Meal Plan :D

Monday - Dragon Soup
Tuesday - Cheeseburgers and Seasoned Fries
Wednesday - Hawaiian Chicken
Thursday - Bratwurst
Friday - Beef Stew

Casey Castle Jewels

The e-store is coming along and getting traffic! We've even made some decent sales! I'm so excited to get this thing up and running. Next month I'm even attending a charity event for disabled children and I'll be showcasing new and existing product! What I love about this most of all is 1) I can spend more time with my Dad. and 2) It doesn't matter if I don't sell a lot because any earnings will be supplemental to what Ian already makes. If you haven't already, take the time to check out the site http://www.caseycastlejewels.ecrater.com/ and spread the word to your friends. Next week, I'll be in production mode out in Mesa and by next weekend, there will be even more merchandise on the site so be sure to check back often!

On another note, I'm still working on homework from last week. I cant believe how far behind I am. I am determined to catch up, though. I have another Exam on Monday that I severely need a good grade on to keep my A.

I feel bad for not posting my Monday Meal Plan. Just to keep you up to date, we've had Soft Chicken Tacos, Chicken Pepperoni Pasta, and last night was Lemon Peppered Parm Chicken with a side of Garlic Parmesan Rice. TASTY! Tonight is Chicken Pot Pie and tomorrow is Fiery Dragon Soup. mmm... I hope to get my meal plan posted for next week, but nothing is a sure thing. We'll see how it goes!

Errands, errands, errands...

Today has been a very busy (but pleasant) day. We woke up super early so Ian could get in the shower and I could make breakfast and snacks for the kids. We left the house at 6am, I got Ian to work at 6:58 (almost late!) and drove the kids to my mom's house so she could watch them while I was at my OB appointment. My appointment ended at 9:15ish so I collected the kids, and drove way out to Happy Valley and Lake Pleasant Pkwy to pick up a prescription for Ian. I pulled up to Nationwide Vision, unloaded both (now unhappy) babies and walked in. They hadn't seen him since 2007. I was at the wrong place. I didn't have an address, just cross roads, so it took 20 more to find. Relieved I had finally found it, I unloaded the kids and walked up to the (now correct) LensMasters. I pulled on the door - locked. This location wasn't finished being built. So all of this for nothing. Ugh. The kids were both fussy and hungry so I came home and here I am. I still need to go to Mesa to pick up some jewelry orders and go to the store to pick up dinner makings. We are having Nancy & Jesse over for dinner tonight and having chicken tacos. It'll be nice to meet them I just wish I had time to clean the house before they see it. Looks like that's not going to happen in time though. After I get stuff for dinner I have to drive back to Scottsdale to pick Ian up from work, feed the kids, yadda yadda, the normal nightly routine. Somewhere in here I need to get some homework done. I wish there were more hours in a day.

Pre-Holiday Fun and Freezer Food

Oh dear blog page, how I've missed you! On September 2, 2010 my gmail account was hacked and the password changed so I could no longer log into it (nor this blog) and with the recent shut off of my cell phone service, I had no way of retreiving my password. I finally got that all worked out and am back in business! I have so many wonderful ideas to share during this blog so lets get started!

As part of my efforts to stretch my budget and my clock (since there aren't enough hours in a day) I am always looking for new, quick dinner recipes that are still relatively healthy for my family. Lately I have only been buying boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey from the grocery store, not only for the nutritional benefit over steak, ground beef, and pork loin but simply because it's significantly cheaper! (about half the price!) I use the ground turkey in place of ground beef in my recipes but what can I possibly do with so much chicken? We have our few family favorites which recently have been Hawaiian Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, and Marinated Chicken, however it does get old week after week. So this week I think I'll try some new marinades (a new marinade can completely alter the taste of a meal!) and sauces. I've already separated my chicken into 4 freezer bags. Today I'll be making sauces/marinades to add to the bags, then I'll toss them into the freezer for an easy meal. This doesn't have to be a painstaking ordeal. One of them only has 3 things added to the chicken: garlic, soy sauce, and honey. Another will have italian dressing added, and I'll come up with some clever mix of ingredients for the 3rd bag. The 4th I will leave plain to have the option of fulfilling any special dinner requests. With this done, later in the next week or so I only need to grab a bag, thaw it for a couple hours and throw the chicken in the oven on 350 for about 40 minutes. SIMPLE! Could serve over rice, pasta, potatoes, or with a side of veggies. Can't beat that!

I've also started working on my homemade Christmas gifts (loving frugality!) for this year. I'm taking the time to personalize a gift for my loved ones and am truly enjoying the task. Though I'm not entirely fond of the holiday season (purely because of the added stress it brings)I must admit I am excited to see the look on everyone's face when they unwrap these delightful gifts. I can't wait!