quick rundown of kids reaction to karate

k, so we've decided to put the kids in karate. they had their first day yesterday. Liz im's me at work when they get back:

*Liz: some of them liked it more than others
bk: let me guess
Liz: ok
bk: jackson loved it and couldn't get enough
Liz: correct
bk: brianne hated it and doesn't want to go back
Liz: correct
bk: hannah thinks she doesn't like it, but will eventually warm up to it and be glad she's doing it
Liz: partially correct, we'll have to see on the future part
bk: ...
Liz: what about M?
bk: oh, i thought you said she wasn't going
Liz: no, she went
bk: hrm...
bk: imma guess that you really didn't get the chance to find out if she liked it. she would prolly love it, but she got too distracted and couldn't deal with the discipline of it, so she didn't even participate.
Liz: she was very excited
Liz: until she found out they wanted her to wear their clothes. apparently black isn't her color.
bk: indeed
Liz: she just stood their watching and refused to get involved. but then when it was time to go, she insisted it was her turn to do the "all girl" karate with the white clothes.
bk: O_O

(*) not an actual transcript

Jump On It

Our Spring Break activity. Lots of fun! We always knew Jackson was a monkey.

Power cooking, part 3

Shopping List

Chicken Recipes:

20-30 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle (16 oz) Creamy Caesar salad dressing

8-12 cloves freshly pressed garlic

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 pkgs fresh mushrooms (8 oz each)

flour

6 oz orange juice concentrate

1/2 c green onions

2 chicken bouillon cubes

11 oz can mandarin orange sections

16 oz jar salsa

1/2 c finely chopped onion

1/2 can of sliced black olives

1/2 c grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 can Golden Cream of Mushroom soup

1 c milk

1/2 c bacon bits

2 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T lemon juice

1/2 c soy sauce

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 t red wine vinegar

2 t vegetable oil

3/4 t ground or crushed ginger

*have noodles, rice, corn, and beans on hand to serve with meals

Beef Recipes:

4-5 medium onions

5-8 garlic cloves, pressed

5 lbs ground beef

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

paprika

salt

black pepper

1 can chili beans

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste

1 pkg chili seasoning mix

1 cup chunky salsa

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 each green and red bell pepper

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning Mix

1 can Chicken Gumbo soup

1 Tbs mustard

½ cup ketchup

*have the following items on hand and fresh when ready to serve: sour cream, noodles, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, taco shells or tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, hoagie rolls, Provolone cheese slices, & hamburger buns)

Power Cooking, part 2

Make -Ahead Ground Beef
4-5 medium onions

5-8 garlic cloves, pressed
5 lbs 90% lean ground beef or 93% lean ground turkey

Chop onions, press garlic, and brown with beef in skillet. Drain fat. Divide into desired amount for Power Cooking meals into ziplock freezer bags and add other ingredients. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.

Beef Stroganoff
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef, add:
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup water
1 tsp ground paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
(After reheating, before serving, stir in 8 oz sour cream. Serve over noodles)

Chili
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef, add:
1 can chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1½ cups water
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
(reheat and serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream, etc ... )

Tacos/Taco Salad
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef, add:
1 cup chunky salsa
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
¾ cup water
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
(reheat and serve in taco shells or over tortilla chips for taco salad. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc ...)

Hoagies
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef, add:
1 each green and red bell pepper, sliced
¼ cup water
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning Mix
(serve in hoagie rolls with Provolone cheese slices)

Sloppy Joes
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef, add:
1 can Chicken Gumbo soup
1 Tbs mustard
½ cup ketchup
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
(serve on hamburger buns. Top with shredded cheese, lettuce or sliced green onions)

Power Cooking

We're going to do a Relief Society activity on Power Cooking next month, so I've been re-visiting my recipes and thought I'd post them here.

Chicken: You don't need to do any pre-cooking or cutting. Just buy the individually frozen chicken breasts from Costco (abt $2.19 per pound - not bad!) and throw them in the ziplock freezer bags along with the other ingredients. Label and freeze bags for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat, simply thaw and cook. Cooking time will depend on how thawed your chicken is - but will be at least 40 minutes at 350. The chicken will marinate itself as it thaws.

For those of you who have our Bodell Bistro cookbook, the chicken recipes are already in there! Look in the index under "Freezer Meals" (for some odd reason they are in the "beef" section).

Ceasar Chicken
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle (16 oz) Creamy Ceasar salad dressing
2-3 cloves freshly pressed garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(serve over noodles)

Mandarin Orange Chicken
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg fresh mushrooms (8 0z)
2 T flour
6 oz orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 c green onions, thinly sliced
2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
11 oz can mandarin orange sections, undrained
(serve with rice)

Mexican Chicken
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 oz jar salsa
2-3 cloves freshly pressed garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 can of sliced black olives, drained
1 small can of diced chilies
1/2 cup grated Jack cheese (don't put this in the ziplock bag - save it for serving)
(serve with corn and beans)

Mushroom Chicken
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup bacon bits
2-3 cloves freshly pressed garlic
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T lemon juice
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
(serve over noodles or rice)

Teriyaki Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, freshly pressed
3/4 tsp crushed ginger (fresh is best - and worth it!)
(serve over rice)

another first...

Savannah's first Mega Mess! I gave her a cookie and went to check my email. When I came back she had gotten a hold of the can of baby formula and was eating it by the fistful. As soon as she saw me she dropped the can as if to say "oh crap, I'm in trouble now...better hide the evidence!" Fortunately the can was only about 1/4 full - that stuffs EXPENSIVE!

Finally . . .

. . .she's crawling! I thought it'd never happen. Now if we can just get her to figure out how to stand up. Although once she does I'll wish she'd remember how to sit down!