Winner, winner chicken dinner.

Let me start by saying that I don’t consider myself a very good Housewife.  Rather, I consider myself a “Housewife-in-Training.”  Though if I’m being honest with myself, I will probably never achieve the elite role of “Housewife” as it exists according in my mind.  The following are a list of standards that a woman must meet to achieve the title of “Kathleen’s Ideal Housewife”:

• They know what to make for dinner 95% of the time.
• The 5% of the time that they don’t know what to make for dinner, they look through their refrigerator and cabinets and whip something delicious together in their head based on their leftovers.
• They are able to keep up with the majority of their housework and do not regularly do a mad-dash to “tidy up” (or in my case to “scrub, clean, and disinfect”) their home half an hour before someone is due to arrive.
• They are able to grocery shop based on a prepared list which contains a week’s worth of ingredients for planned breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and takes into account store sales and coupons.  (I still practice the “let’s just go see what looks good” method and before I know it I have significantly overspent and half the food is out in the Thursday trash.)
• They must resemble a modern-day June Cleaver.  For reference…

Who else could rock a flannel with pearls but the one-and-only Mrs. Cleaver?

Okay, so I just looked over my list and realized that I will definitely never meet even one of these standards.  In fact, if there is someone out there who regularly meets even two of these standards, please reach out to me so I can come observe and study you in your natural habitat.  Looks like some altered expectations are on the horizon.  Good news for me!  (See how eye-opening putting thoughts down on virtual paper can be?  I highly recommend it.)

Though I will never be anywhere close to a June Cleaver, I have to share with you all my “Housewife win” from yesterday.  It was a typical weekday where I found myself on my way home from work without so much as a thought for dinner in my head.  Thankfully, my husband was out-of-town so I didn’t feel much pressure to fill a hungry man-belly.  However, my mother-in-law was staying with me to watch the Babe for a couple of days and she deserved a treat.  Half the time when she’s down, she is washing my dishes, doing my laundry, and cooking my dinner while simultaneously watching 2 grandchildren.  And she’s doing these things because (as mentioned) I am a struggling housewife who can’t keep up with anything.  So it was just the two of us and the Babe last night and she deserved dinner made for her!  So I went to my go-to Cookbook (Pinterest– because you can find anything on Pinterest) and found, quite literally, the fastest, easiest, and least expensive meal I have ever made.  And I just felt compelled to share with you all.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies.

Here is where I found the original recipe.  She actually has step-by-step photos, which is a lovely touch.  I was too hungry to take the time for that.  But it was actually the easiest and most delicious thing I have ever made.  So easy, in fact, that I am going to type out the ingredient list and recipe for you by heart right now.  Here it goes:

Serving:  Makes 8 mini pot pies

Ingredients:
1 can of Pillsbury Grand biscuits
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup of shredded chicken (I used one large can of shredded canned chicken)
1 can of condensed Cream of (whatever you choose) soup (I used Cream of Broccoli)
Sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

Steps to the easiest Pot Pies ever:

1- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2- Spray cupcake tins with non-stick cooking spray.  Flatten out the biscuits and line each cupcake slot with one.

3- In a bowl, mix together frozen vegetables, shredded chicken, and cream of (whatever) soup.

4- Fill the biscuits with your veggie/chicken mixture.  (I filled each one to overflowing with about 1.5 heaping tablespoons each).

5- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

6- Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of each pot pie and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until biscuits have a delightfully crispy, golden edge.

7- Bon appetit, mes amis.

Seriously, that’s it!  I can’t tell you how often I find a “Quick and easy” recipe where the prep actually ends up taking me at least half an hour (which is not quick when making dinner coincides with chasing a toddler out of the dog’s water bowl).  This took me a solid 3 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook, and about 7.5 minutes to stuff down my throat.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.  And what’s better: you can make two batches and individually wrap & freeze them for grab & go lunches!  Wasssup!  I just adore a good find like this.

I actually have a whole Pinterest board of recipes I have found, tried, and have proven true in my kitchen.  Feel free to follow and try them out on your own!  Click here to take a look.

Hopefully I brought us all just a little bit closer to June Cleaver status.  Though, really, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.  Until next time, my friends.  All the best to you and yours!