Creamy Chicken Chili~

Yum!  I made this last night for dinner and the kids and Matt loved it!  I made a lowfat version of my recipe and it was pretty good.  Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Chili

• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies w/juice
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes w/juice
• 2 cans fat free cream of chicken
• 1 can dark red kidney beans w/juice
• 1 can pinto beans w/juice
• 1 can hominy w/juice
• 1 pack taco seasoning
• 1 pack ranch dressing

Blend all above in a 5 qt. crockpot and turn on low

• 4-5 baked and shredded chicken breasts; lightly brush with olive oil and salt & pepper before baking ( short on time, pick up a rotesserie chicken from the grocery and shredd it!).
• 3/4 can evaporated milk

Combine with ingriedients in crock pot

Leave on low for 4-5 hours

Top with low-fat shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese, or fat-free sour cream and baked tortilla chips!

Enjoy!

Cleaning Naturally

About 6 months ago I started trying to find ways to clean house and do laundry using natural products. The reason for this came to me while cleaning the bathroom and gagging on the fumes. I thought, this can't be good for us especially with young kids and I have asthma. So began my journey throughout different grocery stores, Wal-Mart and Sam's. Yes, sure they all carry the now popular "natural" cleaning products but, Wow, they can come with a not so good effect on the wallet.
Thumbing through the "High Plains Journal" a few weeks later, I came across a column with nothing but recipes for homemade ,natural cleaning products. It sounded to easy, and it was. Most of the items I already had on hand in the pantry. Not only did I already have them on hand but they COST practically nothing when compared to store bought cleaning products. I found ways to not only soften my clothes naturally and inexpensively, but also an all-purpose cleaner and bathroom cleaners! I'm going GREEN! So, I thought I would share some of my new found recipes with you!


All-Purpose Cleaner

• 1 part water and 1 part vinegar

mix in a plastic spray bottle

Fabric Softener

• 1/2 cup vinegar in rinse cycle

If you have a front load machine, just put it in the dispenser

Or,

• 1/2 cup baking soda in the rinse cycle

Top load machines only

Toliet Cleaner

• 1/4 cup baking soda & 1 cup vinegar

Let sit for at least 5 min., then scrub.

Furniture Polish

• 1 cup Olive Oil & 1/2 cup lemon juice

Obviously if you want to fill a spray bottle just triple or quadruple the recipe.

Dishwashing Detergent

• 1 1/2 TBSP. baking soda with 2 TBSP of borax

Is There an Apple in My Throat?

I swear there is an apple in my throat! I am one of the many people who suffer from acid reflux. I developed it during my first pregnancy with Lane. I had gained 60 lbs-ya, not pretty! Anyway, my doctor said once you have it, that's it, you'll have it for life. Well, I was kinda in denial of the "for life" part and thought all I would have to do is lose some weight and I'd be fine. I've lost 28 lbs since January and was feeling great! So, I brilliantly took myself off my reflux medicine-I hate having to take medicine every day-thinking I had solved my reflux issue, WRONG! I went on a trip with the kids to visit family in Ohio and thus begun my ordeal. While I was there my throat felt like it closed up and I couldn't breathe. I even went to urgent care and they told me it was allergies! So, here I was taking Claritin, Benadryl and using my rescue inhaler. My throat eased up a bit on the way home but I was downing coffee the whole trip back. Well, for reflux sufferers, that's not great. My voice became raspy and it was on fire! Then a light bulb went off in my little head~Duh! REFLUX! Here I was drugging myself with antihistamines and it was reflux. Now, for about 2 weeks there feels like there is a lump or an "apple" in my throat. My esophagus had swelled from all the acid to protect itself. I am now back on my medicine of Protonix-about 1week and doing a little better. Hopefully this swelling will get better altogether in the next couple of weeks! So, for now, no coffee-boohoo! No spicy foods, or the killer for me-NO CHOCOLATE! Lesson learned~

To Runaway or Not Runaway?

Day 2 of the barn is complete. Frame work is done and the only thing that needs to be done is the metal. All in all it should be done on Monday. Esh Quality Structures is building our barn and they are a great group of people. The boys are in awe of the work that Steve, our foreman, and his crew have done. They put all the trusses up by hand and it's something to see. I would have fallen off the top trying to catch the heavy trusses-but I guess that's why I don't build barns!
The boys and I spent last night in the camper! Of course they were thrilled to be camping out in the driveway?! Me not so much. Sure I love camping......in nature at a park......but not the driveway. The reason we were camping in the driveway and not sleeping in our nice, cozy, warm beds? Fleas! It's an all out war now. Matt bombed and sprayed the house again so we could not be in the house. Of course Matt was good with sleeping in the camper because he had to work a mid shift last night. Thanks Honey!! Anyway, back in the house this morning and we'll see how it goes, or, maybe, I'll just runaway!http://www.eshqualitystructures.com

Day of the New Barn!

Hello! This is my very first blog! Today we are having our new barn built. With any luck it should be completed in a few days! Needless to say the boys have been very distracted from their school work today. Lots of hammering, machine noises have led my little ones astray. Of course on our breaks we have gone outside to inspect and check the progress.

Not only are we busy watching the barn going up, but we are also busy trying to rid our house of fleas! Between homeschooling, exterminating, meals, laundry and the distraction of the new barn, I think I might lose my mind!