It’s Soup Season! Southwestern Chowder Recipe

It’s Soup Season y’all! I recently made this soup for the first time after craving something full of veggies, but a little more comforting than a minestrone or Tuscan Sausage soup.

This soup is easy to make and is perfect with cornbread or garlic bread (which many of you know is a staple in my house). I served it with a variety of toppings as well.

Paired with a simple green salad, this is a great fall dinner.

Southwestern Chowder

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter or neutral oil (I like Avocado Oil)
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 2 cups potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces- I used red-skinned potatoes and left the skin on, but if you use russets or Yukon gold (basically any brown-skinned potato), peel them.
  • 1 15 oz. can of corn or 2 cups of frozen corn
  • 1 small can Ortega chilis
  • 2 cups chicken, cut up into bite-sized pieces (leftover rotisserie chicken is great for this or use leftover Turkey!)
  • 4 cups Chicken Stock or Bone Broth
  • 1 can of evaporated milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • garlic powder, salt, pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large stock pot, saute onions, carrots, and celery in butter/oil over medium, until onions are translucent.
  2. Add in bay leaf, potatoes, corn, and stock/broth.
  3. Cook over medium/low, with the lid on the pot for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
  4. Add in all remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste/as needed throughout the simmering.
  6. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese crisps, tortilla strips, sour cream, chives, hot sauce (your choice)
  7. Serve with bread of your choice.

Serves 6-8.

Notes:

  • This soup freezes well, and is great for potlucks!
  • If you prefer your chowder thicc, add 1/2-3/4 cup of potato flakes to the soup and stir to combine about 5 minutes before serving.
  • This Soup is naturally gluten-free.
  • To make this recipe vegan, use vegetable broth, omit butter (sub in oil), use plant-based faux chicken, like this from Sweet Earth), and use plant-based milk or cream in place of evaporated milk. I’ve heard good things about Cashew Cream.

Here are a few of my favorite cheese crisps:
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Score a Free Dinner From Dream Dinners!

As you are all aware,  Dream Dinners is one of my favorite ways to save time and get tasty, healthy meals on the table in 45 minutes or less!

If you haven’t tried Dream Dinners yet, now is the perfect time! They have lowered their minimum orders to three meals, and new customers can score a free dinner. When you order 3 or more dinners, they get a free medium Cashew Chicken and Noodles with code SHARE at checkout.

There are over 70 Dream Dinners locations throughout the US, but if you don’t live close to one, fret not! There is a deal for you as well! New Guests can get free shipping on their first box of 4 medium dinners as a special offer just for you. Use this code at checkout: FREESHIP.

 

Fall Recipe Round-Up!

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Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away, and for most of us, it means cooking a HUGE feast to share with family or friends.

I wanted to share with you some of my family’s favorite fall recipes- They are all pretty tasty, and easy to make. Some are great for Thanksgiving dinner, and some are just tasty fall recipes.

11/5/2023 Weekend Freebies!

The 2023 Birthday Freebie post is here! Make sure to check this article out and sign up for birthday freebies at least 2-3 weeks before your birthday.

It’s Freebie time! There are all sorts of cool freebies this weekend. 

Freebies:

Free Longbottom & Co Virgin Mary Bloody Mary Mix After Rebate
Free Doritos Locos Taco at Taco Bell
Free Box of Beekeeper’s Naturals Kid’s Throat Soothing Lollipops After Rebate
Free Sample of Pharma-C Triple Action Hemorrhoid Pads
Free 4-Pack of Nuby All Silicone Softees Pacifiers
Free Gucci Guilty Elixir de Parfum Fragrance Sample
Free Member’s Mark Better Nut Bar at Sam’s
Free Kroger Sample Box
Free Genio Della Pizza After Rebate
Free Sample of Enfagrow Toddler Nutritional Drink
Free Grand Slam at Denny’s for Vets & Military Personnel
Free Monopoly Knockout Game Night Party Pack
Free Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
Free Jar of Brooklyn Delhi Sauce After Rebate
Free Samples at Ulta Beauty Kiosks
Free Creed Aventus Fragrance Sample
Free Sample of Twist + Lick Dog Dental Gel
Free Gucci Guilty Pour Femme Fragrance Sample
Sam’s Merry Express Event – Free Samples, Gifts & More
Free Ocean’s Halo Trayless Seaweed Snack
Free Sample of Revlon Illuminance Skin-Caring Foundation
Free Simple Mills Pop Crackers
FREE Sample Mail Call for November
Free Sample of BIODERMA Atoderm Intensive Balm
Free Box of MingsBings After Rebate
Free Sample of EQUAZEN PRO Jelly Chews
Free MicroSculpt Microcurrent Facial Device
Free Bottle of ZEN Calm & Stress Relief Gummies After Rebate
Free Large Fries at McDonald’s
Free Real Food From The Ground Up Snack Product After Rebate
Free Bulgari Le Gemme Tygar Fragrance Sample
PlayStation Plus – Free Mafia ll, Dragon Ball, Aliens Fireteam Elite Games
Free Download of Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes
Free Kohl’s Game Card on Black Friday
Free Heroic Fire Truck Build Kit at Lowe’s
15 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
5 Free Disney Movie Insiders Points
Free NFL RedZone Channel Preview for Select Providers
Free 2024 Rainin The Art of Pipetting Calendar
Free Photo with Santa & More at Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s

State of the Blogger November 2023

Hey friends, it’s been a hot minute. Honestly, with everything going on in our lives, by the time the kids are in bed, and I’ve got all of my household reset tasks done for the night, I am too exhausted to sit down and blog.

In fact, I “wrote” most of this using my phone’s talk-to-text feature. Seriously. So tired.

The past three months have been busy, and have been snowballing too insanely busy. Hopefully, this month will be a little more forgiving, but I don’t hold out much hope.

I have been using a lot of KC Davis’ resources to keep my house and my life somewhat organized. Using a weekly care task list has been very beneficial. As well as having an end of day reset task list. The end-of-day reset basically it’s just a way for me to give “future me/tomorrow me” a break.

While all of these are on the daily list, they don’t always all get done. A bare minimum is that I take my meds and drink a bottle of water before bed. Sometimes it’s the bare minimum and sometimes I get all of it done.

Between kid’s activities and family stuff, it feels like every weekend has just been something.

This week it was a few activities in the morning, and I spent time this afternoon rearranging parts of the garage, steam cleaning the couch, living room carpet, and my bedroom floor, as well as refilling pantry stables in the kitchen.

Because the one thing I have been putting off in the past month or so is a large restock grocery trip. Our stockpile of key ingredients has dwindled, and since we don’t have a garage attached to our home, bringing up large loads of groceries is my least favorite thing about grocery shopping. However, I broke down and did it last night. I went to Costco by myself and got all of the things we stock up at Costco. And I got a couple extra treats.

So what you can expect to see from now until the end of the year is:

  • More easy, healthy, and tasty recipes
  • Realistic Deals for gifts, and practical gifts for the whole family (including a post with $15 or less stockings from Dollar Tree for each member of the family)
  • Weekly Freebies
  • More time-saving ways to keep your home running smoother

Originally I had a bunch of stuff planned, including giveaways and contests, however, my favorite family blogger event- WOW Summit by Moms Meet was canceled because the May Group (its parent company) went bankrupt earlier this year.  I always connected with brands, bloggers, and friends there. It was a big event for me to go to and came home with all kinds of goodies to share via giveaways and contests. That was the second blogging event that was canceled this year.

I’ve got some meal prep to do- Have a great evening, and I promise, good stuff is coming!

 

Penzeys Sale: $35 for $50 in Gift Cards!

This is one of my favorite deals. It makes a great gift for the home cook, baker, or foodie in your life. It can be used in-store or online.

This deal is back, but only until Sunday, October 8, 2023!

Penzeys is offering two $25 Gift Cards for just $35. Limit of TWENTY Embrace Hope Gift Cards per household during the run of the promotion. Cannot be used on the date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. The offer ends at midnight on Sunday, October 8, 2023.

 

Italian Meatball Soup Recipe

I posted about this soup earlier in the week on Instagram. It’s easy to make and is super filling. The best part is that you can make it as simple or elevated as you want, and as your budget allows

If you like to make everything from scratch, make your own meatballs and tomato soup. On a financial or time budget- use premade. I double-checked and all ingredients are available at Dollar Tree, so even the tightest budget can try it!

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

  • 8-12 meatballs (I used these Smithfield Power Bites)
  • 1 can/jar Tomato Basil Soup (I used Rao)
  • 1 14.5oz can salt-free diced tomatoes
  • 6 Oz (half of a 12 oz. bag) frozen onion and pepper blend (I used my slap chopper to make the onions and peppers much smaller pieces)
  • 1T butter or oil
  • 1T minced garlic 
  • 2T chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1T of the oil 
  • 1c. pasta shape of your choice (I used medium shells)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. In a deep pot, warm oil and saute the frozen onion and pepper until the onions are translucent and fragrant about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Add in garlic, and sundried tomatoes and it’s oil and stir frequently, until garlic is fragrant.
  3. Add in the soup, bay leaf, meatballs (mine were frozen), and canned tomatoes.
  4. Allow soup to cook covered on medium/low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Pour uncooked pasta into soup, turn to low, and cover again. cook on low for about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.
  6. Top each serving with parmesan cheese as desired.

This recipe makes 4-6 servings. It can be easily doubled or tripled.

Tips:

  • It freezes well also.
  • It can be made vegan or vegetarian. Use vegan/vegetarian meatballs and soup.
  • GLUTEN FREE: Substitute GF Meatballs and Pasta

It’s Souptember- Soup Recipe Round up!

It’s September! Cooler weather is ahead- and while it’s still hot here, I’m ready for soup. To celebrate Souptember, here are just a few of my favorite soup recipes:

Family Recipe: Albondigas (Meatball Soup)
 Veggie Cheese Tortellini Soup
Crockpot Chili Recipe 
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Colonial Chowder
Veggie Soup 
Chicken Fajitas Soup 
Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Potato Cheese Soup
Hearty Veggie Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Veggie Tuscan Soup
Homemade Chicken Soup
Zuppa Tuscana Soup CopyCat Recipe
Chicken Corn Chowder
Roasted Onion and Caramelized Onion Bisque
Butternut Squash Bisque
Beef Stew
Harvest Veggie Ravioli Soup

 

9/4/2023 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis long holiday weekend has been chill. We swam, deep cleaned bedrooms, and did our weekly reset. We reset today, and the extra day off was really needed. Back to school hit us hard.

I made big batches of vegetarian chili and chicken noodle soup yesterday for this week and beyond. I put a quart of each in the freezer for later.

The freezer and fridge are organized and the meals are planned for the upcoming week and beyond.

Our Yasukochi Family Farms  CSA box is delivered on Mondays. It arrived about 2:30 today, and I was ready to dive in and get prepping!

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you who are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and a Cliff Bar, fruit, and bagels for the littlest kiddo. The big kid has protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. The big kid brings his lunch every day (The same thing every day), and the little one buys her lunch about half the time.

Dinner: I’m making sure to start our meals with lots of veggies. With the rising costs of meat, we get most of our protein from using meat as an addition to our meals, not the main component. I realize this may not work for all families, but it helps us immensely.

  • Sunday: Chicken noodle soup, green salad, cheese toast
  • Monday: Chef Salad or protein shakes (big kid isn’t a big salad fan), and fruit
  • Tuesday:  blistered tomatoes w/ pasta, garlic bread (recipe forthcoming)

  • Wednesday: Vegetarian Chili, cornbread, fruit salad

  • Thursday: Protein shakes and fruit trays

  • Friday: Takeout night
  • Saturday:  Leftover night

How to fight the Sunday Scaries

You know the feeling, it’s Sunday afternoon, about lunchtime, when you realize you have to go back to work tomorrow.

But you don’t wanna go to work. You’re not ready to go back to work. There are dishes to do, and laundry, do you even have anything for lunch this week?

Here is how I fight the Sunday Scaries and ensure our school/work week goes off mostly without a hitch.

I reset the house. Put away all the stuff that’s hanging about in the common living areas. The kids pick up their toys, books, and the worn socks that somehow are littering the living room. Collect all the trash from the little trashcans in each of the bedrooms and bathrooms, and take out the kitchen trash and recycling too. I set the robot vacuum to go through all the rooms in the house. (Full Disclosure- I received the robot vacuum about 18 months ago to review and it is the most decadent thing I own. I feel like Jane Jetson every time I use it).

I refill all of our meds for the week. If you follow me on Instagram, you seen the pictures of when I post my refill shenanigans. It takes about 15 minutes, and it’s just a good way for me to make sure that we have enough for the next 10 days or so, and that everyone will start and end their day with the medicines that they need.

I refill the snack/lunch bins in the cupboard. Make sure we have enough drinks, snacks, and lunch goodies for the week. This goes for both the kids and myself. Because I am taking lunch from home. Regardless of what I’m doing during the day, I always have lunch in an insulated container, and a few bottles of water.

I update all of the calendars. I pull the calendars off of the bedroom and kitchen walls and update them with any new appointments or things that need my attention for the following week or so. I try to sync the paper calendars with the calendar on my computer/phone.

Pull together a week’s worth of outfits. This one is really important for my neurodivergent family members, and myself cause I’m pressed for time in the morning. Also if you or your kids have “must-wear “ outfits for the week make sure they are clean and ready to go. I hang up my clothes by outfit in my closet. And the night before I pull an outfit out and then hang underwear and a bra off the hanger and hang it from a command hook on my closet door. And then I go shove a pair of clean socks into my shoes so that I am already to go in the morning. My kids also set out their outfits the night before including socks, shoes, and any accessories.

Clean out backpacks and purses if you haven’t done so on Friday afternoon. This one only applies during the school year for the kids.  Go through folders, and clean out lunch boxes/lunch bags. I also take this time to pre-pack the shelf stable/non-perishable lunch items in the kid’s lunch bags/lunch boxes and leave them on the counter overnight, and then the next morning, I finish packing the perishable/cold items in their lunch boxes with the cold packs.

Meal plan/meal prep for the week. I do dinners and lunches. Sometimes I’ll meal prep breakfast if I know I’m going to be short on time in the morning (that is usually when there are spirit weeks at school and I have to spend extra time in the morning helping the kids with their crazy hair, or whatever the spirit week theme is).

Change the sheets and pillowcases. This is in my opinion, the way to ensure a good sleep on Sunday nights. It is changing the sheets, and I spray the pillows with lavender “sleep spray“.

I write up my weekly care task list.  It is in the notes section of my phone, and it’s a checklist that I can easily check off completed items.