We're Having a Little Lobster!

I had my first internal exam today. I was sooo nervous because I was scheduled to see a *gasp* man! I've never had a male doctor for that purpose. I've been rotating through the office and know it's no big deal, but still, I was nervous.

I gained 8 pounds since my appointment 8 days ago... 8 POUNDS!

My blood pressure was 145/78. Last week it was 110/70. Huge difference.

I also mentioned that I haven't been feeling Connor move around as much.

So I had my internal along with my group B strep test. It was all over quicker than I could blink.

Then the doctor put me on a fetal monitor to monitor Connor's heartrate and movement. He moved a lot during that time.

After sitting on the monitor for about 20 minutes I spoke with the doctor and he warned that I could be at risk for pre-eclampsia or toxemia because of my BP and weight gain. I have to go back tomorrow for a BP check.

If my BP doesn't go down, he's pulling me out of work.

Cross those fingers for me!

Jennings was s-i-c-k all last week. On Monday I stayed home just in case he needed me. Seriously y'all, he's never been so sick. It was terrible.

To take up some of my day, I decided to go ahead and make some freezer meals. I headed off to HT and came back with all this:

Combined it with some stuff that I already had in the pantry and created this...

Obviously not the packaged stuff, but the tins... 10 freezer meals! Yum!

This was the worst thing I created... ugh.

It only took me about two hours to complete all 10 meals (really it was only 5 things that I split into 8x8 pans, we're not big fans of leftovers at the Lobster House).

Here are the recipes I used... yes, this is about to get really long. (I still need to make the Pizza Bread Roll and Pancakes, but as you can see, I don't have much room left in my freezer.)

Pizza Bread Roll
Vegetable oil spray
1 frozen bread dough loaf, thawed (I bought Pillsbury seamless dough instead)
1 c. pizza sauce
8 oz. shredded mozzerella
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
Assorted toppings of your choice
1 egg, beaten

Spray baking sheet with oil. On a floured surface, roll loaf into rectangle, about 12x16 inches. Spread with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with assorted toppings of your choice and cheese. Roll tightly, beginning at short end, and place seam-side down on baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Cut four slits in dough to vent. freeze.

Spaghetti Casserole
8 oz. angel hair pasta
1 lb. ground beef
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. sour cream
2 c. shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

Cook pasta for a slightly shorter time than directed on package until just done. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown beef and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Remove from heat. Stir together cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. In 9x13" freezer pan, layer half the meat sauce, pasta, sour cream mix, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover tightly with foil and freeze up to 3 months.

CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
One 10¾ oz. can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup
8 oz light sour cream
1 cup Pace picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1 lb. chopped or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups Kraft 2% Mexican 4-Cheese
Ten 6-inch flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, stir 1 cup of the sauce mixture with the chicken & 1 cup of the cheese.
4. Spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side-down in prepared dish. Scoop remaining sauce over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray. Place sprayed-side-down on enchiladas and cover tightly.
5. Bake for 40 minutes or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling.
Top individual servings with tomato and onion. Add a dollop of guacamole, if desired.

Layered Enchilada Bake
1 lb. (450 g) lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chunky salsa
1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. chili powder
6 medium flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Kraft Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

BROWN meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in next 4 ingredients.

PLACE 3 tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers; cover.

BAKE 40 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted, uncovering after 30 min. Let stand 5 min.

Lasagna
1 lb. (450 g) lean ground beef
2-1/2 cups Kraft Part Skim Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, divided
2 cups light ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Kraft 100% Parmesan Grated Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (700 mL) pasta sauce
1-1/2 cups water
12 lasagne noodles, uncooked

HEAT oven to 350°F. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1-1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.

DRAIN meat; return to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Add to skillet; stir until well blended.

SPREAD 1 cup of the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, one-third of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1-1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil.

BAKE 1 hour. Remove foil; continue baking 15 min. or until heated through. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.

Corn Bread Taco Bake *I'm super excited about this one*
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup pureed salsa
1 batch corn bread batter (see below)
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown meat; drain.
Stir in next 4 ingredients.
Pour into 8x12 baking dish.
Prepare corn bread batter.
Spread over meat.
Top with jalapeños if desired.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Top corn bread with cheese.
Bake 5-7 minutes.

Corn Bread Batter
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
pickled jalapeños (optional)

Mix dry ingredients, add milk egg and oil, mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients.

Chicken Souvlaki Dump Chicken
4 chicken breasts, cooked, cut into large chunks
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine spices and oil.
Add lemon juice.
Place (or "dump") chicken in freezer container or bag, pour marinade over.
Freeze.
To serve, heat in microwave in glass dish. Drain off excess mainade. Serve with baked potatoes and a veggie side, such as carrot sticks or steamed broccoli.
To prepare without freezing, place raw chicken in marinade for at least 30 min (up to a day). Thread onto skewers; broil or barbeque until done, approx. 5 min on each side.

Le'go those eggos basic freezer pancakes
16 to 20 5" pancakes OR 24 to 30 4" pancakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups buttermilk OR use 1 1/2 cups buttermilk plus 1 cup club soda and reduce baking soda to one teaspoon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 to 1/2 cup cooking oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
OPTIONAL 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
nonstick spray or griddle

This batter breaks the rule about lightly mixing pancake batter and leaving it lumpy. It is blended smooth. But like other pancake batters, it makes better higher, lighter, fluffier pancakes if it sits at least an hour before baking, or even overnight in the refrigerator.

In a blender or with a mixer, combine all of the ingredients until smooth.

When ready to cook, preheat the griddle or skillet over a medium heat, tending toward low. Use a pan with a nonstick surface or apply a little nonstick spray. When ready, a drop of water dances across the surface; if it puffs into steam, the griddle is too hot. Pour the batter by ice cream scoop or ladle into the hot pan, forming equal circles.

To get perfectly round pancakes, make sure the pan is level and pour the batter straight down onto the griddle surface. Note the time. When the edges just appear to harden and the top is slightly dulled and full of bursted holes, they are ready to turn. Note the time and flip the pancakes. They should be a light golden brown. Cook pancakes on the other side for same amount of time, until golden brown.

To freeze, lay flat in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen hard, then bag and seal. To use, either take out the day before and defrost in the refrigerator, or cook still frozen in the toaster to heat. To microwave, reheat covered so they don't dry out.