30 meals in under 3 hours

Saving time and money in our crazy family life is always a priority. I've found that meal prepping and utilizing our freezer makes life much easier. Finding time to cook during the day is a complete struggle. Unless I have something planned or made ahead of time dinner time becomes pretty crazy. So buying our meats in bulk and doing a large single prep day is the way to go for our family! With about 35 pounds of trimmed chicken I can prepare about 30 meals in a simgle sitting that will last us about 2-3 months (using them 2-3 times per week). 

Preparation tools you will need

• Cutting Board(s) more than one can be helpful to spread out your work space. I like the super thin ones from IKEA much like these, because you can line a bunch of them up to create a big cutting space.
• Knives - any will do! 
• Your recipe ingredients of course! Download your recipes via PDF here and print them out. 
• Freezer bags (you'll need a lot!). Get good ones! Especially if you will be storing your chicken for a while. If you buy in bulk you can get them at a great price. We love these ones.
• Optional but AWESOME! These bag holders prop up your freezer bags and keep them from tipping or spilling while you fill them up. 
• Sharpie or labels for your bags, these ones are perfect for printing the recipes to stick onto the bags, This allows you to have the full recipe and directions attached right to your bag. PRINT YOUR FREE MEAL LABELS HERE. The template we've used matches Avery's 2x4 labels (5163) or these more affordable ones.

I’m gearing up for some serious meal prep!! By the end of the day we should have about 30 meals prepped, frozen and ready to go! Curious? See the link in my bio! Use the code above for an exclusive discount! #summergriling here we come! #farmfresh #lehighvalley #allentown

A post shared by Miss. Chickadee (@lvfindandgoseek) on Mar 29, 2018 at 6:43am PDT

Tips

• Make sure you have all of your ingredients on the day of your prep, you will want to prepare and freeze everything that day if possible or within 2-3 days at the latest.  We love wegmans for buying our chicken, places like Costco and Aldi may also have some great deals.

• Recipes are easy to double or triple, depending on your family size! 

• Prep in smaller portions or divide recipes into two bags for smaller families. 

• Choose 3-5 recipes to double or triple to complete preparation for 35-40 Pounds of chicken. You can also opt to leave some chicken unprepared. I usually save about 6-8 pounds for meals I haven't prepped ahead.

• Recipes and ingredients are typed and can be easily printed and attached to your freezer bags at this link. This means you won't even need to write on your bags! Use some packing tape or get fancy and print them one some labels! These labels are perfect if you are so inclined -we've also converted the recipes into a label template here. 

• Find a large area to do your work. I like to clear off our dining room table and spread everything out! 

Recipes

Some of these are family favorites others are just basic, easy to throw together meals that work great for our family. We hope you love them just like we do! 

                         

30 meals in 3 hours!!! #missionaccomplished 

 A post shared by Miss. Chickadee (@lvfindandgoseek) on Mar 29, 2018 at 1:47pm PDT

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclosure: 

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article contains affiliate links from businesses that give us a very small portion of your purchase should you decide to purchase from them.  Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net alive - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate.  Opinions expressed in this article are 100% honest and real and are not in any way altered based on sponsorship agreements, barters or payments we have received as a media partner. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for you support. 

Summer Camps in the Lehigh Valley

April 12, 2018

The BEST camps in the Lehigh Valley  Summer Camp Guide 2018 Spring is here and it is time to start thinking about what you are going to do to keep your kids busy all summer! The kids will be out of school before you know it so don't get caught without a great camp program to keep them active!  We're highlighting some of the Lehigh Valley's best camps! Did your child LOVE their camp last year? Make sure to share a review so more families can check it out! We're proud to share some of the coolest picks for local camps in our guide this year! We have even more camps listed in our full camp guidehere on our website where you sort by interest and type of camp if you are looking for something specific! Camps with JCC of the Lehigh Valley The JCC of the Lehigh Valley just can't wait for camp to start. Summer Camps at the JCC of the Lehigh Valley offer children and teens of all ages the opportunity to supplement their summer with a variety of activities ranging from sports and swimming to art and theater. Their Center Valley day camp program make surviving summer as a working parent a total breeze. Their speciality camps allow children to perfect their skills in a sport, or even travel the country in one of these incredible camps!  Learn more about local summer camp options at the JCC at lvjcc.org/camp. Wildlands Summer Camps  Creek splashes, views through animal eyes, all that is wild and in disguise. The magic of summer memory making comes alive with Wildlands! These half and full day programs feature themes to fit just about every interest.  Children as young as 3 can sign up for camp! Extended day hours offer programming from 7:30am through 5:30 pm for working families.  Register before May 1st and save 10% on your fee! Spaces are filling quickly and slots are limited!  Active Learning Centers Summer Day Camp At Active Learning Centers, they do summer camp the way it used to be! Children spend most of their day outside playing. They have the opportunity to go to the swimming pool twice a week and they go on field trips once per week. Every child enrolled in camp will also have the opportunity to take a martial arts class each day at no extra charge. The only things you won’t find at this summer camp are TV’s and video games… this is Active Learning Centers! Each week features a different theme and these themes are based upon leadership qualities. The activities of the week are designed to teach, encourage, and develop those traits in the children. From listening skills to problem solving, and courage to communication, this will be the most beneficial and fun camp you’ll ever find for your child. Contact them to inquire about signing up. Montessori Summer Experience 3-5 year olds will love having their own summer program for 6 weeks at Bright Beginnings Montessori in their exclusive pilot program. Space is limited to 10 families, so contact them soon to schedule a tour. BBMA is a brand new educational program specializing in educating children ages 3-5 utilizing Montessori principles. By doing a pilot program they are making the Montessori experience affordable while allowing Bright Beginnings to gain valuable information that will help their program grow. Click here to read more about the program and its requirements. Lehigh Valley IronPigs Camps Sign-ups are now underway for the 2018 Youth Baseball Camp presented by Capital Blue Cross at Coca-Cola Park! The camps will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for all days of the session. Baseball related activities will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with lunch taking place from 12-12:30 p.m. Boys and girls of all skill levels will have the chance to learn baseball and fundamentals from the future stars of the Philadelphia Phillies. Past camp instructors have included Rhys Hoskins, Cameron Perkins, Scott Kingery and others! Each day, members of the IronPigs coaching staff and select IronPigs players will teach the basics of the game and help all campers become better ballplayers! 2018 Camp Options Camp 1 (Ages 7-8): June 12-14. Camp Group Night, June 13. Camp 2 (Ages 9-10): June 26-28. Camp Group Night, June 27 Camp 3 (Ages 11-13): July 24, 26-27. Camp Group Night, July 26 Camp is $165 per camper and includes the following: Instruction on baseball fundamentals from Lehigh Valley IronPigs players and coaches Two (2) tickets to a selected IronPigs game during your camp. A daily lunch during each day of camp On-field recognition prior to IronPigs game on your camp group night Official 2018 Camp T-Shirt STEM Camps with LCCC Rising middle and high schoolers will be immersed in scientific investigation through these unique and educational camps.  Their "Pathogens: Connecting the Microorganism Dots" camp provide rich experiences for students interested in health, medicine and biology. Students will obtain a unique perspective into Natural weather hazards through "Natural Disasters: A Geologist's View into the Hazards of our planet". Camps are scheduled to take place at the Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville Campus.  Click here to learn more or to register. Kids Co-Op Summer Camp KIDS CO-OP’s No Bummer Summer Campis 12 weeks filled with tons of fun for children ages 3 through 12. No Bummer Summer Camp is perfect for the active child looking to have a summer they won’t forget. Their air-conditioned facility allows children to participate in different activities set up throughout the gym including crafts, healthy snacks (provided by KIDS CO-OP), tumbling, obstacle course, foam pit & fitness castle, trampolines, fun dance games, and much more! Kids also will enjoy slip-n-slides and water games outside as often as possible! On two afternoons each week campers head over to the Hanover Pool on their own Starbound Express Bus! Exciting theme-based field trips throughout the summer are also included. KIDS CO-OP offers a wide-range of day-to- day options and payment plans. Click here to learn more or to register! Send this to a friend! About Us | Contact Us | Review Guidelines Advertise With Us | Business Owners | Privacy Policy Terms of Use | Copyright Compliance Policy ©2018 A and C LLC. All rights reserved.

This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. Looking for more? See our complete summer guide here!

Consignment Shopping: Does it make sense?

When I first started hearing about consignment sales a few years ago, I kind of wrote them off thinking, I shop sales pretty well, buy off season and purchased from yard sale sites, I don't really need to shop those.


The challenge with my strategy was that it could be really time consuming, require searching photo albums or Facebook groups for the right items and sizes wasn't always easy and then coordinating a plan to meet a stranger at a convenient time was not always easy. Shopping clearance from previous seasons can be tough too, I've gotten burned a few times committing to a size for the next season while things are on sale but then realizing I overshot the size when spring or winter rolled around.

I went to my first consignment sale about 5 years ago and I was hooked. I look forward to shopping them each year, they save a ton of time, money and make getting what we need for each season way easier than buying sales the season before (you never quite know the sizes you need until you need them!) Here's a quick price break down giving you a feel for the kind of money that can be saved while shopping these events.

I have created a simple price breakdown using moderate pricing comparable to what you might pay at Target or Old Navy. Overall I'd estimate that many people may spend much more at higher end stores such as GAP or Gymboree so the total cost estimate could be significantly higher than the estimate of $216.  My estimate above allows the average mom to save almost $150 per season or more depending on how much you were spending on retail items.  If you multiple that times each child with two main seasons (fall/winter and spring/summer). That savings adds up pretty quickly! $300 in savings per child per year.  That's around $900 per year in savings for a family with 3 children!

Lower Prices + Higher Quality!

I find that I am able to buy those higher end brands of clothing that I knew will last for a fraction of the price at seasonal consignment events.  When I comb through the clothing racks at these events I often look for the brands I won't pay full price for and always come away with a TON of amazing, beautiful clothing, toys, books and more for a fraction of the cost of what I would pay retail. Want to shop consignment? Click here to learn more about The Kids Clothesline.

This girls dress marked at 50% off at Gymboree right now is still at least 3 to 4 times as expensive than you could expect to pay at a seasonal consignment event.

Another company we LOVE to buy from but can get pricey is Primary.com. The styles shown above are sold for $12-$18 each! You could easily but 3-4 items gently at a seasonal consignment event for the price of one here. I created a cart with a few items to build a spring wardrobe for my daughter and between bathing suits, short, shirts and 2 dresses my total was up over $263 and that didn't even include the sandals or sneakers we need!

Take a look at just how many items they will have at the event! This event slideshow is an awesome preview of the vast variety.

                

If you've never checked out a seasonal consignment sale now is the time! The Kids Clothesline's Spring event is going on this week! You can shop during the following hours and check it all out for yourself.  While we featured a price comparison for clothing, clothing isn't the only thing you will find at The Kids Clothesline.  You'll find amazing deals on outdoor toys, strollers, furniture, movies, books, games and much more. Saving on your kids' clothing is just the beginning!

We love shopping these sale events and always come away feeling like we got a great deal on lots of things we needed. Additionally it is really awesome to know that by buying at The Kids Clothesline you've supported another family by purchasing some of their items! 

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

This article was sponsored by The Kids Clothesline. LVFGS received compensation for writing this blog article, however all opinions within are 100% accurate and true and have not been altered as a result of compensation. lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article may contain affiliate links from businesses that give us a very small portion of your purchase should you decide to purchase. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net alive - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. Opinions expressed in this article are 100% honest and real and are not in any way altered based on sponsorship agreements, barters or payments we have received as a media partner. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for you support.