Crock Pot Chicken Lasagna

I love crock pot recipes, and this one really is delicious!

My whole family loves it!

It is one of the more complicated crock pot recipes that I have tried, but very worth the effort

Even though it has spinach in it, my 4 year old loves it...

that's gotta tell you something! :)

I began making this last year, before we realized that Caylie can't have gluten.  

As with many recipes, this one could be modified to be gluten-free by substituting the pasta and the cream of chicken soup with gf versions.

2 cans Cream of Chicken
1/2 package of frozen chopped spinach...thawed, drained and squeezed
1 (9 oz.) pkg. of frozen, diced, cooked chicken
1 (8 oz.) sour cream
1C milk
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/3 C finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1C shredded mozzarella cheese

Stir together first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Spray crock pot with Pam and place 3 lasagna pieces in bottom. Break pieces as necessary to cover the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat these 3 layers 2 more times. Cook on High for 1 hour and Low for about 5 hours.

Notes...
* I was kind of generous on my cheese measurements. :)
* My lasagna started getting pretty crispy around the edges after about the 4th hour (which actually ended up adding to the flavor!), but keep an eye on it toward the end if it is your first time to make it

Five Question Friday

This is my first time to participate in

Five Question Friday.

It is a weekly meme, with different questions each week!

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

Yes, and unfortunately, since it has been way too long since I have had my highlights, everyone that sees me knows what my real hair color is too!  :)

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

We usually plan some sort of family vacation,
and the older kids spend a week at a
Christian summer camp,
but other than that, we just kind of let things happen.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

I don't know that I have a specific single favorite meal,
but this potato cheese soup recipe
(linked to my recipe blog),
is one that is fast, easy, and delicious.
Everyone always likes it.  

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

Thank you notes?
Not at all!
A verbal "thank you" when I give someone something is more than enough for me!

Save yourself some ink and a stamp when you come to my name on your thank you list!

Sorry Miss Manners...I've got bigger fish to fry than waiting by the mailbox for a thank you note!  :)

5. How did you meet your best friend?

I met my BFF, Teresa, in college at OBU in Arkadelphia! We were both in the same sorority (EEE). 

Right after Corey and I got married, I schemed with our other sweet friend Nancy, and we forcefully, I mean, thoughtfully set Teresa up on a blind date with Ky, Corey's best friend from high school. 

The rest is history!

5 kids, and almost 20 years later...
we still love to tell the story...and we are all still best buds!  :)

Here is a picture of me with Nancy (far left) and Teresa (far right) when we met for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe last year.

And here is a picture of Corey, me, Ky and Teresa with our youngest kiddos, Carson (the mystery man under the party hat), and Rachel as we celebrated New Years Eve a little over a year ago!

Love ya Teresa! 

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

This recipe was served the morning of my cousin's wedding many years ago. I loved it so much that I asked for the recipe, and have made it many times since!  

6 slices of bread (gluten free bread can be used if necessary)

1 lb. sausage

1 1/2 C cheddar cheese

6 eggs

2 C half & half

1 tsp. salt

margarine

Cut crusts off of bread. (I don't always do this part.) Spread margarine on both sides of bread. (I usually only do one side.) Place bread in a greased 9x13 dish. Cook sausage and drain on paper towels. Spread over bread. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine eggs and 1/2 & 1/2 and pour over sausage. Cover and chill overnight. Remove 15 minutes before bake time. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes at 350.

Ricki's Spinach Pie

This is a breakfast pie recipe, very similar to a quiche.

My sweet cousin Ricki made it at a family reunion last summer.Everyone was talking about how great it was!

It happens to be a perfect recipe for our family since it does not have a crust, and is 
gluten free!

16 oz. container of 2% low fat cottage cheese

10 oz. pkg. of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 C shredded low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 jar (7oz) roasted red peppers, well drained, chopped

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
Pour into greased 9 inch pie plate.
Bake 40 minutes or until center is set.
(Usually takes more like an hour)

Tip:

You can substitute 1/2 chopped red bell peppers for the roasted peppers.
Enjoy!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

3 Yummy (Gluten Free) Valentine's Treats

I have been searching for some cute ideas for Valentine's Day, that are also gluten free.  These are 3 great ideas that I found that are either already gluten free, or can easily be tweaked!  I think that one or two of these might show up at my house for Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Doesn't this Valentine Confetti from Kellie at This Blessed Nest, look great?! And all of the ingredients are already gluten free!

LOVE THAT!

I have made something similar to this before, and added peanuts...Mmmmm.

Chelsie Mae at Sweet Baby Hiccups 

(love that name!)

 made these cute cheesecake pops. 

 A couple of the toppings that she used have gluten... 

Graham Crackers and Oreos,

but there are gf versions of both available. 

The Butterfingers, Reece's, and MnM's are all gluten free!

My crew loves cheesecake, so I might have to give these a try!

And finally, this luscious looking Creme Brulee from Jamie at Sophistimom, is naturally gluten free.  

Love the idea of preparing it in the heart shaped ramekins!  

Who wouldn't love these?

I think that this is a wonderful idea, but I don't think I am going to tackle this one since my sweet mom makes a KILLER creme brulee, and I just couldn't compete

...but I still wanted to pass it along!  :)

If you, like me, have procrastinated just a bit

(I think I just work well under pressure!)

...maybe I just helped bail you out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

A Family Favorite Recipe...Black Beans, Beef and Rice

I recently prepared a new recipe for my family, and it was a big hit with everyone!

I love it when that happens...because it seems like SOMEONE in our family (...a cute little opinionated 4 year old), turns his nose up at most anything that is not Mac N Cheese these days!

Anyone know the feeling?

What makes it even better, is that it is gluten free, so our whole crew can enjoy it....which has become a requirement around here.

I have made it twice so far, and the last time, we decided that when I make it again, I should do a double batch!

Black Beans, Beef and Rice

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1C long grain rice
1C water
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 t dried Italian seasoning
1t salt
1C shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook bacon in large skillet on medium heat.  Add beef, onion, pepper, and garlic.  Cook, stirring often, until beef has browned.  Add water, rice, tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and salt.  Mix well.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is done (20 min. or so).  Sprinkle with cheese

 Give it a try, and I bet it will be a crowd pleaser at your house too!

If you happen to have a picky kid or two wandering around your house, check out Jenny's new series, "Meals Kids Love"!  

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Here's where I'm linking up...

February 3 in 30 Challenge

I am linking up today with the 3 in 30 challenge.  

I have chosen 3 goals to work on for the month of February.  The plan is that we will hold each other accountable throughout the 30 days, and then report our progress at the end.  

3 new goals for each month of the year, with built in accountability.

I like it.

Sooo...for February, my 3 goals are

1) Be consistent in having a daily quiet time each morning.  I'm going to be using a devotional book that my mother gave me called, Jesus Calling.  Short, meaningful devotions to focus my heart and mind on Christ each morning.

2) Be consistent in preparing 4 gluten free dinners each week.  My daughter can't eat gluten, and although I have recipes available to prepare, we often end up eating out for convenience, due to the kid's activities, etc.. I would like to limit the eating out to weekends as much as possible.  It would be healthier for everyone in the family, and cheaper!

3) Post new blog entries 3-4 times a week, and start making some improvements to my blog.  My blog is important to me, but I have often found myself abandoning it for months at a time when things get busy around here.  I don't want to do that.  Things are always busy.  I love having a record of the things that are happening in my life, and I want to make it more of a priority to take time to blog.

So there you have it.

You officially have my permission to hold me accountable!  :)

Writing the Waves,

Christi

Great Meal Planning Resource!

A couple of months ago, I discovered a great site to streamline our dinner planning process!  It is called e-mealz.com, and I have been loving it!

What hooked me into giving it a try was that since Caylie now has to eat gluten free, and I had no clue where to begin, e-mealz had a gluten free meal plan!  (They have plans for several diets...Weight Watchers, Diabetic, etc.)

Not only did I have a weekly meal plan laid out for me, but also the grocery list that is needed!  I can choose whether I want the list to be made for Wal-Mart shopping (taking into account the specials of that week!!!), or if I will be shopping at another grocery store.

For $1.25 a week, I just print out the menu, and the grocery list, and I'm good to go!  

We have been using a system of putting stars by each meal that we make from the printed out menus.  Meals that we definitely want to make again get 4 stars, and the ones that our family may not have loved quite as much, get fewer stars.  

Check it out!  It just might make your life a little bit easier!  

Writing the Waves,

Christi

Linking up at...

  

Menu Plan Monday

This week's menu plan...

1) Beef and pineapple kabobs, rice, salad

2) Chicken enchiladas, chips, cheese dip

3) Grilled chicken, pasta salad, strawberry shortcake

4) Homemade pizza, Caesar salad

5) Pork loin, green beans, easy potatoes, rolls

6) Pancakes and sausage

Can I just take a moment to say that I'm actually starting this week with the laundry all caught up!!!

Love it when that happens! :)

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Menu Plan Monday

I have visited this fun site several times, and I like this "Menu Plan Monday" idea.

Monday is always my "regrouping" day after the weekend, so it makes sense to add this to my list of Monday tasks. It helps me to have a plan laid out for meals. I usually just write down the plan on a piece of paper, and stick it on the fridge, but I'm gonna give this a try. I may not be a regular, but if I do it every now and then, I should develop enough weekly menus to be able to rotate them, which would make planning easier.

I am not going to assign each meal to a specific day. I just decide as we go through the week, based on our evening schedules.

I'm also planning to do a recipe blog so that I can easily access my family's favorite recipes. As it is now, I usually end up sorting through scraps of paper, or flipping through cook books repeatedly, and I think that transferring those recipes to a recipe blog will make it easier to access them when I need to.

So here is the plan for this week...

1) SBMFE (Pronounced suh-buh-muh-fay!)

My family made up a name for this previously nameless recipe, and the name was so long that we had to shorten it. The name they originally made up as we sat around the table eating it one night, years ago, was "South of the Border Mexican Fiesta Extravaganza". The name makes it sound much more spectacular than it really is, but they like it! It is meatless, as well as very simple and EASY!

Here is the recipe...

SBMFE

2 Cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 Medium Sized Jar of Salsa...any kind

2 Eggs...whisked

2 C Grated Cheese

Combine 1st 3 ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with cheese, and bake at 350 for 30 min., or until bubbly.

Serve over rice or with tortilla chips.

Told ya it was easy! :)

On to the other nights...

2) Bacon, Eggs, Cheese Grits and Biscuits

3) Roast, Green Beans, Corn on the Cobb and Rolls

4) Spinach Mandarin Salad

5) BBQ Sandwiches, Tater Tots and Baked Beans

6) Chili Nachos

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Wingin' It!

Tonight I went out on a limb. I made the main dish of our dinner without a recipe!!!

Yes!

I know!

I am sooo not the kind of girl that can do that. I MUST have a recipe. Anyone who knows me at all knows that!

Some great kitchen warriors out there can look through the fridge, and the cabinets, and whip out one delicious meal after another.

That would not be me.

But tonight, I looked through my recipes, and despite a well stocked pantry, I didn't quite have all of the ingredients for any of them, so I just decided to throw a few things together and see what happened.

I will say this...it involved chicken, and we have all been fed.

Christian, dare I say, even bragged at length about it!

I'm not going to be giving out recipe cards or anything, so don't come begging, okay?

Who would have thought!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Ramblings...

Well, last night was craft night with the neighbor girls, and we were busy making frames, candle holders, and clipboards! We still have plans for coasters and magnets too! We had so much fun, and were so proud to be able to make some pretty good looking gifts to give to family, friends, teachers, etc.! I think we are going to do round two after we get some more supplies...can't wait! I'll post pics later...we left all of our stuff at Amy's house until round two!

Well, my ever changing blog is in transition again! A fellow blogger pointed me in the direction of scrapblog.com, and I whipped out the cute little header that I have up top now! It is a FUN site with a video tutorial that can get you started. I did the header on the first night that I used the site! I think I will design our Christmas cards there, and also my next scrapbook...lots of ideas floating around right now! So much to do...so little time!

We are really working on the potty training...going to the potty every 10 minutes it seems like! Gosh, I didn't remember it being this constant...I mean, who goes to the bathroom every 10 minutes?!?! Well, my little guy does I guess...I think it must all be about scoring those potty treats, but I'm watching, and most every time he asks to go...he goes, so what do you do? You spend 1/2 of your day sitting on the bathroom floor talking potty talk with your two year old! Yes, I have lots of other things that must be done, but I also realize how sweet and fleeting all of these times are, so as I sit on the bathroom floor, I try to savor the cuteness of it all! These times won't last forever, so I want to milk them for everything they are worth!

I just made a brilliant discovery! For quite some time now, we have been waging the battle of the water dispenser on the front of the fridge combined with Carson's little hands! Time after time, we realize that we are losing the battle, and we again, have a soaking wet floor, and an equally soaking toddler. Well, I realized today that there is a wonderful little button staring right there at me that says "LOCK", Yea!!!!!! Problem solved...until he figures that out too!

Last night, I whipped out a dinner that the whole family loved! Yea...ya gotta love it when that happens. We had Shepherd's Pie and Green Beans. Both were easy, and turned out GREAT! Here are the recipes...the Shepherd's Pie is my Mother In Law's, and the Green Beans are from a church friend...thanks Barbara and Stephanie...you both helped me make my family very happy last night! :) Not the recipes for those that are trying to steer clear of butter I must say!

Barbara's Shepherd's Pie...YUM!!
chuck roast
dry onion soup mix
dry mushroom gravy mix
beef broth
8-10 Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 stick of butter
cream (I used 1/2 and 1/2)
salt and pepper
shredded cheese

Place roast in the crock pot, and cover with the dry onion soup mix...no water or anything. Cook the roast overnight on low. Remove the roast to a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, and pull apart with two forks, covering the bottom of the dish.

Make the mushroom gravy according to package directions, using beef broth instead of water. I used a little more than 1 cup of broth...maybe 1 1/4 cups.

After gravy comes to a boil, and thickens a little bit, pour it over the roast, and stir to combine.

Make the mashed potatoes using the butter, salt, pepper, and just enough cream to give it the right consistency. Spread potatoes over the roast.

Cover the top with shredded cheese.

Heat at 350 for 30 minutes

Your family's gonna love you!


Sinfully Good Green Beans
2 cans whole green beans...drain 1 can to reduce liquid
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp soy sauce
bacon (I used a bag of real bacon pieces that you find with salad fixings)

Combine all ingredients in a skillet, bring to a boil, and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally...30 min. or so.

That's it!

ENJOY!!!

Writing the Waves!
Christi