min-myinnersoul

Since we are on this health kick, I have been using whole wheat flour instead of white flour. It wasn't easy at first, but there are actually some really tasty recipes out there using whole wheat. S.R. calls it the "brown flour," and turns her nose up at it every time I use it. The funny thing is, she gobbles it right up:o) I was looking for something different to do with hamburger meat over the weekend, and remembered a recipe off of the Bisquick box, Cheeseburger Pie. I wondered to myself if it would be as good using whole wheat.  I felt it was worth a try, and put my math skills to the test...trying to figure out the correct ratios and ingredients, and came up with a recipe that was a crowd pleaser :o) Cheeseburger Pie with Bacon Adapted from the Bisquick Recipe 1 lb of ground beef 1 small onion, chopped finely 2 T butter 1/2 ts salt 1/8 ts ground black pepper 1 c shredded cheddar cheese 2 eggs 1 c milk 1/2 c whole wheat flour 3/4 ts baking powder 1/4 ts salt 2 T cold ...

We have made a conscious effort to be healthier this year. We have jumped on the "whole foods" bandwagon and have been buying more organic and sticking to what we call "God foods." Foods that come from the earth and not from a manufacturing plant loaded with nasty, bad-for-you chemicals. We haven't completely knocked out all the junk, but I would say we are 85% there. I'm so glad that we decided to do this before the kids were older. They are completely on board with the change in our diet.  It makes my heart swell with pride when they ask for an apple or grapes for an afternoon snack instead of fruit snacks or some other form of junk food. Their school lunches have had a makeover as well, and I have been sharing them on Facebook. Since everyone isn't on Facebook...shocking, I know;o)... I thought I would share what the kids have been taking in their lunch boxes. Shredded Chicken, Organic Crackers, Celery with Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Grapes, and Hom...

I love cold weather, a.k.a. snuggly weather. I love the warm blankets, cozy fires, and most of all, hot cocoa.  I am not a big fan of cocoa mixes because of all the added "stuff" that is put in them. I prefer to cook my own.  I have a favorite recipe for hot cocoa, and I have to share it with you so that you can enjoy it too. It takes minutes to make, and warms your belly and puts a smile on your face:o) Hot Cocoa serves 4 adapted from  this  recipe 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa 3/4 c white sugar 1/3 c boiling water 3 1/2 c milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add cocoa and white sugar. Bring back to a boil, and then lower heat so the mixture simmers. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add milk and vanilla, and warm to desired temperature.  I usually pour the kids some before it has gotten too hot. I spy some happy campers right here:o) Now you can enjoy those few brief moments where they have a smile on their faces, and calling you the best mom ...

Well hello there! Been a while hasn't it? Life around here has been crazy busy for the past month or so, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any..especially with the Holidays approaching...I'm not ready fro Christmas to be here!! With E being in big school now, I feel like the weeks are flashing before my eyes. I keep forgetting that he is 6 years old now. I need for life to tap the brakes just a little:o) So since things have been a little cray cray around here, I haven't had the chance to blog. I have been taking plenty of pictures, and have plenty to blog about. I just haven't had the time to just sit, and type. I have a few minutes to myself, so I am taking advantage of that time:o) Today I wanted to share how to make canned applesauce.  A friend of mine is part of a food co-op, and she always asks if I want to order bulk items. Um, yes please:o)  These apples were super delish and super cheap! But there was no way we could eat a bushel of apples, so  I put a...

 My best friend from high school gave me a recipe for biscuits when I got married. I never used it because I already had a biscuit recipe. I thought mine was the best in the world, and proudly looked down my nose at other biscuits, and their inferior ingredients. Well I ran out of my usual "superior" ingredients, and decided that I would try this "inferior" biscuit recipe. This poor recipe had sat un-used for almost 10 years in my recipe book. It called for 2 ingredients.  I scoffed.  I mixed, rolled out, cut and baked, thinking to myself, "I hope these will do." I humbly ask forgiveness from my dear friend and her ROCKIN' biscuits. They were not inferior at all! Not only were they extremely light and fluffy but they were 'slap yo momma' good! So are you ready to try these for yourself? Here's what you need and what to do: 1 pint of whipping cream 3 cups of self rising flour Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix ingredients by hand. Roll out o...

I can't stand it any longer...Fall needs to just get here and stay here:o) It has been a scorcher for the past few days after we were taunted with cooler weather. I am stubborn by nature, and have made soup and homemade bread, regardless of this horrid heat, hoping this will show Summer that I have had enough of it, and am ready for it to go away:o)  Chicken Spaetzle is one of my favorite soups in the whole wide world. I order it from Bruegger's every time I visit that restaurant...which is a lot:o) I looked for their recipe, and couldn't find anything but the calorie count online...I DON"T CARE what the calorie count is...IT"S DELICIOUS! So anywho, I found a few recipes online and kind of tweaked here and there, and this is my version of Chicken Spaetzle. recipe adapted from  HERE 2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb total) 2 cups water 4 cups chicken broth  1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 large onions, chopped 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 cup diced carrots 2 garlic cloves, fine...

Thank goodness for  Pinterest  sometimes:o) I was in desperate need for some dinner ideas for this week, so I turned to the trusty old internet phee-nom:o) I am really excited about these meals because they are super simple to make, and I am sure they will be a hit for the rest of my family:o) Plus, there will be minimal clean-up which is a HUGE bonus;o) Here's what's cookin'... Monday Night-Crockpot Chicken Tacos Recipe from Chocolate Therapy   Tuesday Night-Homemade Honey Baked Ham Recipe from Frugal Upstate   Wednesday Night-Ham and Cheese Sliders Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything   Thursday Night(family night)-Mini Hamburgers Recipe from Mommy Hates Cooking Friday Night-Crockpot Orange Chicken Recipe from The Pursuit of Happiness We were busy all weekend working on the bonus room. I am working on the finishing touches for the kids play area. They LOVE it, and I can't wait to share pictures with you all. I hope that you are having a great start to week,...

Here lately I have been trying to be more picky about what I feed my family. I buy mostly organic when possible, and I have been gradually cutting out  processed foods. We still eat some, but not as many as we used to.  There are so many links to cancer now which seem to be coming from the foods we eat. So anyway, I have quit using cooking sprays. I haven't read anything anywhere that says we are going to die if we continue to use them, but one of the ingredients is "propellant."...ummm, ick! So I have been coating all of my cake pans with butter(yum) & flour. Muffin tins, however, are slightly more tricky because they are smaller. I ran out of muffin cups the other day, and needed a substitute. I felt like I had a moment of genius when I decided to use parchment paper. I formed the parchment paper around the bottom of one of the muffin cups, and cut out the circle. Then I used that one as a template to cut out the next 5.  I smushed them down in the cups...not all th...

You find a substitute!! I went to Target today for clothes and food....and for some strange reason, there were absolutely no eggs...strange, I know. Tonight we are having Cheesy Potato soup and I wanted some Jiffy cornbread to go with...but I have no eggs. I did a google search and came across these substitutes. I thought I would share them with you all just in case you ever get caught without an egg:o) Egg Substitutions: 1 egg = 2 tablespoons liquid + 2 tablespoons flour + ½ tablespoon shortening + ½ teaspoon  baking powder  (Recipe from Substituting Ingredients by Becky Sue Epstein and Hilary Dole Klein. See my sources. Add one or two drops of yellow food coloring if desired.)  OR  egg substitute  (Substitute 1/4 cup egg substitute for each egg. Using egg substitute in place of eggs tends to make baked goods rubbery, because egg substitute has no fat. To improve the product's texture, add one teaspoon of canola oil for each egg replaced. Egg substitute can't b...

I made the kiddos some cookies this afternoon. Huge hit:o) For some reason I have been in the baking mood. I have made a peach cobbler and chocolate oatmeal cookies in the past week too.  Could it be that I am a stress eater and I am freaked out about this craft fair?  maybe:o) Anyway, I found a great cookie & icing recipe over at  Girl Inspired  today. The cookies were really really tasty...yes, were..not are...just kidding. I left a few for the hubs;o) I froze less than  half of them for another day:o) I hope that you all are having a great Tuesday. Mine would be slightly better if the cleaning fairy would show up;o)

A friend of mine made these cookies the other day.  She found the recipe  HERE . I ate 4 in the span of 30 minutes....yes, they are that good! These are perfect for fall. I can't wait to make these for my next gathering! Now all we need is for the fall weather to come back...it's hot again, but that's part of the beauty/ugly (depending on how you look at it) of living in the deep South:o) Speaking of weather, I have a little man who is under the weather right now, so things around here are slow going. Not much in the crafting arena right now either. I haven't had the energy nor the desire. I am hoping to get the crafting bug after this week. We have so much going on this week that there really isn't time to be creative. Praying for E to feel better, so he can enjoy the rest of the week with us! Have a good evening, ya'll.

Chicken Azteca has become a family fave at our home here lately. It's super easy, and I love a good crock pot recipe. My kids have said, and I quote, "Mom, this is FANTASTIC!" I'd say it's a keeper;o) I do apologize for my failed attempts of food photography. It is way more tasty than it looks:o) Here's what you need: -3 chicken breasts or 1 pack of the thin cut chicken breasts 1 15 oz can of black beans rinsed and drained (make sure to rinse and drain, or it will look like mud) 1 med chunky salsa (16 oz) 1 16 oz package of frozen corn 1 to 2 tsp of cumin 1 to 2 cloves garlic 1 can pet. diced tomatoes( I use a can of Rotel)   1 8 oz cream cheese Put everything except the cream cheese in the crock pot & cook on low for 4 to 6 hrs...pull the chicken breast out and chop it to bits.  Put the chicken back into the crock pot, and add the cream cheese. Stir until combined. Serve with sour cream, cheese, and chips!

I know that I said that I was taking a break from blogging this week...I really am.  I had a few moments of not doing anything, so I thought I would share with you guys what I made yesterday for the Homemakers group that I am involved with. I had to do a presentation about Homemade Beauty products at our monthly meeting last night, and I decided to make a few of the things to hand out to the ladies. The first thing I made was a Honey Lemon Sugar Scrub. Here are the ingredients  2 1/2 cups sugar,  1/2 cup sweet almond oil,  4 teaspoons lemon juice,                4 Tablespoons honey,  4 drops lemon essential oil   Directions: To make the sugar scrub, combine the sugar and sweet almond oil in a large  bowl and stir well to combine. Add the lemon juice and stir again. Finally, add the honey  and lemon essential oil and stir again to mix.  Store in an air tight container. Another Homemade Beauty product I m...

Yesterday I got a wild hair and went thru my entire house and started cleaning. I got so much accomplished. I even recovered one of my yard sale chairs I found a couple of weeks ago. While taking a short break, I ran across  this  printable at  it is what it is ...(the hubs uses that phrase all the time;o)). Then, I went over to Just Deanna, and I found her recipe for  pumpkin bread . I had a plan:o) The hubs picked up the ingredients I didn't have on hand on his way home from work...such a good hubby:o) And I got to baking. I wanted to make some bread for E's teachers. I used my mini bundt pan b/c I thought they looked like little pumpkins. While the bread was supposed to be cooling, little sneaky hands found their way over to the counter top. (Singing) One of these is not like the other.... The work of a two year old:o) I added the Hershey bars in the center to look like stems. I wish that I had some mint leaves on hand. I think that would have added to the pumpkin...