tips Archives | Lucky To Be In First

I like to cook {well kinda…I like the idea of cooking!} But to be totally honest, I do not like to cook most nights after teaching all day! Teaching is exhausting, right?
I figured I can’t be the only teacher who feels this way, so I’ve found some dinner recipes that are quick and easy for your most exhausting day and still taste fantastic! These meals are affordable and mostly made from scratch.

Let’s face it, going out to eat or picking up your favorite take out a couple nights a week can get costly and pack on a couple extra pounds, if you aren’t careful. Most of these meals can easily be doubled to create a freezer meal for the near future or cooked for leftovers.

Easy Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas
Recipe by Christine ByrneHow simple is this recipe? You add a can of black beans and your meal is done!

Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken
Recipe by Ruth Soukup
This dish ALREADY doubles the ingredients for you, so you’ll have one meal to eat right away…and one meal to freeze to make meal time even quicker for next week!

Add a bag of frozen steamed vegetables and some rice on the side and you’ll be all set with this delicious Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken. {My mouth is watering for this delicious recipe!}

Easy Slow-Cooked Ribs
Recipe by Ruth Soukup
This one had me at Crock-Pot….I love putting something into the crockpot before leaving for work and coming home to a house that smells amazing and a meal that is hot! This is another meal that has ALREADY doubled the ingredients so you can make one meal now and freeze half for another meal later!

Pair these ribs with a can of baked beans and/or mashed potatoes and it’s guaranteed to be a family favorite …AND messy! {I know, as if your day wasn’t messy enough with a class full of young children!} Remember to use a Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Liner to keep the clean up to a minimum!

Hawaiian Chicken
Recipe by Ruth Soukup
{Obviously I’m obsessed with Living Well Spending Less – go check out her site!}This Hawaiian Chicken is another go-to recipe I love because it ALREADY calls for enough ingredients for you to make some for tonight and some to freeze for later.

Add some grilled pineapples on top and some white rice and you will immediately be transported into paradise….until of course you are reminded that you better get dinner cleaned up so you can get to bed on time so you have the energy so you can educate the minds that will impact our future! Ha – we can dream, right?

Sriracha Chicken
Recipe by Regina from Leelalicious
Does this recipe even need any explanation? Love this twist of tacos with the use of Sriracha! Super delicious to pair with white rice and some chips {a little goofy mix, but delightful and yummy!} Most importantly…easy!

What are your favorite quick & easy recipes for busy days?
Need a few ideas for quick lunches? Check it out HERE!

Slainte!

It’s Spring. And with Spring comes more confident readers, better writers…and MESSY handwriting! I attribute it to kids wanting to get their ideas on the paper so quickly that they forget proper letter formation. On the other hand, perhaps it’s sheer laziness.

I don’t know.

Regardless, I have the best solution to fix this “Spring Writing.”

A special pencil.

That’s it.

That is my magical solution.

As a class, we brainstormed what would be a fun reward for having “the best” penmanship of the day. After much discussion {and plenty of silly ideas!} we settled on a special pencil. My class even cleverly named it, The Super Star Writer of the Day.

For days, I searched high and low for a fun pencil.

One day, I walked into Walmart and the handwriting gods were shining down on the Dollar Spot {or 98 cent spot in Walmart} I scored GIANT pencils for just 98 cents each!

The kids went bananas when I brought this perfect pencil into the class that next Monday.

Here are the specifics of how it works. At the end of each day, I choose a student who has used their best printing all day. I announce the winner at the very end of the day and the pencil is passed from today’s user to tomorrow’s user.

I keep a list on my desk of who has had the pencil so that I can spread the love around. Sometimes students just have terrible printing, so even improved handwriting wins on some days 🙂

Sometimes the big pencil gets a little heavy. So, we have a backup pencil with a fancy eraser to use when hand cramps set in 🙂

Find something that works for you and your classroom.

I promise this will make a HUGE difference.

The student in my class who had the messiest handwriting now has the most gorgeous printing in the class…because he was motivated by the pencil!

I hope it works for you!

Slainte!