Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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{Cooking} What’s for dinner?

August 9, 2013 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Cooking doesn’t come to me naturally, but I’ve learned to like to cook.

Sort of. {It should be noted baking is not the same as cooking in this case. I bake exactly two things that don’t come from a box. And one of those things does come partially from a box.}

I like to plan meals. I like to grocery shop. I don’t mind taking the time to prepare dinner. I have gained enough cooking confidence to tweak recipes after I’ve tried them once. But, honestly, a homecooked dinner is one of the first things to go when a day gets too crowded or I need to let go of a chore.

And I married a man that has never once made me feel like a slacker wife for sending a text at 5:05 p.m. and referring to whatever current circumstance prompts me to ask him to meet us for dinner or bring home dinner when he leaves the office.

Without meal planning, we’d never eat dinner at home. Or, rather, we’d never eat something that wasn’t carry-out at our table. Even the most simple meal planning helps me through the 4 o’clock hour when I need to decide what time to start cooking dinner. Jotting down meals and making sure I have the ingredients for them is enough to propel me to the kitchen and keeps me from asking, “What’s for dinner?”

Taking meal planning to the next level is even better. You know, when that actually happens. The two best ways for me have been freezer cooking and subscribing to eMeals.

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Freezer Cooking
Courtney is my freezer-cooking friend. Before we had school-age kids, we freezer cooked regularly. It’s been far too long since we made a productive mess while tackling a list of meals. I’m thankful we had a freezer cooking session yesterday before summer wraps up.

I’ve had a few people ask for recipes and for suggestions on a process, so I thought I’d share what we do. Like many things in life, there are many ways to go about it, but this is what works for us.

  • Find a time you can devote yourself to the kitchen. We typically block off a day and use every bit of at least six hours. Keep in mind we have four kids between us who want to eat lunch. {OTHER IDEAS: If you’re not making a day of it, doubling a recipe or diving a casserole are great ways to store extra meals in your freezer as you go about your regular cooking. One time I swapped meals with friends. In that case, I prepped one meal six times and then we all left with six different meals.}
  • Compile the list of recipes. Our go-to resources are “Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer” and “Don’t Panic – More Dinner’s in the Freezer.” We’ve made several recipes out of these books more than once — and not just when we’re preparing meals to freeze. 
  • Make a grocery list. It’ll be long! Usually, Courtney and I decide what we want to make. And then I take all the recipes and list all the ingredients {in order of Kroger aisles, of course!}. Before I got to the grocery store, I mark off any items we have, like milk, eggs, soy sauce, or seasonings. 
  • Grocery shop. In our team, this is my job. I like to grocery shop more than Courtney does. So I just buy all the items and then we split the bill. {It’s quite an adventure if I’m shopping for our stuff as well as regular items for my own house. In fact, this most recent trip to Kroger for our freezer cooking goods came the day after I’d shopped for my family and was the only time I wasn’t juggling two lists, dividing groceries into two sections so I could keep the totals separate.} BONUS tip: We don’t necessarily plan ahead well enough, but if you watch your grocer’s ads and plan meals based on what meats are on sale, you’ll not only be prepared but save yourself some money.
  • Cook any meat ahead of time. Now, this may sound silly considering you’re already preparing to cook ahead of time. But the first few times we cooked, Courtney and I spent tons of time browning beef and cooking chicken. We finally realized if we’d throw some chicken in a Crock Pot before we met to prepare many meals, we’d be better off. {I learned this summer that frozen chicken breasts can be tossed into the Crock Pot and good just as well as the ones I wasted time thawing. Seriously.
  • Bring casserole dishes to store your meals. {If you don’t want to have your favorite Pyrex dishes in the freezer for weeks, then buy some of those disposable aluminum pans.} Soup and marinated meat are best stored in Zip-locs, so bring some of those along too. And foil works well to wrap those disposable pans freezer tight. 
  • Divide and label meals so it’s convenient for you. If your family won’t usually eat an entire 9-by-13 casserole, then divide it into two 8-by-8 dishes. If you’re supposed to top the casserole with cheese or leave it covered with foil to cook, then label it as such. So, yes, bring a roll of aluminum foil and a Sharpie so you know what’s in your freezer once you start piling it in there. 
And in the spirit of transparency, after six fun, productive hours in Courtney’s kitchen yesterday, I stashed all the lasagna, manicotti, chicken enchiladas, sesame chicken, pizza, chicken bundles, broccoli cheese soup, and meatballs in my freezer and then took my kids to dinner. My husband had a meeting. And, well, I had a full freezer. 

Now, for some recipes. This earlier post includes recipes for Parmesan Garlic Chicken, Hawaiian Chicken, Colorado Beef Enchiladas and Taco Soup. And another post includes Black Bean Tortilla Bake. Soups, lasagna and casseroles usually do well in the freezer.

Just don’t forget to thaw them before you actually want to bake/cook/heat them. Yes, I’m speaking from experience. 

_______
eMeals
I’ve mentioned eMeals more than once and recently posted about this subscription program. I even included a recipe for King Ranch Chicken Casserole. I have since then discovered an eMeals recipe that may go down as my favorite. I already want to make it again, but I don’t want to burn out my family on this one recipe. {I sort of do with recipes what I do with new songs I discover: Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.}

Our only complaint about the Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is we wanted more. All four of us wanted more. Isn’t dinner truly a success when the kids are asking for more? 

Now, I was really glad to discover Kroger carries bags of frozen stir-fry rice and vegetables. I mean, who knew this even existed?! It was alright, although my own fried rice is better and isn’t really that complicated so when I put this recipe on repeat, I’ll probably break out some of my own rice mixture, you know, the one made from instant rice and frozen Asian-seasoned vegetables. Yeah, that’s how homemade works around here.

Yes, you have to pay for eMeals. But it’s worth it when the seven meals planned and organized into a list according to my specific grocery store chain show up in my inbox. It’s usually three or four pages. Each recipe looks like the one above with the ingredient, instructions, preparation/cooking time estimate, and suggested side dish. I don’t always make the side dishes planned, but they are helpful for inspiring side dishes that are in our family’s regular rotation.

It’s totally a worthwhile investment of our family, especially because the recipes have been easy and don’t require tons of prep time. And, hey, I’ve got a deal for you: Use the code SCHOOL15 to save 15% off any new purchase of an eMeals plan.

So, what’s for dinner?

________

You can read previous freezer cooking posts here. Want more stories? Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’. Subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.” Affiliate links included.

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56 chicken breasts and a little beef

February 19, 2011 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Courtney and I freezer cooked yesterday. We kept it pretty simple, but our freezers are now stocked with all sorts of meals.

Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Black Bean Tortilla Bake
Asian Flank Steak
Poppyseed Chicken
Manicotti
Chicken Enchiladas
Orange Teriyaki Chicken
Buttermilk Herb Chicken

These are from either “Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer” or “Don’t Panic – More Dinner’s in the Freezer.” Except for the manicotti and poppyseed chicken, which are Courtney’s recipes. Yes, I’ll share some recipes.

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Telluride Black Bean Tortilla Bake
Makes 6 servings

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinse
1 16-oz. can stewed tomatoes (I usually use diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/4 t. pepper
6 flour tortillas
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 4-oz. can diced green chiles, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey jack or cheddar cheese (for serving day, if freezing)

Brown ground beef and onions in large skillet; drain fat. Put stewed tomatoes into a blender and blend just long enough to break up large tomato pieces. (I skip that step with the diced tomatoes.) Add to skillet with meat. Stir in black beans, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Spread one side of tortilla with cream cheese, topping with green chiles. Fold tortillas in half over cream cheese. Pour half of the cooled meat sauce into the bottom of a 7-by-11 baking dish. (We actually did two smaller ones.) Arrange the folded tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas.

Freeze at this point, if that’s your plan. Thaw to slush state when ready to bake.

To serve, cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese on top. Bake for 5 more minutes or until bubbly.

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Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Makes 6 servings

6 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
2 gloves garlic (I just used minced garlic)
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix together cheese, garlic and Italian mix. Dip chicken breasts in olive oil, then coat with cheese mixture. Store in freezer bag, if you’re freezing it.

Thaw completely before cooking. Place in greased baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

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more than grocery shopping

December 1, 2010 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Greg called me at 12:47 p.m. and said, “Hey, darlin’, what are you doin’?”

When I answered him, I got this blog post brewing in my mind. But, first, the answer:

“I’m grocery shopping. Well, I started grocery shopping, but right now I’m walking to the bathroom because Cate needs to go. And I’m making sure she doesn’t hit me or anyone else with the small cart. You know, I’m buying groceries so Courtney and I can freezer cook, too. So I’m keeping our stuff and the cooking stuff separate. The little cart helps with that.”

By the time Greg and I finished chatting, the kids and I were close to the bathroom.

Cate went in, and had to wait for a stall. I stood with the bathroom door open, so I could see Ben, who was happily “driving” in the car cart, and make sure Cate was OK in the bathroom, which only has two stalls but had three Kroger employees either using them or waiting their turn.

I kept turning my head back and forth. First to Ben and my purse. Check. Check. Then back to the bathroom. “Cate, are you OK?”

Of course, she gave me commentary.

“I pooped some. Almost done.”

“I can’t reach the white paper [That’s what Cate calls toilet paper.].”

“Oh, there, got some.”

As she came out of the stall and walked toward the sink, I interrupted her plan. “Hey, babe, I have some handitizer [That’s Cate’s made up word for hand sanitizer.] in my purse. Let’s use that.”

I was ready to move on from the bathroom.

And back to my two grocery lists and pile of coupons.

I pushed the car cart with my 1-year-old son through the aisles with my 3 1/2-year-old daughter following closely behind pushing her cart. All was well. We filled them both up.

But it all must have taken too long for Ben’s taste because he was fast asleep by the time we got to the cheese section. He slept through the dairy section and baby aisle. He missed Cate and I unloading our carts and chatting with the cashier.

Ben woke up when the 40-degree air hit his face in the parking lot. But it was just in time for a diaper change — apparently Cate wasn’t the only one who had to go while grocery shopping — in the floor of the van. He was happy to be reunited with his bed, where he’s now fast asleep while I finish putting away all the many items from our grocery shopping trip.

So that’s what I’ve been doing.

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have picked up thi Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book had a dear friend who always comes in clutch with book recommendations let me borrow it. My mind has been swirling this week. Just lots of life happening all around me. 

I picked up this book while Ben was at his counseling appointment and read most of that hour, then again that evening, and then again the next day. This book could be read slowly because the words are lyrical and lovely, but I couldn’t put it down. The scripture, stories, and songs were balm for my soul right when I needed it. 

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” — Psalm 43:3

This book is about that invitation from God. Songwriter @sandramccracken  tells us how she’s accepted the invitation, lived in the light, and brought others with her. 

I started taking notes on the very first page, but I will leave you with this, for now:

“There will be a full telling of our stories, a reckoning of every injustice, and a mending of every broken system. This is the good news, the promise of peace, working backward from that future reality, bringing that healing light-filled promise to bear on our lives, to shine on our present sorrow and on our yet-unanswered questions. He is with us. It will be all right in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”

#KHTreads #bookstagram #recommendedreads #livingfaithfully #reallife #choosingJOY #storiesmatter
“Darkness does not define us. It attends to us, “Darkness does not define us. It attends to us, surrounds us in regular intervals, but it does not have the last word. God limits the darkness. He has authority over it and is not bound by it.” 

— @sandramccracken in “Send Out Your Light”

#KHTreads #countryliving #livingfaithfully
What is saving my life … My home is a refuge an What is saving my life …

My home is a refuge and shelter from the loud, crazy world. I love being here. I’m thankful for a break from the routine and busyness. I like a chance to have slow mornings and not much of a plan for the day. I’m also grateful for the chance to host others in our home. 

And, of course, books. I love reading and seeing those around me reading too. Stories are also such a refuge for me. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #reallife #88daysofsummer #choosingJOY #KHTreads #momlife
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” - @brenebrown attributes this quote to Viktor Frankl

Months ago, I made a counseling appointment for today. And it certainly came at the exact right now. 

Honestly, the transition into my favorite season has been rocky — and I’m not totally sure why. I know some circumstances that are contributing to that, and I also know my responses haven’t been what I want them to be. But I’m not entirely sure what to do about it. 

Slowing down, listening to my body and mind, setting boundaries, being honest, and counting the wins and gifts should help. At least those are the things my counselor and I discussed when I talked for every minute of our session. Sometimes I go not knowing what we will dive into. Today I knew. She said these were good conversations. She reminded me of what I know to be true, that what I’m doing matters. Intentional parenting matters every single day even though there are no results to quantify. 

Many things are stimuli in my life. Yours too, I’m sure. I don’t leave even space between the chatter, lies, responsibilities, burdens, gifts, and routines to respond kindly and gracefully. I’m quick to be angry and anxious. I want to slow down my brain and give myself more space to truly live. I’m pretty sure that’s the space where God grows pretty things. 

📷: Cate Taylor, 15

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #reallife #momlife #flowerphotography #summerisbest #88daysofsummer
@emilyhenrywrites is really good at writing romanc @emilyhenrywrites is really good at writing romance novels that go deeper than a cheesy love story. Her characters navigate grief and disappointment that comes with real life. In the cleverly titled “Book Lovers,” Nora and Charlie work through a lot as people and a couple to discover what they’re happy ending looks like. Plus it’s set in a Hallmark-movie-like town that works well for this story for people who love books and lovers. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #recommendedreads #favoritethings #amreading #Kindlebooks #kindlepaperwhite
Oh, Monday. It’s the first actual week of #88day Oh, Monday. It’s the first actual week of #88daysofsummer and it feels like fall out. That would be lovely, except my people and I were ready for pool time. 

One kid got up way too early and was having all the feels. I subsequently got up way too early and came out of my bedroom ready to implement morning habits and conquer boredom. Nobody else was very excited about my strategy. 

By 10 o’clock this morning, I suggested one kid take a nap and retreated to my own room with my phone, my Kindle, and lots of thoughts. I had a small revelation that helped me better see my kids as the individuals they are. 

I made plans to walk with a friend and later dragged all my kids along. Yep, even the one in a boot and on crutches for at least a few more days. You see, that injured kid also started Summer Break with his third strep diagnosis since February. He certainly needed fresh air after a couple of days stuck inside the house. 

We all needed fresh air, fresh perspectives, and a fresh start to the day. Today the walk outside is what helped. Another day there may be a different strategy, but I’m thankful I found way through all the feelings and disappointments this morning and can feel a little sunshine in my day, even if it’s only the figurative kind of sunshine. 

#momlife #maydays #reallife #kentuckyweather #kyweather #confusedweather #summerisbest #poolpeople #choosingJOY #thirdchild #monday #mondaymood #momconfessions #PorchStories
I miss … … a few particular friends from whom I miss …

… a few particular friends from whom I’m separated by circumstances, logistics, and distances. 

When I make a friend, I intend to stay friends forever. Of course, life doesn’t always work out that way. 

I don’t miss my kids being young, but I miss the ease of socializing with my friends during that season. It was easy then to meet at the park or go somewhere for lunch. Now there are so many schedules to work around. 

Scheduling time to lunch or get together is still my love language, it just takes a little more work, patience, and persistence now. And sometimes that’s exhausting. But it’s always worth it. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #reallife
School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #mo School’s out FOR THE SUMMER! #88daysofsummer #momlife #siblinglove #summerisbest #maydays
I’m proud of myself for … … surviving and t I’m proud of myself for …

… surviving and thriving this school year. I resist change almost all of the time, and the past nine months have been full of so many transitions for our whole family. I know, that’s life, but these changes seem like the kind that will mark us forever. 

My kids navigated new beginnings in kindergarten, middle school, and high school. As a mom, sometimes I’m too close to see the growth, but this year it happened in each of them right before my eyes. They navigated friendship hurdles, embraced new friends, and settled a little more into who God created them to be. Middle school isn’t for the faint of heart, but I feel like I’ve come out of this year closer to my son, so I will take it. 

I’m proud of myself for leaning into where God has me. I’ve grown deeper friendships, invested in my kids’ school as a board member and business manager, and seen God work in our ordinary days. 

Y’all know I’m a summer girl, so I’m proud of myself through getting through the winter and coming into summer stronger and braver. 

#OneDayMay #maydays #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #summerisbest #bettertogether
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