Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas

 Anyone else struggling got the first week/weeks of school blues? Fighting with kids to get out the door in the mornings? I have a feeling I'm not alone on this one. I try to be as proactive as possible when planning for the next day by getting as many things done ahead of time as I possibly can. I found 2 meal ideas that my kids love, and I have made them twice this first week of school for easy breakfast ideas. I thought I might share them here.

Banana Oat Cookies - This was a Pinterest find that was LOVED by my boys. It was easy, I had all the ingredients, and was a great way to use some "going bad" bananas. They aren't the cutest cookies in the world, but I've now made 2 batches that have been gobbled up by the boys.

2 c. quick oats

2 mashed very ripe bananas

1/4 c. chocolate chips

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Drop 2 tablespoon scoops (I used a small cookie scoop) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly, forming a cookie shape (these cookies don't spread when baking). Bake for 14-17 min, or until slightly brown on the edges. Cool and enjoy or store for later use.

Egg Muffins - My boys love these. They are protein packed, and you can use any combination of ingredients you want. My kids like them "loaded". There is no exact measuring for this recipe, so I will provide what I cooked.

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 c mushrooms, diced

1 cup (or so) mixed shredded cheese

10 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 package precooked chopped bacon (I use the packaged bacon that is sold in the salad aisle)

1 handful chopped spinach

Approx 1/4 cup half and half (or milk or cream)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions, peppers, and mushrooms until soft. Let cool. Mix eggs and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Add onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Spoon into a greased muffin pan. I use a 1/3 cup measuring scoop. 

Bake at 350 until eggs are set, usually around 20 min or so. It will depend on how full cups are/how many ingredients you add. I have subbed bacon for diced ham or precooked sausage. I have only used meat and cheese. You can seriously make these as "loaded" or not as you want. Store in fridge and reheat at breakfast. 

Happy Back to School All!!

Addressing the Elephant

 I have been absent for a long time. It's been busy, what can I say? I have honestly missed this creative outlet that was near and dear for so long. I didn't care if anyone ever read it, but it was always nice to "get my words out." (Our old small group guys and gals will get that one) Now that I have scaled back on work and the kids are in school, I think it may be time to fire this baby back on up. For anyone just arriving, this has been mostly a space of random family updates, recipes, and lots of comma splices and such- and I promise I do know how to properly use punctuation. 

But before I dive back in I wanted to address something that many people have been asking about lately - the "elephant in the room", so to speak. Many of you have probably noticed that in family photos there is one less member there. What some of you may not know is that Steve does not live with us any longer. He is now 18 and is living with his biological family. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on who you speak with at any given time. Like all teenagers, he believed that his abilities to take care of himself were far greater than the wisdom of Jason and I who assured him that this was a path that would be met with many hardships. We haven't made any sort of public announcement for several reasons, but I have had so many people ask recently, I figured that this was the easiest avenue. I won't go into all the "what happened" and "whys" here because some of that isn't my story to tell. \

Adoption is hard. I know people mean well, but this isn't some "great thing" we decided to do for someone. It's hard. Jason and I felt truly called to adopt, and I felt certain that we were supposed to adopt Steve. I remember hearing a sermon about the time we were getting ready to finalize things, and the pastor said, "God doesn't call us to easy, He calls us to obedience." And that's what we were. We made ALL kinds of mistakes along the way, just as we will with those 3 boys I birthed, but we did what we believed God asked us to do. We just didn't know it would be for a season...

We have had contact with him, mostly through texts, and we will see what happens in the future. I am hopeful that some sort of seeds were planted while he was here. He did get to see how a (mostly) normal family functions. He learned how to manage money (much to his dismay) and he also saw what he was capable of when he worked hard for something. We had hard conversations about accountability and truthfulness. I pray that those lessons stick, but for now we must trust that the time he was here was the time he was supposed to be here -even if that seems strange for us. 

People have asked if we plan to adopt again. I don't know what God's plans are, but my initial response is that of a song you can find if you Google. The lyrics go something like, "Hell to the Naw, to the naw, naw, naw." Just keepin' it real, folks...

Family Reset

We just got home today from Pine Cove Chimney Point Family Camp. One of the dad's last year said it's like a New Year for their family - a kind of reset - and I could not agree more. To say this place is special is true, but special just isn't a big enough word to truly capture what this place means to me and our family and all the families who got to experience it this week. This is our one big family vacation for the year, and I would choose it again and again - and again. To be in a place for a week with these college kids who love our kids so well, have wonderful speakers year after year, and get to see old and new faces is just such a blessing to us and our kids. After the craziness of this past year, this week was MUCH needed. We saw God work in the lives of our kids, us, and many others this week, and it was amazing. Until next year, Pine Cove... Now, I will leave you with a zillion pictures from the week.

Family Pic When We Arrived - aka the cleanest my children were all week.

Olympic Night

Selfie from Black Rock Mountain State Park hike on Parent's Day Out

Matching guys at Winter Wonderland night

Tucker with Thomas, our Devo counselor from last year. We were blessed to have his roommate this year!

Connor with his counselor and group

Connor with the greatest camp villain of all time.

Family photo with Thomas and Seth

Family pic with the Husainy Family. We love that we share this week with them.

This week was even more special with these sweet friends.

Steve playing on the dock.

Jake with some buddies at the zip line

Some of the dads before/during the Turkish game.

Jake and his counselor and group.

Steve's Character Quality words

All the heart eyes.

Tucker with Bam, aka Seth, our devo counselor who was a wrangler at camp.

These boys have been buddies for the past 4 summers.

This big kid and this little kid - this pic just melts my mama heart.

Banquet night

Jake drumming for the talent show. Steve played guitar.

We got to witness the baptism of a sweet friend.

Some of the girls from the parent pool party. Love these ladies.

Freezer Meal Prep

School's almost back in session. I can hear Maren Morris' voice, "Can I get a Hallelujah, can I get an Amen?" in the background. Am I right?? The kids are beginning to drive each other nuts, there are no more camps to serve as a much needed distraction, and I am in need of some alone time. I decided it was time for a freezer meal session. I wasn't really planning on doing this today, but the husband was home. Plus, so much of what I made took little to no work. All in all, I worked for about 3.5-4 hours, but I also cooked dinner which was none of this stuff. Although I did forget that there was asparagus roasting in the oven. Oops. Can't win them all.  

Prepare for stuff everywhere when you do a freezer session

I have tried a ton of freezer recipes, and I know what works for us. So this time I stuck to the tried and true for the Lowes. Here is what I came up with this go-round:

Lasagna - this is my tried and true lasagna recipe. I do sub ricotta for the cottage cheese though.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti - I divided this one up into 2 loaf pans. This was really quick.

Taco Casserole - The kids like this one served inside a burrito with sour cream, guac, and all the toppings. I got 2 pans.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken - I make a cheesy chicken similar to this the kids like. This was another super fast one.

Pizza rolls - This was just crescent roll dough, pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni rolled up, cut and baked. 

Super Easy Chili - I have shared this before. 2 lbs ground beef (browned), 2 packs of chili seasoning, 2 cans light kidney beans, and 2 jars of salsa with a little water added into the crockpot. Cook on high for a few hours then cool, bag and freeze.
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas - Rotisserie chicken, black beans, salsa, taco seasoning and cheese wrapped in tortillas and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. Super fast.

The loot

Our freezer door was left open by accident for over 24 hours and everything was lost. So this bare freezer needed some stuff in it. Now, say a prayer for the poor sanitation workers tomorrow that have to get that trash. I cleaned out the freezer on Thursday....and trash day is Monday. Let's just say it isn't pleasant. What is pleasant is that we have some meals prepared to lessen the stress of the first few weeks of school. It isn't like we will be eating the stuff above every night, but when I know we are going to have a crazy afternoon of running around it is nice to open the freezer that morning and not think about dinner that night.

This Side of Heaven

I have said that family camp at Pine Cove Chimney Point is my favorite week of the year in my favorite place on Earth. It may sound crazy to some of you who have traveled the world and seen amazing things to say that anyone's favorite place is a few hundred miles from where they live on a lake in the middle of nowhere. But it's true. I truly love this place, the people in it, and the time we get to spend together each year. Most of the same families return making it like a reunion each year. And unlike a family reunion where that one weird cousin shows up, this reunion is great all around :)

Pine Cove is a college ministry as it was pointed out several times this past week, but the body of Christ is a magical thing in that when it works as it should the body as a whole is refreshed. To see these college kids love our kids, serve with such love for Jesus, and be so joyful ministered to all the adults who were there. I LOVE these kids and their hearts.

One of the things that we love best about camp is the amount of time Jason and I get to spend together - alone. We get to talk, have fun, and recharge. We jet skied, rode horses, went white water rafting, went paddle boarding, and took naps (woohoo)! All this happened while our kids were being loved on, poured into, and ziplining/horseback riding/boating/etc. They didn't care if we were there or not - haha.

One of my favorite parts of camp is the CQ ceremony at the end of the week. CQ stands for character qualities. They are Christ-like qualities that that counselors have seen in the kids throughout the week, and they are spoken over them to affirm these traits in a ceremony. Steve got engaging, deep, and reverent as his words. Jake got friendly, obedient, and joyful. Connor got kind, eager, and imaginative. Tucker got friendly and determined.

I truly cannot put into words to people who have never been just how good it is except to say that it is the closest thing to heaven on Earth. It sounds corny, but having that many people who love Jesus and each other in one space is just an amazing thing. Until next year, Pine Cove... I will share some pics for now.

Post dune buggy for these 3

Post dune buggy for me and Connor

Jake and his cabin before zip lining

Arrival day pic

Talent show night with Steve, Connor, and Tucker

T-Pain and the horses

Jake and his sweet counselor

From residency to a lot of kids later - us and the Husainy family. So thankful we get to share this week together

Jake and our devo counselor, Mulletproof, aka Thomas

Family shot with Thomas

Connor, his awesome counselor, and his cabin performing on talent show night

Steve leading worship for the Impact group (the name for the older campers)

Jake's cabin on the inflatables

Jake and Connor playing gaga ball - their favorite

Tucker conquering his fear of the zip line

Banana boat!!!

Date night

These 2 girls right here - all the love... Two of my favorites