Everyday Eclectic: Super, Simple Chicken Dinner

      If you’re like me, when you get home from work the last thing you want to do is cook a huge meal. I’ve found a super simple way to make QUICK and EASY meals instead of eating pre-packaged frozen or fast food.  It saves money, time, and it’s actually healthy!   

   Are you ready for my secret?

   FREEZER BAGS. That’s right, freezer bags have changed our family meal time.

    Last year I started buying fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts at our local Sam’s Club store. Obviously my family couldn’t eat an entire flat of chicken in one setting so I needed a way to utilize the rest of the value priced meat. That’s where freezer bags came in…

   At first I just froze the extra. But when we defrosted the chicken it was usually a little dry, or just plain boring. I rummaged around in my cabinets and came across some marinade packets that we had bought for grilling. It was like lightning struck my brain! I’m sure I heard angels singing as I looked between those dry marinade packets and that pile of poultry.

     Are you ready to get started on your super, simple chicken dinner? Just grab a few items and get going.

   

Materials:

Large Knife

Cutting Board

Spoon

Gallon Freezer Bags

Sharpie

Ingredients:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Marinade Packets

Oil

Vinegar (white or apple cider)

                                                    Water 

Step 1: Prep your space

• ·      Get out (AND OPEN) 1 bag per 1-1.5 lbs. of chicken *Trust me, you do not want to open these with chicken juice all over your hands!
• ·      Use a sharpie to label your freezer bags (write the name of one marinade on each bag)
• ·      Set out your cutting board and knife
• ·      Pull out the marinade packets and other ingredients (*different marinade packets require slight variations of additional ingredients, but water, oil, and vinegar are standard)

Step 2: Mix your marinades

• ·      Mix each marinade in a small bowl
• ·      Set the marinade packet for each mix in front of the bowl

Step 3: Put it together

• ·      Butterfly cut each chicken breast (cut it horizontally to make thinner cutlets)
• ·      Place 3-4 chicken breasts into each gallon freezer bag
• ·      Pour one marinade over each bag of poultry
• ·      Squeeze out as much air as possible and zip the bag shut
• ·      Lay the bags flat in the freezer

Now comes the best part!

      When you’re ready to make your super, simple chicken dinner, pull the Ziploc bag out of the freezer. Set it in a large bowl (or your clean, kitchen sink) and run warm tap water over it. I let it sit in the water while I change out of my work clothes and into my p.j. pants and fluffy slippers. Dinner’s well under way while I’m already starting to relax! 

     When the chicken has thawed, flip on your grill. While the grill pre-heats, put on some fast-fix sides. We like to microwave baked potatoes and toss a quick side salad or heat up some canned veggies (don't groan-at least they're vegetables!).

     Grill your chicken (or ask your spouse to cook the meat if you really want a nice break). Fixing our chicken this way really lets the marinades saturate the meat for a flavorful dish. Plate your chicken and simple sides and serve.  

Sometimes we have extra chicken left over that is terrific for chicken roll-ups, chicken salads, and chicken nachos! YUM!!

I hope this super, simple chicken dinner idea gives you a little more time to unwind in the evening! Feel free to leave an idea or comment of your own. J

Spook-tacular Science

Spook-tacular Science

    Last year I found the coolest Halloween chips at my local grocery store! This year they were back again so I picked up a couple of bags because I knew that they would be a fun segway into my science unit on bones…

   These yummy treats were only $2.50 a bag so I picked up a couple for my class. Each student can use the “bones” to create a small skeleton. 

Give each student a sandwich baggie with the following Cheetos:

·       Skull (1)

·       Rig cage (1)

·       Hands/feet (4)

·       Straight bones (6-8)

Ask your students to look at the pieces and create a skeleton.

    Before or after your students make their Cheetos skeletons, show them a short video clip. My favorite site to use for videos is Brain Pop or Brain Pop Jr., but it requires a subscription.  This free video from “Make Me Genius” is a quick clip that you can also use. 

     I like to let my students try to make their skeleton first. Then we watch the video and I give them a few minutes to move their bones around if needed. This allows them to reflect on their learning and empowers them to take charge of what they know.

      After we do our intro activity, we discuss the science unit that we’re about to begin. You can do a quick class KWL chart about the skeletal system; ask your students to write a list of skeletal system facts that they know; or give students a sticky note to write one thing/question that they’d like to learn. There’s no limit to the quickie wrap up activities that you can do.

     I even channeled my inner “Miss Frizzle” for my bone unit! This outfit was super-simple to make. I just traced bone patterns onto white felt with a black sharpie. Then I cut them out and used small safety pins to a black sweat suit. And yes, I sprayed my hair orange with clearance Halloween hair spray!

 

Check out my TpT packs for more skeletal system ideas!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Super Summer Fun!

Super Summer Fun!

    The sun’s out and so is school. It’s the perfect time of year to get outside for some super summer fun! Check out these perfect projects from some fantastic blogs…

from Tater Tots and Jello

       My kids love to read! In fact, sometimes I have trouble getting their noses out of their books and into the great outdoors.  Creating a reading teepee is brilliant idea to get my little bookworms out in the fresh air. The teepee can also be used as an outdoor clubhouse for the kiddies. There are so many ways your kids can get tons of fun out of this idea!

from Hammer and Thread

    What child doesn’t love decorating their driveway with swirls of color? Sidewalk chalk is a great way to let your kiddies’ creative juices run wild! This site helps make it fun and inexpensive…

from Gwenny Penny

   Another childhood favorite is BUBBLES! Seriously, my little stinkers love chasing those elusive orbs as they drift on the wind. To make the bubbles even more fun, try creating your own bubble wands from items around the house...

                

Mommies With Cents

from Art is Basic

    To make your bubble play even more fun, try adding a little color to create art prints! Obviously, you won’t want to chase these bubbles around the yard (unless you’re trying to tie-dye your clothes).   

from Passion For Savings

   This project is the perfect way for the kids to cool off on a hot summer day without a visit to the pool! Once you create these sponge balls with your children, they can reuse them all summer long. They also make fun pool toys if your kids want to add some sport to their swim time.

from Dump a Day

      One of the innovative summer games on this site is bottle bowling. It’s practically free and teaches your kids to recycle items from home! This site also contains other great games that would be awesome party activities or just plain summer excitement.

Enjoy the fresh air and time with your kiddos this summer!

Thanks for Stopping By,

Interactive Notebook-Mini: Plants and Soil

Here it is! My newest interactive notebook...

 

I have to admit that creating all the little foldables and flipbooks is slightly addictive.

This week I was feeling froggy and even started some math notebooks for next year!

But before I switch subjects, let me show you some of the fun plant and soil activities inside this notebook…

• There is a cut and assemble plant parts diagram with labels…
•  Vocabulary flappers AND puzzles (so you can choose your favorite format)
• Foldables for the functions of plant parts…
•  The needs of plants…
•  The lifecycle of plants (this is one of my favs)…
•  Plant experiments with writing extensions…

AND fun soil components as well!

• Properties of soil
• What’s in soil
• Layers of soil
• AND two soil experiments with writing extensions

 Visit my TpT store by clicking on any of the images to download 

this handy helper for teaching plants and soil.

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by,

Interactive Notebook Mini

For the last several years, I’ve been working with interactive notebooks in my classroom. They’ve gradually transformed into interactive tools that have increased student engagement in content areas. If you’re just getting started with notebooks, try choosing one content area to start with. Then begin adding in additional content as you become more confident with the format.

   Originally I began using interactive notebooks for math. These skills seemed to be some of the easier topics to transition into interactive notebooks. That same year I also began notebooking for reading. My students really enjoyed this new format and it freed us from the dusty, old textbooks (that were falling apart anyway). Then last year I integrated our science content into interactive notebooks as well.

   Science is one of my favorite subjects to teach because it offers so many opportunities to do hands-on learning. It’s also a fantastic vehicle to integrate other content areas into. We frequently use science as a segway for writing projects!  In order to facilitate interactive notebooks for science, I began creating notebook-minis. These are interactive notebooks geared specifically to one particular topic. By using notebook-minis I can pull the exact skills I want to work on with my students. 

Check out my very first science notebook-mini...

This notebook includes directions with photo samples of each activity, activity directions, and technology links to enhance your science curriculum…

To download this notebook-mini, click on one of the photos...

Stay tuned for my next Plants & Soil notebook-mini! 

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Easy Easter Cupcakes

       Nothing screams “Easter’s coming” like the store shelves filled with rainbow-hued Peeps®. If your kids are like mine, then they love these squishy marshmallow critters. This year I thought it would be fun to make some Peep® inspired Easter cupcakes to take to school (just be sure to pass them out at the END of the day so your students get their sugar-shock at home ;D). Even if you’re not a cupcake master, you can make these easy Easter cupcakes!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

·      1 box cake mix (and the required ingredients)

·      1 can of vanilla frosting

·      1 package of neon gel food coloring

·      1 package of cupcake liners

·      3 boxes of Peeps (any colors will do)

                   

Materials

·      mixing bowl

·      1 cupcake pan

·      Mixer (or whisk, if you’re ready to work out your arms)

·      Oven

·      Freezer Ziploc bags

·      Scissors/toothpicks

   Now that you have everything you need, it’s time to whip out these tasty holiday creations!

Directions

1.    Prepare the cupcake mix per the box directions (*If you want a more homemade texture, then substitute 1 c. of buttermilk for the water the box calls for).

2.    While the cupcakes are cooking, prep your frosting. Add the neon green food coloring to your white frosting, and stir it up with a butter knife (*for thicker frosting, add a little powder sugar).

3.   Prep your Ziploc freezer bags to use as piping bags for your frosting (I use cake tips because I make all my kids’ birthday cakes, but this works in a pinch): For squiggly, grass-like frosting, poke the bottom corner of the bag with toothpicks. You should have multiple holes, but be careful not to add too many or your bag will blow out. For the regular, textured-spirals, cut a “W” in the bottom corner of the bag. *Remember the larger your hole, the more frosting will squeeze out at once!

4.  Place your Ziploc bags in a tall glass cup with the top open. Use a butter knife to add the frosting to the bag. *Try to squeeze it toward the bottom of the bag to prevent air pockets (which will also make frosting blow-outs).

5.   Set the frosting in the refrigerator until you’re ready to ice the cupcakes.  

6.   Cool the cupcakes completely.

7.   Grab your frosting bag and squeeze squiggly grass, or make swirls on top of the frosting to create a “grassy patch”.

OR...

 

8.   Add a Peep to the “grass”

9.   Take the Peeps to school and watch your students’ eyes light up with cupcake delight!

       I’d love to hear how you celebrate Easter in your classroom! Feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas for others to enjoy, or let me know how your cupcakes turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you soon,