Cooking With Kids: Easy Freezer Meals

My kids help a lot in the kitchen.

I like to consider it part of our "life skills" curriculum. 

Cooking with kids is such a perfect way to have my children learn alongside me.

Cooking with kids gives me the opportunity to teach them a variety of skills that go well beyond the task of cooking such as planning, mathematics, and it also develops healthy eating habits.

Take cooking with kids to the next level by teaching them how to prepare easy freezer meals! We often are making meals for people in need, and I quickly discovered it was easiest to find a great freezer recipe and cook for two families - that way my load was lightened, too!

 By throwing in easy freezer meals, we can plan and prepare some delicious meals for friends, for our busy week, or even the entire month!

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Shopping For Easy Freezer Meals

I like to stay organized by using Plan to Eat - we've been using this tool for five years now.

Plan to Eat allows me to save and store my favorite recipes online, share recipes with friends, and it also allows me to create shopping lists based on my menus. 

Honestly, Plan to Eat has been the best $5 I spend each month! 

Easy Freezer Meals

• Ravioli Casserole: I don't think meal prep could get much easier than this recipe. A real crowd pleaser with a few simple ingredients. (try this one with beef or cheese ravioli - they are both good!)
• Italian Chicken Roll-Ups: This is a great recipe to use for introducing kids on how to cook with raw meat. Not only is it an easy recipe to follow, it calls for thin chicken, which means kids will be able to flatten the chicken. Something that has always been a blast for kiddos. 
• Black Bean Taco Soup: Give Taco Tuesday a new spin with this hearty soup recipe. Make a little extra for a few easy lunch meals throughout the week!
• The Easiest Baked Mac & Cheese: You can't go wrong with kids and mac and cheese! I like this recipe because there are a few surprising ingredients that will allow you to add a little more nutritional value to the meal. This is also a great habit to pass down to your kids. 
• Orange Glazed Pork Chops: No more over cooked pork chops! This recipe shares a fool proof way to get moist chops every time. 
• Sausage-Egg Rollups: These guys will come in handy on those busy mornings. Not only are they quick and easy to grab and go, they are also a great alternative to sugary cereals first thing in the morning. 
• Simple Meat Loaf Recipe: (My kids' FAVORITE meal!) With just a few ingredients, you can have a wholesome and warm meal. Double, or even triple, the recipe to really stock up your freezer. 
• Slow Cooker French Dip: French Dip sandwiches are a favorite go to meal in my home. Warm, simple, and delicious. Thanks to this recipe, you can now freeze it for later! 
• Orange Apricot Slow Cooker Pork Chops: Using a slow cooker is a great skill to teach kids. I especially like it because it takes the danger out of using an oven and the stovetop. It also gives kids the ability to prepare a meal without any help from their parents. This recipe is great because the end result is beyond delicious. It is also gluten and dairy free. 
• Buttered Maple French Toast Casserole: Another family favorite! French toast is a great way to feed several people without the hassle. Add a fresh fruit salad (you can freeze those too) for a well balanced meal. 

Cooking with kids by introducing them to freezer meals is an idea that will help you manage your meal planning and prep time.

When you teach your kids to prepare these recipes, double them, and freeze the extra servings for an easy to make meal. You have the convenience of an easy and nutritious meal all while teaching your kids the valuable skills of cooking. 

Do you have any freezer recipes you'd like to share?  Let me know if the comments below?

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The Gift of a Father

Today I am glad I can be here in my hometown to spend Father's Day with my dad.

He's faced significant health challenges in the past few years and I am thankful I get another Father's Day to tell him thank you for always supporting me. Sitting with my dad in the hospital has given me a lot of time to reflect - I feel like that is God's gift to me.

The more years I live on this earth the more I realize we are ALL flawed. Accepting people for who they are is an ongoing goal for me! I certainly gave my dad a lot of gray hair, and he was always there for me when I needed him. 

I love this picture of my dad and me -- I think he was imparting some last bit of wisdom (or more likely asking me if everything was set for the reception!) before he walked me down the aisle.  I was the last of 4 children to be married. I imagine this day signified the end of a 40 year era of raising children for my dad. 

But really... he didn't stop raising me once I was married.

Ever since this picture was taken - 19 years ago - he's still been raising me.  {wink}

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My dad has always affectionately referred to me as "the caboose" - I was quite a surprise to him at the age of 42! 

I can still see him cheering me on at swim meets -- my event record time book in his shirt pocket. He somehow would always manage to motivate me to swim just a little faster each time. If memory serves me correct he was given a special gift by the high school boys' swim team because he was a honorary dad/cheerleader to all of them.

(I learned just a few years ago that my dad learned to swim in a rock quarry during the Depression. As he was swimming with his grandkids at the age of 80 he told me how it gave him so much joy to watch them swimming in his pool.)

When I backed into his car at the age of 16 (while driving my mother's car) he was of course angry, but I remember not getting killed over that incident! He also somehow put up with my first semester freshman college year shenanigans (hello 1.7 GPA!) and gave me a second chance to pull my grades up before he "parked my butt at home!".

That tough love helped me become a confident, self sufficient adult. (While my dad got very close to graduating from college, he never finished, but he went on to have a successful career as a highway engineer. College was a big deal for him and he is so proud of all of his kids -- all four of us have college degrees, masters degrees, and more!)

When I was in college he drove my car from Florida to SMU - that was a LONG drive - while I flew back to school on the return trip of my plane ticket. He strapped my favorite stuffed monkey in the front seat and drove through the night to have my car there for me. He had packed the trunk so precisely (that engineer coming out) and used every available inch of space. He left to fly back home to Naples and I couldn't find any of my SHOES. He had packed them in the wheel well and had forgotten to tell me!

He has always been supportive of my dreams. Another mom at SMU (on move in day) asked me what I was majoring in -- when I replied "music" she asked my dad how he felt about paying "all that money for just a music degree". My dad's response to her? "I know it's going to be a great investment."

(I agree. It was a great investment, dad.)

When I would bring college friends home for spring break he would make sure everyone had their favorite foods on hand, and would make us all hamburgers and malts. All of my girlfriends loved him because he would tease and joke so much with them. 

I was on the phone with him when the second tower fell on 9/11 - my 2 month old in my arms. I remember my dad saying, "Our world is never going to be the same again."

And he was right. 

When I told him we were going to homeschool his exact words to me were, "Now what in the world are you and Hal thinking?" Guess who brags to everyone about his homeschooled grandkids now? That's right - my dad. He's our biggest homeschool supporter. 

He once told me that when he was a little boy (he was born in 1930) that he thought it would be a miracle if he lived to see the year 2000 and that each year after has been a bonus for him. He's seen a lot in his life and I can learn so much from him. That is not a gift I take lightly. 

As I flew to Florida a few days ago I was recalling the numerous times as an adult when I would call home (and there were several!) needing help from my parents. Whether it was the birth of a baby, a surgery, moving to a new house, or one time when I had a horrible struggle with depression --- my dad was always quick to jump into action, hop into the car and drive 12 hours with my mom to come to my aid. 

Now it's my turn to come to HIS aid and it is an honor to give back to someone who sacrificed so much (emotionally and financially) for me for so many years. 

If you have a dad, I hope you get a chance to tell him you love him this weekend. And, if Father's Day is a painful day for you, please know I'm praying for you.

I don't take the gift of my father lightly.