Mom's Chicken Soup

My mom is the master of soups. So, while I'm usually just master of the Campbell's soup, I do occasionally take the couple extra minutes to make a nice chicken soup when it's cold. So here's an easy chicken soup to make when it's cold outside or you're feeling sick. This recipe creates a large amount of soup, so I usually eat leftovers for several days.

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3/4 of an onion
• 1/2 head of garlic
• 64 oz (two boxes) of Chicken broth
• 1 precooked rotisserie chicken (or precooked chicken pieces)
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• about 20 oz of water
• salt and pepper to taste

Tools:

• Big pot
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Peeler
• Wooden Spoon

Steps:

1. Debone your chicken. This can be done (messily) by pulling apart with a knife, fork, or hands, or more professionally by following this video.
2. Peel carrots and chop all veggies. If you're not as fond of strong flavors, feel free to use less or none of any vegetables you dislike. Toss the chopped celery, carrots, onion, and garlic into your pot with olive oil. Sauté the veggies until the carrots begin to soften and the celery becomes partially transparent.
3. Add broth, water (I just partially refilled one of my broth boxes), and chicken. Bring to a boil, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are soft.
4. Enjoy!

Homemade Oatmeal Bars

I kept seeing different recipes for homemade energy bars and granola bars on Pinterest, and I never had quite the right ingredients. So, I decided to toss together what I had, and it turned out pretty good!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 handfull coarsely chopped nuts
• 1 handfull dried fruit
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Tools:

• Mixing bowl
• Spoon
• 8x8 baking pan

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Spread evenly into pan (no need to grease)
2. Bake at 350° or until just brown around the edges
3. Enjoy!

Mom's Best Pizza Dough

My family makes pizza all the time, so we've perfected the dough. Easy and delicious, and works great with a pizza stone.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup hot water (about as hot as the sink will get)
• 1 yeast packet
• Pinch of sugar

Tools:

• Mixer (or food processor)
• Rolling Pin

Steps:

1. Add yeast to water, and activate with a pinch of sugar. Once the yeast has settled down, mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the mixer. Once the dough has formed a ball, watch it rotate around the mixer 30 times.
2. Set dough aside and cover with a napkin or (clean!) dish towel. Let sit until it has doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, you can freeze it for several days, or use it immediately.
3. Roll dough into circles (1 batch makes about 2 large pizzas or 4 smalls) and add toppings. Bake at 450* for 9 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

* If you're using a pizza stone, heat up the oven to 500°, then reset it to 450.

Easiest Chicken Ever

I whipped this up today, along with some rice and kale. I just kind of threw some things in a bag, and I was amazed at how great it turned out! It was also my first time using a George Forman, so I was so excited about how easy it was!

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast (I used two, but cooked them separately)
• 1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons of Montreal Chicken seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)

Tools:

• Ziplock bag (one that seals well)
• George Forman Grill (Or you can broil the chicken)

Steps:

1. Put the chicken breast into the ziplock, and add the rest of the ingredients. Let marinate for 20 minutes to 4 hours.
2. Heat up Grill. Put chicken on grill, and cook for about 9 minutes. (Make sure you check that the chicken is cooked all the way through)
3. Enjoy!

Sauteed kale

Super easy, super healthy, and super yummy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked kale
• 2 tablespoons onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)

Tools

• Wooden spoon
• Pan
• Cutting board
• Knife

Steps

1. Chop kale into slightly bigger pieces than you want to eat. Toss all ingredients into pan with some oil and spices to taste.
2. Sautee over medium heat for a few minutes, until kale is tender and dark green.
3. Enjoy!

Avocado Bean Salad

I was inspired by Pinterest, and it turned into an AWESOME meal.

Ingredients

• 1 half avocado
• 1/3 cup black Beans
• 1/3 cup corn
• 1/2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup onion (chopped)

Tools

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Bowl
• Spoon

Steps

1. Use spoon or knife to mostly hollow out avocado.
2. Mix ingredients in bowl. Spoon Ingredients into hollowed out avocado.
3. Enjoy!

Matt and Molly's Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 can kidney beans (drained)
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can corn
• Spices (cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, ect) to taste

Tools

• Slow cooker
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Can opener
• Pan
• Wooden Spoon

Steps

1. Brown meat in pan. Drain.
2. Chop veggies and toss into slow cooker with beans and meat. Add spices to taste (probably use a little more than you think you need)
3. Stir ingredients until well mixed. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
4. Enjoy!