March 16, 2015

Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

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I just love a good chicken pot pie, but making the crust can be very time consuming! This recipe via Six Sisters uses canned biscuits for a quick and tasty pie crust!

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie


What You'll Need

-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 onion, chopped fine
-½ cup of chopped carrots*
-½ cup of chopped broccoli*
-½ cup of chopped cauliflower*
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
-½ cup of all-purpose flour
-1½ cups milk
-2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
-1 regular size can of cream of chicken soup
-½ teaspoon dried thyme
-2 cups (about 1 pound) of cooked, shredded chicken
-¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
-1 refrigerated package of Pilsbury Grands Biscuits (8 biscuits)
               -You can also buy 2 cans to cover the pie, then cook the leftovers for breakfast the next day!

*To reduce time chopping veggies, you can use frozen broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Just consider a little extra time to saute from frozen!

What You'll Do

1)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) In a large pan heat your oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, saute the onions, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.

3) Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the same pot. When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Whisk** in the milk, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and thyme. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables and chicken to the pot, stirring until the filling is well-combined. If the filling is too thick, stir in some extra chicken broth milk.

5) Pour the filling into a 13x9-inch baking dish and bake for 18 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven (keeping the oven on and door closed) and top the filling with 8 biscuits (yes, raw biscuits). Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

**Don't use a wire whisk on your nonstick pans! You can use a saute spoon for this step

Please tell me you use your mixer to shred chicken! Best discovery ever


This is what the butter and flour mixture looks like- crumbly at first

Sauce mixture- let it thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. It might take a few minutes

Adding the raw biscuits

Yum-o!

Let me know how yours turns out. Enjoy!

March 13, 2015

Five on Friday

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{ONE} Warmer temperatures.
Yeah yeah...in the fall I''m excited about cooler temps and now I'm longing for warmer days. Too much of one extreme and I'm just ready for a change :) Let's enjoy the mildly warm temps for now. And somebody slap me if I am ever complaining about it being too hot this summer!



{TWO} Telestrations.
I recently discovered this game: it's like a cross between Pictionary and the Telephone game. It's great family fun with older kiddos, or it can be a fun adult game too! I'm always laughing when I play...and bonus points if you are not a good artist-perfect for me!



{THREE} Northern Parentals.
They are here for a visit! It's been 3 months since we've seen them...which feels like an eternity. We get to spend over 2 weeks catching up :)



{FOUR} Landscaping.
We are about to completely redo our front flower beds. I've spent hours researching the best plants, trees, and flowers for our area and sketching out the design. I'm excited to begin putting our plans into action (but not until after April 15, right gardeners?). I'm having visions of daylilies, iris, cherry trees, and gardenias.


{FIVE} Pi Day 2015.
Tomorrow is the "Utlimate Pi Day" and the nerd in me is a little bit excited. Once in a lifetime: 3.141592653
Pretty cool right?


Enjoy your weekend, friends! I'll be working...


March 11, 2015

Snow Days

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Y'all...I cant lie- I hate the snow. I have never enjoyed being in the cold...add wet and dirty stuff and I'm just done.

But...when your big girl is running around the house screaming "IT'S SNOWING!!!!" at the top of her lungs, you put on your Mommy pants and take her outside. :)


Catchin' Snow

I'm not sure if it's instinct but Peyton immediately plopped down on the ground to make a snow angel. She loved every minute of it!



Our neighbors broke out the sled, and the little ones had a blast being pulled on it!



Baby sister came out for a few minutes to enjoy the snow, too.


And really... what snow day would be complete without hot chocolate (and a tiara...?)?!


I admit it was fun for a few minutes. I've had my fill for this season, so let the warmer temps begin now!

 

March 09, 2015

Eliza {Five Months}

1:51 PM 0 Comments
Our baby is growing bigger and bigger! She still has a quietly curious personality and is a super happy baby :)

Five months old

Eating: Our little piggy still enjoys eating. She nurses about every 3 1/2 hours during the day, and takes about 4 oz while I'm at work. We haven't begun solid foods yet, but will probably start them later this month. I'm also considering baby led weaning this time.

Sleeping: WOW...that 4 month regression was a little rough, but we are seeing some improvement in the last 2 weeks. Eliza typically goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes around 7:30am with one feeding at night (usually sleeping an 8 hour stretch). There are some nights that she still wakes randomly and needs help transitioning back to sleep, but I don't feed her more than once...and I am trying hard to wean her from that too :)
Naps are decent and usually last 1 1/2 hours with a 30 or 45 minute nap sometimes. Our little Bean stays up for 3 hour stretches in the evening.


Skills: I am still amazed at how well this kiddo manipulates a toy. It's so fun to watch her shake, squeeze, and (mostly) chew on her toys. She barrel rolls all over the floor to get where she needs to go and is starting to sit up. This girl has a strong grip and everything goes into her mouth!

Happy Times: Um, all the time! I'm so relieved to have a happy baby! She spends most of her time on the playmat rolling around, in her jumperoo, or laughing at big sister. She loves to play with the kitty cat, too.

Unhappy Times: Eliza still has a bit of "stranger anxiety" and it's about the only time she cries hard. She fusses when she's tired, but goes to sleep without much trouble :)

Yum

Stats: We didn't have a doctor's appointment this month, but our scale at home says 16.4 pounds. Eliza is wearing mostly 9 month clothing.


Hi Boo Boo,
You have become such a fun little one. I love watching you smile and laugh at your big sister. I am trying to enjoy each little moment with you because soon, you will be too busy to cuddle with Momma. Keep smiling sweet girl.

Always moving!


March 04, 2015

February 06, 2015

Five on Friday

9:50 AM 0 Comments
Even though I was home with sick babies this week, we made the most of it! Here's what I'm loving this Friday!


{ONE} Good checkups.
Yesterday, I decided to run the kiddos to the Pediatrician to get their ears checked. Especially since this is Eliza's first cold, I wasn't sure how she would do. Good news- both girls have clear ears, noses, and throats and have been diagnosed with: the common cold. So happy for the health of my two babes!

{TWO} Bacon in the Oven.
Y'all...how did I not know about this? I love bacon, but really despise cooking it in the skillet. Making it in the oven is easy and clean! I use this method and it's perfect. Life. Changing.


{THREE} Special Delivery.
That time when the baby is fussy, the toddler is being sassy and there's a knock at the door. Solicitors? Nope...a "just because" flower delivery from the husband. All is well.


{FOUR} Amazon Prime.
For years, I hesitated spending the extra bucks on this premium service. But wow, I am so glad I finally caved and signed on! Two day free shipping? (Plus lots of other perks) Worth every penny.
{FIVE} Jane.com
Have I been living under a rock? I just discovered this awesome site around Christmas and have been racking up on the goodies! This week: adorable printables to finally finish Peyton's big girl room and some precious matching leg warmers for the minis.


**I realize that # 4 and # 5 make me seem like a shopaholic, but that is definitely not the case! I just love a good deal!

Link up :)


February 04, 2015

Yes, I'm a Germaphobe. And I'm ok with that.

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I'm a self-proclaimed germaphobe. I'm not sure if it's my OCD tendencies or the nurse in me. It's probably a combination of both, because nurses....aren't we all a little bit OCD?

Things got way worse once kiddos arrived. No, we don't live in a bubble. We go out and enjoy life. We go outside when it's cold and windy. We go places- even germy places. I know my kids need to be exposed to germs to develop a healthy immune system.
But we DO practice good hand hygiene. Yes, I'm that Mom who is wiping down the restaurant table, highchair, grocery cart, and any other surface my child(ren) might come in contact with. I have hand sanitizer bottles everywhere. I add apple cider vinegar to juice, and raw honey to oatmeal. And do you know why?

 Exhibit A
Despite my best efforts, some germs slipped past us. Not bad, considering it's been 6 months since our last cold. Now we've entered the world of saline spray, vapor rub, and humidifiers. Because guess what? You can't give cold medicine to children under 6 years old. How are they supposed to get through the day and actually sleep at night when they can't breathe?!

Which leads us to...
Exhibit B
Yup, our second victim. Welcome to 20 minute naps and waking every hour at night. Not to mention how absolutely pitiful my babies are. They just don't feel good.

I get it- a cold is definitely not the worst illness out there. In fact, I would take this one over any others. And I know that part of childhood and parenthood involves dealing with illness. We definitely can't escape it.
But if hand washing, sanitizing surfaces, and homeopathic remedies decrease the frequency of illness, then it's worth it to me.
And if anyone gives me a hard time about it, you are welcome to come over and spend the night with us ; )

Sincerely,
 One Tired Mama