Crockpot Potato Soup

This soup is so easy and delicious. The first thing my husband said after having it the first time was to definitely put this on the rotation! Although it IS a crockpot recipe, its one of the faster crockpot recipes out there. Which can be good for those days where you forget first thing in the morning to get the crockpot going!

Ingredients: 

1.5 bags frozen hashbrowns
32 oz chicken broth 
1 can cream of chicken soup
8oz light cream cheese
1 cup diced carrots
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup milk

Directions:

Dice your onion & carrots.

In a steamer add your carrots and onion until softened. You can also saute them in a little olive oil if you do not have a steamer.

Once softened add carrots, onion, garlic, chicken broth and frozen hashbrowns into the crockpot and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

After one hour, stir, and turn your crockpot to LOW and cook for 1 hour.

Cube your cream cheese so it melts a little easier, remove lid and add to crockpot. Add your frozen peas and cook for 30-40 minutes on low.

Add your cup of milk and let cook for an additional 15 minutes and your done!

Recipe! Burrito Bowls

Vegetarian Burrito Bowls

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans

1/2 can drained diced tomatoes

1 bell pepper diced

1/2 onion diced

6 snack size flour tortillas (or corn)

Pickled Jalapenos

1 cup cheese

1-2 cups cooked Spanish rice

Foil Pot Pan Pans

Chili Powder

Salt

Pepper

Optional:

Lime Juice

Avocado

Sour Cream

(ps. you can definitely add meat to this if you'd like)

Cook your rice. You can use the spanish or mexican rice packets from the grocery store as well.

Fill your foil bowls with the tortillas. I used the flour snack size tortillas because I despise corn. Seriously, they are dry and gross. Just sayin' ;)

Cook your bell pepper and onion with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with whatever seasonings you want, I used just garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. While you are doing this, pull out however many jalapenos you want, and chop those up a little.

In a bowl, literally mix everything together. Keep a small amount of cheese remaining to top the bowls with.

Fill the bowls with about 3/4 cup of filling. Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Top with whatever toppings you'd like, we squeezed a lime over each one and added a little sour cream and avocado.

Seriously, delicious!!

Update

So I have been neglecting this blog for quite some time now.

Trying to get pregnant has been put on hold. We stopped "trying" about 5 months ago or so. Now we are just going back to how it was before we started trying. Is there a chance I could get pregnant still? Sure, but it would be a MIRACLE if that happened!

Right now we are focusing more on loosing weight. I will post a couple pictures showing how far we have come. We are just about half way to where we want to be. Well for me a little more than half way, and for my husband a little less than half way.

In March I sprained my ankle SO SO SO bad. And I was laid up for quite a few weeks. Its still not 100% but I would say its maybe 75-85%. lol. I wonder if it will ever go back to normal. We have been focusing on eating healthier and working out. We have enjoyed walking/jogging our track in the backyard (4.5 times around is a mile, so we do anywhere from 2-3 miles a day) and I have been enjoying including some workout DVDs as well. We were doing great, thennnn in June we went on a little trip, I got out of my routine and have struggled getting back into it. But I will. This journey is a bunch of peaks and valleys. It wont be a straight shot. And thats fine. It took me a long time to gain the weight, its not going to go away in just a couple months. I actually don't know how much weight I have lost because we don't have a scale. But thats ok, its less pressure I think. Eventually we will buy one, but for now I just want to focus on making this a LIFESTYLE change, regardless of what the scale says.

We are still vegetarian (for all those doubted we could stick to it lol) and loving it more and more. I've never FELT better. I've found lots of new recipes, and am enjoying cooking even more. I will have to start doing recipe blogs again. Hopefully. lol.

In about a month it will have been a year since we moved to the ranch. I enjoy it, but its tiresome, and a lot of work. Especially now that its getting bloody hot again, by the time I do my chores outside and I come in, I'm SO done lol. My horse has been having lameness issues though so I haven't been able to ride her as much. Now she can only walk, which is ok, I just enjoying getting on her and walking around. My mom had back surgery a few months ago and cannot ride for at least a year. So Im in charge of riding/working her horse now. He is a pain in my side for sure. But he's getting better and listening to me more. He likes to push my buttons because Im NOT my mom. I started trail riding around town again. My horse is horrible on trail but my moms is doing pretty good! I havent gone out on the trail since I was probably 11-12. So its kind of nice to do it again!

My dad has been making horse shoe signs/animals the past few months and we originally had him list his stuff on my Etsy store.( www.etsy.com/shop/caseyleecrafts ). BUT, he stuff did SO well, we decided to make him his own store on Etsy ( www.etsy.com/shop/willcapps ) and its been going great! He has me in charge of taking pictures/listing/running the store because he said he just wants to make the stuff lol. :) Its been fun, and he gets a kick out of doing it. We have even gone to a few craft shows as well!

Vegetarian Chili Verde

If you like Mexican food...you HAVE TO MAKE THIS.

Not kidding.

Its so yummy!!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• One russet potato, peeled and diced
• One yam (red-skinned sweet potato), peeled diced
• Lots of large cloves garlic peeled and chopped (you know me and garlic, but you can put as much or as little as you'd like)
• 4 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
• 1 large poblano chiles (8 to 9 ounces), stemmed, seeded;  cut into 4 large strips
• 2 anaheim chiles, 1 diced, 1 cut into large strips
• 1-2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• .5-1 teaspoon cumin
•  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (you'll probably need more salt at the end so don't go crazy in the beginning with salt)
• One 28-ounce can hominy with juices
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• One 7-ounce can diced mild green chiles

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, potatoes, yams, garlic, tomatillos and poblanos. Cover and sweat until the onions are tender, stirring often, you dont want it to brown, but mine gets pretty juicy so you probably wont have to worry about that much, about 8 minutes. Mix in the oregano, flour, cumin,  and pepper. Add the hominy with the juices and the broth and bring the chili to a simmer.

Place the green chiles in a processor. Using tongs, transfer strips of the poblano chile from the pot to the processor; blend just until smooth. Scrape the chile sauce into the pot.

Cover and simmer the chili 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the potatoes and yams are tender and the chili is reduced to your desired consistency, stirring often. Make sure to taste it, because if its like mine, you'll definitely need a little more salt!

Once its where you'd like it to be, serve in bowls! No toppings necessary, but sour cream, cilantro, avocado, maybe a little lime would be great.

SUPER healthy and YUMMY!

Enjoy!

Boysenberry Bars

Boysenberry Bars~

These are SO easy and delicious! I've been making these for awhile now, and have used other jams but this so far is our favorite way to make them. :)

• 1 3/4 sticks salted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 12 oz (give or take) boysenberry jam (or your favorite kind!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular pan.

Mix together the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread with the strawberry preserves. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares. Keep an eye that they don't bake too quickly. Start checking at around 30 minutes. You definitely don't want these to burn! :)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4-6 Servings

This is one of my old recipes that I have replaced beef with veggie protein "meat". We honestly cannot tell the difference but you can definitely use ground beef or ground turkey for this recipe.

This recipe makes quite a bit of filling. We usually have left over filling we use for burritos for lunches because we only make 4 peppers, but if you probably used 6 it would fill all of them.

Ingredients:

4-6 Bell Peppers
1 package veggie protein meat (or 1 lb beef)
1/2 can corn
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1.5 cups cheese (cheddar or jack works well....even better both!)
1.5-2 cups cooked brown rice (you could also use white rice if you prefer)
Taco Seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Oregano
(notice I didn't put measurements on the spice because I just sprinkle them in until it has the flavor I'm looking for)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop your peppers in and boil for a couple minutes. Let aside to cool.

In a large pan, add your veggie protein (this is what I use, its our favorite!)

...or your meat. Along with the onions, and if you wanted to chop up the tops of the bell peppers after remove the stem add those in as well.

Let cook for a few minutes, and add your garlic, corn, tomato sauce and spices.

Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Add rice and cheese. Stir to combine. Keep a little cheese leftover to top your peppers with.

**the rice I use is trader joes frozen brown rice. They sell it in a box and I believe it comes with three seperate servings. It is the perfect amount for this recipe!

Once filling is combined, stuff your peppers.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove and top with remaining cheese. Let bake for another 5 minutes for cheese to melt.


Here is what it looks like cut in half!

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Enchiladas

So this is one of those recipes that you can mix up and make your own way. But I thought I'd share with you, MY way of making them.

I used to make chicken enchiladas, but since becoming vegetarian, I threw these together one night and we loved them MORE! But like I said, you could totally add chicken, or any other kind of meat you'd like.

Again, like I've said in other countless blog posts with my recipes, I hardly measure anything! But this is a very close estimate to what I did, you may want to add more or less!

Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup flour
large spoonful of tomato paste, probably a tablespoon and a half give or take
14.5 oz vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 or so tablespoons of sour cream

Enchiladas:
1.5 cups of pepper jack cheese
1.5 cups cheddar cheese
half a can of black beans
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
half can of corn
6 green onions thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic minced
7-8 flour tortillas (I can't stand corn tortillas but you can use those if you like them better!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan heat the olive oil and cumin, flour and tomato paste. Cook a few minutes, whisking.

Whisk in broth, spices and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Once it has thickened whisk in your sour cream. ***Let me just add, when I first made this sauce, it tasted "ok" but I didn't think we would like it very much. I believe its one of those sauces that doesn't taste that great by itself, but once its poured over the enchiladas, and baked, it is SO SO good!

Meanwhile, saute your bell pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.

Mix in a bowl all the filling ingredients, make note to only use 1 cup of each of the cheddar and jack cheese so your left with 1/2 cup of each cheese to top the enchiladas with.

Lightly spray your 9x13 baking dish with pam.

Heat tortillas in the microwave so they don't split when you fill and roll them.

Fill tortillas and place in your baking dish. Pour sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove and let cool for a few minutes.

I topped mine with some additional green onions, and served the enchiladas with some sliced cabbage and diced tomatoes from my garden!

Enjoy!

Ps. These are even better the next day!! :)

Teriyaki Noodles with Broccoli

Teriyaki Noodles with Broccoli-

So since becoming vegetarian, I have been trying new recipes, or changing up old ones. This is one of those I've changed up. Basically only omitting the chicken, and its still amazing! Its super simple and really yummy, so I thought I would share it with you all.

Ingredients:
1/2 box of rice noodles, linguine style
Teriyaki Sauce
Soy Sauce
Couple tablespoons of brown sugar
Peanut Oil
Vegetable Oil
Garlic
Fresh Broccoli (but frozen would work too!)

Ok, so you know me. I don't measure anything. I throw things together and taste as I go. :) So I will try to estimate for you, but I suggest you do the same. Have fun with your cooking, and experiment! For this I think sliced carrots would be fantastic, but I didn't have any at the time.

So basically get out your pot and cook the noodles as directed on the box.

Chop up the broccoli, and cook to your liking. The way I did it, was I chopped it up, and put it in a glass bowl with a little water at the bottom. Place plastic wrap on the top and let it steam to your desired texture. I like my broccoli pretty soft, so a few minutes.

In the wok, heat up about a teaspoon or so of each peanut and vegetable oil. Throw in your garlic. Then pour in your teriyaki sauce (maybe around a 1/2 cup), a few dashes of soy sauce and your brown sugar. Let it bubble up a bit and put in your broccoli. By this point your noodles should be done, then throw them in the wok as well, coat and cook for a few minutes.

And your done!

See? Super easy :) I served mine with some veggie eggrolls. You could also add chicken if you like, or tofu.

Sorry for the crappy iphone pictures, but I think you get the point. :)

RE Appointment & Experiencing Birth..in person!

So the 18th of January was my Reproductive Endocrinologist appointment. Since its been a crazy couple of days, I will try to recount the appointment as best as possible.

First thing that morning I RUSHED (and yes, sped a little bit,shh!) to the office to drop off the specimen for the semen analysis. Luckily I got there within 25 minutes, and they told me within an hour was perfect, so I felt good about that. I was so anxious but as soon as I dropped it off, I instantly felt more at ease knowing that part was over with.

After the appointment I went straight to one of my best friends house, Lauren, who had a prenatal appointment later that morning. She was 38 weeks pregnant with her little boy. I have been going to pretty much every appointment with her and we were in the home stretch which was pretty exciting. After her appointment we had lunch and just killed some time till my appointment, which I was grateful for because I knew I would be super anxious otherwise!

Time came for my appointment, and the first doctor I saw was the medical director of the facility. We went over my history, and after that she explained to me the semen analysis results...they were fantastic!! I was so relieved. One piece of the puzzle was solved. We discussed some treatment plans, and what might happen if they didn't work. From there, I spoke to another doctor. She was much more laid back and very funny. She explained to me that she wouldn't be surprised if I had Polycystic  Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The first doctor didn't mention that, so I'm hoping that isn't the case. Although, its been my suspicion for years, its just no doctor would ever take me seriously. I understand it won't be the end of the world if I DO have PCOS, but it will make conceiving THAT much more difficult.

Basically in summary they would like me to start taking Clomid. She said she would like to try that for 3-4 cycles to see if it works. No more than that because over time Clomid tends to thin out your uterine wall which she doesn't want to happen. I asked if I needed to have a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and she said not right now. If Louie happened to have had low sperm count or something was bad on his side, then she would recommend it, but since that isn't the case, and I was able to conceive in June naturally even though it ended in a loss she doesn't think I need it. BUT, if the fertility medications do not help and we have to move onto IUI or IVF then yes, a HSG will be done prior to those. I will be coming in on cycle day 3 or 4 to have some ultrasounds done in order to check out how everything looks. Even if I do happen to have PCOS, I will still be taking Clomid but they will also prescribe Metformin as well. Which I have been on in the past.

After speaking with her regarding treatment plans, I went to see a nurse who did blood work on me, which was to see my ovarian reserve. I should be getting those results in a few days.

Only problem that I discovered once I got home that night was next month, when all this is supposed to happen, I will be on a mini trip with my mom to Arizona...right when I'm in my fertile window. SO all of this might have to be postponed until March. Which is frustrating, but not the end of the world.

I felt really good about the appointment though. I was relieved that it began with good news. I am scared though. I just have this feeling that Clomid wont work. I have this feeling inside that its just not going to happen for us. Financially IVF is so out of reach right now, especially since our insurance basically covers NOTHING. But I'm trying not to get to ahead of myself. I will be praying and hoping that clomid works. I pray that will be the thing we will have needed all along. But it almost sounds too good to be true. That Clomid is too easy. Again, I'm trying NOT to have these thoughts, but when you have been trying for so many years, its hard not to feel that way.

The next evening, I got a phone call Lauren was getting really bad contractions, but they were so irregular we didn't think it could possibly be active labor yet. Turns out, they were! By the time she got to the hospital she was 6 cm! I rushed out of the house (around midnight, no sleep lol!) and drove the 45 minute drive, the whole time afraid I was going to miss the whole thing. Luckily, I didn't, and she hadn't progressed much since the phone call. She was in so much pain, and shortly after I arrived she got the epidural. I was able to watch it being done...and I totally cried. It looked so horrible, but she was so strong, and said it wasn't that bad. Scared me to death though. Not to long later they broke her water for her, and afterwards thanks to the epidural she was able to get some sleep. Unfortunately the rocking chair I was in, was not built for sleeping, so I couldn't get any sleep! They checked her a few hours later and she was 10 cm! She still felt nothing! The doctor came in, and within a few pushes baby Izzy made his appearance. I was so grateful and blessed to be with her and her boyfriend, during such a life changing moment for them. I was glad I was able to witness birth in person, instead of through a 30 minute TV show on TLC. lol! But at the same time...I won't lie, it scared me to death. It scared me so much, for when its me. I don't know how to explain it. Not that its changed my desire to become a mother by ANY means, but boy, it was definitely scary. I'm sure that by the time its me, the excitement to meet my child will overcome the fear of the changes my body is making and the pain associated with those changes.

Overall though, I was so happy to experience it with them, especially after anticipating his arrival for so long! :)

First family photo with baby Izzy

Chicken Taco Chili

This is a simple, easy, yummy crock pot dinner.

There really isn't any steps to show you. Basically you add them all to the crock pot and let it go! :)

Ingredients:

*1 onion, chopped
*1 16 oz can, rinsed black beans
*1 16 oz can, rinsed kidney beans
*8-10 oz tomato sauce
*1 package frozen corn kernels
*2 14.5 cans diced tomatoes with chilies
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1/2 tbsp cumin
*1 tbsp chilli powder
*Chicken breast (I just used one, but for every two people add another, so for 2 people one should be fine, for 4 people, add another chicken breast, or add 2 if you want a lot of chicken)
*Optional Toppings, Chopped Cilantro, Cheese, Sour Cream etc.

Combine onion, beans, tomato sauce, corn, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and spices in crock pot. Once combines set chicken on top. I also sprinkled the chicken with a little pepper and chilli powder.




Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for about 10 hours. Every crock pot is different, mine cooks fast, so if something says 6 hours, mine might only take 4-5. So just keep an eye on it. Once its done cooking, shred chicken and add it back to the crock pot and combine.

Taste the chilli and add salt if needed. Serve, and top with desired toppings! Enjoy!