My lazy Sunday afternoon boys:)

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend; we definitely did. We mostly did yard work on Saturday; thanks to my parents for their help, and we rested today! This was my favorite kind of weekend! I got really busy last week, so I didn't get to post much, but this week is looking a little clearer...we'll see!
I wanted to share a couple of things/recipes with you in case you are interested. I have always been a shopper who thought it was silly to buy a whole chicken uncooked when you can buy a rotisserie chicken already cooked and delicious for $4.99ish. But after this week, I am now convinced that, although rotisseries are great for quick, last-minute meals, a small roaster chicken is such a great value due to its ability to create multiple meals that my family loves! As I said last week, I was able to buy a 4 pound all natural roaster on sale for @2.75. I must admit I was a little terrified because I had never cooked a whole chicken before, and that just seems like something a mother or grandmother is supposed to be able to do...(wait, I am a mother now:). After quizzing a few people about their cooking methods, I decided on the trusty crock pot because why slave over a stove when you can throw it in and forget it! Here is the "recipe" I used, and the chicken fell of the bone and tasted awesome!

Roasted Crock Pot Chicken

1.)I cleaned, washed, removed parts from the chicken and patted it dry.
2.)In a small bowl, I mixed 4t salt
1t cayenne pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
2tsp paprika
1t onion powder
1/2 t black pepper + anything else you want to throw in.
3.) After rubbing the chicken (over and under the skin) with olive oil, I rubbed on the spices.
4.) I made 3-4 balls of wadded aluminum foil to place in the bottom of the crock pot.
5.) I placed the chicken on top of the aluminum foil and turned the pot on low for about 61/2-7hrs...YUM. (served with a pasta/veggie side,green peas, and crescent rolls). Then...
6.) I put skin and bones back into crock pot and added 4-5 cups of water to liquid remaining.
7.) Turn crock pot on low and let it go overnight. Strain liquid to remove skin/bones and you are left with amazing homemade chicken stock. Let it sit in the fridge for a night, skim the fat off of the top, and make recipe #2 with part of the remaining chicken.

Creamy Chicken Rice Soup

I know it is a little warm outside for soup, but this is amazing! Ben gobbled it up and called for more "hoop." I served mine with cornbread, and the next day, we ate a small cup of it with a half of a chicken salad sandwich (of course made with the last of the chicken from the crock pot!)
I chopped my chicken and added chopped celery, chopped and peeled apple, chopped walnuts, a little mayo, and salt and pepper. So good.
For most of you reading this, the fact that a chicken goes a long way is common knowledge, but I guess I didn't realize just how far! I have a small family now, but you can at least probably get two meals out of it with a family of 4. Also, you can obviously use your chicken in your favorite casserole, etc. too. I am definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for great prices on chicken from now on; what a value!
Ok, one last picture for the day. Kroger is again having a "mega" event, so this is a great time to stock up on grocery, cleaning, or personal items. This is a picture of what I bought today; I am going to do my regular shopping and a little more mega shopping tomorrow, but it is easier to go on Sunday afternoon while my two boys are napping! This is $57.10 worth of groceries that I bought for $14.38 today (20 items so that's .72 each). If anyone reading this is not a coupon person but wants to be, (and I'm not talking crazy stock-pile women) I would love to help; just ask! Or check out this article on "Learn to Coupon" from southernsavers.com, which I have put on here before. Happy shopping!