Chicken Pot Pie- pretty simple and freezer friendly!

For the life of me I can't find where I got this from, so please know this is NOT mine... I just don't know who to give credit to!

Here's what whoever wrote:

INGREDIENTS

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         1 cup chopped celery

·         1 cup chopped carrot

·         ⅓ cup butter or margarine

·         ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted

·         2 cups chicken broth

·         1 cup half and half or evaporated milk (I personally use skim or 1% milk and it’s still good!)

·         2 cups chicken, cooked, chopped

·         1 cup frozen peas, thawed

·         1 tsp. salt

·         ½ tsp. pepper

·         4 unbaked pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)

Order Ingredients

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INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE FILLING

1.     Saute the first 3 ingredients in butter in a big skillet over medium heat until tender. Add flour; stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and half & half/evap. milk; cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.

2.     Stir in chicken, peas, salt, and pepper. Cool before pouring into pie crusts. VERY important!

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:

1.     At this point you may freeze the filling in a labeled freezxeer safe container/bag. To prepare from frozen, read instructions below.

2.     Or you may also assemble the whole pie and freeze whole.

3.     To do that, prepare crusts. Roll them out and place the bottom crusts in the pie plates and set aside the top crusts until ready to cover. Pour filling mixture into bottom crusts and cover with top crusts. Fold edges under and crimp. Poke slits in the top (you can make a nice pattern here too!)

4.     Cover with foil, label and freeze. See below for preparation instructions

TO PREPARE POT PIE FROM FRESH

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.     Prepare crusts. Roll them out and place the bottom crusts in the pie plates and set aside the top crusts until ready to cover. Pour filling mixture into bottom crusts and cover with top crusts. Fold edges under and crimp. Poke slits in the top (you can make a nice pattern here too!)

3.     Bake assembled pie uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

TO PREPARE POT PIE FROM FROZEN

1.     Thaw filling in refrigerator. You might need to stir or mush the filling together to combine well and reincorporate. Assemble as described above and bake accordingly. OR you may bake the whole pie from frozen.

2.     To do so, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3.     Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 16 (from two pies--if you're just making one pie it will just serve 8).

4.     Freezes very well separately or fully prepared in the crust. Try them both and see which way you prefer!

 Maybe Pioneer Woman?  No idea.  It was a doc on my computer we decided to finally try.  

Here's what we did differently and what we thought!

1. We baked both pies that it made fresh and just had pot pie for a million meals in a row.  It was pretty yummo so that wasn't really a problem.  It reheated just fine, which is perfect for taking lunches!

2. She said she used milk, so we used the milk we had which is Horizon's organic whole milk with DHA added.  It's pretty thick so it worked really well.

3. We used the frozen pie crusts that come 2 to a pack.  I let them thaw and then used the second one as the top.  That way we had the pan and bottom crust ready and then I could easily manipulate the other crust as a top for the pie.  

4. It didn't really specify how to cook the chicken, so we just sort of diced it and then cooked it up in butter.

5. There was ONE flavor that was just not quite right.  So far, we're thinking it was the carrots.  We used large regular carrots and next time I think we'll use the little baby carrots so that we won't get that bitter note that we felt was there.  It was really subtle but it was just not quite right. 

I do plan to freeze one the next time we make them, but I'm glad we had lots this time!  Here are a few pics I snapped on my phone as I cooked so you could see consistency along the way.  (That's always one of my things I need to see from a recipe.)

Please let me know if you make it and what you think!!

Clean Eating Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I was on Pinterest the other day surfing for new recipes (like always) and I came across this gem.  Let me preface it by saying I was not attracted to it because I just love me some zucchini.  It's ok.  It's not the thing I think of when I think of the word yummy, though.

HOWEVER, this recipe was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the original recipe.  

Here are all the changes I made (either on purpose or because I accidentally bought the wrong thing or forgot something).

• 4 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and middle scooped out and reserved.
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef   We used 1 lb organic ground chuck from a local farm.
• 1/2 cup chopped red/yellow/green peppers in any combination (We bought the prechopped pack at Publix that had all three colors of peppers.)
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning  (used probably 2T of organic taco seasoning)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (used organic)
• 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese (cream cheese is excellent substitute) (<-- agreed... we used organic, local cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped   (I hate parsley.  Ew.)
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded  (Forgot this one!  Used organic, local monterrey jack instead and it was awesome sauce...)
• 1 green onion, sliced thin

First of all, we're really lucky we've discovered a local, organic farm recently called Happy Cow Creamery.  If you live in the upstate of SC or are visiting, I HIGHLY recommend you visit this place.  Baby J even got to have a cow eat hay out of his hand last time we went!!  Anyway, that's where we got a lot of veggies, the meat, and the cheeses for this and a few other recipes.  That way we knew we were supporting a local business while keeping pesticides out of our meals as much as possible.  

I followed the original recipe's directions as far as prep and stuffing the boats.  I wish I'd made a double batch as we each ate two (two boats, not two zucchinis worth) and they were phenomenal.  I shared a few bites with Baby J when I reheated them for lunch and he now chants "more tinni" whenever he hears me say the Z word.  LOL!  He loved them, too! 

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!!

Caitlyn Jenner

Well.  Since everyone and their brother is writing about Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, I figured I would, too.

I can summarize pretty much everything I think and feel in one sentence that doesn't have anything to do with that person.

I am a person who has made many choices that go against God's will.

What is buzzing right now is "news" (somehow) because it's against tradition, not because it's against most people's moral compasses. Yes- it goes against what God tells us in the Bible.  Yes- it goes against what I believe is right.  Yes- it pretty much goes against nature.

BUT- I go against what God's told me to do every time I lie, gossip, feel spiteful, or do any manner of things.  So- why is his issue/disobedience any worse or better than my issues or yours?  It isn't.

Famine. Disease. Murder. That's news.  One person's choice to disobey God is not news.

Next topic?

End of the year blues....

Teachers are tired.  Kids are tired.  Moms are tired.  Know who isn't tired?  The poeple who make the rules about how stupidly early testing is and how painfully late schools dismiss for summer.

*sigh*

Let's all laugh together, if only to keep from crying.  http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3378480

Healthier Enchiladas

So this recipe is based on my daddy's recipe that I grew up eating.  It's SO delicious the way he makes it that I don't dare even claim mine are the same.  I've made these for years, but I tried making them a bit healthier this time.

Ingredients:

Tortilla Shells (*see pic for brand I used this time... I used to use just corn ones though)

Organic Tomato Sauce (1 8oz can per 1 lb meat you use)

Organic Sharp Cheddar Cheese (1 block)

Organic Monterrey Jack Cheese (1 block)

Steak (*I used top round this time.)

Onion (1 medium)

Garlic (1-2 cloves)

Chili Powder (to taste... I use a LOT)

Organic Sour Cream

So- it's up to you about the organic stuff, but that's what we chose in order to make this an almost clean meal.  

Directions:

1. Dice the onion.  Grate your cheese.  Get the cans of sauce all open.  Cut the steak into bites (about 1/2 in by 1/2 in)  Have everything ready so that you don't have to do some of it in the middle.

2. Saute the onion and garlic in a large saucepan.  

3. Throw in your chili powder steak and cook over med-high heat until lightly browned.

4. Pour in your sauce.  (*Remember that it's 1 can of sauce per 1 lb of meat, so double if needed.)  Add some more chili powder to the sauce.

5. Let the sauce simmer on low while you get the rest going.

6. Hold your tortillas open in your hand.  Sprinkle cheese up the center of the wrap.  Add meat/sauce up the center.  Wrap up and place with the opening down in a 9x13 glass dish.

7. When you've wrapped them all up, pour the remaining sauce/meat and cheese over the enchiladas. 

8. Bake on 350 for 10-15 minutes (you're wanting a bubbly cheese topping).

*I add raw, diced onions between the meat and the cheese for my hubby. 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top!  Better yet- guacamole! Our store didn't have any good avocados, so sour cream was it for us! Let me know what you think!!

Clean Sloppy Joe Skillet Cassarole

Holy goodness, Batman.  Totally thought this dish looked gross start to finish.  I mean... who likes sloppy joes in the first place, much less when clean and in a cassarole?!  Proof I was a doubter... I didn't even bother to take pictures because I was sure I'd hate it.



I. Was. WRONG.

(RECIPE HERE)
This was delicious and it was very filling with just one slice (out of the eight he cut it into).  He ate two, of course, but I thought one was plenty.  (I was also surprised by that.)

I highly recommend you try this and keep an open mind whil you cook.

The only thing we did differently from the directions is he broiled it for a minute or two before serving (to get the cheese bubbly).

Thank you, Elana's Pantry, for a delicious dinner! (and lunch tomorrow... and probably dinner tomorrow night....)

Good news, bad news.

Good news first:  I just found out I'm getting to move up to 4th grade!  After 10 years in third grade, I'm SUPER excited to have the opportunity to try something new.  Bonus- my best friend teaches 4th, so I'll get to work with her!
Other good news- I've been writing for Kidding Around Greenville and I LOVE it!  I love writing so this is perfect for me!

Bad news:  I've gained back 7 of the 14 pounds I'd lost.  This is not a "Why?! Why me?!" statement.  I know why.  I've gotten off our plan for eating cleaner.  We tried Shakeology for a week, which had very strict daily intake rules.  Those are NOT for us.  We are not dieters.  We need room for the occasional soda or cookie.... or five.  So, we've determined to make May our month to get back on track.  Hubby, of course, has lost around 30 pounds and hasn't really regained much of it.  *stupid men getting it easy*  We're looking to expand towards baby 2 soon and I want to be solidly in our healthier lifestyle before getting pregnant again.  Plus- I'd love to stop cooking separate food for baby J.  lol  (aka- I'm lazy and/or tired.)

So- yay and boo and yay for getting back on track.