Month: January 2016

Recipe / Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

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Recipe for Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

I found this recipe several years ago on a can of Kirkland canned chicken, and it’s become one of my favorite soups. It’s surprisingly hearty, cheesy, and it’s a lot different than your average chicken soup recipe! Seriously guys, this stuff is GOOD. It’s perfect for a cold day, but definitely still delicious during the summer.

Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup – Serves 4

  • 1 cup shredded carrot (I just use my box grater, but you can also buy shredded carrot in the salad aisle)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 10 oz chicken broth (can use canned chicken broth, but I use better than bullion which is awesome and you have to buy way less often)
  • 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
  • dash of ground black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 to 1 pound shredded chicken (or 1 large can of canned chicken)

Recipe for Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

Recipe for Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, then cook the onion and carrot together for around 10 minutes or until tender (the carrots will start looking limp and the onions will be translucent).

Recipe for Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

Stir in the flour, then slowly add milk, broth, worchestershire sauce, and pepper, cooking and stirring until the soup is thick and bubbly. (This will take around 5-10 minutes.)

Stir in chicken and cheese, then cook and stir over low heat until all the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe for Cheesy Carrot and Chicken Soup

Style / Black and White Date Night Outfit

MichelleLeave a comment

black and white date night outfit style

black and white date night outfit style

black and white date night outfit style

Scott and I went to see a movie this past week since we’re both off school and work right now. During the holiday season, it’s really easy for me to wear leggings and tees or flannels all the time (because hey, if I’m not going to leave the house, why not be comfy?). But I do think that means that when I actually go somewhere, I want to dress up more than I normally would! I wanted to share this easy black and white date night outfit with you – it’s perfect for a dinner out, trip to the movies, or even for work!

black and white date night outfit style

black and white date night outfit style

black and white date night outfit style

Blazer: H&M // Tank: Old Navy (Similar, Similar) // Jeans: Forever21 // Boots: Target (Similar, Similar) // Necklace: Old Navy // Bracelet: Thrifted

I just got this blazer on sale at H&M, and it’s great – I love the length and the fit, and it was on sale for under $20! I paired it with some simple black and white pieces, including a long striped tank and my favorite black ankle boots. I just want to take a minute to talk about these jeans, too. I got them at Forever21 for $7.90 (that’s right, jeans under $10!). Although maybe not the thickest jeans, they’re super stretchy and comfortable and they fit SO WELL. I also love that you can get them in the ankle length, because I’m a short girl and the length on these is perfect! Finally, I added some gold jewelry to dress it up a little more, and make it the perfect date night outfit for this week!

Weekly Meal Plan (and Recipe) / 01-04-15

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I start school back up this week, so there are a lot of quick and easy meals planned for this week! My schedule is a little different this semester (I start and finish class earlier in the day), so it might take a little while to get settled into the new schedule, but it should be good to get home earlier! I HATE when I get home from school and it’s already dark – it’s the worst. I also have a little bit of a lighter schedule this semester, which should hopefully mean I get some more time to do things other than study – but I’m working on an honors thesis so that’ll probably suck up all of my free time. It’s crazy to be looking ahead to 16 weeks from now when I’ll be done with school (although grad school is still a possibility at this point)! Anyways, I digress. Here’s our meal plan for this week!

Meal Plan – Week of 1/4/15

monday – honey sesame chicken
tuesday – caribbean jerk baked chicken (see below for recipe!)
wednesday – stir fry
thursday – stew meat and noodles
friday – southwest casserole
saturday – mom’s birthday dinner
sunday – white chicken chili

Carribean Jerk Baked Chicken

I also wanted to include a quick recipe for the caribbean jerk baked chicken, since it’s super easy and delicious! I just take 2 small boneless/skinless chicken breasts, brush on olive oil or butter, then top with a generous amount of caribbean jerk seasoning. We got ours while in St. Maarten, but we also have this one* and it’s good too! We bake ours in the oven for around 35-45 minutes at 350ºF or until the internal temperature is at 165ºF or above.

We typically serve this meal with potatoes or green beans, and this meal also works really well with Southwest* or Cajun seasoning if that’s more your style! A quick tip for getting juicer chicken – cover with a piece of parchment paper! It helps seal everything in and makes this meal extra delicious.