Baked Eggs

6 bread slices, cut in cubes
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 eggs
3 cups milk

Mix bread, cheese, ham, bell pepper and onion; spread in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish greased with nonstick spray. Whisk eggs and milk, and pour over top. Cover dish with foil and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw dish,and bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 375*. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 12-oz package of spaghetti
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 cups cooked)
1 28-oz can Italian-style or plain crushed tomatoes in puree
1 2-oz jar pimentos (I left these out)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I left these out)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 3-oz can sliced ripe olives (I left these out)
1 packet dry spaghetti- sauce seasoning (I used Italian seasoning instead)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (does not get frozen)

Cook spaghetti until al dente; drain. At the same time, cut chicken into 1-inch cubes; cook chicken in a small amount of water until no longer pink in the center. (I didn't so this, I boiled all my chicken for my recipes. So I just cubed it and started at the next step.) In a large pot, combine chicken with remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked spaghetti to sauce. Cool and freeze. I used a 13x9x2 foil pan to freeze it in.

To prepare for service, thaw spaghetti. Bake spaghetti at 325* for 40 minutes. Top spaghetti with cheese; return spaghetti to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 10 servings.

Once a month freezer cooking

This weekend will be my first "at home" day of cooking and putting together freezer meals. I've done it before at a "dinner creation" type place, but never totally on my own. We needed groceries, I'm stuck at home with the "swine flu" kids, and it seems like a great time to start. I'm excited about the day of cooking and about not having to worry about making dinner for a month!

My list of recipes:

Chicken Divine
Teriyaki Chicken
Manicotti
Chicken Tetrazzini
Lemon Chicken
Hearty Hamburger Tomato Stew
Chicken Cacciatore
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Enchiladas
Cannelloni with Cheese Sauce
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Yes, we eat quite a bit of chicken. I only have 14 recipes, but I think that will be enough considering I don't cook 7 nights a week and I have some easy things I can make that aren't make ahead.

Sunday is going to be my big cooking day, again since I'm not able to go to church I thought I would do something useful. So hopefully by Sunday night I'll have a freezer full of yummy meals!

Crockpot Baked Penne

This is literally one of my easiest recipes. I admit I found the idea on the A Year of Slow Cooking blog, but I changed it a bit. She calls it ziti, but I use penne noodles. It is simple and the whole family loves it!

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Rinse penne noodles and lay enough in the bottom of the crockpot to kind of cover it, about 20-25 noodles?? Cover with spaghetti sauce, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat with noodles, sauce and cheese until ingredients are gone. I use 2 jars of sauce to make enough for the family and some leftovers. I don't measure anything else. When everything has been added, pour about 1 cup of water around the edge of the crockpot!! This keeps the noodles from sticking, burning to the edge, and getting too dry. I didn't do this the first time and some of the top noodles didn't get cooked. Cook on high for 4 hours. I've never done it on low, but I imagine it could be done on low for 8 hrs. Serve!

Chili Verde

1 8-oz package dry pinto beans
1 lb boneles, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies (I left these out)
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup grated low-fat Montery Jack cheese (I used mozzarella)
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 11-1/2 oz jar salsa

Rinse pinto beans, soak in cold water overnight, then drain. In a large pot, combine beans, water bouillon cubes, garlic, salt and onion; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft, about 1 hour. Add more water if necessary. Add chicken and rest of spices, simmer 10 more minutes. Top with salsa and cheese. Serve over warmed tortillas.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sliced medium onion
1/2 sliced green bell pepper
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 28-oz can Italian-style or plain crushed tomatoes in puree
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried basil leaves
Parmesan cheese
1 8-oz package wide egg noodles

In a large skillet, saute onion, green bell pepper and garlic until onion is transparent. Add chicken and remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and noodles to the skillet. Simmer 15 minutes. Put in a 13x9 baking dish, cover with foil and bake on 350* for 35 minutes. Cook noodles according to package. Serve chicken over noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Hearty Hamburger Tomato Stew

1 lb lean ground beef
1-1/4 cups chopped onion
2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 16-oz can cut green beans, drained
1 16-oz can corn, drained
1 46-oz can tomato juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Ballet

color wheel and water play

We made a color wheel that shows that the color light actually contains all the colors.


Here's a video of Jacob demonstrating and me explaining how it works.

Joshua is learning about fractions and the relationship between parts of something to its whole. I used measuring cups and water to show him that (2) 1/2s equal 1 whole, (3) 1/3s equal 1 whole, and (4) 1/4s equal one whole. We had a lot of fun, only took about 10 mins, and he really grasped the concept.

another week gone by

We wrapped up our second week of school with a field trip to the Florida Aquarium. Tim was home and able to go with us so that was a treat for all.


We learned about Day 1 of creation and light this week in science. We talked about shadows, traced the kid's shadows on the driveway with chalk, and made a sundial. Yes, it's a paper birthday cup and a pencil, but it showed the kids how the shadow moves a


Leanna started ballet classes this week. She is absolutely too cute! She loved the class and wasn't shy at all. There is only one other little girl in the class with her so it's very one on one. They'll combine with the other two pre-ballet classes for performances and the first one will be late October.

first week done!

We made it through our first week of school!

It was a very busy week. Besides just getting started, all 3 kids had science classes on Tuesday at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). Thursday we had reading group, PE, then our monthly homeschool meeting. Lots going on!

MOSI classes went pretty well. Joshua cried and screamed about getting left there, but was able to calm down and enjoy the class. Leanna had a great time making clouds from cotton balls, touching a cloud, and making a weather chart.

PE went great this week. Jacob participated and did very well at kickball. He needs some practice on stretching though. LOL

Reading groups also went well. I am leading the youngest group and have Leanna, Joshua and one other little girl. We had a great time with the book Harry the Dirty Dog this month and I can't wait to pick my selection for next month. Jacob's group is reading The Boxcar Children and he seems excited.

We had a few challenges this week with attitudes and my getting sick, but still managed to get everything I had planned done. I get complaints about doing some of the things, but once we get started they all seem to enjoy it.


Jacob's tall tale

Leanna's handwriting


Joshua's cursive handwriting

First week

Monday was our first day of school! Joshua and Leanna were very excited to get started. Jacob needed a lot of persuasion. But we managed to get the day finished.

We're starting each day with history which so far has just been reading from the Bible. It's been a nice way to transition into our school day and seems to be working to get the kids ready to start.

Science is another favorite. So far, we've read through the Creation story in Genesis and started our Creation notebooks. I have a lot of fun stuff planned for the year and we're all excited about finally starting.

Joshua is starting cursive and doing very well. He's also ahead in Phonics because of last year so we're just doing some review to start.

Leanna has impressed me with her writing and how much she remembers of her letter sounds. She's doing 2-3 pages from her books a day and at this rate, I'm going to run out of stuff for her by the end of the month!

Jacob isn't impressed with Latin, but we've only done one day. He's doing well with spelling. He tested at a 4.8 grade level on his survey test. He's also enjoying the grammar book he's starting.

We're reading Pippi Longstocking as a family and although the kids say they don't like it, they all seem to listen and enjoy it. Yesterday we walked backwards just like Pippi does! Jacob is doing a unit study about the book that has vocab, comprehension, spelling, and grammar. The first day of it was rough, but yesterday went better.

Our new math curriculum is going very well. We're starting slow to get an idea of where the boys are at and the best place to start. Today we did a few practice problems and played Rummy-kub and that was math! They enjoyed that.

We're participating in quite a few extra activities this year. Jacob is doing weekly PE at the local YMCA. Last Thursday was the first class and didn't go very well. I"m hoping for a better attitude tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the start of our monthly reading group with the homeschool group. Yesterday was the first of monthly MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) classes. Tonight is the beginning of Awana for everyone at church. And next week Leanna starts ballet! We're very busy this year!!