Creamy {Crock Pot} Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

I modified a soup recipe tonight that was a huge, HUGE hit with my family.  Mike raved with every bite, the kids asked for more, I was even pretty impressed with myself.  And now I'll to write down what I did before I forget!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts* (I use frozen chicken)
2 cups chicken broth*
1 cup onion, finely chopped**
1 cup celery, finely chopped**
1 cup carrot, finely chopped**
1 cup pre-sliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (skim is fine)
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4-6 oz. angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti, broken into 2-3 inch pieces

Directions:

- IN THE MORNING - place chicken breasts and chicken broth in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken shreds easily with two forks.  Shred the chicken in the crock pot and leave it on low while you do the following...

- 2-3 hours before you want to eat, coat a pan with cooking spray and put on medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, mushroom and garlic to the pan.  Saute 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. 

- Reduce heat to medium and add the butter to the pan, stirring until the butter melts. 

- Sprinkle vegetable mixture with flour and cook 2 minutes. 

- Gradually add the milk and cook 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly, stirring consistently.

- To the crock pot, add the broccoli, half and half, salt, pepper and the vegetable mixture.  Cook on low for 2 hours, until the broccoli is tender.

- 15 minutes before you're ready to serve the soup, add the pasta to the crock pot and cook on high until it's softened, about 12-15 minutes.

- Top each serving with shredded cheddar cheese.

* for a vegetarian soup, eliminate the chicken and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth
** "finely chopped" is about 1/4 inch pieces

(Next time, I'm going to try dumping everything in the crock pot in the morning, shredding the chicken at the end.  I would need to figure out how to incorporate the flour without resulting in clumps, and I'd need to add the broccoli later in the day, but if anyone tries this method, let me know how it turns out!)

Q&A Wednesday - Scrapbook questions answered

(I received the following questions about my recent post, Scrapbook Layouts Galore.  I figured I'd answer them all at once.)

Leanne Friesen commented, "I LOVE these pages. my style is exactly the same, and seeing as I am 2 years behind, you have greatly inspired me to get back at it! I'd love to see more! So are you saying that your kids get 4-6 layouts a year put in their scrapbook and the rest of the pages go in the family book? I just had a fourth baby, and I have been thinking of ways to simplify my system."

Actually, the only books my kids have are their baby books, which span my pregnancy through their first birthday.  Most of my scrapbooks are family scrapbooks, but I do have a couple of "Friends and Family" books (for memories outside of our immediate family) and my horribly neglected "All About Me" scrapbook.  Oh, and my Picture of the Day scrapbooks, one for 2009 and one for 2010.  They're so thick that I'm considering doing the digital version from now on, just for space-saving sake. 

Basically, all of the seasonal layouts for the kids are mixed right along with birthday celebrations and Christmas pages, all in chronological order.  And, of course, they're labeled. Because I'm Type A like that.

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Erin said, "These layouts rock!! Do you use a sketch book? I love your style."

Why yes, Erin, my layouts DO rock. ;)  I'm kidding.  But yes, I use the Becky Higgins Sketches book as my default go-to.  Sometimes I follow the sketch exactly and other times I change it up to fit my needs better.  It all depends on how creative I'm feeling at the time.

I also created a notebook with references to layouts I like in past Creating Keepsakes (CK) magazines.  Granted, I haven't updated the notebook since 2009, but it's still very helpful.  And because I have my past issues of CK in magazine holders in my craft room, they're easy to find.

Everything I do is based on the number of pictures I want to include in the layout, so I always flip through the Sketches book or my own notebook before creating a layout.  For my notebook, I organized it by number of pictures with reference to the issue of CK and the page number.  I also have lists of special occasion layouts that I like (summer, birthday, holidays, etc.) to get inspiration from.

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Dawn asked,
"1. Do you print your photos at home or a store? Do you usually use 4x6?
2. Are the basketballs stickers or did you make them? If so how, I really like them.
3. How long did it take you to make all of these {layouts}?"

1. I used to print all of my pictures at home, but I read a few years ago that the ink on photos printed at home might not stand the test of time.  I don't want my pictures fading in 25 years, so I started ordering prints.  I have a folder called, "Waiting to be Printed" where I copy pictures once I know I'm using them in a layout.  From there, I usually wait for Walgreens, Snapfish or Shutterfly to run a free prints special or free shipping promotion to get the pictures cheap.  My pictures are all picked out, all I need to do is upload them to the site and place my order.

I almost always print in 4x6 and crop smaller, because that's the size that photo sites run specials.  There are some layouts that I use 5x7 or 8x10 pictures (sometimes cropped), but I print those at Costco because their enlargement price is cheapest.  Plus, I can pick them up when I'm shopping and avoid shipping costs.

2. The basketball on Ryan's layout is orange paper that I drew lines on (with a Sharpie) and roughed up with dark brown Distress Ink  I like the way it turned out, but honestly, I had to add it to cover up the fact that the white strip of paper (where I printed the journaling) was a few centimeters too short for the page.  It looked silly, so I had to cover it up.  It was a happy accident.  :)

3. Tough question to answer.  I'd guess maybe 30-45 minutes per layout - ?  I work in phases.  Generally, I'll sit down in front of my computer with my notebook and decide which pictures I want to use on my layouts.  I sketch the way the pages will look and copy the pictures into the "Waiting to be Printed" folder on my computer.  It took me about 4 hours to plan the 120 pictures I printed with Snapfish's recent "100 free prints" promotion. (I think it's going on through the end of the month with code OCT10PRNT)  Once the pictures arrived, I'd say I spent about 15-20 minutes choosing the papers, cropping the pictures and adhering them all together.  Maybe another 5 -10minutes per page typing, printing and cropping the title/journaling, so I'd guess approximately 30 minutes per layout, not counting the planning or ordering the pictures.

Meal Plan 10/25/10

I'm trying some new recipes this week.  Crossing my fingers! 

I already put Thursday and Sunday's meats in the marinade and back into the freezer.  Hopefully I'll remember to pull them out a couple of days ahead of time so cooking is easy those nights!

Monday - Ranchero Mexi-Chicken Crostada
Tuesday - Rice, Bean and Cheese Casserole
Wednesday - Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup (add carrots)
Thursday - Maple Grilled Salmon with mashed potatoes
Friday - Shepherd's Pie
Saturday - {Meredith's wedding}
Sunday - Orange Teriyaki Chicken with vegetables and brown rice

Family Day Challenge

I've been getting a lot of questions about our "Family Day" since posting about it last week.  I'm getting the feeling everyone thinks I'm nuts, but it's not that hard.  Really, it's not.  If I can commit to having a weekly Family Day, so can you.

We started honoring Sunday as our Family Day about a year and a half ago.  I think it started as a month-long challenge to see if we could avoid making plans on Sundays and just hang out at home all day without getting bored.  Since then, it's become our favorite day of the week. 


Here's what we try to do:

...avoid making plans or agreeing to outside commitments

...avoid the t.v. and computer (though lately the Cardinals game is usually on for a few hours, which is fine because Ryan and Kaylin end up watching it with Mike, instead of Mike zoning out while I care for the kids)

...find a few things that we can do throughout the day as a family (ex: go to the park, wander around Costco eating the samples, have a picnic, go swimming)

...find a few things that we can do a couple at a time (ex: Mike and Ryan taking a bike ride, Kaylin and me baking together, Mike taking the big kids to Home Depot)

...pull out forgotten toys and games (ex: Slip 'n' Slide, tea party sets, puppets)

...make unplanned trips to the store for ice cream or decide to go out to dinner on a whim (very unlike us...we're planners)

...immediately stop productive activities to polish Kaylin's toe nails and play Wii boxing with Ryan
 

...stifle our Type-A personalities and let the little things go

...have fun and laugh with each other...a lot


Here's what we don't do:

WE DON'T...have rules or guidelines about the day (our house rules still apply)

WE DON'T...have expectations of any kind, other than relaxing and enjoying the day together

WE DON'T...plan a bunch of things to do all day (ex: 10:15 paint, 11:05 go on a walk, 11:38 sing Kum-By-Ya)

WE DON'T...spend every minute of every hour together as a family


Most of the people I've spoken to about this have given me a dozen reasons why it won't work for them. 

"There's only so much I can do with the kids before going stir-crazy."

"My husband will never go for it."

"I just have too much to do."

"I won't be able to stay off the computer for the whole day."

"Sunday is sacred NFL time for my husband...he watches games all day and I'd be alone with the kids."

"We have too much going on in our schedule to stop everything for a whole day."


So I decided to pose a challenge to you. 

Pick a day on the calendar and decide to try your own version of Family Day.  If your husband is too into football to engage with the family on a Sunday, choose a Saturday.  Or if your kids aren't in school yet and your husband gets days off during the week, pick a Tuesday or Friday.  It really doesn't matter when it is.

Don't make any plans that day.  Nothing.  That doesn't mean you can't leave the house, just don't agree to be anywhere at any certain time...even if it's to meet other family members.  Make this day about just your little family unit: you, your husband and your kids.  And your dogs if you want.  But that's IT.

Vow to be media-free all day.  The t.v. and computer can allow people to get in a self-focused zone, but remember that your cell phone can be just as big of a distraction. Anything that takes your attention away from your family, specifically your kids, should not be allowed on Family Day. Video games might also be a no-no for most people, but we play the Wii as a family, so we do allow limited (about an hour of) video game time. (plus, in our family, no one gets angry or irritable if they don't win, so it's positive time together)

Sundays work best for us because we can go to church on Saturday night, but also because Mike's really, really, really kind of into college football, which is an all-day Saturday affair. 

Also, we purposely set aside time on Saturday to clean the house and run errands so that most everything is done on Sunday. (this summer, I posted about our Family Chores power-hour each weekend)  We don't have looming projects hanging over our heads by Sunday...we're able to truly relax.

The other question I've gotten a lot is: What do you DO all day??? 

Our typical Sunday looks like this:

- Either Mike or I sleep in...we take turns.  The other gets the baby up and fed at 7am.  The big kids get up and play in their PJs.

- If I get up first, I usually make something fun for breakfast like Waffles, Crepes, Apple Fritters or Cinnamon Rolls. A while back, we went through a "let's go get donuts" phase, but that's over for now.  If Mike gets up first, he usually makes pancakes or eggs.

- Mike and the kids make coffee, then Mike goes outside to sit on the back patio and drink his little cup coffee.  If it's nice out, the kids will play outside while I clean up the kitchen.  Otherwise, they stay inside and play.  But this is a huge relaxation thing for Mike.  Sometimes that transitions into yard work, sometimes not.

- While Mike's outside, I'm usually cleaning up breakfast, folding laundry or doing something else productive.  Because I can't relax until the kitchen is clean and a few things are off my to-do list.  That's just me.

- Around 10ish, Jason naps and the kids start getting bored, so we usually all play something together.  A board game, the Wii, rolling a ball down the hall to each other...it just sort of naturally happens.  Someone comes up with something and we all join in.  Or some of us play while others watch.

- 11:30ish, Jason gets up and we all eat lunch.

- 12-1ish, we'll usually go somewhere or run errands.  Or swim.  Or play catch in the backyard. Or go to the park.  This week, we went to the Pumpkin Patch.

- From 2-3, the kids usually have a quiet time in their room while Mike watches football and I catch up on stuff: meal planning, cutting coupons, recently scrapbooking, whatever.  Jason's quiet time is always a nap, the big kids tend to fall asleep most days, too.

- 3-5pm - Anything goes.  If it's hot out, we'll swim or do something around the house.  If the weather is nice, we'll usually do something outside.

- 5:00ish - Dinner.  We usually grill on Sundays...Mike offers, I don't argue!  Sometimes we go out to eat, sometimes we do something simple like smoothies and popcorn.

- 6:00ish - Lately, we've been doing movie night.  Last night, I was crazy and decided we all needed to bake pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies.  It made quite the mess and hyped everyone up right before bed, but the kids enjoyed it.

- 7:00 - Bedtime, as usual.

Family Day usually feels very long, but isn't that how it should be on the weekend?  Most of us are busy, busy, busy all week and Family Day is the perfect excuse to stop and rejuvenate ourselves before we turn around and do it all again on Monday.

Even God took a day of rest...don't you think He might have been setting a precedent??

I know some people who honor the Sabbath so strictly that they'll prepare meals ahead of time in disposable containers so no one has to cook or clean.  You decide what works best for you.  But seriously, talk to your spouse and kids about giving this a try.  Pick a date, block it off on the calendar and vow to relax and enjoy your family.  I promise (I wish I could give you a money-back guarantee) ... you will not regret it. 

Cute Halloween Ideas

(Good morning, all! Did you know that today is 10/10/10??? And I posted this at 10:10am, just for fun. That makes the number geek in me absolutely giddy...)

I know there are lots of people nowadays who aren't into Halloween, but for those of you who are, I have some links and pictures for your viewing pleasure. I'm not into the creepy parts of Halloween, but the kids think everything related to any holiday is fun, so I'm not going to rain on their parade.

A couple of years ago, I posted some cute and fun recipes to do with the kids for Halloween, but here are a few more I've seen around the web this year:

Jack-O-Lanterns out of ORANGES


(photo by Pennies on a Platter)


Easy Spiderweb Cookies


(photo by Bakerella)


Candy Corn by the Slice


(photo by TLC)


Dirt Cups with Gummy Worms


(photo by Recipe Tips)


Apple Bites


(photo by Family Fun)


Hot Dog Mummies (I'm not a fan of hot dogs, but these are adorable!)


(photo by Family Fun)

Any other cute ideas out there to celebrate Halloween with food??? Please share in the comments...

New Family Photo Display

I finally replaced the 11x14 family picture on our staircase this week. (the last picture was when Jason was six weeks old) When I opened the back of the frame, out fell several pictures of our family from the past six years.  I decided to pull them out of the frame, but couldn't figure out what to do with them.

Then it hit me.

I have curtain rods hung on the wall of my craft room and have always intended to hang seasonal scrapbook pages from the clips.  Until now, only my kids' art has been displayed. 

I love, love, love how this turned out!

The Importance of Traditions

I truly believe kids need traditions in their lives.  They find comfort in predictability in a world where they have very little control and traditions create predictability.  Personally, we have established daily, weekly, monthly and yearly traditions for our family. 

Our daily tradition is as simple as praying before bedtime.  We also eat together as a family every night. Weekly, we have Family Day on Sundays, where we don't make any outside plans and try to stay home to spend time together, specifically focused on the kids.  Monthly, Mike takes the kids on "special dates" to Home Depot or Lowe's to build things together.  And I'm sure many of you share annual birthday and Christmas traditions that are similar to ours.

As the holidays approach, I begin thinking about traditions.  Most of my (positive) memories as a kid revolve around our family traditions.  If you think back, yours probably do, too.

I've heard it said that if you don't have a lot of childhood memories, your life probably wasn't very eventful. Things were probably pretty routine for your family with few "out of the ordinary" events to stick out in your head. But anymore, it seems that nice, normal, simple childhoods are rare.

For me, I hardly remember eating meals as a kid.  Though I know I ate three square meals a day, I couldn't tell you what we typically had for breakfast, lunch or dinner...even through high school.  It's all a big blur. Yet every Sunday as a teenager we went to the movies.  I remember the tradition well, even though I don't remember the movie titles.

Knowing that the mundane details of life fade away in our minds, I try to intentionally create memories for my kids. Last year, "Simple Mom" wrote a post titled Family Traditions: 10 Ideas to Get You Started that has some other fun ideas, if you're interested. 


Some traditions I've incorporated into our family include:

- Saturday morning cartoons (since the kids rarely watch t.v., this is a treat)

- Sunday is Family Day (we decline invitations to BBQs, birthday parties and play dates)

{squirt bottle + batter = letter pancakes}

- Breakfast in bed on Mother's Day and Father's Day

- Half-birthday celebrations (consisting of the dinner menu of the half-birthday person's choice, plus cupcakes with candles for dessert) and many other birthday traditions.

- Annual Easter Egg Hunts

- Christmas in July (I'm going to start allowing the kids to invite friends next year)

- First and Last Day of School Traditions (also, there are other great school tradition ideas in the comment section of this post)

{the full fondue spread}

- Fondue on Valentine's Day

- Annual Family Pie Night (to get my whole, extended family together between Thanksgiving and Christmas with no competing family commitments)

- And you know we have our Christmas Traditions, like decorating the tree the day after Thanksgiving, daily advent calendars and 25 Days of Christmas activities. (there are more great Christmas tradition ideas in the comment section of this post)

I love traditions. What traditions do you have?

#94 - Watch Gone With the Wind

(photo by HouseofRetro)

Thanks to a good friend with a Netflix account, Mike and I finally watched Gone With the Wind this week, fulfilling #94 on my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days.

Many things about the movie surprised us.  For instance, when "The End" flashed across the screen, Mike literally said in an annoyed tone, "REALLY?!?"  After watching the 3 hour and 53 minute movie over a two day period, both of us were a little disappointed with the ending. Especially with the  unrealistic way Hollywood movies are today, I think our expectations were too high. (He turns back...she runs to him...they embrace...you know how it goes.)

Here is a countdown of my biggest takeaways from Gone With the Wind:

5. The Scarlett O'Hara character was breath-taking.  Really, truly beautiful.  I can't think of anyone today who compares to how naturally stunning she was.

4. Clark Gable seemed old in the movie, but I looked it up and he was 38 (the same age as Mike is now) when he starred in it.  Maybe it was because he was so tan...like leathery-looking tan.  And he reminded me too much of Burt Reynolds to take him seriously.  But there were a few choice scenes where I fell for his charm...

3. Scarlett's character was a brat!  I had no idea...I was expecting her to be sweet and kind like Melanie's character for some reason.  I must have thought all women of that era were meek and mild - ? I kept waiting for her to transform into a human being with a conscience, but after four hours, she was still completely self-centered. I couldn't connect with her because she made such ridiculous decisions.

2. In the 1800s, did they seriously keep dead people lying around for a few days while people mourned?  When did they finally bury them...after they began stinking up the house???  Because seriously, that's just creepy.  No wonder morgues were invented.

1. I now finally know the official reference of, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."  And yes, she totally deserved it.

The first night we sat down to watch it, around 8:45, I heard a tiny voice say, "Mom?" (FYI - we put the kids to bed at 7:00.)  We paused the movie so Kaylin could show us a microscope "hole" in her finger that was reason enough to disrupt bedtime.  (Then I learned that she decided to be a big girl and was attempting to sleep without her blanket for the first time ever.  That explained why she was having trouble falling asleep, even without a nap that day.)

On her way up the stairs, she blushed and said, "Um, mom?  Can you save this show for me to watch tomorrow?  I like it."  I said, "How do you know you like the movie if you've been in your room, Kaylin?  Were you watching it from the stairs?"  She giggled and nodded.  Even though coming out of their rooms is a big no-no for our kids at bedtime, it cracked me up that she was sneaking and watching our movie with us, even from afar.  I wanted that memory to be recorded with this post because it was just so funny to me for some reason. Very "The Sound of Music" with the kids peering through the rail posts of the stairs.

I'm glad I finally watched this classic movie.  Now if I could stop the randomlflashbacks of "Oh Scah-lett!" from popping into my head...

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus (Tahini Free!)

So easy, so good.  You can either make your own roasted red bell peppers or buy them in a jar...your choice.  Next, I'm going to try adding artichokes instead of bell peppers.

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. cumin powder
1/2-1 t. salt (to taste)
1/4 cup water
2 T. olive oil*
1 roasted red bell pepper, skin and seeds removed (or one small jar)

Put everything in a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth.  Use as a dip or spread on sandwiches or tortilla wraps.  Yum.  We use it as a dip with carrots, Triscuits, Wheat Thins, pretzel chips, rye crisps from Trader Joe's, Melba Toast...the possibilities are deliciously endless.

* If you don't care about calories, omit the 1/4 cup water and increase the olive oil to 1/4 cup.  It tastes significantly better!

(Check out my sweet little kitchen helper...)



   

Homemade Roasted Red Bell Peppers

I have never had the desire to roast my own red bell peppers.  I mean, why would I?  They sell them in a jar, all ready to go for me, right? 

Well let me tell you...I'm never buying the jarred roasted red bell peppers again.

From the pictures I'm about to show you, this looks long and complicated.  But I promise IT ISN'T.

Step 1 - You have a few choices:

a. Broil them in the oven - Turn the broiler on high.  Put the bell peppers on a cookie sheet on the top rack of the oven.  They are done when the skin is black (like a burned campfire marshmallow). Turn them with grill tongs so each side cooks evenly - each side only needs 2-3 minutes to cook. 

b. Grill them - Put the bell peppers directly on the grill, turning every 2-3 minutes until the skin is blackened. 

c. Cook them on a gas stove top - Same concept as the grill, except you can cook them right on the stove without a pan.  Turn on the fan...the house will smell like a campfire!

Step 2:

Remove the peppers from the heat and place them in a bowl, then cover with a towel until cool enough to handle.  (the towel helps the peppers steam themselves to finish cooking)  It should take about 3-5 minutes for them to cool enough that you don't burn your fingers. (I didn't take a picture of this step.  Use your imagination and picture a bowl with a towel over it, 'kay?)

Step 3:

Peel the skin off.  Just use your fingers...it should come right off.  DO NOT run the peppers under water, or the carmelization that occurred during the roasted process will be washed away.

Step 4:
Cut out the core and remove the seeds.  The peppers are ready to slice and use!


Up next...my new hummus recipe.  I used the roasted red bell peppers and WOW it was so good!!!  I seriously feel like such a rock star for making my own hummus...I'm going to save myself a fortune with this new skill...

Meal Plan 10/4/10

Monday - {Healthy} Corn Soup
Tuesday - Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna 
Wednesday - Pot Roast, carrots and potatoes
Thursday - Crust-less {Broccoli and Artichoke} Quiche
Friday - Spaghetti Carbonara with salad
Saturday - {Healthy} Cream of Potato Soup with Whole Wheat Bread
Sunday - Chicken on the grill, baked potatoes and corn

Desserts:
Crock Pot Chocolate Mousse
Zucchini Bread