Freezer Meals!

So this is my first try at making freezer Crock Pot meals and I am pretty excited about it! I found a few recipes on Pinterest that sounded delicious and EASY!! That was pretty important for me...the easy part. I don't get much time to be in the kitchen prepping food when I have a toddler running around so I needed something I could quickly put together and also something that would be easy when it was time to cook. So here we are with two freezer meals that I prepped today while Brayden was napping. (P.S. you will need gallon freezer bags!)

Teriyaki Chicken (2 bags)
-1 large bag of baby carrots split between the two bags
-1 red onion cut into large chunks and split between two bags
-2, 20 oz. cans of chunk pineapple, one can in each bag (undrained)
-4 garlic cloves, chopped (2 cloves in each bag)
-4 chicken breasts (2 in each bag)
-1 cup teriyaki sauce (1/2 cup in each bag)
*When ready to cook, place bag in refrigerator the night before and then add 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce to the bag and place in Crock Pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.

I made sure to write the name of the food and the directions on the bag before filling and placing it in the freezer! Now even the hubby could make this!

Healthy BBQ Chicken (2 bags)

-2 green peppers, sliced and split between the two bags

-1 red pepper, sliced and split between the two bags

-1 zucchini, chopped and split between the two bags

-3 yellow onions, chopped and split between the two bags

-6 red potatoes, chopped and split between the two bags

-4 garlic cloves, chopped and split between the two bags (do we see a pattern here?!?!)

-4 chicken breasts, 2 in each bag

-1/2 TBSP Quick Cooking Tapioca in each bag

-1, 15 oz. can tomato sauce split between the two bags

-1 TBSP brown sugar in each bag

-1 TBSP Worcestershire in each bag

-1 TBSP mustard in each bag

-1/4 tsp salt in each bag

*Cooking: high for 4 hours, low for 8 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles. (Again, place bag in the refrigerator the night before to thaw it out a bit and so you aren't trying to get a frozen solid square into an oval Crock Pot!!)

I am so excited about these two simple meals and I can't wait to try more freezer Crock Pot meals! P.S. I am in no way credited with these recipes. I found these on Pinterest and you can go to the link by clicking here! There are also three more freezer Crock Pot meals on her blog post which I plan on trying very soon! Also, if you have any links or Crock Pot cooking suggestions, please leave them in a comment below! I love trying new recipes!

1 Year Stats!!

So I mentioned that Brayden was going to his wellness check in his 1 year post and I want to brag about my boy!!! He is perfectly healthy and on track with his developments! I love to hear those words from a doctor! He weighed in at 21 lbs. 9 oz (just 1 lb. 8 oz. more than his 9 month wellness check) but he grew 1.5 inches in height/length! He is now 30.5 inches long! The doctor said that he is getting the toddler body that is long and lean! Whew...we were a little worried when we saw that he had only gained about 2 lbs. So this puts Brayden in the 25th percentile for weight (skinny mini!) and the 75th percentile for length! Long and lean is right!!!

We are so happy to have a healthy little boy that is growing on track! We are still waiting on his first "real" word but for now we are enjoying all the sounds he makes! He loves to mimic us and will say "mamama" or "nanana" or "dadada" so he is getting very close! He is able to point at things he wants and can communicate when he likes or doesn't like something. I LOVE that he is able to communicate better now. It was so hard knowing that he wasn't happy at times and I just had to figure it out...I am glad that stage has passed! We are reading to him and saying the word for every object we come across and hoping that he starts talking soon.

If this isn't the photo of a happy and healthy boy, I don't know what is!!

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Only 1 Month Left....

I think I am in denial about the fact that in one month, my sweet little baby will not longer be a "baby!" He will technically be a toddler and that is so freaking WEIRD!!! He will obviously always be my baby but I will now have to tell people that he is a year old...no more "months." *tear*
So although it is weird that he will soon be a toddler, Brayden is seriously so much fun right now! He is happy almost all of the time, loves to play, smiles at strangers(women), points and so on! Here is a list of the things Brayden currently likes:

-pointing
-shouting
-chasing(especially up and down the hallway or around things like a kitchen island)
-laughing
-being outside
-walking/running
-baths
-being upside down
-brushing his teeth
-eating...shocking, I know!
-Elmo
-touching my teeth (future dentist?!)
-swinging
-picking flowers

I may have missed some things because honestly, this kid loves practically everything. He DOESN'T like: falling down/getting hurt (duh!), being in his car seat for long periods of time,...and that is pretty much it! And this is why we are frightened for our second child...whenever that happens. Brayden is so good and happy! We could not be more blessed!
Also, it is so much easier to take him places now because he is entertained by new people, things that are not his toys, and walking! I also don't have to bring as much stuff with us when we go places because he can eat regular food so that is a huge help when packing for a day out or at family's house.
As much as I am sad about Brayden turning one, I know it will be so much fun for us to see him continue to explore, learn and grow. His personality is so bright and it is an amazing feeling to see him learn something new! And, I know his first word will be coming soon (we keep pushing for "mama") and that will be an amazing experience in itself! So maybe him turning one won't be so bad....and we know the party will be fun!! Who doesn't want to party with THIS face?!?!

Happy 11 months bubba!!!