Licking the bowl clean

Dinner tonight was a gamble. Using up some frozen shrimp and scallops that had been in my freezer for a while. And I served it to five-year old triplets no less. A few adjustments along the way, of course, but don't ask me what they were. I can't remember. All I know is Angel triplet liked this soup so much she literally licked the bowl. Apart from bad table manners, it makes a Mama feel awesome when her kid enjoys the food so much that licking the dinner bowl clean is even thought of.  

In other news, Princess triplet merely smelled it, and Sunshine took 4 bites.

Seafood Chowder

Wildtree "Get Your Grill On" Freezer Meal Workshop

If you are anything like me, than you're always looking for ways to make getting dinner on the table easier and better for your family. That's why I'd LOVE to have any local West Michigan readers (or those who may be in the area on June 26, 2013) to come and check out Wildtree products with me at a freezer meal workshop/party. It sounds like great fun and what's better than having pre-prepped grilling food in your freezer ready to pull-out for dinner?

What are the meals? I'm glad you asked!

Asian Ginger Beef Tips with Spicy Slaw 

Herb Grilled Chicken and Fire Roasted Veggies

Agave BBQ Country Ribs

Cheddar and Garlic Turkey Burgers

Savory Grilled Tilapia

Rodeo Blue Cheese Burgers with Grilled Onion Strings

Herb Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Angel Hair Pasta
Hickory Grilled Rodeo Chicken

Rancher Grilled Steaks with Blue Cheese "crowns"

Grilled Asian Ginger Chicken Skewers

*These are your dinners - you can make any meat substitutions you wish.

If you're interested at all, then you need to get cracking because registration is due by June 12. 

Plan ahead and make dinner a breeze. It's so easy! Come on over to my friend Jenna's house in Rockford, Michigan and prep 10 healthy dinners in about 1 1/2 hours that you'll take home and freeze. Pull them out later to thaw and cook whenever you need something for dinner!

What's Wildtree? Wildtree is an organic food company that offers all-natural spice blends and oils free of preservatives, additives and chemicals - all you need for simple, healthy meals in a short amount of time!

Here's how it works. Register and pre-pay $75 by June 12 for a package of Wildtree products. Next, Jenna emails you a quick list of meats and veggies. You do a little advance prep and then head over to Jenna's house on June 26th. Your Wildtree package will be waiting for you along with recipes, instructions, and FUN! You'll go home with 10 meals PLUS products and recipes to make the meals AGAIN!! Each meal is designed to feed 4-6 adults - for under $3 per serving!

Simply RSVP yes to Jenna at (616)883-6060 or jennamichalsky@gmail.com and she will contact you for payment and info. Workshop date: June 26th at 6:30 pm. Just think....you'll have 10 meals ready to go! Why wait? RSVP today and you'll be on your way to simple, healthy meals in minutes!

Registration Deadline: June 12th

*Disclosure: This post is partially sponsored by Jenna Michalsky as I will receive a discount on the Wildtree product required to attend the freezer meal party. Additional discounts will apply if readers of my blog also attend the party.

Healthy meals made simple with Wildtree freezer meals

I've written about the classic question "What's for dinner?" before, and at the Tripped Up Castle the answer always seems to vacillate between two opposites. It means either being really organized and pre-planning menus for weeks and weeks ahead of time or getting super creative with whatever's in the house. 

In my various attempts to make mealtimes easier, especially dinner, I've always been intrigued by the logic of freezer meals. It's like they're a mixture of the two ends of the organization spectrum. I love the relative ease of pulling out a partially prepared, frozen meal out in the morning and having minimal work to do for dinner that night. This suits my hectic lifestyle.

So, when a friend invited me to a Wildtree party event where we'd prepare 10 freezer meals using organic spice and seasoning mixes, I was all about it. In fact, the more I thought about the idea, the more I thought it would suit others, like my blog readers, too. 

What is Wildtree? 

Wildtree is a company that helps you answer these questions: What's for dinner? How can I make it healthy for my family? How can I make it in a short amount of time? How can I plan simple, quick meals and save money? Why and how can healthy food be delicious? It's a food company founded on the premise that food should be all natural, nutritious, delicious, and easy to prepare all at the same time. Wildtree products are made of all natural ingredients and have low or no sodium. They have no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, and no trans fats. 

According to the Wildtree website: "Most of us do not cook from scratch anymore and let's face it - we are a sauce from a jar, soup from a can, chicken shaking generation. Packaged foods do make our life easier, but they are also expensive, loaded with fats, salts, and preservatives, and just not as tasty as homemade. Why not rediscover cooking & healthy eating the Wildtree way?"

The products range from taco seasoning packets to grape seed oil for cooking. You'll find spice rubs and blends that work together to make it easy to make any meal. At the upcoming party, I expect to taste some delicious food and learn new ways to make mealtimes easier in my house, like the "bag/freeze/marinate" method of one pot meals.

Can Wildtree help you?

If you live in West Michigan, or are going to be in the area on June 26, 2013, why not plan to join me, my friend, and others at a Wildtree party? We'll have a great time getting 10 freezer meals together and walk away with enough product to do another set of 10 meals on our own. (Not including the meat & vegetables that you bring with you to the event). In order to be part of the event, please visit my friend's website, click on email me, then tell her you want to be part of the June 26 Freezer Meal Event. It costs $75 for the product and you need to have that in place by June 12 to be included in the event.

I promise to attend the Wildtree Freezer Meal party and let you know what I think. I'll taste test the food there and then family test it later. You'll see at least one or two reviews of meals on the blog and of course I promise to tell the absolute truth - it either works for us or it doesn't. It still seems to be processed food, however, it seems like it's healthier processed food. So, you get the ease, convenience, and lower costs without the guilt of feeding your family unhealthy and artificial food. This could be good for the Tripped Up Castle - stay tuned.


*Disclosure: This post is partially sponsored by Jenna Michalsky as I will receive a discount on the Wildtree product required to attend the freezer meal party. Additional discounts will apply if readers of my blog also attend the party.

Dinner = Whatever's in the house

It's not always easy to get to the grocery store no matter who you are, right? Just add in the child factor for anyone and it's tougher. In the Tripped Up Family's world, we have to add in the triplet and the special needs factors - as you can imagine grocery store trips are never classified as a quick run or anything easy.

So when it comes to the "what's for dinner" question at our house, there are only 2 options - either you get really organized and pre-plan your menus for weeks & weeks ahead of time or you get super creative with whatever's in the house. I vary between those two options frequently, quite frankly, I bet you do too.

On those days when I have to scrounge around and make something from "whatever's in the house," I find myself relying on a recipe I learned from an old cookbook I don't even own anymore. (I'm old enough to have many "previous lives" - you know, the first marriage, various former jobs as a writer, locations I've lived, schools I've attended. This cookbook, A Taste of Oregon, was from one of those previous lives. Actually it was a wedding gift, from one of my first husband's aunts, and I've long since given it back to him). This recipe has been seared into my memory and I use it as a base for any throw-together comfort food casserole that invariably graces our table at least twice a month. I give it to you below as I remember it, as I use it, but I haven't seen the actual cookbook or the recipe itself in well over 13 years.

You can still find this cookbook on Amazon and I think I may be purchasing a new copy for myself again. After all, if I remember right, there was a pretty good Taco Salad recipe in there as well.

Make Your Own Casserole

Use this as a base and make it yours however you want, with whatever's in the house.

INGREDIENTS

1	Cup Main ingredient (like browned hamburger, cooked poultry, tuna, or pre-cooked beans)
1	Cup second ingredient (like vegetables, a second meat, or another cup of main ingredient)
1 to 2	Cups starchy ingredient (like potatoes, pasta, or pre-cooked rice)
1 to 2	Cups binder (something that holds all things together like a cream soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, tomato paste)
1/4 to 1/2	Cup fun item (like mushrooms, water chestnuts, pimentos, artichoke hearts, olives, whatever you like)
	Onions & celery can be used as part of above ingredients or considered spices and added later.
	Your favorite spices - be creative here!
Optional add-ins for top
	grated cheese (any kind you like), crushed potato chips, bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together into a casserole dish. If it seems dry as you're mixing you can add in some water or milk depending on your taste. Place your chosen topping over all and then bake, covered, about 30 to 45 minutes or until heated through.