Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

One of my families favorites, anytime of year, is chicken noodle soup! 

And it is super easy and affordable! 

So I will hare how I make chicken noodle soup, I know there are lots of recipes out there!

But this one works for me! 

Chicken Noodle Soup

I either boil chicken in a crock pot for several hours, or on the stove for an hour or so until it is cooked all the way. I put chicken bullion, pepper, salt, some garlic powder and some onion powder in the water to give it a good flavor! ((I use the cheap chicken breasts I find on sale for 99 cents a bound, so it had bones and skin on it.))

Once the chicken is done, I take it out and dump out the water. I know some people like to use the water for a broth, but I don't like the fatty/oily stuff in it, and it doesn't have enough flavor to be worth it to me.  

I do use the same pot/crock pot (I don't clean it out, just empty it), and start cooking my noodles, about one box/package, and chopped carrots, whatever amount looks good, I did about a dozen baby carrots! Sometimes I put in celery also, depends on if I have it, and if I am in the mood ;)

While that is cooking...

I take the chicken and pull the skin off, and then pull the meat of the bones. And then I shred the meat and put it aside! 

This time I had put 4 breasts in my bag in the freezer, but didn't need that much chicken, so I went ahead and cooked it all anyway, and then shredded the other 2 breasts and put it in the fridge for Chicken pockets 2 nights later! It is also great for Chicken Salad, or to just freeze cooked to use in the future! 

After my noodles and carrots where done, I drained that water and put in some chicken broth, (I just buy the cheap kind, cause I can add seasoning to it if I feel the need.) And I put in the chicken and mixed it all up and heated it! And done! 

SO EASY! One pot! Yummy! 

After we were done with dinner I took what was left and decided to try a tip I saw on Pinterest! 

I froze individual servings in a muffin tin! 

After they were frozen I popped them out! I put half in one baggie, and half in another. I figure we can easily pull out one or two at a time! But you can do it how ever you want! 

The rest went in the fridge and was eaten for lunch the next day! And after school snackage!  

This is also a great one to make a huge batch of and freeze for a later meal! 

Weekly Meal Plan 2

Whats on your menu this week???

Here is mine! 

As I said in a past post about my meal 'plan', it is just that, I often switch things around during the week tho! 

For example, the end of last week, when we were suppose to have smoothies and muffins, I hadn't had time to bake the muffins yet, so I swapped them for this mornings breakfast! Since it was on my plan I knew I had everything and it was no big deal! 

I had done pancakes with some frozen strawberries I had left in my freezer for our breakfast for dinner on Friday, from the last time I made jam, since I had defrosted them and had left overs I needed to use I decided to try a new recipe for some Strawberry Muffins! They turned out great! 

So here is the recipe, changed a bit, as I always seem to do! 

Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2/3 cup diced strawberries- I used the frozen, (defrosted) ones I spoke of, they were a little mushy I just chopped them a little more to make them smaller pieces. 
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips- I used mostly white chocolate chips instead, with a few chocolate chips, and regular size, not minis (And probable more than the 1/3 cup, I just poured till it looked good ;)

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce until together until no brown sugar lumps remain - a fork works well to break up the brown sugar here. Add the beaten egg white until fully incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until just combined - do not overmix. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.
3. Divide the batter evenly between  muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be lightly golden in color and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Mine took about 20 minutes. Allow muffins to cool and enjoy!

I, of course, found the recipe on Pinterest! Here is a link to the website it came from:

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/03/skinny-strawberry-chocolate-chip-muffins/

SO, What is on your menu for the week?

Tried a new recipe!

As I have been following my meal plan for this last week I tried a new recipe I thought I would share! It is actually from a freezer cooking post another blog posted, and I found via Pinterest! (Love pinterest!) I didn't do it from the freezer tho! 

Her site: 

http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html

I did the Teriyaki Chicken, down in the recipes section!

She has a lot of great tips on preparing and using freezer meals also! 

So instead of doing it all and putting it in a freezer bag to freeze, I dumped the raw ingredients in the crock pot! 

HER RECIPE: 

I also did my own amounts, cause I wasn't splitting it to freeze. My adjustments were,

I did half a bag of baby carrots, half an onion (we aren't big onion eaters...), one can of pineapple, I did diced garlic (I guessed at the amount, but it tells you on the jar of diced garlic how much equals a clove, I didn't notice it so i didn't put enough in.), I did chicken strips, raw, about 6 for my family, and all the teriyaki sauce called for. 

It turned our GREAT! I served it with rice and it had everything for a healthy meal! 

So if you are looking for some freezer meals or just a new recipe to try go check out Ring Around the Rosies blog for 20 great recipes! 

http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html

(I will be trying more of her recipes when I do some freezer meals in the future!)

Weekly Meal Plan: 1

So, I am really trying to cut our food budget! So here is this weeks meal plan!

 (Normally I will post on Mondays, but I was driving home from our road trip and didn't get a chance to do anything till today!) 

I downloaded one of the many meal planning sheets I have given links to, or if I didn't cause I found them after the fact, then they are posted on my Pinterest Board Meal Planning: 

http://pinterest.com/eleanor_rolfe/meal-planning/

Now the one I used is a free download, for personal use, which I am doing, I am just sharing it with you for ideas of how I am planning! 

Here is the link to the one I used:

http://www.delish-blog.com/2012/01/free-printable-menu-planners/

AND here is my menu!!!

(((To make things really confusing, ya know how I said I started on Tuesday, well I did, the meals listed for Monday are really for NEXT Monday! I know crazy! But I was planning for a whole week! I don't want to go back to the store until Monday of next week!)))

ANYWAY...

This week is a little different because 1- it is the first week I am actually planning what we will eat for ALL three meals! Hoping to save time and maybe a little money to; 2- My kids start back to school this week; 3- my hubby goes out of town for almost two weeks, which doesn't play in a whole lot, but a little; and 4- I am taking dinner to another family one night, they also have 6. 

As I was planning this weeks menu, I looked at what I already had, and I had a lot! While I was out of town for a week, I had bought groceries for my hubby to make things for dinner, he didn't! So I had everything needed for a lot of dinners, saving me money!!!

So, are you ready?!?! I only spent $37 to get everything I thought I would need for the whole week!!!! Including drinks for lunches, and my hubbies extra drinks! Now, I may need something else I forgot to get, but still!!! My goal is $100 a week, not counting my dairy delivery, which for a month is normally about $100 (that's 4 gallons fresh milk and 2 1/2 gallons of OJ- a kind we love a week, not to bad, I probably could save money if I got it with coupons and watched sales, but I am hugely pregnant, with 4 kids, and an unplanned run for milk is not something I want to mess with!) So I think I am doing good at $37 so far!!! I think I can make this weeks budget!!! Next week we will see...

Tonight's dinner was Sheppard pie! A super easy dish, most everyone in my house likes (my one super picky eater eats the top and the beans... better than nothing I guess!)

I just brown a pound of hamburger,

put a can of tomato soup in a 9 x 13 pan, 

along with a can or jar (I do a home jarred, thanks to my mother in law!) green beans,

add the hamburger and mix,

top with instant potatoes and sprinkle on shredded cheese! 

Then I bake until the cheese is melted and it is heated through, about 20 minutes at 350.

Nothing fancy, but my kids don't need or really want fancy! And for about $5 a meal to feed 6, not bad! 

As for the rest of the week, I always like to plan a big 'Breakfast for Dinner' in there because 1- in normally cost less; and 2- my hubby isn't ever home for breakfast, so he misses anything special I make, but he likes it. So this way we can all enjoy it! I remember reading a long time ago, that if you have one meatless meal a week, you save about $100 or more a year (I think it was a year), anyway, I like to do one that way if I can. So you will always see a breakfast for dinner in my menu's. 

I also like to make my kids a warm, home cooked breakfast most mornings, but they like cold cereal as well, so I alternate during the school year. I found a few recipes for egg muffins and other ideas I may try at some point, but for now I am sticking to the regulars to get going on the school year and my budget planning! (I grew up the opposite, where my mom made a big breakfast every Saturday and Sunday, but we are still up at different times on the weekends, and my hubby normally goes for a long run, and doesn't eat a big breakfast, hopefully someday it will work for us!)

I will keep you updated on how my budget goes! And remember this is just my 'plan' I often forget to pull out meat or start the crock pot early in the day, and have to switch things around, that is fine to do, I just know I have everything needed for any of these meals on hand! No fast, run in for 'one' thing at the store kind of things!!! 

Share your thoughts and meal ideas! I would love to hear how your plan works! 

I will share more recipes as the week goes on! 

**My spelling is horrible! LOL And my program I used to add to the menu doesn't do spell check, so please forgive me! If I forget to double check things, as I am normally in a hurry (4 kids remember!) then I will have mis-spelled words! Sorry!**