Soup on Sundays

I'm hoping my new plan to make Soup on Sundays will convince the weather to start cooling down!

I'm going to plan for Sunday's to be a Soup night at the Bradshaw Home. So that way I can have some yummy leftover soup for the week for lunches for me.

So if you want to join me I will try and do my best (fingers crossed) to post the recipe on Fridays so you can make sure you have the ingredients to make on Sunday.

So Goal #1: Post Recipe on Fridays for my friends (that's YOU)

Goal #2: Not only is it going to be a soup recipe but I'm hoping for Crockpot Soup recipes. 

That way before church I can throw it in the crockpot, forget about it and enjoy it come dinner time!

Do you have a favorite Soup Crockpot recipe you would like to share? 

If so please email me at:

Dancinginthekitchen.Lynn@gmail.com

So 1st up.... I'm going to try

Slow Cooker Ham & White Beans Soup

I found this over at "Plain Chicken"

It caught my eye for the following reasons:

1. Looks yummy!
2. Only a few ingredients!
3. You even use dried beans!

Let's give it a try!

Here is her Recipe:

Slow Cooker Ham & White Beans

1 lb package dried northern beans
ham bone, hocks, shanks or diced ham (about 1 pound)
2 tsp onion powder
6 cups water
salt & pepper to taste


Rinse and sort the beans for any pebbles. Add the the rinsed beans, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ham to the crock pot. Add water. Cover and cook on low about 8 hours, until beans are tender. Remove ham bone, shanks or hocks and pull off the meat. Add meat to the crock pot and mix. Serve with cornbread.

Look how delicious it looks!

"Plain Chicken" has a ton of other GREAT looking recipes so make sure you visit her page for more ideas.

Click HERE

Time Savers! Garlic Bread & Simple Peach Crisp

Life is BUSY! Work, Kids, schedules, homework, sports, the list goes on... So I am all about doing quick and easy prep that will help my life be a little bit easier.

So I'm going to share with you some of my favorite Quick and Easy Tips that I do to make life easier when it comes to dinner time.

First up... Garlic Bread!

 Did you know that the .99 cent Store off of Olive Drive (Next to Big Lots) carries Pyrenees Bread? Yep! So swing by, head to the very back of the store and pick up some loaves! If you have an outside freezer I would grab like 5 loaves. If you just have your traditional side freezer-fridge then maybe just grab 1 for now.  

This is also where I buy alot of my disposable containers for my other freezer meals! Many times I can get 3 disposable containers for $1.00! Stock up, trust me it makes life a little easier!

YOU WILL NEED: 

• Freezer Bags
• Foil
• Butter
• Favorite Seasoning (I usually just use Garlic Salt) 
• I also like to add some Parmesan Cheese (totally optional- just use what you have)

Ok let's get started! It's pretty plain and simple and I'm sure you don't really need me to walk you through...but just in case...here you go.

1.  Slice your bread in the portions that your family will eat. So for my little Family of 4 (2 small kids) I cut the loaves in thirds.

2.    Lather both sides in butter, seasoning & parmesan Cheese.

3. Wrap them in individually in foil and put as many foil wrapped loaves in a large ziplock baggie as you can and label. DONE!

Now when you need to throw together a quick dinner. Maybe some canned Soup (that you've been cooking over the stove ALL day)  ;) and a Salad just heat up your oven to about 350. Grab your loaf out of the freezer, still completely wrapped in foil. Put the foil wrapped loaf on the rack of the oven and let heat up for about 15-20 min. You can also at that time, peel the foil back so it makes a little foil bed for your bread and turn your broiler on high for about 3-4 min.

Delicious and Quick!

 Next up... a Quick and Super Easy Dessert!

Again, as I've mentioned before in this blog. If you are looking for elegant, all day recipes this probably isn't the place. I am a super busy Mom and Wife like you all and I don't need 5 star restaurants meals. I need quick meals that fill my family's tummies! 

So when I was picking up Pyrenees bread at the .99 cent Store (different than the dollar tree).  I saw that they had Betty Crocker Oatmeal Mix. So I grabbed the bag and looked on back ( Since I'm the only one who would eat oatmeal cookies I thought I better check out on the back to see if there are some other ideas that my family might like) 

And what do you know... Peach Crisp! PERRRRFECT! So I grabbed a couple of bags. 

Then picked up the pie tins- 3 for .99 cents.

I knew my next stop was going to be Smart & Final so I picked up one of their HUGE containers of sliced peaches for about $4.00 along with my other groceries and I was all set to assemble!

1.  First off I drained my peaches of most of the liquid. I kept a little in there. 
2. Dispersed them into as many pie pans as I could. 
3. Then I followed the directions on the back of my Betty Crocker cookie mix bag. It was so simple- in a bowl I poured the cookie mix in. Cut in 1/2 Cup of cold butter.
4. I did add a little bit of cinnamon and sugar to the top of my peaches and then topped it with the Oatmeal mix.
5. Wrapped them in foil. And the best part these pie tins fit perfectly in my Freezer zip lock baggies! Label and I'm all set! Perfect dessert for unexpected guests. Or just when my family wants something sweet.
6. When you are ready to eat. Take it out of the ziplock baggie. If you are prepared ahead of time you can let it sit overnight in your fridge to thaw. But if not. Then just put the Peach Crisp (Still wrapped in foil) in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 25-30 min. ( I always line a cookie sheet with foil so I don't have a mess in my oven- just in case I filled one too full) Then take the foil off. See how it's doing, and put it back in the oven uncovered until it's all bubbly and yummy.

The most important part...(in my book)... when you are dishing out the Peach Crisp- while it's hot add a big scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream. 

It's cheap, easy, yummy and a perfect dessert to bring with a meal for someone who just got out of the hospital. Or maybe for that friend who just got off work after a long day. Send her a quick message and say "I'm bringing your family dinner and dessert tonight. Just because."

What a blessing that would be to someone!

Enjoy Friends!

Oh Granola I love you!

This is one of my favorite Granola Recipes! I try and make it a couple times a month! This recipe came from "My New Roots"! I love how easy, versatile and delicious this recipe is!


Here's a photo of the granola I make. You can see I add in some chocolate chips for a little sweetness. This is usually my "sweet snack" when I'm having a little craving. But the Granola can also be added to yogurt for a delicious snack.

For more great recipes you can visit "My New Roots" by Clicking HERE

Goals, Has life moved too fast that you have forgotten what your goals are?

I just heard a great training call today that is suitable for ALL of us that I wanted to share. 

"Everyone is Busy. Life happens to each of us. The choice is yours. Do you want to change your life?" -Sandie Siemens

Did you at one time have all sorts of goals? Has life just been too busy for you that those goals have been pushed under the rug?

I remember my husband Ryan and I used to sit down together at the beginning of every new year and write out our goals on a piece of paper. This started before kids. A few years ago I came across that old piece of paper and just smiled. As I read down the list my heart was full. Those once far off goals had become a reality. Some of the goals were silly. But to us, at the age of 20 & 22 they were our goals.

-a big screen tv

-a white Truck

But some were filled with our hopes 

-buy our first house

Every single one of those goals were reached. Over the years since then we still write out our goals. I love looking back to see how far we have come.

There is this great quote that I came across today...

Goals are our road map! To get us from point A to B. Without them we don't have a plan.

So with that... What are your goals?

What are your goals for you personally?

What are your goals for your family?

1. Write them down! Grab a piece of paper and get to writing! Maybe your goal is to learn how to sew or run a 5K or have 1 date night with your husband once a week or once a month. Whatever your goal is, write it down. On a side note, If you have a goal to pay down bills or help pay for Christmas, send me a message. I can help you do that if you are willing to commit to work 5-15 hours a week. Trust me it is possible and I would love to help you. Email me at: Bradshaw4@sbcglobal.net
2. Now that you have your goals on paper, put them somewhere you will see them everyday! Also write one of the quotes from above on top of your page to inspire you!
   
   
   3. Make a PLAN! How are you going to accomplish those goals? 

Over at Corn Flower Blue Studio, She will walk you through how to make this DIY Rotating Goal List. So Click HERE to check it out!

Let's Get STARTED Today and start checking off those goals! 

Make it a GREAT day!

Tried a New Crockpot Recipe Tonight

And it was Delicious!

Crockpot Chile Colorado Burritos

From "Food-Pusher"

My Daughter Taylor, who's 5 said "Mom can we have this every night?"

So it passed the kid approval. Hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we did!

9/11 a Day we will never forget

Today I woke up reminded of exactly where I was when tragedy struck our country... Goosebumps fill my arms and tears fill my eyes as we are all reminded of the heartbreak from that day... Each video, each picture... brings back those memories.

There are some things in life that we will never understand. This being one of them. 

But we have a choice to honor each of those who lost their life with what we do and how we live. I came across this video the other day and wanted to share it. A day when our country was filled with heartbreak a country came together.

Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Now that football season is here and cooler weather is right around the corner...praying it is anyways... I thought I would share with you one of my husband's favorite recipes that I make!

Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers!

This recipe I originally found from "Tammy's Recipes".

You can CLICK HERE for the entire recipe!

I've made these for football games and they are always a hit. I even made them last time we went camping. I prepped them and had them all ready and then that 1st night I put them on the grill over the fire. SO YUMMY!!! 

ENJOY!

The Power of a Sticky Note

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of the sand when I awake, I am still with you.
(Psalm 139: 17-18 NIV)

Growing up as a child on the nights my Dad had to work late and wasn't there to say "Goodnight". I would wake in the morning and find a sticky note on my bathroom mirror from him. Sometimes just a big smiley face with music notes around it, because music fills our hearts. Many times there would be a little message just reminding me how much he loved me. 

A simple gesture I now look back on and think of as...such a gift... I still have many of those notes that he left me and now as a parent, especially to a daughter I realize more of what those notes meant. 

As a girl it gave me respect for myself, taught me how a girl (and then women) should be treated and I think mostly it gave me the confidence to believe in myself because I was valued and worth it.  

I am very blessed to have an Earthly Father who showed me that. I understand that's not every one's story. If your story was very different growing up. Please know that your Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Father cherishes you! He created you, very delicately and precisely!

Don't take my word for it...He left you your own sticky notes for you to find. In a strangers face, in your children's eyes, a scripture on a friend's wall. Those aren't coincidences, those are God's sticky notes strategically placed for YOU, for us.

But the greatest sticky note...is actually a book filled full with them...

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ...   ( Ephesians 2:4-9)

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  (Psalm 139: 13-16)

So here's your Homework 

(so to speak since our kids are in school mode). 

1. Leave a sticky note for you husband telling him how thankful you are for him and what a wonderful example he is setting for the kids of what it means to be a hard worker.
2. Leave a note for your kids on their alarm clock or in their bathroom. If they are too small to read, leave them a silly smiley face with hearts. Trust me their little faces lite up.
3. Send a note to a friend, just because.
4. Send a note to your parents or a relative thanking them for being there for you as child.

Now I leave you with one thing left. Now this isn't a Christian song but I love the music and message. 

YOU ARE LOVELY... Just the way you are!!!! 

Because YOU are Beautiful!

Believe it!