Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

This is one of our all time favorite meals and one of the only ways my daughter will eat rice! Perfect for a busy day to throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning and it's ready at dinner time!

Photo found on Google...because my picture didn't turn out

Crockpot Cheese Chicken and Rice


4 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
garlic and onion powder to taste
3 chicken breasts (I usually toss mine in still partially frozen)


Put chicken in the crockpot and pour all soup on top. Sprinkle in garlic powder and onion powder to taste and stir it up. Put lid on crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. DO NOT STIR! It's ok if the sides look a little browned. When ready to serve pull out chicken breasts and shred; put back in pot and mix up. Serve over cooked rice.

This weeks menu

Here's this week's menu...a week late! I'm still going to post it because I've already written the recipe posts to go with it! Nothing like procrastination!

Monday
Breakfast- Cereal
Lunch- Grilled cheese
Dinner- Leftovers from Sunday


Tuesday

Breakfast- yogurt and toast

Lunch- Eating lunch out (we have a meeting to go to)

Dinner-Hamburger Steaks

Wednesday

Breakfast-Cinnamon Scones

Lunch- pb & j

Dinner- Pinto Beans, Mac & Cheese, Collards, Green Beans

Thursday

Breakfast- Smoothies

Lunch-Mac & Cheese

Dinner- Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Friday

Breakfast- Monkey Bread

Lunch- Hot Dogs

Dinner-Leftovers

Saturday

Breakfast- Cereal 

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Breakfast for Dinner

Sunday

Breakfast- Kids will eat a bowl of cereal or toast, Hubby and I have a muffin and coffee at church.

Lunch- Birthday Lunch for my daughter Molly at my Mom's house

Dinner- I usually don't cook Sunday nights.

Bama Steak Sandwiches

I love cheap and easy.............dinners! What's wrong with you people!?


Our homeschool group hosts a Mother's Night Out once a month and I am part of a Bunco group once a month, so I am always on the lookout for quick, easy dinners that the hubby can come home and serve to the family without fuss(and you know I didn't pay full price for it!) This recipe from Southern Plate fits that mold perfectly!

My interpretation of Bama Steak Sandwiches from Southern Plate(click the link to view Christy's step by step preparations and her recipe)

1 package Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Slow cooked roast beef

1/2 Cup Mozarella Cheese

2 tsp. Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3-4 Tablespoons Dale’s Sauce 

Po boy buns

Chop up meat and veggies. Heat skillet with olive oil. Saute onions and bell peppers until almost tender. Add meat and sauce to taste. Saute until liquid cooks off and veggies are tender with meat heated through. Place on buns with a little cheese and........hold on I'm wiping off the keyboard got a little drool on it........Eat!

Weekly Menu 2/14-2/20

Sick babies at my house today :( Hopefully it won't last long. 


Monday
Breakfast- Applesauce Bread
Lunch- ham & cheese sandwiches
Dinner- Hoppin' John


Tuesday

Breakfast- yogurt and fruit

Lunch- Grilled cheese

Dinner- Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Bama Steak Sandwiches

Wednesday

Breakfast-cereal

Lunch- pb & j

Dinner- Hamburger gravy and noodles

Thursday

Breakfast- Cinnamon Scones

Lunch-Chicken Nuggets

Dinner- Leftovers

Friday

Breakfast- Biscuits

Lunch- cheese roll ups

Dinner- Chicken Spaghetti

Saturday

Breakfast- Pancakes

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Home Group (I'm bringing green beans and Mac and cheese)

Sunday

Breakfast- Kids will eat a bowl of cereal or toast, Hubby and I have a muffin and coffee at church.

Stromboli and Everything Yeast Dough

We love pizza at my house. Matter of fact I think most of us could eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's just one problem pizza is expensive! Even the cheap pizza gets expensive when you are at the end of your two week pay period (can I get an Amen?!)


I've been playing around with making my own pizza dough for a few months. I've used boxed mixes, the bread machine and more. You name it and I've probably tried it. Finally I have found a fool proof recipe that turns out great every time and is super versatile. 


Next week I'm going to try making cinnamon rolls out of this dough!

Everything Yeast Dough


1 T. fast acting yeast (by my measurements 1 of the little pouches is equal to 1 T.)
2 1/2 c. flour (you could do a mix of whole wheat)
1 tsp. turbinado or regular sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water (I just let my tap run for a few minutes to get it nice and warm)


Mix the yeast with the water; mix all dry ingredients together. Stir in water until dough starts to come together. Dump onto floured surface and knead for just a few minutes until dough stays together well. Makes two small pizzas, or wrap small pieces around little smoked sausages or cut hot dogs, or cover with pepperoni and cheese then roll up jelly roll style to make a Stromboli or simply cut into strips for bread sticks.


For the Stromboli and bread sticks I slather the outside with butter when I pull it out of the oven and then sprinkle garlic sea salt and Parmesan cheese on top! YUM! Also, I don't put the pizza sauce on the inside. Instead I put it in a little bowl and serve it as a dipping sauce.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

My daughter Molly LOVES the vanilla bean scones from Starbucks (it's our guilty pleasure when we go and shop at Target!) but when you shop at Target as often as I do that $2 bucks starts adding up quickly. So I set out to make my own scones at home.


For the cost of three petite scones at Starbucks, I made a dozen!

Lemon Blueberry Scones


2 1/2 c. flour (you could use 50/50 whole wheat and white if you want)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. butter
3/4 c. half and half
zest of one lemon
1/2 c. blueberries (frozen works best)


In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients; cut in butter until it makes crumbs (like when you make a biscuit). Add half and half, lemon and blueberries.  Mix gently! Put contents on a floured surface and knead lightly until dough comes together. It will be flaky. Pat out until about an inch or so thick. Cut into triangles like a pizza. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned at 375 degrees. These freeze really well too. Freeze on cooking sheet before storing in a freezer bag.

Icing:

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. water (DO NOT USE MILK or you will have buttermilk!)

Mix the water in 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Spread on scones while still warm.

Dawn's Mac & Cheese

I usually promote saving money in any way shape or form, but this recipe is just too good to not pass along! My Mother in Law, Hope, makes possibly the world's BEST mac and cheese. It's not that boxed stuff that we get for $0.25 using our coupons, but it is wonderful, cheesy goodness that only a seasoned cook can make. I have that recipe and use it from time to time, BUT one night while eating with our dear friends, Will and Dawn, I was handed a plate full of what looked like my mother in law's mac and cheese. But I was wrong! It was much simpler and just as tasty!

This is my go to recipe for Sunday dinners and cookouts. 

Dawn's Mac and Cheese

2 1/2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp)
1 1/2 c. noodles, UNCOOKED
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use some non stick spray on a 8 x 8 baking dish. Layer the ingredients (3/4 c. noodles, 1 1/4 c. milk, 1 c. cheese, salt and pepper; repeat) Bake for 1 hour.

Double batch and bake in a 9 x 13 pan (trust they'll eat it all!)

Trust me! The noodles will be perfectly cooked and wonderfully cheesy!

Weekly Menu 2/7-2/13

This week is clean out the freezer and pantry week! I haven't been on any MAJOR shopping trips lately(I've stockpiled so much that I've just been having to run out for fresh fruit, milk and bread mostly) so I have a lot of odds and ends in my freezer and pantry, so the goal this week is to use up as much of these things as I can to make room for new stuff. 


Monday
Breakfast- Cinnamon Scones
Lunch- peanut butter and jelly
Dinner- Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken


Tuesday

Breakfast- Toast and yogurt

Lunch- Dawns Mac & Cheese

Dinner- Crescent City Pot Roast

Wednesday

Breakfast-Bagels and fruit

Lunch- leftovers

Dinner- BBQ Joint Chicken Stew

Thursday

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs & Turkey Bacon

Lunch-bagel pizzas

Dinner- Stromboli

Friday

Breakfast- Waffles

Lunch- Ham and Cheese sandwiches

Dinner- Nachoes

Saturday

Breakfast- Lemon Blueberry Scones

Lunch- ham and cheese

Dinner- Minestrone

Sunday

Breakfast- Kids will eat a bowl of cereal or toast, Hubby and I have a muffin and coffee at church.

Lunch- My Mom's birthday! Lunch at my Mom's with cake and ice cream!

Dinner- Usually don't cook Sunday nights.