Superbowl snacks

So the SUPERBOWL is among us!! I want to share some of my favorite appetizers and Superbowl snacks for all of my friends!! Sorry for the delay in posting. I worked, slept and chased madds around the house all weekend!! Please comment with some of your favorite snack ideas too!!

First are some of my favorite snack ideas!

1. Bacon wrapped Tater tots!(delicious)
We had these at my aunts house for the game and they were the first thing gone. I these making ALOT!

YOU NEED:
-1 bag of Tater tots
-1 package of bacon

1. Cook tater tots as directed on package but for a little over luv half of the time stated
2. Cut bacon slices into 3rds
3.Take out tots and wrap in bacon pieces.
4. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or so until bacon starts getting crisp. ENJOY!!

2. EASY DIP.

YOU WILL NEED:
-1 cup mayo
-1 cup sour cream
-2-3 tablespoons of your favorite seasoning(I use garlic parmesan or garlic peppercorn) both can be purchased through me at www.pamperedchef.biz/Caseygralewski

1. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!! This is good with cheese, crackers, chips, little smokies, tater tots etc.

3. EASY CHEESE DIP

YOU WILL NEED:
-1 block of cream cheese
-2 cups of shredded mozzarella
-2-3 tablespoons of seasoning(i use smokey applewood which can be purchased at above link)
- 4 pieces of bacon cooked and drained
-2 tablespoons of milk

-put cream cheese, shredded mozzarella and milk in dish and microwave for 3 minutes
Stir half way through
- if dip seems too thick add a splash of milk
-add seasoning and stir to combine
-crumble bacon over top and watch it disappear!!
*you can also use other toppings like; chopped peppers or onions, cracker crumbs, sun dried tomatoes etc.

4. PEANUT BUTTER FRUIT DIP

YOU WILL NEED:
-1 cup peanut butter
-1 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Add all ingredients in bowl and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined
*great with fruit!

5. BUFFALO RANCH CHICKEN DIP

YOU WILL NEED:
1 Bottle of Ranch Dressing
1 Bar of Cream Cheese
2 Large Cans of canned Chicken
2 Small Cans of canned Chicken
1 Bottle of Hot Wing Sauce OR buffalo sauce
1 Bag of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Spread the softened cream cheese into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
2. Next, mix the drained chicken with the hot wing sauce. You can use the whole bottle, the more you add the hotter the dip.
3. Spread the Chicken over the cream cheese
4. Pour ranch dressing over chicken. ( I didn't use the entire bottle of ranch, but did use most of it)
5. Spread the dressing evenly over the chicken
6. Top the dish with the entire bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
7.Bake at 350, uncovered for 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips

6. CHILI BAR!!
YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN CHILI OR TRY THIS ONE. BEST TO MAKE IN CROCK POT FOR PARTIES!

YOU WILL NEED:

1.5-2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2- 15 ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (you could also use black beans or pinto beans)
24 ounces tomato sauce
12 ounce bottle of beer
6 ounce can tomato paste
4.5 ounce can diced green chilies
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you would like your chili
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce, depending on how spicy you would like your chili

1.brown ground beef with onion and garlic over medium-high heat. Drain beef of excess grease, if necessary.
2.Add ALL ingredients to the crock pot.
3. Cook on high 6 hours, Stir occasionally.
*serve with toppings; cheese, sour cream, green onions, jalepenos, bacon bits, etc. The toppings are endless!!

7. MINI PIGS IN BLANKETS

YOU WILL NEED:
1-2 packages of little smokeys
1-2 cans of crescents

1. Unroll the crescents and slice with pizza cutter long ways into thin strips(I usually get 4 strips from each)
2. Wrap each little smokey with a crescent strip
3. Put on sprayed cookie sheet
4. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes checking to be sure they don't burn!!

8. CHEESEBURGER RING

YOU WILL NEED:
2 Packages crescents
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained( i cook mine in the microwave, covered  for 10-12 minutes)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup relish
Half a large onion diced thin
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
* you can also make this taco flavored by adding taco seasoning and salsa to the browned beef

1. Lay crescents on greased pizza pan in circle shape  with points hanging over edges, leaving a circle open in center.
2. Mix beef, ketchup, mustard, cheese, onion and relish  together and spread  over crescents
3. Fold crescent points to inside folding under the flat side of the crescent. Brush the top with butter or egg white.
4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
*Serve with toppings like lettuce, onion, cheese etc.

9. MINI CARAMEL APPLE BITES

YOU WILL NEED:
3-4 apples chopped into pieces OR  1 pound of green grapes
1 bag of caramels
3 tablespoons of corn syrup

1. Cut apples into pieces about 1 inch by 1 inch
2. Mix caramel and corn syrup and microwave or cook on stove until melted.
3. Using tooth picks, dip apple pieces or grapes into caramel, place on wax paper covered baking sheet
4. place in refrigerator to cool

10.  RED VELVET CHEESE BALL

YOU WILL NEED:
1 box of red velvet cake mix
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 T. white chocolate chips
Assorted cookies and crackers

1. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add cake mix, powdered sugar and brown sugar. Mix until well blended.
2. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form into a football shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Unwrap cheese ball and place on serving tray. Use white chocolate chips to make the laces on the football and cover remainder of ball with mini chocolate chips.
4. Serve with your choice of cookies or graham crackers.

11. MEATBALL MOZZARELLA BOMBS

YOU WILL NEED:
1 package meatballs about 16
1 package layer biscuits
Mozzarella cheese

1. Separate each biscuit into 3 layers so you have 16 pieces all together.
2 place one meatball and a little sprinkle of mozzarella in each biscuit pieces fold ends over and place with folded end down in casserole dish
3. Repeat until finished, sprinkle tops with Italian seasoning and bake 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden
*serve with pizza sauce or marinara for dipping

12 CROCKPOT MEATBALLS

YOU WILL NEED:
1 bag frozen meatballs
1 jar grape jelly
1 bottle chili sauce

1. combine chili sauce and jelly
2. Add all ingredients to crockpot
3. Cook on high 4 hours, stirring occasionally

13 VELVETA AND ROTEL DIP

YOU WILL NEED:
1 can rotel
1/4 block of velveta cut into small cubes

Place and dish and microwave 4 minutes, stirring every minute.
*serve with tortillas

That's all for now!! Share your recipes here or on the Facebook page the busy mama Casey gralewski!!

Simple workouts for beginners!

Today I started my Taebo/kickboxing workout and portion diet today. I already eat pretty healthy but now I am working on portion control and actually exercising! So I want to share some beginner workouts for those of you getting back into the swing of things or trying to get your beach body back after the holidays!! I am starting my journey out at 200lbs which is 45lbs over my pre-Maddie weight and I want my pre-baby body back. The taebo I started today is fun, easy and really gets your heart pumping! I highly suggest this for anyone that gets bored with a workout! I have also started portion controls on my meals. We tend to want to fill our plates and finish everything on them in our society, so I am now eating from a salad plate which is smaller and chewing my food a little more. I have also started drinking more water and making sure I finish an entire glass of water before each meal(this makes you feel full and you won't eat as much. Hunger is really controlled by your brain and you can trick your brain into thinking you are full and have ate more by chewing more and filling yourself with water before each meal.

~~Some tips I have found online while searching for weight loss tips that I actually believe will work or know work~~

*Drink my water. Water has no calories and helps flush your body of toxins

* Switch from coffee to black coffee or green tea. There is a lot less calories in green tea or black coffee then the double vente coffee with extra cream and sugar crap.

*Drink a cup of coffee or tea an hour before each workout to help boost your metabolism while working out.

*Cut out the junk and just don't buy it. Remember out of site out of mind.

* Wrap 3 layers of saran wrap snug around your "problem" areas on your body before each workout or bed time. You can wear this up to 8 hours. The wrapped area will sweat more, therefore causing that area to burn more calories and fat.

*Instead of purchasing portion packs, save money and make your own healthier alternatives. Be sure to display these in an easy to reach area that you will see when snack searching!

Here are some simple beginner workouts I found online to share.

Stay calm and mom on!!

Ranch pork roast!

Hey ya'll!! So I spent my whole day cleaning and helping a friend work on a budget, the whole time smelling this amazing dinner in my slow cooker!! I just have to share this with you, the roast was so tender and moist and we all had 2 helpings!!

Ranch pork roast with carrots, onions and potatoes!
And a side of delicious mac n cheese!

-2lb pork roast(mine was frozen)
-5 or 6 gold potatoes cut in 4 pieces
-1/2 yellow onion chopped
-4 carrots chopped
-1 packet ranch seasoning
-2 1/2 cups water

1. Place roast in slow cooker fat side down
2. Place chopped vegetables around roast
3. Mix water and ranch seasoning and pour over roast
4 cook on high 4 hours and low 4 hours(if frozen)   or 8 hours low(if thawed)
*I added a little flour to the juice left in the crock pot and mixed and made a gravy for the meat.

Creamy delicious mac n cheese

- half a box of bow tie pasta boiled and almost completely drained
-2 cups of velveta, cubed
- 1/2 to 1 cup of half and half
-1 - 2 teaspoons of garlic powder to taste

1. Boil pasta and drain almost completely.
2. Add pasta, cheese, garlic and half and half to pot over heat stirring until melted
*pasta will be liquidy, let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.

This was the most amazing dinner we hate had in a while!! Maddie LOVED it!! The pork was so moist, the vegetables were soft and delicious and the mac and cheese was WOW!!

Stay calm and eat on mamas!!
<3 Casey G.

Crockpot Recipes

Another dreary day is upon us. I have accomplished doing a few loads of laundry, buying Maddie a new carseat(she really needed one), and chatting with some friends about what they wanted to see in my blog. I have had some requests for recipes, crockpot recipes and budget friendly recipes. I am going to share some of my all time favorite budget and family friendly crockpot recipes. I mean what is better than throwing everything in the crockpot before work and coming home to a hot, hearty meal that took barely anytime to prep? I think nothing.

CHEESY CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
*16 oz spaghetti
*1 lb velveeta (sliced or cubed)
*12.5 oz chicken breast(cubed)
*1 can cream of mushroom
*1 can cream of chicken
*10 oz Rotel
*4 oz mushrooms
*1/2 c water
*1 small diced onion
*1 med diced green pepper
*salt & pepper
-Place spaghetti noodles on the bottom of the crock pot pour a small amount of water over them(1/4 cup), mix water, soups, onion, green pepper, mushrooms and rotel together in large bowl. Put layer of this mixture over spaghetti with half of the velvetta, and place chicken breast cubes over top. finish with remaining cheese, and top with remaining soup mixture.
-Cook on low for 2-3 hours.

CROCKPOT ROAST
-Rump or chuck roast(3-4lb)
-About 5 or 6 white or red skin potatoes(peeled and cubed)
-Half a bag of baby carrots
-Medium onion chopped(not too small)
-Pot roast seasoning
-1 1/2 cups water
*Place half of veggies on bottom of crock pot, place roast on top, and other half of veggies around the sides of the roast. Mix together the pot roast seasoning with the water and pour over top of roast.
+Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours

PORKCHOPS WITH SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES

-4-6 Pork chops, trimmed of fat

-3 Gala apples, peeled and cubed

-1 can sweet potatoes

-1 can whole cranberry sauce or applesauce

-salt and pepper to taste

*In the slow cooker, layer the pork chops, apples and cranberry sauce or applesauce. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6.

*Add the sweet potatoes and cook for another hour or until meat is cooked through.

 

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND STUFFING

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken

1 box of stuffing

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup of sour cream

1/4 cup of water

-place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot
-top the chicken with the stuffing
-mix together soup, sour cream, and water then place the mixture on top of the stuffing
-cook on low for 6 hours if chicken was frozen, if thawed cook on low for 4 hours

STUFFED PEPPERS
4 green peppers
1 pound of ground round
1/2 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
3/4 cup of rice (uncooked)
1 egg
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
-Cut the top off the green peppers and place in the crockpot.
-In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the spaghetti sauce.
-Spoon mixture into green peppers.
-Pour spaghetti sauce over peppers
-Cook on low for 6 hours

TACO MEAT(MAKE DOUBLE AND FREEZE FOR A QUICK DINNER)
2 lbs ground meat of choice
2 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
-Around lunchtime, add all ingredients to slow cooker (my meat is usually frozen when I add it). Cook on high for several hours, give the meat a stir and break it up occasionally. Turn to low after the meat looks like it is mostly cooked (you probably don’t have to, but I worry about it burning).
-The taco meat will look really soupy. That’s okay, just strain it before serving. Part of it is the fat, part of it is a little extra moisture from the water. To strain, put a colander over a bowl or in the sink and dump in the meat.

CROCKPOT SPAGHETTI

2 handfuls spaghetti pasta, broken into pieces

26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce or make mine from the blog post "how to always have something for dinner"

20 to 22 ounce package frozen completely cooked meatballs

2 cups water

-Combine all ingredients in 4 quart slow cooker and mix to combine. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 5-7 hours until pasta is tender and meatballs are thoroughly heated, stirring once during cooking time. This method will make the pasta quite soft, like Spaghetti-Os.

-OR- you can cook the sauce, meatballs, and water for 5-7 hours on low until hot, then stir in the pasta. Try to make sure that the pasta is completely immersed in the sauce. Turn the crockpot to high. Cover and cook on high for 20-25 minutes, stirring once, until the pasta is tender. This will make pasta that is more al dente. -PLEASE read the directions. If you add the pasta at the beginning or let it cook for a couple of hours, it will be very soft. For al dente pasta, add it during the last 20-25 minutes.

Hope you enjoy these favorites of our family!!
Stay calm and mom on!
Casey G.

Sound off!!

Good morning out there!! What a lovely day it is, rain and 34 degrees, of course I waited until the last minute to go buy my books for school this semester and have to drag the baby out in this mess! Uhh. So I want to know your opinions!! How are you liking the content of my blog so far? What would you like me to blog about? Give me some topics, issues, etc and I will blog then here!! Waiting to hear from you!!

Casey G.

nighty routine!

Hello out there Mamas!

Well the night is dwindelling to an end, I have potato soup in the crock pot demi baguette is in the oven, Madds is taking a quick nap before dinner, Ryan will be home from work in about an hour, and I am enjoying a few glasses of wine while I actually have the chance! The house is a mess but will be clean before bed!!!(I hope). I wanted to give you some tips to help keep your house clean without trying, remeber if you start doing something it will become habit!

Things I do everynight before I relax:

~Clean up from dinner, Wash the dinner prep, get whatever you can put away, wipe down the counter tops and stove.I usually do this while cooking and finish before I sit down to eat (it only takes me 10 minutes and by then Ryan is generally done eating so I can eat without Madds diving head first into my plate!). Then I can actually enjoy my dinner without worrying about having to rush to the dishes!!

~Hang up the coats, put all shoes away, pick up all the toys in the living room, put the remotes in a central location, make sure there are no dishes, dirty clothes(or diapers!!) lying around, and fluff the couch cushions.

~Wash the final 3 or 4 dishes, sweep and mop the kitchen floor(I seriously do this every single night, unless I have had a few too many glasses of moscato, then I just sweep!)

I do these simple things before relaxing every single night(it takes 20 minutes tops!!), not only does it help me relax and sleep better, when I wake up in the morning the house is CLEAN and I get to start over fresh! my house generally stays pretty clean and organized, I will soon be posting a blog showing you my kitchen cabinet and refrigerator organization. I live by the rule that everything has a place and should be there!!

I hope these tips help you keep your home organized!

Stay calm ladies and mom on!
<3 Casey G.