Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

So, I am definitely into easy and yummy crock pot meals and this one meets those qualifications! I like this meal because there are a lot of sides that go along with this. 


Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken Pin It



Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can of Rotel
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth (next time I make this I don't think I am going to add as much broth)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• I added a little more the 1 tsp of all the spices. There really wasn't much flavor as I thought there would be. 
• Shredded cheese

1. Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper in the crock pot. 

2. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. 

3. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. 

4. Before serving, shred the chicken, and let cook on high for half an hour before serving. 

I served this over rice and put some shredded cheese on top. My husband also added some salsa. I think next time I will add two cans of Rotel instead of just one. It needed a little more spice and tomatoes for me! 

I got this recipe here!

For dessert my little Hunter and I made peanut butter cookies and put peanut butter m&m's on top. YUM! :) 

I got my new cooling racks for Christmas and I am ridiculously excited about them! :) 

Beef Enchilada Bake

I love cheese dip. I especially love Velveeta and Rotel and hamburger. Now, I love velveeta, rotel, and hamburger in an amazing meal. This recipe rocks and you will LOVE it!!!

Beef Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/4 cups cubed Velveeta (cubed), divided (I probably used a little more than this, but that's because I love cheesy meals!) 
• 6 tortillas (I used the soft taco size) that are torn in half. 
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, undrained
  

1. Brown beef in skillet, drain. 

2. Stir in cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of Velveeta. 

3. Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture into 8-inch baking dish. 

4. Cover with tortilla halves. 

5. Put 1/4 Rotel on the tortillas. 

6. Repeat layers. 

7. Top with remaining meat mixture, Rotel, and Velveeta. I added more cheese on top than a 1/4 cup. 

8. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees until heated through. 

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Easy. Yummy. That's all you need for a weeknight meal!!! 

I adapted this recipe from Weeknight WOW! 

10 Chicken Recipes

Okay, so I'm obsessed with recipes that include chicken. I love finding new recipes and I've doing a lot of searching lately, so for my benefit and hopefully yours, here is a list of 10 chicken recipes that are amazing! Thank you Betty Crocker! ENJOY!!! 

10 Yummy Chicken Recipes

Southwest Chicken Taco Salad

Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Cheesy Broccoli-Potato Soup

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Casserole 

Grilled Chile-Lime Chicken

Chicken Kabob

Chicken Salad with Grapes, Cashews, Apples, and Fresh Dill 

Baked Chicken Wings

Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich

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DIY Yarn Wreath

Okay, I really didn't think this would be as hard as it was...but boy, did it take some time!!! I spent the entire afternoon making this wreath (between diaper changes, feedings, and a nap time for the little guy of course). It actually is really EASY, but very time consuming. Don't expect this to be a fast craft...block out some time! The end result however, is well, awesome! 

I bought a styrofoam wreath from Hobby Lobby, a wooden letter 'F', 3 different colors of felt, green paint, and white yarn! I first covered the wreath with white yarn. This was the time consuming part. I went around it twice to cover up the green. The first layer was pretty perfect if I do say so myself, but by the second layer I was getting tired so I didn't try very hard to keep them all lined up. I think this looks a lot better then keeping each row lined up. 


To make the flowers I cut a circle of felt and made the edges in a wave. Then, you cut the circle in a spiral. Take the end of the spiral where you first cut to roll up. It starts to look like a flower! Then, I used a hot glue gun to glue all the flowers and my letter that I painted to the yarn covered wreath! It was actually very easy, but as I mentioned, time consuming! 


I got the idea and great tips from a wonderful blog Take Heart. Check it out!!! 

The Life of a Stay At Home Mom - the beginning

I never actually thought I would ever be a stay at home mom. It just wasn't something I wanted to do. When I was in college I was excited to get a job and have a career. I moved four different times after I graduated high school and transferred to four different schools. I got bored really quick and craved change. I liked moving to a new town, meeting new people, doing new things. It was exciting for me. I liked to be busy and go go go. 


When my little Hunter got here though, my life completely changed. Life seemed to slow down. I remember the first few weeks he was here I would find myself staring at him. I was captivated by his tiny little fingers and toes, long, dark eyelashes, fresh little lips, his cute little nose. I couldn't help but just watch him. And boy, did I watch him! Those first few weeks I learned newborns sleep a lot, but not usually when you want them too. We definitely had our fair share of 3am snuggle sessions, and now that I look back, they were some of the best times I have spent so far with my little guy. 


I figured if I was going to be home all day I would get so much done! I would always be caught up on the laundry, the dishes would be clean, I would cook great meals, and the house would spick and span. 


That was hardly the case. 


I found out that I was never caught up on laundry. If it was clean, it wasn't put away. There were always dishes to be washed or the dishwasher always needed to be emptied. I actually was really good at cooking meals. That was an escape for me. It was a time for me to escape the diaper changes and feedings and be an "adult." It was my alone time. The house, however, was never spick and span. There were always toys, mail, blankets everywhere. My husband never said anything, but I'm sure he was thinking to himself, "How does the house look like this when she's home all day?" It probably helped that he always had a nice warm meal to come home too, but we'll keep that between you and me. 


Babies stay in one place for quite a while. You can leave them sitting or laying somewhere and go do something and come back and they will still be there. Most of the time if Hunter was sleeping, so was I. We spent a lot of time snuggling, reading, giggling. Some mom's might say that I should clean the house or do a load of laundry while he's asleep, but some days I needed (maybe not needed, but definitely wanted!) sleep or I just wanted to watch him sleep. 


I give props to working mom's. You women are my heros. I'm sure someday I will join you and I will figure it out, but if you have any tips, please, send them my way! 


The house will always be there for me to clean. The laundry will always be there for me to fold and put away. The dishes will always need to be rinsed and dried, but my little guy is only little once. He is going to be different tomorrow. He won't be the same that he was today. I want to enjoy it. Remember it. I am blessed to have experienced this opportunity and am so thankful to have spent this much time with him. I think he's taught me more about myself and one thing is for sure, he has taught me how to love. 

photo from Entrepreneurial Stay At Home Moms

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bites

YUM YUM YUM. EASY EASY EASY.

It's as simple as that.

Seriously.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla 
• 2 tablespoons of butter, softened
• pretzels
• chocolate chips, melted

1. Melt the butter in a bowl. I always melt the butter in the bowl first so the peanut butter doesn't stick to the sides. 

2. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

3. Stir together until the mixture is combined. You might need to add a little more powdered sugar for the mixture to form into balls. The more powdered sugar you add, the easier it will be to form into a ball. 

4. Roll the mixture into small balls and put between two pretzels. 

5. Put the pretzels in the freezer for an hour to firm up. 

6. Melt chocolate chips. I estimate how much chocolate I'll need. Sometimes I dip the entire pretzel/peanut butter bite in the chocolate! :) 

7. Dip the pretzels and peanut butter into the chocolate. 

8. Place back in freezer to firm. 

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So easy! It is such a great little yummy snack. Keep them in the fridge. I like them frozen. It's a great salty/sugary treat!!! 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ever since I became a mom I have become even more addicted to snacks. I love the little 100 calorie snack packs (My favorite are the Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs). I love chips and dip, yogurt with fruit, carrot sticks and ranch, a candy bar, you name it, I will probably eat it! One of my favorite dips is Spinach and Artichoke. I love the flavor. I love using bread or crackers or chips to dip in it. I found this great recipe from Annie's Eats and it turned out great! Here it is!

Ingredients:

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup coarsley chopped canned artichoke hearts (I used a can)
• Minced garlic (I just added some until I thought it was enough! Ha!) 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• I also used some garlic salt too. 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine cream cheese, Parmesan, sour cream, mayonnaise, spinach, artichokes, garlic, and salt. 

3. Mix well until blended. 

4. Spread into a baking dish. 

5. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top if you want. 

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is slightly browed. 

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I made this for the Super Bowl and I used chips and crackers to dip in it. I served it warm and it was amazing. The leftovers were great too! It actually made a lot more than I thought it would! Definitely a great snack or would be great to take to a party or get together. 

Coupons, coupons, coupons.

I am extremely jealous of all those extreme couponers out there. I do not know how they do it! Ever since I found out I was pregnant I have been clipping coupons. I finally found a grocery store where I live that doubles coupons so that makes it fun! I get really excited when I use them! Lately, I've been printing off coupons online and that's really nice because I can pick which ones to print off. I'm just going to share a couple of my favorite coupon sites that I have found some great coupons on!

Good luck couponing! Let me know if you have any tips! Happy Tuesday!

• P&G Solutions
• Countless Coupons
• Coupon Mom
• Extreme Free Coupons
• Target Coupons
• SmartSource Coupons

It's snowing here again. 9 inches fell here over the weekend. It's a great day to print and cut coupons! :) 

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

Yum. Easy. Quick. What else do you need to know?!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (26 ounces) frozen shredded hash browns
• 1pkg sausage crumbles (I used Jimmy Dean)
• 1pkg of diced ham
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 ground black pepper

1. Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Layer 1/2 of the hash browns on the bottom of the slow cooker. 

2. Top with half of the sausage, ham, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat Layering. 

3. Beat eggs, milk, and pepper in large bowl until well blended. 

4. Pour evenly in slow cooker. 

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until eggs are set. 

I have a feeling this might become a Sunday morning tradition in our house! Next time I'm going to add some green pepper and mushrooms. YUM!!!
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I got the idea for this recipe from Jimmy Dean! 

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

Love love love this. This is a must make in your house!

Ingredients:

• 8oz fettuccine
• 10tbsp of butter
• 8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4oz cream cheese, cubed
• 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1tbsp fresh basil, chopped (you can use dried herbs if that's all you have, which is what I did!) 
• 2/3 cup boiling water (from your noodle pot)
• 1lb cooked shrimp
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cook pasta. 

2. Thaw shrimp if using frozen. Cook if needed. 

3. In a large skillet melt 2tbsp of butter and saute mushrooms until soft and brown. Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Put mushrooms in a bowl for later. 

5. Melt remaining butter in the skillet. 

6. Add garlic, cream cheese, and herbs. The cream cheese won't be really smooth until you add the water later. 

7. Simmer the cream cheese mixture until well blended. 

8. Get a scoop of boiling pasta water from your noodles and add to the cream cheese mixture and stir it in quickly to smooth out the sauce. 

9. Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms. Mix well. 

10. Simmer about 10 minutes. 

11. Add noodles or pour sauce on top of noodles. 

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I found this recipe at Chaos in the Kitchen.