Tuesday, May 8, 2012

One of My Favorite Times of Year

My FAVORITE farm stand has opened for the season! I just like LOVE getting fresh produce from them to eat and feed to my family. I CAN'T wait until they have their strawberries ready...they have the BEST I have EVER had!



Thursday, April 12, 2012

Buffalo Chicken and Potatoes

1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
6 cups frozen (thawed) southern-stype has brown potatoes
1 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat over to 350. Spray 13"x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and wing sauce.

3. In large bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese, and soup. Spoon into baking dish. Place chicken strips in single layer over potato mixture.

4. In small bowl, stir together crumbs and butter. Sprinkle in baking dish.

5. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with green onions.

***When I made this yummy dish I used ranch dressing and did not use the corn flake crumbs, butter, or green onions.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Easy Crockpot Potato Soup


Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

1- 30 oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns
42 oz. Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ cup Onion, chopped
¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
1 pkg. Cream Cheese (don’t use fat free, it won’t melt)
2 tsp. Basil
Salt to taste

In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese and basil. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat. About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and basil and keep heated until thoroughly melted. Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, or whatever else you think would be good!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad


1 pkg. (3 oz.) Ramen Noodle Soup Mix
1 pkg.  (14 oz.) Coleslaw Blend
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
4 green onions
1/3 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Lite Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (I used Kens Lite Asian Seasame w/ Ginger and Soy)
1 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter

1. Break noodles into small pieces in a large bowl. Add coleslaw blend, chicken, onions, and nuts; mix lightly. You can discard the seasoning packet from the soup mix or use it for something else.

2. Beat the dressing and peanut butter with a whisk until well blended.  Add to salad; toss to coat.

* To add some zip add 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce to dressing mixture before tossing with the salad.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Time...Where does it go?!?!

Time...Where does it go? Has it really been almost two months since I last blogged? Apparently so, because that is what blogger tells me. It really doesn't seem like that long ago. Let me give you a quick update on the last two months...

I have been training for the 10 mile race that I signed up for...as you can see by my mileage on the right side of this blog. That is one thing that I have not been slacking on. Four weeks until the race...oh boy! Went on vacation with extended family to Turks and Caicos, traveled to WV to visit family for a long weekend, and am getting ready to travel again with friends to celebrate 10 years of marriage! Plus regular day life of being a mom....soccer, baseball, boxing, karate, gym, etc.

With our busy schedule I have been slacking a little on the whole Menu Plan thing. We have been doing a lot of dream dinners and whatever happens to be in the house. However, this week I do have three new recipes that I found on pinterest that I would like to try. (Easy Crockpot Potato Soup, Buffalo Chicken and Potatoes, and Black Bean Salad with Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette) If they are a hit I will be sure to share with you!

Happy Monday

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Mexican Cabbage Soup

6 cups beef broth
14 oz. diced tomatoes with green chillies
1/4 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey (can add more if you like)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
2 teaspoons oregano
3 cups cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup black beans, canned (I usually just use a can)

Cook ground beef/ground turkey until no longer pink. I also like to cook it will my onion and garlic.

Add all other ingredients and let simmer for awhile. (I usually let it cook for an hour just to get all the flavoring in.)

Freezes well!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Be Confident

Be Confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren't. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are -- and aren't -- that you will truly succeed.