Wool Dryer Balls

Today was laundry day around here and it started with creating wool dryer balls.  I have read quite a bit about these dryer balls and even bought a few off of Etsy too, but wanted to try my hand at making them to save some dough. 

There are a lot of benefits to dryer balls, the largest being the natural method of helping dry and soften clothes without using the harsh chemicals in dryer sheets or fabric softeners.  In addition to it being a natural alternative, wool dryer balls also cut drying time by 25-50% and help with static in clothing.  To make these from home, I started by purchasing 100% wool yarn from JoAnn's - with a coupon of course! I purchased two balls of yarn and was able to make 5 dryer balls varying in size.  I would prefer to have a total of 8 dryer balls in order to have 4 for each load so I would recommend 3 balls of yarn to anyone looking to make 8 dryer balls. 

To start the dryer ball, wrap the yarn around your fingers about 20 times and then take the yarn off your fingers and wrap it around itself.  Continue to wrap the yarn around itself in different directions to make your sphere shape.  This is a little time consuming and your finger may get sore, but its worth it! :) I stopped about halfway through my ball and added 5 drops of lavender oil for a yummy smell to my clothes.  The lavender should last a while, but you can always add more drops when your dryer balls are complete.  

To finish off each ball, I simply wrapped the end piece of yard around other strands of yarn on the ball.  Once the dryer balls are felted in the dryer you shouldn't have any unraveling.  For a cleaner look, I've heard you can use a crochet needle to pull the string through the dryer ball, but I just didn't care enough or own a crochet needle! ;)

When all of your balls are finished, take a pair or pantyhose and place each ball inside.  In between each ball tie a knot in the pantyhose to keep them separate.  You want the yarn to felt together (almost to where you can't see the strands of yarn) so to do this, put your filled pantyhose in the washer on the hottest setting and then into the dryer on the hottest setting as well.  

 

My balls came out great with one run through the washer and dryer but if you weren't satisfied you can run it through again.  The balls will continue to felt as you use them and will last a loooonggg time! 

Overall for this project I spent $13 (because I didn't have pantyhose!) so it would be about $8-$9 if I decided to make some more.  $13 and no need to buy dryer sheets or fabric softener ever! Yay! Not only does it feel good to save money, but it feels great knowing that I'm keeping my little guy safe of those crazy chemicals on his clothes!  

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

-D.D.D.-

Freezer Crock Pot Recipes: Month One

 I know, I know, catchy name right?! ever since I married Matt I became D.D.D. and I am proud of my triple D name! :)  I am so excited to start blogging again and even more excited to share my MAD meal planning skills!

As many of you know, Matt and I welcomed our beautiful baby boy in May and making dinner has totally changed! It is definitely a challenge to find the time to get to the store, cook throughout the day and have dinner on the table when Matt gets home from work.  Crock pot meals are the perfect solution and to make it better, you can freeze them!

My goal this time around was to make 20 meals to freeze for this month.  We have Family Dinner once a week at my parents house and usually end up going out once a week too, so this means 20 meals = one whole month of food!  I do my shopping at Target and Sprouts because I find that to be the cheapest way I can shop. Target has great prices on dry goods and Sprouts has awesome produce and meat.  *double win for Wednesday shoppers because its Double Ad day at Sprouts!

The most important part of Freezer meal cooking is to organize yourself before you get to the store.  I chose my recipes, made a shopping list and checked my pantry for ingredients all before heading to the store.  If you want to be super dorky like me, you can re-write your shopping list in the order you will find it within the store... this helps when you are crunched for time ..cough cough.. Baby.. cough cough..

Overall I spent $145 on groceries for my freezer meals which includes the rice or noodles we will eat with each meal.  This shopping trip I also had to stock up on a lot of the spices that were needed for my dishes, so next trip I won't need those so the total bill will be lower.  

I really love this way of cooking and I find that it's the best way for us to eat healthy at home!  I hope you guys enjoy the recipes!! 

Thanks for reading! 

DDD

Here are the recipes! (I made two of each):

Chicken Tortilla Soup (a modified stove top soup that our family loves!):

2 Chicken Breasts

1 can Pinto Beans

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1 can Tomato Soup

1 tsp worchestershire

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper

1 onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

Directions: Mix ingredients together in freezer bag.  Defrost in refrigerator the night before, then add bag to crock pot along with 1 box chicken broth and cook on low for 7 hrs or high for 4 hrs. Shred chicken and serve with chips & cheese.  

Teriyaki Chicken:

2 Chicken Breasts

1 can pineapple slices

1 bag Carrots

1 Onion

1 C Honey Teriyaki Sauce

1 T Soy Sauce

Sesame Seeds

Directions: Mix ingredients together in freezer bag.  Defrost in fridge the night before. Place bag in crock pot and cook on high for 4 hrs or low for 7 hrs.  Serve over rice.

Easiest Chicken Ever:

2 Chicken Breasts

½ bottle Italian Dressing

Directions: Mix together in ziploc bag, freeze, cook in crock pot for 4 hrs on high or 7 hours on low.  *We haven't made this one yet but I think it would work well to add bell peppers and onions.  

Chicken Ranch Tacos:

2 chicken breasts

1 pkg ranch dip

1 pkg taco seasoning ~ I made my own! Recipe down below!

12 oz chicken broth

Directions: mix ingredients in freezer bag and freeze.  Defrost the night before and pour all ingredients in crock pot, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6.  Serve with taco fixings.

Fiesta Chicken:

3 Chicken Breasts

1 lime

Frozen corn

2 cloves garlic

1 red onion diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp olive oil

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp cumin

Directions: Mix ingredients in freezer bag and freeze.  Cook on low for 8 hrs and serve with Tortilla chips and fixings.  

Honey Sesame Chicken:

4 Chicken Breasts

Salt and Pepper

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 Cup Honey

¼ Cup Ketchup

½ Cup Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

¼ teaspoon Red pepper Flakes

4 teaspoon Corn Starch

1/3 Cup water

Directions: Place all ingredients in freezer bag except corn starch and water.  Cook in Crock pot on low for 4 hours or high for 2.  Remove chicken and shred. Dissolve 4 teaspoons cornstarch in 1/3 Cup water and add to crock pot, stir together until sauce is slightly thickened.  

Stew's Stew:

2 lbs Stew meat

1 bag carrots

4 red potatoes

1 onions

1 cups celery

1 can tomato sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Directions: Mix together in gallon bag & freeze.  Add bag and 1 C water to crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hrs and serve over noodles or rice. 

Cilantro Lime Chicken:

Cilantro Lime Chicken

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes

1 Lime

¼ Cup fresh cilantro

2 jalapenos – finely chopped

2 oz Taco Seasoning

3 Chicken Breasts

Directions: Mix ingredients in bag and freeze. Cook on Low for 6 hours, serve with rice or taco toppings

Chicken Noodle Soup:

3 Chicken Breasts

2 Boxes chicken broth

2 C Carrots chopped

2 C Celery Chopped

2 Onions Chopped

1 bunch Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: Add ingredients to bag & freeze. Add bag to crock pot along with chicken broth and Cook on low for 6 hrs, then shred chicken.  Add cooked egg noodles when ready to serve! 

*Added Bonus: Chicken Pot Pie (not in the crock pot!)*

2 Chicken breasts – cooked and cubed

2 cans Cream of Potato Soup

1 Can mixed veggies

½ C Milk

1 tsp Thyme

1 box Pie crust

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and put into pie crust.  Coat crust with egg whites and cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees. 

Taco Seasoning :

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I quadrupled this recipe and had just enough for my freezer meals.  

1 T. chili powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper