Put This In Your Crockpot Immediately - Chicken Fajita Soup

You guys. I have found my new favorite crockpot recipe of the year.

Already.

And its only Febuary.

Have I ever told you about my love for Chicken Enchilada Soup? Or Chicken Tortilla Soup? Or anything that remotely resembles it? Well, I love it. Take me to a restaurant that serves it and I will love you for life.

I'm always nervous to make my favorite foods because I don't want to mess it up. But I went searching for healthy recipes last week and stumbled upon this gem.

It's a home run. Everyone loves it. Make it and rejoice.

     Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (Want a more natural substitute for canned soup? Click here!)
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 
  
• Optional Toppings:
• 
  
• sour cream
• diced tomatoes
• green onions
• cilantro
• lettuce
• diced avocado
• tortilla strips
• (pic and recipe from here)

Best. Soup. Ever.

Just make it as soon as you can.

I have made a lot of new recipes lately that I'm going to start posting. I'm looking for healthier options for my family and myself, and the crockpot is the best option for our busy family.

I went through a little bit of a standstill on my fitness journey when our foster care situation got crazy...and then we got M's sister...and then I was up all night...and I watched a lot of Netflix.

And then I ate my feelings.

SO.

Back on track, back in the gym, back on my AdvoCare regimen, and back to a healthier and more energetic me! It's time. Summer is coming. And it's not that I want to channel my 20yr old body, but I'd like to not hyperventilate when I pass the swimsuit department at Target. Amen? Awesome. 

So anyway, try this recipe! It's a crowd pleaser, I promise!

Back In The Saddle

We are getting back in to the swing of things after a long winter break.

And by long I mean crazy. And unexpected. And surreal. And INSANE.

But we are all still here and everyone seems to still be ok, so that means something is going right...right? Just say I'm right, ok? Lie to me if you have to, sister.

I am adjusting to our new (not) normal. I've been thinking of new ways to keep up with the laundry and housework and such with 8 kids. Because even though we only added 2 more, it feels like we went from 6 to 12. I don't know why, but it does. Eric surprised me last week with these bad boys...

I don't think I've ever been more attracted to him. 

It's like he gave me my very own laundromat! These were my late Christmas, early anniversary, birthday, and "any other event that calls for a present" gift. Instead of updating our rings or going on a 10yr anniversary trip next month, we got a church van and a washer & dryer.

We're so romantic. 

I had an unexpected meeting with the girls biological mom on Friday that rocked me a little. And as much as I want to share about it all, I'm just not ready. It's messy, and annoying, and sad, and good, and SO many other emotions that I can't seem to make any sense of. I'm confused but also clear on the fact that He is working here.

Now, He may be working the most on me and my lack of faith and one of a kind control issues, but can we save that for another post? Yes? Great.

In the meantime, look at a cute picture of my girls... 

Sigh, I love them.

We've embraced the snow and loved every second of it. Well, except for the fact that they only have to pee after I get ALL the snow clothes on. By the time I get all the clothes on I am basically sweating - so taking them back off goes down in my book as a full blown workout.

Anyway. Does this all sound like rambling yet? Well, 8 kids make you ramble. For reals.

I'm off for now. Going to lay out some food for the crockpot tomorrow. I am making and freezing some of our favorite Cream Cheese Chicken Chili. The kids love it and I love having some frozen meals for busy nights (which is basically every night right now). You should try it, I promise you'll love it!

Hope you're having a great week, friends!

Baking With My Girls - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The girls love to cook with me. And baking goodies, well that is their favorite.

They have been begging to pull out our pumpkin recipes, and so we did this past weekend. And just in case there is one of you that missed this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on my blog a couple years back, I thought I'd share again.

They are so good. So, SO good.

Baking with the little women is messy, and unorganized, but oh does it make for some great memories - and that is the best part!

We popped our homemade chicken noodle soup in the crockpot before we embarked on the cookies. It's always a hit - healthy, warm on a chilly day, and the kiddos love it...

So anyway. On to the good stuff.

Here is the recipe...

-1 cup of canned (or not canned) Pumpkin. **I actually added the whole can, we really like pumpkin.
-1 cup white Sugar
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1 egg
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon milk
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Combine, pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir in.

(I may or may not have mixed everything in the same bowl - completely going against the directions.)

(I'm fearless that way.)

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 10 min or until lightly brown and firm. (although mine were never really "firm")

And then, throw a party.

Tell your neighbors.

And take them to anyone you want to impress.

Seriously, they are that good! Enjoy!

Easiest Side Ever

For real.

And while I'm sure almost all you have heard of this ingenious way to cook baked potatoes, I had to share anyway....just in case even 1 of you hasn't heard.

We eat a lot of them around here. The girls love them, they're cheap to buy, and they are a healthy option.

It's a win all the way around.

Well, I guess adding some toppings might take the healthy factor down a tad, but a potato without butter DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, right?

So anyway. Pop your potatoes in the crockpot (wrapped and poked with a fork), and let them cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

That's it. It's magical.

It is so great to have a side for dinner that I don't have to prep an hour before. Amen?

Cause, you know, pre-dinner time might also be a crazy time in this neck of the woods.

Just thought I'd share this little idea that has blessed my kitchen :).

Enjoy the weekend!

Frozen Yogurt Bites, And Other Things On Our Monday Checklist

1. Do 324 loads of laundry.

2. Exaggerate a tad on number one.

3. Make Frozen Yogurt Bites.

They are super easy and a gigantic hit in these parts. Just drop little bite size portions of yogurt on wax paper and freeze. Lincoln adores them as well. Watch out though, they melt in your hands quicker than you think!

4. Realize at 10am that I have hardened grape jelly in my hair from breakfast.

5. Make a memo to wipe off sticky hands after breakfast before they come anywhere close to my head.

6. Turn the living room into an art room...

7. Find and hide all the scissors cause apparently we have a hair stylist in the family. She's given 2 cuts in the past week.

8. Demolish the toy area...

9. Wear the children out by having them race each other around the couches.

10. Repeat number 9.

Phew :). Mondays are always a good time, right?

Our New Favorite Crockpot Dinner

Ahh, a new week. I am thankful for a fresh Monday :).

Eric was actually out of town all week last week for work during our 2012 Flu-fest. I was so happy to see that man walk in the door Saturday...and the kids, they were just as happy as I was.

Well, maybe not just as happy.

Anyway. I tried out this new recipe over the weekend and I must share it because I believe that it is a total crockpot win. WIN, I say. It's called Cream Cheese Chicken Chili...

Here are the ingredients from the original recipe. This is the single recipe, I double ours...

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Just FYI - My chicken was frozen so I cooked it in a separate crockpot, shredded it when it was done, and added it to the rest of the chili in my big crockpot. And I added more corn and beans.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can change it a tad according to your tastes. It is so good, and I highly recommend making yourself a double batch and freezing it. Perfect for busy days.

 Above is the pic from the recipe, mine looked a little thicker. Try it, its a crowd pleaser!!

Hope you had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

Bakin' Some Goodies - Peppermint Bark

We started in on our holiday baking this week and I thought I'd share this kid friendly Peppermint Bark recipe. I'm sure many of you have made it, but if not, the kiddos adore it and it was a huge success even with all our little helping hands :).

All you need is:

1 bag of chocolate chips
1 bag of white chocolate chips
crushed candy canes

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Melt the chocolate chips, either on the stove or in the microwave, and pour on baking sheet. Put in fridge to harden. Melt the white chocolate, be careful cause it burns quicker than the regular chocolate for some reason (anyone know why???). Pull baking sheet out of the fridge and pour the white chocolate over the hard bottom layer of regular chocolate. Crush candy canes and sprinkle generously. Pop back in the fridge and let harden. Then break apart and serve!

I made a double batch thinking I would freeze some for our family gatherings next week, but I think we are going to have to make some more :).

We made some cookie cutter sugar cookies too, always a favorite around here. Next week we are diving into the Lemon Bars and Buckeyes. I LOVE Lemon Bars. I mean, really love them. And those recipes are so great to make and freeze.

So, that's it for now, make this if you haven't already!!

Super Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I've had a few questions about our chicken noodle soup recipe that was in a pic a few weeks back...so I thought I'd share it :). It is a staple around this house, the kiddos seriously love it.

I call it one of our "big family meals". Its easy to make in bulk and it's easy to reheat for leftovers.

Also, its an insanely simple recipe. I like simple. And fast. And healthy.

This satisfies all 3 of those things.

So, here is the chicken noodle soup recipe that I make for our growing brood...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dump everything except for the noodles in the crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Cook noodles right before the meal and serve! That's it!

I just made 3 batches of it yesterday so I could freeze 2 of them. There is nothing better than realizing you have frozen chicken noodle soup that you can just pop in the crockpot on a busy day. For real.

Hope you like it as much as we do!

Oatmeal Pumpkin (White Chocolate Chip) Cookies

I know, another pumpkin recipe? I'm sorry, we can't help ourselves. And when you bake this in your home (hopefully for your sake) sometime this week, you'll see why we can't get enough.

I know I said it before, but THESE are the best. Dare I saw they are better than the Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies we made not long ago? Oh yes...I dare.

We basically love any form of oatmeal in this house, so when I came across this recipe I knew we had to make a version of it. I like to think that I usually have pretty good self control when it comes to desserts, unless we're talking about chocolate pudding. Or chocolate pudding pie. Or any pudding pie in general.

Alright maybe I have no control.

Anyway. These were so good out of the oven that we basically finished off the whole first batch. And they make the house smell sooo good. Here are the details...

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips (I added more...surprise, surprise)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

We stacked them. Sometimes we like to do that.

In groups of 6.

Cause we have 6 kids.

I know, we're quarky. Don't let the quarks scare you off. Embrace them with us.

So, please make these, ok? They will make you smile, laugh out loud, jump for pumpkin joy, and possibly dance in the street. Or maybe that was just us.

Enjoy!

On A Lighter (Pumpkin) Note

Oh it's good. Well, both of these recipes are good. Amazing actually.

I thought it would be a good idea in the middle of all our pumpkin madness to bake some things on the lighter side.

Although I guess eating 3 muffins in an hour sorta cancels out the "light" part. Not that I've done that. Ahem.

So, first are the best and easiest Pumpkin Muffins. Just 2 ingredients...

Mix the cake mix (don't add anything, no eggs, oil or water) and 1 can of Pumpkin together. Put mixture into a cupcake pan...try not to eat ALL the batter, you could if you wanted to though because there aren't any raw eggs :).

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. And enjoy some yummy, pumpkin-y, heavenly muffins.

We sprinkled powdered sugar on top...

Next is super popular around here and another light and easy recipe - Pumpkin Fluff Dip.

All you need is: 1 can of Pumpkin, 2 packages of Instant Vanilla Pudding, 1tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a container of cool whip...

(I heard that some people add 2 containers of cool whip, I may try that next time to make it a little more whipped)

Mix it all together and serve with Graham Crackers...

SO good, friends! And I read that it's only 64 calories a serving, however I don't know what "a serving" is.

Lets just pretend that...oh I don't know, half the batch is a serving. That seems reasonable to me.

(denial is an ugly thing)

There they are, our latest pumpkin adventures. The dip is good, but you MUST try the muffins. They are the real deal, sisters.

Have a great weekend!

Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

We're on a bit of a baking kick. Maybe you've already noticed that since this is my 2nd recipe in a week :)!

I've been trying to find recipes for staples we eat a lot of. I feel like I can make a healthier alternative and save some money at the grocery by making big batches of things we like and/or need.

1st up? Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

The girls love granola bars, they get that from me...us girls have a lot in common :). Well, Lincoln and I have a lot in common as well if you consider the facts that we both love to sleep and eat every 3 hours.

I'm rambling, stay with me.

Can I just say real quick that the amazingly yummy granola bars we whipped up only had 8 ingredients in them and the regular granola bars that I usually buy at the store have 37. 37! I counted.

That many extra ingredients makes me nervous, my friends.

So I found a recipe that I altered a bit and they turned out wonderful.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of Oats
1 cup of chocolate chips (or raisins, or any other dried fruit)
1 cup nuts, in small pieces (I used regular peanuts, the girls favorite)
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a large, ungreased shallow baking pan, toast oats and nuts at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Toss with remaining ingredients and mix well. I melted the butter a tad and waited for that and the oats to cool before I added the Chocolate chips to the mixture...they will melt if you don't wait.

Then spread them out on the baking pan. This shows one batch, it didn't cover the entire pan. I later doubled it and may triple it in the future.

Then I baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until it looks light brown around the edges). Let it cool and then cut into bars and store however you like!

I love them. Any kind of granola is always a hit in this house.

So that's it, I promise I won't post every recipe we try :). Or maybe I will. I'll let ya know.

Well I'm off for now, both 2yr olds are in the bathroom and I can hear water running and giggling. That is never a good combination.

Hope you're having a great week!

Homemade Strawberry Jam

It is SO insanely yummy...and SO much easier to make than you would think.

I got to talking with a friend last week about how quickly we go through jelly, and how expensive it can be to buy the organic kind in bulk...and she said, "let's get together this week and make some!"

So 2 other mama's and I got together at our place and made some good 'ol strawberry jam...with all our kids...it was a good time :).

All you need are strawberries, pectin, and sugar...

- For 1 batch you mix 2 cups of crushed (in a blender) strawberries with 4 cups of regular sugar and let stand for 10 minutes...

- Mix 3/4 cup of water with one box of pectin and bring to a boil while stirring constantly - when it comes to a boil you stir for one minute and then remove from heat.

- Stir the pectin into the fruit and stir for 3 minutes.

- Quickly pour into jars, fill to within 1/2 inch of the top and let stand for 24 hours.

- Store in freezer and refrigerate after opening. That's it!

It is delicious! I think next time I'm going to give blueberry jam a try, Eric loves that stuff. And next week I'm making salsa...I have all these jars now, so I have to fill them up with something :)!

(if these directions were confusing there is a detailed recipe in the pectin box)

I'm going to try to start making more staples...bread, tortillas, spaghetti sauce, frozen meals for our many way-to-busy nights. Anyone else make any staples?

Happy Friday, all!