Freezer Meals for Busy Baseball Moms

 Like I said in my previous post, baseball season makes it really hard to plan meals when things are a moving target.  Once practices are done and they are only playing games, it should get a bit easier.  But until then, I really needed to up my meal planning game.  It took me from 11 am until 2 pm yesterday, but I was able to get several meal options in the freezer. 

The first thing I did was to make two 2 pound batches of venison taco meat.  My guys could eat tacos every day so this one was a no brainer.  I browned up the ground venison, added taco seasoning and once it was cooled, I divided it up between to freezer bags.

The next item up was to make hamburger patties to freeze individually.  The grocery store had ground beef and ground turkey on sale (not a fabulous sale but a sale nonetheless). So I bought 6 pounds of ground beef (80/20) and some lean ground turkey.  I managed to get 36 beef burger patties and 4 turkey burger patties (should have been 8 patties but one of my packages of turkey smelled TERRIBLE so I tossed it).  I froze the burgers on a sheet pan with a layer of wax paper between them.  Once frozen, I put them in freezer bags.

 

 Next up was two servings of  Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef and two servings of Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

So all together, that should give me 12-14 meals that I can pull out and use in a hurry.

I also had some bananas going bad, so I decided to make some THM Chocolate Banana Muffins for the Hubby and the Little Guy to have for breakfast this week.

There are many great recipes on Pinterest for freezer cooking.  I happen to be partial to Jamerill Stewart at Large Family Table and even though my family isn't as large as hers, I can modify portion sizes to fit our family of five.

I wanted to make this Keto Meatball Recipe but ran out of meat and time.

I have made this Twice Baked Potato freezer side dish in the past and they are fantastic.  I hope to be able to make them again some time after the Easter holiday.  

Do you have any favorite freezer meal recipes that you use?  Leave a comment below and let me know.  I'm always looking for new ideas.

When The World Seems Crazy

 The last week has been horrible for our country.  We all know what happened and we all know who is using it to further their own agenda.  I do not want to get political on this blog.  I will say that I'm weary.  I'm so weary of all the vitriol spewed on social media, the mainstream media, and politicians.

I'm weary, but I'm not giving up.  I'm focusing on my people.  My people. The people that God gave me to take care of.  I'm also going to continue to pray, read my bible, and be kind to everyone around me.  I will spread kindness and smiles (behind my mask...I try to have smiling eyes)  to all those I come in contact with.

I am trying to stay off social media as much as I can.  I have moved my Facebook app to the last page of my phone which is empty.  If I don't see it or it's notifications, I will not be tempted to check it.  I really don't have much to do with Twitter anyway, so I'm not about to start now.  I'm contemplating deleting both of these platforms, and only time will tell.  I am still checking my Instagram.  I always loved Instagram because it really wasn't political, until the last year or two.  Then politics also crept in there too.  I have removed or muted anyone (from either side) that has decided to be angry, share lies, or put people down.  Life is too short to be slapped with hate every time you pick up your phone.  I will keep Instagram for now, but again, nothing is written in stone.  

As for the news, I stopped watching any news about 8 years ago.  I always got what I needed from various outlets through Facebook.  Now that I'm not really on Facebook, I still have one local news app on my phone.  If anything happens that I need to know about, I'll get my information from that (which even though local, is still leaning to one side and loves to share salacious headlines).

My TV viewing is pretty limited as it is.  I either watch Hallmark or HGTV/DIY Network.  I'm sticking with that.

But there are some bright spots in this beginning of the new year.

Bible In A Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Ascension Press is my new favorite podcast.  I am so blessed by this podcast.  I love that he reads a section of the bible every day, prays with us, then gives an explanation of what was just read.  You do not have to listen to the podcast.  You can download the reading plan.  But I enjoy listening to Fr. Mike.

A Bowl Full Of Lemons 2021 Home Organization Challenge and The Clean Mama 2021 Quick Clean Home Reset Challenge :  I love both of these ladies.  They make cleaning easy, and enjoyable.  And believe me, if anyone needs help organizing, it's me.  I'm also enjoying tips from Go Clean Instagram Page . I can't control the dumpster fire around me, but I can control my own home.

Daily Connoisseur on YouTube.  I mentioned her in a previous post, but I really enjoy her videos.  

The App from Kira Stokes :  I'm not going to lie to you.  This app is HARD.  Especially for an out of shape, fifty one year old mom.  I'm taking it slow.  And I'm modifying it where I need to.  But when I finish a workout, I feel so accomplished.  I'm working on my muscles this year and this app will do it.

I'm also hoping to be here more this year.  I used to blog all the time.  I know the blogging community isn't the same as it was when I originally started in 2006, but I truly miss blogging.  I miss putting my thoughts down and not for likes or comments.  I just like having a place to share.