Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

This is a recipe I came up with after the family started complaining of too many slow cooker chicken dishes.

{Which, BTW, I feel is not even possible!}

Anyhow, it may not look that pretty, but it tastes GREAT, is easy to make, and easy on the budget, too!

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
2 Lbs. Pork Chops (I use boneless loin, but you can use which ever cut you like) 
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 can condensed french onion soup
1/2 C. Water
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C. All Purpose Flour

Place pork chops in the bottom of your slow cooker. 

 In a large bowl, combine both cans of soup, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Pour over the pork chops and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until pork chops are tender.

Remove the chops from the liquid and set aside.  Stir flour into hot liquid.  (I temper mine but mixing some of the hot liquid with the flour in a bowl or cup and then adding that mixture into the rest of the liquid in the slow cooker.  It just assures I will have less lumpy gravy...).

Set the slow cooker to high and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until gravy thickens.  Add the Pork Chops back into the slow cooker and serve.

We like ours with mashed potatoes or stuffing, (because the mushroom gravy is really good over them!), but I think they would be good with rice or noodles as well. 

I hope you enjoy this super easy and super tasty recipe!

I will be linking up with We Are THAT Family for Work For Me Wednesday.  Be surew to check it out!

Things I Learn From Reality TV

As you all know, I am a reality show junkie.

My husband may say that it's all trash, (and he may be right...), but I think I actually learn a lot from these shows. 

So today, I am sharing some of my reality-show-found-wisdom with you.

No thanks required :)

10.  Spray tans don't look good on anyone.  If you think they make you look good, you're kidding yourself.  You look orange.  And nobody is fooled.  It's winter.  In Michigan. The jig is up.

9.  Giving Yourself A Nickname Isn't Cool.  In fact, names like "The Situation" and "JWOW" just make you sound ridiculous.  And if you must give yourself a name, make it something that actually describes you, like "No Class Jenny" or "Drunk and Dumb Mike".

8.  Lots of Women Call Themselves Housewives, and they Aren't Even Married.  It's weird because 'wife' is even in the title, but somehow, some women don't seem to catch on...

7.  Who Needs Talent?  All you need to be famous is a naughty little video tape and rich parents!  In fact, after your infamous tape, your whole family can be reality TV stars!  It really is the land where anything is possible...

6.  Teach your boys that life is about more than GTL.  If you don't know what that means, good for you!  You just earned several points in my book.  Unfortunately, I do know what it means.  It's Gym, Tan, Laundry.  Apparently, to lots of young men, this is a productive day.

5.  Getting Married After Three Weeks Isn't A Good Idea.  Imagine if your daughter came home and said she met a hot guy a few weeks ago, and while he was dating her, he was also dating twenty other women.  But now, after lots of drinking, group dates and spending a night in a 'fantasy suite', he's chosen her, so they're getting married.  Nope, doesn't sound good now, huh?

4.  Mob Life Isn't What We Thought.  We all watched movies like The Godfather and GoodFella's and thought that Mob life looked kind of glamorous.  But apparently, being a Mob Wife just means you like to drink, curse and fight.  We have another name for that in the Midwest.  It's called white trash.  (was that over the line?...)

3.  If You Go On A Show Called 'Survivor', You Might Want To Know A Little Bit About Surviving.  At least learn to build a fire.  Surely they had *some* warning that they were going to be on the show...

2.  I Could Never Be A Sister Wife.  I mean, all that help with the kids, cooking, etc. sounds great.  But if 'sister' wants to join my husband in bed, we're gonna have issues.

1.  Pay For College!  If I've learned anything from Reality TV, it's that I don't want my daughter's on it!

Hope you enjoyed Today's Top Tuesday :)  Hop on Over to Many Little Blessings and check out all the other Top Ten's from Today!

Is Your Baby Keeping You Awake?

I have lots of friends who have babies. 

We are past that point, (our girls are 8 and 5), but I remember just how hard those days were.

Little sleep, no free time, lots of crying.  And that was a good day.

Often, I find myself encouraging these young moms that even though it seems like this time will never end, it will.

But I know that for those in the thick of it, it is hard to imagine. 

And one of the very hardest things is the lack of sleep.  Simply put, it makes everything ten times worse.  But how do you get around it?  How do you get baby to sleep?

First, let me say that there is no easy solution that will take in one easy step.  It's going to take work.  Both on your part, and on your baby's.

But we did have success.  Addy was sleeping through the night at five weeks and soothing herself back to sleep when she would wake up in the night! 

Here's how we did it:

Someone had given me the 'On Becoming Baby Wise' book when I was pregnant.  I knew it was a controversial book, but decided to read it anyhow.

Basically, the Baby Wise method is one in which parents direct the baby's sleep, eat and play pattern.  For example, baby's generally like to fall asleep while eating.  Once asleep, they wake to either a) eat, or b) play.  Once baby is fed again, he/she will return to sleep.  The problem is that if a baby falls asleep before finishing, they are likely to wake from hunger, which means that they are not getting the amount of sleep they need, which will lead to a fussy baby.

Using the Baby Wise method, a baby would sleep, then when they wake, they would have a feeding time.  You would continue to try and keep the baby awake during the entire feeding time, (even waking them if necessary), and then having play time, (again, keeping them awake).   Once it is time for sleep, the parent would put the baby in the crib AWAKE.  This way, babies learn to put themselves to sleep. 

Now, I know what you're thinking.  "My baby would scream his/her head off".  And you're right.  Most babies don't take well to this in the beginning.  And it's even harder for mom and dad.  But by allowing baby to cry, you teach them to self soothe. 

Now you're beginning to see the controversial part, right?

Please hear me when I say that I know this method is not right for everyone! 

But some moms, (and dad's), are dying from lack of sleep.  And this just might be the answer they're looking for.

And you can't be afraid to take the method and adjust it to make it work for your needs.

Our oldest, Addy, took very quickly to the process.  But Faith was different.  They both shared a room and it was hard for me to allow her to cry for too long because I didn't want her to wake up her sister.  So, instead, I did a modified method.  I would allow her to cry for a little while, (maybe 10 minutes), and then get her up, soothe her, but NOT allow her to fall asleep in my arms, and place her back into her crib awake.  It took longer, but eventually she got it.

And we got sleep.  Much needed sleep.

If you want to know more about the Baby Wise method, you can check out the Parent-Wise Solutions site, or a great blog that helps parents with the method, Chronicles Of A Babywise Mom.

Are you a Mom or Dad struggling to get your baby/toddler to sleep?  Or do you have a great method to share?  Please comment and tell us your story!

White Bean, Chicken and Sausage Soup

I have this thing for soups.  I can't get enough of them!  And there are so many different kinds, which is nice because I can eat them all the time and not feel like I'm eating the same ones.

Plus, they're a great go-to for simple family meals. (And they Freeze well!)

One of my favorite things to do is find a base recipe I like, and experiment with it until I get something I LOVE.

Today I want to share a recipe I did just that with!

I found a recipe for a sausage and spinach stew on Pinterest.  I made it and it was good, but I knew I could do more to make it my own...something that would be more to my family's liking.

I hope you'll try it and tell me what you think.  And don't be afraid to make your own changes too!

Ingredients:

3 cans (15 oz.) of Great White Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5oz.) of diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken broth
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Place the chicken breast (I used frozen), in the bottom of your crock pot.  Place beans, tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and smoked sausage on top.

 Pour chicken broth over the mixture and cook over low for 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

 Remove chicken breasts and shred and then return to crock pot.  Stir and allow mixture to simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

I serve mine with hot, crusty bread for a complete meal.  You'll notice that there was no spinach in this recipe.  My kids didn't like the texture of it in soup.  But I must say, if I were making it just for me, I would definitely add the spinach again!  And the next time I make it, I may try sneaking some other veggies like carrots and celery in just so my kids get some extra.  And if you like some heat, try adding some red pepper flakes or using a hotter sausage as well.  I would love extra heat, but my family isn't a fan...

NOTE:  If you are not a fan of canned beans or tomatoes, you can use raw.  Just be sure to soak your bean overnight before cooking, and you will have to adjust the cooking time because raw beans take MUCH longer to cook.  And I would wait to add fresh tomatoes until just before the soup is done because otherwise they will pretty much cook away. 

Do you have a favorite soup?  Let us know what it is!!

School Shootings And Violence: The Difference You Can Make Right Now

On Monday morning, here in Ohio, a teenager walked into school and started shooting.  Two are dead and others are wounded.
Some say the boy was bullied, others say that he was just "different".

But was that his only option?

When I was in school, kids bullied each other, teased one another and were cruel.  Very cruel.

But it certainly did not justify killing anyone.

And believe me when I say that I know bullying has gone to a whole new level these days.  It starts much younger and can be done in ways that were not an issue when I was younger.

But what is it that makes a kid think that the answer is to start shooting people?

As parents, we need to say ENOUGH!

We need to stop exposing kids to such extreme violence on TV, movies and video games.  Even if you think your kid can handle it!  It's not for kids.  And you might not see the effects now...it might be when it's too late.

And we need to teach our kids the value of a life.  Every life.  Even the people you don't know.  Even the people who hurt you or are unkind. 

We need to teach our kids about kindness and compassion.  Be an example of that to them.  Teach them to treat people with respect and dignity, and make sure they do. 

Talk about forgiveness in your homes.  No one is perfect.  We all make mistakes and wish we could take back things we said or did.  Start by asking your kids for forgiveness when you do something wrong.

Have conversations with kids about how they feel.  Boys too!  Make sure they know that their feelings are important and that it's okay to talk about it.

And keep your eyes and ears open.  If you see a kid who's struggling, help them!  Not every kid comes from a caring family.  Not every kid has a listening and empathetic ear at home.  As people who do care, we are going to need to start adopting those kids into our families.  And I'm not talking about legal adoption.  I'm talking about caring for them.  Having them in your home for dinner.  Helping them with homework.  Asking them about their life.  Be the difference for them! 

Because this is happening too often.  Too many kids are going off the deep end because apparently, they feel like that's their only option.  We have to help them from getting to that point.

All the families affected are in my prayers, and I hope you will join me in praying for them, as well as praying that schools, families and communities start to address these issues in a way that gives kids another way to deal with their feelings. 

If you are interested in talking with your kids about bullying and violence in schools, here are some resources for you:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/bullies.html#

http://www.stopbullying.gov/teens/being_bullied/index.html

http://howtodealwithbullies.com/

http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/index.html

http://teenshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/bullying/school_violence.html

http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/may_2011/school_violence

I will be linking up with We Are THAT Family for WFMW. 

Top Ten Brands That Rock!

Yesterday I mentioned that we had some AMAZING Sponsors at Blissdom.  Today, I want to share some of them with you!  Happy Top Ten Tuesday!!

10.  Chobani Champions!  I spoke about these in last week's TILT post, but they also happened to be a sponsor this week.  If you haven't gotten them for your kids yet, you're missing out!

9.  V8!  I got to try some of the V8 Fusion smoothies and also the new V8 Fusion Energy Drinks.  They were delicious and the Energy drinks only have 50 calories!

8.  GoGo Squeez!  Have you seen these super cute pouches of applesauce that kids can eat on the go?  They are perfect for lunch boxes, to store in your purse for emergency snacks and for home.  They have a variety of flavors, are 100% fruit, are gluten, dairy and nut-free, and have no preservatives, artificial flavors or refined sugar!

7.  OWN!  Wondering what happened to Oprah?  She's on her OWN channel.  We got a special preview of one of the new episodes of Oprah's Next Chapter and it was really good.  It's fun to see a different, and more casual side of Oprah outside the studio.

6.  De Wafflebakkers!  I got a chance to try some of the product and they were yummy!  My favorite is the blueberry and they use real Wild Maine Blueberries.  If you see these at the store, be sure to give them a try for a lighter and yummier pancake and waffle.

5.  Lisa Leonard Designs!  I was soooo excited to get to buy one of Lisa Leonared's necklaces while I was at Blissdom!!  They are gorgeous and unique.  Make sure you head over to her site and have a look around.  Her items are perfect for Mother's Day, Birthday's and any other gift giving occasion.

4.  Hallmark!  Everyone needs to hear something from you.  Happy Birthday?  I'm Sorry?  Glad You're My Friend?  No matter what you need to say, Hallmark can help. 

3.  Hershey's!  Ummm, it's chocolate.  The creamiest, yummiest, and most perfect chocolate.  Everyone loves Hershey's and be sure to stay tuned because I will be doing a Hershey's Easter Basket Giveaway soon!

2.  Famous Footwear!  I LOOOOVE shoes, so it's no surprise that this sponsor was one of my favorites.  Plus, they gave each of us a free pair of super cute shoes, so they pretty much have a special place in my heart now.

1.  ConAgra Foods!  ConAgra are the foods you love, like Hunts, Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee, Swiss Miss and More.  Plus, they are helping to stop Child Hunger with the Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign.  You can't NOT love a company that wants to help children in need!!  Be sure to check it out and see how you can help!

PLEASE check out these great sponsors and give them your support! 

I am linking up with OH Amanda and Many Little Blesings  for Top Ten Tuesday.  Be sure to check them out as well!

Oscars? What Oscars??

I know everyone is talking about The Oscars, but since I didn't get to see them, (yet-I have it recorded and will watch when I have spare time. That should be sometime around 2014...), I won't be talking about who wore what, the speeches, who did/didn't win, or the parties.

What I WILL be talking about are the real stars I met this past weekend.

As if you didn't already know, I went to Blissdom this past weekend. (Actually, I was there from Wednesday night until yesterday!). And oh was it ever blissful!

The weekend was packed full of freebies, (thanks to all the sponsors! I will be posting about them tomorrow!), networking, workshops, and parties!

On Friday, there was even a concert! Joe Jonas opened and then we got to see Rascal Flatts! I was right up front, and it was Spectacular! The best part was that the group was even nicer than they seem on stage/TV. I got a big hug from the lead singer and they really make every fan feel like family.

But when I say real stars, they're not even who I'm talking about. The real stars were all the amazing women I met at Blissdom. These are women just like you and I who are using their voice to change the world, one blog post at a time. Sure, we may not be writing life changing posts every single day, but we are sharing our lives with you. And we are showing the world that women have an influence.

Some of these women are using their influence to raise money for starving children. Some are using their influence to help moms struggling in their everyday life. Some are using theirs to help other women feel better about themselves. And others are using theirs to change the way America looks at food.

There are so many ways that these women are changing the way we do life, that I could literally write about it all day and still not touch the surface.

Over the next few weeks, (which may turn into months...), I will be introducing you to some of the beautiful blogger gals that I had the privilege to get to know at Blissdom. I know you will love them as much as I do!

Now, here are some pictures from my Ultra Fabulous Weekend!

The lead singer of Rascal Flatts

The 'Florida Girls'...SequinstoSippyCups and AllinaDayBlog

I actually met another blogger girl named Riki...CrazyforaDeal

This is what Blogger Chicks do when we get back to our room at night...Blog :)

Lindsay from The Pleated Poppy.  Can you tell I'm like a little excited? :)

The BlissChicks!  Paula Bruno, Allison Worthington and Barbara Jones

Recognize this sweet gal from Pinterest?  If you don't. click here and I'm sure you will!