This is my most requested recipe!

In 2020 my daughter graduating from high school, received a DM.

“I know this is going to sound silly, but remember that soup you had at your 6th-grade murder mystery dinner party, can I get the recipe? I want to serve it at my high school graduation party!”

It’s that good. You’ll be thinking about it for years!

This recipe was created one day when I had zero energy, was exhausted, and the menu called for chicken enchiladas. I made up the filling, and as I was about to soften the tortillas in oil to roll up the enchiladas, I thought, how can I make this easier?

I then decided to warm up the filling I had made, spoon it into bowls, add cheese and chips on top and call it “easy enchiladas!”

This recipe is warming up a bunch of cans, so if you can open a can, you can make this recipe. And because it’s all cans, it’s a great food storage meal, an easy, substantial dinner to make, and the leftovers WILL GET EATEN, so make extra!  

Ceri’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

Here’s basically what I do, and just so you know, you can’t mess this up – – 

It serves at least 14+, but you can easily reduce everything by 1/2 to make less.

However, it’s super delicious, it freezes well, and people will want the leftovers. 

* 4-5 chicken breasts shredded, shoot for around 3+ pounds of chicken 

* OR 4 cans of chicken chunks drained and then rinse the chicken off to get rid of the “canned” smell and salt for taste

OR 3-4 cups shredded pork (this is my favorite)

– It’s not all three meat options, just choose one!  It tastes just as delicious with the canned chicken, really it does!

 * 2-3 small 16-ounce cans cream of chicken soup if you want it thicker, add 3 for sure

* 1 cup or a very large scoop of sour cream (I use light)

 2-3 large cans of green enchilada sauce (large is the 29 ounces) (Macayos brand is our favorite, then Old El Paso or the target brand).

Mix the chicken with the above ingredients in a pot on the stovetop, crockpot, or instant pot and heat up until warm.

Also needed:

4 cups of cooked rice

shredded cheese 1-2 pounds

tortilla chips (we love On The Boarder Brand Best, but serve what you love best, that will make the soup even better)

How to enjoy this yumminess – 

Add about rice 1/2 cup cooked rice (more if you want it less soup like) to the bottom of the bowl, top with a generous amount of the enchilada soup mixture, add a good amount of cheese on top and then either dip chips into the yumminess or crush a bunch of chips over the top and eat with a spoon. 

Instead of rice at the bottom, I usually eat it with shredded lettuce at the bottom, it feels healthier.

Feel free to add toppings such as avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, etc. 

It’s kinda like the idea of Hawaiian Haystacks but tastes very different, so I call it it’s Mexican Haystacks!  It’s that a fun name?

I Hate When People Say This

I hate when people say, 

“just lower your expectations!”

I grew up in a house where we HAD to clean bathrooms every day before school.  

As a young mom with three small children, I tried to live up to that expectation because I didn’t realize I could choose to do it differently.

I just thought that’s what everyone did.

Don’t lower your expectations.

Become aware of them.

Business owners and moms, we often think there’s only one way to accomplish something, and when we don’t do it a specific, exact way, we beat ourselves & declare ourselves a failure.

Expectations are things we MAKE UP!

Things we think we “SHOULD” or have to  do!

When the stress of expectations arise within you stop and ask your self

1. What is TRULY being asked of me?

2. What is genuinely needed to hit the desired result?

3. How much time do I have to give to this task?

4. How can I accomplish the task in that time?

5. What will “suffer” if I don’t do it? 

6.  By doing those things, will I have met the true ask?

Don’t lower your expectations!

Make yourself aware of what needs to be done and what “extra things” you think need to be done to get the same result.

Do you hate the expression “lower your expectations?”

I was never late, AND I still felt terrible

“MOM, WHY ARE WE ALWAYS LATE?”

When my then, three year old asked me that, my prideful blood began to boil.

I could feel my brain steaming, seriously, steaming!

“We are NEVER late,”
I shouted back sharply.

I asked her why she thought we were always late, and she said, “because every morning, all you ever say is,

hurry up, we’re going to be late!”

Being late, or feeling like your might be late, the stress of being behind, not to mention how you feel when you are late, all feel terrible!!

Although I wasn’t late, I still felt terrible!

I didn’t feel joyous or at peace with my time.

I always felt rushed, tense, behind, and stressed out.

I felt like I was going a mile a minute with my schedule yet didn’t have much to show for it!

I rarely felt calm, or like I could relax, and I wasn’t feeling much happiness, success, or joy either!

This is the most important thing when creating a schedule…

Have you ever woken up early, looked at what you had to do that day, and then felt instant overwhelm, anxiety, or even dread?

Can you even imagine what it would feel like to wake up and be excited about your schedule AND confident that you can get it all done?

While teaching special education full-time, growing my six-figure coaching practice, parenting my three teen daughters, and serving as the President of Church’s Women’s Organization, fearing that I had too much to do was real!

However, I rarely felt overwhelmed because I knew why each item was on my schedule, I liked the reason for it being there, and I knew the results I would receive from doing each thing.

My daughters were impacted

When I spend time on my business my daughters are impacted by a mom leading as an example of believing in herself, doing hard things, and going after her dreams.  As I spend time working on my goals, I have asked my children to help in various ways.  Their help has allowed them to develop new talents, try new things, and learn the value of work and time.  Two of my daughters have expanded their talents while working for my clients that are also impactful mothers growing businesses.   My oldest daughter, at the age of 16, during Covid, started a custom wedding cake business,  At the age of 19, while also going to nursing school she makes more in her business now than she will as a nurse once she graduates When I use my time to make more money, I am helping you make more money. It also means I am helping you have more time to create a bigger impact on your business and motherhood. ⁠

When you spend your time making more money, you can buy things that enhance your life. ⁠

You are able to purchase opportunities for your children. ⁠

You can provide memories and family vacations. ⁠ You are able to purchase courses, coaches, or conveniences of life. 

The people who buy your service or product benefit from you spending your time on your business.
⁠ ⁠
The purchases you make because of the money you make benefit that seller to do the exact same things with their family. The money you pay allows them to buy things that improve their lives and those around them. ⁠

When I make money, and use that time to work with a coach who helps to up level me, that up levels what I do and how I help you. ⁠

So the next time you’re worried that you spending time to grow your business is taking away from those around you, just stop it!!!

When you use your TIME to achieve your business goals, everyone benefits! ⁠

Having this is just the beginning

I help entrepreneurial, impact driven women in the middle of motherhood and business solve their time, schedule, business, and organization issues. 

But when they have more time they also:
– discover how to parent with more confidence and enjoyment
– receive better business clarity, strategy, and more success
– spend time for you and on the things you value most
– discover what the needle movers are in your business, learn what to say yes and what to say no to
– make powerful decisions, and create a plan for your next business steps
– make money in your business in less time while strengthening family relationships
– develop deeper relationships with the ones you love
– build confidence in your motherhood and business decisions
– cultivate the ability to make decisions quickly

So when I say more time is just the beginning,I truly mean it!

Best Lesson Learned

The day before my daughter’s wedding, a client reached out with a scheduling question. She had a lot going on & was feeling overwhelmed! ⁣⁣⁣⁣

Some of the things to be scheduled were items she didn’t have a specific time frame for because others would need to complete their part of the task first. 

Some time constraints would be placed on her last minute by commitments of her part-time job & others’ schedule availability. ⁣ 

The timing of some of her tasks were not in her control. Cue think raising children, semi work emergencies, and websites crashing.

She asked me, “how I schedule my day with all these unknowns?”

Executing the wedding schedule had me in the middle of these same kinds of unknowns & time constraints that depended on other people. 

Has your May felt a little like this?⁣⁣

May is often a hectic month for most of us. It’s also the month that leads us into summer! Summer is often looked forward to for the freedom from school demands/schedules, vacations, and lazy days. However,  before we know it, if we aren’t intentional, we feel overwhelmed in the summer and ready for fall. 

When life feels like you can’t schedule much, I encourage you to schedule the feelings you want to have. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

Although I knew I had x amount of things to accomplish before my daughter’s wedding, I couldn’t schedule when they would be completed due to the variety of tasks and other people’s schedules. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

But, I KNEW how I wanted to feel that day. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

I wanted to feel available, kind, & flexible.

I wanted to feel like I had enough energy and patience to get it all done happily.

Knowing how I wanted to feel helped me get everything accomplished in a way that felt good. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

When the table delivery service was 2 hours late, because I scheduled being flexible and kind, I was able to show up in a way that allowed me to be kind and accommodating.   

When my daughter’s top tear of her cake wasn’t working out (yes, my daughter made her own wedding cake), I went home at 9 pm and baked another top tier because I scheduled in patience and energy.

When life feels out of control, with too many unknowns or unpredictability, I encourage you to schedule how you want to feel.⁣⁣

This summer is going to be different than the school year. In some ways that’s awesome, and in some ways, that might feel hard!

Scheduling how you want to feel this summer might be the only thing you can fully control.  

Take a minute to think about how do you want to feel this summer?When you focus on feeling that way, what type of things will you do and not do?   

Decide how you want to feel, and then intentionally plan your schedule with that feeling in mind. If you don’t want to plan a summer schedule, that’s fine too, however, I then, highly encourage you to ask yourself how would a person that wants to feel (then state the feeling you desire) show up today? How would they show up this summer?   

We can do this mamas! We can create memories, spend quality time with our children, and grow our businesses if that’s what you decide you want to do!

There’s A Podcast for That

What’s something that you’ve been struggling with lately? 

As a mom that’s also growing a business, I bet I know a few of the things you’re struggling with.

If fact, I bet I’ve got a podcast for many of them below! 

Are you working to overcome some perfectionism in your home and or business?  

If so, you might want to check out my podcasts with Misty March “How to Overcome Perfectionism as a Momprenuer,” or the one I recorded with Monica at About Progress, “How to Know When You’ve Done Enough Each Day.” Both podcasts are full of practical answers, simple action steps, and mindset shifts for you to try out. ⁣⁣

Are you wishing you had more time?  

“How to maximize your Time as a Busy Mom” is one I recorded with Rachel Nielson on her podcast 3 in 30. This one is a listener favorite and it packed full of simple, practical things you can start today!  

Dr. Jen Riday had me on her podcast, Vibrant Happy Women as a guest to talk about “Setting & Scheduling Your Priorities.”

And, another time related podcast I recored with Misty Marsh to help you use your time with intention, “How to Find More Time & Create a Life You Love.”⁣

Are you seeking more life balance?

You should check out  “How to Balance Mom-life, Work-life and Your Life” with Pam Maass or the one I did with Candace on Thriving with 8, “Work Smarter, Not Harder.”   

If you want a little more balanced life chat with a good dose of priority work mixed in, check out The Well Well Well Podcast “How to Get Crap Done.”⁣

Have you wished you were better at creating and sticking with purposeful goals?  If so, you’re not alone.  

Michelle Gifford and I talked about the “Steps to Accomplish Any Goal,” and Jen Riday and I discussed  “Setting Goals From Your Strengths.” Since I believe that we should set goals from our strengths, the episode with Whole Modern Parent  “Diving into Your Strengths in Motherhood” is a great guide for this topic too!⁣⁣

If you have ADHD, know someone that does, or think that you might, check out these two incredible podcasts below.  

Monica asked some amazing questions that we got to discuss on About Progress “How to Still Live Your Best Life with a New ADHD Diagnosis” or my podcast with Sami, The Teen Life Coach simply titled, “ADHD.”⁣ will be very valuable for learning a bit more about ADHD as well. 

I’ve created a page on my website to house many of the guest podcast opportunities I’ve had in the past few years.  If you want to check out all my podcast page, click here to be directed to a podcast that will help you work on that thing you’ve been wanting to improve!

How can we figure out which tasks are important and which isn’t?

Do you have tasks on your to-do list that you never seem to get completed? ⁠I know why and you can know why too! Use these questions below to help you know why it is for you.

Answering these questions and taking action will help you simplify your list and identify which tasks to remove without ever having to do many of them!When we aren’t doing them, there’s a reason!

Discover why so you can remove the “shoulds,” plan for obstacles, remove the non-priorities, the tasks you don’t want/need to do, and activities that aren’t moving the needle forward in your life and business towards success. 

Here’s my secret when it comes to organizing and planning

The secret to accomplishing what’s on your schedule is not the number of things on your schedule, it’s how you feel about it! ⁠

Even when I was growing my coaching practice, teaching school full-time, raising my three children, and serving as the president of my church’s women’s organization, I could get it all done because when I looked at my schedule, I did not feel overwhelmed! ⁠

So what’s my secret?

I under commit (keep in mind, this looks different for everyone)! When you under commit, it allows you to have the space, flexibility, and freedom to focus on the most important things each day! ⁠

When you under commit, you have room in your schedule for emergencies, the unexpected, last-minute fun things, and to add more to your day when you WANT to!⁠

When we don’t know our priorities, we tend to over-commit. When we focus on and see the purpose behind our priorities, we plan those things that fuel us, excite us, move the needle forward, and bring us joy!

When you feel joy and excitement about your schedule, it’s hard to feel overwhelmed too!

It’s possible to have a very demanding schedule and still feel like you have space and flexibility to enjoy the life you’re creating if you LOVE the things on your schedule.