Easy Chicken Crockpot Recipe

Hello.

Time for a tasty crock pot recipe that s super easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand! A super yummy chicken thigh and rice casserole :) Easy to put together quickly before you leave the house and you return with the generous aroma of deliciousness!

Just a quick note: I generally will buy meats from the market on "managers special". They are usually large packaged items, like 12 pack of drum sticks, etc. Now, my family can't eat 12 drum sticks in one dinner so I divide the package into 2 - 3 dinners and then freeze ;) A good tip I'm sure many of you already practice.

In this case, I had some left over chicken thighs :) Talk about YUM! Savory dark chicken meat coupled with this recipe - you'll think Thanksgiving arrived early :)

Here's what you'll need for this feast:

3-4 chicken thighs (or 1-2 breasts)

1 1/3 cups white long grain rice

1 1/2 celery sticks

1 medium onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 3/4 cups of water

2 spoonfuls of pre-chopped garlic (or two cloves; not pictured)

2 chicken bouillon cubes (not pictured)

salt and pepper to taste

All-Purpose Seasoning

First, chop up your onion.

Then your celery sticks.

Add your garlic to the mix.

Throw into the crock-pot. Measure out your rice and add.

Measure out the water and add as well.

Then add the can of mushroom soup.

Give it a good stir and throw in the chicken bouillon cubes.

Nestle the chicken thighs (or breasts) into the pot and season generously with salt and pepper and some All-Purpose Seasoning ;)

Set on low for 4-6 hours ;)

When dinner time came around, we were all so hungry, I didn't even get a picture of the finished dish! A great side for this meal? How about some saute'd cabbage? Super simple too.

Chop a quarter head of cabbage and saute in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil over medium heat with salt and pepper.

My husband loves this side dish and was super satisfied with this meal :)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Ginger

I will be linking to these awesome parties!

DIY All-Natural Lotions and Salt Scrub

Hello.

A good friend has been ill :( so in addition to several meals for her and her family, I decided to make her some all-natural lotions and a salt scrub using essential oils. I've used essential oils before here. In addition, I've made sugar scrubs, fever reducers, and mixes for colic.

I love essential oils for so many reasons. One of the top reasons is they just plain do the trick with several medical conditions. I've used essential oils in my home, with my family, from headaches or cuts all the way to anxiety and Bacterial Cellulitis.

They work. Period.

So whenever a baby shower comes up, or there is an illness in the family, I ALWAYS whip up some essential love :)

Here are the essential oils I used in today's recipes. Most of these are from Young Living, but I actually buy essential oils from the drug store as well. They work just as well and are less expensive. I will also have links below for these oil blends on Amazon ;)

Stress Away is just that. An essential oil blend that provides a general calming effect. It also helps with anxiety, ADD, and ADHD. Find the same blend here.

Lavender is a great, go-to oil. I'll put it on the kids scraps and blisters. Also very calming. You can find it is most drug stores or here.

I love Joy! I use it in my air diffuser all the time. I usually pair it with lemon or orange for a happy and uplifting scent :) Find a similar blend here.

Same with Purification. A cleansing scent and it's good for your skin. Find a similar blend here.

I've done some research and have not found a similar blend for Young Living's Family oil blend. However, any blend that promotes uplifting moods, acceptance and is anti-negative thought would work just fine :) See the three previous oils! LOL

Thrive is a blend that I picked up at CVS drug store (among others). It is a great cleansing oil with a pleasant lemon-y fresh scent. Good for skin, for purifying the air and for teas. You can find it here.

So on the recipes! Here is what you need to get started:

Essential oils of your preference

Metal tins (I got mine at the Dollar Tree. You could also use glass jars)

glass bowl and spoon (not pictured)

All-Natural grapeseed oil

Organic cold pressed coconut oil

epsom salt (for salt scrub. Also from Dollar Tree)

Ingredient measurements will vary depending on what size tins or glass jars you use. 

**Glass of wine is totally optional ;)

Lotions:

I used about two tablespoons of coconut oil per small tin. I then mixed about 3-5 drops of each oil I wanted and stirred well. Then spooned into the tin ;) Easy as that!

I made two different lotions. 

1. Calming - using Stress Away and Lavender

2. Uplifting - using Joy and Family

Salt Scrub:

Measure the amount of salt you will need for your tin or jar.

Place in bowl and add a little grapeseed oil (great for skin).

Should be about the consistency of grits. Not too soupy from the grapeseed oil.

Then add about 4-6 drops of your preferred essential oil. I chose Thrive and Purification.

Once all in the tins, I added sweet little heart labels in different colored papers :)

I hope she enjoys them and they add in her recovery.

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ginger

I will be linking to these awesome parties!

DIY Compost Bin

Hello.

Just let me say, I love gardening! Not only is it a great pastime and stress re-leaver, but there are so many environmental and health benefits as well. It is so satisfying watching things grow and having the security of growing my own food. In addition, a great garden, whether it is a vegetable/fruit or flower garden, can create a wonderful backyard habitat that will make you want to stay out all day long :)

Gardening certainly wasn't always easy for me. As a matter of fact my first three years yielded nothing more than a few lettuce leaves here or there. But I would not give up and over the years, I have come to understand what plants work best for my lifestyle and what type of garden works best.

And I've learned many tricks along the way ;) One of the most important would be the compost bin. 

I used to think a compost pile/bin would be  gross! Smelly, full of spoiled/rotting garbage and bugs, etc. But I've come to learn gardening and compost come hand in hand. And as it turns out, none of those fears held water - except maybe rolly polly bugs ;)

Since deciding to compost, I've had several fails. First, I tried a compost pile in one corner of the yard. My first mistake was not using the container method. The wind blew everything everywhere and it did not maintain the proper level of moisture. 

After some no-go container attempts, I've since decided a giant 20" pot is best for me. I like to work in small batches of compost. Obviously if you have a very large garden, you can try the garbage tote system, etc. 

This is my bin. Wide open top for easy "stirring".

Drainage holes in the bottom of the pot are a plus.

And the existing tray in the bottom promotes air flow. Now to start your mixture ;) 

My second fail when starting to compost was improper ratio of compost ingredients. This is the recipe I like to use and I think it works really well :)

First I start with a dry filler. Here is a separate bin of grass clippings that have dried out. Note I also add a trowel full of fireplace ash to my compost for PH balance. Ash is also good for acid loving plants. But remember a little goes a long way ;)

I fill the bin about a quarter of the way with dry filler. Other dry fillers could include dried fall leaves, straw/hay or bulk dried corn husks - which work great for keeping up compost during fall and winter months.

Then I throw a layer of dirt in there. This could be any dirt - I tend to use the soil left over from the previous years hanging baskets, etc. The dirt will hold water - which we'll add later.

Then add a layer of "green" filler or "wet" filler. Bulk green fillers could be fresh grass clippings or a bucket of weeds you've pulled. 

In addition, I love to throw in organic kitchen waste: egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit waste and/or peels, even animal blood!

There are also several everyday home products you can find biodegradable versions of, such as toilet paper, paper towels, feminine products - even tooth brushes. But for now I'm sticking with the basics.

Then I add another light layer of dry filler. I then will add a little water to the mix. I have a fish pond so I generally will grab a cup or so of pond water, which will be full of nitrates.

You can always mix plant food with water and add or just stick to plain water altogether. 

Then mix well with a trowel or shovel and let sit to work its magic. I generally will turn the mixture once a week or so. If it has been very hot I'll add a little more water and mix more often to evenly distribute moisture. 

I add a layer of compost while planting new crops in my beds as well as a thin layer to potted plants. So start gardening!

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ginger

I'm linking up to these awesome parties!

My Vegetable Garden

Hello.

So I wanted to give a little tour of my vegetable garden :) I love gardening and have worked pretty hard the last few years to get it right! Gardening isn't always so cut and dry -_-

Sadly, I've had several epic fails, but after a lot of research and experimenting, I know what works best for my lifestyle and the types of plants I want to grow :) Let's check it out!

Here is my main garden. I love raised beds. Practically fool proof ;) 

And super easy to construct. The wood plank I snagged from the remnant pile at Home Depot for 75% off. I had a few 2 x 4 pieces at home from another project. Add a few screws and done. I added four tall posts on each corner so I could cover the garden with plastic if needed.

In the raised bed, I have cauliflower, cabbage, hot pepper plants, three types of lettuce (butter crisp, romaine, and red leafy) onions and carrots.

I also have quite a bit in large containers. I prefer to put "bushy" type plants in containers, like tomato, green beans and sweet potato.

You can see here my first few little babies coming in!

I also wanted to try some berries this year so here are my blueberry and black berry bushes.

My brother in law built this large wooden planter and I have some spinach starting up here. 

In smaller pots, I have some bell peppers and strawberries :)

I did several vegetable plants from seeds this year; spinach, arugula, carrots and green beans. But everything else, I just went for young plants. Cuts down on the waiting!

My lettuces are looking gorgeous!

It's so amazing to plant, water and nurture your own food! I'm very excited to harvest this year :)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Ginger

I'm linking up to these awesome parties!

DIY Makeup Remover Pads

Hello.

I am a busy woman, working from home with two boys. So I am a huge fan of quick facial cleansing pads, quickly remove make up and rejuvenate at the same time! But they can be pricey. I bought the Neutrogena ones for years, but I burned through them so quickly and the dollars added up.

I like to find organic and all natural remedies for other products in my house, like here. So I decided to try this out. I first did some research about all natural alternatives online. There are tons of options and you can certainly customize the recipe for your skin type. I luckily found a recipe that worked for me and I could use products I already had :)

Here is what you need for this DIY:

mason jar

round cosmetic cotton pads

all natural face soap, I use this
organic grape seed oil
organic tea tree oil
measuring cup
bowl and spoon

In a bowl, combine one small squirt of face soap, one tablespoon of grape seed oil and 3/4 cup of water. Stir until incorporated. Grape seed oil is rich in vitamin E :)

I then added 7 drops of tea tree oil, which is great for skin and helps with acne.

Stuff the mason jar with the cotton pads. The pour the mixture into the jar. Store in a cool place and use often! Excellent moisturizing capabilities.

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ginger

Linking to these parties.

All Natural, DIY Household Cleaners

Hello.

So in recent years of my life, I have become very conscience of the environment, our resources both local and world wide, as well as the safety of food and products I use everyday around my family.

I've been wanting to make some home made, all natural household cleaners for a long time, but wasn't really sure where to start.

After all, cleaning products are already relatively cheap and sometimes, going organic in some areas of the home can be extremely expensive - enter organic shampoos, soaps and detergents. These are pricey.

But after seeing this class online, I realized this was something super easy to achieve, very cheap and also an incredibly healthy choice for the family. I encourage you to check it out ;)

For about $6, I made two large batches of multi-purpose cleaner, a bottle of glass cleaner and a small jar of a degreaser scrub (think soft scrub). They all work incredible well and get the job done - no question. They also smell fresher and more pleasant than the big brand stuff.

To put it into perspective, one bottle of the multi-purpose cleaner I used to use was around $4. And I got twice the amount :)

If anyone has recipes for all natural, hand made necessities for the home, feel free to share them there!

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ging