Breakfast Made Easy

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One of my sweet friends shared with me something she's been doing to make breakfast easier at her house and shared it with me to share with you guys!  Thanks, Courtney!  This is going to make back-to-school so much easier and healthier at my house.  I've been known to eat a few pop-tarts in my days!  Here's to a dozen easier mornings!

All you need is a carton of eggs, 12 english muffins, 12 slices of canadian bacon, and 12 slices of cheddar cheese to make yummier, healthier breakfast sandwiches that you can freeze and then pop in the microwave for a minute and you are out the door!

Just whisk up your dozen eggs and then pour them into a non-stick or greased muffin pan.  People have told me you can just crack each egg into it's own muffin slot, but I prefer to whisk mine first.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  Otherwise you'll have rubber eggs!

Layer the egg, cheese and canadian bacon in the english muffin, wrap up with plastic warp and put them in a ziploc for even more freezer protection and throw those babies in the freezer.  Seriously easy prep!  

Defrost overnight in the fridge before heating--this gives the egg more time to defrost, otherwise when you heat in the microwave, you may end up with a frozen egg still.  When you are ready to eat them,  just pop one into the microwave for about a minute and that should do it.  They are around 300 calories depending on what products you buy.  And you know it's much more natural than what you get in the drive thru!

Under the Kitchen Sink

I asked some of my FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS what they wanted to see and one of the topics that was brought up was cleaning under the kitchen sink.  This was something I really did need to do since I switched cleaning products.

Here is what it looks like now, after I removed all the poisons.  Although, now that I see the picture, I think I'm going to go back and clean the bottom of the cabinet!!! 

But let's talk about what I took out of my kitchen cabinet.

After I took all this stuff out, it occurred to me, what on earth am I going to do with all this stuff?  Did you know that all of these things you spray around your house to get things "clean" can't be disposed of in the regular garbage or down the kitchen sink?  E-How puts it best, "Household cleaners and chemicals can become hazardous waste if they are not used properly or are not used up entirely. Household chemicals should not be thrown in the garbage or disposed of down the sink because of the possibility of contaminating the ground or water systems." 

HELLO?!?! 

Anyone else hearing that?!?  You can't put this stuff in the garbage and down the sink because they are worried about contaminating the ground and our water (don't get me started on our drinking water...) but it is okay to spray this stuff all over our homes where our children play.  Then there are all the warning labels on these things.  What made me laugh more were the ones that said things like "quality control ingredients" and "shining ingredients."  Makes me wonder what those ingredients are that make them not want to list it on the label.  No thank you.  I am so glad I am using Shaklee's Get Clean products that I know work and are 100% safe for my family.

Maybe this got you thinking?  I'd love to hear from you on my facebook page.  Or you can check out Shaklee's products by clicking below.  Remember, all of Shaklee's products are super concentrated so you are getting a much better value than what you can buy at Walmart!

Laundry Room Makeover

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Let's face it, I hate laundry.  And I hated my laundry room.  It is connected to my garage so I go through that room several times a day normally apart from the time I spend in there to do the laundry.  I decided it was time for a change!  I had one of my former students come over to help me paint.  She was raising money for church camp.  She did such a great job!  Here is what it looked like before.

Of course I browsed on Pinterest a while to get some inspiration.  I found some great ideas and combined it all into my new laundry room!  On a side note, who puts a chandelier in their laundry room?!?!  Okay, sorry if I offended anyone, but it just doesn't seem practical.  I agree it is pretty, but this is a laundry room, where you bring all your filth!  I can only imagine how dusty it gets just from cleaning out the dryer lint!  Okay, sorry for my personal rant, and again, I apologize if you have a chandelier in your laundry room.  I'm sure it really is gorgeous!

Let me explain what all I did.

1.  I added a curtain on a tension rod to hide all those things we have to store.  Wish I had cabinets, but I don't, so this is the next best thing.

2.  Just a little picture that I found at Goodwill.  It says Care Deeply, Love Much, Speak Kindly.  Some days I really need to see that!  Like about now, when my toddler is trying to mop the floor with the dog's water bowl.  *Sigh*  So much for a little room time!

3. I made the switch to all natural, safe cleaning products.  And I'm saving money!!!  You can check it out by clicking HERE.  Seriously, who doesn't like spending just 3 cents on a bottle of cleaner!

4.  I chose the paint color Gravity.  It's a soothing gray color, I really like it.  Do you ever choose paint colors just for the name!?!  Love John Mayer!

5. Another picture; this one came from a friend in my town.  We have this facebook page called Free or For Sale for our city and I find all sorts of treasures!  The picture is a Paris theme.  I've never been to Paris, but one day I will go!

6.  Same thing, another Free or For Sale picture.  Love shopping from my neighbors.  It's also another Paris themed picture.

7.  Ah, this one makes me happy.  It's my shelf to catch all those hangers and socks that disappear behind the washer and dryer!  I went to Lowes and bought an 8 foot long white shelf panel.  I got out my jigsaw to cut around the outlets behind the washer and dryer and cut it to the length it needed to be.  I put two shelf brackets on the wall to hold it up, and the front edge sits on top of the washer and dryer.  It really wasn't that hard.

8.  Last but not least, and certainly my favorite part! Don't you just love finding money when you do the laundry.  It makes me feel like I'm getting paid.  And it is MY money!  If someone left it in their pocket and I washed it, it is MINE!  Hahaha!  So,  I added a little TIPS jar.  I printed out a shippins size label that says, "To INSPIRE Prompt Service."  Maybe my laundry room makeover will inspire me to get some laundry done!  It's already holding some of the money "I've made" from doing laundry!

Okay, so here is the side by side comparison picture.  I LOVE my new laundry room!

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

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Before you stop reading thinking this is way too much work, stop.  It only took me 15 minutes!!!

I had a reader ask me a while back about not using canned soups because of the MSG and all the other chemicals that end up in that stuff that we don't know about.  Personally, I do like to know what is in the food I eat.  Again, I can't help but think that so many of the cancers and other diseases and developmental problems are coming from environmental contaminants.  Okay, enough of my personal rant.

I set out to make a homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.  I knew that I would need flour, milk, and chicken stock.  Those are you basics.  From there, open up your spice cabinet and have fun and do some taste testing.  Here is what I ended up with and put in the freezer today.  I have read from other people that it is okay to freeze this and use in cooking.  We shall see...try at your own risk!!!!

Aimee's Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

3 cups of milk (I used Organic lowfat)

3 cups of chicken broth (I used Swanson's certified organic)

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp poultry seasoning (makes sense, right?)

1/2 tsp of garlic salt (I was out of garlic powder)

a dash of paprika (my personal go-to seasoning)

a hint of ground sage

a bit of Mrs. Dash's Table Blend seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Bring broth and seasonings to a boil.  Meanwhile whisk the flour into the milk.  Stir briskly into the broth mixture until thick and creamy.  Split into 4 small freezer bags.  Makes about 48 oz (4 bags, 12 oz each).

Feel free to double or triple the recipe!

 

Crockpot Freezer Cooking 4

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You can purchase my e-book here for just $8.00. 

Also, I recommend getting Mama and Baby Love's e-cookbook. It has 20 great recipes and includes printable labels for your bags! Love her stuff!! Click here to get it.

I will say in advance, there's not a lot of veggie prep work in this meal plan, but you will have to brown some meat this time around and grill some burgers.  It worked for me to grill the burgers on an electric skillet for about 4-5 minutes each side, brown the ground beef on the stove while I chopped my veggies.  I even had a little helper for a while!  He's so cute!

Okay, on to the menu!  I like to post this in the kitchen as I'm cooking.  But I hate taking up counter space.  So I just put it up in the cabinets!  You could also tape it up there.  I just couldn't find my tape and didn't feel like searching.

On the Menu

Poppyseed Chicken

8 Chicken breasts

2 cups of sour cream*

3 cups of crushed crackers

2 teaspoons of poppyseeds

1 cup of butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
*EDIT 7/16/12*  You will need to add a can of cream of chicken soup or this dish will be watery, or your own homemade cream of chicken soup.  For an easy how to, click here. 
*Also, you may consider adding the sour cream the day of cooking.  Freezing can break down milk products.

Directions:  Divide all ingredients into two bags except the crushed crackers and butter.  Place crushed crackers in a separate baggie in your pantry, ready for use when you cook this meal.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Transfer crockpot bag/liner into a casserole dish about 10 minutes before serving.  Spread cracker crumbs over the top and drizzle ½ cup of melted butter on top.  Brown in the oven on broil.  Serve with your favorite veggies or salad.

Shredded Pork Tacos

3-4 pound pork roast cut into chunks

2 onions

6 tbsp canola oil

2-4 serrano chilies (be careful here!  Make sure you put just enough spice for your family!)

3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

2 cups of water

taco shells or tortillas

taco toppings

Directions: Divide all ingredients into two bags, except tortillas/taco shells and the taco toppings.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve in taco shells or tortillas with toppings of your choice.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

2-3 lbs browned ground beef

2 garlic cloves

2 cans of sliced mushrooms (optional)

2 cups of beef stock

4 tbsp tomato paste

2 onions

3 cups of sour cream mixed with 8 tbsp of flour

salt and pepper

rice/noodles

Directions:  Divide all ingredients into two bags except rice/noodles.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve over rice/noodles with a veggie side or salad.

Chicken Delicious

8-10 chicken breasts

¼ cup lemon juice

salt/pepper

¼ tsp celery salt

¼ tsp paprika

10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

10 oz can of cream of celery soup

1/3 cup of dry sherry or white wine

parmesean cheese

Directions:  Divide all ingredients except cheese into 2 bags.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Sprinkle cheese on top 30 minutes before serving.  Serve with veggie side or salad.

Barbecue Sauce and Hamburgers

3-4 lbs of ground beef to make enough hamburger patties to serve your family. (or pre-made patties)

2  14oz can of beef gravy

1 cup of ketchup

1 cup of chili sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp mustard

hamburger buns

Directions:  Grill hamburger patties on a griddle while prepping bags.  Divide all ingredients into two bags except hamburger buns.  Cook on low 5-6 hours.  Serve with sweet potato fries or salad.

Grocery List

Meats:

• 18 chicken breasts
• 3-4 lb pork roast
• 5-7 lbs ground beef

 Condiments:

• ketchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• cooking sherry
• beef gravy
• mustard
• chili sauce

Canned:

• tomato paste
• 10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
• 10 oz can of cream of celery soup
• 10 oz can of cream of chicken soup

Packaged

• butter crackers
• tortillas/taco shells
• hamburger buns

Produce:

• 4 onions
• 4 serrano chilies
• 5 garlic cloves
• lemon juice
• taco toppings

Spices:

• poppy seeds
• canola oil
• beef bullion
• celery salt
• paprika

Frozen:

• sweet potato fries

 Dairy:

• 5 cups sour cream
• 1 cup butter
• taco toppings

Staples:

• milk
• eggs
• bread
• rice
• veggies for sides
• fruit
• salad supplies

 I hope you enjoy all the meals!  I know our family really benefits from this method of dinner preparation.  It gives me exactly what I want--more time with my family.  If you are interested in even more time with your family, check out Shaklee!  It's a great way to earn extra income so you can be a work at home mom!  Their organic cleaning products are also a wonderful way to improve your home.  Click on the picture below for more information.