I make this gnocchi soup recipe once  a month or so; but definitely in the Fall and Winter. It’s super easy and tastes delicious! If you cook  the vegetarian  variation in a slow cooker, it should be ready in 30 minutes if you put it on high. This, like most of my recipes, this can be frozen and reheated.

 Ingredients

• (1) 22 oz and (1) 10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 can of carrots (no juice)
• 1 tbs garlic powder (or more to taste)
• 1 tbs salt   (or more to taste)
• 1/4 cup spinach
• 17 oz package of pre made gnocchi
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1 chicken breast cubed   (optional)

                  * You can substitute a small can of cream of chicken for small cream of mushroom
* add other seasoning and ingredients to taste; I add salt and pepper

​ You will begin by pouring the cream of mushroom soup into the slow cooker. Then, fill the large soup can  with water and pour it into the slow cooker twice. Stir the soup until it is consistent.  Now, stir in the remaining ingredients.   If you want this meal quickly, put the slow cooker on high; otherwise put it on low and let it simmer for hours. (If you use raw chicken , it will take several hours to cook.)
 After the soup is cooked, I remove all except what I plan to eat that day from the baking dish and I let it cool in a bowl to prepare it for bagging. Bag the food in a freezer bag the sized bags needed to feed your household. Be sure to label the bag before you fill it with what it is and the date you are bagging it.
Enjoy!
​

I LOVE any type of organization because it helps so much. I have had a weekly meal planner on the refrigerator so that I can plan meals and list missing ingredients I need to buy for the meals. I also have a list of food in the freezer so I can plan meals.
Now that my children are older, we take turns making meals so that the responsibility doesn’t all fall on me (disabled mom). My family marks the meal planner with their name, what they plan to make, and what ingredients they may need to make it. Everyone has different cooking abilities so the meals vary greatly, and that’s fine.
What this does for me is not only self care and organizational but financial. It helps us not buy duplicate items, therefore saving money. If we do not have money to buy groceries, we can look at the the contents of the refrigerator and freezer and figure out what ingredients we have to make meals. 
When my family writes what they believe we need to buy, it’s like opening negotiations. I can search for the items they say they need or even suggest substitutions.

On my Patreon account, I have included a picture our weekly meal calendar as well as how I make it reusable. This post will be for my patrons only. My lowest tier is $3; please consider becoming a patron.

I wanted to clean out the closet where we keep our trashcan because it gets cluttered and dirty. I’ve shared my some natural cleaning recipes that I use previously but I thought I’d share what I did today.
It’s important to note that all of our floors are tile because they can come completely clean; with my allergies, that’s extremely important. However, I wouldn’t necessarily say tile and grout are easy to clean. Some people think cleaning tile is difficult and requires a lot of scrubbing. That’s not the case.
After I cleaned out all of the crud my family had been throwing on the floor in the closet, I mixed my go-to cleaner. I sprayed white vinegar all over the tile and grout on the floor then I sprinkled baking soda onto the grout lines. On a high-energy day, I’d use a retired toothbrush to gently rub the mixture into the grout but today I couldn’t do it. I let that sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. I wiped the mixture up with a warm rag and the closet floor was cleaned and deodorized.
 
Since I was in the mood to clean, I grabbed my metal trivets (for my pots) and the metal basket I use to drain greasy foods and I found a couple containers large enough to submerse the greasy parts. I filled then about three-fourths with water then I added about a half cup of white vinegar and a fourth cup of baking soda. I let that sit for about thirty minutes to an hour. The grease was visibly loosened and I used a nonabrasive scrubbing pad to remove the grease.
 
I’m not going to say it didn’t take energy because everything does, but it was easy and I didn’t have a chemical reaction so it was a win.

​I make smoothies for my family and myself often. None of these recipes are for weight loss or control, just condensed nutrition. I only prepare what can be eaten in a single sitting because in the refrigerator it may separate or get watery and in the freezer, it’ll get too hard. I freeze most of the ingredients so that I don’t have to worry about having fresh ingredients. This also means I don’t need ice to make the smoothies cold. I know many people hate spinach and kale. Believe me; you can’t taste it. A smoothie is a great opportunity to incorporate foods you hate to eat.
When I worked, I would prepare them at home and drink them over several hours or mix them in a single sized blender at school when I got up too early and didn’t want to disturb my family. (one note about the blender I’m recommending: I totally love it! The company sells individual parts if you lose the lid, want extra lids or break the cup)
 
Suggested Ingredients:
 
Some of my favorite ingredients are
•    Spinach or kale (fresh or frozen)
•    Orange/ Cranberry juice
•    Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
•    Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
•    Grapes (fresh or frozen)
•    Bananas (I use fresh out you can freeze bananas)
* all ingredients shouldn’t be frozen, it’s harder to blend
My only caution as someone with GERD, I’d watch the acidic products. You may want to substitute water or milk for the juice.


The amount of each ingredient really depends on how many servings you’re making. I use about ¼ or less liquid (I start with as little as possible and add if the ingredients won’t mix), ½ a banana for a single serving, a whole banana for more. I add all of the other ingredients to taste.
Always start by putting a liquid ingredient into the blender first. Chop large or harder ingredients before tossing them in.
Enjoy!
 
Variations and suggestion:
Try adding vegetables you don’t like; you won’t be able to taste them- avocado, cooked carrots or broccoli or sweet potatoes, etc.
Try adding different fruit; melons, pineapples or mangos, etc.

• some people add honey for extra sweetener
• for a sweeter smoothie, let your bananas get brown (over ripened)
• for a less sweet smoothie that still has the nutrition, use a greener banana
• you can add protein powder or flaxseed/ flaxseed oil 
• consider apple cider vinegar if you are trying to incorporate that into your diet
• add greek yogurt to get probiotics

 

I previously wrote about my love for bread and gave you an easy recipe. We don't always want out bread in plain, loaf form.  There so many things you can do with that recipe.

Before you begin, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a large baking sheet.

Bread Sticks I use the same recipe and I break off small pieces, roll them on a floured counter into tubular shapes, place these on a buttered or oiled baking sheet, then bake them.
The bread sticks can be served warm as is or you can rub melted butter or melted butter with herbs like garlic for extra flavor.
Dinner Rolls I break off small pieces of the bread from the recipe, roll them on a floured counter into tubular shapes then make a pretzel-like knot and then tuck the ends underneath, place these on a buttered or oiled baking sheet, then bake them.
The dinner rolls can be served warm as is or you can rub melted butter or melted butter with herbs like garlic for extra flavor.
Buns(for burgers or sandwiches) same recipe; I break off generous sized pieces, and follow the same process as I use for dinner rolls,
Hot Dog Buns same recipe; and I break off medium sized pieces, put them on a floured counter and shape them into round pieces (1" thick, 5"-6" in diameter), then fold them over. Place these on a buttered or oiled baking sheet, then bake them.

Obviously, since these are all different sizes so they require different baking times. They will need at least 10 minutes but you should watch them. After the first time, you'll know how long your oven will take to bake your desired breads.
​Enjoy finding new ways to use this bread recipe; I'll share more baking ideas with you soon!

I have some essentials that I must have on hand at all times so that I can prepare meals ahead of time. I have previously made a video about this but here are some of my essentials. This is a living list...

• Scissors dedicated to kitchen use
• Permanent Marker and Dry Erase Marker
• Plastic wrap and aluminum foil- For the obvious reasons but I use them in unconventional ways sometimes
• Freezer bags- Gallon and quart size (storage bags are not freezer bas)
• Storage bags- Gallon, quart, and snack size