Easy Crockpot Beef Vegetable Soup

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

I am always in a hurry so when a friend gave me this recipe that is so easy , I jumped on it. She got it out of a magazine but I don't remember which one. I didn't tell my husband the vegetables were canned so he wouldn't prejudge the meal  and he loved it and now I make it every fall and winter in my best friend the crockpot.  My picky eater kids  eat grilled cheese.   And if you don't know my secret of making a lot of grilled cheese at the same time then that is posted below too.  

Soup

1 lb gound beef, browned

1 qt of tomato juice

2 cans of mixed vegetables, drained

1 can of sliced potatoes, drained

Salt and pepper

Add all of it to the crockpot and cook on low all day about 8 hours. 

Grilled Cheese

Butter  bread on outsides. Slice Velveeta cheese in middle. Lay on cookie sheet. Cook in oven at 450 for 5 min, then flip and cook 2 min. This way you can make the whole family grilled cheese at the same time. 

Paula Deen Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

This is my favorite view. So in honor of a long holiday weekend this is  what I am posting lol! So  after a day of baseball I came home and was trying to decide on an easy recipe you guys could take to your friends house . Now I like easy but when I'm taking it to a friends cookout I also like to help her out by keeping it warm  so I put it in my best friend the crockpot. This recipe is a Paula Deen recipe  so you know it's good but it's also easy!   And if you manage to have any leftovers ( doubtful) then it reheats great the next day.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 T butter
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1/2 c sour cream
1 can of condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 c whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Boil macaroni. Drain.
2. In a medium saucepan , mix butter and cheese. Stir until cheese melts.
3. In slow cooker, combine cheese mixture and add the eggs , sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper. Add drained macaroni and stir again.
4. Cook on low 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Sports Momma Goddesses: 2 ingredient Yummy Pork Chops

Sports Momma Goddesses: 2 ingredient Yummy Pork Chops: Woohoo to the weekend! So since I am HOME today with shockingly NO baseball I am thinking how about an EASY meal but not a quick one today. ...

2 ingredient Yummy Pork Chops

Woohoo to the weekend! So since I am HOME today with shockingly NO baseball I am thinking how about an EASY meal but not a quick one today. Keep in mind it's still easy!

8 pork chops
32 oz ketchup
16 oz coke

Cover with ketchup. Add coke. Bake 350 for one hour. Turn and bake 400 for 20 minutes.

Sports Momma Goddesses: Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake

Sports Momma Goddesses: Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake: I have so much excitement going on right now. I have been introduced to THE best mascara in the history of mascara so I am now selling it ...

Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake

I have so much excitement going on right now. I have been introduced to THE best mascara in the history of mascara so I am now selling it along with other water proof, all natural products. (concealers, eye pigments, lip glosses) So I've been so busy with that I've been neglecting to make any deserts for my sweet family so here is one of their favs for you to try.

1 box of graham crackers
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
1 8 oz container Cool Whip
1 container of instant chocolate frosting.

Mix pudding according to directions. Combine with cool whip. Put 1 layer of graham crackers and then half of pudding mix. Then put one more layer of graham crackers  and remainder of pudding.  Then one final layer of graham crackers. Open the container of instant frosting and melt in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour over desert and refrigerate.  It's so easy and it makes a lot in a casserole dish to take with you to sports parties, family gatherings, and school functions.

https://www.youniqueproducts.com/MichelleJenkins/party/457250/view

Grocery University sale

You don’t have to bust your budget to feed your family! Enter Grocery University: a 2 hour, 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget, regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.
Money Saving Mom

She is offering a course you can listen to on how to save money on groceries starting at 5 am for a discounted price of 2.97 which I plan to purchase. So I thought I'd share the sale with my readers. If you are interested you can click on the little box that has the link to the site. At 8 am the price goes up a dollar and as the day progresses it will reach it's 9.97 retail price so act fast if you are interested. 
Sports Momma Goddesses

Best Crockpot Roast

Easy Delicious Potroast

A friend I worked with years ago gave me this recipe. It sounded so easy and I was a new cook so I made it. Years later, I've never found a pot roast recipe better.

1 packet of onion soup mix
2 cans of Golden Mushroom soup
1 can of water
3 lb sirloin tip roast

Mix ingredients and pour on top of roast. Cook in crockpot all day 10-12 hours. Gravy is best served with roast and mashed potatoes. Enjoy! Leftovers are great next day alone or on toast.

Super Easy Lunch and Dinner today

When you are a mom and when you have kids that play sports or have after school activities it sometimes feels like you are just trying to get thru the day and if you can get a meal in your kids belly before bedtime then we survived. My blog is about sharing easy ideas of how to get thru the days with easy tips and meals that still have you looking like a Goddess to your family.
None of these ideas will break the bank, break your back , or make you break a sweat.

Easylunchboxes.com is a site I discovered last year that sells compartment sized containers that remind me of Lunchables only bigger. I bought my boys the lunch boxes and containers last year and they loved having the different compartments for different foods. It made lunch more interesting for them and honestly it helped me to just put different healthy items in each compartment. ( although I have been known to sneak some chips or cookies in their occasionally). This year my kids have different lunch boxes but still use the same Tupperware containers from last year. I love I can put them in the dushwasher, I don't have to buy baggies, and when my kids beg for Lunchables I tell them I can make them their own Lunchables now.  And since the containers stack nicely on top of each other in the fridge, I can make them ahead of time so I am not running around crazy in the morning. This morning my kids were ready to go with a turkey sandwich, sunflower seeds, and fruit. One less thing to worry about today. So now I am off to put my meatballs in the crockpot for dinner.

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1/2 c ketchup
2 T soy sauce
3 cloves, garlic minced
1 28 oz bag of frozen fully cooked meatballs

Mix all ingredients except for meatballs in a bowl. Put meatballs in crockpot and pour sauce over them. Make sure meatballs are all evenly coated. Cook on low four hours. Serve as appetizer or as a meal with something on the side.

Best Crockpot Beef Tips

Do you ever have one of those days where you want to throw something lol?! We'll I think we all need to have one of these in our backyard for that stressful day! Here is an easy stress free recipe for your best friend The Crockpot.  Put this in first thing in the morning and have a yummy dinner waiting for you after work or baseball practice.


Best Beef Tips

1 lb stew meat
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
12 oz can of sprite

Cook in your crockpot for 8-10 hours. This serves 4. So you may have to double it since I usually do. Serve on egg noodles or rice with some rolls and salad.

Easy Butterfinger Pie

This is one of the easiest , most delicious pies if you love Butterfingers. People will think you worked for hours.

1 graham cracker pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, thawed
12 oz cool whip, thawed
7 Butterfinger candy bars , crushed (2.1oz)

Mix 6 crushed candy bars with cool whip and creme cheese. Put in crust. Top with crushed Butterfingers.

Quick dinner and Fundraising Thoughts on Next Years Travel ball World Series

So I haven't written in my blog since we had been out of town for the World Series. Now that I am back I wish that I had written about it every day because it is such a wonderful experience for your travel ball player. And to be honest I think the parents loved it just as much. Next year before it begins again I will be writing a lot of articles on how to be prepared for the World Series but today I'm just going to say that you need to be planning now. Be fundraising for it now. If it is out of town for you then you need to plan ahead so you can fund it. We had about 6 months of planning for it. We did car wash, Sonic cards, Logan's night, etc but the longer you have to fundraise for it the better chance you have of paying for an out of town trip. Our boys loved it and it was worth every penny we paid for it though. The experience they got from it not to mention the team bonding was extraordinary. And again, the parents getting to bond was special too.  The kids definitely made some great baseball memories.

After saying all that you can imagine I have not been to the grocery store yet so my "never fail" dinner tonight was nachos. I know I've said this before but if you are in a hurry to feed your family then always be prepared with some basics. Tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream and canned refried or black beans are always in my house. It's so easy and quick to make oven nachos. 350 on some aluminum foil on a cookie pan and your family has a quick dinner. Disclaimer: my husband did eat the leftover Chinese from last night while the kids and I ate these delicious nachos but when he does eat with us he adds hot sauce and jalapeños to his!

Easy Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and they are known for their delicious Italian Beef which you just can't find in the South. I looked everywhere for it and then everywhere for a great recipe like what I use to eat in Chicago at street fairs etc. This is the recipe I love. It is really a great recipe for the busy person to, since it cooks all day in the crockpot.

Italian Beef
3-4 lb sirloin tip roast
2 tsp salt, divided
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp Parmesan cheese, divided
12 oz can of beef broth
1 tsp dried oregano

1. Place roast in crockpot. Cut four slits in top of roast. Fill each slit with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp cheese.
2. Pour broth over meat slowly. Sprinkle with oregano.
3. Cover. Cook low 10-12 hrs
4. Remove meat and shred. Serve on buns . ( sometimes we add slice of Swiss cheese on top)

10 Things a travel baseball mom needs for a rainy day

1. Always bring your tent. The team tents have saved us parents when the kids are still playing in the rain. We tend to not think to bring the tent if it isn't hot or sunny. But if you think it'll rain then bring it for cover. Not only does it cover you but all your supplies too.

2. Dry socks. If you play more then one game you will need dry socks for your baseball player.  In between games have them take their socks off and air dry their feet. Even in the heat sometimes they need to change their socks. I've known moms to dry their kids socks in the car on the heater too. 

3. Slides or flip flops to wear in between the games while feet air dry.

4. Towel to wipe off bleachers

5. Blanket for bleachers. Thirty one makes a great blanket that rolls up small and tight that I love. It's waterproof on one side for the wet bleachers and soft on the other. 

6. Umbrella

7. Snacks for the long rain delays (grapes, peanut butter crackers, apples)

8. Baseball cap for you. Who needs soggy wet hair! 

9. Pay attention to what bag you carry that day. If it gets wet you want it to be material

that can handle getting wet.

10. Waterproof mascara! So if we forget any thing else we still look good Sports Momma Goddesses! 

The best Hash brown casserole

Since it is 4th of July weekend I am making my hash brown casserole to take to a cookout. I am always getting asked for this recipe so thought I'd post it today. It also makes a great breakfast to eat on for a few days. I don't always like leftovers microwaved but this one is just as great microwaved the next day.  So guess what my little baseball player is getting for breakfast this weekend before his tournament! Well of course that is if there are any leftovers which might not happen!

 

Hash brown Casserole

1 1/2 lb bag of frozen hashbrowns half thawed (I prefer the cubed)

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 c chopped onion or onion powder (which is what I normally use)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 Large sour cream

3 c cheddar cheese grated

1/4 tspn black pepper

1 tspn salt

A sleeve of Ritz Crackers crushed (put in a baggie, close it and crush them)

 

Mix onion, 1/4 c of butter, sour cream, cheese, soup, salt and pepper in large bowl. Fold potatoes into mixture. Put in a large casserole dish. Cover with the Ritz crackers. Drizzle other 1/4 cup of butter on top. Bake 350 for one hour.

 

 I prefer to cook this longer so I do the directions and then I turn the oven down to 200 and cover it with aluminum foil. I just leave it in the oven until I need it when we are cooking out at our house and my hubby is still grilling. If I am taking it somewhere I will turn it down to 200 and leave it in there for maybe 20-30 more minutes. It makes the potatoes softer. Either one you have time for is fine. I learned to do it this way since my hubby and I never get done cooking at the same time at cookouts. And I like the potatoes really soft.

 

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Mason Jar Salads

This idea is so cool for making a weeks worth of salads. You just take one day to make them in mason jars and put them in your fridge and when you want one up to a week later, just take it out of fridge, shake it up, and put it on a plate! How easy is that. I am so excited about this idea because my hubby is a big salad person and I am not. So this allows me to make him salads one night but last a week! 



In a mason jar:
Very important! Put on bottom of mason jar first your dressing, then

layer your carrots, onions, cucumbers, peppers , cheese. Whatever veggies you prefer on your salad. Then on top you put your lettuce or spinach. Place in fridge for up to a week!!!! 

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup (tastes like Demo's)

If you've ever had Demo's restaurants soup then you know how great it is. This recipe that my mother in law gave me tastes exactly like it and it is so easy. Just throw all the ingredients in a pot on the stove and simmer. I call my mother in law Martha Stewart because she is an amazing cook so if she tells me a recipe is good then I'm automatically impressed. And to find out you could get the same taste with canned chicken was a wonderful surprise. I've made this over and over again. Make this for your family with rolls and salad. It'll look like you cooked all night.


Bring 3 c of water to a boil. Add 1 3/4 c of minute rice, let stand 5 min.
Add to rice :
2 1/2 c of water
30 oz of chicken broth
20 oz cream of chicken soup
4 T lemon juice
1 stick of butter
1 T parsley flakes
1 can of white chicken breast meat
Salt and pepper to taste
Add onion powder and garlic powder ( or sauté an onion with 3 cloves of garlic)

Simmer for 20 min.

Quick breakfast for baseball mornings

Early games need easy breakfasts. One of my family's favorite breakfasts is banana bread.  This is the best banana bread I have ever had. Moist and delicious. A friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago after I begged her. Make this the night before and serve it the morning of baseball with some fruit. I microwave it for a few seconds with some butter smeared on top. And if you are feeling really motivated then scramble some eggs in the microwave too.

Banana Bread

3-4 bananas
1 tspn vanilla
1 tspn baking soda
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c flour
2 eggs
1 stick butter

Chop up bananas and put all ingredients in a large bowl. Soften the butter in the microwave. Use mixer to mix all of the ingredients together. Do not over mix. Pour into greased bread pan. Bake 350 for one hour.

Things you need for hot baseball tournaments

I read on anything that I want to learn to get better about. I especially love to find ideas on how to save time and make life easier. That is why I started this blog. We can learn so much from one another on what makes life easier.  I am loving the great ideas my fellow team moms are sharing with me on what has helped them to get thru sports and make their life easier. One of the ideas that I have seen at the ballpark when you are going to be there all day is the wagon. We parents spend all day at the ballpark with these travel tournaments so we need to be prepared with our chairs, cooler, snacks, Frogg Togg cooling towels, etc. Bringing a wagon to pull all this stuff for you to the ballpark is a great help to parents. I also recommend highly the coolers that have wheels. Pack them with waters and fruit for your kids. Fruit is the best snack for the ballpark. Sliced apples, grapes, strawberries are all good examples of stuff we share with the kids in our dugouts in between the games to give them a lift. The Frogg Togg cooling towels can be found at Walmart or any sports store. Wet it and it cools off your child during dugout time. They are a life saver and I recommend them for the parents too. I wear mine when I help in the dugout or even when I am sitting on the sidelines watching three games in one day. We put a 2oz bottle of spirits of ammonia in a cooler with cold water and our cooling towels. When the kids are in the dugout they put the towels on their necks, take off hats and drink water from a separate water cooler. Asthmatics are not recommended to use this though. Read the bottle for specifics. And don't forget to bring tents to put over the bleachers during the games and the team in between the games.

Easy Bacon, Egg, Cheese biscuits

These are so good and if you just take the time to make these
one Sunday night you aren't busy you will be set on a future quick breakfast.  I make enough that we eat on them for a few days and then I freeze the rest to pull out of the freezer when I don't have the time to make these. In all honesty I can't even find time to post pictures with my blog posts yet!

Bake your biscuits. I like the frozen Pilsbury Grands.

Make your bacon.

Here's the trick....Spray a 12 cupcake muffin tin with spray vegetable oil( I love the silicone type. They have saved me from the eggs sticking to the cupcake tins. Big time saver on clean up because the egg just slides out of tin). Crack an egg in each muffin slot and lightly mix it in the tin a little. Bake 350 for 20 min.

Now put it all together on the biscuit and add some cheese. I prefer shredded cheddar sprinkled in them. Eat right away or let cool and wrap in plastic wrap to put in fridge. The next day you can just take them out of plastic wrap and microwave them for a minute.

If you freeze them, wrap separately in aluminum foil and put them in a freezer bag. l prefer to take them out of freezer the night before a game to thaw and then cook in oven for about 25 minutes.

These made ahead on a day you have time will save you the morning you have to be at the ball park super early!

Easy Enchilada Casserole

Enchilada casserole is one of my husbands favorite meals and it makes a lot so you can eat on it for a few days. It warms up great in the microwave too. I think its even better the second day too.  One of the tricks to having dinner ready on a crazy hurried night is by cooking on a "non" sports night and then having leftovers to eat the next night when you are in a hurry to get to ball. We just ate on the tuna casserole and the lasagna leftovers for the last few days. I will post the lasagna recipe in the future for one of those "non"sports nights when you have the time to make it. Its time consuming but it is the best lasagna I've ever had and like I said you can eat on it for a few days.

This recipe can be made so many different ways with whatever you have on hand. I've made it with ground beef or chicken also. If you use the ground beef though be sure to add 1 tspn salt to the pound of ground beef. And if you use the chicken you can use 2-3 cooked chicken breasts. (I've also used a large can of chicken)

Hubby's favorite Enchilada Casserole

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can of refried beans
2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
1 can of enchilada sauce 14oz (I prefer red)
12 small flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375. Mix enchilada sauce with the black beans in a bowl. Put a half of a cup of the refried beans on bottom of 13x9 dish. Arrange 3 tortillas in a layer, top with 1/3 of the refried beans, top with the black beans, then the cheese. Repeat twice more. Tear remaining tortillas and sprinkle on top. Sprinkle cheese on top of this. Bake 20min till bubbly. Serve with sour cream on top. Hubby likes hot sauce on his.
6-8 servings

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

If you want to be prepared for dinner, put this in the crockpot before work. It is delicious and easy and I always get compliments for it when I cook it for friends, family, teacher luncheons and church.

Can of rotel
Can of corn
Can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 frozen chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet of ranch dressing
1 T cumin
1 tspn onion powder
1 tspn chili powder

Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook 8hrs on low. Shred chicken and enjoy!

For those of you with picky eaters like me, add an extra chicken breast or two to the recipe. When it is done take out the extra chicken breasts first and shred separately to serve to your picky eaters. Then shred the rest of chicken in the crockpot with your ingredients and serve that with some bread and salad.

What to do with your kids game balls that is EASY

I love to write and since I live baseball on an almost daily basis I thought that should be what I write about. This is my basis for starting this new blog. To be my outlet to write and my way to share the recipes my baseball mommas ask for at the same time!  My baseball moms and I are always talking about how busy we are and how we can hardly find time to cook dinner so this blog is going to be about helping other sports mommas. I am not the expert on the subject but I have some ideas that work for me. And I am constantly learning from my baseball mommas.

To start you off on a baseball idea go to my other blog site makingmylifeeasier.blogspot.com and see how I took my sons game balls and turned them into a part of their room rather then an eyesore.  It  is an EASY (this is going to be the whole point of this site mommas) way to take those game balls your kids keep earning and put them to use. There are also some easy recipes on there.

Join me back here tomorrow for the beginning of Sports Momma Goddesses.

THE BEST Potato Soup (tastes like Outbacks)

1 30 oz bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pckg crème cheese

In a crockpot, combine everything except for the crème cheese.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low.  One hour before serving , add the crème cheese and heat thru. 

Quick dinner before practice

So I was racing home today to get my kids fed before baseball. I needed a QUICK meal to make the hubs happy. Looking into my pantry I see a can of tuna fish. Ok that's what I am working with.

Easy Tuna Casserole

large can of tuna fish 9 oz ( I prefer albacore)
can of cream of chicken soup
1 c cheddar cheese

Boil 3 cups of macaroni noodles by directions on box. Mix in a 13x9 pan with the soup, tuna and cheese. Crush up Cheese-Its crackers and layer on top of casserole. Bake 25minutes at 350. Serve with can of peas on the side if your kids hate them like mine !

All American Chili-dogs

So this is what I had planned for dinner for tonight before baseball practice got rained out. I give credit to e-meals for the recipe. If you haven't tried them they are great and save you time too because they give you your recipes for the week with your grocery list and you pull it up on your iPhone while you shop. You click the recipes you don't like off the grocery list and it will automatically take the ingredients for that particular recipe off of your grocery list for you. It saves me time and money since I only buy what I go to the store for that is on my grocery list and you can pick a list also that tells you the menus by the sales that week and tells you how much you are spending total. Go to e-meals.com for more information. And no I am not getting paid to say that.  I do recommend buying the groupon for it though if you decide to use it so that you end up only paying $3 a month for it for the year but you have to catch it when the groupon comes out.

 All American Chili-dogs
Serve with coleslaw and baked beans

2 cans of chili
1 can of cheese soup
1/4 cup chopped finely onions
8 count hotdogs
8 count buns
1 cup chopped tortilla chips
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
condiments

Stir together chili, cheese soup and onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook 10min until heated thru.

Add hot dogs and simmer 10minutes.

Heat buns according to package if desired.

Place hot dogs in buns and top with chili, cheese, crushed tortilla chips.

Easy Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Ok friends, crockpot cooking has saved me many days in the "getting dinner on the table before baseball" department. So I am going to share some of my easy yummy meals. For those of you who have "meat and potato" husbands like me, make a salad and some crescent rolls. I prefer the bags of salad you just add a chopped up red pepper, onion and cheese to when they go on sale. And I don't think you can have kids much pickier then mine and they love this recipe too. I do have to serve the noodles on one side of the plate buttered and the meat on the other side of the plate for the kids but don't judge. LOL.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
1 can French onion soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 bag egg noodles

Combine beef and soups in crockpot. Cook on low 8 hours. Stir in sour cream right before serving over noodles.

Quick meal ideas for the hurried Mom

All of us sports moms are running around trying to get the kids ready for practice. Do they have their bat bags in the correct car? Do they have their cleats tied? Did they grab a bottle of water? Sports glasses? Check. So dinner is just one more thing to add to the stress. But I am going to give you a quick list of ideas that you can tape on your refrigerator like I have to remind you on those hectic days what to make in a snap.  In the days to come I will give you some fancier meals that even your husbands will be impressed by but this article is about FAST and easy.

1. Grilled cheese with fruit
2. Egg salad sandwich
3. Cheese quesadilla (or with beans)
4. PBJ (hey they got food in their belly right)
5. Can of tomato soup or noodle soup
6. Frozen fish sticks
7. Hot dog with fruit
8. Tuna fish sandwich
9. Lunch meat sandwich (I prefer to grill them like a grill cheese)
10. Fried bologna sandwich
I serve almost anything with applesauce or yogurt if I am in a hurry also and don't have time to cut up fruit.