Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes

Yield: 4

Author: Patty May

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Perfect for any sick or cold day.

prep time: 30 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 30 M

ingredients:

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup of onion
• 1/2 cup of celery
• 4 cans of broth
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 3 cups chopped chicken
• 1 cup chopped potato [opt]
• 1 1/2 cups of egg noddle
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper 

instructions:

How to cook Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

1. 1.  Saute chopped onions and vegetables in butter until soft and tender. 
2. 2. Add seasoning to vegetables and stir for about a minute.
3. 3.  Add cooked chopped or shredded chicken. 
4. 4. Add all the broth and potatoes. 
5. 5. Let it simmer for at least thirty minutes so all the flavors can come together. 
6. 6. Add egg noddles and cook according to the time on the box. 

Created using The Recipes Generator

Yield: 4

Author: Patty May

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

The same delicious classic taste cooked a little faster.

prep time: 30 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 75 M

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup of onion
• 1/2 cup of celery
• 4 cans of broth
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 3 cups chopped chicken
• 1 cup chopped potato [opt]
• 1 1/2 cups of egg noddle
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper

instructions:

How to cook Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

1. 1. Set the Instant Pot SAUTE button.  Saute the vegetables in butter until tender. 
2. 2. Add cooked chopped or shredded chicken. 
3. 3. Add seasonings and saute for about a minute. 
4. 4. Add broth and potatoes.  
5. 5. Manually set Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
6. 6. Remove bay leaf.
7. 7. Set Instant Pot to Saute and add noodles
8. 8. Once the broth begins to boil, cook for about 6 minutes or until the noodles are tender stirring occasionally.  

Created using The Recipes Generator

You're One Thought Away From a Good Day

I may have written this three years ago but it is STILL true for today!  It was such a good reminder for me.

OCTOBER 13, 2016

I'm sick and tired!  I mean literally, I am sick and tired.  Bear with me while I throw myself a mini pity party for a second.  My body aches, my throat is sore, coughing like a frog, I'm breaking out in daily crazy hives, the toddler is not sleeping well, which means neither am I.  

Tuesday was rough emotionally and physically.  I'm getting virtual sympathy from friends and one in particular sends me a video on positive thinking and gratitude.  At the end of the video this little piece from Romans 12:2 popped into my mind:

Be transformed and RENEW your mind.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Good, pleasing, perfect.  All words that do not describe how I feel BUT I'm pretty sure the last thing God wants me to do is complain, feel hopeless, and defeated.  He wants me to RENEW my mind and be transformed.  To put a new perspective on these situations, his perspective. 

FLIP IT

So I flipped it.  I took each complaint, each situation I'm facing and asked Him to renew my mind to see them differently.  

I'm sick.

BUT through this sickness I've been able to experience and see Randy's love so strong and so tangible.  That man is pretty amazing.  Putting kids to bed, his prayers over me, the pity, and offering to take a day off to help.  I'm so thankful for him.  You're the best my love. 

Confused by rashes. 

BUT God knows.  He knows what is going on inside my body and I need to trust that it will get taken care of in time.  TRUST.  I have the ability to see a doctor and I'm thankful for that.  I'm thankful to have family and friends who are praying for my health and have been such an encouragement through this discomfort.  [looks pretty gross, I know]  

3am Wake Up Call

This was a tough one but the bestie said, one day he'll be grown and won't be crawling into bed with you anymore.  As hard as it is to have my sleep interrupted, the bestie is right.  So for this week I'll enjoy the snuggles and the baby love. 

RENEWED

You know what happened when I flipped it?  My body is still sick and I'm still tired but I genuinely feel good.  [hehehe]   My spirit is strong and I feel renewed.  I know God wants me to see how he is using this sickness and my tired body to strengthen my faith and show me just how loved I am.  I know that this crazy attack on my body WILL PASS.  

So if you're having a rough week or feeling sick and tired...  Take Romans 12:2 say it, pray it, and believe it.

God, you have given me the ability to transform and renew my mind.  I want to learn to know your will for me which is good, pleasing, and perfect.  

  RENEW your mind and FLIP IT.  See the hope in the situation and how God can use it for the good.  Take the complaint and turn it into gratitude.  

Orange Scented Slime

Halloween and slime have gone hand in hand since Cindy Boo was old enough to make it.  It's one of our messy yearly fall traditions and definitely one we like to cross off the bucket list.

How cute is this nugget making slime for the first time? 

This year the kids wanted to make cloud slime.  They wanted to make the super-soft fluffy kind.  Here are the ingredients: 

Save the image above onto your phone so you don't forget what to get at the store. 

Tip: You want to make sure the contact solution has Borite or it won't turn into slime. 

I got a disposable pan, let the kids throw everything in there, mixed it up, added a few drops of Orange Vitality Oil to the mix and boom a few hours of play at the table.  I didn't have any orange food coloring so we had to settle for yellow. 

Have some messy fun,

Sausage and Rice Recipe

Growing up my mom use to make Hamburger Helper... all the time.  WELL, consider this the Mullen family's version of Hamburger Helper.  It is so easy to make, kid-friendly, and tastes just as good leftover.  A win all around!  

Printable Recipe is below.  

I'm going to make your life a little easier and provide you with the grocery list.  Just save this photo and use it when you're shopping.  Happy cooking!

Be sure to join me on Instagram every week and follow along for recipes and weekly meal preps! 

Sausage and Ricehttps://youtu.be/27v3a8G5t-k

Yield: 4

Author: Patty May

Sausage and Rice

This is our go-to weekly dinner. It has all the goods and kid-friendly! This recipe can also be adjusted to be allergy-friendly.

prep time: 15 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 35 M

ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 lb Kielbasa 
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
• 2 Cups of Veggies
• 2 Cups of Cooked Rice
• 1 Cup Mild Cheddar Cheese (optional)
• 1/4 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder, Lawry's Seasoning, Nuritional Yeast, Onion Powder

instructions:

How to cook Sausage and Rice

1. Heat pan.  Add butter and oil until the butter is melted. 
2.  Add sausage and onions.  Cook until the sausages are tender.
3.  Add veggies, cover and let cook until soft (about 5-8 minutes on lower heat).
4. Add cooked rice and seasoning.  Stir until hot. 
5. Remove from heat and add cheese.  Cover until the cheese is melted. 

Calories
712.24

Fat (grams)
50.90

Sat. Fat (grams)
19.45

Carbs (grams)
38.05

Fiber (grams)
3.85

Net carbs
34.20

Sugar (grams)
5.50

Protein (grams)
26.79

Sodium (milligrams)
1548.74

Cholesterol (grams)
120.81

Created using The Recipes Generator

Gorgeous Homeschool Rooms and Kids Play Areas

If you’re hanging with me on Instagram you know that I can get a little cray cray putting our creative workspaces together.  I have completely done an overhaul of our home school space from last year.  We added a huge new sofa for the room and recycled my old faithful desk. You can see details of our space HERE

BUT before I even started changing our entire basement, I searched high and low for inspiration.  I found four lovely, awesome, hands-on mamas who have constructed an environment in their homes that would make any kid excited to learn!  

Brit @thesmittyfamgram who also blogs at The Smitty Fam

I have a soft spot for black and white.  I am so in love with this clean set up. The bins, the desks, and the personal touches she added to their space.

Brit is also great at putting together fun themed learning units!  Be sure to follow her on Instagram to get some great ideas. 

Steph @the.rome.home who has created a homeschool planner you can find HERE. 

What drew me to her space is all the fun pretend play items that can be used for learning.  I love all the wood elements in this room.  How adorable is that little kitchen area?!

Becca @beccas_homeschoool_journal who also has a Youtube channel you can find HERE.

Becca’s feed is full of home décor inspirations along with great tips for homeschooling mamas.  She does a book round up that is fantastic.  This is a nook I fell in love with!  I think it is so sweet that she also wanted to create a space for her preschooler.  I love the pops of color, the gorgeous rug, and that sign!  It oozes cuteness. 

Amy @ourgatheredhomeschool who also blogs at Our Gathered Cottage

First off, I loved her caddy of school supplies so much I went on a hunt to buy one for our room. There are so many things I love about this room!  The little fun little details with the globe and duck book holders.  How sweet is that reading nook where her kiddo can snuggle up and read.   

I just love that design on the wall!  

So much inspiration from these spaces!  I hope you all have an amazing school year wherever you are sending your kiddos to this year.

Happy learning, 

Homeschool Room Ideas

The kids counted down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until school started and they are overjoyed to have finished their first week!  The minions go to a hybrid school so they homeschool part-time.  They get the best of both worlds, a classroom at school and a classroom at home.

Last year we found this sign at Kirkland's and thought it would be a great name for our home "school".  Welcome to Wonderland!  The name is based on the verse from Psalm 77:14 because we want to learn all about God's great wonders.

"You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations."

The workspace is my old sewing table.  It's actually a dining table that folds down on each side.    Cindy Boo picked out the plants.

TABLE: IKEA   MAP: Hobby Lobby  TOY BOX: Target  PLANTS: Michaels 

I added my old white bookshelf at the end to hold books, games, and all the extras!  I love the wood chalkboard boxes.

BOOKSHELF: Ikea    BINS: Michaels 

We found this adorable bin from Pier One on clearance woot woot!  It holds all of their supplies.

I'd love to be able to find some cute wood chairs for them but until I do these Ikea stools will do!

We've been simplifying the play area down to their absolute favorites.  It also helps that they are older and could basically play legos for hours.

TOY BINS & TABLE: Ikea 

Two cheap side tables pushed together to make the perfect lego table.  Chairs have been spray painted black.

This corner has my favorite pieces of the room!

A friend gave me the board.  We're using it to put mail for daddy, goals, and prayers.  Their book holder was something I saw on Pinterst and daddy made it happen.

We have these huge walls in the basement so I used some stained pieces of wood, eyelet screws, wire, and clips to create an art display.  Because they only hold art I was able to use velcro command strips to hang them up.

Last but not least is the newest addition to the basement and I am calling this spot the Cozy Nook.  We got rid of our tiny ten-year-old couch and replaced it with this gigantic grey beauty.  I love that the sofa comes in pieces and can be rearranged in eight different ways.  I turned a ladder I built into a book holder that will carry their favorites and current holiday reads.

This nook has become our new movie, video game, reading, moms quiet morning spot.

Even without any natural light, our homeschool room has become one of my favorite places!  BUT sometimes the kids like to work and craft on the kitchen table, so we created a mobile bin full of supplies that they can pull out any time they feel creative.

Hope this inspires you to recreate a space in your home!
Happy decorating,

Free Kids Lunch Printable

Feeding all the people all the food all the time can feel overwhelming.  One thing that helps stress and chaos is to SIMPLIFY.  I'm sharing some tips and created a chart to and I hope it helps packing easier for you as it as helped me. 

1. We eat the same thing for lunch every week.  

Yup.  I know it sounds boring but it makes grocery shopping and packing so much easier.  We waste less.  Boring for the win.  The boss and I also follow this same rule for our lunches.  It amazes me that the man can eat a salad every day. 

2. Use the chart and let them pick.  

In the ideal world, my kids eat all the fruits and veggies on this list.  Ha!  I keep them all in there in hopes their taste buds would change at some point.  We pick one from each category, add it to the grocery list, and boom you have lunch packed.  Thanks to a sweet friend for sharing this idea.  Click HERE or on the image to get this printable for free.   

3. Give yourself a break.  

If your kids are old enough, let them pack their own lunch.  When my daughter was in school full time I would give myself a break once a week and let her buy lunch.  She thought it was such a treat. A  win for the both of us!  

I'd love to hear your ideas as well on how you simply lunch!  Drop me a comment and be sure to subscribe so we can stay in touch.  Let's hang out on Instagram @pattymaymullen, that's where I do all my cooking and meal prepping! 

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A post shared by Patty Mullen (@pattymaymullen) on Aug 2, 2019 at 1:20pm PDT

Happy Packing,

I Want to be a Fun Mom

We were all sitting on the couch watching the new Mary Poppins movie when the little lady said, "Mom I wish you were Mary Poppins."  After more investigating what she really wanted to tell me without hurting my feelings was she wanted me to do more fun things with them, not simply for them.  The truth may sting but this is no surprise to me.  I know I lean more towards the "striving to accomplish" and less on the "fun mom" side.  

The boss wanted to shush her and list all the things I do and all the places their fun mom takes them but I wanted to hear her out.  What can I do to be a better mom to you?  What is it that you need from me that I am not giving?   Taking a deep breath I brace myself for the critique on my mothering and her list was basic:

1. Not clean as much so we can play legos
2. Do more arts and crafts
3. Sit and watch movies with us
4. Cook more together.

After agreeing with her and telling her I will strive to be the mom she needs me to be God reminded me of Hebrews 12:6 which says, "The Lord disciplines those he loves."  When God disciplines there is no shame and I know he did not want me to feel the mom guilt.   The discipline that came from my eight-year-old was an opportunity to course-correct.  

Being the achiever that I am I wrote out ways to fight the urge to always do and simply be.  Here is how it has translated this past month: 

1.  Schedule Craft Time 

A friend once told me "I bet you're the person who has to schedule in time to rest." Guilty!  I like to schedule most things.  The kids have activities of their own so I've been planning and scheduling one craft time a week.  We simply sit at the table, play some music, and craft away.  

2. Just Us Rule

Many times I can credit moments I am taking the kids to their activities and on play dates as time together but in reality, they are not times together.  These are simply fun times.  The rule means every day we do something together, just us.  

3. Turn Chores into Times Together

 The kids fold and put away their own laundry but I've been making it a point to make this time I spend with them.  When we are sitting and rolling their bundles of clothes together it gives us an opportunity to just chat.  I take the time to help each one of them and then send them off to put the folded clothes in away on their own.  It's a win for both of us. 

I wish I could say I am now a "fun mom" but it's something I work on every day.  I'm better at it some days than others.  What matters to me most is to have an open heart for my minions.  I want to see their needs and do what I can to provide them, even if that means changing myself first.

From the fun mom in progress,