From The Blog:
 | Noel's Kitchen Tips.com | Here is a recap of what we shared on the blog last week, just in case you missed a post or two!
Here are some things I blogged about last month: - My Favorite Low-Calorie Substitutions: As much as I can, I try to prepare meals that are nutritious and healthy for my family. When I want delicious meals that are nutritious and low in calories, I try substituting foods. The following list is some of my favorite-low-cal substitutions to save on calories.
- Quick Handy Breakfast-Mom's Commuter Breakfast:
Every morning, I try to throw something together for breakfast that's tasty and full of nutrients. If you're not one who usually eats breakfast on a routine basis, these combinations will help save you time while still eating something nutritious. -
Life As Mom-Surviving The Daily Pressure:
The moms of previous generations may at times have faced the inescapability of dinner, just as we do, but do you think life was probably a lot gentler in the past? - Family Food Fun-A New Way Of Thinking: Food is a very important part of family life. Mealtimes seem to be one of the few regular times families gather together. In future posts, we'll discuss some delicious and inexpensive ideas.
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Family Time

Time Savers For Busy Moms!
How about some tools that will help busy moms easily plan meals, quickly organize, and budget so that you can have more family time! Moms are busy. And by default, we're multi-taskers. There's no other way we can do a load of laundry and pay bills and buy groceries and make dinner and spend quality time with our kids. But I'd say the number one enemy of productivity in a mom's life - especially when she has very small children at home - is trying to do too much. Here are some helpful tips: ■You forgot to thaw your bag of chicken or taco meat the night before. No worries, cooked chicken can thaw in a flash in a bowl filled with cold water. Allow it to set for thirty minutes to an hour before you're ready to create a masterpiece.
■Freeze cooked meats in a pint or quart size freezer bag and portion them in 1 to 2 cup amounts. Smaller amounts thaw quickly-you can always use two or more bags if your phone rings and company's coming. Make a big batch of 5 minute tacos or taco salad.
■You're going to be out all day. How can you have a hot dinner ready when you get home? Break out the crock pot and cut open a thawed bag of soup or chili (if it's frozen, slice the zipper off and slit it down the middle-cook on high for 6-8 hours) Set it on low for 6-8 hours and viola dinner ready when you get home.
■You really want to eat that enchilada casserole you froze, but it's solid as a rock. Guess what? You can still cook it from a frozen state. You've done with Stouffers and you can do it with yours. Just add about thirty to forty-five minutes extra time on your original cooking time. Make sure it's hot and bubbly before you dig in.
■Are you a forgetful person and you're afraid you will never know what is in your freezer? Use a freezer inventory sheet to remember what you have in your freezer and a menu plan to help you remember what to thaw each day.
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Featured Recipe: Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
This soup is used as a base for so many recipes. If you can buy it, you can make it better!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, sauteed in 1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons butter
1 garlic cloved, minced 1/2 cup flour 4 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon parsley
Directions:
Using 1/4 cup of butter and 3 generous cups of sliced mushrooms at a time. Saute mushrooms. ( I usually saute two batches. In the end I have enough sauteed mushrooms to pack 1/4 cup each into 8 ziplock bags.)

To make cream of mushroom soup,simply saute the contents of one bag with an additional 2 tbsp. butter and garlic. Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1 1/2 cups milk until smooth.Slowly add to mushrooms,whisking constantly.Then slowly add another 2 1/2 cups of milk.Whisk until smooth and bubbly.
Makes the equivalent of 3 cans cream of mushroom soup.
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