Back to School! Back to Crazy Time!

The summers keep getting shorter and shorter. This summer we had exactly eight weeks of summer vacation. I think eventually we will not have summer break and school will be year round. When I first started teaching way back when we had almost twelve weeks off and over the years it has become less and less. I taught art camp for one of the weeks and then I have been going in at least once a week to sign paper work and work with my new fellow art teacher. No matter how much time I have off it is never enough. The projects do not get finished, the house never gets clean enough, the freezer never gets full enough and I never seem to get enough rest.

This week is the crazy get everything done that I did not finish week. So far this week, James has had the allergist (Monday), the dog (Angus) has had the vet (Tuesday), Today (Wednesday) I need to go get a new phone (broke mine Tuesday taking the dog to the vet) and my plan is to finish all the little details in my back sun room. The sun room has turned into the never ending project but I am determined to get it done before the boys go back to school. Thursday James will need to get a shot and Tyler needs to get the same shot on Friday and I have my appointment on Friday with my Endocrinologist. Whew, makes me tired just reading all of that.

The next thing to finish is the annual stock the freezer with crock pot meals and breakfast food for the family. I am not a cook or even pretend to be and this is one of my least favorite chores. I would rather scrub a floor than cook. I often say to the hubby," I do not remember saying I promise to cook when I said my wedding vows." But, financially the reality is I have to we can not afford to eat out all the time and it is just not healthy to do so.

A lot of people think well you only teach until 3:35 PM so you should have plenty of time to fix a healthy balanced dinner for your family. The reality is I never get out of school any earlier than 3:45 (usually later) and with the boys sports and my responsibilities at school it never happens. So, each year I try and start the year off with at least eight to ten freezer meals for the crock-pot. My crock-pot is my lifesaver during the school year. I use it the most in the fall with both boys doing a fall sport (Cross Country and Swimming) the first Term of school is unbelievably scheduled. My planner looks like a map to some kind of make believe land. Below are eight of the meals I am putting together this weekend. Sometimes, I double them so I have more meals but this depends on energy, time and money. I am trying to loose weight (horrible battle) so the meals are on the healthy side. The recipes for the meals listed below can be found at www.NewLeafWellness.biz. This website was nice because it also had the shopping list for each meal.

1.Turkey and Black Bean Chili

2. Brown Sugar Meatloaf

3. Garden Veggie Soup with Meatballs

4. Red Pepper Chicken

5. Honey Dijon Chicken

6. Apricot-Ginger Chicken with Green Beans

7. Chicken Curry

8. Greens & Beans

I always keep the fixings for my homemade chili in the pantry which is super easy to put together and the ingredients for my Mexican Chicken recipe. Both of these only take a few minutes and all my men love them.

Kate's Chili:

1-2 cans of crushed tomatoes (amount depends on whether I want to freeze leftovers or not).

1-2 cans of diced tomatoes with chili's

1 can of corn (drained)

1-2 cans of chili beans

1-2 cans of kidney beans

1 pound of hamburger (I always use the leanest I can find)

1/4 cup or so of brown sugar

1 packet of chili seasoning

Brown hamburger and drain fat add to crock-pot. Open and pour everything else into the pot. Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The chili freezes well so if I make a double batch I then have a meal for later on when life gets even crazier.

Kate's Mexican Chicken:

Enough boneless and skinless chicken breast for the family (for my crew that is at least 6-8).

1 package of taco seasoning

2 cans of diced tomatoes with chili's

Place chicken in crock-pot and pour the other ingredients on top. Stir it all together and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken and either serve over rice or in taco shells (either soft or hard) with all the fixings for taco's.

Like I said above, I never claim to be a culinary genius but my family is fed and for the most part happy. Teenagers and food are always a challenge, the hubby (Marine) will literally eat anything and I am not fussy. My food philosophy is simple it needs to be cheap to make, feed an army and relatively healthy. I also refuse to cook a recipe where I have to run around getting weird ingredients that I will never use again.

The breakfast challenge is always a large pain and aggravating. With JT's swim schedule of 5AM or 5:30AM practices, Tyler's breakfast at a normal time , the hubby who runs out the door at 6:30 after getting up at 6:00 and my early bird tendency to get to school we are all on different schedules. James eats a light breakfast before the early swim practice this usually includes oatmeal, a peanut butter sandwich or a protein bar and oatmeal. James will then eat a big meal after practice this becomes the challenge and depends on whether he needs to get to school to study or finish work or not. If he does not need to go to school he comes home and Tyler usually cooks breakfast for him. They are both trying to gain weight so this usually consists of at least six eggs, bacon or sausage and etc. Thankfully, they help each other out. On days where they need to get to school early I usually make them food and bring it to school. Tyler sometimes comes with me to school and James will meet us in my room. The foods listed below are easy and my family likes them.

1. Egg and cheese sandwich (homemade)

2. Jimmy Dean's frozen breakfast sandwiches (the hubby grabs these on the way out the door) and cooks them at work. I have some in my freezer at school in case it is one of those crazy mornings.

3. Frozen breakfast burrito's. (Either homemade or El Monteray brand)

4. Boys like the Kodiak cake items and this company has a lot of high protein options that are easy to make.

5. I just got a recipe from one of my friends that I am going to make this weekend and freeze. I have not tried them but they look good and seem easy to make. They are called Individual Sausage Casseroles by the Pioneer Woman. The website is https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/individual-sausage-casseroles/ .

6. I am open to any and all breakfast options so if you have any ideas send them my way!

The next challenge is the dreaded school clothes shopping and all those fun items. I hate cooking but I dread the shopping even more. I have Tyler aka "GQ" and James aka "Surfer Bum" they are night and day in their wardrobe choices. Tyler wants to go to the Destin Outlet Mall and shop like I said he likes fashion. James told me all he wants are Hawaiian shirts. Tyler keeps his hair cut and takes longer to style it than me in the morning and James has told us he is growing it out for two years (he is threatening us with a man bun). Wish me luck as I take this on. Twins are interesting they are both so alike but so different at the same time.

Wishing all my teacher friends and other mom's a great start to the school year! Enjoy your last few days if it is possible. You will find me in the kitchen, grocery store or perhaps Destin (with Tyler) for the next few days trying desperately to get organized and ready for the year.