"Centsible Soups" Part 2- Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

It's good for what ails you... At least that's what I'm always being told about chicken noodle soup. I was hopeful that this recipe would be a keeper because I'm all about soups, especially soups that are supposedly going to help keep me healthy or help me get healthier faster. It didn't disappoint!

I modified a found recipe and made it my own with organic broth and chicken, skipped the can of cream of chicken soup, and doubling or halving some ingredients. As you may be figuring out by now I NEVER ever follow a recipe perfectly. It's a fault of mine. So, even if I write down 5 cups I may only have 4 on hand, so I just add a little less of everything else. Today I had PLENTY of broth and decided to double it so it could be frozen or sent with Mr. Fantastik to work. You're probably also learning I am fairly obsessed with cooking extra for freezing! 

So, I gathered my ingredients and threw it in the Crock-Pot around noon. Five hours later we were ready to devour it along with some warm from the oven bread for the hubby. And it made LOTS, folks (filled my 5 quart Crock-Pot). If you want a normal amount, I would suggest cutting the recipe in half. 

 This was after we had dished some up. It really did fill up the 5 quart Crock-Pot.

Chicken and Noodle Soup
8 cups of chicken broth (I used Pacific Organic Low Sodium broth)
1 cup onions, chopped fine (used frozen variety from Kroger)
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced
1 bag of frozen corn (16 oz) (You can use canned corn, I just happen to despise it)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup Egg noodles (I have now found whole wheat noodles and am excited to try them next time)
2 cups cooked chicken chopped/shredded (I used Coleman Organic from Costco. I had cooked an entire chicken in the Crockpot a few months ago, shredded my meat, and froze it for a recipe just like this one.)

Add everything but the noodles to the Crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the noodles during the last hour and be sure and switch to high. 

You may be wondering how this was 'centsible' if I used organic broth and chicken. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Pacific broth on sale at Kroger for $1.70 less than Wal-mart's normal price. This made it even cheaper than buying the same amount of broth from Swanson. I also like buying Pacific brand because it is not in the cans with BPA.

Also, I did pay more for my meat, but at $2.29/lb it didn't break the bank. I was able to get more meat than I used for this recipe and also made some chicken stock I've already used. 

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken...

I love my crockpot for those days when I don't feel like cooking, standing over a hot stove, turning on a hot oven in this crazy heat we've been having, or for those days I know I won't be home. So, when I found a recipe for the crockpot using only three ingredients I was pretty excited to say the least!

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 bottle bbq sauce (I use Bullseye because they have some varieties without high fructose corn syrup.)

Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bbq sauce and pineapple. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve over rice. (We chose not because neither one of us was really all that hungry.)

I stuck it in the crockpot and walked out the door at about 6:45. Nick arrived home about 3:15 and turned it off. Obviously, the chicken cooked longer than 6 hours, but I figured it wouldn't hurt too much... I doubt it is the reason why, but both of us said we would pass on making it again. The chicken (a brand I normally use) was tough and chewy. I have another recipe for bbq chicken in the crockpot we like better that we'll stick with (and that I'll post here sometime 'soon'). 

Looks good and worth you giving it a shot since everyone has different tastes, but I'm not highly suggesting this one.

Original source is no longer available for this one according to Pinterest.

Oodles of Fun With (Pool) Noodles...

These are hoooooot summer days. It's no fun being outside and being cooped up inside is just sometimes plain boring. So, in an effort to make some fun for the kiddos I get to hang out with one day a week (and for myself since I can still be a kid in sooo many ways) craftiness, projects, games etc have been happening in their kitchen.

The kiddos are spread in age from 6th, 4th, and 1st grade. The oldest are girls. The youngest a boy. So, coming up with a variety of activities all three will enjoy has involved a little more work than in the past when I've been able to spend time with them.

They really had fun with dollar store pool noodles, beads from around their house, and some extra packing tape left over from their recent move. I was expecting maybe 15 minutes of fun, largely for the boy, but I was pleasantly surprised when over an hour was spent thinking, planning, scheming, learning, and being creative during this activity.

I cut the noodles in half with a knife and they were off... 

The younger two had fun trying to race their marbles/beads down the noodle on the stairs. They added loops and mountains and tested different theories. Then they got a bit more creative and started cutting, taping, punching holes... just like their big sister whose creation looked a bit more elaborate... 

What you can't see in the pictures is that she added holes and had the marble traveling from the top all the way to the bottom of her creation. Talk about fancy pants. Reminded me of indoor recess days  and the game MouseTrap.

Total cost to me: $2.14
Totally worth over an hour of fun!

Oven Baked Zesty Ziti

Remember I mentioned Mr. Fantastik loves carbs? More specifically, he looooves anything with pasta, marinara sauce, and meat. After all, he does have some Italian blood running through those veins of his. So, when I found this recipe for baked ziti I decided to give it a go.

Then life happened. I spent all day organizing, unpacking, doing laundry... and suddenly I just wanted it to be a quick and simple throw in a pan and bake kind of meal, not a stand over the stove to make sure the pasta doesn't boil over kind of meal. 

So, taking the above recipe as my inspiration, I decided to make it my own version...

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey, cooked

2.5 cups ziti pasta

1 can tomato sauce

1 jar spaghetti/pasta sauce

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1-1.5 tsp red pepper flakes (to your taste)

1 tsp onion flakes

1 cup water

 In an ungreased 9x13 pan add the meat, sauces, tomatoes, and spices. Stir to mix. 

Add in the ziti and water. Mix together. 

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until pasta is done.

Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese to taste. 

I loved being able to throw this together in a hurry and not having to stand over the stove watching the pasta to be sure it didn't boil over! I may try it some day when I have more time and energy and then shorten the cook time, but we are definitely going to be using this again for a simple, throw in the oven and be done dinner.

As with any of the recipes I post, let me know your thoughts if you give this a try!

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Scrumptious! The hubby spoke right up after his first bite and said to add this one to the rotation. I'm glad he said so because I was planning on it after I had a few bites. It is just that good (and healthy)! 

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips (I used tenderloins and left them as is)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (My preference is olive oil)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt (I omitted this and would again)

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, sliced (I used a mix of red, orange, and yellow)

Flour tortillas

Toppings: i.e. cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt, guacomole, salsa

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan and place chicken in it. 

In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. 

Drizzle the mixture over the chicken. Stir to coat. 

Add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Stir. 

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked

Serve on tortillas with desired toppings. 

N admitted he made his into more of a burrito after requesting rice. I was fine with this and served up some brown rice seasoned with cumin and garlic salt. Whatever keeps him happy!

Enjoy!

This recipe originated from Real Mom Kitchen

Fingernail Polish Remover... Who Knew??

I'm all about stretching pennies, making our money go as far as it can, in our one-income family. It's not uncommon for me to save the yogurt tubs, Cool-Whip containers, glass spaghetti sauce jars, or other containers that can be re-used to freeze things in, store leftovers, or for other types of organization around the house.

My new favorite has been the spaghetti sauce jars. I use Classico brand sauce and really like their jars. I've decided I'm going to re-use them for storing some of the mixes and seasonings I mix up. (I can't wait to try making my own taco seasoning!) I stick them through the dishwasher after peeling as much of the label off that I can and they come out cleaner, but with the glue film still on them. I've been on the hunt for something to remove it and heard that fingernail polish remover would do the trick.

Now, I'm not all about using a bunch of not-so-friendly chemicals for everyday use, but I wanted to test this out and see if it really worked.

I gathered my acetone-free remover, cotton balls, and the jar...

and when I was done, not even 5 minutes later...

Cannot wait to use these over and over again! I need to get crackin' on making some seasonings, mixes, but until then they work wonderfully as vases, too!

While I had the fingernail polish remover out, I decided to test another theory... I had read here that acetone from a beauty supply store will remove the print from your plastic containers. I had a hunch that the non-acetone fingernail polish would work, too. See for yourself...

Nick and I had a discussion on whether or not I would feel comfortable using these containers for food again. The verdict is still out, but we did read on the back of the bottle of the remover that it was harmful to plastics. I'll probably use this sparingly and even then maybe for other purposes besides freezing food.

Do you have any containers you like to re-use? Tips or tricks for making them prettified? Please share!

Eggless Blueberry Muffins

A little reading on replacing oil with greek yogurt inspired me to try some other substitutes in a batch of blueberry muffins for my man. 

I scoured the internet for some resources and found a variety of different food items that can be used to replace eggs. See a list of some here.

I decided to still use the greek yogurt to substitute the oil that was called for in this recipe. I used a little more than I would have needed, but figured it would help make them more moist.

My egg substitutes were flaxseed and a ripened banana. I wanted the health benefits of flaxseed and had the ripened banana on hand and thought a slight banana flavor with the blueberry might be good.

So, here is my take on eggless blueberry muffins.

1 box muffin mix

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 ripened banana

1 Tbsp flaxseed

3 Tbsp water

In a small container mix the flaxseed and water. Beat with fork and allow to form a gel-like consistency. (Allowing it to sit while mixing everything else gave it time to become more gel-like.)

Peel the banana and mash to a puree. (1 small banana should be about a 1/4 cup, this making it the perfect amount for an egg replacement.)

Mix muffin mix, greek yogurt, and banana in large bowl. Add flaxseed and water mix. Stir well until mixed. 

The mixture will be rather dense and springy, not the normal consistency for muffin batter. I found it easier to spoon the batter in to the muffin liners.

I baked the muffins per the directions on the box and then inserted toothpicks to check. Perfect!

Nick enjoyed them and thought they would have been good enough to share with some new neighbors. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hand out my latest experiment until I had fully decided. By the time I had fully decided they were gone. Oy!

They were not as fluffy as your normal muffin, but were a bit more dense and made for a good, protein filled breakfast thanks to the greek yogurt. I stored mine in the fridge and re-heated them when we wanted one.

Would I do it again? Sure, but I want to try some other possibilities, too. After all, experimenting is fun when you have a human guinea pig to try everything. ; )

Magical Carpet Cleaner? Or Not??

When we moved into the new house I was relieved the carpet was not in need of being replaced. Sure, there are a few areas that you can tell were more traveled than others, but nothing that warrants ripping it out and spending lots of money for a replacement.

We did have a few spots throughout the living area, and I thought I would take a carpet cleaner purchased at the store and treat them, hopefully getting them out. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a magic carpet cleaner recipe on Pinterest and figured I should give it a go before spending money on something with a bunch of chemicals.

"Magical" Carpet Cleaner

Wipe up any leftover spill if it is a new spill/stain.

Sprinkle it with cornstarch or baking soda and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Vacuum.

Cleaner: 1 Tbsp clear dishwashing liquid, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, with 2 cups warm water.

Use a white or very light colored rag and sponge the area with the solution. Then blot it until the liquid is absorbed.

Use cold water to sponge it and blot dry again.



The small (less than a dime in size) light greyish spots looked like this after being treated. I honestly feel like the clean spot stands out and captures my eye more than most of the spots I treated.

So, the moral of this story is... Be sure to test in an inconspicuous area first! I had to learn this the hard way. If you use it, do sparingly on spots you think are really worth treating. Perhaps buy a rug (like I did) to cover the new spots so that you won't be constantly reminded and frustrated with yourself about making the old stains into new spots that stand out almost more. 

I am sure this has worked for several people as evidenced by all the comments on the post, but it just didn't cut it for me.

Lazy Day/Overnight Lasagna

So, Mr. Fantastik (yes, there is a reason for this name that I will have to share at some point) LOVES carbs! (Who doesn't, right?!) Breads, pasta, you name it, he loves it. I blame it on his runner metabolism. I, however, seem to gain about 20 pounds with one helping of spaghetti, so he doesn't get his pasta and marinara dishes near as often as he used to. That made serving up this easy lasagna a special treat for his birthday. 

The recipe in my recipe box (yes, I am old-fashioned and still have one of those) is handwritten by my sister, but I'm pretty sure she got it from a family friend. Regardless, it is easy to make the night before or morning of and stick in the fridge. When we get an extra freezer, I plan to freeze half the recipe when I make it.

Lazy Day, Overnight Lasagna

Ingredients: 

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

Ricotta Cheese (15 oz)

1 egg

1 Tbsp Oregano or Italian Seasoning

Lasagna (12 oz)

Spaghetti Sauce (32 oz)*

2 Tbsp Chopped Onion

2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Italian Cheese (to taste)

*I use more sauce than this (often close to 2 jars), and you will most likely want to as well. 

The recipe actually calls for sliced mozzarella cheese, but I prefer to just sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. I also use a spaghetti sauce that doesn't have sugar added or high fructose corn syrup. Classico Tomato & Basil or Onion & Garlic and a few select Meijer varieties are the only ones I have found with no sugar added. I chose whole wheat lasagna and a sweet onion.

Brown your meat and drain all that fat. I chose a leaner ground turkey. Add the spaghetti sauce and simmer for a few minutes. (This skillet is affectionately called 'the happy skillet' because it is just so much brighter and cheerier than my stainless steel skillets.)

Spread a layer of meat and sauce mix on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Cover with lasagna noodles. Mix together ricotta cheese, onion, egg, and oregano. Cover noodles with half of the cheese mixture (thinner than shown). Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. I normally do a light sprinkling, but I know there are probably some cheese lovers out there! 

Repeat the layers. I normally have some extra sauce to the side and cover the last layer with a very thin amount of the sauce and the parmesan cheese. Remember you can refrigerate this overnight or all day.

 Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes then enjoy, like we had before this picture was even taken. Ha!

Birthdays and Berry Cobbler

We celebrated Nick's 29th birthday yesterday! Whooooo-eeeee am I ever getting old, being married to someone 29! Ha!

We didn't do anything crazy fancy-schmancy pants because we have been INSANELY busy over the last several weeks. Think weddings, acquiring new furniture, house projects, weddings, house guests, house projects, family obligations, fellowship obligations, unpacking, and more unpacking... we are ready for a vacation and decided a quiet night in was much more of our speed this year (I told you we are getting O-L-D!)

Nick has never been much of a cake person, but loves fruit crisps and cobblers. So, I decided what better time to test a Pinterest inspired recipe for cobbler than for his birthday.

I used one bag of mixed berry fruit, threw in some extra blueberries and strawberries, a french vanilla cake mix instead of white and just measured out 12 oz of Sierra Mist from the 2-liter. I don't like to keep pop in the house, so I opted to not buy the cans and just get a 2-liter for under a $1. This way it is no big loss if part of it is tossed. 

So, grab the 3-4 simple ingredients, pre-heat the oven to 350, and throw it together!

Berry Cobbler

Ingredients: 

2 bags of frozen berries (12 oz) You pick the variety. 

1 can Diet 7-Up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist

1 white cake mix

Directions: 

Put frozen fruit in a 9 x 13 pan. 

Sprinkle with cake mix. Do not mix. 

Slowly pour 7-Up over the top. Do not mix. 

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. 

As you can tell from the photo below, some of my mix did not get wet from the Sierra Mist and came out a bit powdery still. I took a spoon and poked it down into the cobbler as soon as it came out of the oven.

The cobbler was delicious! I was never much of a cobbler or fruit pie girl until recent years. I have slowly been acquiring the taste, but I will tell you a secret I'm not so proud of... I went back for seconds. Shhhhhh!!

I hope you give this a try! It really was good and no one would believe it was as simple as pouring a few ingredients into a dish. Go visit the blog the pin came from, Living a Changed Life, as she has lots of yummy tips and other tricks on weight loss and being active.

We paired it with Nick's favorite dinner dish of lasagna. (I didn't tell you we had a HEALTHY dinner in!) I have a favorite, easy recipe I will have to share for that soon.

Just for the Fun of It

Oh, Pinterest! Whatever did I do before there was you? However did I do anything crafty, make a tasty treat, or upcycle something so cute?

Truth is I have always loved crafty stuff. Organizational stuff. Re-using something. Trying a new recipe. Now inspiration is at my fingertips. And my fingertips spend several hours pinning lots and lots of different things. I blame it on being a newlywed and a new homeowner. I mean, come on, I suddenly have an excuse to do this all, right? Uh.... (I think Mr. Fantastik is secretly scared I am going to spend all our hard-earned cash, but there are pins on saving money and being frugal, right? Riiiiggghhht.)

As I hit that little red button when I first started pinning, I questioned myself on whether or not I would ever use that hint, tip, craft skill, or recipe. So, I started a board of pins I have tried. I wrote under them how it worked, what I changed, if I would use that pin again. Problem is I forget that I have tried them and forget to repin them to the 'Pins I've Tried' board. Before long my brain started spinning... What if I were to create a blog, an outlet for what I have tried, projects that may not have come directly from Pinterest, but might be inspired by it, or projects you could find on Pinterest?

That is exactly what I am going to do- I am going to be trying my hand at blogging about the pins I try, at other projects I dream up, everyday cleaning and organizing or even just everyday life in our new household.

Now I'm off to pin some more... just for the 'fun' of it.