Recipes!

Last week I talked about using my crock pot, and how much I love it, so I thought that I would post the recipes that I use every week since I will be trying at least two new recipes every week.

the first one is
"Loaded baked potato soup!"

Ingredients:
4 russet potatos peeled and diced (uncooked)
1 container organic chicken broth*
1 whole chopped yellow onion
4 stalks of celery sliced
2 large carrot sticks shredded*
4 green onions chopped
12 pieces of bacon, fried and crumbled*
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups of organic skim milk or soy
1/2 cup white all purpose flour
1/2 cup organic 100% whole wheat flour

Directions:

put all ingredients (minus milk & flour) into crockpot and cook on low for 7 1/2 hours or 3 1/2 on high.

when the 7 1/2 (or 3 1/2 ) hours are up add together the milk & flour then add to the soup and cook for another 30 mins.

When soup is finished serve with shredded cheese and sour cream :)

* for the chicken broth I like using "Pacific natural foods organic free range chicken broth"
for the shredded carrots: I cut them in half and then use my cheese grater to shred them.
Bacon: whenever using bacon always make sure it is nitrite/preservative free!
and just a side note, to make this as healthy as possible I try to use as many organic products as possible, but sometimes they are just TOO EXPENSIVE. Eating more vegetables is way better than going out though :) Also, when it comes to cheese & sour cream I recommend Tillamook all the way! And don't try to cut calories by using non-fat sour cream, a little bit of regular Tillamook sour cream goes a LONG way! And it is so much more declicious!

"Chicken Tortilla Soup"

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 organic chicken bouillon cube
4 uncooked organic chicken breast halves
2 - 15 oz cans organic black beans, undrained
2 - 15 oz cans organic diced tomatoes
2 cups organic salsa
14 1/2 oz can organic tomato sauce

Tortilla chips
cheese
sour cream

Directions:
add all ingredients minus chips, cheese & sour cream. cook on low for 8 hours.
Just before serving remove chicken breasts and shred it. After shredding it, add it back to the soup and stir in.

"Corn Chowder"

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove,minced
2 large carrots, shredded
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 medium potatoes peeled & cubed
12 oz can cream style corn
12 oz bag frozen corn
1 container chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 chicken breast uncooked (optional)
1 1/2 cups organic skim milk/ or soy milk
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup 100% whole wheat organic flour

Directions:
add all ingredients to crock pot minus flour & and milk. cook on low for 7 1/2 hours, or high for 3 1/2 hours.

when the 7 1/2 (or 3 1/2 ) hours are up add together the milk & flour then add to the soup and cook for another 30 mins.

I like to pair our soups with whole wheat rolls and usually a garden salad with fresh made caesar dressing.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as we have. I look forward to sharing my recipes with you in the following weeks :)

Octobre.

ugh. I'm sick :( sore throat, nausea, and congestion. Last week was stressful, but I vow that this week will not be stressful....or least less stressful, even though I am sick. Thankfully I'm ahead in my classes, so missing today is no big deal, but I am going to school no matter what tomorrow.

This weekend was pretty stressful too :/ I was so looking forward to a quiet relaxing weekend, but that was NOT the case. Friday we went out with a friend and had some drinks, and I don't really drink, so needless to say that after just a few drinks I was feeling it bad, drinking was a big mistake. Then Saturday she wanted to go to Seattle and go out, I was the designated driver, and that was fine with me. Well, That night we didn't get home until almost 4am. I was exhausted, and that night just made realize how much of a home body that I really am (and Matt too!) and I'm okay with that. I guess it just more so made me realize that I don't like partying, because if it is the right environment then I don't mind being out late. A good time to me is going out with friends, conversing over food, drinks and some good music. What's the point if it is so loud you have to yell to hear each other?

Sunday was good though :) Matt and I slept until about 12:30ish, then we got up, I made pumpkin pancakes (they were good, but a little too mushy, next time they will be better!) and then we showered and took a nap. it was lazy and perfect. We even had Taco bell for dinner and didn't even feel guilty about it :) Today we are back to eating healthy again though :)

This past week was crazy, but it was a good way to start off the month, because all month we are busy!

Next weekend (the 2nd) Matt's Dad, step mom and younger brother are coming up, then the next weekend my good friends Tabor and Amanda are getting married, and then the next weekend Matt and I are going to the Beavers/Huskies game in Seattle, and then the next day (the 17th!!!) we are heading to the Oregon coast for 5 nights to celebrate our first anniversary :) ahhh, so I just have to make it through the next two weeks and then I can relax all I want :)

First week of school.

in one word: STRESSFUL!

In a lot of words:

This term I'm taking 20 credits. needless to say, it's a little exhausting. What really makes it exhausting is having to leave at least an hour and a half before my first class starts because the parking is SO BAD! I live only 15 minutes away from my school. SO DUMB!

Classes have been good so far, I have had a lot of homework, but that's okay. I'm really excited to be using my crockpot more. Last week I made loaded baked potato soup, which was amazing, and then this week I made corn chowder, and right now I have chicken tortilla soup slow cooking :) Every week I'm going to make two new slow cooker recipes.


so, overall, my first week has been pretty good. Stressful, but good :)

rainy fall day...perfection!

Last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain hitting the parking lot of our apartment, and I woke up to the same beautiful sound!

I love fall so much, and I love the NW so much. I have been so anxious for the rainy season to begin. I'm excited to wear hoodies, rainboots, sweaters, and I can't wait to put on sweat pants and my bathrobe and cuddle up with a warm blanket while drinking a (decaf, soy, no whip) pumpkin spice latte!

Along with the leaves falling also comes the starting of school. I start my fall classes on Monday the 20th. I'm so nervous, but also very excited. I'm nervous because I'm taking 20 credits, but I'm excited because I will be finished with my associates. Although, I do have a lot of school left still (I want to get my masters in nursing, more specifically CRNA).

Other things I'm excited for this fall:
-Learning to sew.
-Amanda & Tabor are getting married.
-Celebrating our 1st year of marriage at the oregon coast for a week!
-Expanding my knowledge in cooking/baking.
-Finding out where the Navy is going to send us next!

This term is going to be really hectic, but one thing I'm going to do to make my life a little easier is to use my crock pot! Every week I'm going to make two different soups (yay for soup season!) with a side of salad and a roll from monica's. Then on friday I will make something like pizza/salmon/pasta. This will make my life so much easier! Especially since Mondays&Wednesdays I have a class until 7pm!

Tonight I'm making my first soup of the season, which is a recipe I've never tried before, actually the only soup I have ever made is chicken noodle & beef stew). Tonight we will be having loaded baked potato :)

Labor Day Weekend.

Labor day weekend was so-so.

Good parts:
-Shelia.
-crocheting.
-Staying at my dad's house.
-Ice cream with Dad.
-craft warehouse with Grandma and Cousin.
-Riley made a friend.
-burgerville.
-my brother was really sweet.
-Pumpkin spice lattes with my husband.


Bad parts:
-The beavs lost.
-Urgent care.
-Not being able to sleep without Matt.
-Staying at my dad's house.
-a mean person I will not name.
-Driving back to Washington.


Overall the good weighed out the bad of the weekend, but nothing felt as good this weekend as the joy of getting to see my husband after four looooong days! He makes me feel at home.


p.s. I'm going to wear white today :)

Navy.

Right now I really hate the Navy. Okay, not the Navy as a whole, but just part of it. for the last few months Matt and I have been waiting to hear what our next plan of action is. Matt put in a request to stay in washington for the rst of his enlistment, and he was told that there should be no problem, and that it should get approved. Well, like two months after he put in the request we found out it was DENIED! So, we started looking at the different billets (jobs) that needed to be filled. Every day they tell matt, we should find out what's going to happen tomorrow, then tomorrow comes, we should know by tomorrow. UGH!

Well, last monday Matt found out that they are thinking of Deploying him for a year...I was heart broken to find that out! They said we would know for sure on wednesday what the decision would be. Well once again they didn't come through.

I just want to know either way what is going to happen so we can start setting down an outline for our plans for the next two-three years. Hopefully we will know our fate by the end of this week.

August.

I can't believe summer is already over! I also cant believe that our first wedding anniversary is almost here! Did we really get married almost a year ago?!?!

Anyways, August was a great month! We explored washington, we had family up to visit, and we enjoyed the beautiful weather together.

Unfortunately we didn't get to go camping once! That was partly my fault and pratly the Navy's fault.

my fault: I was really turned off to camping because for some stupid readon we went in March and it was sooo cold! It was miserable. So, I just wasn't up for it after that, unless we were able to go to barview jetty. I LOVE Barview so much!

Navy's fault: Matt has this thing called watch. Watch always happens a few weekends a month. Matt goes to the Naval hospital and works in patient admissions for 12 hours. usually it's on sunday night from 6pm to 7 am (sometimes 10:30/11:00 if he has to do his regular job too.)

So, me + Navy= no camping. I will go camping no matter what nexter summer...that is if Matt isn't deployed :(