#MTBoS12Days Just a few favorite recipes

Friends have been sharing easy meals, crock pot meals.  Here are a few of our favorite meals:

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Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

Ingredients
Vegetables ... choose several of your favorites like carrots, celery, onion, potato, parsnips, garlic
Whole chicken
Seasonings
1 lemon (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare veggies by washing, peeling, and cutting in large chunks
2. Remove chicken from packaging; remove neck/liver; rinse; pat dry.
3. Season chicken with salt, pepper; add a favorite all purpose seasoning if you want to. Place quartered lemon inside chicken.
4. Put vegetables in crock pot. Set chicken on top of veggies.
5. Cook 6 - 8 hours on low.

Tips

• don't add liquid when roasting chicken
• save skin, bones to make broth.  simply throw discarded parts of chicken back in the crock pot with fresh veggies like onion, carrot, garlic, and celery.  Add a cut  up lemon.  Cook 12 - 24 hours on low.  Add salt to taste.  Use for broth, soup, to make rice, or as a warm drink.

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Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Use large russet potatoes.  Wash thoroughly. Rub with oil. Place them in the crock pot.  Cook 6 - 8 hours on low.  Yummm!

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Crock Pot Beans

Ingredients

1 bag dried beans (pinto, black-eyed, red, or black beans)

Veggies like onion, garlic, carrot, celery

Ham Shank, ham hock, diced ham, or 6 slices of bacon chopped (Pick just one :))

1 qt boxed broth (optional)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne

salt - optional (depends what meat you use to season)

Directions

1. Peel, wash, chop veggies.  I usually use one onion, 2 - 3 carrots, and 2 - 3 stalks celery. 
2. Put dried beans (no prep needed), veggies and seasoning meat in crock pot
3. Pour in water ... leave 1 inch at the top of crock pot.  (Use 1 box of broth with water - optional)
4. Stir in seasonings (don't add salt if using ham shank or ham hock)
5. Cook on low 8 hours.  Adjust seasonings as needed in the last hour.

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Roast with 3 Envelopes

 (does use "processed" mixes)

Ingredients

3 lb roast (beef or pork)

1 cup water

1 envelope dry ranch dressing

1 envelope dry italian dressing

1 envelope dry brown gravy

Directions

1. Stir packages with 1 cup water
2. Put roast in crock pot.
3. Pour envelope mixture over roast
4. Cook 6- 8 hours on low.

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Favorite Chicken Casserole

Not a crock pot meal ... but cooks in an hour

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken thighs (1.5 lbs approx)

1 cup dry rice

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans (drain and rinse)

1 jar salsa (I use Roasted Tomatilla ... but you can use your favorite)

1 cup water or broth

1/2 Tbl chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1 cup shredded cheese

Directions

1. Stir together all ingredients except chicken.  Pour in a 9 x 9 casserole dish.
2. Cut thighs in half; push down into salsa mixture in pan.
3. Cover with foil tightly and bake for 1 hour.
4. Remove foil; sprinkle cheese on casserole, and bake for 5 - 10 more minutes, uncovered.

@MTBoS12days ... Goals for the New Year

New Year Goals

1) Walk more!  I used my FitBit well the first 6 months but when the temp outside turned hot, I put it away.  I'm charging it up ... talking to a colleague this week about being my walking partner.  I joined #FitBoS 2016 Challenge.

2) Read more!  I'm working on the 12 books that Mrs. Darcy put in her challenge for the variety!

3) Listen better!  I'm practicing talking less in class.  Now I want to listen better ... listen to individual students, listen to groups as they work.

4) Enjoy the ride!  I keep this quote in my classroom, "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

#MTBoS12days ... Tried 'n True

Sharing a few strategies that I am using often this year ...

1) Desmos Activities - since our Algebra 2 curriculum is all about functions, we analyze graphs often.  Typically curriculum is set up to explore the graphs before exploring the applications.  Building Desmos activities for the graphing units has been challenging for me ... and engaging for students.  I also use the Desmos Polygraph activities and look forward to using Marbleslides!

2) BrainGenie - Class time is spent in delving as deeply into math concepts as we can.  We don't use class time to practice skills very often.  A colleague mentioned BrainGenie - and I love it!  It provides the routine practice that students need with video support and immediate feedback!  And it's free!

3) Partner Quizzes - One day our desks were seated in pairs and I was giving a quiz.  I decided to let the quiz be a partner quiz.  I was so impressed ... listening to students quietly working on problems together, questioning one another, coaching one another.  I decided to give another one in the next unit.  Obviously not all quizzes can be partner quizzes ... but there is definitely an upside to allowing students to work together even on quizzes.

I'm looking forward to collecting the tried and true reported in blogs this week!

#MTBoS12days Start ... Stop ... Continue ...

I haven't thought about school for 10 days!  Not sure I'm ready to think about it yet ... but going to give it a try!

Start ...

• Walking daily!  Since the summer heat, I haven't worn my fitbit, haven't walked with any consistency.  And it shows!  So ... time to power up the fitbit and get started again!
• RE-start ... blogging ... maybe :)

Stop ...

• Stumped here ... will give this more thought!

Continue ...

• Daily quizzing ... Students take a short quiz every class day.  I use Google Forms, grade it with Flubaroo, and email their scores.  They know the skills they need to work on, the skills that are sharp!
• Listening to students about the apps/tools they prefer!  This semester I learned that while students get excited using Kahoot, they don't feel like it is helpful to learning.  ON the other hand, they LOVE Quizziz!
• Putting lessons on unit websites.  I started creating mini-websites for each unit with all of the lesson components embedded.  Students seem to like it much better than Google Classroom ... and it is easy for me to manage.
• Random seating and high fives have been more of a hit in class than I thought they would be.  I did slack on the random seating this last six weeks ... let students choose their partners.  January will be a good month to mix it up again!

#MTBoS12day "Yule Blog" Challenge ... Yuletide favorites

This holiday I took a break from school ... haven't read blogs, Twitter, etc ... until tonight!  And that's when I discovered the Yule Blog Challenge.  Great fun!  On one hand ... sorry to be late to the blogging party, and on the other hand, glad to have made a clean break for a bit.

So ... I may not get in 12 posts ... but I'll post a few :)

I chose Yuletide favorites as my first post ...

I'm writing from a hotel room, situated on the gulf ... balcony with ocean view, sounds of the surf and salt air blowing!  My favorite way to relax is to walk on the beach.  And no, I don't live close.  But being able to escape to the beach now and then is one way I clear my head, ponder the great universe, and feed my soul.  This holiday Ron and I were able to get away for a few days!

A second Yuletide favorite is reading!  During the school year I focus mostly on professional reading. But beginning with Thanksgiving break I look for books that will inspire me spiritually.  This year I chose these books to read ... Ann Voskamp's book, The Greatest Gift, an advent devotional; Parker Palmer's, A Hidden Wholeness; and Adam McHugh, The Listening Life.  I can recommend all three - they are thought-provoking, challenging ... and hopefully will help shape my personal growth over the new few months!

A third Yuletide favorite is making sweet rolls - sticky buns for Christmas morning.  This year's batch turned out quite tasty!  I love to cook but don't cook very often ... too little time and energy!  I like this recipe because it's easy ... the rolls are made the night before ... and they are easy to pop into the oven in the morning!  The recipe is not original with me!  You can find it online here ... make some for your New Year's breakfast!

To my blogging friends, I hope you are having a wonderfully relaxing break!  Merry Christmas!