Chicken Noodle Soup with Butternut Squash

I left my full-time job almost a year ago.  With two little kiddos and a firefighter schedule to work with, it was hard for me to maintain a full-time schedule and to keep our sanity.  (No literally, I was hospitalized with postpartum depression).  I can joke about it now but at the time it was devastating.  I was not showing up the as my best version for my kids, my husband, and my work.  And as someone who prides themselves on being "successful" and "good at what they do", I felt like I failed on so many levels.

But honestly, this is a story for another day . . .

So for about a year now, we have been living on one full-time income.  And I am so grateful that my husband has a job that allow for us to do this because this year has been one of the best of my life.  I am able to dedicate most of my time to my family and in this season of life this just feels right.

But . . .

It has been an adjustment living on one full-time income.  And while I am working to build this business one day at a time it means we have had to make a few adjustments.  So while I'm not bringing in a salary, I've been trying to find ways to cut our expenses.  As a stay at home mom, I could either find a way to make more money or cut expense.  This recipe is my inspiration for the later.

I love to cook and I love to meal plan (obviously).  And one of our biggest expenses is our grocery bill.  And with two boys plus a husband, this is only going to get more expensive.  So I've made it my mission to find a way to save some money by being more efficient with our grocery bill.  One way I'm planning on doing this is to reduce the number of trips I make to the store.  If I go to the store, I inevitably buy something I don't actually need.  And I also have enough food at the house to make something for dinner.  So the goal is to cook with what I already have available until I absolutely need to go to the store.

Soup seems like the best option in this situation.  Throw whatever you have in the instant pot.  Turn it to high.  Enjoy a yummy, nutrient dense meal 15 minutes later.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did.  We'll be eating it for a few days until we need to go food shopping 😉.