Nesting...It's taking on a whole new meaning!

My posterior tendon transfer and bone fusion surgery is just a little over a week away.  I find myself constantly thinking about how I'm going to function when this is all done.  I've been cleaning, organizing, rearranging furniture, and now cooking in preparation for being pretty much useless for a few weeks!

They call it "nesting" when a new mother gets ready for a baby.  

I clearly remember doing it in preparation for my little ones. 

 But this time, "nesting" is a whole other monster!  

With having new babies, I very much wanted and needed help and to be taken care of in the first few days.  But with this surgery, I'm frightened by my loss of independence and lack of control.  

Not to mention the literal 'World of Hurt' I'm going to endure. 

BEHOLD THE NEST!

 It's going to be tough, y'all.

So today, the control freak in me prepared some meals for the freezer.  They are inexpensive and easy comfort foods that I quite literally chopped up and put in freezer bags.  They can be dumped into a crockpot to cook all day and I can have a little peace of mind knowing I can still feed my family. 

 Plus, making dinner will be one less burden on Doug.

So how about some recipes?

Pinterest is littered with crock pot recipes that can be frozen ahead of time.  These are just a couple I picked out for our family.  They are super easy, inexpensive, and the prep time was less than 20 minutes!

SOUTHWESTERN HAMBURGER SOUP

2lbs very lean ground beef

2cups beef broth

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 can Rotel

1 can sweet corn drained

1 can pinto beans rinsed and drained

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 cup elbow macaroni

Combine all the ingredients except the macaroni in a one gallon zip lock freezer bag.  Remove air and flatten.  Freeze.

To cook, place in crock pot on low for 8 hours.  In the last hour of cooking, add macaroni and cook on high.  To serve, top with cheese.

CHICKEN STEW

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 medium onion chopped

2 cups baby carrots

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 Tbs seasoned salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1.5 lbs red potatoes cut

3 Tbs cornstarch

1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients except last two in a one gallon zip lock freezer bag.  Remove air, flatten, and freeze.

To cook, place in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  

At the end of cooking time, whisk milk into cornstarch 

and add to stew and cook for 15 minutes on high.

And keep those prayers coming!