Country Creamy Potato Soup Mix

This potato soup mix exceeded all my expectations. It was thick, creamy, and full of taste.

Each year at our state fair, Darby Creek has a booth where they sell dip and soup mixes. I've had them before and any that I have tried, have all been great. I love dipping veggies in their dips. yum!

They only use all-natural ingredients and there are no preservatives. Unfortunately, not all their products are GF, but two of their soups are: French Onion, and Country Creamy Potato. I'm not a fan of french onion soup, so I can't vouch for it, but I'm sure it's very tasty.

This soup states that you can add ham, vegetables, whatever you want to the soup. I did add cubed ham, but I was too lazy to cut up vegetables to put in it, and I'm glad I was. I wouldn't have wanted anything to take away the taste.

It made 8 cups of soup. Enough to freeze in baggies for a quick lunch. It is very filling and it keeps you full and satisfied for hours.

The best part is that I don't have to wait until our state fair to order more. They have a website and you can order soups and/or dips online. Score!

Blueberry Muffin Mix

 I'm having to cook more now than I ever have, and while I still am not thrilled with it, I'm thrilled that I'm finding some shortcuts that get me out of the kitchen as quickly as I can. lol

However, I am also now avoiding preservatives, so when I find a mix that is all-natural, I'm extra happy.

I recently found this mix and it made light, moist and delicious blueberry muffins. But, don't take my word for it, take the word of Jay and a couple of his friends...

The mix made 12 large muffins. I had 2. Jay took the rest to the "man cave" to see if his buddies wanted any. That's the last I saw of the muffins. :)

Now for the bad news. This was a brand I've never used before, and unfortunately I threw out the package and it's already in the dumpster, and I don't remember the name. I tried zooming in on the picture, but that didn't work. So, if this mix interests you, keep checking back. I will be making this mix again, and I'll be sure to remember the name and post it here.

Udi's Granola

I love yogurt. When I want something sweet, it's one of my favorite things to have.

My absolute favorite way to have my yogurt is with granola stirred in. The crunch mixed with the sweet is uber yummalicious!

Since going GF, I've struggled to find a yogurt I can have, that I like the taste of. I finally found one, and the best part is that it has no added sugar in it. But, I missed my granola.

On my last shopping trip in the all-natural food store, I made a wonderful discovery - Udi's makes a GF granola!!

Oh was my mouth and my tummy happy, and it tastes great just li like the non-GF granola!

Crockpot Lasagna

You'll see that I have a lot of crockpot recipes. I LOVE my crockpots - all 3 of them, and I use them frequently. :) Here's a great recipe that is super easy and a crowd pleaser for sure:

12oz pkg lasagna noodles
1/4c butter
1 1/2lbs ground beef
1 qt. Spaghetti sauce
1-2c Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook noodles according to directions. Drain.

Return noodles to  pot and stir in butter until it's melted.

While the noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef. Drain off the drippings.

Layer into the crockpot:

• 1/4 of the sauce
• 1/3 of the browned beef
• 1/3 of the cooked noodles
• 1/4 mozzarella cheese

Repeat these layers two more times. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until heated through and cheese has melted.

GF noodles get mushy when over cooked, so I under-cooked mine by about a minute or two before putting them in the crockpot.

I used ground turkey, but you could also use pork or chicken.

This is a great make-ahead recipe. I made it up the night before and had it in the fridge waiting to cook it. It still turned out great!

Crockpot Sloppy Joes

You seriously can't get much easier than this recipe. Especially if you already have the meat browned ahead of time like I've said I do.

3lbs ground beef
1lg onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2c. GF barbeque sauce
1 (28oz) can tomato puree
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2T. packed brown sugar

Brown meat, drain and add to crockpot.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve on GF buns or toasted GF bread.

I have also used ground pork and ground turkey when making this recipe, and all are tasty.

Freezes well!

Shortcuts

Since most days I don't know exactly how I'll feel, or if I'll be up to cooking, I tend to make up 4-5 recipes at a time on one of my good days. To help accomplish that there are a few things I do to make it easier:

I buy ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork) in larger quantities because it can usually be found cheaper. When I get home I divide it up on my kitchen scale into 1lb sections. I brown and crumble each 1lbs and put it in a labeled freezer bag. The bags go into the freezer to pull out for recipes. Saves a bunch of time.

Cutting up vegetables and fruits takes forever. Even if you have all the latest gadgets, it still takes time. When I buy groceries, I usually plan the next day to cut up all vegetables and put them in little containers in the fridge. I also cut up fruits for recipes or snacking. When I go to make a recipe, I just pull out and measure the amount I need. Easy peasy.

I actually prefer to mix food ingredients with my hands. I've always preferred this. I just enjoy getting my hands in the really mixing it up. However, my skin is already dry enough, and the last thing I need is to have to wash my hands multiple time while cooking. To solve that problem, yet still enjoy mixing by hand, I bought disposable rubber gloves. To me they are as important as any utensil in my kitchen, and I use them constantly.

Applesauce Cake

This cake is great. Not only does it taste good, but it's wheat free, sugar free, and fat free! Score!

1 3/4c unsweetened applesauce
3/4 heaping cup of agave nectar
1c. raisins
1c. chopped & peeled sweet apples
1/2t. allspice
1c. potato starch
1 1/4c brown rice flour
2t. baking soda
2T. boiling water
1c. walnuts (optional)

Mix applesauce and agave together.

Add raisins and apples. Mix well.

Stir in allspice, potato starch, and flour.

Dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Add to mix and stir well.

Stir in nuts.

Spray a 9x13" pan with Pam.

Spread mix evenly in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

When done, let cook 30 min before serving.

This cake is so good you don't even need icing!

Best if eaten within 24 hrs and kept in the refrigerator.

This cake freezes well, so usually I will make it in 2 smaller pans. We'll eat one now and put one in the freezer for later.