CrockPotting

I did 6 recipies: Most of these were from another site online
Healthy BBQ Chicken
Crockpot Chicken w/ Salsa
Teriyaki Chicken
Savory Vegeable Beef Soup
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Pot Pie Filling (not a crockpot recipie but oh sooo good)

Healthy BBQ Chicken:
2 green peppers cut into slices (split into 2 bags)
1 red pepper cut into slices (split into 2 bags)
1 zucchini chopped (split ")
3 onions chopped (split ")
6 red potatos chopped (split ")
4 garlic cloves chopped (split ")
2 chicken breasts per bag
1/2 TBSP Quick cooking tapioca per bag
1 15 oz can tomato sauce (split per bag)
1 TBSP brown sugar per bag
1 TBSP worchestershire per bag
1 TBSP Mustard per bag
1/ tsp salt per bag
*Write on bag: cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Crockpot Chicken with Salsa
4 chicken breast (split btw bags)
1/2 pkg taco seasoning (split ")
1 cup salsa per bag
* Write on bag: Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Add 1/4 cup sour cream at end (opt). Serve over rice or in tacos, burritos, etc.

Cilantro Lime Chicken
(very similar to above)
16 oz salsa split btw bags
1 pack dry taco seasoning split
1 lime juiced split
3 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro split
2 Chicken breast per bag
* Write on bag: cook on high for 4 hours. If you want to shred chicken set at low for 6 to 8 hours.

Teriyaki Chicken
large bag of baby carrots split into 2 bags
Red onion split
1 20 oz can pineapple in each bag (this made the sauce really tasty but i think next time i'll add these right before we eat- it made the pineapple taste really strange)
2 cloves garlic chopped per bag
2 chicken breasts per bag
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce in each bag
*Write on bag: Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce to the mix. Cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 8 hours. Serve over rice.

Savory Vegetable Beef Soup
1 onion 2 cloves garlic- brown in pan with ground beef- cool & divide btw bags
2 whole chopped carrots per bag
2 celery stalks chopped per bag
3 red potatoes chopped per bag
1 can v8 split btw bags
1 28oz can diced tomatoes split
1 cup frozen green beans in each bag
1/2 TBSP worchestershire per bag
1/2 cup Beef broth per bag
1 TBSP parsley per bag
1 tsp basil per bag
1/2 tsp thyme per bag
1/2 tsp salt per bag
1/2 tsp pepper per bag
1 TBSP sugar per bag
*Write on bag: Place in crockpot with 1.5 cups water and 15 oz. beef broth. Cook on low 8 hours.

Pot Pie Filling:
12 oz meat (chicken) cooked
16 oz frozen mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chicken broth
*Write on bag: Heat up filling on stove. Layer btw cresent roll dough in a pie tin. Bake 5 minutes at 375, decrease heat to 325 for 15 more mintues or until rolls brown.


I thought is was good experiment. Later this month we are hosting a frozen meals baby shower- hopefully i get some more good recipes to try another batch of crockpot meals.

RAGNAR

My friend Marissa talked me into doing the Del Sol Ragnar (from Wickenburg to Phoenix, AZ)- a 200 mile 12 person team relay over 36 hours. Here is our team the night before after decorating our van and at the finish line. (I was runner 12, so while my teammates are all changed and washed up with fresh makeup on- I just finished running my last 4.6 miles). Or team Chicks that Run had illnesses, foot, knee, and ankle injuries, but we finished anyways!

Birthday Boy

Jackson turned One. We have had such fun with him this last year. He is so fun to play with, loves to talk, run, blow raspberries (on us, on himself, on windows),eats like a pro, sleeps like a pro. He loves being outside, playing with other kids, being held by anyone (even the complete stranger at the mall- which he did on Friday!).
We had a fun little get together with our Neighborhood friends for cake and ice cream. Jackson didn't know what to do with the cake for quite awhile but figured it out. He had the funniest sugar-high after everyone left, but fell asleep as soon as his head his the pillow.

Crockpot Freezer Meals

A pinterest idea I had been wanting to try. I put together six different crockpot meals, doubled them, wrote intructions on the baggies and threw them in the freezer. We have since tried out 5 of them. Such a time saver. We actually used one yesterday, just dumped the bags in the Crockpot before church and ate when we got home. It was really nice to not have to do any prep work Sunday morning. (although it did take 4 hours to make them all- but 4 hours for 12 meals- i think its totally worth it.)

Things Jackson loves...

Jackson loves his toilet brush. He keeps trying to get the toilet brushes in the bathroom, so Ralph opened up a new one just for him. He now carries it around like a scepter and rules the house with it.
Jackson loves baskets. He and Hadley often fight over sitting in one of them even though we have 3 to choose from. He likes to play with his toys in them and watch the his alphabet movie.
Jackson loves to make messes (and Cheerios). Here he has dumped out all the cereal and is enjoying easy access to his treats. He also likes trying to eat dirt out of all our potted plants and shaking milk out of his bottle onto the carpet.

Christmas So Far

Christmas has been great so far. Jackson's first Christmas Eve consisted of pulling ornaments off the tree (again and again), Little Ceasars Pizza and It's A Wonderful Life on NBC.

Christmas morning was pretty mellow- Jackson played with the bows and wrapping paper but seemed confused about what was going on. We opened gifts (Ralph and I got awesome hats and shirts that make us feel like we could hang with Leonard and Sheldon!) and went to church. Our congregation read passages from Luke 2 and The Living Christ and sang almost all the Christmas Hymns. We enjoyed that very much. Now we are in a lull while the turkey cooks and Ralph's family drives to get here. Hope everyone's having a wonderful Christmas. (oh and we decorated our dinner table all pretty for a fancy Christmas meal- basically because I've been addicted to Pinterest lately and set it yesterday).

Crazy Kid

First off the picture just shows that Jackson and houseplants don't mix. They got in an altercation and Jackson won. Second- just a note- Jackson pooped in the tub for the first time on Sunday- pretty funny.