penny. It's amazing how much I stress about the little things. The whole day made this little guy's dreams come true. 

 

I had such a fun time creating Star Wars Birthday invite.  I picked up a invite kit from Michaels and customized it on the computer.  I simply loved how they turned out.

I made custom sugar cookies using cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma.  

And the most EPIC cake!!  Rossmoor Pastries in Long Beach did the most amazing job I was absolutely blown away by their art in cake form. 

The cake was so big that we were able to save the 'planet' portion for our family Birthday dinner. 

Buzz and Woody Preschool Party

When planning Brady's Birthday I thought Buzz and Woody would be so much fun. I started purchasing stuff way in advance as to acquire more than necessary in true fashion. Something happened along the way, Brady developed an opinion of his own. That opinion had no room for Toy Story and little room for anything other than Star Wars. So here is his very forced Toy Story school party a month early, before school was out for summer. Honestly, he could care less! This was more for me than him trust me.

Summer time...and the livin's easy

Star Wars

Prepping for party number 2 of 2010...the theme? Star Wars of course!

Happy 4th Birthday Baby

The party is over and here are a few snapshots of the day. More to come as they are edited.

Obsessed!

Looks like we are on to a new obsession. Star Wars! Our home has been filled with big characters, little characters, lightsabers, books, and in the works...a new bedroom. Things are about to great a little more hectic as we are going ahead with a remodel and addition.





We've been living in a little over 900 sq. ft. for almost 5 years now. With the addition of each new child we loose a little more space. I've had to get pretty creative about how I organize and store all of our worldly posessions. I do a pretty good job with what I have to work with. With that being said head on over and read about my creative obsessions.