Captains Log: 12302012…

No rest for the weary! Sike, we’re not weary. Off to Copper Mountain , which is near Breckenridge, for some tubing! The 2 hour ride proved long and now to entertaining. What was I thinking putting a 13 and 5 year old next to each other! Oi. But the attitudes went by the wayside as we signed our lives away, grabbed our tubes and headed for the “slopes”. The first run, was a... family run. Arranged in a circle-they sent us down the path, holding on to each other. Megan did not like that. Luckily there was a kiddie park, complete with a mini slope, mini tubes and “hook your tube up and it will pull you” machine. Sweet.
As for the rest of us, we spun, we raced, we jumped. And all that was just getting on the conveyer belt! Not really, but we rode up to the top and did it again…and again….and again. Until they wouldn’t let us go anymore. The guy who was throwing us down said we were awesome. I said “I know”. We were delighted (insert sarcasm font) to be entertained by some woman, who I am sure is an actress-and it is KILLING me who she is. In her designer snowsuit, helmet, and goggles-she spent the whole time bossing the workers and her companions around. It was, well, kinda like being on vacation with me! Oh touche’ (to myself).
The ride home was much smoother, as everyone got in a cat nap. The Captain said his only last a minute and a half. Back home to grill burgers, which seems odd grilling in the snow-but it was fun. Looks like we will have a day of rest tomorrow. - The Navigator

Today’s Mileage logged: 274

Captains Log: 12292012…

 

With no sicklings we were off on our latest adventure. A drive up to Pikes Peak, Deemed “unclimbable” by it’s namesake, Zebulon M. Pike, today it is the most visited mountain in North America. The 19 mile drive up the Pikes Peak Highway is filled with switchbacks , but The Captain made a new friend, Gears 1 and 2, and he was able to successfully lead us up and down the highway and we took in some really spectacular views.

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The summit lies at 14,110 feet. Above where the trees can grow, and roughly the same elevation that these young adventures once jumped out of a (not so perfectly good) airplane. Almost immediately the lack of oxygen got to us all, inducing headaches and dizziness. Not to mention the bitter cold and windy conditions. But that doesn’t stop us. We take it all in from every angle, dare not forgetting to photograph our feet handing off the edge.
Wrapped the evening up with a lovely dinner at with my long lost cousin, complete with kid meltdowns and checkers. Time to call it a day! – The Navigator

 Today’s Mileage logged: 143

 

Captains Log: 12282012…
Good News, Jim is feeling better. Bad news, None! Everyone is well.

A much needed sleeping in and lingering morning was a just start to the day! As afternoon approached we ventured out into Colorado Springs with our trusty tour guide, Uncle Joe, to show us the land. First up, The Garden of the Gods, an area of beautiful red sandstone rock formations, including one that looked like camels kissing.

Then off to a waterfall in Cheyenne Canyon. However, slick roadways proved too much for our front wheel drive Sienna. As any man would do, The Captain backs up and tries again….then again…then again…maybe more to the left….OK, maybe we should turn around. So now, let’s reverse down the mountain and over a bridge, because that’s totally safe, The Navigator & kids bail to play in the snow, figuring if the cars going off the cliff-it’s only taking one of us with it. As you can expect, The Captain steered ole Sienna in safely, and we were back on to find another trail to hike. 

 We found that trail at Mount Cutler. A one mile hike to the summit and a 400 ft vertical incline, proved little challenge for this crew. Fortunately our guide is skilled in the way of shoulder rides, as the wee one required some confinement on the narrow pathways. We reached the summit, took in the view and headed back. Then we headed up to Denver for dinner at Casa Bonita. A Mexican Chuck E Cheese on steroids, this place is awesome covered in queso. Come early if you want to get one of the 1000+tables that are tucked away anywhere they can fit one. When you arrive, you feel like you are in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Food is costly and everyone MUST order a meal (according to the menu) but the margaritas are delicious and atmosphere is priceless. A live dive show, arcade, light sticks and mariachi band to name a few of entertainment options. All and all it was another successful day on this awesome journey. Tomorrow Pikes Peak is on the menu. –The Navigator

 Today’s Mileage logged: A mere 172

Captains Log: 12272012…

 

Good News, Sami is feeling better. Bad news, Jim is not.

Today started with a beautiful covering of snow. Which quickly lead us to praying that Mount Rushmore would not be closed. (Oh how that would have sucked!)

As we approached the Black Hills, named due to their “black” appearance because they are covered in pine trees, we saw cabins along the road, which sounds like a future vacation! The park was amazing. There were beautiful rock tunnels. As we turned the bend, we could see the carving. Teresa was in awe. We got to the park and it was a brilliant memorial. The snow was falling, it was very magical and every bit what we had imagined. We learned that 90% of the monument was carved with dynamite. Fascinating. As we prepared to leave, I asked Teresa if she saw everything she wanted to see to which she said, “Pictures, check. Souvenirs, check. Memories, check” Melts my heart!

As we left the park, we saw wild turkeys along the roadside. We started out on a 7 hour drive through the remaining of South Dakota and Wyoming. The landscape in Wyoming was breathtaking. We finally saw a herd of Buffalo, as well as cattle walking in a preschool line. Even in the snow, we saw tumbleweeds. Cheyenne was smaller than we anticipated. Snow and traffic in Denver was a bit stressful, but we arrived safely, albeit late to Colorado Springs. Now we will stay put for a few days. (But you can bet it will be adventuresome!) –The Navigator

 Today’s miles logged: 457

Captains Log: 12262012…

Good News, Teresa is feeling better. Bad news, Sami is not.

Up bright and early to a whopping 1 degree in Omaha. On the road for the 7 hour drive to Rapid City, SD. Much of the ride north along the Iowa boarder was the same. Changed to wider plains as we headed west on 90. Then we came to the Missouri River and just like that the topography changed to hills. We saw some ice fisherman who had set up camp on the frozen river. Broke the time-space continuum and gained an hour, not as painful as I would have thought.

 Arrived at the Badlands National Park around 2:30 MST. Amazing rock formations, which we were told was caused by the area once being underwater. Sami spotted a pair of rams atop one of the rocks just after we entered the park. A lengthy stop at the visitor center to get the kids passport books stamped and brose the gift shop. Then we embarked on the 35 mile scenic route through the NE portion of the park. It was majestic, very interesting rock formations of line and sandstone, topped with a beautiful dusting of snow. Lots of deer, and although we were told ram were tough to see, we saw plenty grazing and eating. To get a picture of one, The Captain honked the horn – we’re lucky he didn’t charge us. Although I am sure Sienna could take him on. A beautiful Buck and then we travelled off the main road onto a gravel path in search of some buffalo. As darkness set in, we finally decided to turn back when we saw some movement and quickly realized there was a herd in the distance. Not a close up look like we had hoped, but spotted nonetheless. Maybe in tomorrow’s travels we will have a more personal relationship with these beasts. 

 We bid farewell to the Badlands, and finished up our journey in Rapid City, where every hotel has an indoor pool with waterslides. Tomorrow Mount Rushmore and another exciting drive.  -The Navigator 

Today’s miles logged: 541

Captain's Log: 12252012

Day began with the hustle of any other Christmas morning, but quickly turn to travel time as we embarked on our holiday adventure.  4 kids and 4 sets of headphones, made for a remarkably quiet trip. Well, except for the kid who had a stomach bug and threw up every hour or so throughout the Land Of Lincoln. Illinois brought some mysterious red lights,... and prayers for a gas station as we travelled 20 miles past our "0 miles remaining" indicator (we love you Sienna). This however, led us to Knoxville, IL which held one of the friendliest gas stations I have ever stepped foot in, amid a quaint little town filled with Christmas spirit.
Iowa was dinner with a dear old friend, a crap load of tractor trailers jack knifed and disabled along the snowy banks and a check mark on the "states we've never been to" list. We are held for the night in a "Green" hotel in Omaha,NE (another checkmark!) free of course - because that's how we roll. Until tomorrow world...
-The Navigator

Total Miles Logged: 780

Planning Ahead

So with the impending dance season,  I thought I'd try my hand at preparing meals for the freezer that can be dumped into a crock pot and poof...dinner. Why, you ask, is making dinner so hard? I mean I'm home all day right? It's not like I clean all day- so why does it seem to be so difficult to get a meal on the table?

Well, in between eating bon bon's, there's the homeschooling, laundry, driving kids to school, home from school, then to dance class. There really is little time left. My other obstacle is that since we are often at dance until 9ish, we are eating-not so good food- more often than we like and much later than we should. So here is my goal for the new dance year.
                1. Cook More
                2. Eat Less
Not a very long checklist eh? Lets see how that goes.

So, back to the question of why it's so hard to fix a meal. I'll sum it up in one word. Megan. Between the time she gets off the bus and Daddy gets home- our house is chaotic. I can't make dinner in the kitchen and leave Megan to occupy herself. We all know how Megan occupies herself.
But if I cook dinner at 3pm- it will be long cold by 6.
OK- so use the crockpot.
But it never fails, by the time I get kidlets off to school, Sami started on her schooling, it's 10 O'clock and preparing dinner is the farthest from my mind (usually because my tummy is yelling at me to eat breakfast!) When I finally think of the Crock Pot option, it's too late to get something started. ..ugh... looks like Pizza night again.

So, with a little help from my friends at Google and Pinterest, I have decided to prepare several meals ahead of time, Freeze and then cook in the Crock Pot with hopefully little daily effort.

So here is what I did.

First I googled "freezer meals". I came upon several blogs, posts and photos of bulk meals. Many were toting the fact that they were "organic" or "living as one with the earth". blah blah barf.

I'm not interested in Organic. Heck- I'll never understand why "organic" cost so much more. (and truthfully-I have never had much luck with good tasting organic fruits and veggies)

Anyhoo- like I said - I'm not doing this to be all earthy. I just want to make life a little easier. Also- we are not very daring with our tastebuds- and don't like much more than the staple foods. So I don't need any cranberry vinaigrette crushed flounder in a purple sauce..yada yada yada..... I just want beef....and chicken.....

So here are the recipes I complied from my searches and some "standard" meals.
(Mind you these should feed my family of 6, split each recipe into 2 bag is you have 4 or less)

Teriyaki Chicken
Italian Chicken
Sweet and Tangy Meatballs
French Dip
Orange Beef
Peppers and Sausage
Sweet and Sour Pork
Pork Loin
Spaghetti
Chicken Casserole
Taco
Sloppy Joe

First : I Printed a blank calender from Excel. And added the following meals.

Second: Prepare the Grocery List.

4 Red Onions                                         Pork Should Roast (2.5 lb ish)
3 Large Sweet Onion                             Pork Loin (4 lb)
2 lb Carrots                                            2 Zucchini
1 Bunch Green Onion                            5 lb Ground Beef
1 package Italian Sausage (5 in a pack)
Flank or Flat Iron Steak (4-5 lbs)          3 Green Peppers
3 Cans Pineapple Chunks                      Rump Roast (4-5 lb)
Garlic ( I buy minced in the jar)            Freezer Bags
3 Large Cans Diced Tomatoes              Disposable Freezer Containers
4 Large Cans Tomato Puree              
Chicken (I bought the already frozen 3 lb bags. 2 Breast and 1 Tenderloin)       

Other "staple" Items I have- that the recipes need:

Brown Sugar                                          Teryaki Sauce
Italian seasoning                                    Worcestershire Sauce
Oregano                                                  Grape Jelly
Thyme                                                    BBQ Sauce (or Chili Sauce)
Bay Leaves                                             Cornstarch
Cider Vinegar                                         Balsamic Vineger
Soy Sauce                                               Cinnamon
Dijon Mustard                                        Orange Juice
Broth, Beef and Chicken                        Flour
Bread crumbs                                           1 egg

Crap, I think that's everything (add mushrooms to your list if you like those fun guys!)

Third: Clean out the Fridge, because all the groceries won't fit.
Fourth: Using large stock pot, on Med Low heat, brown 2 lbs ground beef, while chopping veggies
Fifth:  Prepare vegetables.

I broke out my handy dandy, macdaddy food processor. Had everything chopped in a  matter of minutes.

     I diced the Green Peppers first, dump half into stock pot with ground
                  beef, reserve rest in a bowl.
     I diced the sweet onion next, again dump half into stock pot with ground
                   beef, reserve rest in a bowl.

You will continue to brown meet and cook down the onion and pepper.

Back to chopping,
     I peeled and sliced carrots.
     I sliced and did not peel zucchini.
     I diced 2 red onions and cut into large chunks the other two.
     I chopped the green onion from top to bottom

Sixth: Now that everything is all chopped, back to the stock pot. What will this be you ask? Shhh- it's my secret sauce recipe.

Once the meat is browned, I use a fine strainer to remove the fat, but keep in the veggies.
Return to pot. Add 4 cans of Puree and 2 cans of diced tomatoes ( I sometimes chop these up a bit more-we are kinda finicky)

Add a buttload (maybe 1/4 cup) of Oregano & Italian Seasoning.  And a couple spoonfuls of minced garlic and Thyme. Add about 3 Bay Leaves. Add 1 Tablespoon sugar. Continue to "taste" and season as needed. Buttered bread is helpful in tasting.

Cook all this over a med-high heat stirring occasionally for about 6 hours. This is what we had for dinner tonight. Makes about 4 meals worth of Sauce. After dinner, cool and store in Disposable Freezer containers. Sauce will stain your "good" tupperware. :o)

Seventh: While your sauce is cooking begin preparing the bags. Start by labeling. I color coded my label for the type of meat in the bag (ie Chicken, pork, beef)
Make sure to note, cooking time and any additions that need to be made to crockpot when starting. (ie more broth, sauce)
See recipes below with bag instructions highlighted in yellow.

Eighth: Begin filling bags. (remember to split into twice as many if you have smaller family)

Teryaki Chicken: Carrots, Red Onion Chunks, spoonful of garlic, 1 can undrianed pineapple, 1 cup teriyaki sauce.
4 chicken Breast & 2 tenders . Add additional 1/2 c Teriyaki Sauce, Cook 6-7 Hours
Italian Chicken: Carrots, zucchini, diced red onion, 1 cup Italian dressing with a shot of Worcestershire Sauce.
4 chicken Breast & 2 tenders. Cook 6-7 Hours
Sweet and Sour Pork: Carrots, Diced Red Onion,  Green pepper, 1 can pineapple (drained, reserve juice).
Mix Pineapple juice, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/4 c. cider vinegar, 1/4 c water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add this mixture to bag. Add Pork Shoulder Roast. Cook 8 Hours
Pork Loin: Carrots, Red Onion Chunks, spoon of Garlic.
Mix 1 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Cut Pork Loin in half, prick with fork, rub mixture on pork, add to bag. Cook 9 Hours
Orange Beef:  Carrots, Sweet Onion, Slice Flank Steak into strips, add to bag.
Mix: 2 c Orange Juice, 2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 spoons of Garlic, Green Onion. Add to bag.
Add 2 Beef Boullion and cook for 8 hours. 
French Dip: Slice Rump Roastinto Strips. Add to bag. Add sweet onions, and 2 spoons of garlic. Add 28 ounces of Beef Broth, cook for 8 hours
Sausage and Peppers: Green Peppers, spoonful of Garlic, can of diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning, Add Italian Sausage. Add a drizzle of olive oil and cook for 6 hours.
Meatballs: To make yourself, mix 1.5 lb of ground beef with 1 egg, 1 1/3 c. Bread Crumbs. Break into 24-35 meatballs, cook at 350 for 15 minutes, cool and Add to bag. Add 18 oz grape jelly and BBQ (or chili) sauce.  Cook 2-4 hours




Non-Crock Pot, Prepare aheads:
Taco: Brown remaining 1.5 lb of meat and freeze for quick and easy Taco or Sloppy Joes
Chicken Casserole: Boil remaining chicken  for about 30 minutes. Shred chicken and freeze for quick chicken casserole (add cream of chicken, dill and top with pepperidge farm dressing)


LASTLY! Anything left? Add remaining veggies to bags, or make a second one.
Once bags are made, seal them, shake them up a bit and let air out. Lay flat to freeze. Take out night before to thaw and add to crock pot in the morning.

Let me know how it turns out. I just did this today, so won't actually "make" one until next week. I'll post an update.

Our Secret Garden...Day 2

Time for the next phase of our container garden. Today, we are going off some inspiration I got at our local science center who sponsored a "Big Backyard" (geared to kids, but hey - it's terms I can relate too!)
My initial thought was my container was only 6 inches deep. Was that enough? I tried to look up depths on the net, but didn't come up with many answers. But at the science center yesterday- they literally had the same thing on display! And they were only 6 inches. Well, except the tomatoes or root veggies, which they had planted in 12 inches of soil.
One of the Miracle-Gro lady's suggestions was to get some good garden soil. Which I was already planning on doing. So I stopped and picked up some Miracle-Gro Organic Soil. My container took about 3 cubic feet worth of soil. Cost $8 a bag x2.
Once the soil was in, we chopped it up and loosened it with hand shovels and "THE CLAW" (I love that thing)

Once we got that all churned up, I let the kids free with the acrylic paints. I mean, it's pointless if it's not beautiful! From here- I am going to let the soil air out and turn it every few days or so. Mostly because I think we have a frost coming this week and want to let my seedlings get a little stronger before moving them into the garden.

Total cost to date $19. A some fun times! Next step, to plan the seating chart for the veggies....

Our Secret Garden

Let me start by saying my thumbs are far from green. But my desire to do something fun and healthy with my kids has brought me here. I hope that I will find a release in gardening, like many do. Who knows. For many years we have attempted to grow various veggies - tomatoes (or as Rese calls them - snack trees), mostly herbs. We have horrible soil- heavy in clay (only known because the Miracle-Gro lady told me so) so it wasn't good for growing much, not to mention our yard is heavily shaded and unless you cut out a garden square in the middle, we would never have a real garden.
So why not cut out a garden in the middle of the yard. Well, for one I have 4 kids. At one point I had a dog. Not really the best idea. So I did a little looking and discovered I could do container gardening. Hmm, that has potential. Then as quickly as the idea came...it went.
It wasn't until we were cleaning out the basement for a yard sale and I saw that old table there.
A table. A simple table. Built by my husband, simply two 2x8's for the top and
4x4's for the legs. But in that moment, I saw a garden.
So we took the table out back. Took off the legs. We had lots of scrap wood just laying under our playground from when it was built 5 years ago, so we pulled out some 2x6's and built up a small wall. (mostly pieced together) Then for the kicker...wheels...I recalled seeing a set of wheels from a Rubbermaid cart still in the packaging somewhere in the basement at some point in my life...What are the chances I would find them again, now, when I need them? YES, first place I looked. So we flipped the old table over, drilled some holes and inserted the wheels. Now I have a container garden that I can leave in the middle of my patio, and if it needs to be moved then we can push it out of the way. Brilliant! (if I do say so myself)
Here's the outcome, housing our seedlings (also grown in containers until after the threat of frost, after all this IS Ohio!)

Next step, apply some paint. I think I heard that from somewhere. Check. Ohh, I forgot I bought that tomato cage a few years back- that will work perfectly ran along the back. (because - you know - tomatoes grow up). I had my husband drill holes to run the tomato cage into so it would stand upright. Also, he drilled some holes along the bottom for drainage.
Here is what we what we have at the end of the day...

Not too shabby a first day. Total cost to date about $3 in seeds.
Dimensions are roughly 4ft x 1.5ft x 6in.

New Year...New Me

So instead of making a resolution to lose weight this year ( because face it- it was broken by 12:01). My resolution instead is to make a better, happier me.

I thought about joining a gym, but like many don't have the willpower to actually go. And if I do go, I'm likely not going to put enough into it, ergo wasting my time and my money. And for those of you that know me- I don't dig wasting either!

So as I am on my 12 hour drive between Florida and Ohio...I am contemplating how I will go about making improvements to my mental health.

Then like a visit from the Angel Gabriel, or a scene from "Bruce Almighty" it comes to me....via e-mail.... Yes, God uses the Internet. My daily Groupon deal. A $400 Bootcamp program for $30. I contemplated wether to purchase, it's not near my home, is it a scam? Do I? Don't I? I did. Yikes....and I bought 3 of them!!! What?!? I just signed up for 18 weeks of Bootcamp. Sheesh....

Here is what I know about myself. I can be a self starter....when it comes to others. You don't have to ask me to do dishes at my in-laws, to make food when someone dies.... I got that- but I suck as self motivating myself. I hate the Biggest Loser show- because if I had a trainer, 24 hour gym and no home life I'd lose a crap load of weight too.... But if I'm gonna lose weight, I need a trainer. And not a cookie cutter trainer. But really, who has $40 plus to spend on that? Not this single income mom of 4.

So I look at this Bootcamp as my personal trainer. All workouts are with a trainer who themselves have lost significant weight. So I schedule my "evaluation" and here I sit, waiting to be evaluated. Let's see if this is the jump I need to begin my "new me" journey.....