don't click if your new years resolution was to eat healthy.

healthy.  i don't have time for that nonsense right now.  i'm happy to have dinner on the table.

hi, its debbie downer reporting again tonight.  its been another long day of sickness in this house.  makena spiked a fever of 104 today so we had to take her back to the doctor.  they ran tests for strep and the flu but both came back negative so we basically don't know whats wrong with her. they wanna run a full panel of tests tomorrow but i just don't know if i have the heart to put her through all of that again. blood tests, urine sample. UGH.  hopefully she just picked up my cold (on top of her rsv) and nothing worse.  

i hate not having answers.  no answers on her illness, no answers on all this pressure i've been feeling.  not to mention this crib to bed transition is going to be the death of me.  a month and a half and still a screaming, hour long fight every night. god sure is testing me.  

on a brighter note i got to see elias yesterday for my 20 week anatomy scan. halfway done with this pregnancy!  i know nothing as far as how the scan went, which is a huge tease.  it was a tech doing it at an imaging center so she can't disclose any info to me.  i should get all the results from my doctor in a few days.  praying for that too.  

i have 3 recipes to share tonight.  the first is a freezer to crock pot meal i put together so i can only tell you how to make it, not how it tastes.  here's the recipe:

bacon meatballs:

1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

1.5 pounds lean ground beef

4 slices smoked bacon, diced (raw; don't cook it)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup panko-style breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

additional ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth (can use beef)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

 

instructions:

use a 6-quart slow cooker. spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray, or rub it down with a bit of olive oil (don't go crazy, just a little glisten) and set aside. in a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the chopped parsley, ground beef, and diced bacon. Add in Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the dried spices. combine well.

 

after the meat is mixed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. pour 1 cup of flour into a shallow dish (pie pan works great).

roll meat into golfball-sized balls and then lightly dust each meat ball with flour before placing  onto the lined cookie sheet. when all the meat is gone, put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen. it's okay to freeze overnight, if you'd like to break this into two days (put in sealed dish/tupperware if freezing for longer).

 

once your meatballs are frozen, place them one-by-one (this means don't dump!) into your lightly greased slow cooker. it's okay to stack them. in a  small mixing bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste to create a gravy. Pour this evenly over the meatballs. cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meatballs have browned and are fully cooked. i cooked the meatballs pictured above on low for 5 hours, then let them sit on warm for another 3 1/2 hours before dinner was served.

serve alongside pasta or rice, or all on their own. these are filling!

 

(i copied this recipes here)

 

 

i'll try and remember to report back with an update on how they were once we eat them.   

 

next i'll show you the 2 latest crock pot meals i made.

crock-pot chicken with black beans and cream cheese:

 

ingredients:

 

4 -5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

 

instructions:

 

1. take 4-5 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot.

2. add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.

3. keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.

4. add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

you can find the original recipe here

 

i wasn't sure how this was supposed to be served. it was almost like a soup but a little too thick.  ideally it would have been best over rice but we had rice a few times already this week so that didn't sound good to me.  i put it in a bowl and served it with a tortilla. we kinda dipped the tortilla/scooped up the chicken with it.  it was pretty tasty! and so so so easy. it really doesn't get any easier than this one.

the next night i just had no desire to cook or come up with something so i planned on making linguini and clams.  jon, so sweet, offered to make it for us.  i walked him through it and he did it all himself! such a great husband and it turned out perfect!

 

tonight i made scalloped potatoes and ham in the crock pot.

ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham
• 1 (10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 insturctions:

1. place sliced potatoes in slow cooker. in a medium bowl, mix together shredded cheese, onion and ham. mix with potatoes in slow cooker. using the same bowl, mix together condensed soup and water. season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. pour evenly over the potato mixture.
2. cover, and cook on high for 4 hours.

 

after i put this all together i read some of the user comments and added a few ingredients.  i probably used closer to 1.5-2 cups of ham, 2 total cups of cheese and added some milk to make them a little soupier.  it ended up being the perfect consistency, just like scalloped potatoes i've had elsewhere.  i made this as our main dish but its probably ultimately better as a side.  very yummy, nonetheless.

i'll leave you with some happy pictures of my cute little girl.  i have discovered her new favorite thing in life.  letting her push the kid cart around the grocery store and putting all the items in the basket herself.  watch your ankles, fellow shoppers!!! she's fast and is terrible at steering! 

and a fro-yo date the other day when her and i were both feeling good :