Freezer Meals for beginners

  So I am NOT much of one to preplan a meal.  I just don't have the patients to stand there and plan it all out. I do however LOVE looking at cook books and saying this and this sounds good but in the reality of it all the budget doesn't always allow us to eat some of the tasty looking things in my fancy cookbooks. 
  A few months ago I decided I still LOVE my crockpot and I wanted to start making more and more meals in it but was running out of ideas.  So went to the bookstore and was searching around for a crockpot book with new things to cook.  However, in the mean time I found a "Freezer Meal" cookbook that I sat down and flipped through.  Needless to say I did NOT like the recipes they had they were more Meditranian and Indian food and I have a picky 4 year old and husband who would probally push their plates away.  So I decided to do my own menu and work from trial and error.  So I got home pulled out my family cookbook that my dads family put together of family favorite recipes and went to work.  I knew my trusty ol family cookbook couldn't let me down now.  I made out my menu and grocery list and bought everything I needed for 2 weeks worth of freezer meals.  I however have advanced to doing it by the month but I recommend starting with a week or 2 weeks worth of meals don't overwhelm yourself its just not worth it. 
  I started out by checking my cabinets and fridge and freezer for items on my list before going to the store and marking off what I didn't need because I already had it.  Then bought remanding items and got to work.
  I started out by cooking my chicken and ground beef for the meals that I was precooking and saving out the chicken for the meals that were going to be marinating in bags till we were ready to eat. It was definately a fun project even with 2 small kids(10 months &4 yrs.) running around crying and screaming Im hungry and Im bored.  I will get the recipes for this on here and will share shortly but once again I have a crying baby who is hungry and this has to be cut short.

GARDEN!

WELL it is that time of the year again.  I decided that this year I was going to plant a garden the size of Europe well needless to say that didn't happen.  WHY you ask... Well because we live on a BUDGET (always brings me back to reality) and the tiller that was in the budget can't till through MOUNTAIN.  Who would ever thought????  I KNOW of course my husband said it wouldn't BUT I couldn't let him be right and he was anyway.  YES he is still reminding me of it too!
So my husband is a picky eater when it comes to veggies, no surprise he is from the Midwest they tend to stick to the "corn".  I on the other hand LOVE veggies I will eat them all I haven't found one I don't like to eat.  So this year I planted beets because I have fond memories of canning beets with my late father and my late granny as well as my mom and a few cousins and Aunts.  Great summer memories sitting under the bodark tree cutting the ends off the beets and prepping them for canning.  I also planted a few different kinds of carrots some short and sweet ones as well as long ones.  I even planted summer squash ( NEVER heard it called that until I moved to the Midwest) zucchini, few different kinds of okra some short and some spineless great choices!!  We also planted watermelon, cantaloupe and and lettuce.  I honestly can't wait until it is ready for the pickings!!!  OH I almost forgot I even planted a ton of tomato plants.  I got like 5 different kinds meaning all 6 packs.  I know I am nuts.  But we use tomatoes all the time in spaghetti sauce, and my son will eat cherry tomatoes by the bucket!.

Happy gardening !