Hack

In my first meal plan I had linked a recipe for stuffed pasta shells. Super delicious! Also, we doubled up the recipe, filled all the shells, and then placed them on a cookie sheet. We placed them so that none of them were touching and stuck them in the freezer. After they were frozen, I placed them in bags and popped them back into the freezer. Next time we want them, just pull out how many we want, place in a dish, cover with sauce and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. We ended up with 50 stuffed shells. That means we stuffed 50 shells. I wish I had known of, or thought of, this hack before we started.

All you have to do is place the filling in a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. You can then fill the shells with ease and little mess! Neato huh?

Ah well, next time I suppose.

*image via ziploc.com*

Hack

Kiddo loves peanut butter. Well, honestly, who doesn't? So, we buy the organic, all natural stuff. And I hate having to use it. One day while I was ruining a piece of bread (again), tearing it up with the impossible to spread stuff, I thought, there has to be a better way. The way it separates! There is an oily part, followed by a thick, impossible lump. In desperation I tried to mix the stuff. After about 30 minutes my hand cramped beyond use. Frustrated and nearly defeated by a jar of peanut butter, I had an idea. I threw the stuff into the blender. It mixed up quickly and easily. It was a bit messy to put back in the jar, but I didn't care. I had won! I made the sandwiches I needed and placed the jar into the refrigerator. The next time I needed peanut butter, I reluctantly reached for the jar. I didn't want to have to use a blender every time and the mess was too much to handle daily. What did I find out? It stayed mixed. YES! Smooth and perfect, just like the peanut butter that is full of all the extra stuff. Now, every time I open up a jar, I put it into the blender and we have smooth all natural peanut butter. Sometimes me being stubborn pays off.