EASY CREAMY TOMATO SOUP!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning

2 - cans of crushed tomatoes- Italian style

1 -  can of  tomato sauce (the big can)

2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tsp of sea

2 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1 cup of heavy cream

Fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and croutons- garnish (optional)

 

 

Listen people! I have been on the look-out for the PERFECT super easy (cause that's how I roll) dump in a pot tomato basil soup and I finally just decided to create my own.

 

 

This soup was SO good! I served it with grilled cheese sandwiches, too!

 

Enjoy!

Hangry Roxie Update #7

After falling off the wagon during the holidays, I have spent the better part of January starving myself of sugar and carbs and only losing a few pounds here and there.

On January 28th I gave myself a real goal. I want to lose 20lbs by my birthday, which is March 28th. That will put me at loosing a little over 40lbs, which sounds much better than the 24 that I have currently lost.

Now, with the new strict diet I am doing PAIRED with the gym I really believe it is possible.

(Or at least it should be!)

Like I previously stated, I haven't seen the results I want so this week I am starting the Military Diet.

It says you should shed about ten pounds in 3 days, and I am curious to see if it actually works and if so I plan on repeating it about ever other week. I have read a lot of testimonials and seen quite a bit of people do this and lose some major weight.

Day1: Strangely, I haven't been super hungry, but I have had a massive headache all day.

I am curious to see how I feel tomorrow, though and if I have shed any weight!

Stay tuned!



FEBRUARY 2018 MONTHLY MENU

As promised- here is a copy of the February Menu for the Long house!

 Check back for more recipes soon!

Easy 5 Ingredient Goulash

This is one of those recipes I can whip up with basically anything in the pantry! Its so easy and so good!

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 (15-ounce) can of italian stewed tomatoes
• 1 can of rotel (drain)
• 1 box of Kraft Macaroni-n-cheese or Velveeta shells (family size)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Sauté ground beef in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain excess grease and season your meat. I season my meat  with garlic powder, seasoned salt, and soy sauce and saute for about 5 minutes. Add Rotel and stewed tomatoes. Stir well. Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
2. In a separate pot cook your mac-n-cheese or shells according to directions on box.
3. Combine the two and add 1 cup of cheddar cheese right before serving.

Sometimes I add in a can of corn, too! This is one of those recipes you can literally add anything that you have in the pantry, ha!

Easy French Dip Sandwiches!

This meal was off-the-charts awesome! And EASY!

All the kids had two sandwiches and my husband had four if that tells you anything, haha!

Making a French dip sandwich sounds a little bit of intimidating and nerve-wracking and I think it's just because its something that we don't eat every day but after making this recipe it's definitely going to be on  repeat at our house!

Here's what you will need:

Although you can use really any sliced beef that you like, I prefer using sliced Philly cheese steak! Here's why: it's already thinly sliced which makes it cook super fast and I buy the Great Value brand which is super affordable (and doesn't come with onions an bell peppers!)! I can cook this meat up from frozen-solid  in about 10 minutes in a skillet!

I season my meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and steak seasoning.

Once my meat is done I take my French bread and make my sandwich layering the meat with mozzarella cheese.

I love to buy the sliced French bread at Walmart because duh, it's only a dollar!

Most of the time they slice it for you already but if it you happen to grab a loaf that's not sliced just take it to the deli and they will slice it for you!

You can make this sandwich on a hoagie bun but they're like triple the price of French bread (and we are trying to cut back on bread at our house- so thinly sliced French bread is a better option!) and the hoagies only come with six to eight sandwiches with a French bread loaf you can make a ton more!

This particular time I bought the "everything seasoned" French bread from Walmart it is by far our favorite!

I love to buy the little package of the Au Jus mix. Its super easy to make.  I use this in several recipes but it is the bomb.com by itself!

Once the sandwiches are made you literally scoop out a little bowl of this goodness and dip your sandwiches in it and it's game over!

This is a super easy and affordable delicious weeknight meal! You can pair it with potato chips, french fries, tater tots, potato salad, or do what I did and dice up some red potatoes and drizzle them with olive oil and ranch packet and roast them in the oven for 30 minutes! Best potatoes ever!

You're welcome, friends!

OUR JANUARY MENU

One of my goals for this year is to be better organized. I've done major de-cluttering in our house and I have also managed to get my meal planning under way. #WINNING

I've mentioned to a few friends that I have meal planned for the entire month of January and February and for those of you who would like a copy- here is January!

Often we spend entirely too much money on eating out and that is something I wanted to get under control for 2018. That doesn't mean we wont go out to eat anymore, just not as often. Our week days are SUPER busy with me working full time, kids' practices, tutorials, church, and everything else  so having a set menu has been super helpful!

And bonus- I have already saved a TON of money this year!

You will notice that I don't meal plan for Saturday or  Sunday. Sometimes we spend the weekend at a ball field and at Small Group eating on Sunday so it is pointless for me to try and plan anything for the weekend.

Wednesday is our busiest night by far, the kids have choir and we have church so we always grab fast-food after church. #thekidsfavoritenight

I am also trying to get a way from cooking  on Friday nights so I have those marked as leftovers. We eat whatever is in the fridge this night or you can make yourself whatever you want. So if the kids don't want leftovers they can always fix a PB&J & soup or whatever else they want. Occasionally we do pizza night or just go eat out on Fridays, too- either way I'm not cooking!

You will see a couple of nights I marked FLU. I was sick with the flu and we had a couple of snow days- so I changed my menu a bit for that since we obviously didn't go to church and I just refused to cook Thursday.

I also grocery shop weekly. (I know, I know! Most people are like... WEEKLY?!)

But, weekly works best for our family. I feel like I don't buy a bunch of things we don't need this way. 

Here’s my basic method for planning a month of meals at a time:

1. Print out a calendar for the month. 


2. Plug in regular meals, like Friday Pizza Night, or leftovers, that you have every week.


3. Look at the nights that have activities like practice or church. Plan easy meals on those nights. 


4. Start adding meals into the remaining squares.

That wasn’t hard, was it? Remember you’re not married to this plan. Write it in pencil if it makes you feel less committed. That’s what I do. Feel free to change it up as different things happen throughout the month. By the end of the month, it may look like a very complicated football play, but that’s okay.

So there ya have it- there is what we are eating this month! Now go make one, too!

PIZZA IN LESS THAN 7 MINUTES!

If you have paid attention to any of my recipes- you know that:

1. I am super cheap.

2. I don't cook with more than 5ish ingredients.

3. I LOVE FOOD!

Ya'll, I all about a wholesome dinner, but lets face it, sometimes that is just NOT possible. 

Trust me, we have all been there and had those weeks where you ate out more than you cooked and not only is it super bad for you but its crazy expensive, too! 

It doesn't get easier than this- choose your favorite toppings and in less than 7 minutes, you've got dinner! I know this sounds too good to be true, but here's a simple recipe that kids will love! (and adults, of course.) It’s texas toast PIZZA! So simple and fast to make.

This is one of our favorite recipes to make for a busy weeknight dinner. Everyone loves them! Whether its dinner, a fun play date with a topping bar, or a quick after school snack, I promise you will not regret trying this!

Bonus- take the night off, because your kids will love making these and its so easy that they can!

#MOMWIN!

Ingredients:

• Texas toast
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese or shredded pizza blend cheese
• Your favorite pizza toppings!

Directions:

• Put texas toast on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 2 minutes (each side)
• Top with sauce, cheese, and meat.
• Broil them on low until heated through (about 2-3 minutes)
• Enjoy!

I pair these with a caesar salad for Josh and I and everyone is happy! 

When we want to change it up a bit, we switch the recipe by subbing the pizza sauce for alfredo sauce and we top them with grilled chicken- SERIOUSLY SO GOOD!!!

Easy Crockpot Beef Tips & Rice

If there's one thing I know, it's food!

This is the BEST beef tips & rice I have ever tasted!

And bonus points because its so simple, too!

#momwin!

Here is what you'll need:

Stew Meat

Beef Broth

Brown Gravy Mix

Au Jus Mix

I love cooking with stew meat because it is so affordable AND its already diced up!

Here's what you do:

Dump the stew meat in the crockpot (liner first! Don't be stupid!!} and season liberally with pepper and garlic powder. You won't need to add much salt, if any, because the gravy and beef broth have a lot of salt already.

Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve mix the last package of brown gravy mix with one cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour and whisk it in to the crockpot  and cover.

And then guess what?....

IT'S DONE!

Serve it over rice or mash potatoes!

You're welcome!

Quick & Easy White Chicken Chili

Recently, I've received a few emails to share more recipes and well, since the temperature has dropped and Fall has officially arrived down here in the South, I though I'd celebrate with a super easy (and yummy!) White Chicken Chili!

I have been seeing tons of crockpot recipes for this but I needed a quicker version. Ya'll, if I am honest, some weeks I find my life in a blur... from running from work straight to a practice or game and then meal planning just never happens. This was definitely one of those weeks. Our kids are involved in a lot from; Church, Church Choir, Honors Choir, UIL, Tennis, and Softball-

AND THAT IS JUST THIS MONTH! 

So when I finally realized we had nothing going on tonight and we could actually eat something other than ball park nachos, I ran straight by the store to pick up a rotisserie chicken to make a quick White Chicken Chili.

It was SO good, so I thought I'd share it!

-

Ingredients:

1 Small White Onion (I buy diced frozen onions and keep on hand for recipes like this!)

3-4 cans of Great Northern Beans

1 Can of Rotel

1 Can of Cream Style Corn

1 Can of Whole Kernel Corn

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning

1 Block of Cream Cheese

1 Cup of Heavy Cream

1-2 Cans of Chicken Broth

1 Small Rotisserie Chicken 

Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste!

I don't know how much easier it gets, but, you literally de-bone the chicken, mix it all together on medium heat, and when the cream cheese is melted- its done!

I served it over tortilla chips (my kids eat pretty much anything served over chips! HA!) and we topped it with cheese and fresh cilantro!

Other yummy toppings would be sour cream, pico, or a sliced avocado! 

What a perfect dinner to welcome some cooler nights! 

Happy Fall!