As those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know, my two-year-old was very sick Sunday and Monday evenings. We were able to get her in to the doctor yesterday and were relieved to find out she just has a very bad case of the flu–which we were very relieved to hear!
I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to be able to do a Baking Day this week but when she started taking a turn for the better yesterday and I knew I was going to be home all day today and she'll likely be resting much of the day, my husband said if I was up to it, I should just go ahead and go with the planned Baking Day. So here we are!
I got a later start than usual because we all slept in this morning. I've learned that I'm not very productive when I'm tired so it's better to sleep in and get enough rest than to try and limp along in a sleepy fog. After a much better night's rest last night, I'm feeling much revived and energized and ready to hit the kitchen and get busy baking and cooking!
Before going to bed last night, I made a Master Plan for today's baking. It really helps me to have a specific, numbered list to go off of. In addition, it helps me to be able to maximize my efficiency so that I can be multi-tasking on most tasks.
Here's a peek at my scribbled down list for today:
I'm off to brown the turkey and start on the waffles. I'll be back with a report shortly.
I linked to your Baking Day posts at my blog: http://magenranae.blogspot.com/2009/10/meal-plan-and-cooking-day.html
I am getting ready to do the same thing. My husband is going to have surgery and we have 2 children and I work full time. I am not usually home to make supper…so I am going to make ahead and freeze so it can easily be heated up.
WOW~I am so impressed! You may give me inspiration to do this for my own family. I have been thinking about it, but never seem to get around to doing it. I too am a new follower and a new blogger myself. I just began staying home this year and homeschooling my 3 girls after teaching for a few years. Can’t wait to see your recipes!!
It has happened! After about half a year of reading your posts, I have decided to try a baking day! I have been able to keep my kitchen clean so now it is time to use it! So whatever you bake on your day, I will try at least one thing the next day! =0)
Crystal, do you bake your chicken casserole or things of the like before you put it in the freezer?
You all are so funny and overly kind about the handwriting thing. I’m chuckling because that’s actually quite sloppy for me! 🙂 If I’d have known other people besides me were going to be looking at it, I probably would have written a little more neatly. But oh well! Might as well see me exactly as I am, right?
Hope your little Kaitlyn feels better soon! Hopefully your other little ones won’t catch it. Love your blog. I also would love to see some recipes. Thanks Crystal!
I learned that using the crockpot for beans is a great way to cook them. I just put about 1lb of them and fill the pot with water and cook on high around 12 pm and they are ready to be seasoned around 6-7! It saves a lot of hassle and cheaper than canned. Plus it uses way less energy.
LOL! Same here – lovely handwriting!!!
I love freezer cooking and have tried once a month cooking but I found reheating many of the meals is like cooking another meal and was just a bit much for me. I have discovered that just browning a bunch of ground beef and cooking chicken breasts is a great time saver. Also chopping onions and freezing and saving the chicken stock in ziploc bags and freezing are also great money/time savers. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your ambitious day!
Hope your precious little one is feeling lots better soon!
I just have to comment on the cute, regional colloquialisms.
People around here ‘make’ meatballs, and ‘make up’ with people. :-Q
Not a criticism at all. I think it’s cool that the internet allows us to converse with people from other parts of the country. It’s fun!
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Money Saving Mom here: It’s probably just how I scribbled it out without thinking last night. We make up with people here, too! But if I’m making a big batch of meatballs for the freezer, I make them up, too. 🙂
You should consider giving them, at the 1st sign of flu like symptoms, Oscillio by Boiron.It is a Homeopathic medication that comes in children’s doses.You can find them at most stores.You should also find a coupon for it on their website.
A friend turned me on to it a few years ago.I love it,my kids love it.It does seem to work like magic.
Hope all is better soon so the baking goes well for you!
Glad to see that I was not the only one marveling at the super nice handwriting. I have to look at my list, re-read it a few times, turn it sideways, then right again, THEN can read what the heck I wrote 10 minutes ago! Wish I was home, would join in. Oh wait. I’m in the food hoarder category right now, meaning no room in freezer & banned from shopping til I make more room 🙂
Hope she feels better soon!
I’ve also found this week that tending to sick little ones has the potential to keep me at home where I can choose to be fruitful. I hope your plans lead to satisfying results!
Hope your daughter gets better soon. It’s going around, that’s for sure—2 of my 6 have it and 2 more are fighting it off. Good luck with the baking. I got inspired by your post and decided to semi-join you in that I’m cooking a bunch of pinto beans and ham and another pot of homemade English-style baked beans to freeze (I do hope they freeze). That’s about all I have the energy for with sick kids and less than 3 hours’ sleep last night. PLEASE post your recipes—they sound great!
I am a nearly-compulsive list-maker, but with my kids I never find the time to sit down and get organized any more! So meals are thrown together, shopping trips turn into a fiasco…I love my lists! Gotta get back into the swing of it all…
I’m glad that Miss Kaitlyn is doing better! I wanted to say that you have beautiful handwriting!
Goodness, that is quite a list! Love your handwriting!
I hope your Munchkin gets to feeling better! Happy Baking Day! 🙂
I had a bit of a baking day myself. This afternoon I baked up a batch of both chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip cookies. Not much- but a start for me!
That’s some perfect handwriting, there, girl!
Can’t wait to see all of your finished products!
SO inspired by your list! I am really thinking of doing this myself! Looking forward to your updates today and happy that your lil one is feeling better =)
You have such pretty handwriting!
I think you found that lost Superwoman cape! LOL
Sorry you little girl is sick! It’s not H1N1 is it? I’m scared to death that my 8 month old is going to contract that nasty bug!
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Money Saving Mom here: I was worried about that, too! They said that because she doesn’t have a runny nose, isn’t vomiting, and seems to be getting better today than it likely isn’t. They are only testing people here if they have to be hospitalized–according to what the doctor told us.
What a great idea Crystal! I’m a food blogger without any kids, but I love reading your posts! Although I do love cooking/baking new things, the truth is that a lot of days I’m just really lazy in the kitchen. It would be great to stock up on homecooked meals for those lazy days! You’re such an inspiration to both moms and non-moms!
SO grateful for this and all the other info you share with all of us, Crystal!!
It would be very helpful to see your entire To-Do list…..may I be so bold as to ask whether you’d share it with us, please? (The handwritten one in the photo.) It is inspiring, too!
Thanks so much and God continue to bless you guys!!!
P.S.–I’m gonna copy your homeschool lesson idea from the picture of your adorable children. 🙂
I think she will be posting recipes at the end 🙂
Even your handwriting is neat!
Hey Super woman: awesome idea with the step by step detailed guide. I’m going to try to do that for holiday cooking! I’m praying for your little girl with the flu. Hopefully baby doesn’t get it! Things are always crazy when my kiddos are sick!
I hope your little one gets to feeling better!
Also wondering if you would mind sharing your chicken tetrazinni recipe.
Oh, fun!! I SO wish I could join today! Doing finances for my husband’s business instead. Maybe next time!
I am a new follower, so I am just curious as to what the purpose of these baking days are.
Hope your little one improves greatly.
Such a great list – I do the same thing, only I put mine up on a white board so I can SWIPE things off the list as soon as they are done. 🙂
This is a great idea, do you have meals planned out for the week or do you just pull something out from the freezer?
Also how do you keep things in the freezer from getting freezer burn or a weird taste?
I love the “boil noodles” and “boil more noodles” too funny.
I really like to do big cooking days like this too and it does take a lot of repeats for me too:)
Trixie