5 Hurry Up! Hubs is Heading Home- Dinners

You've spent the day trying to get things done. You had your short list of things to do:
  - Clean bathroom ( aka--soak everything in bleach because the toilet is just one option for going potty in- to toddlers)
-Do dishes ( all of them- that were there last night too because you decided to have quality time with your hubs. Netflix and bowls of cereal.)
-Laundry. (Your laundry...because you spent all last week doing everyone else's and you're tired of wearing the same yoga pants that have last weeks dinner menus wiped all over them.)
-Vacuum. (In an effort to keep youngest child from eating UDO's--unidentifiable deteriorating objects...though so far he has survived...)
-Wipe down windows and front door. (UPS man is coming and all those strawberry jelly and pb hand streaks could look like you have locked up twenty children and are keeping them captive.
-Take a shower and if time allows- use soap. (This chore is optional, unless its been over a week)

You made it through the first part of the first chore. When you remember you don't want to get bleach on your last "nice" pair of black yoga pants ( not sure they qualify as yoga since they were purchased at Wallyworld in the clearance aisle for $2 and they NEVER get used for yoga)--so you go to change into an old junky pair of jeans. While changing you think, "I don't want to put clean jeans on- I'm gross--maybe I'll take a shower." Turn on shower. From the other room, "MOOOOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYY!!!
Go straighten out sibling squabbles, dump snacks on the floor, turn on tv and tell them mommys in the shower for the next ten seconds. BE GOOD.
Go back to shower, mid sudsing- "MOOOOMMMYYY! Mommy. MOOOMMY.MOOOOMMMMYYYYY!!!!".....drip drip drip....What?!
"I dropped my snack."---Good for you. BYE.
Go get dressed despite not knowing just how much of you got cleaned.
Dressed. Lunch time. Cuz they are still hungry after eating snacks.
Lunch.
Clean up.
Naptime for baby.
Afternoon coffee for mom.
****buzz*** text from husband. " Heading home, need anything?" Reply. "NOPE." HOW IS IT 5:30 already?!
BAM. DINNER.RUSH.
Here are five dinners that cook up in a hubs is headed home hurry!


Cabbage and Carrot Stir Fry
I made this for the first time last week and it was so good! Kids loved it too- well, except for a few of the bigger bites of turkey that had more spice to it. :) I used ground turkey instead of beef, doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers, and added around 8 oz of penne pasta for added kid appeal. 

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken-
This Roasted Red Chicken recipe is one of my favorites- its so yummy and fast! You can easily double it--leftovers are amazing. Just add a little chicken broth to the drippings for more sauce the next day.

2 lg boneless chicken breast
Fresh spinach
4 oz mozzerella
1 jar of roasted red peppers in garlic oil
salt and pepper
¼ tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Oregano
Preheat oven to 400
rinse and pat chicken dry, place in a 13x9 roasting pan. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper, then garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Pour garlic oil from red peppers on top of chicken, as well as chopped peppers. Bake till chicken is no longer pink, internal temp 160, then top chicken with cheese and broil till just brown.
Place chicken on top of bed of spinach and pour juices on top.

Serve with side of green beans and spaghetti noodles seasoned with olive oil, salt, and parmesan cheese.


Mushroom Frittata with Hash Browns

I sauté the mushrooms in 1 tbsp. of butter and 1/4 chopped onions before adding the eggs. If you have a food processor to shred your potatoes in that is an added plus- just remember to drain as much water from the potatoes as you can before adding to your hot skillet. Also, when it comes to hash browns, the less you mess with them the better they will be. Don't stir. Flip them when you can see they are a nice even brown on the bottom. I cut mine into small sections so I can flip them easier.


Tacos
I try to keep flour shells and/or tortilla chip on hand.  Just brown up some ground beef or turkey and add these spices--I usually add all of these spices to 1.5 lbs of beef or turkey, add 8 oz of tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup of beef or chicken broth. Also, a dash of Chipotle pepper makes them taste even better but if you have little kids go easy because it can make it spicy! Last step is to add all your favorite toppings! We usually do cheese, bell peppers, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa...

Pea and Carrot Soup
I already had homemade pesto on hand so I just added 2 heaping tbsp. to the soup, I also left out the rice because I don't like it when soup gets soaked up by rice. This soup is much tastier than I thought I would be and the kids and husband loved it too. I served it with homemade pizza but on nights with less time- just toast!


Penne with Turkey and Broccolini
I used two large broccoli crowns instead and added chopped roasted red peppers to this. Jared and I also added crushed red pepper flakes to our plates to give it a little kick.  Serve with garlic bread and its fast simple and kid friendly!

6 Things You Need If You're a Mom

Throw your BabiesRUs registry in the garbage. These are what you really need if you have kids. Or a husband. Or a slobby self. At least, these are the things I use and depend on the most in my crazy chaos of motherhood. 

1. Coffee and coffee pot 
At this point in my life I am not so much a snob when it comes to coffee. I need it and I'll drink it just about anyway I can get it. Right now we are enjoying an organic Peruvian from Aldi and its only $4.97 for 12oz. It brews super smooth, no acidity, and tastes amazing. I never thought I'd like coffee from Aldi but there you have it.
I've gone through a few different coffee makers already because they get a lot of use. I also have a french press that I mainly use for back up or when I have time to wait for my coffee (NOT OFTEN), and I LOVE my espresso maker Jared got me for Christmas a few years ago. None of them are pricey options--the coffee pot we currently use was on sale at Walmart for $20, French press was $20, and my Espresso machine was around $50. It's Mr.Coffee and works great for what I want it for. 






2. My Daddy Diaper Bag
Found this at Walmart for $5 on clearance and I love it. Not super cute-- but girls--let me tell you. Its light weight, even with all the stuff I cram into it, has latches to hook my keys onto (LOVE), and it has just the right amount of pockets. My first diaper bag had a bazillion pockets and I could never remember which pocket had what in it. Do yourself a favor and go simple!


3. Steam cleaner
It all started when Luke was about 2 and took handfuls of ashes from our fireplace ( summer time- no fire in it--don't worry) and scattered ashes across our couch and all over the floor. I called Jared, whimpering and he showed up with a Bissel steam vac that he bought used on Craigslist. I've used it every day since. Okay, not that often, but often enough that I would say to register for one instead of a stroller. For reals. You can get strollers for $5 at a yard sale...




4. Portable steam cleaner
Yes, I have two. I got this one a couple years ago and I love it almost as much, maybe more, than the large one. It is perfect for milk spills, couch cushions, your car seats...
Register for one. Or when you have a ton of Kohls cash from buying your husband new work clothes, use it for one of these. :)

5. Norwex rags
These things are pricey and you'll probably say, WUT? At the $16 for a rag. I only have 2 of the "green everything" rags, one window rag, and they get used. With just a little water your windows are spotless and lint free. I love them for my appliances too- buh bye fingerprints.
 Once, Erin dumped out a whole bottle of foundation on my carpet, I used my green norwex rag and my carpet came super clean. I thought I ruined my rag--nope! Threw it in the wash machine, then boiled it to get the extra makeup out and walah--good as new!
 FYI, the e-cloth ( norwex rival) do work good. I just have one and it scrubbed my tub just as well as the norex. If you check ebay you can find new ones cheaper too--sorry norwex ambassador friends--I'm...shall we say...thrifty?




6. BB Creme
When I need to run out but don't want to do make up, while still showing mercy to the poor cashiers- this stuff is perfect. Just enough to make you look awake and together without much effort. I throw this on with a bit of blush--maybe mascara, chap stick and out the door!





Not an exhaustive list by any means, and if I didn't have to go chase some kiddos I'd think of some more.
Remember just KISS. Keep It Simple Steve...