It’s official!
An application is in!
Late this afternoon, I scrambled to fill out the rental application for the house with a pool in Ocala and get a money order for $50 to drop off at the realtor’s office.
Why was I scrambling?
Apparently another couple is interested in the same house and now that Ryan and I have been intensely searching for a place to live for more than a month, we don’t want to let the one house that stuck out to us slip through our fingers.
The waiting game is on and we’re hoping our application is approved and that the lower rental rate that we previously negotiated is honored. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll be moving in on August 15. That’s less than two weeks! Halle-sweet-lujah.
Dinner
After returning home, sitting in on a conference call and wrapping up some emails, it was dinner time.
The hotel was serving hot dogs and tater tots this evening and I just couldn’t get on board.
I snagged a big piece of homemade veggie lasagna that my mom vacuum packed in the freezer of my parents’ house before we drove back to Ocala on Sunday and defrosted it before heating it up in the microwave.
It was great!
I felt like I was cheating on dinner by making a boxed frozen dinner packed with additives and crazy ingredients when, in reality, I was enjoying a delicious reheated slice of homemade lasagna. Win!
As I ate this meal, it made me think about making bigger meals and casseroles for me and Ryan and freezing leftovers for easy peasy meals in the future. I’m sure not everything freezes as well as lasagna, but I’d like to experiment a little more with cooking larger meals and freezing portions for reheating.
I’m always a fan of super-fast healthy meals and I feel like this would be a great way to enjoy healthy food on nights when cooking time is limited.
Off to start reading my new book!
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Congratulations on getting the application in, and a big hooray and positive hopes that you get it (other couple be DAMNED!)
Looks like a delicious dinner. If that’s what all frozen dinners were like, I think I might wanna eat them more often!
A lot of food freezes well, you just need to look around online or ask friends and family. I love cooking some sort of meat in large amounts and freezing most of it in individual portions. Then I just need to thaw and heat. I puree fruits that are close to going bad and freezing it in ice cube trays. Then throw them into smoothies!
I’ve got my fingers crossed and am sending you good vibes for the house!
Good luck with the house! Hope you guys get it! Although, that means no more complimentary hotel food. 🙁
Lasagna is making me hungry!
Your mom is a freaking genius! I hope you really do experiment with freezing portions of meals… I’d definitely be following suit.
Good luck with the house!
I love freezing homemade soups in the colder months! It makes for such a quick and easy meal! 🙂
Congrats on the app! Hope it all works out. I have a safety question for you in regards to Twitter. I have read/heard that it’s a good idea to have a Twitter account to help your blog spread… Is there any “safety advice” you have in terms of that?
That lasagna looks delicious! If you ever get a spare moment and if it isn’t a family secret I would absolutely love it if your mum would share her recipe. It is soooo hard to find a good vege lasagna recipe and your mum’s looks really, really good 🙂
I am sending good vibes your way in regards to the house. Sadie would love that yard, she could hide her little pigs all over the place.
I love when my mom sneaks goodies into my bag (even though I tell her not to)!
I’m a big believer in freezing meals…it is so easy! By the way that lasagna looks killer!
Huge fan of cooking once, eating twice. Or more than twice.
I freeze EVERYTHING I make in portions..from casseroles to brownies. I put it all in the freezer and take one or two or a portion/portions out as needed.
The house. girl. We had to move b/c our landlord was selling our bldg. We had less than 30 days notice to be out. and I lost FOUR houses that slipped thru my fingers. There was a 10 day stretch there earlier in July where I bawled my eyes out of house misses…like daily.
Fingers crossed for you guys!!!!!
omg my mom makes the best lasagna (in my eyes) and now i am totally missing home 🙁 Good luck moving!!! jealous of that pool too.
Xoxo
Lo
Fingers crossed that you get the house. We have moved so much last 4 years, its just not fun anymore. So I really feel for you on this waiting game.
Ahhh so excited for you! Fingers crossed!!
PS – that lasagna looks fresh baked! I never would have guessed it was frozen if you didn’t tell us!
What a great idea for the lasagna!!
Hope everything with the house goes well!!!!
Crossing my fingers for you on the house! 🙂
Congrats on getting the application in for the house! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you! 🙂
That lasagna looks delicious! I’ve always wanted to prepare a lot of meals and then freeze them. It would definitely solve those nights when you just don’t know what to prepare for dinner or you don’t feel like cooking.
woot, congrats!!
Spaghetti freezes well, so does pulled chicken. That way whenever you need pulled chicken for a recipe (enchiladas, pulled chicken sandwiches, tacos, etc.) and didn’t think to put it in the crock pot that morning you don’t have to wait for it to cook!
I freeze casseroles all the time. Enchilada casseroles freeze well and so does meatloaf. It is a life saver when you’re busy and don’t want to put any thought into dinner!
Congrats on putting in the rental application Julie. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Last question…are you planning on watching Bachelor Pad. I didn’t watch it the first season but I must admit that the previews intriguied me. Not like I need more smut TV to get addicted too…haha!
Good luck on your application! Love your blog.
Fingers crossed for you & Ryan!
I plan to make big batches of food & freeze them once I start cooking more often. I get so busy during the school year & I’m hoping that will deter me from doing the ordering out thing!
If you’re interested, check out http://goodcheapeats.com/recipes/
She has great a TON of “freezer friendly” recipes!
Any tips from Mamma Julie (your mom that is) on freezing lasagna?? I freeze chili in tupperware but never my lasagna. It’s a great idea!
I always freeze my leftovers, or leftovers that party hosts beg me to take home! It’s a great option for when you don’t have time to cook
Sometimes I feel like re-heated pasta tastes just as good as the first time.
I hope everything goes through with the application!!
Freezing extras of meals is a great idea! We don’t freeze leftovers but keep them in the fridge (as long as they’re good) and eat them up once a week usually when no one feels like making anything.
I live in a family of 4, but we eat a lottt of chicken in our house. That’s usually our go-to lunch… chicken sandwiches, grilled chicken salads, etc. My mom will grill up a TON of chicken breasts for us to use for lunches. Those freeze well and we just defrost and cook whatever. Sometimes if we’re in a hurry she’ll use them for dinners too.
Our freezer is always packed with yummy dinners and it is SO helpful! Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Divan, Meatloaf are all things that freeze well! I make the normal size batch and then make one that night in a loaf pan for us and put the rest in aluminum disposable loaf pans to label and freeze!