Monday Meal Re-Cap: Sweet and Sour Ribs

Last night's Slow Cooker Sunday was another success! As you know, we lead church every Sunday night. Yes, even Super Bowl Sunday night. :-) But, in honor of the game, we "splurged" and made boneless ribs in the crock pot last night. Here is the recipe.

Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs

Ingredients:
3 to 4 lb. boneless country style ribs
1 can pineapple tidbits, undrained (20 oz.)
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)
1/2 c. thinly sliced onion
1/2 c. thinly sliced green pepper
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. tomato paste
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place ribs in an ungreased slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. (I did 7 hours on high and it worked great, too.) Thicken the sauce if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (*Or 3 servings if you are eating dinner with Chad and Joe.)

Slow Cooker Sundays!

So, in a previous post, I talked about our family's new tradition (and I take "tradition" lightly because with our family's crazy life nothing is ever set in stone). But, I talked about our "Slow Cooker Sundays." This has been a miracle worker for us on our busy Sundays when we spend all morning at church, are home for Jake to "nap," and then back to church for the better part of the late afternoon/evening. We started doing crock pot recipes so I could prepare the meal before we left the house around 3 or 4, and then it would be ready around 7:30pm.

The requirements for MY recipes:
1. I have to know what the ingredients are....nothing crazy that I have never heard of and have to run to three grocery stores just to find. It's all about total convenience for me.
2. It cannot have any additional "steps" to complete when I get home. The goal is to be able to spoon out whatever is in the crock pot as soon as we walk in the door. No additional making rice, boiling pasta, etc. Even "shredding meat" may be pushing it for me. I want my meal ready so that poor Brooklyn does not eat dinner at 8pm. (Jake is fed at his grandparents around 5:45 so don't worry about him! And a bonus: he goes to bed when we get home so we actually eat a quiet meal. ha ha! Brooklyn could eat then too but I think she loves to take advantage of staying up a wee bit later on Sunday nights. (EDIT: I do want to make it known that the grandparents do not starve Brooklyn. She is offered dinner but I know she likes staying up a bit later and eating what we eat, so we let her just snack over their house and eat dinner with us. :-)) The most I will do when I get home is throw a bag of steamer veggies in the microwave if we need an additional side, but that is it! :-)
3. It cannot cost an arm and a leg to make. Again, convenience and cost-effective is what I am going for with this.

And finally,
4. Personal endorsements are nice but not really a requirement.

So, here is what we have made in the house so far...

Crock Pot Roast and Veggies
*I don't have a recipe for this one because it actually came in this dehydrated packet from one of those holiday craft shows. My parents gave it to me for Christmas, and even though we were a bit skeptical (how can potatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms come from a 6x6 box?), it was very tasty! I just added a rump roast to the cooker, covered it in the dry veggie/seasoning packet and added water.

Crock Pot Pizza
*This recipe was given to me by a co-worker, and I have lost it in cyber-space. But here is a link to a very similar one that I think will taste the same. It just made Brooklyn giggle everytime we said "Crock Pot" and "Pizza" together.

Crock Pot Lasagna
*Now, THIS one I have the recipe for and it is FABULOUS! It was passed along to me by a college friend, and fellow blogger, Joni.

Ingredients:
* 1 pound ground beef* 1 large onion, chopped* 2 garlic cloves, minced* 1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce* 1 cup water* 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste* 1 teaspoon salt* 1 teaspoon dried oregano* 1 package (8 ounces) no-cook lasagna noodles* 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese* 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano; mix well. Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce (break the noodles if necessary). Combine the cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.

Ground Beef Stew (perfect served with cornbread)
*This one we actually made on a Saturday for lunch because we have been loving our crock pot so much!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 package baby carrots
3 cups water
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 can (6 ounces) Italian tomato paste
Directions:
In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain well. In a crock pot, combine the next 8 ingredients.
Stir in the beef. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Stir in soup and tomato paste; cover and cook for 1 hour or until heated through.

Taco Soup (also yummy with cornbread)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (*I used ground turkey, and it was awesome!)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can white corn
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
Directions:
Brown beef in skillet. After draining beef, add all cans (undrained) and envelopes to the beef in Crockery Pot. Cook on low 2 to 4 hours.

And I have been SO in love lately that I even tried a recipe mid-week...
Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of celery soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of (uncooked) white rice

Directions:

Cut the raw chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add all ingredients to crock pot and stir together. Cook on high 3-4 hours.

That's it for now! I'll keep you posted on any future "winners" that we encounter. (This Sunday = Sweet and Sour Boneless Pork Ribs) And if you have any great recipes to share, PLEASE comment below.

Happy Slow Cookin'!

Way Back When-esday

I got kinda carried away with my Way Back When-esday pics today...

Here is Brooklyn early February 2006 (11 months old)...

Brooklyn early February 2007 (almost 2)...

Brooklyn and her "Shout sisters," Allie and Zoe, early February 2008 (Brooklyn- almost 3, Allie- 1, and Zoe- 18 months)...
The SAME "Shout sisters" growing up fast in early February 2009 (Brooklyn- almost 4, Zoe- 2 1/2, and Allie- 2)...

And finally, our little Pookie made his appearance by early February 2010. Here are sweet siblings, Brooklyn (almost 5) and Jake (3 1/2 months)...

A whole lotta nothing...

*I'm trying to lose more weight...I think it makes me crabby/happy at the same time. Therefore, my mind has been a constant newsfeed of calories in/calories out. It's so time consuming but totally worth it.

*I am currently obsessed with watching the Kennedy Home Videos on TLC. There is just something that fascinates me about that tragic family.

*Jake is growing up so fast. He is repeating a lot of words now, continuing to be a little flirt and social butterfly, and 90% of the time moving too fast and running into walls and chairs and cubbies. We get a lot of calls during the day from school just letting us know that "Jake is OK but when you pick him up you will notice..."

*Brooklyn turns 6 this month. I have been struggling with what to do for her first birthday out of pre-school....who to invite, where to hold, etc. However, I made some plans this week that I am super excited about. More on that later!

*I have a new love. My crockpot. Recently, we started "Slow Cooker Sundays" where I make a meal before we leave for Shout (evening worship service our band leads), and then it is ready to go when we return home around 7:30pm. Favorites have been Crock Pot Pizza, Pot Roast, Crock Pot Lasagna (thanks, Joni!), Taco Soup, and Ground Beef Stew. I have found that the best way to choose recipes is to ask people. Trial and error is nice for some, but I prefer having a recipe with a personal endorsement.

*We just dedicated our new worship space at church. It's designed for Contemporary worship and our band is really enjoying the space.

*Work is super busy as always, but I love what I do, and I am so thankful for a job.

And speaking of thanks...

*I am so thankful for friends who are pregnant and having babies. They completely give me what I need as far as a "teeny baby fix," and I can happily return home knowing that my family is complete.

*I am thankful for friends that currently have kids and loan me their clothes. My children will never go naked, and I am so thankful that we can all share clothes and baby stuff. What a money-saver!

*I am thankful for grandparents. Chad and I are so blessed to have parents that (1) live close by, (2) are available when needed, and (3) love their grandchildren and cherish every moment that they can spend with them. They certainly make our crazy life easier to manage.

*I am thankful that Jake sleeps 10 hours a night...I just wish it were 8:30-6:30 instead of 7:45-5:45. :-) Seeing a 5 on the clock in the morning just mentally makes me sleepier. :-)

*I am thankful that my daughter is coming out of her shell at school...I just wish it were in front of us. :-)

Way Back When-esday

Someone tell me when this bald baby in January of 2006...



...became this beautiful young lady?

These Way Back When-esdays sure know how to make a mama nostalgic!

Band Busy-ness

Check out my other blog to see exciting things happening with our band, Grace Reigns Down!

What happens at Nanny's...

...makes for some pretty cute text messages.

Jake and Nanny WiiSledding.

And Brooklyn drinking Sprite from a wine glass.

And living room campouts.

If the hat fits...

My kids love wearing hats.

And they look pretty cute in them, too.

(Hats 1 & 3 courtesy of Great Grandma.)

Way Back When-esday

Today's Way Back When-esday is brought to you by a sweet, snuggly Brooklyn.

Date: January 2009
*Brooklyn and Uncle Eric enjoying some sweet bonding time.

Date: January 2010
*Brooklyn and Jake enjoying some sweet bonding time.

Happy When-esday, ya'll!

A Very Johnzler Christmas

In all the excitement of snow and ice and Baby Silas, I completely forgot to post this final Holiday blog entry!

We did our annual Johnzler Family Christmas on January 1st this year. Presents, Tanglewood's Festival of Lights (minimal lines after Christmas, people!), and a yummy dinner at J. Butler's.

We left Jake for his first sleepover at Gramma and Pops' house since long time in the car + dinner after 7:30 does not = a happy baby. But, we may bring him next year and leave Brooklyn and Allie home, because all we heard in the car was "I'm hungry...I have to pee....I'm hungry...When is it over...I REALLY have to pee...." It was mostly Brooklyn complaining to give Allie some credit. :-)

But we had a great time, and it's something that we enjoy every year with our special God-family.

I'm in love again...

I am so excited to announce the arrival of Silas, sweet son of our dear friends, Luke and Emily.

Silas was born at 3:45pm this afternoon and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

He's perfect.

Happy Birthday, Silas! Your Aunt Jaclyn loves you so much already.

Kid Tricks

This video cracks me up because it shows that kids don't always want to do all the tricks on command. And sometimes they just don't know the answer. :-)

6 Short Months...

In just six short months, we will be celebrating this beautiful couple in sunny California...

I will gain another sister in July when my brother, Eric, marries his love, Caroline. We are so excited to make the trip cross-country to participate in their ceremony and witness the joining of two fabulous families.

Sadly, not everyone will be able to attend the wedding in California, so we had an engagement party/wedding shower/reception for Eric and Caroline the week after Christmas while they were both in NC. Both families came together to honor the couple, enjoy NC barbeque, and eat a fabulous tasting "wedding cake" made by our Aunt Sharon.

Saturday Sibling Love

Nothing beats this...

Next week...

Next week starts up Season 2 of my work's Biggest Loser! I am excited to get back into the weight loss saddle again after taking a few weeks "off." I am also participating in a second competition, Iron Scout, that tracks fitness over 12 weeks. I figured if I do both one will help the other and maybe I have two shots at some extra cash. :-)

And more importantly, I am excited to lose another twenty pounds. This would put me in the "normal" range for my BMI. I am encouraged in the fact that after Season 1, I went from this:
to this:So, hopefully after Season 2, I can get back to this: Game on!

(I am also posting pics of Chad to brag on his progress. It's been wonderful going through this with my partner. It helps a lot!)

Confessions of a mom that works. And loves it.

I had several thoughts about what to title this post.

I just wanna be a "stay at home wife."
Thoughts from a working mom.
What is a working mom?
Aren't all moms working?
The guilt. Should I feel it? Because I don't.

Do you have any idea what I am about to write? No? That's why it was so hard to pick a good title.

After spending two weeks off work, I would like to say that I have had a lot of time to think. And write. And clean. And rest. And watch TV.

But I didn't.

Because while I was off for those two weeks, so were Chad and Brooklyn. And Jake was home 75% of the time. And that equals a busy two weeks. Not to mention Christmas and all.

I enjoy working outside the home. A lot. I enjoy making money, because I enjoy spending money. And, let's face it, as a teacher, Chad doesn't make enough for us to both spend. :-) I also enjoy my office. I love the people I work with, I believe in what my company does, and I believe that my job has value. But I LOVE my office because I have a door...that closes. And doesn't open unless people knock. So, whenever I need to accomplish something, I have the choice to close my door. And it stays shut.

And I can use the bathroom by myself. Without interruption.

I know, amazing, huh?

But, as a mother, I do feel a tug to want to stay home with my children in their younger years. I love them so much and want to witness every moment of their childhood.

But, then we have a two week vacation, and I am reminded why I work.

When I am home with the kids for long weekends, or snow days, or holidays, why am I exhausted? Why do I get frustrated? Shouldn't I be thrilled to have this extra time with them? I spent some time (maybe in the shower when I was semi-alone) over the holidays mulling this over.

I shouldn't feel guilty for loving my life the way it is. I shouldn't feel guilty for enjoying the fact that they go to school everyday, and I go to work. I shouldn't be confused as to why "extra days" all day at home exhaust me.

Why?

Because it's not part of our normal daily routine. And kids thrive on routine.

When Brooklyn was a baby, she only napped at school. She napped on a mat, by herself, for hours. But at home on the weekends, we would spend forever trying to rock her to sleep in a bathroom with the fan on for white noise, and then one of us would have to lay down with her in our bed to keep her asleep. I have to say, I didn't really care that much when she gave up naps. That was three hours of our day back. I just thought we did something "wrong" with Brooklyn and somehow missed the nap train.

Fast forward a few years. Jake was a great napper. He was at home (or Aunt Patty's house) for the first 6 months of his life. He slept in his bed for naps. He took pretty decent ones. Then, he transitioned to school and did great there, too. At about 8 months, he moved from the crib to the mat. And he did great at school.

But then he stopped napping at home in his bed. And the cycle started again. Refusing to nap at home = rocking in front of the TV and then laying down with me in our bed.

WHY??????

Then, it dawned on me. For 5 continuous days, Jake sleeps on the floor, with a teacher patting his back, with his friends, with special music. Then, on Saturdays, we look at him and expect him to just happily climb in his crib and nap mid-day. A break in routine. He's confused, he's lonely, and then he just gets pissed.

And then nap time is over.

So, we try to accomodate him. We shoot for the same time of day (12-ish), but we snuggle and love and cuddle. And we nap beside him. So he's not lonely.

And though I don't get anything done for 45 minutes to 2.5 hours (he's very unpredictable), I do get to read a few pages of Harry Potter. And watch my beautiful sleeping son.

So, back to the long days at home. 5 days at school- where he has friends to play with non-stop in a child-proof, age appropriate setting, where they bring him meals at a teeny table and he sits in a teeny chair, and where he naps on his own mat in his same spot everyday.

If I were a stay at home mom, I am sure that I would still have days when I am exhausted. Positive. I read the blogs, and I have many friends who are stay at home moms. I believe that if that's what makes them happiest, then I support them 100%. It's a decision that only you can make for yourself, and I definitely see the same value in both "pathways."

But, back to if I were a stay at home mom. Jake would have a completely different routine. His day to day life would be much different than it is now. And it would be a 7 day a week cycle. Not a 2 on, 5 off. He would nap in his bed...probably most of the time. He would learn to play by himself...at least some of the time. We would join a playgroup. And our house would be child-proof.

Our house is not really child-proofed. Brooklyn was 3 1/2 when we moved. We added a gate to the top of the stairs and thought that was good. Since Jake has become mobile, I put a few locks on the fireplace, the wine cabinet, and the bathroom cabinets (OK, they have hair rubber bands, but they do the trick for now), and the ottoman blocks the bottom of the stairs. So, consequently, we spend a lot of time chasing Jake and getting him out of trouble. And we also have to do other things that don't get done during the week...boring stuff like bill paying, bathroom cleaning, and picture hanging. Which all leaves us pretty worn out. And leaves Brooklyn bored and also wanting attention. And she's pretty vocal when she needs attention. (Again, a child used to having friends around her 5 days a week since she was 8 weeks old = a child that does not entertain herself easily.)

No time to do much of anything else.

And speaking of doing anything else (are you guys still even reading this? I am usually much more organized with my thoughts!)...

Did you know that sometimes I leave work at 5 and go straight home? I work 2 miles from Jake, but sometimes Chad will go by and get him so that I can get home and start dinner. That way, when the three of them walk in the door, dinner is ready, and we can all eat together. I may even have time to throw in a load of laundry or unload the dishwasher. But there is probably not time in there to change clothes. That would be asking a lot.

Did you know that I don't work Fridays, but I send Jake to school anyway?

And I don't feel guilty.

Sometimes on Fridays, I get to grocery shop, clean the house, organize clutter, and do everything else that didn't get done Saturday-Thursday. But sometimes, I have appointments or obligations. Each week is different. But I do enjoy my Fridays.

I tell Chad I would make a perfect "stay at home wife." We could send the kids to school everyday, but I could do all the house and wife duties at home uninterrupted. Maybe if we win the lottery....

And if we do win the lottery, I will pay someone to come child-proof my new, huge mansion.

And hire someone to clean it weekly.

And cook my dinners.

And then I would spend all my free time playing with my kids.

After they come home from school.

The Two-Part Christmas! (that means twice the fun!)

We were lucky enough to have two Christmases with my side of the family (Part 2 came when Aunt Caroline arrived in NC after spending Christmas with her mom). Here are pictures, in no particular order, from both celebrations.

Grandpa showing Jake a picture of he and Brooklyn. And Brooklyn just tearing through presents.

The gang.

One of my favorite gifts was a LightScoop for my camera. Eric was patient and helped me most of one evening learning how to use it. :-)

One of the kids' favorite presents was their new red wagon....Brooklyn "helped" Grandpa put it together.

There are just no words to describe how funny this picture is.

My precious family.

Grace Reigns Down CD framed. :-)

And more playing with the camera's lightscoop.

Now, if Santa would just bring me a few more hours in the day to put away new clothes, practice on my camera, clean out closets, and catch up on emails, I will be good to go! :-)

We interrupt Christmas vacation to bring you...

...a snow day!!!

On December 27th, my family came over to take advantage of the Winter Wonderland in our front and back yards (hey, the driveway is useful for something!). Brooklyn had a great time playing with Nanny and Uncle Eric...and Jake tolerated it for a few quick picture opts. :-)

The Johnson Christmas (otherwise known as the "Nothing Can Stop Us Christmas")

Not even 6 inches of snow on the ground and the steepest driveway in the world can stop us from getting together with our Johnson family. (Though for a while there it was looking iffy, and we were VERY sad.)

But, bless my family, they loaded four adults and boo-koos of presents in a 4 door sedan and traveled across town to have Christmas with us at our (quite snowed in) home.

Jake was very excited and called all his friends (on the Wii remote).

There was lots of present opening...

And present putting togethering...

And Easy Bake cooking...

And very happy children!

And even happier Grandparents. :-)