I'm learning to have fun again.

The past two weeks I've spent in a very small town of western Minnesota.  We are here visiting my husband while he is on temporary job assignment. A one bedroom apartment and a two year old makes for very long days.

Enter mom guilt here.

Very long days? No mother should be uttering such words. I should be embracing these two weeks with my child, right?  We have two weeks away from all distractions. No play dates.  No errands to run.  No appointments.  No responsibilities.  Only thing on the agenda all day everyday is to love this little one and play, play, play.  I should be grateful.

Why then is it so hard to spend the entire day playing?

As an adult we are so tied down to our responsibilities and obligations we've taken some of the fun out of everyday.  Maybe even all the fun! I'm a planner and live by my lists.  If I want to have fun I literally have to pencil it in.  And then it starts to feel like its a job as well.  "Must spend evening reading book everyone else has been raving about."  Check.

At what point in our lives did we lose ourselves in all the other stuff?

Everytime Anna and I get out the giant jug of bubbles we always end up making a mess.  She is at the point of independence where she wants to dunk the blow stick and blow her own bubbles.  What is my first response?  ICK!  And I go running for a baby wipe.  And then I want to take over the bubble blowing because its much cleaner if I do it.  When did the mess become more of a priority than the fun?

I'm in awe of my child as her entire face lights up over a swing at the park.  Its a gorgeous day outside.  And I have to remind myself to soak up this moment.  As I push her she squeals "weee!"  And I am thinking "ok what's next, its getting hot out here.  Did we put on enough sunblock? (among other thoughts swirling around in my head)" I wish I would just embrace this happy moment instead of constantly reminding myself slow down.  Reminding myself to be thankful for all things big and small.

Reminding myself just to sit and be still.

At the end of this summer if you ask me what one word summed it up I would say "bubbles"  or "swing".  Those two words are yelled out with glee at least once a day at our house. I'm learning to bite my lip when we are covered in soapy bubbles or when Anna has buried herself in dirt from our backyard.   She is just being a two year old.  She is enjoying the moment of discovery and new adventures.  And more importantly I'm outside savoring these moments with her.

And hey,  you know what... I'm actually starting to have some fun!

MOMMY MONDAYS | why my apple pie will never look like anyone elses

The requirements for super mom is a trailing list that can probably wrap around the entire planet at least once.  With a world overloaded in social media, pinning, text messages, and online blogging a mom can get overwhelmed with keeping up with the supermom mom down the street.

I am continually having anxiety attacks about being "mom enough".  The perfectionist in me says I can always be doing LIFE a little better.  The exhausted part of me says no you CANNOT.

The mom down the street probably made a well balanced breakfast from scratch and crafted it in such a way that the pancakes or eggs smiled back at the child eating it.  The meal is completely balanced with nutrition and vitamins and her kids probably eat the entire plate without complaints. She probably woke up before the rooster crowed and had her work out done, shower finished, hair done and dressed (and I mean dressed not in yoga pants but real clothes!)  The mom down the street welcolmed her children in the morning with a big smile and a good morning (probably in a sing song voice) while opening up the curtains and thought "what a beautiful day!".  She got everyone ready for school on time (partly because she laid out their clothes the night before) and was also room mom for the day.  She also managed to finish all the laundry, run every errand on her list, vacuum, take the dog for a walk, and pay the bills before her husband arrived home from work.  Oh, and dinner was already in the oven when he walked in.  And it was probably something from scratch. It was more than likely a new recipe that she will blog about later because it was that delicious. There was a craft ready for the children when they got home from school.  And she makes a conscious effort to sit with them and talk with them about their day. Everyone pitched in and cleaned up the mess from dinner. Every child said their prayers and said please and thank you and went to bed without resistance because you know... she has been working on consistent parenting and discpline since they were born. 

The rest of us are slapped in the face daily with the super mom mentality.  I for one am realizing and trying desperately to remember that I am not supermom.  I am learning two things:

I am finding balance.
I have decided to be ok with not being supermom.

We have to remember that even though there are 24 hours in the day we need at least 6 for sleep.  (I need at least 8 although rarely achieve that goal.)  I for one am learning that it is ok that I don't make the most adorable holiday crafts with my toddler every week or perfect gourmet meals.  If I can remember there is a holiday coming up than "Yay! Go me!" My dog might not get walked every single day or we may be five minutes late to toddler play group.  I pick and choose what I can get done on my to do list.  The entire list will never get finished.  I'm learning to accept that and not lay away at night thinking about the rest of the items still haunting me on that list. I'm also learning to say no to things and people that will overload and exhaust me. I'm saying no to extra playdates, family events, volunteering and above all I'm saying no to excess amounts of facebook, pinterest, and all those other sites that are brainwashing me into thinking I'm not living up to expectations.  Lets face it. We will never finish all the items we have pinned on our beautiful dream boards.

I'm learning my apple pie will never look like anyone else's. 

My life will never look like my collage on Pinterest. I may own an apron, but I make apple pies with frozen pie crust.  I don't make time for a lattice crust because I'd rather get it in the oven so we can eat it...

Immediately! 

With ice cream! 

We might even eat it way too close to dinner time and spoil our appetites.

 I let my toddler help even though my floor will be covered with flour.  I hate messes but instead of barking and scolding I take a deep breath. 

I keep breathing. 

I try to remember this day when we made our first apple pie together as a milestone event.  I WILL write this down in her baby journal later when she naps. And that will get added as top priority to my to do list (which means something just got shoved off the list completely). She is getting big and way too fast.  I let her press out the dough and stir in the cinnamon.  I take time to relish how beautiful she is and how tall she is getting. She can reach a lot more things on the counter now so I have to push a few things out of the way ... like the knife we used to cut the apples.  I'm in awe at how much pleasure she is getting from helping me with these simple tasks.  She is so proud of herself as we scoop the cinnamon apples onto the pie plate.

I'm learning to love simple joy and thankful she is my teacher.

I will try and mentally capture this moment for the rest of my life.  My house is a mess.  We skipped toddler play group this morning because I couldn't get out of bed early enough.  Its the middle of the afternoon and we are still in our pajamas. My dog still wants to go for a walk and I have no idea what we are having for dinner. BUT we just made pie together.  And it was a beautiful moment full of laughter and fun.  It was the best part of my day.

{mommy mondays} juggling it all during the holidays

I caught myself having anxiety the other day.  It wasn't even 9am but I took a look around and there was clutter everywhere, laundry that needed to be folded, dishes that needed to be washed, and piles of mail.  Not to mention all the other things that comes with this time of the year - gifts to be shopped for (I'm not even to the wrapping yet), cards to be addressed, cookies to be made.

Then I look back to my toddler and she is telling me she is done eating breakfast.  How is she telling me?  She is throwing strawberries all over the floor.  Another mess.

*sigh*

I'm working on my patience.  I'm trying to remember to step back and appreciate the beauty of the clutter.  And then I think this isn't working! and attempt to pull my hair out.

Plan B.

I turned on some christian worship music and got out the sweeper.  As soon as that music turned on my little girl started to dance.  I love the way music just takes over her.  No sense of dance style yet but boy can she move.  my cup runneth over


VID_20131210_125730_131.mp4 from Lauren 'Dougherty' Shanks on Vimeo.


God is amazing.  I'll say it over and over again.  Be still my soul and listen.  He continually reminds me my to do list is just a list.  This little girl needs me most.  I can almost hear him tell me to put down the sweeper and just enjoy her.

So I did.  And we had a little dance party at 9:15 in the morning.

{shanks household} Merry Christmas

From our house to yours,
warm wishes for a Christmas full of joy, family, good food, and friends.

{mommy mondays} embracing the chaos

My reason behind slow blog posts.  Bare with me in our transition and moving.

--

These days have become busier than ever I do believe.  Every stage of babyhood comes with their own challenges, struggles, and happy moments.  The grass is always greener on the other side.  At 3 months you think "oh it'll be so much fun when they can get up and move".  And then 12 months later they are up RUNNING and you think "oh my, I wish she would just sit still for a minute."  And "wait, now where did she go again?!"

I've been through countless moves.  Packing and unpacking have become a no brainer activity for me.  I know what to pack and what to unpack first.  I know how to pack and label.  Oh, and I even started saving all my boxes and bubble wrap because we move so often (that stuff gets expensive!). I have it down to a science.  It takes me about a week to unpack.  And possibly another week to rearrange and tweak my organization.  Piece of cake. 

Cue toddler.

I love this little girl to pieces, but she definitely throws a giant wrench (ok more like stuff animal, my cell phone, the remote control, lightbulb... wait lightbulb?  Maybe I should put that up somewhere higher.  Where did she even get that in the first place?!) into my moving process.  I can't help but laugh at her trying to help me.  My little shadow sees me getting things out of boxes and putting clothes on hanger.  She wants to do just like mommy. However, her ideal of helping is THROWING everything out of the box and spreading hangers out all over the floor.  And then as soon as thats done she is completely over it and on to the next room.  You know how it is, toddlers attention span is about 2 seconds.  So then I'm off to the next room too because a toddler out of sight is usually a toddler getting into trouble.  Especially in a house full of boxes and inadequate baby proofing (its a work in progress).

Time to initiate breathing techniques and patience. My crazy organization and mild case of OCD is being surpressed (with the help of some yoga breathing techniques of course).  I will NOT let the chaos and the mess get to me.  I will not pull my hair out looking at all the unpacked boxes and break down in a huge anxiety attack.  I will remember this is our LAST move for a very long time and I have amples amount of time to get this finished.  I will remember to hug this little girl and kiss her sweet little cheeks.  I'll make time to for cuddles.  I will make time for laughter.  I will make time for what matters most in life.

In a nutshell, my life has slowed down at sixteensunbuckles for the moment.  But my life has definitely sped up kissing sweet baby cheeks and running after tiny feet.

{mommy mondays} picking strawberries with Anna

My friend Alanna asked us to go pick strawberries last week.  I haven't done that since I was little (or have I? maybe its peaches I'm thinking of?)  In my head I saw this glorious hallmark moment with Anna.  You know, the big "life lesson" storybook moment that has been instilled into you from Pinterest, instagram, other bloggers, and professional mommies.  It would be a perfect sunny day.  She'd help pick strawberries.  We'd sit and eat a few.  Laugh.  You get the idea.

I should have known better. There were a lot of thorns.  It was chilly (and we weren't prepared for the weather)  and all Anna wanted to do was throw the picked strawberries out of the bucket.  Thank goodness Emily came along and helped us with all four children.  At the rate I was going I would have never filled my bucket.  I pick two.  Anna throws out one.  You get the idea.

But, we got these adorable pictures of Anna.  It does look like she is having fun and that is all that matters right?  So, it was worth the trip.  And we will probably go and pick raspberries next time. ( I may be better prepared with shoes, pants, and my moby wrap to carry Anna though!)

Now ... time to make JAM!

{shanks household} happy one year to my Anna Marie // weekly onesie collage

We spent all of last week visiting family in the States and celebrating my daughter's first birthday.  I can't believe this little girl is one already.  Seems like just yesterday we brought her home. 

I had the inspiration for a weekly onesie picture from my friend, Kathy.  They grow up so fast, so I didn't want to JUST do a monthly picture. I also didn't want to spend a fortune (and time ironing on) all those weekly pictures.  Since I know a little bit of photoshop this wasn't that hard to do for me.  I took a picture of Anna every Monday on the same blanket.  (I didn't want to spend money on 52 yards of fabric either) It was knitted by my grandma so its sentimental to me.  I thought putting her on the same blanket each week would show how much she is growing week to week.  After I took the picture I uploaded the image to photoshop.  Then I added a circle and the text.  Super easy right? 

I saw last month that Young House Love is doing the same thing for their daughter, Clara.  They have a very user friendly photoshop tuitorial on their blog.  The hardest part about doing this is remembering to do it every week!  It is SO rewarding though in the end.

Anna is turning one // Nursery Art Prints

My baby is turning one next week.  Where did the year go?  I'm spending a lot of time reflecting over it these past few days.  Its been a whirlwind of happiness, laughter, challenges, new relationships, and love.  It seems like only yesterday I was folding all her newborn clothes and putting arranging her stuffed animals on the shelves.  I'm finally posting the artwork I created for her nursery.  It hangs over her crib complimenting the whimsical animal prints by Trafalgar's Square.  Check out more of Anna's nursery here.

all prints by sixteen sunbuckles.  please visit the shop for more detail.

{mommy mondays} and hiding vegetables in everything and anything

I'm still on the hunt for ways Anna will accept vegetables.  The stars aligned last week and she ate carrots and peas.  That was only one time though.  I tried them again the next day and we had insta/spitting.  I know you are supposed to keep trying and I will.  But for now, this is what's working.

Any other recommendations?

{baby spoons by Munchkin / photos by sixteen sunbuckles}

Munchkin 6 Pack Soft-Tip Infant Spoon, Colors May Vary

{recipe of the week} the perfect hard boiled egg and adding protein into my families diet

Two dilemas this week I solved.

One .  My husband takes his breakfast and lunch to work everyday.  He works a 12 hour shift and is on his feet most of the day.  His lunchbox consists of things he can munch and go.  There isn't any time for an hour - sit down - four course meal - that has been microwaved.  He needs portable finger food (that's healthy).

Two . Anna has decided she isn't eating anything that has protein in it.  That means all of them unless they come prepackaged in a food pouch and are mixed with fruit. You already have seen her little tantrum on Monday. She is at 20% for average baby weight which means she is on the petite side.  And that means Mom is getting creative with the food. 

Solution One . First off  the perfect hard boiled egg.  Why do I love the egg?  I can make a batch of them once a week.  They fit conveniently in a very small tupperware for his lunch box.  I can mix the yolk with banana and Anna will eat the entire bowl.  I can eat the egg white left over as a morning snack on the run and chasing after Anna.  I never grew up with hard boiled eggs.  We would get them on our salads at a restaurant and I would be repulsed.  However, I married  a hard boiled egg fan, so I have adapted. 

Lauren's Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
6 or 7 eggs (or however many you plan to eat in 5 days or less)
a pot of water
** Using eggs you've had for a few days in the fridge work better than farm fresh.  If they have been sitting in your refrigerator for awhile they are much easier to peel.

Wash off you eggs thoroughly and place in pot.  Pour cold water on top of them (cold water helps prevent cracking) until they are completely submerged.  They may pop up a bit.  I always add just a bit extra so they don't dry out while boiling.

Place pot on high heat.  When eggs start to boil move heat down to simmer/medium heat.  Then set timer for 12 minutes. 

When timer goes off turn off stove and rinse eggs in colander in sink.  I usually let them sit in the colander and cool off for a few minutes.  When cool, gently crack and peel shell off.  (If eggs are still too hot to crack rinse under cold water) Place eggs in Tupperware and refrigerate. 

Do you have dark rings around your egg yolks?  That means your water is too hot. 

 

 ^ This dish doesn't look like anything extra.  Its dethawed frozen banana and egg yolk.  I mix them together and Anna will eat the whole dish.  Its a great source of protein for her since she won't eat meat, tofu, or beans!  Try it!  ^

my little lady on {film} // the "i'm not eating what's on my plate" tantrum

VID_20130522_175052_843.mp4 from Lauren 'Dougherty' Shanks on Vimeo.

{Mommy Mondays} for the days you may never come up for air

For the days we are running on empty. For the days we just don't think we have it in us to read one more story, play change one more poopy diaper, wash one more round of laundry. For the days when we think everyone else has it together. For the days we're sure anyone else would do this job better.  

For the days we just cannot live up to lady in Proverbs 31.

For those days. You know the ones.

Repeat after me:

1. I shall not judge my house, my kid's summer activities or my crafting skills by Pinterest's standards.

2. I shall not measure what I've accomplished today by the loads of unfolded laundry but by the assurance of deep love I've tickled into my kids.

3. I shall say yes to blanket forts and see past the chaos to the memories we're building.

4. I shall surprise my kids with trips to get ice cream when they're already in their pajamas.

5. I shall not compare myself to other mothers but find my identity in the God who trusted me with these kids in the first place.

6. I shall remember that a messy house at peace is better than an immaculate house tied up in knots.

7. I shall play music loudly and teach my kids the joy of wildly uncoordinated dance.

8. I shall remind myself that perfect is simply a street sign at the intersection of impossible and frustration in Never Never land.

9. I shall embrace the fact that in becoming a mom I traded perfect for a house full of real.

10. I shall promise to love this body that bore these three children out loud, especially in front of my daughter.

11. I shall give my other mother friends the gift of guilt-free friendship.

12. I shall do my best to admit to my people my unfine moments.

13. I shall say sorry when sorry is necessary.

14. I pray God I shall never be too proud, angry or stubborn to ask for my children's forgiveness.

15. I shall make space in my grown-up world for goofball moments with my kids.

16. I shall love their father and make sure they know I love him.

17. I shall model kind words to kids and grown-ups alike.

18. I shall not be intimidated by the inside of my minivan this season of chip bags, goldfish crackers and discarded socks too shall pass.

19. I shall always make time to encourage new moms.

20. I shall not resent that last call for kisses and cups of water but remember instead that when I blink they'll all be in college.

... with love from one tired mother to another.


{written by Lisa-Jo Baker} 

{10 Favorite Things} First year of Mommyhood // in honor of Mother's Day

 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her^, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Its my first Mother's Day.  Well, its my first REAL Mother's Day.  I did celebrate last year.  This close to the due date baby Anna was doing all kinds of squirming, kicking, and hiccupping... and I indeed was waddling.  So there was no way I could say I wasn't already a mother at this time last year.  We had the nursery finished, clothes washed and hung up, "what to expect" books read and bookmarked (and highlighted -- yes I'm that crazy).  

It has been a year of
ups and downs
joys and saddness
giggles and squeals
tears and cuddles
long sleepless nights and fussy days
breastfeeding challenges and acid reflux tribulations
full days of laughter and smiles
spit ups and food on the wall
mommy playdates and strollercise
new friends and new doctors
my list could go on and on....

What I've learned the most is how to give of myself.  Everyone told me before she arrived it was no longer "all about me".  Which I knew.  And I'm nearly 30 so its about time to figure that out.  However, living very very far away from my family and support I had to find new ways to draw strength.  I am continually grateful for my ever evolving support group of friends (around the world) and knowing someone is there to talk no matter what the hour. My husband has been wonderful through my post partum anxiety.  He has been the dad I knew he would be from the start.  Even through all my crazy he loves me for everything that I am. 

--

So Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends, to my mom, my mother in law, my grandmas, my aunt, and my sister n law.  Even through all the struggles of mommyhood I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of this new club.

{recipe of the week} Gwyneth Paltrow's Green Juice

I finally bought Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good Cookbook which I've been eyeing since January.  It went 30% off at Safeway so I snatched it up and added it to the cart.

Its a beautiful cookbook.  I wrote down a few things to try and the my first was her green Juice.  I'm trying to appreciate green juice.  Its mind over matter for me.  I hate big leafy greens, but they are good for me and my doctor told me I need to eat more of them.  So, here we go.  Glasses up.

The Best Green Juice
{the goods}
5 large leaves of kale, ribs discarded, leaves roughly chopped (I only used 3)
1 lemon, zest and pith removed
1 large apple, roughly chopped (I used a fuji)
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger (I used 1/8 tsp of dried ginger)
1 sprig of fresh mint

Push all ingredients through your juicer. 

-Or- if you don't have a juicer (like me) you can use your trusty old blender.

^ Pull of the leaves from the ribs.  If you have little ones they can help with this. Then chop or tear apart leaves ^

^ Zest your lemon, cut out the pitch (and seeds), cut into chunks ^

^ Core and cut your apple into chunks ^

^ Pull off your mint leaves from the stem ^

^ Throw everything in your blender with 1/4 cup of water.  You might need to blend and stir, blend and stir. ^

^ When blended add a few ice cubes so its a cold drink.  Then blend in the cubes. ^

^ Its going to be thick. Pour the contents into a wire mesh strainer over a bowl (or measuring cup) and let drip.  You may need to stir the paste a little to keep the liquid flowing. ^

^ While that drains put your little one down for her morning nap. ^

^ Now enjoy your quiet house and green juice.^

{all pictures by Sixteen Sunbuckles}

Friday -- can't believe you are here already at the {shanks household}

Woops! Missed yesterday's blog post.  I've been very busy lately with some good things around here.  A few highlighted thoughts for Friday.

one
In honor of 40 Days to Proverbs 31 I've taken some time for myself this week.  I went to hot yoga with friends, shopping, and spent time reading.  I'm still in need of a good pedicure but that will just have to wait.  Any nail color recommendations? This post will be short because I'm actually going to put away the computer and spend some quality time with my husband.

two
If anyone is in need of some weekend reading you can join me with this book.  Pursuit of Proverbs 31

three
Oh and did I mention I've dropped an entire pant size?  Hello there size 6!  Thank you 40 Days for keeping me motivated.  Anyone else have any success stories yet?  My husband and I both bought JAWBONE UP wristbands.  I've only worn mine for about six hours.  I'll make sure and post a review next week.  It records everything, even sleep patterns.  I'm looking forward to seeing my results.  Does that make me a nerd?

four
On a different note. I'm thrilled to be receiving new potential clients each and every week.  Word of mouth is traveling and its a good one.  I'm working on all kinds of things - weddings, births, thank yous, even custom monogram drink stirrers.  I can't wait to post everything.  Stay tuned.  You can view my latest at my shop.

five
Leaving you with a smile.  My little helper pulling things out of the fridge for dinner. Follow me on instagram to see all my photos.

{shanks household} and morning sunshine

"you are my sunshine my only sunshine"

^ We woke up to this, ^

^ but I was greeted with this in the morning. 

Who minds the snow when this little sunshine is so happy to see you? ^

^ check out the rest of Anna's nursery if you missed the first post ^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{all pictures by sixteen sunbuckles / Anna at 10 months / Anna's favorite blankie by Tiddliwinks for Target / Sleepsack by Halo }

{shanks household} and furniture walking

 "Loving a baby is a circular business, a kind of feedback loop.  The more you give the more you get and the more you get the more you feel like giving." {penelope leach}

I never realized exactly how crazy and busy life could get.  Its not like I didn't KNOW this was going to happen.  Everyone tells you this.  I would complain about the fussy newborn days, the no sleep, the breasfeeding problems, the reflux and people would just simply reply "wait until they start walking".  Well, here we are at almost 10 months.  Anna is busier than ever.  I think once this lady starts walking for real she will probably run marathons from the very start.  Good thing the weather is nice and there is a playground nearby.  I do believe we will be out more than we are in. 

Dear Anna, I love your determination.  You aren't afraid to try new things.  And if at first you don't succeed you try and try again.  I loved your joyful laugh and smile when you finally got this furniture walking figured out.  And now we are cruising everywhere with little hollars, and babbles, and laughs that light up the entire room.  You'll always take a few steps and then turn around and make sure I'm watching.  Its like a giant joke.  "Look at me momma!  How much fun is this?!" Keeping up with you is exhausting.  You are on the move every few seconds.  But I am so proud of you and all of your little accomplishments and milestones.  No matter how small they are.  And even though I'm on my second cup of coffee of the day -- who wouldn't love spending their morning with your sweet little face?  I love you more each day.

{all pictures by sixteen sunbuckles . Anna at nine months}  

second photo . outfit by Children's Place / third photo . shirt by Carters for Kohls / fifth photo . shirt by Carters for Target and chair fabric by IKEA - DIY Upholstery Post

(recipe of the week} my mom's crockpot lasagna with a spicy twist

I love trying new recipes.  I also love a new cookbook.  I'm obsessed and if our house was any bigger I would probably be a hoarder of cookbooks.  But before you start passing judgment let me just say that I DO use them all.  And I have them all color coded (maybe cookbook organization is for another day?)

Here was the dilemma for the night.

Sometimes I'm not feeling overly adventurous and just need some good ole wholesome comfort food (aka... momma's cooking).  My momma lives over 1800 miles away so I know we can't sit down at her kitchen table any time soon.

AND its my husband's birthday (well and mine.  We are a day apart) so I definitely don't feel like cooking.  And he loves lasagna which is such a high maintenance dinner I dread it.  (I always burn myself on those noodles) 

So... here comes Mom to the rescue (as always).  My three favorite ladies of all time gave me this handwritten recipe book for Christmas a few years back.  Its a treasure.  Her crockpot lasagna is delicious. Mom however never lived in south Texas.  Brandon and I usually enjoy a bit more "kick" to our food so here is her lasagna with my own personal twist.  If you don't like it spicy then don't add the kick!

Oh and did I mention its crockpot and SUPER easy???

Crockpot Lasagna with a Spicy Twist
{the goods}
1/2 lb. spicy italian sausage
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion (or a couple dashes of onion salt since we don't eat onions here)
1 green pepper chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
2 cans tomato sauce (i used spaghetti sauce)
2 tsp. salt
15 oz. carton part-skim ricotta cheese (or cottage which I prefer because its creamier)
1 small box of dethawed chopped spinach
1 c. parmesean grated
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
12 uncooked lasagna noodles

^ Got all your ingredients? ^

 ^ my new favorite crockpot secret -- no mess and easy clean up ^

^ get your little helper situated with something that will entertain her (for 2 minutes at least)

^ if you can buy already ground sausage that is recommended ^

^ I always buy my ground beef in bulk at Costco.  Then I divide and freeze the rest for another day(s) ^

 
In a large skillet, cook sausage, ground beef, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink (8-10 min or so) stirring occasionally.  Drain

^ Cut up your green pepper (and onion) and any other vegetables you might want to add ^

^ I threw in some spaghetti squash puree.  Anna has decided she only likes finger food now.  No one in our family will even notice there are EXTRA vegetables in this lasagna.  Add squash, cauliflower, carrots, etc.  You'll feel like super mom knowing everyone is getting an extra serving of vegetables. ^

^ Stir in your vegetables, tomato sauce, italian seasoning, and salt. ^

^ In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesean cheese, 2 c. mozzarella cheese, and spinach.  You may need to add a little of one thing or the other to get the right blend. I like mine a bit creamier. ^

^ Check on your little helper --  where did she get to now? ^

^ layer your crockpot with a liner and a bit of PAM (I like to double duty)

^ Time to layer - Spoon 1/2 of the sausage mixture in first. ^

 

 ^ Add a thin layer of sauce ^

^ Layer with four noodles, broken into pieces to fit. ^

^ Next add 1/4 of the cheese and spinach mixture.  Repeat until the crockpot is almost full. ^

^ Layer the last of your shredded cheese on top (if you can fit it) then put the lid on it.  Cook 6-8 hours.

^ Cut and Serve. ^

^ "Are you going to eat that?" ^

^ HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Husband.  As requested, a DQ ice cream cake for dessert ^