Confessions of a Busy Mom



This has been an incredibly hectic past couple of weeks!  I started back to work in the office, which of course meant that my baby boy started daycare.  Aside from the obvious apprehension of leaving my newborn child with complete (state certified) strangers, I knew this too meant early mornings and hectic evenings.  The most challenging part has been settling into a new sleep pattern... for me. 

I love to stay up late, especially when everyone has gone to sleep, including my husband, and I have the house to myself.  It is a time that I cherish.  The only problem is the baby is asleep too, and believe me I know what a blessing it is that he sleeps through the night, however he is an early riser and is usually wanting to eat about 30 minutes before my alarm goes off.  Sometimes an extra 30 minutes goes a long way!  So I go ahead and prepare for the day, longing for the weekend when I can take a much needed nap, or at least that is what the plan is. However with a family of six the focus is usually on... dirty clothes, dirty dishes and dirty bathrooms! 

Now, I know the old adage "be thankful you have loved ones to do laundry for" and I totally understand the sentiment, but any way you slice it laundry STINKS - seriously, with four boys and a husband that has a physically demanding job, laundry literally stinks!  I should really have stock in Glade, because I'm telling you boys have an oder like none other.  I am thankful my older boys are able to do a lot, and are willing to help around the house in order to earn a little extra money.  Another thing about boys is they are "huuuungarrrry" all the time!  And trust me they don't like waiting.  I believe that Easy Mac was the best idea Kraft ever came up with.  It is the perfect snack to tie them over to dinner. 

Ugh dinner.  My nemesis. Because things are usually pretty busy around here I am all for cheap and easy, which eventually turns into hamburger helper and tacos, and while I enjoy both entrees, they usually leave little to be desired. So a while back I set out to find easy, tasty and filling meals and I must say I was successful! These meals have all been a hit with my family:

BAKED PASTA
aka Sloppy Lasagna

1lb of ground beef browned

1 16oz box of penne pasta cooked al dente

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 package of Philadelphia's Italian herb cooking cream

1 small tub of cottage cheese

1 package of sliced mushrooms

Mozzarella Cheese

 Heat oven to 450, combine browned ground beef with spaghetti sauce, add sauce, 1/2 the cooking cream, cottage cheese and mushrooms to pasta, stir and poor into a casserole dish.  Spread the remaining cooking cream on top. Top off with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. - feel free to add onions and peppers if you like, I don't really care for them, so I don't.

I usally add a salad to make this a complete meal!

SIMPLE PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

1 package of chicken breasts, sliced in half.

2 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup Italian herb bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Cut chicken to desired sizes.  Mix together the Parmesan and bread crumbs.  whisk together eggs and milk till frothy. Dredge chicken in egg mixture and the coat in cheese and bread crumb mixture. Place on a pan and bake 20-30 minutes, till done.

*tip: spray with pam to get a nice crust

I usually serve with a salad and bag of frozen corn that can be heated in the microwave.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLING CHEAT

1 rotisserie chicken from grocer's deli

1-2 cans of biscuits (depending on how many dumplings you like, I usually just use 1 can)

4-5 cans of chicken broth (enough to fill the pot that you plan to use)

Place chicken broth in pot. Debone the chicken (remove meat) and place in chicken broth. Heat till boiling. Cut biscuits down to desired size (remember they will get bigger when cooked) and place in pot.
Continue to cook for about 15 minutes.

*tip: add some poultry seasoning for deeper flavor

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Not exactly on the dieters menu, but the kids LOVE it!

1.5 lb ground beef

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 bag of frozen tater tots

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef and drain.  Stir in cream of mushroom soup. Pour into casserole dish, then layer on tater tots, spread sour cream over tater tots, then top with cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350.

How about you, do you have any favorite recipes that get you through a quick fix? Any tips that get you through a hectic day? Please share, I would love to know all the tips and tricks that you have found to work.

I apologize for any grammatical errors, this post has been done with a sleeping infant in the lap. As a busy mom, you understand that to try to move one such child may be disastrous.