Chicken Roll-ups

My kids L-O-V-E these chicken roll-ups! They are perfect for little hands to hold and super creamy and cheesy. I like that it gets a little bit of protein into their diet, too. My college roommate made these a few times (but hers were much fancier), and I have since seen similar recipes online. This is one that I have just created/adapted over time to fit our families' tastes.

Makes 16 rolls

2 packages crescent roll dough (16 rolls)

1 1/2 cups Chopped Chicken, rehydrated

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (any kind will do)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon butter/margarine, melted

bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, salt, and pepper. 

Spoon onto crescent rolls, roll them up and seal the edges. 

Brush melted butter over tops, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month! 
There are lots of ideas of ways you can "celebrate" National Preparedness Month: get your 72 hour kits up to date, make an emergency evacuation plan, create a list of recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, and stock up on emergency prep supplies and food! I plan to work on all of these things this month. Follow along with me right here on the blog!

You can save BIG on three types of products this month with THRIVE Life!

The THRIVE Foods this month are all about breakfast! The pancake mix makes great waffles and I just got a new Belgian waffle maker yesterday, so I'm really excited! The scrambled eggs, sausage, instant milk, and potato chunks make a delicious casserole. Check out some of Chef Todd's recipes from this month's THRIVE It Up!

Breakfast Casserolesee recipe

Honey Cinnamon Fruit Dipsee recipe

Vanilla Puddingsee recipe

Also, don't forget about our two new products, Greek Yogurt Bites and Pure Vanilla Powder. We love breakfast foods at our house, so this sale is a BIG deal for us! Click on the image below to see all of the September THRIVE Food Specials:



The Emergency Prep Supplies on sale this month are pretty awesome. I highly recommend the Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System and the Quickfire Stove. I've been wanting a couple of the Deluxe Backpacks to use for 72 hour kits, so this sale is a BIG deal for me! Click on the image below to see all of the Emergency Prep supplies on sale:



The Food Rotation Systems on sale this month are fantastic for organizing! I have several of the cansolidators in my pantry that help me store more and keep it all organized. I think I need one more, so this sale is a BIG deal for me. Click on the image below to see all of the Food Rotation Systems on sale:


That is a TON of information, so please contact me if you have any questions!!

Hawaiian Haystacks

We really love Hawaiian Haystacks (especially my friend Sarah's recipe over at Redhead Recipes). But I do not make them very often because I think it is too much work to cook the chicken. I don't like handling raw meat, and I don't like the smell that permeates the house when I boil it. And I always worry that the chicken is not fully cooked and will make my family sick. And then I have to spend all that time shredding it.

THRIVE Chopped Chicken has changed my life. I don't have to worry about any of those things anymore. Tonight I made Hawaiian Haystacks in less than 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes! I made the sauce and prepped all of the toppings before the rice had finished cooking. It. was. AWESOME!

Also, I didn't have any cream of chicken soup so I decided to substitute the THRIVE Bechamel, and oh my word, it was delicious! And I just threw the THRIVE Celery on dry. Seriously, put this on your menu for next week.

Adapted from Redhead Recipes

Serves 4

Sauce can be made with 100% shelf-stable ingredients

4 cups water + 4 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon

1 cup Bechamel Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups Chopped Chicken

salt & pepper to taste

cooked rice

desired toppings (examples: cheese, chow mein noodles, craisins, pineapple, tomatoes, celery)

Bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and whisk in the Bechamel. Let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.

Stir in the remaining chicken stock, sour cream, chopped chicken, salt, and pepper. Keep it warm for about 10 minutes while the chicken rehydrates and to heat through.

Serve over rice and top with desired toppings.

THRIVE Waffles

I made waffles for breakfast this morning. These are a favorite at our house. Dad and M like peanut butter and maple syrup on theirs, L likes maple syrup and "snow" (powdered sugar) on his, and I like strawberry jam with maple syrup and snow on mine. I still use our small waffle maker from when we got married that only makes 2 at a time. It takes a long time. A large waffle iron is on my wishlist for Christmas!

This recipe comes from Jeff and Lisa Warnick. They have been such great friends and mentors to me and I have learned a lot from them. I love how easy this recipe is with the THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix. Only 3 ingredients and no messy eggs!

From Jeff & Lisa Warnick

Servings depend on your waffle iron, but I made about 1 dozen

100% shelf-stable ingredients

2 1/4 cups 10 Grain Pancake Mix

2 cups cold water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix all together in a large bowl (I found it easier to get all of the lumps out when I used my immersion blender, but a whisk works too!). Use the batter on your waffle iron. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)

I found this recipe online a couple of years ago and it is still a favorite! It's super easy to make (and even easier now that I use THRIVE!) and really does remind me of Olive Garden's deliciousness. I cannot seem to find ditali pasta at my local grocery store and I don't really care about having the right shape of pasta, so I usually use rotini. If you want a really awesome Olive Garden-ish experience, check out my friend Misty's copycat recipe of their breadsticks! The perfect combo to go with this soup!

Adapted from Top Secret Recipes

Serves 8

100% shelf-stable ingredients

2 cups Ground Beef

1 cup Chopped Onions

1/2 cup Carrot Dices

1 cup Celery

1 2/3 cups water

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 (15 oz) can great northern beans (with liquid)

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (12 oz) can V8 juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 pound ditali pasta, cooked al dente

Combine the ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, and water in a large pot over medium heat to rehydrate. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

Add cooked pasta about 50 minutes into the simmering time.

100% Shelf-Stable Recipes

Baked Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

Hawaiian Haystacks

Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)

Spaghetti Sauce

THRIVE Waffles

Main Dish Recipes

Baked Potato Soup

Chicken Roll-ups

Hawaiian Haystacks

Spaghetti Sauce

Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)

THRIVE Pasta Florentine

Breakfast Recipes

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

THRIVE Waffles

THRIVE Pasta Florentine

I tried this recipe out of the Smart Start: Chef's Selections cookbook for dinner tonight. You can find it on the THRIVE Life website. I didn't have enough zucchini, so I substituted green beans instead. This dish is really versatile, you can use whatever veggies you want to!

Adapted from THRIVELife.com
Serves 4

2 cups Egg Noodle Pasta
1/2 cup Sausage Crumbles
1/2 cup Zucchini
1/2 cup Mushroom Pieces
1/2 cup Red Bell Peppers
1/4 cup Chopped Onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups Water + 2 1/2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon
1/2 teaspoon Chef's Choice Seasoning Blend
1/2 cup Tomato Dices
1/4 cup Chopped Spinach
1 tablespoon Basil
1 tablespoon Parsley

Cook the egg noodles in salted water until almost tender. In a large saute pan, combine the sausage, zucchini, mushrooms. bell peppers,onions, garlic, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and let the liquid reduce by about half.
Stir in the noodles and seasoning blend and heat through. Gently fold in the tomato dices, spinach, basil, and parsley. This was really good served with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top, too!

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

We had a church activity yesterday and I was asked to bring a casserole. I found this delicious recipe from Doughmesstic.com on Pinterest and wanted to try it, but I didn't have any hash browns and I didn't want to go to the store at the last minute. Hooray for having all of the ingredients on hand in my Home Store!

I didn't get a picture of mine, so I am borrowing this image from Doughmesstic.com

Adapted from Doughmesstic.com

Serves 12-15

100% shelf-stable ingredients

1 1/2 cups freeze-dried Sausage Crumbles, rehydrated

3/4 cup freeze-dried Chopped Onions, rehydrated

1 1/2 cups Water + 1 cup Scrambled Egg Mix

1 cup Water + 1 1/2 tablespoons Instant Milk

1 2/3 cups Potato Chunks, rehydrated

3 cups freeze-dried Shredded Cheddar Cheese, rehydrated

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, but reserve 1 cup of cheese for the topping. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and top with reserved cheese. Bake an additional 8 minutes. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Baked Potato Soup

We really love cheesy potato soup around here. When I made this recipe last week I had this crazy idea to add bacon TVP, chives, and a dollop of sour cream to make it taste like a baked potato. Oh boy, was it yummy! The best part? Not having to cut up the potatoes! This delicious soup comes together in minutes, thanks to THRIVE!

Adapted from the THRIVE Cookbook
Serves 4

can be made from 100% shelf-stable ingredients
3 cups Water + 3 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon
1 cup freeze-dried Chopped Onion
1 cup freeze-dried Potato Dices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons White Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Water + 6 tablespoons Instant Milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup Bacon TVP
1 tablespoon freeze-dried Chives
Sour Cream and extra cheese for serving

Bring chicken broth, onion, and potatoes to a boil and simmer 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Blend until smooth (I use a hand-held immersion blender, but you could also use a blender or food processor).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the milk while whisking, then stir and cook until thickened and bubbly.

Add the white sauce and cheese to the potato broth and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the bacon TVP and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add chives just before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and extra cheese.

Spaghetti Sauce

My husband and sons LOVE spaghetti. Me? Not so much. I used to keep some noodles and jars of sauce on hand for those days when I didn't have time or didn't want to cook a "real" dinner, but I never actually planned it into my menu.

Enter this recipe from Misty Marsh at Your Own Homestore.

This is seriously the BEST homemade spaghetti sauce I have ever had! I've made some adaptations to fit our family's tastes, and it is so good that I probably make it two to three times a month. I am converted! I also love that this recipe is made from 100% shelf-stable ingredients.

Adapted from Your Own Homestore

Makes enough sauce for 1 pound of spaghetti noodles

100% shelf-stable ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 cup freeze-dried Ground Beef

1 tablespoon freeze-dried Chopped Onion

1/2 cup freeze-dried Mushrooms

3 cups Water

1/2 cup Tomato Powder

1 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried Parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried Basil

1 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried Oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried Italian Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder

1/8 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 cup freeze-dried Tomato Dices

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef, onion, and mushrooms to the pan (no need to rehydrate them, just toss them in dry!). Saute for about 30 seconds.

Add the water to the pan. Then whisk in the tomato powder until smooth. Turn your heat down to simmer.

Whisk in the spices and brown sugar, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Gently fold in the tomato dices.