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One More Little Thing

Dreaming of an easy way to be SUPER Mom

Stuffed Pepper Explosion Casserole- THM E

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Freezer Meal logo

Do you ever find yourself in a rut and realize that you keep making the same kinds of meals for dinner?  If you join me each week for my Tuesday I will try hard to give you new ideas of great meals to try.  I really work hard at using a variety of protein sources and pairing them with different fats and healthy carbs.  With that being said it’s been a while since I have done a lower fat healthy carb meal…so this is the week!

For my Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Friends this means that this is an energizing E meal. For some reason, I find that THM E dinners are a little bit more difficult to throw together. I easily eat Oatmeal and apples and other E breakfasts and snacks but dinners seem a little harder to come by.  Anyway, with that being said this is a WONDERFUL E meal and it is something different than oatmeal and apples!

Stuffed Pepper Explosion Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Explosion

I found this recipe over at who needs a cape so click on over and anyone can make this.  It also does not require any special or weird ingredients so it’s a good easy one to try.  I, of course, always like to find the easiest way to make recipes so I did not follow the instructions. Go figure right…but I AM here to share these easy tricks with you.  I’m all about making good meals but it’s even better when I can make good food AND not spend hours in the kitchen.  This meal literally took me 5 minutes to throw in and it was completely done in one hour!

How to make it in 5 minutes

I know what you are thinking how did she cook rice and cut peppers and brown beef in 5 minutes.  Well, I didn’t I used my instant pot otherwise known as an electric pressure cooker.  Now just because I used this does not mean that you cannot make this recipe. Don’t stop reading because this is a great meal even if you have to do everything separate and it takes you a little longer.  If you are considering an instant pot this is the exact one that I have and I cannot tell you how much time it saves me in the kitchen.  It’s been such a blessing to have and I HIGHLY recommend getting one!

If you have an electric pressure cooker than all you need is the list of ingredients from the website. It’s so easy you just throw everything in.  Raw meat, uncooked rice, throw it in and let it go!  For the processor, I used the meat setting on medium so it cooked for 40 minutes.  I also doubled the recipe so there was a LOT of goodness in that pot when it was done.  I actually ended up having enough for three pans when it was done.  After the instant pot did it the job I evenly divided it out into my freezer pans and then let it cool.  When it was cooled I put the covers on and froze it.  When I’m ready to use the casserole I will thaw it and cook according to the directions.

Enjoy!

This Recipe has a lot of flavor and if you use the ground turkey it stays as a great healthy carb meal that is low in fat.  Some of my family ate it on low carb tortilla shells also.  Those of us not trying to lose weight could also load it up with sour cream and guacamole!  If you are looking for more great Trim Healthy Mama (THM) freezer meals you can find many more of them on my menu bar above. Thanks for joining me today and let me know if I can help you conquer dinner time in any way!

How to make the most out of your clothes

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Are you tired of getting up each morning and muddling through your closet to find something to wear? When you finally throw together some clothes, you hear your child calling for help because they need something to wear too. You head into the kitchen and start prepping for breakfast. It is at that exact moment when another child comes down the stairs in a hideous outfit you won’t let them be seen in…Ugh… the joys of motherhood!

Although you don’t want that child to be seen in the crazy pastel pattern leggings that do not match the crazy BOLD printed top and mismatching socks, sometimes it’s just not worth the battle to have them change. I know how you feel. It’s hard enough to get everyone up and out of the house on time with hair that doesn’t look crazy. Sometimes what they have on just falls between the cracks.

I’ve been there too, sick of looking through my closet for things to put together and stuck in the rut of wearing the same things. I had a full closet of clothes that never got worn, and yet I was still out buying more. I did not enjoy seeing my kids come up with crazy outfits that, of course, they were thrilled about! Finding a solution to this morning mess became a top priority in my mom life. How can I get my kids to choose things that match and look nice? I still wanted to give them a choice, but I also did not want to look like a crazy lady walking into the store.

The Clothing Solution

My Clothing Theory

Only buy clothes you LOVE

I know this may seem like an easy solution, but really, don’t buy things that you won’t be excited to see your kids (or yourself) put on. If the things in the closet are only my most favorite options, then I will be happy with whatever they choose to wear that day…assuming it’s NOT out of the dirty wash. HAH! Even if you cannot afford to buy new clothes each season, you can take the time to make good choices at garage sales and second-hand stores.

Set your closets up in OUTFITS

You have all these cute clothes that you love now, but why, oh why do they keep coming down with things that don’t go together? I buy all my clothes in outfits, and when I put them in their closets, I hang them up as outfits. This means that whatever they choose to wear it will at least match.

Now, I said set up THEIR closets in outfits, but I also do this with my own closet. Let’s face it, ladies, how many things do you have in your closet that you do not wear? What’s the point of having it? Unless it’s off season, there is no reason to keep something you don’t wear. Bless someone else with it or have a garage sale.

This includes my closet!

My closet is also all set up in outfits, and I hang them all. When I do the wash, I add the new clothes to the back of the rack. Each day, I choose the first thing in line. ‘What’s that?” you say. What if I don’t like it? Well, if I don’t like it or don’t want to wear it, I ask myself why? Is it the color? Is it too big, too small? Uncomfortable? Whatever the reason, I either decide if I want to keep it (or part of it) and then I move on. If I don’t love it today, why would I want to wear it tomorrow? And if you DO like PART of the outfit, then I have some tips for that too in the section below labeled Shopping Made Easy.

If you do not like the outfit make a change

You buy an outfit, and at the time, you think it’s adorable. But, now you do not think so anymore. Is there part of the outfit you do like? Do you like the jeans just not the top, or do you like the top just not the skirt, or is the dress just too short and needs to go? Whatever you decide, don’t put it back in the closet. Take the part you like, and read below in Shopping Made Easy to find out what to do with it. The part you don’t like may be a blessing to someone else, so donate it and don’t look back.

Shopping made easy

This weekend, I get a girl’s day out, and we are going to the outlets! YIPPEE! It’s so fun, but I also spend a lot of money. When I come home, I have a lot of cute things, but I’m usually missing something to go with them. Being the outfits person that I am, I find a great way to have a goal when I’m shopping (and not just buy things I like) is to take those clothes that I love from home and find something to go with them. This way, I’m finding a way to make the clothes we ALREADY have work again. Each time I find an outfit or part of an outfit that I don’t love, I get rid of it. If there is a part I do still love, I add it to a bag I have hanging by my back door.

When I get some time away or have to run some errands, I take the bag with me. Inside are all the things that I actually NEED something to go with. This is a great way to make sure the colors actually match up and you like the way the two things go together. Plus, it makes shopping feel like you are being more frugal instead of just buying because you like something.

How much do we actually need

You can read about my laundry theory here, but because I do everyone’s laundry on the same day each week, this also helps determine how many clothes we need. I try to buy each person 7-9 outfits (THAT I REALLY LOVE) each season (or when growth spurts happen). This way they have only a few great options, and each week, they get washed and are back in the closet. There’s no slipping through the cracks. We don’t have clothing items that don’t ever get worn because what’s the point in that? And obviously, we all know that kids tend to wear the same few outfits. They have favorites just like we do. Even if you have a month’s worth of options for them, they still have that favorite sweat-shirt that they put on the second it’s out of the dryer.

Now with this being said, I do this for my kids, but obviously, I have more than 7-9 outfits in my closet. I do try to make sure that I work through all my clothes though by choosing the next thing in line each day. If I don’t want to wear it, I definitely do not keep it!

Now RUN!

Does this seem like some great planning? Then, Run! Run to those closets and start putting outfits together. Find the things you think look great and hang them on a hanger together. Get rid of the things you do not love. Start a bag of things that you love but don’t have anything to go with. See those things with tags still on them? I’m betting that someone doesn’t like those even though they are brand new. Bless another family with them! You won’t regret it, and I promise you will feel better when you go to get dressed tomorrow. Your kids will come down in great outfits and everyone will be off to a wonderful day!

Onemorelittlething’s other helpful hints

If you loved this post you may also love my laundry theory!  Another one to check out is my Freezer meal theory, along with my freezer meals and jar salads. Don’t get run down by the “little” things life brings, stand up and conquer them!

 

 

 

Creamy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

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Freezer Meal logo

Summer is so much fun.  The days just fly by and after a day by the pool or beach, the last thing I want to worry about is what’s for dinner.  When I spend the day away from home it’s hard to come home and make dinner but it’s much easier to grab a $5 pizza as we leave the pool.  We all know this isn’t good for any of us and although I do treat my family to pizza every once in a while if I don’t plan I do it a LOT more often.

Planning isn’t always fun and sometimes it’s just hard but I swear that it is a key to successful healthy eating. If you do not know about my freezer meal theory I highly recommend you take a minute to read it.  You won’t regret it when you learn to spend one day a week in the kitchen and yet have great healthy meals each night!

This week I’m going to share a great instant pot recipe with you again.  I know some of you may not have an instant pot so you should probably grab one up from this link below right now.  Alas I know that isn’t an option for everyone so if you do not have one and would still like to enjoy this wonderful recipe there is a similar one listed on this website that doesn’t use the instant pot.

Creamy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Here is a great and SUPER easy recipe that your whole family and your guests for the evening will enjoy.  Pair it with a wonderful jar salad that you prepped earlier in the week and no one will know you have been gone all day at the pool.  Although that sunburn MIGHT give you away!

To make this recipe I started my cooking my chicken.  I do not always cook my chicken before loading it into my instant pot so you could probably do raw chicken and set your pot for a longer cooking time.  I actually over prepared myself (how is that possible) so I had my chicken cooked before I remembered what I was making.  Either way, I’m sure it will turn out creamy and delicious.

I like to cook my chicken in the crock pot.  I just throw it in without anything else and let it go for 4-5 hours.  When it’s done I drain the broth and let it cool a little before shredding it.

After the chicken is cooked and shredded just pile everything else on top and set the instant pot for 15 minutes.  Today I put all my goodies in there before I left and set the delay timer.  I got home to a wonderful meal at dinnertime.  It was a major blessing!

Printable Recipe

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Creamy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients

  • 6-8 Chicken Breasts Cooked and shredded
  • 2 8 oz Cream cheese
  • 1 T Minced Garlic
  • 2 T Butter
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 T Italian Seasoning
  • 2 Cups Heavy whipping cream
  • 24-32 oz Frozen Broccoli
  • 1 1/2 Cups Water
  • 3/4 Cup Sundried Tomatoes optional

Instructions

  1. Cook your chicken breasts and shred them.  I do this by putting them in the crock pot for 4-5 hours.  I do not add any water or anything.  When they are done drain the broth and let cool so that they are easy to shred.

  2. Place the shredded chicken into your instant pot.

  3. Cover with the cream cheese blocks, garlic, butter, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream.

  4. Finish off with the broccoli and pour water over the top.  You can also add the optional sun-dried tomatoes to the top.

  5. Set your instant pot for 15 minutes and let it do its thing. I like to get mine ready in the morning and set the delay timer so we have hot and wonderful food ready at dinner time. After we eat I take the extra out and freeze it for another day!

  6. This pot will make 2 9x13 pans of food!  Enjoy!

If you love this recipe and want to make more freezer meals definitely check back here every Tuesday for my latest post but you can also see a whole list of old post on the menu above under freezer meals.  Another great side to go with this meal is one of my jar salads. I sometimes share these with my family at dinner time and one jar is enough for our family of 8 to each have a side portion.  Now, remember we have little kids so if you have older kids you may want more than one jar but either way it’s a great healthy side.  Would you like to know what types of jar salad options you have? Here is a whole list of wonderful ones to try!  Hope you have a great and healthy week!