Meals, Menus and Recipes OH MY!

Update: last week Kel and I went on vacation. it has been since january that we were able to take days off work and go! We visited his Grandma and Aunt (and two uncles) in Kentuckiana (the border of Kentucky and Indiana- Louisville basically). It was, so relaxing and Cecelia was the perfect baby the whole trip. Then we got home and Cecelia raced off with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend while Kel and i took the train down to St. Louis to visit dear friends!

I used to go to STL all the time and visit my friend, but two years ago she got a house down there and this was the first time i was able to visit her. We had an amazing weekend. Wine, friends, haunted houses, afternoon naps and no baby. This was the longest and further i had even been away form Cecelia, and although much needed i missed my baby girl SO much and am happy to be back home with her.

Kel and i know this is our last week off for a long time. The holidays coming up are more of a chance to work than visit everyone. Kel gets paid extra to work around the holidays and i just picked up a seasonal job.... so this was our last break for a bit!

Kel and i spent every possible penny we could on treating ourselves to wine (yes we hit multiple wineries) and food, so when we got home we had an empty fridge and very low grocery budget! We also ate like crap all week and are very ready to get back to balanced, clean and yummy.... so i dug into my coupon bin and started planning a menu! My budget was $60 total and i successfully got everything i needed for the week. Never fear, because here is my menu and recipe plans for the week.

• Sunday: lemon chicken and roasted red potatoes

• This is a whole Chicken roasted in the oven, you will need:
• whole chicken (remove giblets and pat dry)
•  4 lemons
• spices (rosemary, thyme, garlic)
• set oven to 400 degrees, salt and pepper inside and outside of whole chicken. sprinkle with seasonings. add juice of two whole lemons to the inside and outside of chicken (very liberally). take other two lemons and pierce multiple times with a fork them place inside the cavity of the chicken. reduce heat to 350 and put breast side down in roasting pan and cook for 25 minutes. flip the chicken so breasts are up and cook for another hour (until done). let chicken cool a few minutes them remove the lemons. squeeze juices onto the chicken form extra lemons and sprinkle remainder of seasonings over the chicken. mix the juices a bit and pour over chicken and potatoes. then EAT!
• the red potatoes i quartered and put wedges into muffin tins. cover with same seasonings as the chicken and i covered in olive oil. before putting the oven (350 for 30-45 minutes) put a clove of garlic in eat muffin spot in the tin. so yummy. 

This chicken we ate for dinner then to save time and money i used what was left (the breasts)  and pulled it from the bones. then this is the chicken i used in the lasagna for thursday! there was even enough for some sandwiches throughout the week too!

• Monday: Rice Krispie fried chicken strips over spicy rice 

•  cook minute white rice- kinda self explanitory
• i used THAI Chili Sauce on the rice! so yummy, gives it a kick without killing it and not too saucy. My favorite but use whatever sauce you like
• to cook the chicken you will need:
• chicken breasts
• flour
• egg (whisked together)
• rice krispies
• seasonings (i use garlic and rosemary and salt)
• olive oil (vegetable or canola oil works too, we use olive for the allergy reasons)
• cut the chicken into strips. heat the oil on the stove top until sizzling. one at a time cover chicken in flour, then put in eggs then in crushed rice krispies mixed with the seasonings (breadcrumbs are the traditional thing to do, i prefer the rice krispies because it's amazing and allergy free, but do whatever you want!). Cook in the oil until golden brown and cooked all the way through. put over the rice and eat. Cecelia (1yr old) ate more than i did she loved it so much. 

to lighten this up bake it instead of frying it! 

• Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza 

• basically 
• take pizza crust and roll it out (we make a homemade whole wheat crust for a healthier and allergy free option)
• sauce it-make a sauce out of ranch and buffalo sauce according to your preference.
• add mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses
• add chicken (prebaked with red pepper flakes, olive oil, italian seasoning, etc and cut into small cubes)
• bake per crust's specifications
• SO YUMMY!

• Wednesday: Alfredo, Spinach and chicken lasagna bake

• first i made an alfredo sauce. to make this light and healthy i made one batch of alfredo sauce and mixed it with a batch of cauliflower garlic sauce.  i LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Kel would not have guessed it was mostly vegetable ever and it was such a yummy and creamy. both of those recipes are on my pinterest
• then i added steamed spinach (kel HATES cooked spinach but he couldn't really taste it mixed into the sauces and it adds some pretty color)
• i cooked the noodles and laid them out. i added a layer of sauce, noodles, layer of shredded chicken (from sunday) with 4 cheese Italian blend shredded cheese, noodles, sauce, noodles and topped with chicken and cheese!
• Bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and gooey

This is a GREAT freezer meal! i made half for the freezer for another week and half for wednesday. The longer you let it sit (i made it Sunday for wednesday's lunch) the more the sauce sets and absorbs flavor. make this a day or two in advance, put it together and don't bake it until you are ready to serve it.

• Thursday: Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

•  this is the perfect things for revamping leftovers. take everything and throw it in the crockpot for a couple of hours and enjoy. 
• i use the leftover chicken from the week cut into cubes or shredded, add in with rice and the buffalo sauce, ranch, Thai sauce and some water. add in seasonings per your liking and top with crushed rice krispies.
• i like to add cheese or some leftover alfredo sauce to it as well! 

• Friday: leftovers 

  So i got these recipes form pinterest, friends, my favorite TV show The Chew and a couple i just made up! if made consciously and correctly then they can be healthy and guilt free. Again all for $60 (i used some coupons but not enough it would have added for than $5) and a lot of the supplies are things you already have. 

counting my blessings (it's about time)

Things have been bleak for awhile. I've had a really hard time trying to pull myself out of the dark. I tried so hard to focus on the little good things, but for a couple weeks i found none.

Today however, i have many blessings to focus on and be grateful for.

(in no particular order):

• This week my sister brought home two BEAUTIFUL girls (ages 3 and 1.5). I got to meet them yesterday and they are so sweet and beautiful and i am so happy to have them join our family. My Goddaughter is such a cutie (the younger one). i can't wait to see  her and Cecelia become friends! And the older one took to me right away and let me help her on the monkey bars and show her how to climb on the playground equipment!

•  I also got to have my nails done for my friend Jessi's wedding that i'm in on Sunday! i got pampered AND lunch with an amazing old friend.  Seems small, but it's been so long since i had someone take care of me!

• Last night i got to see most of my good great friends that i have known most of my life (preschool, grade school, high school and beyond) as we celebrated my dear friend's wedding shower/bachlorette party. We stayed in, talked, laughed (a lot). She moved a year ago to Florida and last month she moved to Washington (the state) and i have not gotten to see her! It was great to catch up and hang out. I miss all my friends, i can't seem to get enough of them!

•  I got a job! It's starting as Seasonal work for a retail store that i LOVE. It's VERY EARLY morning hours but i wont need a babysitter and i'll get tons of time to see my daughter in the afternoon. It will be weird going back to work, but i am SO very ready. I have to be honest, it's not the world's most glamorous job, but i am SO VERY HAPPY to be working there and for an opportunity. I've worked much worse jobs and this will help my family SO MUCH!

• As previously stated i got to hang out with friends last night.... and this morning i got to sleep in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! until 10am (seems lame, but anyone with kids knows how AWESOME that it)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i woke up to a happy husband and baby and a cup of coffee. within 30 minutes of being awake BOTH went down for a nap! This is so beautiful. i get to sit in my QUIET house, in my PJs, blogging and catching up on the TV shows i missed last night. no baby touching my computer, my husband talking through my tv shows, coffee (in my new SUPER LARGE Harry Potter Coffee Mug my friend got me from Harry Potter World... she rocks) and cake for breakfast (so yummy)!   

- i just reread that and i sound like my parents and i'm not ashamed! It's the little things and life that matter- like hot coffee and watching 1/2 hour of TV without having to pause and rewind! 

• I also have an action packed weekend: rehearsal dinner tonight, Family pictures and Oktoberfest tomorrow, wedding Sunday! So excited!  

• Next week Kel and i are going on vacation! It's our two year anniversary so we are getting out of town with Cecelia. We are going to Louisville area to visit his Grandma and Aunt and Uncle. I LOVE seeing them and staying with them. This will be our first trip more than two days with Cecelia's allergies. I am not as nervous as i thought i'd be. Monday i will cook a week's worth of grab and go food (lots of calzones and homemade poptarts) for her! His grandma is SO excited to see Cecelia (and us) and we are just as excited to see her!

• then in a week we are taking the train to St. Louis to visit and stay with a friend (no cecelia) until Sunday. Haunted Houses, autumn drinks, no kiddo, and good friends! Words cannot describe how long we have waited for this and are looking forward to this.

In short it's been a hard couple of months but with lots of Prayers i ma hoping to be on the up!  I am blessed with an amazing family that loves and supports me, beautiful friends i can go to with anything and love seeing and hanging out with (no matter how much time has passed), an job to get me back in the grind and providing for my family, oh and an amazing husband and PERFECT daughter.

Time to get up, dust myself offand get back out into the world. 

News!

It's been a crazy couple of days for news of all kind!

First on Wednesday i had an interview for a job i have been waiting for months to hear about. The interview went really well.... or so i thought until Thursday when i got the call that they went with the other candidate. I am taking it pretty hard. I've heard/read/received more rejection in the past two months than i  thought possible. the worst part is that i keep hearing "you were great but the other person is more qualified" or that i am "over qualified for the position." the absolute worst is just a generic email "thanks for applying, but we have gone another route in filling this position, however we will let you know if anything opens up." I am so sick of it and so beyond discouraged!

For GREAT new i found out i will be an Aunt again X2! My sister got a call that she will be adopting two little girls, ages 3 and 1! I am really really excited to have two more nieces! and to top it off Kel and I were asked to be Godparents for the one year old! I am SO SO SO SO excited to meet my Goddaughter! It's such a special story and situation! Cecelia gets to have two cousins on one side of the family her age (literally her grade in school, and they will all be going to the same school- God willing- so Cecelia will have TWO cousins in her class in school) and one cousin on the other side of the family in her age! Plus two additional older cousins to grow up with her!

Then i suddenly realized it's been two months since i lost my son. I was doing great for awhile but lately this has hit me pretty hard. If i see a picture of JP2 or the letters JP i loose it. I also know a LOT of women due between January and March and i am still adjusting to the thought it's not me. Every night Cecelia and i say our prayers and ask for her brother JP to pray for her. She points up a the ceiling fan-we have wind chimes hanging from them-and we ring them when we talk to JP. She is such a sweetheart and loves babies, her baby doll or anything in a baby swing or seat. She would be such a good big sister and it kills me that she wont get to hold her brother. Aside form when she put my mother's doll in the toilet (hey, Bitty Babies need to go potty too!), she would be an amazing big sister!

It's so hard, balancing happy and sad news! It all came in one hour. I'm so excited to see my sister's prayers answered! All of our prayers really, we have all been hoping and waiting to see her/our extended family grow! I never thought that my daughter would be the only white kid in the group, and now that we have it that way i would not change it for the world! On the other hand, i'm so discouraged and trying very hard not to let depression set in. I have a lot to be thankful for, but i also have had so much taken away from me in the past few months! i've never really felt this helpless in my own life. It's really not a good feeling, at all!

you know you are "grown up" when you have a crafting party!

these are everyone's creations from two of the crafts! they all kind of matched our personalities and look different even though they are the same supplies and process.

 

My friends and I got together and had a "pinterest" party. What we did-everyone picked a different craft and brought all the supplies to have 4 people complete that craft once. We did each craft and at the end of the night went home with 4 different decor things instead of just a pile of supplies! it was SO much fun! We already are planning our next one (Christmas themed). 

The inspirations was that we all have houses or townhouses now (or very very soon!) and not enough money or resources to fully decorate them for the seasons the way we would like. So to save a buck, decorate our houses all while having a jolly good time, sign me up! Total i THINK we all spent $15 or less on our supplies for 5 people to each do a craft! not bad at all. If we had each done these 4 crafts ourselves with all the supplies it would have cost roughly $50-$75! Instead for $15 we did all of these! 

 

They all ended up being fall themed and SUPER cute. 

the finished product!

• First my friend K picked a twine covered vase filled with seasonal flowers and ribbon. Hers took the longest but was SUPER cute and easy to make. 

• supplies: included vases, twine, hot glue, flowers and ribbon.
• directions: start at the bottom and hot glue the twine to the vase in a circular pattern. first put on glue then twine and press to seal it. You go round and round until the vase is covered. Once done you add flowers and a ribbon!
• Tips: use a pair of scissors to put the twine into the glue to keep it tight and eliminate gaps. Hot glue is HOT! Also one roll of twine did all 4 of our vases, don't go twine buying crazy! Finally dont rush.

My glittered pumpkin!

my painted pumpkin.the other side is a traditional jack-o-lantern face

• Next my friend L brought supplies to decorate "faux-kins"- fake pumpkins. so much easier than real pumpkins, last more than one week and you can do whatever you want to them. 

• supplies: pumpkins, paint, glue, glitter, brushes, chalk
• directions: decorate your pumpkin! i glittered one and painted another. to glitter you apply pain or glue (i used Modge Podge)  and liberally apply glitter to the glued area. To paint you design (we used chalk it worked well) and paint however you want. 
• Tips: use a garbage bag or newspapers underneath glitter (not your friend's sidewalk unless they want a sparkled walkway) and do it outside if possible! Also use chalk to outline your design first. 

i hot glued on my ribbon and the cute pumpkins!

• My friend M brought all the supplies to make tea light candle centerpieces!  this idea i LOVED and have in the middle of my table! already. 

• supplies: vases, mini acorn and pumpkin pieces, candles, ribbon
• directions: put your candle in the vase, add the acorns and pumpkins and decorate the outside with ribbon.
• Tips: we counted out how many of each pieces could be used for each one. that way someone didn't have a bunch and the next person have none.

 

•  Finally my project was to decorate wine bottles with letters and glitter. 



this really has an R on it, the glare hides it



my friend L did the "BOO" and it's my fav!

• supplies: wine bottles (cleans, stripped off labels, and dry), stencils, modge podge, brushes, glitter, spray paint (black- or any dark color) and spray paint glitter finish. 
• directions: empty wine bottles and spray paint them black. then you stencil modge podge, add glitter and finish with  the glitter spray. for each step make sure you wait until it's completely dry before doing the next.
• Tips: lots of air flow/well vented area. actually just do it in your garage or outside- spray paint is strong. also soak the bottles long before you strip them or you will be scrubbing all day.

These are all the crafts i did! i will spend the day putting them up and decorating some more!

 So this is how i spent my Friday nights. We all brought a snack to munch on (K- i need you the give me that dip recipe, i'm addicted) and some wine and "Lemonade." I am really excited for the next party we will have. I am planning my Christmas craft already! I also am hoping to plan a cookie day (around christmas time), where everyone brings a cookie recipe and we spend a day baking cookies or sweet treats together! My mom does that with her friends and it gives everyone a ton of cookies to take to work, give to babysitters, etc!
I really encourage everyone to find a friend (or two or three) and do this with. Pick a craft you are comfortable demonstrating and is relatively simple and share it! It really saved us all some time, money, supplies and it was a blast! 
 
The only downside was that i missed a couple of our friends who have moved out of state (J and M) more than usual. this is RIGHT up both of their alleys and  they would have loved this. Maybe next time we do this we will all have to pitch in and do two extra of each craft for them and send a care package! I especially was thinking (okay laughing a little, but mostly bummed for her) of my friend M who is snowed in (I KNOW, FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER! it's 80 here and snowing there- tough break)! I really like the idea that next time we send them a sampler care package so their places look pretty too and they know we are thinking of them!
 

What's your favorite craft to do that is fall decor/themed (halloween, thanksgiving or just fall)?

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONFESSION: i have $12 in my checking account for the next 10 days~

This might seem scary and daunting to a lot of people, but it is a personal accomplishment for me. Neither my husband or I is very good with budgets and math and money, but we do ok most of the time. if i am being really honest kel and i consider it a great month if we get all the basic bills paid and fill one of our cars up ALL the way with gas.

The reason i see starting October with $12 in my checking account: for the first time in MONTHS kel and i paid every single bill in full and got started on all of our recent medical bills (from my surgery in August).

This seems stupid, every single family in America pays bills, but for me to say i paid EVERY SINGLE BILL, on time and in full plus i have $12 in my account at the first of the month in an awesome feeling.

• there are no bills waiting on my desk to be paid
• there are no creditors or collectors calling me because I missed or was late on a payment
• there is no fear that next paycheck wont cover all my bills
• there is enough food in my house and freezer for a week, bonus points it's food i LIKE and not just ucky food left in the freezer because i don't like it (although i might stop by for dinner at my parents one night this week)
• i have 2 things i sold on craiglists i am waiting to get picked up for some extra cash for the week
• i have an additional $10 cash in my wallet

There are still a lot of medical bills i only paid minimum payments on them, but i got the first one paid off completely and am hoping to get them paid off soon.

This is very personal for me, i know all my friends and family know we are not rolling in money and most people i know are in a similar situations. I would never normally consider posting this for all the world to see how desperate and broke we are, but today it is not about that. I am NOT broke (yet, the moment this is posted my car will break and i will be begging for money) i have $12!

On another but still positive (get it, my account is NOT negative) note it is OCTOBER! the best month of the year. this year i have a TON going on,

• a good, very dear friend of mine gets married. i am a bridesmaid and we are putting on a showers and party and fun (oh my)
• it's another friends' birthday and i have something fun up my sleeve for her
• i resolve to make a new apple or pumpkin recipe every day that i am home
• i have a dozen fall crafts for me and cecelia to make,
• kel and i are celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary (yay)
• we have a trip to Indiana/Kentucky to visit some family (who i miss and love and can't wait to see)
• and FINALLY i get to go see a friend (the same one who has a birthday this month) down in St Louis who i STILL have not see her house after YEARS! this will be our first trip out of town without Cecelia the weekend after our 2nd anniversary for Kel and I! i'm pretty pumped!
• then it's halloween! yay! 

My final random note for the day is that i started  Christmas shopping! Now i HATE when Christmas pops up before Thanksgiving. I love the reason of Christmas but the whole season overall is just not my favorite. However this year i started planning gifts and ideas for people. I decided Kel and I were going to start buying gifts now when we had a spare twenty here or there. This past week i sold almost $100 of stuff on craigslist.com and i bought my mother-in-laws gift (part 1) and kel and i went out to eat and i bought a few other small gifts. I love the idea that we wont go broke this christmas. I love GIVING gifts and with my theory of starting early while we have the cash means i can actually give people the gifts i want. i am also making a lot of the gifts so i have gotten started on that too!




p.s. i might be proud of my $12 but if anyone needs a babysitter or knows of work, let me know!

you can be prepaired but not in control

i thought i was done and over the whole "allergy" bit, everyone knows my daughter has allergies and i sound like a broken record. yet every time i meet someone new in settings around food i have to be diligent about reminding everyone not to feed my kid.

i have spent months learning to cook and planning meals and trying to help us financially (because it's NOT cheap to feed your kid FRESH everything) handle this. For the first time in 5 months i finally had control. i had cooking and packing snacks fast and easy and one day a week. I had her meals planned and everyone she would be in daily contact with knows the drill. We were one month benedryl free. her skin is BEAUTIFUL and clear and FINALLY as smooth as a baby's butt should be.

Then i realized i can't ever relax or feel in control because i never will be. I can be prepared but never in control.

We got a pack of crayons out of my craft area and gave them to cecelia to use. she has a little table she sits at and paper to color on. she knew how to hold them and LOVED playing with them and hiding them all over our basement. I was really excited to open up the world of coloring and crafts (something i love to do too). For christmas we were going to ask for coloring books and markers for her.

For about a week she has had excema flair up. First it was on her face, then her chest and back and arms and legs. On Sunday we noticed it was really red and bigger blotches around her face. On monday we were business as usual... then tuesday she had her worst flair up since May. I was in the basement on the computer while she walked around (really she would run off, grab something to bring to me and once i grabbed it she would run off for something else). I turned around to check on her at one point and her mouth was black. I dug a 1/2 a crayon and the paper out of her mouth. we went upstairs to play. once we were upstairs her entire face turned blotchy (within a minute of me getting the crayon out of her mouth) her chest was read and she was scratching badly. After a week i finally knew what she was reacting to. She got benedryl and i started researching.

I am STILL VERY upset at the idea that i not only have to worry about my daughter eating a food that could kill her, but now i have to worry about her touching an art supply that could hurt her. And no i do not feel i am being over dramatic using the work "kill" or "harm." I had to explain to a friend the other that more kids die each year from food allergies than any form of cancer. It's more common than the flue and without treatment IMMEDIATELY will kill my child in uncontrolled situations. I my daughter were to eat a granola bar from a random package she would be exposed to minimum 2 possibly 4 of her major allergies and she would swell from the inside out. a donut could put her in hives for a week, which eventually can eat away at her skin from scratching and infection. I can not STAND it when people tell me i am overreacting about her allergies. i have spent months trying to figure out how to live without being a neurotic overbearing parent , if people can't handle my caution and awareness they will not be allowed near my child- tangent over!

Disclaimer- i ONLY buy Crayola crayons and markers. I think they are the best and my favorite.  They do not pay me to say this, it is all my opinion.

Crayons are soy free, since between 2001 and 2005. My crayons i am betting are from high school (i don't recall buying crayon since college or adult life) so they are between the transition time of soy free crayons and could possibly contain crayons. However my problem does not get solved by simply buying new crayons. It turns out ALL glue pre-maid (great now i have to make my own glue, fml) has oil in it that contains soy. the glue used to hold the paper onto crayons contains soy and possibly other unidentified allergens. So i looked online and with my dad's help found some crayons that are twist up and have no labels, therefor no glue. i also got a little case to put her supplies in so we can take it places easily. These crayons are twice as expensive and last half as long, but for my daughter it's worth it.

Then upon more research i may or may not have had a melt down about school supplies some day and future play dates.School supplies i can freak out about in 2-3 years, but play dates are something i am trying to do as often as possible. i DESPERATELY want to have playdates with other kids at places OTHER than my house, but it's SO scary. the thought that i would have to ask another parent to vacuum, sweep and mop, tidy and clean up any areas food is allowed in and now to HIDE all crayons and other activities makes me want to cry. then since cecelia is in everything the thought she could find a crumb hidden under the couch and eat it! SO STRESSFUL and that's just thinking about a playdate.

 the other day we had a play date and the girls sat and colored! She can't do that anymore. makers ALL contain soy so those aren't an option either. She tends to stab herself or others with pencils  so until she is older those are no good. Playdough requires oil- which MIGHT contain soy! The homemade kool-aid playdough contains soy (kool-aid, and most powdered drinks contain it). ink is ok, but SO messy and stains clothes and kiddos skin. paint is no good, but i am looking up how to make my own.

Since her art supplies are now TWICE as expensive as normal crafts it is for sure on her christmas list.

Life: Hacked!

Money is tight- i am pretty sure ALMOST every single person i know can honestly say this exact sentence about their family. SO i am sure that no person would pass up on a few life tips that I have found makes my life easier and SAVES ME MONEY! now these are all my opinions and if you have more ideas or things just didn't work for you let me know!

Trisha- you will LOVE this!

(Warning: lots of tangents, sorry if it's hard to follow)

CHILDREN HACKS:

 life with a kid is fun, messy, filled with laughter and always entertaining. i personally would prefer to spend my time playing with my kid and not trying to cook, clean or miss out on anything. I would also prefer to spend or save money for fun activities and other things... but alas children cost money/time and i am always trying to save a penny where i can when kids are involved!

1. MINI MUFFIN TINS!

    i mentioned this in a previous post, but they are a lifesaver with kids (and husbands who eat EVERYTHING in sight) around. i babysit whenever i can and having two little ones i ended up wasting a lot of food (they dump on the floor or shove in their pockets-gross- and refuse to eat perfectly yummy food because they are kids and that's what happens). i forget they eat much smaller portions (ok my daughter eats a ton, but not all at once, instead she eats 5 small meals and a couple small snacks not 3 adult portioned meals). I make a ton of different things and they are all itty bitty portions, perfect for kids ages 1-5 (update from previous post, thanks for the ideas, i have been baking a ton of different things and things are getting easier for meals). For meals would have 2-3 different "muffins" and no wasting food! snacks are just a quick muffin. the best part is one batch of things makes 24-55 muffins. that means i can cook once a week in my mini muffin tins and baggie for each day of that week and put the rest in baggies labeled and freeze them! this way if i get sick or lazy i have mini meals frozen for the future. Best part, is when kel comes home from work and eats EVERYTHING in sight he will grab a couple instead of the whole cake and it saves up money and time and food plus helps him not eat an entire cake! Here are 10 fun mini muffin ideas/variety of things you can make in mini muffin tins!
1. meatballs/ mini meat loaves- Turkey, chicken, beef, deer (this was the other day, actually really good) mixed with all sorts of seasonings and sauces.
2. mini pasta balls- pasta and a variety of sauces mixed in and baked mini muffin style. use an egg to bind thins together and this is perfect for hiding veggies in under the sauce.
3. veggie muffins- puree your veggies, add some flour (i use whole wheat flour and cornmeal usually) and bake. cecelia hate most veggies but will eat anything that looks like a muffin, FOR THE WIN!
4. actual muffins- bananas, pumpkin, apple, berry, whole wheat, cornbread (with a hot dog bit int eh middle and mini corn dogs- mind blown)
5. breakfast omelet (not for cecelia, but everyone else)- add your fav omelet ingredients, bake until fluffy and YUMMY! a ready to go breakfast all week that you can eat on the road with one hand
6. shredded potato muffins- i mash up potatoes, again hide some veggies, bake and YUM! also works with hash browns from the freezer an egg to bind them, cheese and veggies.
7. cobblers- enough said, great portion controlled desserts, eat two and be done
8. cupcakes- again portion controlled and yummy!
9.  mini pizzas- throw in some homemade pizza crust, cheese, pepperoni and sauce, or chicken and cheese and bbq sauce- bake and YUM
10. fruit snacks- i make homemade ones and use the muffin tins as molds, i grab one for cecelia and off we go. plus then it's fresh fruit and she can eat them guilt free

2.  play room-

    this seems like a "duh" and no brainer but you would be SO surprised how many people i know who don't have one set room that is COMPLETELY child proof (in every way) that they can have their kid go play and NOT be in the room with them AT ALL TIMES! ours is in the basement and now that she can walk and get my attention if needed verbally i can let her play while i go do laundry or take something upstairs and she is contained, entertained and unable to hurt herself. no TV or cords to play with, nothing she could fall off and hurt herself, and everything in large bins for easy clean up.  This saves time and about once a week i rearrange the bins ever so slightly and she thinks there are all new toys each week! less toys needed saves money and TIME- she can play and i can actually get something done instead of chasing her from all the death traps that are an ever present hazard!

3. well put together photo albums- 

   this seems stupid, and honestly a year ago i would have mocked me. but on hard days when cecelia is screaming or i am jealous of others people's seemingly perfect lives or just feeling beyond blessed i take a moment to open my wedding album, cecelia's scrapbook or photo book and look through. the hard times are so much easier when there are visual reminders of the best of times. If you don't have time to make one call me and i would LOVE to do it for you! At least once i day i have to look through pictures for one reason or another and they have helped me through the darkest time in my life. They are literally my light at the end of every tunnel. Yet i know SO MANY PEOPLE who don't have time, money or desire to put together a simple photo book! it's worth the couple of hours and $20! Cheap version if to put pictures in order on the computer for a slide show! Sign up for shutterfly and wait for a coupon then make one online for cheap(er). So much cheaper than a therapist when i am just an emotional (read as irrationally emotional) mess and need a pick me up. Plus less calories than the gallon of ice cream i'd otherwise eat (see below life hacks).

RE-USE your RECYCLE:

 stupid recyclables you would have normally thrown away, but instead i can clean them and reuse them easy peasy lemon squeezy (and save more than a quarter)!

1. empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls to keep your rolled up cords. 

   you wind up the cords, stick them through and grab them. laptop cords, cell phone chargers, etc- this was stolen from my mother-in-law and i LOVE the idea

2. gallon ice cream buckets- 

   i use one for cecelia's diapers that need rinsed (cloth diapering, fyi) to hide them and the smell. i use another one as my "mop" bucket. i keep one in the car for when i get sick (pregnancy 101). pretty much i could post 101 uses from rinsed out gallon ice cream buckets. Ice cream is SO WORTH buying it by the gallon! 

3. THIS ONE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i got it off The Chew, it's the ONLY daytime TV show i like or watch. So much fun and even my hubby likes to watch it. start DVRing it RIGHT now because it's worth an hour of my time everyday..... save an old ketchup, mustard or bbq sauce bottle to put pancake batter in for easy to pour pancakes! 

   YUP MIND BLOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! best part is you can make your own from scratch allergy free pancake mix, put it in the bottle and leave it in the pantry then add milk/water, shake and pour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! try it, i swear pancakes will always be worth it after this!They actually make and advertise this exact thing for pancakes for $4 per container, vs having this yourself and it being 50cents each time you make a mix! plus you can make PERFECT pancakes every time without the stupid mess of pancake batter everywhere, minimum clean up is always better

4. wine bottles-

    spray paint and decorate your house! plus then you get to drink wine! and the corks have about 101 crafts you can do with wine bottles and corks! Where most recyclables look junky as decor (honestly i do NOT think it's classy to make a ghost out of a milk carton, kinda just gross and it's trash so put it in the trash) i feel like wine bottles done right can be classy. there are wine decor items made out of wine bottles that get expensive, so just DIY but do it right!

5. jelly jars= drinking glasses! buy the cute jelly in jelly jars and the glasses are prefect for kiddo drinking cups!

6. coffee creamer bottles-

   put your snacks in them (goldfish, cheerios, teddy grahams, trail mix, chex mix). they have the small creamers that are worth buying to reuse. not just for kid snacks, it fits in your purse or car cup holder. i keep one in the car for me, because there's not always food where i am going! (stick some of your mini muffin creations in there!)

7. assorted clear plastic bottles (vegetable or canola oil bottles, etc) for craft items- 

   Popsicle sticks, beads, string, ribbons, crayons, markers, etc! clear so you can see what they are and if they bust or get destroyed WHO CARES! and easy to pour the thing out without dumping them everywhere. 

8. cereal boxes- 

   magazine holders. cut the correctly and they wont be strong enough for a magazines but make things easy to sort bills and file papers or newspapers!

9. melted down glass candles and their lids- 

   ash trays. now i don't smoke or allow people to smoke around me, but i do use matches and this is where i put them. i use a large empty candle jar to hold my box of matches and a small one for used matches that are blown out.

long story short make things in mini muffin tins, organize your photos and toys, and recycle- but not until after you have used the old crap for something else! 

 oh the things you think of when you can't afford a stupid magazine holder for $10 or are sick of messed up weird shaped pancakes (seriously, BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE)!

hopefully i blew your mind at least once today! and shout out to my sister- happy birthday!