We can all use a few more hands
So I’ve been keeping a big secret from y’all! We are expecting another blessing, baby #5! I’m 11 weeks now, so come September, we should have a new family addition! We are super excited!
This means I’ll be upping my baby posts! I kinda dropped off posting them since my “baby” is 4.
Any of my readers expecting? When are you due?
Brrrr! It’s a cold one today! I love being able to make dinner first thing in the morning and come home to a lovely smelling house and a hot dinner ready to go! Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup is a favorite around here, is easy to make, and is enjoyed by all the kids! You will love the smell of this soup!
Ingredients
Directions
For some extra taste, we sometimes like to add shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and eat with tortilla chips. If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, simply add a little chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. You can also use 4 cups chicken broth in place of the cream of chicken soup, but note it will not be as thick.
I’m a proud deputy wife. With all the anti-police activity that has been going on around the country lately, my heart has been broken over and over. Behind each and every badge that you see is a person with feelings and a family that loves them. Behind my husband’s badge is a wonderful man who would do anything for anyone. Behind his badge is a family that includes a wife and 4 children that love him dearly. A family that prays for him throughout each day that God would see fit for him to return to us at the end of every shift. Every ambush, stabbing, car wreck, and line of duty death is a reminder of what could be.
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a book that show what is truly behind the badge – a human. Like everyone, they laugh, cry, and feel pain. They see some of the worst of the worst and have to live on edge and go where many refuse to go. As I read Hearts Beneath the Badge, I found myself smiling, laughing, and then crying as I read the tremendous stories behind some of the men and women in blue and their families. I also found myself wondering why so many people can only look at police in the negative and not see an actual person. I know there are a small number of bad cops. There are also a small number of bad house builders, plumbers, cashiers, etc. Why as officers are they lumped into always being bad?
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a great read for anyone that wants to see officers in a more positive light or see what happens to them emotionally as the weight of the job takes it’s toll. It has a combination of stories of happiness and heartbreak, just like is seen daily on the job.
I highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a read. Once I started, I could not put this book back down and I expect I’ll be reading it again very soon. You can find it on Amazon and you can find out more about the author, Karen, on her blog, The Missing Niche.
My husband just loves red velvet cake! It’s his absolute favorite! To show my love for him, we made him some Red Velvet Whoopie Pies for an early Valentine’s present! He works on Valentine’s Day this year. They actually are easier to make than you think! If you’re not a fan of food coloring, simply leave it out. My only warning is to make sure you have a tall glass of milk ready to go with it 🙂
Ingredients
2½ cups flour
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, soft, plus 4 tbsp also
¼ cup softened shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. red food color
Icing
4 oz. cream cheese
1.5 cups powdered sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a bowl, sift your flour, then add cocoa, soda and salt together mix with a wire whisk
3. In a separate bowl using an electric mixer or Kitchenaid , mix the butter, shortening and sugar till it looks light and a wee bit fluffy.
4. Add egg, 1 tsp. vanilla and food coloring. Mix until combined.
5. Add flour and milk in two additions, alternating between each until completely combined.
6. Scoop batter about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. You should have about 32 cookies (to make 16 whoopee pies).
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 5 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
8. Beat cream cheese and remaining 4 tbsp butter until creamy. Continue to mix on low and slowly adding powdered sugar until combined. Then add remaining 1 tsp. vanilla and mix until just combined.
9. Pipe frosting on half of the cookies and then sandwich them together with the other halves.
Next comes the easiest step! Share them with the ones you love 🙂
We were challenged to make a Super Bowl recipe that featured Naturally Fresh Lite Ranch, available at Kroger and Publix in the refrigerated section. Naturally Fresh Lite Ranch is made with Naturally Fresh’s own nonfat buttermilk. I love that Naturally Fresh uses real, wholesome ingredients in their products. With no artificial colors, flavors, or MSG, Naturally Fresh is a great choice for my family.
My husband, AKA Daddy Octopus, has been working his magic in our kitchen again to complete this challege. He had an idea in his head that is perfect for a Super Bowl party and easy to make. He whipped up a batch of what he refers to as Nacho Poppers. Easier and better-for-you, they are baked in the oven, not fried.
Ingredients:
Directions:
On a won-ton wrapper, put a small amount of cheese and beans in the center. Put a little water on your finger and run it along the edge of the wrapper. This helps seal the wrapper when you roll it up. Fold over the edges and roll up like a mini burrito.
Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush with egg whites and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.
Next up, make the dip! Mash 1 avocado in a bowl and then stir in Naturally Fresh Light Ranch and salsa until well blended.
Dip and enjoy at your Super Bowl party!!
Disclosure: This post is part of the blogger program by Naturally Fresh® and The Motherhood, who compensated me for my time and the development of this recipe. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are my own, and I hope you enjoy them.
Giveaway: I have 5 coupons for a FREE Naturally Fresh product. Leave a comment telling me how you’d use your coupon for your chance to win! Giveaway ends Feb 15.
Super Bowl is almost here! Here are some of my recipes that you may want to check out for your party food. For more ideas, visit the Super Bowl Food pinterest board that I created. I’d love more pinners for it as well, so if interested in adding to it, email me at mommyoctopus at gmail.com.
Slow Cooker Macaroni & Cheese. Perfect to fix it and forget it 🙂
Tie Dyed Marshmallows – make in your team’s favorite colors!
Homemade Sandwich Rolls – perfect for making little sliders.
Simple Radish Dip – this is a favorite among my kids! I love it, too!
3 Ingredient Guacamole – It doesn’t get easier than this! Take 5 minutes and have some fresh guac!
Avocado Eggrolls with sweet and tangy dipping sauce – another favorite around here! This one was my husband’s creation. So good!
Fresh Corn, Avocado, Tomato Medley – so simple and fresh!
Easy English Muffin Pizzas – Another family favorite that can be made in just moments.
Gluten Free Sausage Balls – The perfect addition for the friend that can’t eat gluten. Plus they are delicious!
This morning my hubby was checking out the weather app on his phone and came across this! I’d highly recommend all my local readers staying inside tonight 😉 Hope you enjoy the smile!
Tonight I winged it and made an easy, creamy, and cheesy crockpot chicken. Try saying that 10 times fast! Whew! I started off with some chicken breasts that I had on hand and dumped them in. Next, sour cream. Perfect addition to this was curry powder. My house smelled great! On a whim, before serving, I tossed in some grated parmesan cheese. Served over brown rice and with a veggie. The result? An incredibly easy and delicious dinner! My kids approved!
For the okra, we simply sauteed them in butter until they were tender. Yum!
I’m a huge fan of my crock-pot. I use it many times a week. One of my kids’ favorite things for me to make is homemade macaroni and cheese! Yes, even this can be made in the crock-pot! What is neat is that you just dump everything into the pot in the morning and it’s ready for lunch! Or make it early afternoon for dinner. Done in about 4 hours and you don’t even have to pre-cook the noodles! How awesome is that!
Simply spray your crock-pot generously with non-stick spray and add in the following Ingredients. Note, I use a 7 quart crock pot and it comes up a little less than halfway.
Ingredients:
Add all ingredients into crockpot on low heat and stir well. After about 30 minutes, stir again. Let sit on low for a total of 4 hours or until noodles are tender and desired consistency is reached. Some crock pots may take more or less time. Stir well before serving.
This is the perfect easy meal to take to a potluck dinner! Enjoy!
This past weekend, we headed on over to Stone Mountain to play in the snow along with many other local bloggers. Snow Mountain has become a fun family tradition for us. My kids love playing in the snow, which is a rare occurrence here in Georgia.
We started off playing over at Fort Snow, where my littles were able to go down the little tube slides. When it was our time slot, we hit the slopes! We did the family ride several times and then my big kids did the single rider tube slides a bunch of times. The big kids loved the slides. My littles liked them, but really preferred to play in the snow at Fort Snow.
Great time was had by all! If you’re interested in going, Stone Mountain is offering up Snow Mountain Camping packages. Deals start at just $119 and include snow mountain passes and camping! We went camping at Stone Mountain last year and it was a great experience.
