Out The Door and On The Go {Indiana Family of Farmers}

Tis the season. No, not that one. Still have a few months before that. I'm talking about"back to school" season. Yep, the kids are back in the classroom, and if your family is anything like ours, that means your already busy schedule just doubled in activities; and hectic days are the name of the game. 

In that spirit, I've teamed up with my good friends at Indiana Family of Farmers to give you some great tips on affordable food options to accommodate your super busy life. Let's not forget, we as Americans spend less of our income on food than most other countries! Shocked? You can read more here. Oh, and worried about nutrition? Read my fantastic tips on finding healthy options at the grocery store here. 

So, in part three of our series, we wanted to help all of you feed your family on a budget when time is of the essence. I have a few that I think really help our family eat well without my wallet feeling it too much! 

1. Make Leftovers on Purpose  I will be the first to tell you leftovers aren't my favorite thing in the world. And I'm not one to serve them night after night until they are gone. However, I do purposely make more of dishes than what the 3 of us can eat. Why? Because they are great for lunches the next day. I don't mind eating something again for lunch, as long as I get something new for supper. Plus, come the weekend, when all of us are home for lunch, I have things ready to eat in the fridge. If you know a huge pan of pasta or casserole is too much for your family, don't half the recipe until you think about this option.

2. Pack Lunch For Work and/or School  I know many of you take the time to pack your kids' lunches for school, but if you have the change to take your lunch to work, do you? Sure it's so easy to hit the drive-thru, or go out with co-workers and enjoy an hour away from the office, but have you ever added up the amount of money you can spend doing so? Mr E. could eat lunch out every single day if he wanted to, but he chooses to pack one to save money. Or should I say, he chooses to have me pack one for him. So, when I am packing little man's school lunch I do the same for my big man. And this is a great use for those leftovers we were talking about earlier. I would say 4 days out of 5 per week, Mr E.'s lunch consists of things we ate the night before. When I still worked outside the home, I always packed my lunch, and saved going out to once, maybe twice a month for a treat. It really helped to save us money, and honestly was healthier too. 

3. Your Crock Pot Is Your Friend  If you aren't using the words "slow cooker and hectic day" in the same sentence, you are missing out. Do you fantasize about someone cooking the evening meal while you are at work, or busy running around through the day? It's not a dream. Your Crock Pot can do just that! Once you find some tasty, dependable recipes your family loves, you will wonder how you ever survived without it. Imagine coming home after a long day and having dinner almost or sometimes completely ready to eat. Heck, if you need a good place to start, the recipe I'm sharing today would be a great one! 

4. Do Prep Work Ahead of Time  No matter what the recipe is, see if there are steps you can do ahead of time, and split the work up, making it easier in the end. Chop veggies. Brown ground beef. Cook and and shred chicken. All of these are things you can do the night before, or if there is time, in the morning before you rush out the door. I do this in many of the recipes I make, and when dinner time rolls around and I'm dog tired, it doesn't seem so over whelming because some of the work is already done. 

5. It's Okay To Call It A Day  We are all going to have those days when the thought of going into the kitchen and cooking, even if it's just a frozen pizza, makes us want to cry. Don't feel bad. It's okay to say "I'm done" and reach for the take out menu, or even treat the family to a night out. We've all been there, and we will all be there again. Let yourself off the hook, and know nobody is judging you because probably half your neighbors are doing the exact same thing. But you can still try to look for budget friendly coupons or even places that offer "Kids Eat Free" specials when those nights come along. 

The recipe I'm sharing today is sure to become a classic the minute you make it, especially with the cooler fall months approaching. Talk about comfort food in a bowl! I actually made this last week when the little guy had come down with strep throat, and it was just what the doctor ordered. It's a great one to utilize some of those tips I mentioned above too. Cook the chicken the night before so you can throw it all together the next day before you leave. Then when you come home, all you left to do is add the noodles. Be sure to make the whole batch because the leftovers are only tastier the next day, and make great lunches! This is going to be something you find yourself making again and again, just like me! 

Crock Pot Chicken and Noodles

2.5 lbs. chicken tenders

Olive Oil 

2 c. chicken broth

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

3 carrots, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

3/4 c. frozen peas

24 oz. bag frozen egg noodles

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay on baking sheet. Roast in oven for 30 minutes until juices run clear. Shred with two forks or using stand mixer. In slow cooker, combine shredded chicken, soup, chicken broth, onion, celery, carrots, and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook 5-6 hours. Increase heat back to high and add frozen noodles. Allow to cook just until noodles are done, about 30 minutes. Do NOT overcook, to avoid mushy noodles.

Shared on The Country Cook
Shared at Recipes That Crock 

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A Wedding Re-Do

Even after all the recipes I've found from when I first started blogging and brought them "back to life" so to speak, I'm still running across one here and there. This was actually something I shared not as far back as others, but I still thought it could use a face-lift and be shared again.

When I first shared this, it was right around the time of Princess Kate and Prince William's wedding, and I told the story about how this was something we had at our wedding reception, per my request. See, we had a huge spread, including a hog roast with all the trimmings and a buffet that everyone raved about, most of which were made by our sweet neighbor lady who offered to make the food for us. And this being one of my favorite all time "deli" salads I knew it just had to be included. Not to mention, it's one of my daddy's favorites, and I figured since he was paying, that would be a nice gesture! 

This is a great summer time salad that can be ready in almost no time at all. It's perfect for picnics, barbecues, cook-outs or take along parties. I have found even folks who aren't huge pea fans, enjoy this! Oh, and it shows up regularly around these parts at bridal and baby showers too. It's just one of those go-to salads for us, that others might never think about.

I love bringing these not so old recipes up to date and sharing them with all of you again. Or for most of you, for the first time. But what I love even more is sharing all the happy memories that come with them and remembering the great times when we enjoyed them the most. Food really does make the best scrapbook!

Spring Pea Salad

2 (15 oz.) cans peas, drained

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

3-4 TBS mayo

1/2 c. finely chopped white onion

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine peas, eggs, onion and cheese. In a small bowl whisk together mayo, salt and pepper. Pour over pea mixture. Toss gently to coat. Chill at least an hour before serving.

Why Didn't I Do This Before?

Sometimes it's so funny how you can do something the same way for years, and then one day you decide to try it a new way, and you say to yourself "Um, why didn't I do this before?" I guess it just takes our inner light bulb going off to make everything come into focus. And it seems to me, 9 times out of 10, when this happens, it is something so simple it kind of makes you feel dense!

This was the case last week, 2 days post Christmas when I was getting ready to roast chicken for supper. It was a recipe I had made too many times to count, taught to me by my mother in law years ago. I went into the kitchen and had to move my new Crock Pot off the counter to prep the chicken. And that's when it happened. That inner light bulb lit up as bright as a Christmas tree and I knew in an instant I was making this recipe a little different this time. I had a ton of stuff around the house to do, and multiple games of Death Star Jenga to play with Monkey, so why not let supper cook itself (for the most part) in the Crock Pot? I have no idea why I had never thought of this before. I'm sure a little piece of it was my inner foodie begging to use that new Crock Pot for a 2nd night in a row. Whatever the reason I finally thought of it, I am so happy I did because it will never be prepared the original way again! This is perfect on a cold day when you want something warm and comforting, but don't want to put forth a lot of effort! The chicken can even be made in the morning, or the night before. Sometimes our best ideas are those that come to us when we least expect it!

Crock Pot Chicken and Biscuits

1 lb. chicken tenders

2 (15 oz) cans mixed veggies, drained

2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup

2 c. chicken broth

1 (8 ct.) refrigerated biscuits

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. On a large baking sheet, mix chicken tenders, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until juices run clear. (If preparing ahead, set aside to cool) Cut chicken into small dices. In Crock Pot combine chicken, veggies, soup and broth. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on LOW for 4 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, prepare biscuits according to package directions. Split biscuits and serve chicken mixture "open face" style on top.

Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Jan. 3, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook Jan. 4, 2013

Real Men Cook

Even though I do 99% of the cooking in our house, it's nice to know that if I ever couldn't, we wouldn't starve, b/c my husband is a pretty amazing cook. He started cooking years ago when he lived w/ roommates, and then by himself. He has a few recipes that are his "signature" and this is one of them. The first time he made it, most of his family, including me, turned our noses up at it b/c we never imagine it could be good. But oh how good it is! I've been making it since we got married and when Alex came along, he too refused to eat it, until he tried it a few times. Actually, it's our supper tonight b/c Alex asked me to make it! So if you're looking for an easy crock pot soup that is comfort through and through, try it before you dismiss it!

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup

2 bags dry split peas

1 lb. bag baby cut carrots- finely diced

1 medium white onion- finely diced

1 lb. package diced ham

Salt and pepper

In crock pot place all ingredients and cover w/ water. Cook on high for 6-8 hours until peas break down and soup becomes very thick. Add water to loosen, if necessary. (If have left overs to reheat, definitely add water). Half way through cooking, use potato masher to break peas down.

Shared on Everyday Sisters Oct. 9, 2011
Shared on The Country Cook Oct. 21, 2011