This is not my normal type of Blog post. I feel I have to tell my story (the whole story) in order for me to continue to heal and move forward. This is the only way I can get all of the information out without having to defend myself or get questioned in between the whole story (or forget any details).....
With the 1 year anniversary of my Dad's passing approaching this Sunday, and my body doing some funky things this week, I decided it was time to face my fears..... and BOY.... I have a lot of them.... The most persistent right now and rearing it's ugly face is Somniphobia , which I will talk about a bit later.
It's only been about 9 months since we even heard the words "Lyme Disease" out of the Doctors mouth. The first reaction was... "What the Hell?" Next was a mission to educate ourselves. After that... educate those we love and then everyone else. There is a certain amount of Fear that resides in all human beings relating to 'Spilling the Beans' or publicly speaking out. It is time for me to tell my story.....
MY STORY
Scott joined the Air Force in 1997, and was stationed at Elmendorf AFB in 1999. He had a pilot slot and was on top of the world, yet was troubled with the necessity to sleep up to 18+ hours a day. Scott decided to have a Sleep Study performed and was diagnosed with Hypersomnia (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness with no known cause). He then was medically disqualified from his Pilot slot and thus the battle began.
I met Scott, in 2002 in Anchorage, AK. I was 22, he was 25. We are going to leave out unimportant details of the last 13 years and just focus on the medical history. When I met Scott, he was a driven, motivated, exciting man with a love for everything. He was just tired.... It wasn't so bad in the beginning. A nap on the weekends for sure, but with a day job, you must move forward and take responsibilities seriously. As time went on, Scott would come home from work and fall asleep in the recliner in the living room until I woke him up to come to bed. Excessive sleepiness is not the only issue Scott had going on but it was the most prevalent. He also had bouts of depression, brain fog, rib and joint pain, and a chronic cough. Due to his 'diagnosis', from 2002- 2013, he was on and off so many different pharmaceutical cocktails to help his 'Sleep Disorder' - I couldn't even count how many or tell you what they were. Only the fact that they weren't working.
In 2004, I started getting Migraines that would last a few days at a time and reoccur sometimes twice a week. I tried every over the counter medication I could get my hands on to relieve these pain monsters, finally finding that prescription 'Relpax' at about $50 per dosage (with insurance) was the only thing that helped. After several months of this, I realized I was going for broke with the constant need for this pain relief and there had to be a way to prevent it....... I heard about an anti-seizure drug called Topomax that was supposed to help prevent Migraines. Brought it up to my MD, and he said it was worth a try! Started weaning myself onto it that next day. By day 3, it was time to up the dose a bit. The morning I upped the dose, I had what I can tell you was one of the scariest mornings of my life. I, am one of the 0.1% of people that have the 'rare' side affects. I went to work feeling odd. That is the only way I can describe it... odd. By the time I pulled up to my office, I felt maggots crawling under my skin. I sat in the parking lot with the door open and still sitting in the drivers seat with the car still on and freaked out cause I had 'locked my keys in the car'. Of course, I hadn't. I gathered my wits and went into the office. I sat down at my desk and started feeling the whole world close in on me. Like literally, I felt like I was in some kind of clear box and I couldn't communicate anything going on in my head. In a sheer moment of clarity, I dialed up the doctor's office and exclaimed to the nurse (who happen to also be my neighbor) "I need to know if I can stop taking this medicine! It's making me CRAZY!" The nurse said: "I'm calling Scott to come get you NOW. You need to go to the ER!" I hung up quickly and threw myself on the floor, in hysterics, having a full body panic attack. Scott picked me up and brought me to the ER where they said I had to let it get out of my system. Needless to say.... that was the last time I took Topomax. In 2006, By the hands of an Angel, I misplaced my oral contraceptives (which the pharmacy wouldn't replace until the next month).... I realized mysteriously my Migraines were gone. Like.... GONE. Something about the hormones in the pills was doing something bizarre to my neuron receptors in my head. I don't pretend to understand why, but I do know that was the last time I took oral contraceptives!
In 2006, shortly after the Migraines debacle, I started having severe Heartburn coupled with massive stomach pains, which I referred to as 'Gut Rot'---- like hot, sharp rocks were tumbling around inside my stomach. and in a ridiculously short amount of time, gained around 30 pounds. Scott and I had just gotten engaged, and I was preparing for our wedding. I felt like a bloated cadaver, ready to pop at any given moment and I didn't know what to do. I went back to my MD and he performed a sonogram of my torso and some labs on my blood. The diagnosis was 'Fatty Liver'. This basically meant that my Liver wasn't processing much of anything and thus why I had gained so much weight. I immediately adapted a 'Clean Diet' -If it had a label- it didn't go in my body. This didn't really solve anything. It was this point that I developed the Somniphobia - more specifically, 'Fear of Dying in my Sleep.' I literally felt like I was dying on the inside and didn't have great answers as to what was really wrong. I would lay down to go to sleep at night and could NOT turn my brain off. I would work myself into a frenzy and lay there with extreme anxiety until I was finally so exhausted I fell asleep. As I look back on this time of my life, I can recognize so so many Lyme symptoms that I was completely unaware of- I had no idea that these things were not NORMAL.
In 2008, Scott and I moved to Idaho. With a fresh start to life, Scott started doing extensive research on what in the world could be wrong with him..... Oh you can not even imagine everything that we have tried.... the money we have spent, or the energy that we have wasted. We went through the first year in Idaho addressing my 'Digestive Issues.' I had ulcers, fissures and a hiatal hernia. We wanted to have a child and could NOT get pregnant. The MD I found in Idaho suggested that I would likely be able to conceive if I lost 20 pounds. I had no idea how I was going to do it. I felt like crap and I didn't have the energy. I asked myself "How badly do you want to have a child?" I created my own special diet (based solely on what I was eating) and lost 17 pounds in January of 2009. I started feeling a TON better and by July of 2009, we were pregnant. I had an EASY pregnancy - except for the last 3 months where I vomited around 5 times a day because of the hiatal hernia. I delivered naturally and quickly and our son Tyler was born completely healthy in March of 2010.
2012- The Shit Hits the Fan. The entire year of 2012 is almost a blur to me because it was so evil. In April, I had a root canal that I reacted badly to.... Maybe no relation, but 3 days after it, I felt like I was having a heart attack. I was sent to the ER where they released me saying I had GERD. Get real. Reality: I was having serious heart palpitations from low blood sugar, and exhaustion because I hadn't eaten anything in 3 days. It was completely unintentional (not to eat). I could barely swallow water and was apparently subconsciously not eating. I googled some things, realized I had Dysphagia caused by an Esophogeal Stricture and called my Gastroenterologist to schedule a Dilation procedure. 2 weeks later, I had the Dilation and everything seemed fine in our world. My Dad was diagnosed with Cancer in the Summer. In July 2012 I started having random hip pain. The Sciatica was debilitating enough that I started going to Physical Therapy and continued that for about a year. The PT, would give me temporary results, however the Sciatica was more than just a pinched nerve. In November, I had an Open Septo-Rhinoplasty to repair a severely deviated Septum- causing problems such as reoccurring Sinus Infections, Regular Ear Infections, and clenching my teeth in my sleep which then was leading to headaches and also cracking my molars (yeah, I currently need 6 crowns because of this). .... Horrible recovery but the outcome... amazing. I couldn't believe how well I could breathe! Then in December, due to stress and well, mostly stress and overextending myself, I had another bout of Dysphagia. Another Dilation procedure on Dec 23rd and GOSH I was looking forward to 2013!
2013- More of the same. Day by Day, Hour by Hour.... Just get through life. One moment at a time. I received a call from my Dad on October 25th- 'Saying Goodbye'..... I got on a plane a few hours later to Alaska and spent the next week with my Daddy. The Cancer was spreading. All I could hope for was a miracle and to spend some time with him. Together with my siblings, we formed a family Christmas in Alaska, knowing it likely would be Dad's last.
2014- January 6th, Scott gets laid off.
Sunday, February 16th, 2014- I received a call from my brother that Dad was in the hospital and 'wouldn't be released'. I called the hospital and had my last on Earth conversation with him. He told me that he thought this was 'It'. I told him I loved him and I was going to miss him and goodnight. We flew to Alaska that Friday morning. I got to see him one last time- rub Lavender oil on his feet, and give him a hug and hold his hand. He passed the next morning, February 22nd, 2014 at 11:11 am. The stress of my fathers passing put my symptoms into an outrage. I started having Full Body Vibrations that led to heart palpitations and anxiety. (I still, seriously, did not even realize this was happening.) I was all over the place. Couldn't concentrate, always just generally felt like garbage. Grief brought out a lot of this disease....
June- Scott goes to a local Naturopathic Doctor to get yet another opinion. A Live Blood Cell Analysis is performed and after seeing Scott's blood, the Doc says: "Now I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I'd put ALL my money on Lyme." OMG... an answer! A real one! I can still remember the exact moment when Scott told me he had an answer. He said: "Well, we have an answer, but I don't know if that's a good thing.... Lyme Disease." We spent the next few weeks reading absolutely EVERYTHING we could get our hands on about Lyme. What a freaking MESS! No, this was NOT the answer we wanted! Through more research, we realized it was absolutely necessary for me to get tested as well. And wouldn't you know it. Spirochetes in my blood too! How could this be possible? Oh the time we wasted treated what we didn't have! It was like our lives were all of a sudden flashing before our eyes! How could we manage this? There's no cure, no real treatment that works available and little to no education or awareness about it out there! We felt lost, hopeless, and destroyed. I called my Mom in early July and asked her to come help. I didn't even know what I needed her help for, I just felt like our lives were a disaster and I wanted my Mommy. She came right away. We heard about a place called LymeStop in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. We managed to get appointments in December for both Scott and I. A specifically memorable moment in Dr Smith's office.... We were going over my paperwork during my first appointment. There was a question on it that stated: How is this affecting your life? My answer was simply: "This is a life not worth living." I remember watching the doctor kind of shake his head sadly, because he truly understood what I meant. It was then that I started to cry uncontrollably. Not because I was sad, but because I knew in my heart that he was going to help. That his reason for being on earth is to help people affected by Lyme.
Do we feel better?
This is a loaded question. I don't know what 'normal feels' like. All I know is an absence of symptoms that I was aware of.
In a LOT of ways, the answer is YES. In other ways, we are worse. It can take up to a whole year to really feel the full affects of this treatment we received. Scott sleeps less and has a way better outlook on life. His Brain Fog and Mood has leveled. My Brain Fog and Hip Pain virtually disappeared..... until Monday. I feel like the upcoming anniversary of my Fathers passing is making me flare. My body won't work, my legs don't respond to my brain. I have such bad body vibrations, I feel like I am on the edge of passing out all the time. I can't concentrate barely at all, and the exhaustion I feel.... Can you imagine how much energy it takes to write a check? For a normal person... virtually none. For me? I feel like I just ran a marathon.
REJECTION
One of my fears is rejection. Ever since my husband and I were diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease, we have dealt with an array of 'Nay-Sayers', from old friends, to close family, as well as (of course) strangers. People who think they know more about this disease (that WE have) and think they have the right to tell us what is best for us and what we should do. This disease is enough on it's own to send someone to a Psych ward, but to then lose your support system on top of losing your mind, body, job, and seemingly everything else good in your life is unbearable. It is a constant fear that due to Lyme being so cliche, political, and in the 'unknown' category, that those in my life will decide it's too much of a hassle to care.
Do I want Sympathy? Hell, no.
Do I want to inform and educate people about Lyme? You bet your ass.
There are 80 Million Americans at risk of getting Lyme Disease. Do you think you can escape it? Only 30,000 new cases of Lyme Disease are reported to the CDC each year, however that is highly underestimated. The lack of accurate testing and unreported cases of Lyme make the number to be reasonably suggested at approx. 300,000 new cases of Lyme every year.
It took Scott over 14 years to find an answer and he was actively looking for one. What about those that aren't looking for an answer? Like....me? That didn't even realize some symptoms were symptoms at all? That just feel like crap and don't know why, or don't know where to start? Or those that are treating a 'capture all diagnosis' like Hypersomnia or Fybromyalgia? Lyme mimics so many other diseases and the symptoms come and go as they please affecting any weak spot in your body it can. Don't ignore your body, and don't think for one second it can't happen to you.
The Future for us?
It is what it is.
One Day, One Step, One Minute, One Moment, One Breath at a time.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The Monster Freezer Meal Swap
If you've been following this Blog for anytime now, or you know me personally, you will know that I'm kind of obsessed with Freezer Meals and anything having to do with making life more efficient.
I started a local Freezer Meals Swap group earlier in 2014, and after about 5 swaps decided there had to be a way to make it more better overall for those involved. After a bit of brainstorming, it was decided to do a group swap with everyone in the same place at the same time and contributing the same efforts and dollar amount towards the meals.
I posted on the group that the first 6 people to send me $100 will be guaranteed their slot in the upcoming swap. A few friends offered to help with the shopping and the hamster wheel started turning.
I made the first list of the meals I wanted us to prepare and the amount of people that would be involved. I decided that I would change the contribution amount to $150 so that we could make more meals with the budget. Everyone agreed and so with 9 Families committed @ $150 each, I had a $1350.00 budget to work with.
I created an excel spreadsheet with each meal, ingredients and cost all listed out (yes, I love excel.... I'm a nerd). Back and forth over 2 months time tweaking how everything would be prepared *down to the size baggie we would put each part into* and even a series of changing some of the meals completely to maximize the budget and time to prep involved.
Lots and lots and lots of planning! The hardest part was the planning for exact portions to make sure each meal would always feed 6 and that our efforts were maximized during the 'BIG DAY.'
In Advance:
- Plan your menu & ingredients down to the seasonings. (I ran out of PEPPER!)
- Know your exact budget, and try to leave around $100 left over for 'incidentals'
- Retrieve monetary contributions from every swap attendee *before* you plan to shop.
- Nail down a time (make that a whole day) that works for everyone.
- Have no more than 2 people shop for ingredients. Find your most price saavy person and ask if they will be a shopper. If you are the main planner, you should be the other shopper. Weeks in advance, start watching sales.
- *If* your menu and ingredients are set in stone, shop for dry/canned items as early as possible..especially if you find them on sale! Keep swap receipts completely separate from other purchases.
- Block at least 30 mins- 1 hour of time for every meal preparing- The more people you have helping prep, the faster this can go.
- Plan an activity for your husband and children to do for the entire day. The last thing you need is kids and men getting in the way of your creative freezer meal prepping genius.
The Day Before the BIG DAY:
 |
| (Just my garage fridge)..... you need lots of storage |
- Frozen items and fresh products should be purchased the day before the swap.
- Borrow as many crockpots (the day before) as you can possibly find. I personally own 2 large Crocks but borrowing from the other swappers and cooking everything at my house was easiest. At one point in time, I had 6 large crockpots cooking 35 pounds of Pork, and another round, I had all 6 cooking 40 pounds of chicken..
- The night before the swap (not day), cook all the meat. Crock what you can (that's mostly everything) and assess what you can cook and store to be ready for assembly the next day. One thing you don't want to do is have an entire person dedicated to cooking meat all day long. Let the crockpot do it for you. Also keep in mind what is frozen solid and can't be crock-potted. For example. We had 75 pounds of Ground Turkey that was FROZEN SOLID. It had to be left out over night and cooked throughout the prep day.....THIS was lesson #1 :)
- Ask the swappers to bring their BIG coolers to your house to store everything. They will also likely use those coolers to bring home their meals.
- If there is anything that can easily be prepped the night before- Do it. We sliced ham, diced green peppers, and assembled the Broccoli Cheese Soup and the Potato Soup on Friday night.
THE BIG DAY:
 |
| It started out pretty clean........ |
- Start early
- Have a organized plan (I didn't)
- Start with anything that needs 'prepped' before assembly and work forward.
- Deal with the meat that was cooked overnight as soon as possible.
This was our schedule:
 |
| The sheer amount of groceries was UNREAL. |
7am- I picked up Moe so we could go pick up Bountiful Baskets and do the last minute shopping at Winco (Remember that $100 reserves in the budget? That was a VERY good thing.)
 |
| Amanda and I getting things started. |
 |
| Angela slicing Onions. |
 |
| This will be the biggest Cinnamon Roll on Earth ;) |
 |
| Group effort rolling this baby up! |
 |
| Mariah portioning BBQ Pulled Pork. Mo cutting Carne Asada. |
11:30am- Jamie, Mariah, & Amanda arrive. At this point SHIZ gets REAL.
 |
| Mariah mixing up casserole in what else but a 5 gallon bucket :) |
 |
| Me & Moe rolling out some dough :) |
 |
| Angela stuffing pizza bread. |
 |
| Stuffing Jalapeno Bread. |
 |
| Jamie labeling bags. |
11:15pm- We wrapped up the evening, took some pictures and patted ourselves on the back :)
Each of the 9 of us took home the following:
- (2) Hawaiian Chicken
- (2) Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- (2) Chicken Spinach Burrito Mix
- (1) Philly Steak Sandwiches
- (1) Beef Fajitas
- (1) Bag with 15 single portions of BBQ Pulled Pork
- (1) Bag with 13 single portions of Sloppy Joes
- (1) Sweet & Sour Meatballs
- (1) Plain Meatballs
- (2) Potato Soup Base
- (5) Marinara Sauce with Meat
- (3) Broccoli Cheese Veggie Soup
- (1) Tray of 22 individually wrapped mini Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches
- (4) Pre-Cooked/Pre-Seasoned Taco Meat
- (2) Trays Brown Sugar Giant Cinnamon Rolls
- (2) Pepperoni Pizza Garbage Bread
- (1) Jalapeno Popper Garbage Bread
324 Meals of 6 servings or more each. Plus there was leftover shredded cheese, precooked chicken, and sliced ham that was evenly distributed between everyone.
Average cost of $3.74 per meal.
The total amount of food made was 2016 portions at an average cost of .60c each.
This was a MASSIVE undertaking. I highly suggest doing something like this no more than once every couple months. The process going forward for myself is to get together with just a few other people and do a mini swap/prep every weekend or every other weekend. That way there is constant replenishment of the choices in the freezer. Even though we literally just finished up this swap, we are already planning a mini prep for this coming weekend of 4 types of meals with just 4 people.
To purchase the 'Plan' from this swap to include the shopping list and recipes, please e-mail me at kristinalupo@hotmail.com and in the subject line write: "Freezer Prep Plan."
I hope to hear your stories, lessons learned, and ideas from successful Freezer Meal Swap parties!
Till next time,
∞ Kristina
 |
| Our 11:30 PM Photoshoot! |
Monday, August 18, 2014
Please Read & Share :)
I would like to ask that you share my families' story.
If you would like to purchase an awareness bracelet, please e-mail me at: kristinalupo@hotmail.com
XOXO ~Kristina
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Homemade Lip Balm
Why can't I ever find the kind of Chapstick I need WHEN I need it? Never again.
In my ever growing need to 'make' things, I decided my next feat would be homemade Chapstick. Being the fact that I am a Younique presenter and LOVE to give things away, I thought making a GOOD lip balm and coloring/adding shimmer with my Younique Moodstruck Mineral Pigments would be super fun and a great giveaway for my parties! So, after a bit of research and ordering all my fine ingredients from the fantabulous Amazon, off I went.
1 lb Organic White Beeswax Pellets
1 lb Organic Pure Mango Butter
16 oz Organic Coconut Oil
3 oz Dropper bottle 32,000 IU Vitamin E Oil
Tea Tree Essential Oil
1 pot of 'Sexy' Mineral Pigment
50 empty lip balm tubes
I put the ingredients in a large glass pyrex measuring cup.
5 tbsp Beeswax
4 tbsp Mango Butter
4 tbsp Coconut Oil
Using the 'melt' setting on my microwave, I did about 3 rounds of melting to get the beeswax completely liquid.
This batch made 43 tubes of medium-soft lip balm.
**Sidenotes**
1) I chose Tea Tree essential oil because of it's incredible healing/antibacterial properties. I think next time, I will also add Lavender & Peppermint essential oil in addition or in place of the Tea Tree. I might even add a matte pigment or blusher to make it more of a lip stain...... :D
2) In any homemade lip balm, there is a chance it can become rancid if you don't add a preservative. The Vitamin E Oil not only does this {preserves}, but has many other amazing benefits including reducing free radicals and wrinkles -from the antioxidants.
3) You can choose to use Shea or Cocoa butter instead of Mango butter. I chose Mango because of nut allergies. (Not because I have them, but many people do and I'm giving most of these away). I also like the smell a bit better than the others.
4) Almond or Jojoba Oil can be substituted for the Coconut Oil. I just so happen to be a SUPERFAN of Coconut oil, so there wasn't any other option in my eyes :)
5) The way this lip balm was made (just looking at the ingredients) I decided that it would be just as good of a salve as it is a lip balm. In fact, the next thing on my 'to-do' list is to find the large empty tubes (Like the fatty chapstick) to make a homemade salve. I have one more ingredient I will add to that.....I'll let you know what it is after it's done :)
6) Next time, I plan on adding more beeswax. Just too soft for the hot Idaho sun!
Guess what?If you make a purchase from my Younique website, I'll send you one of these as a FREE gift!!!!
www.getfiberlashed.com
-Make sure to ask me what the current specials are and don't forget to attach the order to a party!
Enjoy!
<3 Kristina
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Start your own Freezer Meals Swap Group
After the success of my massive freezer meals feat, I decided there had to be a better way to do things. I had some interest from friends on Facebook to get more information on doing Freezer Meals. I had heard from others that a 'Swap Group' works well. If I can do 1/20th of the work with the amazing outcome of easy straight from freezer to oven, 'from scratch' meals... You betcha.... "I'm in!"
A few 'Guidelines' to get you started:
- Once you gather your group of people, get a 'family headcount.' My swap group has families as small as 3 people and as large as 10 people. The best way to make this work for the large and the small families is: The meals made to swap should feed 5-6 adults, 1 serving each. Larger families act as (2)- contribute 2 meals to the swap and take 2 of each of the other contributions.
- *Important* Find out any SEVERE ALLERGIES. The only one in my group is Seafood. Pretty easy to work around. We personally as a group do not cater to Gluten-Free, Vegan, or Picky Eaters. I do have to say that so far, we have had some pretty amazing recipes come out of these ladies' kitchens!
- Choose a swap location that is somewhat central for all swappers and has easily accessible parking for EVERYONE to park in one straight line.
- Choose a time to swap and ask that everyone is 10 mins early so that swapping can commence on time and no one gets missed.
- If there happens to be someone not show up or cancel last minute, we take the contributions that would have gone to them and donate to a needy family.
- More than 15 people/ Meals to make is too much
- Between 5-6 weeks between each swap is just about perfect.
Here are some highlights from our first swap (2/16/2014) and the recipes to each contribution:
Spaghetti Pie (In the round tin on the left)
Contributed by: Angela Hatsfield
Instructions from freezer to table: The day before serving, remove pasta dish from the freezer. Remove foil, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed. (Note: Pasta dish may also be baked frozen. Plan to double the baking times.)
Homemade Stromboli (in the cooler on the right) Contributed by: Angela Hatsfield
From freezer to table: Remove the foil wrap and thaw your plastic-wrapped Stromboli in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking. Keeping the plastic wrap on the Stromboli while thawing prevents the bread and interior from drying. Paint the egg wash over the thawed Stromboli bread immediately before baking with a basting brush. Bake your Stromboli dish in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
Contributed by: Nichole Boehland
1 med. pork roast
6 sm. carrots, sliced diagonally or a couple handfuls of baby carrots
3-6 red potatoes sliced in half
3-5 cloves of garlic
1 envelope of Lipton Onion soup mix
1 pkg. pork gravy mix
1 1/2-2 c. water
Salt and pepper, to taste, Garlic powder
6 sm. carrots, sliced diagonally or a couple handfuls of baby carrots
3-6 red potatoes sliced in half
3-5 cloves of garlic
1 envelope of Lipton Onion soup mix
1 pkg. pork gravy mix
1 1/2-2 c. water
Salt and pepper, to taste, Garlic powder
Salt and pepper pork roast. Slice 2-3 openings in the top of the roast insert garlic cloves. Put prepared vegetables around meat; sprinkle with garlic powder. Mix gravy mix, onion soup mix, water, and pour over vegetables. Cook for about 8-10 hours on low in crock pot or about 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.
Contributed by Cristi Hall
Thaw/Heat then garnish.
Contributed by Kristen Morton
Mash 7-8 potatoes w/ butter salt, pepper, and milk- set aside
Brown 1 lb. hamburger. w/ one med. onion, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion salt
Drain off fat, add: 8 oz can tomato sauce 1/2 C ketchup 1/2 C brown sugar 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese 1 can green beans
simmer together @ 5 min
Butter casserole dish, line w/ mashed potatoes (reserve @ 1 1/2 cups for top)
Pour on hamburger mixture. Top w/ leftover potatoes. Sprinkle w/ 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Sprinkle w/ salt. Bake 350 for 25 min. **Freezer to table: Thaw overnight before baking.
Shredded Beef Enchiladas Contributed by Kristen Morton
* 3 pounds beef chuck roast * 1/4 cup water * 1 1/2 cups beef broth * 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar * 2 tablespoons chili powder * 1 tablespoon ground cumin * 1 large onion, chopped * 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers * 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour * 2 cups sour cream * 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided * 1 cup oil for frying * 20 (6 inch) flour or corn tortillas
Directions
1. Place roast in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium/high, and brown the roast on all sides. Once the water has boiled away, pour in the beef broth, vinegar, chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beef falls apart when you try to pick it up. Shred the beef, using 2 forks or your fingers. Place shredded beef back into the saucepan with all the juices, and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a large skillet, saute the onion until just soft, not browned. Mix in flour and green chilies. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour taste out. Stir in sour cream and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cheese is all melted and mixed. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Using tongs dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread 4 tablespoons of sour cream mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top with about the same amount of beef. Roll up and place seam side down in one or two 8x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Continue until you are out of the filling. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. 5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Contributed by Me :)
Freezer to Table-
Throw contents of bag into Crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours. Steam rice.
Serve Chicken & Sauce on top of rice.
Contributed by Sarah Bastian
Freezer to Table:
Place thawed contents of bag in greased casserole dish and bake for 40-45 mins at 350 degrees.
Contributed by Kayla Gross
Chicken chunks in Stir fry sauce in one bag
Yakasoba Noodles in 2nd bag
Stir fry Veggies in 3rd bag.
Wok chicken in sauce until almost completely cooked. Add veggies and noodles. Cover to steam.
Serve.
Perk #1: It takes an incredible amount of stress off my plate knowing I can come home, have MANY choices for dinner and that it will be healthy and from scratch.
Perk #2: It typically costs around $100 to make my freezer meals to swap and those dinners last darn near all month. When is the last time you said that you were able to feed your family dinner for a month on $100? :)
Perk #3: It feels like I have take out EVERY night because these are not my recipes! Something new all the time :)
Time, Health, Savings......Yay!
Perfect Freezer Cookies
Whens the last time you wanted just one cookie? I have been seeing a lot of 'One Cookie' & 'Brownie in a Mug' Recipes on Pinterest lately and all I can say is.... that's great, but if I have to measure out all the ingredients anyway, why not just have a whole batch prepped for later? On to the next part of the story... Have you ever seen that show Top Secret Recipes? The one where Todd Wilber goes to like KFC or the Nabisco Corporate Headquarters and tries to duplicate a famous recipe? Ok well, I was watching this one time when he was trying to make a Mrs. Fields cookie. After many many trial and error fails... He came to one simple conclusion about the Famous Mrs. Fields cookie success.....
Cook from frozen.
What happens when you cook raw dough from frozen at a lower temperature for longer time?
A. The edges get crispy
B. The inside is chewy
I tested this theory on two different recipes.
The first was the famous 'Oatmeal Scotchie'
(Recipe on the back of the Butterscotch Chips Bag. - It's no secret, but the cooking directions most certainly *are*)
Ingredients:1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels Directions
1. COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl.
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.- BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
FROM FROZEN: Bake at 325 for 18-23 mins! = PERFECTION
The second cookie I tested is a basic M&M's Candy Cookie
(Original recipe found on the back of an M&M's bag... with one added secret ingredient)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Small package of Instant Vanilla Pudding <--*SECRET*
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups M&Ms (reserve 1/2 cup for decorating)
Basically, I'm saying you can pre-make your own cookie dough (All different kinds) and then lets say you want one of each of 3 cookies. Pull one of each out of your freezer, plop on a cookie sheet and bake all together for 18-23 minutes at the same temp! Fresh, homemade cookies and you didn't have to eat a dozen to get your fill.
.... yep, you are sooooo welcome.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Small package of Instant Vanilla Pudding <--*SECRET*
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups M&Ms (reserve 1/2 cup for decorating)
- Position one of your oven racks in the middle of your oven and preheat your oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper for best results. Otherwise, use ungreased cookie sheets.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda until well blended.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter (or shortening) and sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (This will take several minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is well blended.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until creamy.
- Stir in flour mixture with a wooden spoon just until blended.
- Stir in 1 1/2 cups M&Ms.
- Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Press several additional M&Ms into each cookie.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time in the middle rack of the oven for 9 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and just set in the center.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies with a thin metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.
Basically, I'm saying you can pre-make your own cookie dough (All different kinds) and then lets say you want one of each of 3 cookies. Pull one of each out of your freezer, plop on a cookie sheet and bake all together for 18-23 minutes at the same temp! Fresh, homemade cookies and you didn't have to eat a dozen to get your fill.
.... yep, you are sooooo welcome.
Poppyseed Ham Sliders
A friend made these for her second Christmas dinner and ever since, I decided these are the most amazing Ham Sandwiches I've ever had!
You'll need:
Large (12 buns) tray of Hawaiian Rolls
Around 1/2- 1 lb of thickly sliced Ham
12 slices of white cheese
1 bottle of Dijon Mustard
Assembly:
Place bottom portion of buns in a deep casserole dish.
Put Dijon mustard on each entire bottom bun.
Put Swiss, Provolone or any other white cheese you'd like on top of dijon.
Layer a nice thick slice of ham next.
Another piece of cheese.
More dijon.
Top Bun.
When ready to bake, melt 1 stick butter in a glass pyrex container that will 'pour'.
Then add the following and stir:
1 tbsp(ish) yellow mustard (I give it a good long squeeze)
1 -2 tbsp Worscheshire (about 10 dashes)
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Celery Salt (Shake it in)
1 tbsp Dry Minced Onion
1 tbsp Crushed Garlic
2 tbsp poppy seeds
Pour mixture evenly over assembled sandwiches.Bake at 375 degrees for 15-25 mins.
~Enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)