Disney World, Part One {Photo Dump}

We had such a wonderful time at Disney last week.

It was a much needed getaway for both of us.

It was a lot of fun to spend 24 hours a day with my husband for 6 days straight!

Here are some highlights from our trip.

We stayed on the resort at the All-Star Sports Resort.

I definitely think it was worth it for all the benefits that we received.

When we got to the airport, we had Disney's Magical Express waiting to take us to our resort.  Being that I'm 24 and Tyler's 23, we can't rent a card without an additional fee, so we opted for public transportation the whole trip.  

And let's face it, Disney caters to their guests...

We got in late Tuesday night and crashed at the hotel as soon as we got there.

We had had an emotional day with Tyler's grandpa's funeral that morning.

On Wednesday, we got up early and headed out to Epcot.

The International Flower and Garden Festival was going on while we were there.

They had some gorgeous flowers!

I have always loved the World Showcase...

I think it's super neat to see the different cultures of each country.

China

Germany

France

On Thursday, we decided to head out to Animal Kingdom.

This is my least favorite park, as I think it's a glorified zoo.

I'm not a fan of zoos, but I do like the roller coaster there.

Oh, and the safari was pretty incredible.

We left around 11:00...it was hot with all those trees around.

Later that afternoon, we headed out to Hollywood Studios (or MGM, as I kept calling it).

Indiana Jones is always a good one. :)

The new Beauty and the Beast show was fantastic!

I loved it so much!!

My brother had texted me earlier that day and said to make sure and eat a turkey leg for him.  No problem, Ben!

Come back tomorrow for more pictures and part 2 of our trip! :)

We're Baaaaaack!!!

We're baaaaack!!!

Did you miss me?

I missed YOU! :)

We had such a wonderful time at Disney,

but I am glad to be back.

I feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

I hope to share more about our trip later this week!

Monday Randoms

Have you ever flown a kite with a fishing pole?
I hadn't either until this weekend.

It's a pretty brilliant idea if you ask me. :)

We went to the Cardinals game yesterday.

My father-in-law and {future} brother-in-law came, as well as my brother and his girlfriend.

It was a beautiful day at Busch Stadium...76 degrees.

Tomorrow evening, we leave for Florida, but first we will gather with Tyler's family and celebrate his grandpa's life.

We are grateful that He knew the Lord and served Him faithfully for many years.

Would you mind praying for his family as they lay him to rest tomorrow?

Also this:

Be on the lookout for new things after we get back from Disney!

Shop Here!!

Freezer Cooking Series, Part 3

Welcome back for the third part of my Freezer Cooking Series!

Missed a part?  No problem!

Here is Part One and Part Two!

Now that you know what you have to do to prepare for a freezer cooking session, today I want to share several recipes that I used in my last session!

Most of these recipes, I found here.

This is a great resource to use!

I tend to freeze all of my meals in a Ziploc bag.  I find that it's easiest for me, and I can squeeze several into my freezer!  You can use what works for you!  It really doesn't matter.

I get all my food out and segregate them into meals.

When I first get my Ziplocs out, I write the name of the meal, the date, and how to cook it.

Then I will fill them.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
• 1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets (I used fresh)
• 2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce 
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. 

Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles.

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Chicken Cacciatore:
Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 (26 oz) jar of chunky vegetable-style spaghetti sauce
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. 

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and garnish with olives and cheese. 

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Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms:
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs stew meat, cubed
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 (4 oz each) cans mushrooms, with liquid
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 hours.
Serve over rice.

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Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs pork chops, boneless (about 4-6 chops, thick sliced)
6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces
2 (10.75 oz each) cans cream of chicken soup
2 (1 oz each) packages dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the soups, milk, and ranch dressing mixes and pour into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. 

Combine all other ingredients together and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. 

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Use the extra sauce in the slow cooker as a gravy for the potatoes and the pork chops. Sprinkle with dried parsley if you want.

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I also made the Marinated Chicken from this post because we liked it so much the last time.

So I had 5 meals that I made in less than an hour.

That would last us at least a week and a half (gotta allow for leftovers...there's only 2 of us).

I then stacked them all in my freezer, and off I went.

It's super easy to prepare these meals, and especially easy to have on hand when you don't know what's for supper that night!

Just pull it out of the freezer and dump it in the crockpot!

Sometimes I don't thaw it in the refrigerator, but I will run it under hot water to thaw just a bit before putting in the the crock.

I will also mention that we've eaten all of these now, and they are all delicious!!
We were not disappointed! :)

Have questions?  Feel free to leave a comment or email me!

Happy Freezing!

10 on 10 {April}

You guys!

I remembered it was the 10th yesterday! 

Make that 2 months in a row!! :)

Here we go:

Breakfast, made with PB2 (not bad!!).

Working...on budgets.

Mid-morning caffeine!

Thankful for our upcoming vacation!

Lunch, paid for by my company. 

Keepin' busy...

New shop ideas. 

Lists on pink paper.  My fave. 

Signs of spring:  trees and thunderstorms.

Weather people and radars.

Wanna know what 10 on 10 is all about?

Check it out here.