Jen

Deep Cleaning Weekly Chores

There have been a few questions about the weekly chores on the Daily Schedule for the 50’s Housewife. When I saw this Facebook post from the 50’s Housewife I thought the weekly chores are the perfect accompaniment to the Daily Schedule.

I consider Weekly chores “cleaning projects”, jobs that require a little more time and effort than general picking up and tidying, think of them as deep cleaning. You can do these throughout the week, focusing on one room each day of the week, or once you have a good routine do one room each week.

Bedroom

Remove everything from closets. Sweep and wash closet floor. Put everything back neatly. Donate items you no longer need. Try not to store things on closet floor.
For each drawer: remove items, wash drawer, place items back neatly. Donate Items you no longer need.
Move Bed. Sort and put away anything that was under bed. Sweep or vacuum under bed. Try not to store things under bed.
Put bed back. Freshen mattress by sprinkling with baking soda, letting sit briefly, and the vacuuming it up.
Launder bedding and curtains. Wash pillows and duvet in hot water. Air out mattress pad, if you have one.
Dust lights. Clean lamp shades.
Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens.
Wash switch plates. Wash walls and trim as needed.
Wash mirrors or dust art.
Wash doors and doorknobs.
Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
Sweep and wash floor or vacuum.

Bathroom

Empty all cabinets and vanity. Wash inside, replace items neatly. Discard expired medications and cosmetics.
Wash outside of cabinets and vanities
Clean tub. Polish if necessary. Clean drain.
Clean toilet, inside and out. Remove seat and clean around seat bolts.
Clean sink and drain.
Shine faucets.
Clean mirror and frame.
Dust light fixtures.
Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens.
Wash switch plates. wash walls and trim. Wash doors and door knobs.
Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
Sweep and wash floors.

Kitchen

Remove and clean window coverings.
For each cabinet or drawer: Remove items, wipe out drawer, place items back neatly. Donate unneeded items.
Wash and sanitize cutting boards
Sharpen knives
Wash cabinet doors and knobs
Clean and organize the pantry. Check food expiry dates.
Clean Oven.
Clean stove top. Remove elements and drip bowls, if applicable, wash and put back.
Clean and organize the fridge and freezer. Defrost freezer, if necessary. Check food expiry dates.
Clean under fridge and stove.
Vacuum refrigerator coils.
Clean microwave.
Clean crumbs out of the toaster.
Clean and descale kettle.
Wipe down any other counter appliances
Wash counters and backsplash.
Wash and shine sink. Shine faucet. Clean drain.
Clean Dishwasher.
Dust light fixtures.
Wash windows and window sills. Remove window screens and wash.
Wash switch plates.
Wash walls and trim as needed.
Wash doors and door knobs.
Wash floor registers and other vent covers
Sweep and wash floor.
Reseal grout lines, if necessary.

Living Room

Vacuum sofas.
Spot clean sofas, if applicable.
Launder throw pillows and blankets.
Dust shelves, furniture and decor.
Clean lamps and lampshades.
Wash windows and window sills.
Take out and wash window screens.
Clean television screen.
Carefully dust electronics.
Tidy electronics wires. Tuck nicely out of sight. Label them, if practical.
Sort through music and DVD collections. Purge things that no longer suit your families interests. Organize what is left in an attractive manner.
Sort books and magazines. Donate or recycle ones that no longer suit your families interests.
Wash hard plastic children’s toys with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry. Launder stuffed toys. Donate or store toys that your children have grown too old for.
Wash switch plates.
Wash walls and trim as needed.
Wash doors and knobs.
Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
Clean floors.

My 5 am. Morning Routine

Mornings can be rough, but they are also the foundation that the rest of the day builds upon, so I try to make sure I start my day on the right note.

I get up at 5 am EVERYDAY, and follow my morning routine to make sure I start my day with opportunity, clarity, and energy. While it wasn’t easy to get into this routine, after a couple of years it has become second nature (I don’t even need an alarm clock now!)

A lot of my Morning Routine is very loosely based on the Miracle Morning, a book which lays out a simple 6-step routine, which uses the concept of habit stacking.

The principle behind habit stacking is that to more easily adopt a new habit you stack it on top of an existing habit. For example, because I drink coffee every morning, I have added the habit of planning my day. While I drink my cup of coffee each morning, I will plan out my day.

My Morning Routine

Typically, my alarm goes off at 5:15 am. But I have been rising at the time for so long I often wake up on my own right before my alarm even sounds. ma

5:15: Wake up

Part of what makes my early morning wake up bearable is the fact that during my Evening Routine, I preset my coffee maker to come on at 5:10 am am, so a fresh hot pot of coffee is waiting for me when I come downstairs

I get up, and make my way downstairs. I pour myself a cup of coffee and get settled at either the dining room table or on the couch, and read for about 10 minutes. Reading can be news articles, blog posts in Feedly, or a book I am currently working my way through, whatever I am in the mood for that morning.

5:25: Dishes and Laundry

I unload the dishwasher and put away the dishes that were loaded and run as part of my evening routine, I also throw in a load of dirty laundry.

5:30: Plan

After I do the dishes and laundry I pour myself another cup of coffee and pull out my planners. I review the schedule for the day, and visualize what my day will look like. I make note of what tasks I will want to tackle, and the tone I want to set for the whole day.

I also use this time to review my meal plan for the day/week and update my grocery list, or make note of what needs to be removed the freezer or prepared earlier in the day.

Working in my planners is my favorite part of the morning, I enjoy embracing my creative side with stickers, but I also really appreciate having an outline for my day. As a stay at home mom, my biggest challenge is to keep myself from “floating” from one thing to the next without finishing anything! Yes, surprises will pop up, but with the structure of my planner, I can easily refocus myself after those surprises.

5:45: Blog

I really enjoy writing in the morning, in fact as I type this it is 6 am. I’ve found that when I write in the morning my inner critic is less vocal, and my thoughts are fresh in the morning. If something comes up and I am unable to write in the morning, I really miss it.

6:15: Start Breakfast and Pack Lunches

I wake the rest of my family up around 6:30 so I start making whatever it is they will be having for breakfast and if it is a school/workday lunch. Breakfast can be as simple as bowls of cereal, or a homemade omelet, I try to switch things up.

6:30-7:00 Get Everyone Out The Door

During this time I focus my attention on getting everyone, including myself prepped and ready for the day. If I will be working out after school drop off I get dressed in my athletic wear, then help the kids make sure they have everything they need. Some of my kids have long days at school because of sports and need to bring a regular school bag and a sports bag, we make sure water bottles, snacks, and homework are packed. I drive my kids to school every day, which only takes 15 minutes of my time, but gives them an additional hour at home in the morning, so we also defrost the car during this time.

7:15-11:30 Dig into My Day

After I get back from school drop of I really dig into my day. I do set aside specific days each week to accomplish more involved cleaning or blogging related tasks, but for the other 3 weeks days. I typically tackle:

Exercise
Shower
Laundry
Breakfast Dishes
Cleaning/Housework
Grocery Shopping (if needed)
Office Work (confirm appointments/emails/bills etc.)

What does your morning routine look like?

A New Year, New Vintage Housewife Daily Schedule Printable

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were fabulous and you were surrounded by people you love!

To kick the new year off I have freshened up the Vintage Housewife Daily Schedule Printable, and I have also added some bonus pages this year to help you track your daily chores.

A display of PDFS fanned out on a white background. Documents include the The Vintage Housewife Daily Routine FREE Printable PDF, and a daily checklist

This year’s printable features the 1950’s Housewife Daily Routine, a Daily Checklist inspired by the Housewife Routine, a blank checklist, an hourly daily planner, and a meal planner!

You can download all this absolutely free, along with my progress in the 1950’s Housewife Challenge, housekeeping tips, & fun and easy DIYs. delivered directly to your inbox when you subscribe to The Vintage Housewife!

I’ll send you the FREE VINTAGE HOUSEWIFE ROUTINE PRINTABLE PACK instantly in your first emai!

The Vintage Housewife website on a white laptop sitting on a desk with a mug, pink flowers and pink office supplies.

2019 Reader Survey

I hope you had a blessed Christmas and were able to celebrate all the joys of the season, and spend time with loved ones

We’re about to turn the page on 2018 and day “Hello, 2019!” but before we ring in the new year, I wanted to take a moment to ask you a very important question:

How Can I Help You?

While I love making my home a haven for my family, and I began this blog because I wanted to help other people find joy in creating a home they are proud of, and live a fulfilling life too!

I have talked before about my struggles with this blog; time, hackers, and technical difficulties have made blogging here a challenge in 2018. But honestly, I’m astonished by how much this blog has grown despite these setbacks – I’ve learned a lot in 2018, and I am ready to move on, 2019 will be a year of growth!

I can’t wait to document my progress with the Vintage Housewife Challenge in 2019, but I know there is more we can explore, and other areas of life we can cultivate together, and rather than try to guess, I thought I’d just ask you directly.

So I have a short, five-question questionnaire — it won’t take long to answer. I promise it’s painless, anonymous and will be extremely helpful to me — I would REALLY appreciate it!

Please fill out my questionnaire here.

As a special thank you I wanted to give you a FREE 1950’s HOUSEWIFE PRINTABLE PACK to help you start the New Year STRONG!

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating today! I hope your day is filled with warmth, love, laughter, and delicious food.

This year, like the past several, we will hold off on the gift opening until my parents, brother, and his fiance get to our house. Being able to share Christmas morning excitement with my whole family is one of my favorite holiday traditions!

After the gift exchange, we will have a brunch before we head off to my in-laws for even more food! But I wanted to take a moment and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

6 Ways I am Investing in Myself Right Now

Tis the season for holiday celebrations and gift giving! You probably have a big list of people who you’re planning on giving gifts to this year – family, friends, delivery people. In the spirit of gift-giving, why not give yourself a gift that is also an investment in yourself. Maybe something that helps grow as a person, set and reach goals, indulge in a favorite leisure activity, or take control of the chaos of a busy schedule.

I have decided to share the 5 ways I am investing in myself right now to make 2019 the most productive and best year yet. Some of these investments are brand new investments, but some I have been benefiting from for a few months, or even a year now!

Powersheets

I first became introduced to Lara Casey’s message of Cultivating your life much in the same way you would tend a garden in the book Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life. I was so inspired by that book that when I heard about Powersheets I knew I had to try them for a year.

Powersheets are interactive worksheets for making intentional goals, and an action plan to make your goals a reality. I just ordered mine sight unseen, so I can’t tell you all that much about them yet, but here is the features as listed on the shop page:

A signature PowerSheets Preparation process to uncover the right goals for your season of life.
Goal coaching on every page so you stay motivated and on track.
Seasonal worksheets to refresh and refocus your goals each season.
Exclusive access to a free library of downloadable Wildcard pages to help customize your goals, including a meal planner, finance tracker, reading list, monthly calendar, budget, and more!

Check out the Cultivate What Matters Shop

Plum Paper Planner

I have been a faithful Erin Condren Life Planner user for a couple of years, and every year I find I rely on my planner even more than the previous year. This year I kept finding myself wishing for subtle changes that would make the Life Planner function even better for me. I really wanted notes pages at the end of each week, and while the hourly was closest to perfection for me, I was using a ton of stickers to create lists on days when I didn’t need the hourly layout. So when I heard about Plum Paper Planners in a Planner Facebook group I was intrigued.

Plum Paper’s web app allows you to walk through the entire process of building your perfect planner, it is very similar to Erin Condren with slightly more customization options. You first choose your general layout: the size, timescale (daily/weekly/monthly) and orientation (horizontal/vertical). From then on, you can name customized list areas, add, pick your cover, and for me, most importantly, add optional pages.

Erin Condren doesn’t allow you to add on any extra pages – you can only choose the weekly spread layout. Plum Paper has plenty of add-on pages to choose from, plus you can choose from a combination. For my 2019 Planner I added the blogging section and the cleaning section. I also added additional dispersed notes pages and checklist pages. I really can not wait to get my hands on my new planner! I will definitely keep you posted .

Stitch Fix

When it became painfully clear my wardrobe was in desperate need of updating, I decided to give the Stitch Fix styling service a trial run. I also decided to document the experiencethat helps can read more about my fixes here. Every time I wear a Stitch Fix item I always get compliments, I find myself so frequently answering the “where did you get that?” question with “Stitch Fix!”. Yes, it is just clothes, but let’s face it when you look good you feel good.

Stitch Fix is an online styling service for women. When you sign up, you fill out a detailed style analysis. You get to pick and choose which styles best fit you, your sizes and measurements, what types of items you want to get, and you can even leave notes about your specific body shape, concerns, and or best features (something I really appreciate, because I have broad shoulders and my stylist has been awesome about choosing items that downplay this area for me). Your Stylist picks 5 items for you, and sends them to you. You have three days after receiving your Stitch Fix box to try out all the clothes and inform Stich Fix on which pieces you will keep, and the pieces you plan to send back. You always receive a pre-paid shipping bag that you will use to send back the pieces you didn’t care for.

Check out Stitch Fix

Carrie Elle Meal Planner

I’ve had a subscription to Plan to Eat for over a year now, but recently I’ve found I haven’t been using it. I am not really sure why I am not utilizing Plan to Eat like I have in the past, but I’m not, and it is time to move on. I still need a meal planning system, and because I am so fond of paper planners I thought I would give the Carrie Elle 8.5 x 11 Meal Planner a try. The Meal Planner seems flexible in case my planning needs change or I miss a week, and has a perforated grocery list so I could plan out my weekly menu and shopping list and then rip off the list and take it with me to the store. Although I imagine I will take the whole thing with me to the store!

Each book comes with the following:

12 monthly calendar pages (undated) for those of you who like to meal plan a month at a time
60 weekly meal planning pages, with a place to plan out meals for the week and a place to write your grocery list. The pages are perforated so you can rip off the grocery list to take with you to the store.
10 holiday meal/dinner party planning pages, with space to plan the meals (and even supplies you need to buy) and a place to write out your shopping list. The pages are perforated so you can rip off the grocery list to take with you to the store.
10 lined pages at the back of the book for notes/recipes/helpful websites
Space to keep track of your favorite meal planning resources
Freezer Inventory sheets
Pantry Inventory sheets
Spice Inventory sheet
Measurement and baking conversions
Double-sided pocket folder (keep your recipes, grocery store flyers and coupons here)

Like the Plum Paper Planner, this is a new buy for me, and I will definitely keep you posted!

Check out the Carrie Elle Meal Planners here

Gym Membership

Shortly before my 40th birthday I decided to make losing weight, and getting healthy a priority. I started watching what I was eating and tried my go-to exercise of choice walking/jogging around my neighborhood, but the weather was less than cooperative.

I was pretty reluctant to bite the bullet and invest in a gym membership, but it turned out to so much better than I thought it would be. Living on a farm can be kind of isolating especially when you don’t work outside of your home. The town I live in is small, and at any given time I know the majority of the other people using the gym, it’s nice to get out of the house and to be able to chat and feel like a part of the community. But most importantly, it all makes me feel good. It’s even – dare I say it – kind of fun. It’s fun to move in new ways, try new things, and set new goals. It is fun to watch your progress.

Book of the Month

Book of the Month (BOTM) is a monthly reading/book subscription box that offers newly released (often released before anyone else can get their hands on them) hardback books. You are given five choices every month and you select up to 3 books that you’d most like to read. I usually end up paying around $20 a month for a couple of hardcover books and let me tell you I’ve never regretted it.

I LOVE READING. The Book of the Month Membership is totaly worth it for me. Indulging in a couple of books a month brings me hours of reading joy. I look forward to the box every single month and this isn’t an exaggeration. Reading is something I will never ever fall out of love with. Treating myself to this small pleasure has been one of my best and smartest acts of self care. It may seem like an added or unnecessary expense, but it has NEVER been that to me.

Check out Book of the Month

Some of these items are new investments for me, and some I have been doing for months now. I will keep you posted with any new to me products!

How are you investing in yourself.

Some of the links above are affiliate or referral links which means the link is traced back to me, which means when I share these kinds of resources and you make a purchase, they share some profit or a credit with me. But I have and will continue to gladly pay money out of my own pocket for these services.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have an amazing day celebrating with family and friends. It’s the perfect time to take a moment to reflect on what you’re grateful for this year.

I plan on spending the day cooking (and eating) and spending some quality time the kids, grandparents and my brother and his fiance, but I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how very grateful I am for you. I feel so lucky every single day to have such a wonderfully kind community of people here who have connected with me through The Vintage Housewife.

I know things have been somewhat quiet around here, and the break in my blogging was not intentional. After my sites were hacked, the restoration took a lot of time and was rather costly, and once I bounced back from the actual hacking and had finished mucking around in code I was burnt out. I didn’t enjoy all the backend work to repair the damage that had been done, and honestly didn’t even want to see the log window of my site for a while.

I just felt drained.

But I missed spending time here with you! And I know some of you felt the same way, and even took time out or your busy days to send me emails, messages, and comments during my break, and that meant so much to me!

Thank you for spending a little bit of your day with me here on the blog, your comments, advice, and emails! I am so grateful for the wonderful community of ladies we have here, and I am so excited to spend more time with you!

How are you celebrating today?

And what’s your favorite part of today’s feast?

I’m all about the pies!

October Monthly Meal Plan (Slow Cooker Heavy)

It’s that time again, monthly meal plan time!

How did September go for you? For our family, September was all about getting back into a normal routine, and the meal plan really did help the transition.

I am sharing our Monthly meal plan again below, and I have also pinned all the recipes to my October Meal Plan Pinterest Board.

I use Plan to Eat to quickly organize my family favorite recipes and organize them into meal plans and generate shopping lists! If you have a Plan to Eat Account send me a friend request (my username is HomeinFLX), I’d love to exchange recipes!

I plan for the month but shop for the week. Since I have already set aside the time to meal plan, I find it easier to plan for the whole month, kind of a once and done thing. The other nice thing, after each month, is planned for the year, you are done. You can repeat weeks or whole months if you would like. I also purchase some things for the whole month, especially if they are on sale, but the majority of the grocery shopping is done weekly.

Things to know about the October Meal Plan

I leaned heavily on my slow cooker this month! My daughter has swim meets, and my son has fall baseball & football. We will be pretty busy and I love coming home to a hot meal fully cooked meal on a chilly fall day.
There are 4 pork dinners on this meal plan, all 4 meals can be made from 1 whole pork loin! Whole Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin Roasts are great budget cuts of meat (Wegmans sells them for around $1.69/lb. and they average 8-10 lbs.) If you have never cut down a whole loin, have no fear it is incredibly easy and there are plenty of tutorials, or you could have your meat cutter at the grocery store do it! Be sure to package your cut pork loin and refrigerate or freeze as soon as you can. Check out: How to Turn a Whole Prok Loin into 9 meals and save a ton of Money
My family is not bothered by chicken a couple of nights in a row, but we generally don’t eat red meat multiple days in a row, just personal preference!
My meal plan is pretty flexible, and I consider it a “guideline” not a rule, and one you can ignore at will. Craving tacos on Monday and have all the ingredients of hand? Go for it! I’ve never had the meal planning police knock at my door for observing Taco Tuesday on another day of the week ? Have fun with it, meal planning is supposed to make your life easier, not cause stress. Really the only time I strictly follow my meal plan is when fresh perishable food is involved, like seafood.

I hope you find our meal plan helpful or maybe inspirational, (I know all families are different and have different preferences or dietary restrictions). I am looking forward to sharing meal plans for the upcoming months.

October Monthly Meal Plan

Monday, Oct 1: Slow Cooker Meatball Sandwiches with a tossed salad
Tuesday, Oct 2: Easy Ginger Pork Stir-Fry *use a portion of the pork loin
Wednesday, Oct 3: Baked Potato Soup with Garlic Cheesy Pull Apart Bread
Thursday, Oct 4: Leftovers
Friday, Oct 5: Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
Saturday, Oct 6: Saucy Chicken Thighs with Baked Potatoes and Steamed Spinach.
Sunday, Oct 7: Roast Chicken & Perfect Rice Pilaf *I bake 2 chickens and shred & freeze 1 for use in other meals (ex: chicken stew or chicken quesadillas)
Monday, Oct 8: Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak with Freezer Mashed Potatoes and corn
Tuesday, Oct 9: Chicken Stew with Dumplings
Wednesday, Oct 10: Broccoli Cheese Soup
Thursday, Oct 11: Leftovers
Friday, Oct 12: Linguine with Clam Sauce with a tossed salad
Saturday, Oct 13: Beef Nacho Pie with Mixed Vegetables
Sunday, Oct 14: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Fajitas *use a portion of the pork loin
Monday, Oct 15: Western Omelette with Fruit
Tuesday, Oct 16: S low-Cooker Apricot-Glazed Pork Roast and Stuffing *use a portion of the pork loin
Wednesday, Oct 17: Slow Cooker Chili with Corn Bread
Thursday, Oct 18: Leftovers
Friday, Oct 19: Chicken Quesadillas & Easy Spanish Rice
Saturday, Oct 20: Cabbage Sausage Supper
Sunday, Oct 21: Asparagus ‘n’ Shrimp with Angel Hair
Monday, Oct 22: Homemade Sloppy Joes with French fries and Roasted Cauliflower
Tuesday, Oct 23: Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork *use a portion of the pork loin
Wednesday, Oct 24: Broccoli Chicken Divan with a tossed salad
Thursday, Oct 25: Leftovers
Friday, Oct 26: Macaroni and Cheese with green beans
Saturday, Oct 27: Dad’s Meatloaf with Tomato Relish with baked potatoes and corn
Sunday, Oct 28: Cube Steak and Gravy Recipe with Freezer Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
Monday, Oct 29: Classic BLT Sandwich with cut fruit
Tuesday, Oct 30: Cheesy Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet with Easy Garlic Bread
Wednesday, Oct 31: Fast English Muffin Pizzas

Some great easy Fall desserts for October:

Looking for More Dinner Inspiration?

Check out the September Monthly Meal Plan

5 Easy Things to Do to Prep For Christmas in September

I love Christmas, but I don’t love the how jam-packed the month of December is. Between company holiday parties, school choir concerts, family parties, out of town guests, every weekend is booked with events which does not leave a lot of time for baking, shopping, and general holiday prep. So I have been doing my holiday prep earlier and earlier every year, and there are some serious perks to planning ahead.

The idea is to do a few things every month so that the holiday season will be less stressful and more enjoyable. Here are the things I do to get ready for Christmas in September.

Deep Clean the Living Room

Every September I wash my walls, curtains, baseboards, and window and door trim. I also rent a carpet shampooer and clean my carpet, although, I am rethinking this, and considering buying my own carpet cleaner this year. This is also the perfect time to touch up any paint that may have dinged on the trim. The super clean living room ensures we will be ready for holiday visitors and provide a clean slate for all the holiday decor!

Start Shopping for Decorative Accents

I love picking up small holiday decor accents at the Dollar Store, but they tend to sell quickly. Spending some time at your local dollar store can be useful when you’re on a budget but still want to decorate festively. The dollar store has everything from ornaments and stockings to festive place settings and floating candles. If your Dollar Store doesn’t have their Christmas display out yet, check back in a few days, it will soon!

Make a List

Make a list of everyone you will be buying gifts for and what you want to get them. Come up with a couple of ideas and a budget for each person. Make sure to include gifts for coworkers, neighbors, and a secret Santa and add a few extra just in case!

Open A Layaway Account

It’s hard to fit all the holiday shopping in one month’s budget so I love to take advantage of Layaway. Walmart offers Layaway beginning in September for toy and electronics free of charge. This helps spread the cost of those often pricey items over the course of a few months without turning to your credit card.

Christmas Card Prep

If you use a family photo for your holiday card now is the time to make the appointment for the photo shoot. Make a list of who you want to send cards to this year., and gather up and update addresses for the Christmas card list. If you haven’t tried keeping a list on your computer, this would be a great time to create a permanent database and update it every year around this time. Then you can just print the addresses on labels, which makes the process a little bit faster.

I don’t go all out super early, but I have found this is a nice foundation to get the ball rolling.

How do you prep for the holidays in September?

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

Chicken Stew with Dumplings is a family favorite meal that is both hearty and comforting. This easy recipe was created to takes advantage of a grocery store rotisserie chicken and tube of refrigerator biscuits so you can get this homestyle dinner on the table fast.

This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket, the filling is incredibly versatile, you can use it in chicken pot pies, or with biscuits for chicken and biscuits or with dumplings like we have here. Once you have to basics down, like any other soup or stew it is easy to customize and tweak to suit your family’s preferences and tastes. I occasionally add in different veggies. Sometimes I will add a can of sliced potatoes or frozen peas and carrots with green beans, I just make whatever I have on hand work. Really, there is no right or wrong way to make soup or stew 🙂

I love using rotisserie chickens for recipes like this, it is a great shortcut on busy nights. If I were baking the chicken myself there would be no way I could serve this on a weeknight.

Canned refrigerator biscuits are also a time-saving alternative to homemade dumplings. You can add up to 2 of the smaller tubes in this recipe, I prefer 1 tube, but I know lots of people like a dumpling heavy dish, if that is the case go ahead and add two.

A tip for cooking dumplings: smaller dumplings cook better. The dough will expand once it is placed in the warm broth.

Print Recipe

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

The ultimate comfort food made easy with two shortcuts: a rotisserie chicken and refrigerator biscuits.

Prep Time40 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jen

Ingredients

Chicken Stew

1 whole rotisserie chicken *see note
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp chicken base
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the dumplings

1 7.5-ounce can refrigerator biscuits
1 cup chicken stock if desired

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick.
Add the shredded chicken, carrots, peas, and parsley. Stir well.

To Make the Dumplings

On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into quarters.
Drop cut biscuits, one at a time, into boiling chicken mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.
If after the dumplings have cooked the stew seems to thick add up to an additional cup of chicken stock to thin.