Easy Homemade Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (great for the freezer!)

My husband's favorite meal is chicken and dumplings. I won't lie- it's one of my favorites as well. However, I am really picky about mine- when perusing all of the recipes online, I found myself becoming highly unsatisfied  with what I found in the slow-cooker department. Basically every recipe I came up with used canned biscuit dough for the dumplings. Now- I am all for easy dinners...

But if you are going to go to the bother of homemade chicken and dumplings... WHY would you skimp on the dumplings?? Why, in the name of all that is holy and right, would you skimp on the best part???

Beats me.

(That goes for Bisquik dumplings as well. You can do better than that. If you are already mixing stuff, mix up some stuff that tastes good.)

I also am not a big fan of veggie-heavy chicken and dumplings. I mean, if you want lots of veggies... well, that's what chicken SOUP is for, right? This is comfort food, people. Quit trying to healthify (I might have made that up) comfort food.

But I digress.

So here is the recipe I came up with. It is amazingly yummy, adaptable, and FREEZABLE. Yes, you make a double batch and stick that baby in the freezer for a grocery-money-is-tight or a I-don't-want-to-cook night. Not that we supermoms have any of those. Ahem.

Now, just like with all of my freezer recipes, this gets prepared up to the cooking stage and THEN frozen. Then you can thaw it in the fridge overnight, stick it in the crockpot in the morning, pop in the dumplings when you get home from work- and dinner is ready by the time homework is done! You can also cook this and freeze leftovers, but I don't know how well the cooked dumplings would freeze. Some people do it all the time, but I like my dumplings fresh.

Homemade Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
(this makes ONE batch- make a double if you want to freeze some!).

Soup:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (salted and peppered)
4 cups chicken broth (I use homemade)
2 cans fat-free cream of chicken soup (there, I healthified it for you a little bit).
1 cup white cooking wine (NOTE: if you are freezing this, I would not add the cooking wine until you have defrosted and are ready to cook)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1 cup of celery, chopped (optional, depending on how veggie-heavy you like yours)
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

Dumplings:
2 cups of flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup of milk
4 tablespoons melted butter


If you are going to go ahead and cook this, put the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot, salt and pepper, and then add liquids. I whisk my liquids together with the spices and the cream of chicken soup, and then pour over the chicken. Add the veggies. Cook on low for 8 hours. About an hour before the end of the cook time, remove chicken and shred it, and then add dumplings- drop them in and then sort of push them into the liquid so that they absorb some of the yummy broth. The dumplings are done when they look like biscuits on the inside. NOTE: I would recommend NOT lifting the lid and checking until at least 45 minutes after you put them in. You get lighter dumplings this way.

If you are freezing, add the chicken to a ziploc bag. Mix broth and cream of chicken soup (exclude wine), and spices. Pour into bag over chicken. Add veggies. Squeeze the air out, seal, date and label with name and cooking instructions.

Dumpling instructions:
Combine all dumpling ingredients- the mixture will be thick. Don't overmix. (Don't you hate that term?? What does that even MEAN?? I just threw it in there 'cause it makes me sound more professional, haha.) Form into medium-sized balls. If you are cooking now, drop them into your soup about an hour before the end of cook time. If freezing, flash-freeze the balls on a baking pan and then put in a ziploc bag (separate from the soup!). Defrost these in the fridge until you are ready to add them to the soup. NOTE: I always double this for a single meal, because as far as I'm concerned, there are never enough dumplings. :) I prefer "dumplings and chicken", but that's just me.
See how easy those dumplings were?? Why would you want canned biscuits when you can have these??

If you like this, I would LOVE it if you would share it or "pin" it. :)

Check out my other freezer recipes on the right side of the blog, or my instructions for freezer-cooking here!

Motherhood: You're Doing it Wrong

I think that we can all agree that that are few things more irritating than someone telling us how to do our jobs- whatever those jobs may be- and especially when that person has no experience with said job. My husband, who owns his own construction/remodeling company, often says that the most annoying thing he has to deal with is a homeowner with no construction experience telling him how to do a project and trying to micromanage every detail. I'm not talking advice from a friend or boss, seasoned words of wisdom from somebody in the trenches- I am talking a flat-out "You're doing it wrong" from someone who has no clue.

My job happens to be full-time mothering. Long before we had children my husband and I decided that we would make whatever sacrifices necessary for me to stay home with whatever children we are blessed with. Eight years and three children later, I am happy in my chosen (and unpaid) profession. It annoys me to no end, though, to read comments or Facebook updates or blog posts (like this one!) where someone with no parenting experience deems herself an expert on parenting. You know what I mean- the updates that say, "When I have a kid, I will NEVER allow them to behave this way". The comments like, "That mom is obviously not doing her job." Blog posts that say, "Parenting is not hard."

It's this last one that has really gotten me riled up. A friend posted a link to a completely unrelated blog post about the breastfeeding cover of Time magazine (actually, you should check it out. It's a great perspective)- and boredom and curiosity led me down that slippery slope of clicking on links to other blog posts written by BlogHer contributors. Bad idea (especially before bed). I finally reached this post, provocatively titled "No Excuses: Parenting Isn't Hard," written with such a judgemental, snarky, MEAN tone that I couldn't help but get offended (by "offended" I mean "kept my husband up all night ranting and raving about how ridiculous this post was and how angry it made me. Ahem.). Add that to the writer's belief that anyone who speaks anything but love and sunshine to their child, anyone who ever slips into that dark place of frustration and anger that slips out in a sharp remark or even yelling- well, these people are child abusers. Of course, this highly seasoned expert has one child. An infant. An INFANT. THIS is what irritates me! This mom has no clue what real parenting is, and yet she attacks any mother who has ever felt anger or frustration at their child as being a bad, abusive mom. It's easy to feel like you've got a handle on parenting when your child sleeps half the day and can't speak yet. It's another to be faced with the reality of parenting a small human who, like it or not, is an individual and not an extension of yourself.

(side note: There is a BIG difference between discipline and abuse. There is a big difference between frustration and abuse. There is a big difference between helping your child become a useful, intelligent adult who make good decisions- and abuse. Just sayin'.)


Now... I don't typically post "rebuttals" to other people's blog posts. A blog post is a forum for opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own. That being said, this type of thinking is so prevalent among moms- and so dangerous- that I can't HELP but address it. So I will.

It's bad enough that we as moms put so much pressure on ourselves to be the perfect mother. Add that to the censure of other moms and then "expert" opinions of people who have no children... well, we are really fighting an uphill battle, aren't we? We will never be good enough. Our reactions will always be wrong, our parenting abusive, our children brats. Nothing we do is right. Your child throws a fit in a restaurant? BAD MOM. You become exasperated when your toddler dumps her drink all over the table- on purpose- for the third time? BAD MOM. You yelled at your precious darling children? BAD MOM. You let your kids watch tv so that you can get dinner made before 10pm? BAD MOM. No matter how you discipline, you are a bad mom. No matter how many small triumphs you have during the day- a child who makes it to the bathroom on time, a picky eater who FINALLY eats what is on their plate, a toddler who willingly gives his toy to another toddler, the fact that everybody made it to the end of the day alive and relatively in one piece- we can't celebrate the way we deserve because we are too mired down in guilt over each and every failure. BAD MOM. BAD MOM. BAD MOM.

So, some advice. First of all, to those of you who have no kids or only a baby, but yet consider yourself to be an expert in the field of mothering- until you have experienced:
-walking into a room to find that your child has been fingerpainting with their own feces
-waking up to your children fighting and knowing that it will be going on all day
-a toddler who runs away from you in the library right when you get to the check-out desk and unload your books- and while you have two other children in tow
-holding down an austic child who is stronger than you and out of control
-Standing on your front porch while your child has managed to lock you out and is taunting you from the window
-Sitting on the floor praying while your special-needs child is out of control and actually breaking windows or kicking holes in walls- and knowing that you have to wait for both of you to calm down before what you say can actually make sense
-A preschooler deciding that she has had enough of sitting in a restaurant, or at a wedding, or in the car, or WHEREVER- and pitching a huge fit because she doesn't have the vocabulary to say, "I'm bored and frustrated."
-Walking into a room and finding that your two-year-old has covered the carpet with toothpaste and your couch with expensive mineral make-up in the amount of time it took you to use the bathroom
-A picky child who refuses to eat anything green. Or brown. Or orange. Or red. Or white.
-Realizing that your child has left a huge Sharpie-drawn masterpiece all over your freshly-painted walls (especially since you can never find that darn Sharpie when you need it).
-Saying, "Don't jump on the furniture. Don't jump OFF the furniture." Repeatedly. Every single day.
-Cleaning up vomit from the car. Or carpet. Or bed.
-Sitting up, waiting for your teenager to come home after curfew
-Hearing your precious bundle of joy tell you, "I hate you."
-living with the fear that your child might not be normal, or healthy, or developing correctly, or avoiding a career path of crime

Until you have experienced any of these things... shut up. JUST SHUT UP. You have no idea what it is like to be in the trenches of motherhood every single day, dealing with things that you could never have even THOUGHT of- and doing it while everyone looking on is judging you. Would you go to your doctor and say, "I have never been to medical school and I have no experience in this... but you are doing that wrong"?No. Having opinions does not make you an expert. Having an infant does not make you an expert. Serving on the frontlines of child-rearing, dealing with a hundred tiny emergencies a day while running on very little sleep and a few cups of coffee- that is where experts are made. Furthermore, much of the behavior you see these bratty children exhibiting is the age-appropriate result of a child who does not have the logic, vocabulary, or reasoning skills of an adult acting like what he or she actually is- an individual who is unable to be controlled at all times. Until you have one of these... well, your opinions mean nothing. Keep them to yourself. Your time is coming.

To moms, looking at other moms and forming opinions... every single time you are feeling that urge to look down on another mom, remember what it feels like to have people look at you with censure. Remember what it feels like to want to explain to others that this is NOT normal behavior- that your child is tired, or hungry, or sick. Feeling shame and that out-of-control feeling when your tiny human does something to mortify you in public. REMEMBER what that feels like- you should have more grace and mercy for other moms than anyone else! You don't ever know what their day or week or year has felt like for that mom, what they are dealing with, what diagnosis that child has just received. Quit judging. Start loving. We are all doing the best we can. I don't know about you, but I missed that magical exit door at the hospital that, when you are pushed through in a wheelchair with your precious new bundle of joy in your arms, you suddenly come a perfect pillar of righteousness, patience, and right decisions in the form of a woman, incapable of raising your voice or feeling frustration at any of life's provocations. (I should speak to my nurse about that... I wonder if I got billed for it anyways?)

And to moms, judging themselves. Stop. STOP. You have permission to give yourself the grace to be imperfect! I have heard that you should give at least two positives for every negative that comes out of your mouth. What about the ones that pop into your head? How many positives are you coming up with to offset all of the negatives that you think about yourself? "I yelled at my kids... but I also snuggled with each of them today and made sure that they ate nutritious meals. I totally lost my cool- but not an hour has gone by today that I haven't told them I love them, and I read at least 10 books to them. Some of them I read 3 times." If you are anything like me, I bet you have a really hard time coming up with any positives at all. We can all agree that there are parenting issues that are never ok- like disciplining while angry, beating your children, belittling them, allowing them to tan in a tanning bed (ahem). But I think that we can also agree that there are a LOT of areas that serve as little more than guilt-inducers rather than make-or-break parenting hurdles.

A personal testimony: My first two children were easy-peasy. They slept well, they smiled when they were awake, rarely cried, were fun to take out in public, used manner words from an early age, were good eaters. By the time I got pregnant with my third, I was pretty confident that I had this mothering thing down to an art form (and everyone else was failing). Then my third came- and he pretty much screamed his entire first year. Never slept. Started running at 10 months and has never stopped. He's completely independent-minded, has no qualms about vocalizing (loudly) his displeasure, hates to share, still gets out of bed a million times a night (he's four), rarely eats dinner, and is pretty much hell on wheels most of the time. I remember holding my baby after he had been crying for hours, when he had FINALLY gone to sleep, and slowly trying to lay him down- and then he would wake up and we would start the process over again (this was a daily event). I remember finally breaking down and saying, "Shut up. Please just shut up." It was the first time I ever really struggled with being a mom- and the guilt that comes with not measuring up- but it was also the first time I ever understood what it was to BE a mom. How much I could love my child even while not liking him a whole lot. How I couldn't picture life without him, despite the chaos he brought with him. Even now I joke that I like to take all three kids out so that other people will be able to see the first two before forming an opinion about my parenting from my third. ;) All of those difficulties are made easier by celebrating the small triumphs with him each day. He is really sweet and snuggly (when he can sit still). He is actually really good about using manner words. He is REALLY cute. The nights when he eats dinner or stays in bed are nights of celebration for our family. What I don't allow myself to do anymore is indulge in feelings of shame or guilt about my parenting decisions. Some days are better than others. Some days are stay-in-pajamas-and-hide days. Some days are reading-and-flashcards-and-enriching-activity days. Some days are watch tv days. Some days are "let's go somewhere fun" days. Some days are, "Well, that sucked!" days, and others are, "Wow! I am really figuring this mom thing out!" days. Some days I tuck my kids into bed, basking in the glow of a job well done. Other days I am asking my children for forgiveness. Sometimes I yell- but I always tell my kids how much I love them numerous times a day. Sometimes I'd rather hide in my closet with the door locked than hear, "Is it snack time?" one more time- but I always make sure that my kids experience a lot of physical affection and words of affirmation. My kids watch tv- but they also play outside and read a LOT and play with toys and make up games. Sometimes I feed my kids hot dogs for dinner- but I always make sure they have veggies and whole-grain buns with those hot dogs. No matter what decisions I make that I feel bad about, I know that I make a lot of good decisions on their behalf daily- especially the decision to make it clear that I am not perfect, that I don't expect them to be perfect, and that they are unconditionally loved. If even my mother tells me that I am a great mom (her exact words are, "You are one of the best moms I have ever seen")... well, I know that I am doing something right. A lot of things wrong... but a lot of things right. My kids are happy, healthy, intelligent, and know without a doubt that they are loved and cared for. THAT is what matters most.

I know a lot of good moms. I know quite a few great moms. I know several moms who really make me want to do better to achieve their level of patience and love (which I know would make those moms laugh, because I doubt they see themselves that way!). I know a lot of moms- but I don't know any perfect moms. None. There are none.There are no perfect moms- just a bunch of moms who, for the most part, are doing the best they can. Let's support that in each other. Let's reach out to that mom in the store with the tantrum-throwing kid and say, "I've been there." Let's hear another mom's struggle without immediately judging her parenting style. Let's give ourselves- and each other- grace. In the end, it will make ALL of us better moms.


Other posts you may be interested in:
We Are More
Excellence or Perfection
Facebook Mommy Wars: Reality vs. Perfection

Good Gifts and "Squishy Animals"

I just totally made my son's day. Yes, I feel like a hero- capable of causing the kind of joy in my child's heart that causes foot-dancing happiness and sunlight-radiating smiles. The wonderful thing about my son's happiness is that it only cost me a couple of dollars- and it rocked his little world.

I took all three kiddos to Target today to make my sons' birthday lists. Their birthdays are within a few days of each other and we have their party coming up, so I like to take them to the store and let them decide what they would like for their birthdays (my family prefers to get a detailed "list" so that the kids don't receive items that they already have or that they won't play with). While we were there, my son spotted this little red stegosaurus "squishy animal" ("squishy animals" is what we termed those slimy-feeling rubbery pellet-filled animals- they are usually reptiles, dinosaurs, or amphibians, but we also have some sea creatures. They are quite revolting, honestly.) Lucas, who is five, is an avid collector of squishy animals. He has a ton of them, and any extra bit of money he gets is used to buy more. He loves each one- he knows if there is one missing, cries if one gets messed up, and has named each and every animal in his collection. We haven't seen the icky creatures at Target in a while, so he was over the moon about finding one- especially since it was his favorite color and unlike any of the other animals he already owns. I snapped a pic of him with it to add it to our list, and we moved on.

Fast forward a couple of hours... my son was still thinking about that red stegosaurus. He came into the room and said, "Mommy? There was only one of those squishy animals left (this is true- it was in the wrong place and we couldn't find any others). What if someone else buys it?" While my husband and I tried to reason with him, he became quite distraught over the fact that the red dinosaur might not, in fact, come to live with him (knowing that these were all items he wanted for his birthday, which is still a couple of weeks away). In a show of heart-breaking despair, his big green eyes filled up with tears. This was less a fit (he's not prone to fit-throwing or even acting spoiled) and more a a little boy with a truly sad heart. There was no loud crying, no demands for us to get it for him- just a sad little boy with quiet tears and a sense of loss.

My heart broke a little bit... because I KNOW what it feels like to desperately want something and genuinely not know if you will be able to have it. That is what we are facing right now, in fact. My husband, who works for himself in the construction industry, is facing the (very exciting) prospect of a possible salaried position, working locally, doing what he loves. Some perspective: Not once in our entire marriage have we ever had a "salaried" position. There are not very many of those in his line of work. When you do what he does, you do jobs as they come, get paid when they are over, and live by faith in God's provision each and every month. We never make the same amount from week to week or month to month. Some months he has so much work that he doesn't know how it will get finished. Some months- especially in this economy- there is very little work. A salaried job means that we will get paid the same amount every week, whether or not there is any work going on. Not just "salaried"- but it will provide for us abundantly. It will cover all of our bills and expenses with money left over. MONEY LEFT OVER! It's an amazing prospect for us.  Don't get me wrong- God has been faithful throughout all the years of our marriage. He has provided for our needs, even when it felt like things were hopeless. Eight years of irregular income has done a lot to strengthen our faith and reliance on Him. But now... the thought of my husband having a steady, regular income- one that allows budgeting and sufficiency and giving, one that means that he won't be pacing around the house when work is slow, stressing about bills...

I want this to happen. I want it so, so much. 

It's almost painful how much I want this.

So I keep praying, asking God for this provision, and hoping that I can rejoice in whatever God's answer is, knowing that what He deems best is more than sufficient and always has been. But...

I want this to happen. I want it so, so much. 

So, just like Lucas, there is this pain of wanting something but not being sure if it will happen... and the thought of it not happening is enough to bring tears to his big green eyes- and mine as well.

I stood up, put my shoes on, and put that precious little boy in the car. I drove him to Target, walked him back to that toy aisle, found that red squishy stegosaurus, and bought it. His joy... oh, his joy! Not just in attaining that precious gift he so desperately wanted, but also in the knowledge that his mommy would be willing to do that for him. I told him, "This doesn't mean that you will always get everything that you want, Lucas... but, if it is in my power to give you something, and that something will bring joy to you and is not harmful for you... I will try my best to do it." The look in his eyes, the smile on his face, said that he understood my message. He has a mommy who loves him enough to drive him to Target to get him the desire of his little 5-year-old heart.

On the way home, with my son radiating happiness from the backseat, naming his new friend and looking forward to getting home and introducing "Stega" to the rest of the squishy animal menagerie, I was reminded of this verse:

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

This brought so much peace to my heart. I have a Father who loves me enough to give me the desires of my heart when they are in my best interest! I am still going to fervently pray for this job (and I humbly ask that you take just a second and petition Him on behalf of my family as well)- but knowing that my Father is happy to give me good gifts when they are what is best for me. I have seen His hand working for my good enough times to know this to be absolutely true. This job may or may not be what is best for my family right now. Do I trust Him enough to decide that for me? Do I trust Him to supply my needs and the needs of my family? Yes- even if the need is not, in fact, monetary- but, rather, more faith in Him. The Bible says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) He will supply what we lack. He will provide what we need. The hard part is trusting less in my self-righteous "knowledge" of what I need, and trusting more in His vastly superior knowledge of what is best. And when God gives- He gives abundantly, and to His glory! Whether that is the job I desire, or the faith I need, or the love that is mine through His son... well, I love the way the KJV sums this up: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

So tonight, I feel like a hero... but I also feel a bit more at peace.

Prayer:

Father, I just thank You for yet another opportunity to learn more about Your character through interactions with my children. I thank You for the opportunity to, in a small way, demonstrate Your giving nature to my sweet little boy. I ask, Lord, that You will give me a heart like Lucas's... a heart that is grateful and joyful in the gifts that You give me- but also for the spiritual maturity to recognize those gifts, even if they aren't the ones I necessarily desire. Lord, I ask- I beg- I beseech You for this job for my husband! But I also ask You for a heart that is grateful to You for whatever You decide to do in this situation. I thank You that You will do the best for me, whatever that is- and pray that I can glorify Your name whether or not I get the outcome I want so much. Above all, I thank you for the gifts I already have in You- abundant, undeserved grace and love from a holy and magnificent Father, the daily bread You faithfully provide, and the sweet family You have entrusted me with. The blessings are many, Father. Thank You. Amen. 

Other posts you may be interested in:

Overwhelmed

Praise You in this Storm

More than we can handle?

God the Gift-Horse

Freezer Fridays! Bone-In Chicken Freezer Cooking Recipes

Welcome to the beginning of Freezer Friday! Each week I will post a few recipes for freezer meals featuring a specific type of meat (whatever happens to be on sale). If you are looking for recipes, this makes it easy for you to save money by cooking meals featuring on-sale ingredients and saving them for later.

This week: Chicken

Kroger has bone-in chicken breasts for .98/lb. This is my "buy price" (the most I would pay for  chicken breasts), so it is time to stock up! 
(If chicken is not on sale in your area, don't fret! Check out  my Pages on the right side of the blog, where I have a ton of freezer cooking recipes listed by meat type!)

Before you begin, please be sure to read my Freezer Cooking Tips. These recipes are for a single batch that feeds my family of 5 people. I always double these recipes to have two batches of each for my freezer. Feel free to substitute, add, and change where you want! My kids are "purists", so they don't like a lot of spices.
NOTE: Red denotes a recipe for the slow cooker or crock pot.


I have already done a post recently about chicken recipes, but most of those use boneless skinless chicken breasts. I typically don't buy bone-in chicken breasts except when I want to cook them all ahead of time to shred. The beauty of this is that shredded chicken freezes nicely and is a great addition to many super fast and easy meals. You can buy a bunch of them and boil them or cook them in the slow-cooker, then strip the meat off. I Shred the meat and then freeze it in ziploc bags (one shredded chicken per bag). Squeeze out all of the air and stack in your freezer. They defrost quickly in the microwave. Rather than posting a bunch of recipes, here are the different ways I would use fully cooked and shredded chicken:


Spaghetti (add to sauce rather than ground beef)
Tacos/fajitas (prepare with some taco seasoning)
BBQ chicken sandwiches (2 or 3 bags of shredded chicken and a bottle of on-sale BBQ sauce)
Soups, stews, etc.


Here are a couple of recipes that you could use your shredded chicken in. These go right in the freezer, and the already shredded chicken makes your prep time even easier!

Chicken Black Bean Chili (already doubled) (revised fromhere)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 28 oz can of tomato sauce

2 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 15 oz can of corn (drained)

2 diced onions

3 T garlic powder 

4 stalks of celery, chopped

4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin

red pepper flakes (optional)

Make-ahead Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl. Divide between 2 ziploc bags.

Prepare Instructions:

Reheat on stovetop or in crock pot.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

12 large tortillas

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, diced

large can enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Make-ahead Instructions:

Mix chicken, black beans, and onion in a bowl. Add about 1/4 can of enchilada sauce and stir. Place a couple of   of the mixture in the center of one tortilla, add shredded cheese, and fold up. Place on a baking sheet and top with enchilada sauce and more cheese. (If you are going to freeze these, leave off toppings and freeze them separately). If freezing: Wrap each enchilada in aluminum foil and place in a ziploc bag.

Prepare Instructions:

If frozen, defrost for several hours. Remove from foil, place on baking sheet, top with reserved cheese and enchilada sauce, and cook at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Frozen mixed veggies

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery salt

Make ahead instructions:

You have two options: either make the pie completely and freeze that way (which will take longer to defrost), or mix all ingredients in Ziploc bag, seal, and lay flat to freeze (you can then thaw the bag and add it to a pie crust when you are ready to bake). 

Prepare Instructions:

Place thawed mixture into prepared pie crust. Cover with another pie crust, seal edges, and cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for one hour at 350. (I typically make my pie crust from scratch because I like it better. I like to brush the top of my pie crust with butter if it is a store-bought crust.)

A Cord of Three Strands: Thoughts on Female Friendships

“Two are better than one,  because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls  and has no one to help them up.  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered,  two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Have you ever experienced a time where it feels like God keeps leading you down the same thought trail- where a certain theme keeps running through your day-to-day experiences? I don't mean the common tasks you face, like diapers or dishes or preschool mama drama... No, I am talking about when you are faced with SOMETHING over and over and over again that you normally wouldn't spend a lot of time thinking about.

I feel like God has been weaving a thread of thoughts through my week concerning Christian friendships of the female variety. Specifically, ways that female friends interact with each other- for better and for worse. Over the course of the week this blog post has been writing itself, but I still feel myself inadequate enough to really capture it (but obviously not unwilling to try). So here is my heart- with a some help from Pinterest. ;)

Friendships are a wonderful thing. A beautiful thing. An important thing. Friends can often be our lifelines- the people who talk us down from the ledge of overwhelming frustrations, who cry with us when our souls feel heavy with despair, and who laugh with us at life's little idiosyncrasies. Proverbs  17:17 says, "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born for adversity." We have different levels of friends- the people we smile at in the halls of our children's school, the friends we "interact" with on Facebook but not necessarily in "real life", and the true soul sisters that have seen us at our absolute worst. We have friends we'd meet for coffee and friends we'd welcome into our messy homes before we've put on makeup. We have friends who come into our lives for a season, friends who spend a few years before moving on, and then lifetime friends who can tell horrible stories about the things we did as children. Beautiful, complicated relationships often fraught with competition as much as laughter, misunderstanding and miscommunication as well as confessions and coffee.

Lots of thoughts going on here.

On Tuesday I attended a Bible study where we talked about friendships- namely the need to make God our "BFF". The thing I really came away with after the study, though, was not the lesson- but one of the prayer requests. A woman said that she thinks that one area Satan loves to attack is female friendships. He likes to get in there and muck around to mess things up as much as possible. As I drove home I was really struck by the implications of this thought. If two Christian women regularly come together to support each other, pray for each other, and uplift each other in order to glorify God... of COURSE that would be an area where Satan would like to interfere. I truly believe that he uses tools that cause envy and strife in female relationships in order to distract us from God- and from a relationship that is helping to keep us upright and steady on our path to Him. I read a story once that talked about Satan trying to cause a religious man to falter and couldn't... until he realized that the best way to cause that man to stumble was to let him hear something good about a close friend. Immediately that man started feeling envious. Despair took over devotion. Satan managed to use a close friend as a stumbling block that took a devout man's eyes off of God and put them on himself. Score one for Satan.

Women are already so unconsciously competitive with one another that this is a very natural area for Satan to work his dirty deeds. Whether it is his whispered commentary on an innocuous comment that turns it into a hurtful misunderstanding, or the insidious envy of your friend's good news... how easy it is to slip into a position of pain with a female friend! How easy it is to let a tiny weed come up, pushing its way through the concrete of your path on your walk with God, causing fissures and cracks that become snares for your feet!

We also talked about "toxic friends" at that same Bible study. While I am loathe to use the word "toxic"- that is a very harsh word to use for someone who needs God as much as I do- I have had many experiences with friends who take and take and take while only giving back negativity. I have the type of personality that likes to DO for my friends- to serve, to help, to love with actions whenever possible. Whether that means babysitting or party planning or meal preparation, if I have a skill or talent or even time that can be used to ease a good friend's burden, I am happy to do so. I love to be of service to my friends, to serve and minister to them in that way. However... this can be a dangerous personality trait, especially when you continue to choose friends who are "takers". All of that giving and doing can lead to fatigue and resentment- another crack in your sidewalk.

"Toxic friends" can also refer to those people spew negativity and untruth, or even those who have burdens so heavy that you become weighed down with trying to carry those burdens for them. They are not toxic people, but the heaviness that they can bring into your life can be toxic to you. It can choke out a lot of goodness and make your own spirit feel heavy and burdened. However, when these people are good friends, it can be incredibly hard to set boundaries with them that allow you to love on them and still keep your own joy.

My sweet daughter, as I have written before, struggles with some of the same issues that I do in friendships. She tends to pick "BFFs" who aren't quite as... well, let's just say that she is very loyal and often finds herself in a position of pain because the friend who has her loyalty isn't as kind as she is. (Girls can be so cruel to each other.) It is so hard to watch her try and try and TRY to make a friendship work with a person who continues to cause her pain. I finally had to sit down with her recently and tell her that I no longer wanted her to pursue a friendship with a particular little girl because of the hurt she kept feeling at her hands. It led to a great discussion about the qualities we should look for in friends. It is especially important to me to help her to recognize what healthy friendships look like because I am so prone to having unhealthy ones myself. As her parent, it is my responsibility to help her and equip her to make good choices for the people she will "do life" with. Any parent knows this struggle. Friends are such a huge part of our children's lives that we want to make sure that they choose those friends wisely... but we need to be sure to do the same.

The last few years- and especially the last few months- have really taught me a lot about this very subject, and I feel like God has really been working on my heart this week in regards to female friendships. Here are some of the ways I feel like He is directing me to better choices:


-A lot of times, strife in a friendship comes from feelings of envy or inadequacy, even with women we deeply love as friends. I have realized that, if we and our friends are walking down our own paths with God that ultimately lead to communion and a life that glorifies Him... well, those paths don't look alike. At all. You and your friend will have different triumphs and different struggles, all of them necessary to become closer to our Father. One friend's success or personal triumph (which might make us feel envious or resentful)  is a success that helps them get a little bit closer to God or to rejoice in His character a bit more, while that same triumph in your life might have the opposite effect. I can be envious of another friend's financial stability, but if I am being honest... I don't know how well I would rely on God if my finances were secure. It is better for me to trust Him daily for provision and to see Him working faithfully in that area. Realizing that each of our paths are perfectly ordained by a loving Father helps to put it in perspective. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “'For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” If what is best for you would also be the best for me, my loving Father would gladly give it to me simply because He wants the best for me. If He doesn't... well, it's simply because that is not what is going to draw me closer to Him or help me to rely on His grace and mercy most fully. Recently I have had to remind myself that my path is a good path- desiring even a portion of my friend's path is doing nothing but harming me and causing me to sin. A girlfriend just said to me yesterday, "If we all sat at a big table and threw our struggles into the middle, and God told us to choose what struggles we would want to face, most of us would choose our own." I don't want anyone else's struggles- so I should also be content with my own joys. Psalm 16:6 says, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.”  Envying any part of your friend's path is taking your eyes off of God and, in a way, telling Him that you don't trust Him to do or even know what is best for your own path. Unbelief is a sin that can be confessed and, with His help, overcome... but (at least for me) it is a daily struggle.

-Just like our joys and triumphs are not going to be the same, neither is our pain. Sometimes our friends will have pain that we don't understand or can't relate to... and trying to constantly be the one to build them up, minister to them, and encourage them can start to wear you down. I once read that sometimes you need to take a step back from your friend's rough time, catch your breath, and regain strength yourself- this enables you to come back, restored and refreshed, and be the friend they need you to be. Often, when people we love are struggling with something huge... well, as women, we just want to fix it. We are fixers, caretakers, helpers. It is hard to step back from that role and realize that, many times, our friends need us to love them without fixing them or solving their problem. To be there as they shoulder a burden without trying to shoulder it for them. To encourage them to look towards the Person who can and will help them to shoulder the burden- and who can do it without getting tired. If we are trying to take on a role of "caretaker", our friend might be missing out on truly depending on God and seeing His faithfulness as He carries them through it. Taking that step back will not only help you to be a better friend, but to see what kind of friend you need to be. You should never be the friend who is taking the place of God- and all of your help should be pointing your friend back to Him. Carrying burdens we weren't meant to carry hinders our own walk, and carrying burdens He is meant to carry hinders the walk of our friend.

-I firmly believe that God removes people from our lives for a reason. Just like how, as parents, we want our children to make wise choices in their friendships- so must we. As Christian women we are fighting a million battles, all of them revolving around the basis that all the things we do should have a Christ-focused center. We can have friendships with all kinds of people, but our deepest friendships should be with people who are equipped to understand that need- and point us to it. Women who don't make it a priority in their own life to learn and spend time with God are ill-equipped to remind us of where we should find our center. Women who are lukewarm towards God are not the women who should be getting the bulk of our confession and heart-sharing. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." It is one thing to cultivate friendships to help others to develop a deeper walk with Christ, but it is another to allow those people to have so much influence over us that it can cause a stumbling block for us. If you are looking for these people to help you to bear your burdens and their advice is rarely pointing you to God... you are looking for counsel from the wrong person. Just like I had to step in and intervene in my daughter's friendship, so I feel that God has revealed Himself to be faithful in intervening and removing people like this from my life. The loss of any friendship can be hard, but I feel like God has been tender with my heart by allowing me to see it not as the loss of a friendship, but the loss of an influence that was hindering my relationship with Him. A distraction that was taking my eyes off of God instead of pointing me to Him. Not every relationship needs to end because the person is not walking as they need to with God- but we do need to set boundaries with people who could have an impact on our lives that is not of God. Matthew 7:6 says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Your deepest friendships should be with people who treasure your pearls.

-I will say this a million times in my life, but I so firmly believe it- we need to be authentic. WE NEED TO BE AUTHENTIC WOMEN OF GOD- women who are not afraid to admit failure and struggle and pain. We need to stop being afraid to be real with each other because of the risk of condemnation- and we need to stop condemning. Jesus died on the cross for ALL of our shortcomings. All of them. Mine, yours, that mommy in your kid's preschool class who looks perfect all of the time... all of our sins and shortcomings. Why are we so afraid to admit our need for that very salvation? Why are we so afraid to admit to other women, "I messed up today, but Jesus DIED for that!" Why are we so quick to roll our eyes at another woman's struggle when Jesus DIED for that struggle? Who are we to make light of that? I hunger for authenticity in my relationships. I strive to be authentic with others. Some of the best conversations- the ones that have left me feeling the most uplifted and loved- are the ones where another woman opens up to me about her own struggle, or allows me to do so about mine. When we can look at each other and say, "I've been there. You are not the worst person in the world, believe me. Can I be praying for you?" Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Sometimes we just need to get those struggles out in the open, out of our head where Satan can play with it and turn it into something devastating- and into the light where God can deal with it and bring healing.

-No relationship or friendship should take the place, or precedence, over our relationship with our Father. Sometimes, rather than complaining to our friends, we should be petitioning our Father. We need to value His opinion more, allow Him to support us more, and trust Him more to be the best friend we have. God already sees our struggles, and understands them, and has given His only Son to die for them. He is uniquely able to understand our hearts. “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10) “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) We became friends of God through His Son's death- and if we want to measure a friend's love, our BEST friend should be willing to die for us. And He already has. No other friendship should take the place of our friendship with someone who valued us so much that He laid His life down for ours.


Oh, I have SUCH a long way to go when it comes to being the kind of friend I want for myself... but through His work in my life over the last few years, and especially months, and very much this week... I am starting to really identify what that friend looks like. I am so glad that my God is willing and able to meet me where I am and equip me to be the woman and friend I need to be, and to have the relationship with Him and and then others I so desperately need.


Prayer:
Father, I thank You for Your tenderness while pruning this area in my life. I thank You for the obvious work of Your hands as you have opened my eyes and ears this week. I pray that this work will be fruitful- that You  will cultivate healthy relationships in my life, that I can be a healthy friend for others, and that You will be glorified in my interactions and relationships above all else. Thank you for the friends I have, for the friends you have taken away, for the friends I have yet to meet... but mostly, for the friend I have in You. I am a blessed woman, truly. Thank you for loving me that much. Amen.


Other posts you may be interested in:
We Are More
Excellence or Perfection
From the Heart of a Child: Learning to Love Your Enemies
Cue the Rolling Stones
Our Tears, His Bottle


Linking with Faith Filled Friday, Best Posts of the Week, Thoughtful Thursdays, and Grace Cafe!

Freezer Fridays! Beef Freezer Cooking Recipes (once a month cooking)!

I have been dismally neglecting my blog lately- my kiddos were all home this week for winter break. However, I do want to get up the new Freezer Fridays post today! Each week I will post a few recipes for freezer meals featuring a specific type of meat (whatever happens to be on sale). If you are looking for recipes, this makes it easy for you to save money by cooking meals featuring on-sale ingredients and saving them for later.

This week: Beef

Ingles has beef bottom round roast on sale for $2.98/lb. While I cringe at this price (when I first started buying meat at a "buy price", my beef buy price was $1.99/lb. I hate how expensive groceries are getting.) I know that you may be looking at "beef bottom round roast" like "What do I do with THAT??" Well, it's actually very versatile if you know how to talk to your butcher. You can have your butcher grind up a roast into ground beef for you for FREE, and then package it in 1lb increments. (Well, you have to buy the meat, but the grinding is free). Many butchers will also cut up your roast into other cuts, like chunks for beef stew, etc. This helps you to save money- while ground beef might be $3.99/lb, you can get a roast ground up for less. A tip on this cut: to make it extra lean, ask your butcher to trim off the fat for you before grinding. 

(If beef is not on sale in your area, don't fret! Check out  my Pages on the right side of the blog, where I have a ton of freezer cooking recipes listed by meat type!)

Before you begin, please be sure to read my Freezer Cooking Tips. These recipes are for a single batch that feeds my family of 5 people. I always double these recipes to have two batches of each for my freezer. Feel free to substitute, add, and change where you want! My kids are "purists", so they don't like a lot of spices.
NOTE: Red denotes a recipe for the slow cooker or crock pot.

Meat Mix Recipe
This is a great mix to have on hand for a ton of recipes. It can go in tacos, sloppy joes, spaghetti, stuffed peppers, chili- basically anywhere you might need ground beef. It is already cooked and easy to add to your favorite recipes, and adds some extra veggies and flavor to your favorite meals. This should be a staple in your freezer! It is easy to make a big batch when ground beef goes on sale, and then divide up in 1lb increments and freeze individually. You can then defrost it in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

5 lb. lean ground meat

2 medium onions, chopped

1 chopped green pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

¾ tsp. pepper

  Brown ground meat and onions in a large skillet or pot. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Divide evenly between 5 ziploc bags, let cool, and then freeze (make sure to squeeze out excess air). Defrost in the microwave for 2 minutes when needed.

(be sure to check out my Beef Recipes page for additional recipes to use your Meat Mix in for easy dinners!)

Beef Stew (already doubled) 

Ingredients:

3 cups carrots, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

3 tsp garlic powder

4.5 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 bay leaves

2 pounds stew meat, cubed (remember that you can buy a roast on sale and have the butcher cut it up for you!)

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14 ounces) beef broth

salt and pepper to taste

Make-ahead Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a big bowl. Divide evenly between 2 ziploc bags. (You can also cook in the crockpot and freeze the leftovers, but be sure to cool completely. 

Prepare Instructions:

Empty bag into slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hours. OR: Reheat prepared meal.

Mandie's Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

6 peppers

1.5 pounds ground beef ( or meat mix*)

2tbsp chopped onion

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1 ½ cups cooked rice 

1 15oz can tomato sauce

¾ cup shredded mozzarella
*if using Meat Mix, skip onions and garlic powder

Make-ahead instructions:

Chop tops off of peppers, scrape out seeds, boil in water for about 3 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients together (using 1 cup of the tomato sauce, and leaving out the cheese), stuff into peppers. Flash-freeze, and then place in Ziploc bag. Freeze remaining tomato sauce in a ziploc bag. (I also freeze the cheese I am going to use and keep it with the peppers.)

Prepare Instructions:

Thaw in fridge. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover tops of peppers with remaining tomato sauce. Cover with aluminum foil, bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and cook until cheese is melted.

Slow-Cooked Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb lean stew meat

1 onion, chopped

1 bag frozen mixed veggies

2 T flour

1 can beef broth

½ cup tomato sauce

1 t Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper

Make-ahead Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in large zipper bag. Seal, pressing out all of the air, and stick in the fridge or freeze flat.

Prepare Instructions:

Pour meat mixture into slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. (On the day you prepare, make mashed potatoes and put on top of cooked mixture before serving. I also like to sprinkle mine with shredded cheddar cheese and stick in the oven for a few minutes until melted.)

Teriyaki Beef

Ingredients:

15 oz crushed pineapple (with juice)

¼ C. low-sodium soy sauce

¼ C. brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

½ t dried ginger 

2 lbs beef, sliced into strips (again, your butcher can do this, or you can buy a roast and cut it into chunks and strips yourself to have handy for meals)

Make-ahead Instructions:

Mix first 5 ingredients in a small bowl with lid. Add steak strips to bag. Pour ½ sauce over steak. Seal the bag and shake to mix. Place in fridge or freeze. Reserve remaining sauce for serving (I freeze in another ziploc bag and nuke when I am preparing the meal).

Prepare Instructions:

Broil until desired doneness (you can also grill these). Heat sauce and serve over the steak. I like to serve this with rice.

Freezer Fridays! Chicken Freezer Cooking Recipes

Welcome to the beginning of Freezer Friday! Each week I will post a few recipes for freezer meals featuring a specific type of meat (whatever happens to be on sale). If you are looking for recipes, this makes it easy for you to save money by cooking meals featuring on-sale ingredients and saving them for later.

This week: Chicken

Kroger has boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99/lb. This is my "buy price" (the most I would pay for Bl/Sl chicken breasts), so it is time to stock up! (Note: Kroger also has whole chickens on sale for .89/lb- this is a great price as well. You can buy a couple of these,  cook the whole thing in the crock pot with some water, and then shred the meat to keep in the freezer to add to meals during the week!)
(If chicken is not on sale in your area, don't fret! Check out  my Pages on the right side of the blog, where I have a ton of freezer cooking recipes listed by meat type!)

Before you begin, please be sure to read my Freezer Cooking Tips. These recipes are for a single batch that feeds my family of 5 people. I always double these recipes to have two batches of each for my freezer. Feel free to substitute, add, and change where you want! My kids are "purists", so they don't like a lot of spices.
NOTE: Red denotes a recipe for the slow cooker or crock pot.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

16 oz bag frozen broccoli florets

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

¼ C. cornstarch

½ C. cold water

2 C. milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (reserved)

Make-ahead instructions:

Spray 9x13 baking dish (or foil pan, if freezing) with nonstick spray. Mix chicken, broccoli and cheese in pan. Mix cornstarch with water in a separate small bowl. Add milk. Top with cheese. Cover with foil and place in fridge. (If freezing, leave off cheese and freeze it in a separate container to add when thawed)

Prepare Instructions:

Thaw completely. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Frozen mixed veggies

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery salt

Make ahead instructions:

You have two options: either make the pie completely and freeze that way (which will take longer to defrost), or mix all ingredients in Ziploc bag, seal, and lay flat to freeze (you can then thaw the bag and add it to a pie crust when you are ready to bake). 

Prepare Instructions:

Place thawed mixture into prepared pie crust. Cover with another pie crust, seal edges, and cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for one hour at 350. (I typically make my pie crust from scratch because I like it better. I like to brush the top of my pie crust with butter if it is a store-bought crust.)

Chicken Rice Wraps (recipe from here)

NOTE: These make a great and easy lunch item!

Ingredients:

2 cups dry rice, cooked as directed on package

1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded

1 can black beans

2 cups medium salsa

1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix

8 large flour tortillas

Make-ahead Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Spoon mixture into the middle of each tortilla, then wrap. Wrap each individually in foil.

Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ C. low-sodium soy sauce

¼ C. teriyaki sauce

20 oz can pineapple chunks (with juice)

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Make-ahead Instructions:

Add all ingredients to large zipper bag. Seal, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate or freeze flat.

Prepare Instructions:

Pour bag contents into slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks if desired. Serve over rice.

White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
4 cans navy or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 carton chicken broth
one onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
one green pepper, chopped (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese

Make-ahead Instructions:
Place all ingredients (except cheese) in ziploc bag. Squeeze out air and seal.

Prepare Instructions:
Pour contents into slow cooker. Add an additional carton of chicken broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Take out chicken, shred, and stir back into the chili.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese onto each bowl when you serve the soup.