Meals for Moms on the go...

Or girls on the go!

When you live a fast pace life as I do, you need things to be simple. I'm always looking for quick, easy, and most importantly, TASTY recipes for my family.

I have to confess, we've eaten out quite a bit lately and I've felt guilty for slacking in the kitchen, but I'm going to make a better effort to cook more often from this point on! We'll see how long that lasts. =)

Today I went through the pantry and made a never-ending grocery list to get me started on my quest to cook more. I wanted to share a few recipes of mine that fit the above criteria and I think you will enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie
Serves: 4 (at least!)
Prep time: 25 minutes

What you need:

1 14 1/2 ounce can chicken broth
1 2.64 ounce package country gravy mix
3 cups finely chopped chicken
1 16 ounce package frozen cut vegetable medley, thawed
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 15 ounce package refrigerated pie crusts

How you do it:

1. Whisk together chicken broth & gravy mix in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked chicken, vegetable medley, and garlic powder.
2. Place 1 piecrust in a 9-inch deep dish plate. Spoon in chicken mixture. Top with remaining pie crust, pinching edges to seal. Cut several small slits in crust.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

BAM! You have a wonderful dish for your family that incorporates protein, vegetables, and carbs all in one!

This recipe came from my The best of Southern Living cookbook. It's a great resource and I highly recommend it. OR you can just go online to their website and search for whatever you're in the mood to cook!

Ma', the Meatloaf!....for those of you who don't like meatloaf!
Serves: 4 (at least!)
Prep time: 25 minutes

What you need:

Loaf:
2 lb. ground beef
2 teaspoons salt
2-4 teaspoons finely chopped green pepper
2-4 teaspoons finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups quaker oats

Sauce:
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 small cans tomato sauce
2-4 tablespoons ketchup
1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

How you do it: 

1. Saute green pepper and onion with olive oil in a skillet until golden brown.
2. Mix loaf ingredients together in a bowl and form a loaf using a bread pan.
3. Poke holes in the loaf.
4. Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl. Pour over loaf.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.

This recipe will change your mind about meatloaf, I just know it!

Crock Pot Recipes:


Pot Roast
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 30 minutes (at the most)

What you need:


3 lb boneless chuck roast
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2-1 can water
1 package Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
1 medium onion sliced thin, quartered
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3-4 beef cubes, crushed
1/2 cup dry chardonnay (or if you're like me & don't always have white wine in the house, you can                   substitute red and it still tastes great!)
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 package raw baby carrots
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

How you do it:

1. Season both sides of roast with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sear on both sides in a skillet.
2. Add roast to crock pot.
3. Cover with all ingredients except wine, water, potatoes, & carrots.
4. Add chardonnay, then add water.
5. Add potatoes and carrots.
6. Cook on low in crock pot for 8 hours.

Serve with buttermilk biscuits.

****Since fall is just around the corner, tailgates are quickly approaching, 

and cool weather is in the near future, this next one will definitely be a hit!****

White Bean & Chicken Chili
Serves: 6-8 (maybe more!)
Prep time: 25-30 minutes

What you need:
*Dont worry, it sounds like a lot of ingredients, but you basically just open them and dump them in the crock pot!

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth (2 cups)
1 16 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, not drained
1 jar salsa verde (the green salsa)
2 15 ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 ears fresh corn (or 1 can corn, drained)
1 lb. diced cooked chicken (or I prefer a whole rotisserie chicken, pulled)

How you do it:

1. Heat oil, cook onion and garlic until soft.
2. Stir in broth, tomatoes, & spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Put in crock pot.
3. Add corn, chicken, salsa, & beans. Cook on low as long as you want!

Serve with sweet cornbread muffins.

Now how's that for easy, delicious, and healthy? This one's a winner, I promise.


Vegetable Beef Soup
Serves: 6-8 (or more!)
Prep time: 25 minutes

What you need: 

1 pound ground beef
2 cups baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can diced carrots
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 medium chopped onion
16 ounces tomato juice
1 1/2 quarts boiling water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

How you do it:

1. Brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain grease.
2. Add all ingredients to boiling water.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat and let simmer for 1 hour.

*This recipe has been slightly modified from my Pop's original recipe. I added more vegetables, so if it looks too think, you may need to add more tomato juice. You can also add or leave out any vegetables that you wish! I usually don't add the whole can of every vegetable until I get to the right consistency. 

Serve with grilled cheese and hot sauce, of course!


Something for the chocolate lovers...


German Chocolate Snack Bars
Serves: 18
Prep time: 20 minutes

What you need:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 box German Chocolate cake mix
4 large eggs, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 16 ounce package powdered sugar
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

How you do it:

1. Bake pecans at 350 degrees F. on a cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove from oven.
2. Reduce oven to 300 degrees F.
3. Stir together pecans, cake mix, 1 egg, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a lightly greased,
13 x 9 inch pan.
4. Beat powder sugar, cream cheese, and remaining 3 eggs at medium speed. Spoon powdered sugar mixture over batter in pan, spreading to edges.
5. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes.
6. Let cool and cut into squares.

This delicious treat came from a Southern Living magazine. I love all things Southern Living. =)

I hope you all enjoy! Do you have a few favorite quick and easy meals? I'd love to add to my collection!

Loren

Forgive me followers, for I have sinned....

It has been two weeks since my last post.

Whew...forgive me for keeping you all hanging! You know, sometimes life just gets in the way. I've had a busy few weeks! It's been quite a juggle of school, mommy duties, wife duties, and the whole purchasing/renovating a house thing. But, I will survive! =)

The first week of school was a little overwhelming, but I can say with confidence, that I have finally adjusted. I put my big girl panties on, haven't been late, gotten lost, or confused my schedule lately. This week I had three exams and I passed with flying colors! I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I can handle this! I can also say that I, without a doubt, know that this field of work is my calling. It has comes so natural. Thank heavens.

So, lets back it up a few weeks. I've been meaning to share my very latest experience with the farming gig, but for obvious reasons, I just haven't gotten around to it.

Before I get into that though, I have to share one thing. Every time I think "I just didn't get around to it", I think of a sermon I heard years ago where my preacher spoke to us about the "round toit". Long story short, he preached about how we often say we will get around to it, and life gets so in the way that we forget to make time for what's most important in our lives. I know I've used the saying a million times, and I feel guilty each and every time because I think, what have I not gotten around to lately? Especially in a religious since. So, if I have any bit of advice for you today, it is...make time for God and those you love. Don't always think you will get a "round toit". What have you not gotten around to today?

ANYWAY...pardon the interruption! I always seem to get off on some random tangent in the midst of getting to the real point of my story.

David has finally wrapped up this "session" as I call it of this years tobacco. For several weeks now actually he has had his tobacco cut and hung. What a relief! It couldn't have been better timing. He has been such a HUGE help as I have started school. It feels so good to have him around!

So the day before I started school, David got a wild hair and actually asked if I would help him cut tobacco. (Whaaattt?) Of course, I was thrilled that he asked me to help! And obviously, I had no idea what I was getting into! It topped the charts on the "hardest things I've ever done" list.

And as usual, I made sure I got pictures of myself doing it! I just HAD to document my experience. I guess I can officially check it off my bucket list. hahahaha....

Me, the bandana, and my tomahawk. 

Did I mention this was one of the hardest things I've ever done? Oh yeah, I did. What I didn't mention is what a MAN I had to be while doing it. I popped a squat like a man, blew my nose like a man (because I was still battling a cold & couldn't find anything to blow my nose with), and drank from a dirty water cooler that who knows who's mouth had been on...like a man. Yep, I played the part alright...and I got after it, just to make sure David knew I was tough! ;) I cut while David speared. I think I put a pretty good dent in the patch, if I do say so myself!

At one point though, I stopped and asked him if he was turned off by my dirty, nasty, stinky, slave-working self. Luckily he said it made him love me even more! tehehe.

Posing in front of the patch.

All patched up. In a fair amount of pain.

Something's in my eye.

Unfortunately, my virgin hands didn't withstand the manual labor for long! I had a glove on my left hand (the one I was grabbing the tobacco stalks with), but did not have a glove on my right hand, which I was using to cut the tobacco. P.S. I was using a tomahawk that honestly looked like it came straight out of a history museum in the "Cowboys and Indians" section!!!

Probably no more than 8 stalks into the patch I noticed my hand started stinging and looked down to see that my skin was literally peeling off my fingers in MULTIPLE places. Ouch.

So David, being the loving husband that he is (ha),  rigged me up with electrical tape, as you can see in the above pictures, and I got right back to it. This scores me major wifey points if you ask me.

The next day at school, once I finally made it to class, my hands were so sore and raw that I couldn't write my name! My teachers were probably wondering what level of education I had previously, judging by my chicken scratch.

The best little helper!

Oaks was right up in the mix for a while, before heading off on the 4-wheeler with Papa. He loved every second of it of course. He found a stick and started mimicking me. I think he did more damage than he did good..considering he whacked more than a few stalks down to nothing, but it was the cutest thing ever!

The farmer and his wife.

All in all, I can probably say with certainty that I will never volunteer to help with cutting again. It was kinda horrible. I was rewarded with a terrible headache afterwards and was out of commission for the rest of the day. However, I'm proud of myself and can say that I am getting pretty darn good at this farmer's wife gig. =)

Have a lovely labor day weekend my friends,

Loren