Garden Week 2

Garden Week 2

Can you see the deer?

On Mother's Day, we planted our garden, a new tradition that we started last year. Except this year's garden is a much better attempt than ever before! We've come a long way from the small container garden we had on our Chicago condo balcony! Aaron built a raised bed and we filled it with rich top soil earlier in the month. We grew many plants from seed and then last weekend picked up some starter plants too. Last weekend, we put the seedlings and starters in the new bed. I have big plans for our garden yields including salsa, pepper sauces, homemade stocks with amazing herbs, and lots of salads!

What's Growing in the Berkey Garden? 

From seed: a variety of 12 kitchen herbs, spinach, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, and romaine lettuce. Our cucumber plants was damaged by the recent storms so I started another two more to be safe. The romaine lettuce was obliterated from the heavy rain storms too. I started more seeds today, but we may need to get some starter plants. Our beets haven't even sprouted. The carrots are tiny, but are doing really well in the garden. Aaron shielded them with a bit of straw. My basil sprouted, but it's not looking good so we'll see what happens. The sage looks great.

From starter plants: strawberries, mint, rosemary, several varieties of peppers (Jalapeno, Poblano, and Bell), 2 varieties of tomatoes (early girl and roma), butternut squash, green beans, and cauliflower. The green beans are already climbing on the trellis.

We have deer that live in our woods. They walk right up to our front porch or anywhere that we have succulent plants. Here's a picture of one that I scared off from the front porch when it was getting close to the lilies. Aaron put netting around the entire raised bed so it's about 5 feet high. The deer are supposed to be held off because they don't like the netting on their face. I hope it works! Last year, they ate our garden like a big salad bowl! On top of last year's drought, we had barely any yield. But this year, I'm excited for food we'll be able to grow.

Compost is piling up!

We're composting now too. We have a large compost bin with yard clippings, coffee grounds, used tea leaves, droopy fresh cut flowers, rinsed and crushed egg shells, and all the cuttings leftover from cooking. The bugs are going to town! We have a compost container under the kitchen sink and I take it out to the compost bin about every 4-5 days. It's covered so it doesn't smell. We're using biodegradable compost bags for our container under the sink, but they are for commercial composting so I'm not throwing those in our bin.

This weekend, I'm going to do some weeding. I'll keep you all updated!

May Freezer Meal: Italian Beef, Giardiniera, Oven Fries, and Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

Flash freeze the mini pies in 2 muffin tins

Our freezer meal exchange in May was awesome as usual! I hosted this time and we had a Friday night pitch-in instead of our normal Saturday afternoon meet-up because we were leaving to visit our family in Illinois that weekend. We usually meet on the 1st weekend of the month so that helps keep us on track for planning purposes.

The way it works is that each participating family makes 5 meals for the swap and then we bring them in coolers to exchange, packed and already frozen. We give a brief overview of the meal and how to tweak it if needed and prepare it. We share our recipes and cooking instructions in our private Facebook group. The meals we prepare are healthy and if it contains meat, it is locally sourced and natural. Most of us make 6 meals and so we can keep one for our own family. That leaves you with 6 prepared meals from the freezer for an entire month, which is awesome!

May Freezer Meal Exchange Menus:

• Erin - Frozen Breakfast Burritos (microwave from freezer), Guacamole, and banana bread
• Sarah - Broccoli and Chicken casserole, bread slices, and Chocolate Chip Bars
• Katie - Vegetarian Cheese Pasta, Baked Peas with Water Chesnuts, and Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
• Ann - Marinated Chicken for Grilling, Peas and Corn with Thyme Butter, and Smores Bars
• Rachel - Mini Meatloaves, Herb Roasted Carrot and Potatoes, and Strawberry muffins
• Amanda - Italian Beef Sandwiches, Homemade Giardiniera, Oven Fries, and Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies

We had 6 families participate so that means everyone goes home with 5 different meals, plus the one that they made at home. The day after the swap, we had that long drive to Megan and Todd's house so I heated the breakfast burritos and they were delicious.

Amazing Meals for May

Italian Beef stores well inside the tins and a gallon Zip Loc to protect.

If you're going to make my meal, here's the additional details.

• Italian Beef (from Cooking Light) - I bought 6 pounds of rump roast and cooked them in 2 large slow cookers. It made enough for 7 meals. I shredded the beef with and placed them in the tins with reserved cooking liquid to store in the tins. I bought loaves of bread from Costco and wrapped them for the freezer.
• Homemade Giardiniera - was easy and so good! After living in Chicago, I love this spicy veggie condiment. You can store it for 2-3 weeks in the fridge in a glass mason jar. I saved small glass pimento jars from another meal and used that to share with the families for the exchange. It makes enough for a quart jar.
• Oven Fries: These came out a bit crispy, which Aaron loved. But you may want to cut back on the cooking time when you're reheating.
• Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies (from the Pioneer Woman): I used the Trader Joe's cookies instead of Oreos and their House Whip instead of Cool Whip to avoid the hydrogenated oils in both. This recipe makes 24 muffin tin sized pies. See picture above. To make into minis, spray muffin tins and bake the crust. Then spread the filling in each muffin. Flash freeze for 1-2 hours. Use a knife to gently pop out and freeze flat in a quart ziploc bag. To defrost, place in a ramekin because they will be messy.

Reheating instructions:

•  Heat oven to 450 degrees. You can reheat the beef from the freezer directly or set it in the fridge overnight. Place the oven fries in the oven for 25-30 (cut back from 30-35) minutes at 450 degrees and place beef tin along side it. Place frozen bread in the last 10 minutes.
• Slice bread to make sandwiches and serve with giardiniera.

Allergy Mystery Solved

Having a Tea Party with the Bear Family

Over a month ago, we took Ava for her first chiropractic appointment to a doctor that specializes in pediatrics and very trusted here in our area. In the first few minutes of the exam she told us that Ava has swollen lymph nodes, which is likely due to food sensitivity or allergy. The chiropractor suggested that we remove cows milk from her diet since that's usually the culprit. One of the reasons we took her to the chiropractor was because of snoring and irregular breathing. I told her we hadn't introduced it to her until she was 2-years old because of Aaron's sensitivity to cows milk. Since cows milk tends to increase mucus we thought it would help that symptom as well.

I bought goat's milk cheese and yogurt and started to use coconut milk products too. Ava enjoys a fruit and yogurt smoothie, but I replaced cows milk yogurt with either goat's or coconut milk yogurt. That month, I packed many lunches since there's so much cheese and dairy on the menu at her school. On our family pizza night, I had to make her a personal size pizza with goat's milk and vegan cheese, but she didn't like it as much. I even made a dairy free lasagna with a mix of tofu and garlic as a replacement for ricotta cheese. It was fabulous by the way!

After about a month of not eating cows milk, including her beloved Brown Cow Vanilla Yogurt, Ava still had swollen lymph nodes. The good news is that the combination of chiropractic treatment and elimination of cows milk have significantly improved her snoring and her breathing was regular when she slept at night. Ava's pediatrician ordered a blood test for food and environmental allergies because of the allergies on both sides of our families.

We got the blood test results last week and it turns out she has a moderate allergy to eggs. We were thrilled to learn that she's not allergic to anything else, including cows milk. It is disappointing because Ava loves scrambled eggs and egg breakfast burritos. I went through the school menu with the cook at her school and our new game plan targets replacements for the breakfast items. I made egg-free pancakes, french toast, pancakes, and muffins for her to take to school and it worked out great! The pancakes were delicious! I pureed cooked millet and made them with almond milk and Egg Replacer. I stocked the leftovers in our freezer and plan to make ahead and restock as needed for Ava's school breakfasts.

School lunch: hummus, pita chips, orange slices and smoke almonds.

I packed lunch for her yesterday because they had breakfast for lunch. She loved her packed lunch. It's very interesting that even at her age the 3 and 4-year old children ask me why she's eating something different. But Ava proudly brings her food in a new Princess lunch box! I got some ideas from Lisa of the blog 100 Days of Real Food and got some school lunch supplies from her recommendation list.

We decided to not go overboard on Ava's dairy in take since we saw an improvement and it can't hurt to do less of dairy, given Aaron's sensitivity. She was so happy at Whole Foods last weekend when I told her we could buy her favorite yogurt! We also bought the local, low-temp pasteurization and grass fed cows milk from our Green Bean Delivery, which is supposed to be better for sensitivities.

I think we're in a good place. And I'm thankful that we discovered this early in life and the transition is going well! I'll post some recipes on the blog when we find some that become our favorites!

The Berkey's are Food Composting and Gardening!

This is our 3rd Spring in our house. The first one was when Ava was born and Aaron was a maniac cleaning up the yard since for so many years no one lived on this property. Our house is newly built on a plot land from the 50's. Last year, we tried to garden, but the drought and inadequate deer protection gave us a piddly harvest. This year is our first attempt at a real garden.

Aaron built a large garden bed in the side of the backyard and we filled it with loads and loads of top soil! A couple weeks ago, I planted some seeds and they've sprouted in our sun room.

Aaron bought some deer fencing that will protect our garden up to 5 feet high. Those suckers even eat our pine trees so we're not taking any chances. We love living with the deer n our yard because they're beautiful, but they eat everything except daffodils. Apparently the fence is really irritating to their face if they try to eat the leaves near it.

We're growing carrots, cucumbers, beets, spinach, lettuce and a ton of culinary herbs. And in May we'll get starter plants for tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos. I'm planning to can salsa for the winter months.

I'm excited that we're finally food composting, which will help our garden next year. Since we're on a septic system, I never put food scraps down the drain anyway. Now we collect food scraps and coffee grounds in a biodegradable bag inside a large plastic container under the sink. When I'm cooking, I put it on the counter and use it for food waste like Rachel Ray's Garbage Bowl idea. Aaron bought a large compost bin for the backyard, which now sits by our brush pile far away from the house. We'll throw yard clippings, leaves, straw and the food waste in the bin. Aaron says the worms and bugs will find their way to compost. I found this do's and don'ts sheet on composting that was really informative!

I'll post updates as the garden flourishes!

Mama On the Road

Boston's North End. Thought of my Parmenter family!

The last two weeks have been a blur! I've had two 48-hour trips with two stops each! Last week, I went to Boston and Washington D.C. in 48-hours to charter two new ExactTarget user communities. I was traveling with my coworker, Rachel, and we grabbed a fun Italian dinner in Boston's North End less than a week before the mayhem unfolded with the Marathon.

Then this week, I headed back to D.C. to meet with a client who wants to start up a private user community for their company. I spent a brief night there before heading to Toronto for their user community meeting. I was in Toronto for only a day trip and then was home that evening. I barely made my flight home that night because of bad storms stunting travel in Detroit and Chicago. Thank goodness the sweet Delta agent booked me for the direct Air Canada flight back to Indy about an hour before it took off. But that meant I had to sprint the long haul between different terminals at the Toronto airport and then hurry through customs and security again. That was my closest call for sure. If I hadn't made that fight, I wouldn't have been home until the following day which was another day of tricky travel around storms. When I asked for help getting out of the first terminal, one agent asked me when my departure time was and then told me that I'd never make it so I should just give up. I'm so glad that I didn't. Ava was so happy that mama was home when she woke up!

Before I left this week, Ava told "mama, I'll be so sad when you're gone." I hugged her and reassured her that I'd be home the next night after she went to sleep. I replayed that moment in my mind when I ran to the flight to get home!

Beautiful view crossing the Columbia River

Dinner with Daddy while I was traveling

Ever since becoming a mother, traveling for work has taken a different flavor. It involved intense longing for my own bed and my family at home. But while I'm gone, I enjoy small moments of peace usually from the back seat of a cab or the seat of a train. It's strange in that moment not to on duty for making dinner, helping change into dress-up clothes, or get my preschooler a healthy snack. Traveling requires much more preparation than ever before! Before I leave, I make sure to do bath night, laundry, and prep lunches before I head to the airport. Aaron is a dedicated father, as you can imagine, who arranges his schedule to take Ava to school and back again in the evening. They have dinner dates too! While I was at a happy hour in D.C. with our clients after the charter meeting, I got a text from Aaron that he took her to the mall for dinner at their renovated food court. Those moments that connect me with home are bittersweet.

Cherry Blossoms in D.C.

I book my travel for the minimal time away from my family. It's too hard for me to be away for an extended time for all of us, even if it means waking at 3am for an early 6am departure. My company is empathetic, especially because we're balancing two travel schedules! Aaron and I both work for ExactTarget, our jobs requiring travel for customer meetings. But if I have to take Ava to a doctor appointment at 8:30am on a week day, it's not a big deal since I'm usually on the road. Time balances out.

I spend lots of time in route - the airport, taxis, trains, walking, and in all that time away my heart is always tied so closely to my family back home. Before we had Ava, I missed Aaron of course, but it wasn't a big deal to stay over night or extend time in a city. Now, I soak in as much as I can before rushing back to the airport.

Cozy spot to moderate #ETcafe Twitter chat

I find ways of making it work. Organization and planning ahead really help me stay sane. And on the nights and weekends we're home all together we take more time for laughs and family hugs. I'm about to enjoy some weeks at home before my next trip to Atlanta in May!

Sunny view from Toronto office

Ava is Three!

Birthday Message at Ava's School

It's hard to believe that March is almost over! She was so excited when we started the month of March because she knew it was time for her and Daddy's birthdays!

We celebrated Ava's third birthday two weeks ago with a fun bird themed party! The last two weeks have been all about Ava growing up! After her birthday week, Ava's school started her 2-week transition to her new 3-year old classroom. The big difference is that it's a much larger class size and higher ratio of kids for teachers. They also have a full size playground outside and rotate around the school during their daily schedule. It was a lot to soak in, but she did a great job. We had some difficult drop offs in the last couple weeks, but the teachers were really encouraging. It helped that she had some friends in the new class. Starting Monday, she'll be in her new classroom full-time!

Ava is doing so well with potty training. She is able to nap without a diaper now. We only use diapers overnight and some nights she wakes up dry. They wouldn't have stopped her from entering the new class, but it's nice that she's independently using the potty since there are only two teachers for 16 kids.

Ava is 3!

On her birthday, we got some cupcakes from our favorite bakery, The Flying Cupcake, and sang her Happy Birthday! It was fun to see her reaction. She loves to blow out the candle and likes to hear the song. She requested sprinkled donuts for her class birthday treat that day. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to pick them up and she shared them for their morning snack.

Birthday cupcakes for a family celebration.

Then on the Saturday after her birthday, we had a party at our house with her friends from school and some of our friends and family. It was so much fun! We had a bird themed party! I got the party invitation from Etsy and just printed it locally. I also got a coordinating party favor image that I used to make favor bag stickers and cupcake toppers. And she loved picking out the coordinating pink and black and white polka dot ribbon for her party.

Princess is ready for her party!

The kids made pine cone bird feeders as a fun activity during the party. They spread peanut butter on the pine cone and dipped it in bird seed. We had paper bags out and art supplies so they could decorate them to take the pine cone bird feeders home. It was really fun! Ava got really into spreading and tasting the peanut butter! I'm glad we had the indoor activity for the kids planned because of the cold weather. For favors, the kids took home pink Peeps or extra bird seed.

She was so excited to open her birthday presents! My mother-in-law made the chocolate and pink vanilla frosting cupcakes. I was so glad to have her help while I made the appetizers and snacks. I served 7-layer Mexican Dip with homemade refried beans, a veggie tray with homemade Penzy's ranch dressing, fruit tray, and Trader Joe's Cat Cookies.

Shawn Pierce took some amazing photos of her birthday party and you can check them out here!

We had so much fun celebrating Ava's birthday! And now my project this weekend is to do the thank you notes! I'm going to use the left over favor tag images for her cards. Ava likes to help decorate the cards so I'll make it a craft project for her too.

Party Favors

Cupcakes with custom toppers!

Girls bench!

Making pine cone bird feeders.

Getting into the peanut butter!

Enjoying the Happy Birthday singing!

The Big Purge, Closet and Bedroom Edition

This weekend was very productive! We are on a roll right now with home organization! Starting with the kitchen pantry renovation in January to now our bedroom organization, we're doing our Spring cleaning early. We've hit our bedroom, Ava's room, and our guest room!

Ever since we moved into our house 3 years ago, it's been a whirlwind to say the least. I was in my third trimester of expecting Ava when we moved in and then after she was born, our life has been on hyper speed! We spend so much time in our bedroom because it's a big room. Ava likes to play in our room while we fold laundry, read books, or get ready in the mornings. It's almost another family room to us! When she was a baby, she slept in a co-sleeper next to our bed. Her diapers, books, and so many toys have been in our bedroom. Then before her first birthday, she transitioned sleeping in a family bed with us. We never used her crib in her room! Eventually, we packed up the co-sleeper and converted her crib to a toddler bed. Well, that didn't work out so well. Being so little, she still needed to sleep next to Mommy and Daddy. And recently, her legs are so long that they hang off the side of her small toddler bed. The family bed has been amazing for the ease of night nursing and bonding for all three of us after we were separated during the day.

But lately, in our seemingly shrinking queen-size bed, I regretted not heeding Aaron's suggestion for a king bed before before Ava was born! We finally decided to take the plunge and buy a king bed! Aaron researched memory foam beds, which made it easy for me to pick which one I liked best from his short list. He's the researcher in the family. Last weekend, he drove to Cincinnati to the nearest Ikea store and he got a new king bed frame, matching night stands, sheets, a new lamp, and even the kitchen cabinet hardware which we wanted forever too. We saved so much money in shipping. 

Ava's first night in her big bed!

With the new king bed in our bedroom, we moved our queen bed to Ava's room and our old bed frame moved to the guest room. This way we can lay down with her until she falls asleep and she has a big sleep surface so she's comfortable. She was so excited! We bought her some new princess castle sheets today and plan to get her a cute pink and girlie comforter. For now, we made it up for her so she was cozy and she really enjoyed it! Aaron is setting up her toddler bed without the side rail like a kid-sized day bed in the basement playroom for her to read books our lounge. I promise to post pictures of our bedroom when we finish the purging project in there! Aaron bought a new dresser to match the bed so we moved a dresser from our room into my closet, which meant we had to move some white cubes from there to the inside of my closet. We've moved so much furniture around the entire house and the whole purging and shifting has been a big undertaking! It's going to be great to have it all finished. And finally our bedroom will have some style again!

Organized!

With the madness of our schedule, I haven't had time to reorganize my closet. I did a complete overhaul! Clothes were shoved into shelves, folded neatly but still it was a mess. I had maternity clothes in a lower, accessible shelf and summer clothes were still close by, even though it's winter! Last night, I went through everything! I moved my maternity clothes to the top shelf, in hopes that one day I can use them again if I get lucky to have another baby and in the same season. I made massive Goodwill donation piles with old shoes and bras that don't fit, thanks to pregnancy. The pile of orange and gray ExactTarget t-shirts was shockingly huge when it wasn't shoved in randomly. Now everything is folded and it makes sense for how I need to use it. I did the same thing for my kitchen, making functional zones so why not use the same philosophy for the closet.

We're lucky to have his and hers walk-in closets. It has been great! Aaron has teased me when he sees my closet because it was a total disaster zone. Today, he secured my white storage shelves in place for me and I went through everything!

I still have to sort through a dresser and the top of this cabinet that now in my closet. I moved my purses from the under bed storage bin inside the bottom part of the dresser in my closet. Doesn't that make more sense?! It feels good to get organized and purge! Aaron purged anything in his closet that he hasn't worn in a year. Together we had four donation bags that we dropped off at Goodwill today and moved things that belong in other parts of the house!

Aaron's parents gave us a closet organizer for our guest room, which Aaron installed a week ago. So finally we have an organized closet for our guest room. Since a developer built our house, we didn't have anything in our closets, not even poles to hang clothes.

I will continue to post more pictures of the bedrooms when we wrap up the big purge and organization!

I purged 2 full size bags!

We moved this from our bedroom to my closet. Jewelry and perfumes on the top.

Kitchen Pantry Transformation

BEFORE: Free-standing shelves and piles everywhere!

BEFORE: Lots of wasted space.

Step 1: Fresh paint

I'm so excited to share our new kitchen pantry! We moved into our house three years ago and I was thrilled to have a pantry after leaving our small condo in Chicago! When we moved in, we just put our free standing shelves inside and started piling things in it, with the intention to making built-in shelves in the future.

I'm really thankful for Aaron's handy work and home project skills! He took a few days off of work early in January and spent a couple days on our new kitchen pantry. It's made such a big difference! Our pantry is organized and everything is so accessible.

I really like shopping in the bulk bins at Whole Foods for our whole grains, dried beans, seeds, and other ingredients, storing them in stacked plastic containers. In the past, I had trouble seeing and accessing everything and would buy something that I didn't need. The new shelves make it so easy to see what we have stored in the pantry!

Our Costco membership comes in handy for my bulk cooking for my freezer meals exchanges. It's nice to have extra room to store my larger items like brown rice and whole wheat flour! Here's how the project unfolded.

Step 2: Building the shelf supports.

Day 1: Planning/Unloading - After Aaron sketched out the plans, we removed everything out of the pantry and into the kitchen and living room. While we were dismantling, we threw out expired food to start with a clean slate. We had everything out for the several days while this project was underway. That evening, Aaron made a final shopping list of the building supplies he needed for the project.

Day 2: Shopping/Painting - Aaron went to the store and bought building supplies such as paint and boards. He cut the MDF boards and painted the pieces white so they would be dry the next day to install.

Step 3: Shelves are built!

Day 3: Installation/Organization - I was so excited to come home from work and see the project was complete! Aaron installed three shelves, leaving the tallest height for the top and bottom shelves. We had a plastic drawer container for loose items like party supplies, ziploc bags, and our reusable shopping bags. We store tall and heavy jugs like white vinegar that we use for house cleaning. We use the second floor area for our recycling and dog food storage bins.

Budget:  The project was very affordable! Aaron used MDF instead of solid wood. But the white paint effect makes it look really nice. He bought longer pieces and cut them to his specifications. We bought a nail gun, but he will use that tool again for future project. In the end, we spent less than $200! It's well worth it! Having pantry items clearly visible and accessible makes it easy to do an inventory of what I have on-hand so I don't over-buy items. That's another way an organized pantry saves you money down the road.

I'm thrilled with the finished project! I love seeing the white space in the pantry and extra room! I'm definitely a happy wife!

AFTER: Organized!

AFTER: View of open bottom area for recycling and dog food.

Almost 3!

On her new Trike!

Ava is such a big girl these days! We're starting to plan her third birthday party in March. She's so excited to have a birthday party coming up and she likes to talk about who will come to celebrate with her. She wants all of her friends and teachers from school to be there. I'm planning to do a bird theme party. Here's a look of some of the fun things that Ava is up to these days.

For Christmas, her Berkey grandparents got her a pink tricycle. We keep it in the basement in our spare room. It's really funny because she disappears for a bit to play with toys in there and then all the sudden you'll hear the little bell and she comes out. She usually pushes it with her feet on the ground instead of using the peddles. We'll put it outside in the Spring when the weather is warmer.

Lunch with Daddy at work

At work with Mommy

On New Year's Eve, Aaron had to work because it was the end of the quarter. I had the week off from work and I was excited to take Ava to visit Daddy for lunch. I had to finish my final expense report before the end of the year so I brought her up to my desk first. She enjoyed playing with her book while I was busy at the computer. Then we met Aaron for lunch! Aaron and I both work at the same company and even in the same building! He just recently moved to another building a couple blocks away, but it was fun when we were in the same building. Ava got to meet our coworkers and she was very friendly that day. We had fun! She's excited to visit Daddy for lunch again soon!

a

Watching Diego

Ava is really into watching Diego, even more than Dora! We have Amazon Prime and we can get free streaming movies on the computer. We limit her TV time so it's a big treat! She knows how to work the iPad and iPhones, of course! When she's on my laptop watching Diego, she tries to push bottons on the screen because she thinks it's a touch screen. We just got her a kids table, which is in the kitchen now. She really likes having her own size furniture to have a snack, do art projects, or play with her baby dolls. She often moves the two chairs so they're side by side so she can sit next to her baby, which is really sweet.

Washing dishes after making brownies

For my January Freezer Meal Exchange, I made homemade brownies. Ava is really into chocolate! She was so excited to taste the batter, which she never does with when we're baking. Then after we got the brownies in the oven she asked me to help her wash the dirty dishes. She pushed the step stool to the sink and put on my gloves. It was so cute!

It's so surreal that Ava is about to turn 3 years old. People ask us if we're planning to have more children. We're not sure which way we'll go. Aaron takes the possibility of adding to our family very seriously when it comes to more responsibility where I see more about the emotional side of having another person to love. It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but we're really enjoying this moment in time with our little family!

Freezer Meal: Beef and Quinoa Meatballs, Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, and Pumpkin Spice Mini Cheesecakes

Meat Balls cook quickly in the oven. They were fantastic!

My October meal got really good reviews by the families in my freezer meal exchange group so I thought I would share it! The meatballs were very flavorful and great for kids because they contain shredded zucchini and carrots along with a whole grain. I made 6 whole meals so I bought 5 pounds of ground beef and cooked about 2 cups of dry quinoa to make the meatballs.

The spaghetti sauce was fabulous! The recipe made enough for all 6 of my meals so you can make the entire recipe for many meals for your own family or to share.

With the exception of casseroles, when our meals involve pasta we provide dry pasta since it doesn't freeze well. This meal was very easy to reheat and serve to our family on a busy weeknight. I usually plan on Monday nights as our freezer meal night of the week and sometimes we make two freezer meals depending on how many we have on-hand.

Read below for the menu and tips for freezing and reheating!

Meal exchange day!

Freezer Meal Menu: Serves 5

Quinoa and Beef Meatballs, spotted this in a Whole Foods email newsletter

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, from the LLL Whole Foods for the Whole Family cookbook

Dry Spaghetti, cook when ready to serve

Frozen Peas (store bought)

Pumpkin Spice Mini Cheesecakes, made individual sizes in muffin tins and used graham cracker crust recipe from Better Homes cookbook. *I used roasted butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin. You can use any winter squash that you have on-hand.

Very Tasty Spaghetti Sauce (25 servings Large Quantity for Feast or Freezer) --I made 1 batch for 6 meals. Need a 10 qt saucepan or 2 pans.

• 6 onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers chopped
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lbs ground beef (I omitted because I made meat balls - see recipe above)
• 7lbs fresh or canned tomatoes
• 26oz tomato paste
• 48oz tomato juice
• 2-3 tbs dried oregano
• 4 tsp dired basil
• 4 bay leaves
• Dash of pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbs flour

Saute onions, green peppers, celery and mushrooms in olive oil in a 10qt saucepan over medium heat until tender. Add garlic. Saute for several minutes; remove vegetables to a bowl. Add ground beef to drippings in pan. Cook until brown. Add sauteed vegatables and add the next 8 ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce to a heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Discard tomato cores and bay leaves. Mix 1 cup of the sauce with flour. Stir into saucepan. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently. Freeze in needed quantities for later use. May add chopped green chiles to taste.

Freezer Prep Tips:

• Label freezer bags with printed labels or hand write with a Sharpie pen before you fill them. Make sure to include name, date, and any specific information such as reheating instructions. 
• Let meatballs and sauce cool completely. I portioned 20 meatballs per meal. Package meatballs with spaghetti sauce in 1-gallon freezer ziploc bag. Make sure air is completely out of the bags before sealing and "burp" them. Place flat on a cookie sheet stacked up, then in the freezer. 
• 24 Mini Cheesecakes (each meal had 4 minis): I used the recipe for filling, but to make the individual sizes I made my own graham cracker crust in 2 muffin tins. I made a double batch of graham cracker crust. TIP: replace the Cool Whip brand with Trader Joe's version so you don't get hydrogenated oils. I used TJ's graham crackers for my crust because they don't have high fructose corn syrup. After the crust is cooled, make pumpkin cheesecake mixture and spread evenly in all 24 muffin tins. Place filled muffin tins in the freezer for 1-hour. Using a knife, carefully pop out each cheesecake and place 4 mini cheesecakes in a pint-size freezer ziploc bag.

 Defrost/Reheating:

• Defrost meatball and sauce bag in the fridge for 1-2 days. Remove the cheesecakes from the bag and place into 4 ramekins covered with plastic wrap.
• Meal Day: Reheat spaghetti and meatballs on the stovetop. Cook spaghetti pasta according to package instructions. Cook peas or prepare other vegetable. 
• Serve the dessert in the ramekin or in another plate for dessert. Each mini cheesecake may be a bit large for a small child. I can usually serve 2-3 times to Ava for a small dessert. She loved it!