Homemade Chili!

Freezer Meals: The advantage of cooking too much!

Ever cook way too much food for the number of people in your house and have tons of leftovers? I am guilty of this a lot. And yes, a lot of the time, the leftovers would sit in the fridge till I had to throw them away which is a huge waste of food. Recently, however, I have started making them into freezer meals.  

 Although I may not feel like eating chicken for two nights in a row, I may be craving it by next week. It is great to thaw out precooked chicken, not have to go through the hassle of cooking it. Just warm it up for dinner. Often that chicken will be used to make soup or a casserole.

 

Freezer meals are also handy for on-the-go for work provided you have a way to heat them there. It can save you a small fortune. Buying food at work or going out to eat at lunch time isn't cheap. 

This may just improve your health also. No more processed vending machine meals. You have a delicious home cooked lunch all ready to go. 

One of the biggest advantages is not having a bunch of containers from leftovers in the refrigerator. This means more room for things like milk, eggs, butter, and veggies. And the food actually gets eaten so no more waste.

It's a huge time saver later in the week too. Don't have time to cook a full meal, thaw and reheat something from the freezer. Give this meal solution a try, who knows how much you could save!

Repurposing Over-Ripe Apples

Do you have some apples that are going to waste? Here is a great way to use them up and make your house smell fantastic in the process.

Take one apple and slice it up, core and all. Throw it in a sauce pan with about two cups of water. Add a teaspoon of cloves and/or about five to ten drops of clove essential oil, and a stick or two of cinnamon. You may also throw in some orange peel. Now put it on the back burner of your stove at a very low setting and slowly simmer it all day. You may have to add a bit of water here and there throughout the day and it should never be left completely unsupervised. You may also use a small crock-pot or electric candle warmer.

There you have it! No chemicals or candles, just natural delicious smells filling your home.

Children should be supervised by a responsible adult while making this.

My Slideshow of Fall Decor

Autumn Decorating.

I did a few small changes around the house to celebrate Autumn! This time of year is filled with wonderful smells, sites, sounds, and tastes. Fall is my favorite time of year. Here are few decor changes I have made so far.

Happy Autumn everyone!

Turkey Vegetable Soup In The Crock-Pot!

 

      I absolutely love veggies! The Crock-Pot is also my favorite way to cook. Nothing better than throwing some ingredients into it, letting the smell fill your home, and having a nice hot meal at the end of a long day.  On the menu today is a Turkey Vegetable Soup. Keep in mind that all of the ingredients in this recipe can be switched up for either another meat or another vegetable. I switch it up often and very rarely make it the same way twice. This is a variation. Give it a shot!

Turkey Vegetable Soup

     1 lb of Ground Turkey

     1 1/2 cup of pre-sliced Onions and Bell Peppers

     1/2 package of Frozen Green Beans

     1/2 package of Frozen Cut Carrots

     2 cubes of minced Frozen Oregano

     2 cubes of minced Frozen Cilantro 

     16 ounce can of Stewed Tomatoes

     1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Salt

     1/2 teaspoon of Mrs Dash

     3/4 cup of Water

     Salt and Pepper to taste

     Turn the Crock-Pot on high. Put in thawed and lightly cooked Ground Turkey , Onions and Peppers, Oregano cubes, and Cilantro cubes. Let cook for three hours. At this point your home smells incredibly good. Now, here comes the veggies! Add Green Beans, Carrots, Tomatoes, Garlic Salt, and Mrs Dash (Find Mrs Dash at Amazon). Cook for an hour. Add 3/4 cup of water. Let cook for two hours. Salt and Pepper to taste. Enjoy!

     Pretty simple, huh?!?