Chicken Quinoa Chili - Shhh don't tell the hubby!

I love making chili, and this past week the weather has been feeling like fall so I decided to make some chili using what I had on hand. It came out great, and with a few hidden ingredients that we will not tell the hubby about, it was also pretty good for you!

Here is my Chicken Quinoa Chili recipe:

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves put through the garlic press
1 medium onion diced
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots (use a food processor to get 'em good and fine)
1 lb ground chicken
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup quinoa
1 can kidney beans

Directions
Heat the oil in a large soup pan. I use my spaghetti pan because I love how big it is! Add in the onions and cook until they are soft, then add the garlic and carrots and let cook for a few minutes until it really smells like garlic. Add in the chicken and cook on medium until the chicken is no longer pink. Now lower the heat a little and add in the tomato paste and spices and stir until it is combined. Add the broth and tomatoes and raise the heat until the mixture is boiling. Add in the quinoa and the kidney beans and let boil for 5 mins. Lower the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes, but letting it go for 20-30 minutes is best because the quinoa soaks up the flavor and the chili gets good and thick just how I like it!

To serve top with cheese and sour cream and eat with chips or cornbread. You get some unexpected veggies with the carrots that I so sneakily (is that a word?) hid, some nice fiber with the beans, and of course all the goodness of the quinoa which dear hubby claims he hates but he gobbled up the chili anyway. Little baby girl also slurped up the chili so it is kid approved since I left out a lot of the heat that most chili has. If you want to knock your socks off you can add jalapeno and chili powder but we have a little one at home so we keep it tame.

I only got one photo before we ate it all...and so excuse the rubber ducky under the table! Ha!

 

Memory Lane: Reliving My Biggest Pregnancy Issue

I am quickly approaching the one year anniversary of becoming a mother! As it gets closer and closer I keep reliving all of the memories of pregnancy from the first positive test, four months of throwing up my insides, the first kicks, the waiting a week past her due date, and finally the fast and intense delivery. It was all wonderful. Well mostly wonderful, with the exception of what I like to call My Biggest Pregnancy Issue. It is the issue that shouldn't have been on my mind every time I went into the doctor to hear the heartbeat, receive the exciting handouts about what the baby was doing now, and to blissfully count down the days. It caused a deep depression, an obsession, and a black mark on my whole pregnancy. It was weight gain, and not that I alone obsessed about my growing butt or the clothes that got tighter, but that every. single. check up. I was told I was fat.

Yes I said it - fat. The midwife that I oh so delightfully had to have for months would look at my chart, cluck her tongue, shake her head and say "Honey, you are very overweight. Your baby will be a million pounds because you are fat." I think every woman out there, pregnant or not, just had their mouths drop to the floor. Yes I had gained a few too many pounds. In the end I had gained about five to six pounds over the "recommended" amount to gain, but according to this horrid excuse of a midwife I was a worthless blubber of a whale that was going to have to have my giant child ripped from my huge body.

Now after about five appointments where I would leave in tears and sit in the bathroom down the hall having myself a "fat" ugly cry, I finally told my sweet husband my issue. He didn't really understand because of course they would track my weight gain and be concerned if I was "over" the average, but at the same time he saw the "fat" ugly cry and suggested I complain. Here is the thing. When you are pregnant your whole body changes, and really it should be celebrated because you are creating a new life inside of you. Yes, I probably had one too many cookies, but give me a break. I threw up for four months straight and after that I should be allowed to eat an entire Girl Scout cookie factory. They ended up giving me a very sweet midwife who never once in the last few weeks of my pregnancy comment on my weight. She just delighted with me in the final days and praised me for my birth plan detail, my perseverance through the summer heat, and of course told me how I looked beautiful.

Here is the thing ladies, if anyone calls you fat while you are pregnant you need to punch them in the throat. Okay maybe not be so violent, but don't have yourself a "fat" ugly cry in the bathroom down the hall of the doctor office. Instead, thank them for their rude comment, tell your baby that you love them, and then have a donut. Yes, be healthy, but also enjoy yourself. It isn't worth letting some jerk make you feel like a whale. Plus, weight can come off and on. It is your body, not some freak of a midwife who needs some bedside manner classes.

Oh and guess what midwife from hades - I lost all of the weight plus five more and counting. You on the other hand will always be a horrible, horrible, ugly person.

One Sick Baby

Unfortunately Ella is sick. The doctor kindly told me that she isn't "too sick" but she is sick. She has a fever and upset tummy and one big case of the grumps. For the past week we have been sitting on the couch cuddling and sleeping. Her little cry and whimper breaking my heart.

How in the world do mothers handle this? I feel like I am totally unprepared to deal with it. I am extremely lucky because she has not been sick like this before, but that doesn't make it any better. Sometimes when she is crying and nothing makes her stop I just want to give her the world. By the world I mean a wet washcloth, clean diaper, hair brush, or whatever random item she clasps on to and won't let go. Yes, my child has slept with all of the above and also a wad of my hair she pulled out, a bag of Goldfish crackers, and a spoon. I don't know why she feels the need to hold on to an object while she feels sick, but she does. Very strange, but for some reason comforting.

All I have to say is that my heart goes out to mothers who have sick babies, and an extra prayer to those mothers who have "too sick" babies.

A rare not-crying photo of the patient

Our International Trip!

We decided to take Ella to Canada for our fourth anniversary. It was a great idea, until we realized that Ella is not really a calm baby anymore. She is a moving monster these days and her idea of fun is not being strapped into a carseat while we wait in the line at the border. She cried both ways across the border, but needless to say they let us back in!

While in Vancouver, Canada we went to the aquarium. I had visions on seeing whales since the website proudly boasted that they had whales. Well they did, but one of the smallest whales. Boo. Oh well, I still saw a whale!

When traveling with a small child I have learned a lot, especially because I have never traveled with a small child before! Here are my top 10's:

10. Don't forget the snacks - cheerios or puffs are a must!

9. It is okay to over pack because it is when you are down to your last onesie that there is always an accident. Always.

8. Squeeze babyfood packets are made by a genius and are a great quick meal on the go!

7. Always check online to see if there are restaurants that have kids menus because even if you don't plan on having your child eat the food there, childrens menus always mean highchairs. You would be surprised how maybe places don't have highchairs.

6. Plan to drive around aimlessly because your child has finally taken a nap and you don't want to stop the car. Just plan on it.

5. Even in other countries/states your child is adorable and people will want to talk to you. Just smile and be glad you have a cute baby, even though it is the millionth person who wants to talk to you!

4. Always back a non-noisy toy in your bag for when the baby gets bored. If you don't have a toy, plastic bags work well also but are not non-noise. Just an FYI.

3. Don't count on anything late night other than waking up with your baby screaming. This is a great time to bring a laptop or tablet so you can watch netflix or read the news. You will feel old. You are.

2. Hotel cribs are just fine, especially when it means you don't have to lug your travel crib everywhere. Bring a sheet they have slept on and they won't know the difference!

1. Expect to be late and not get as much done as you thought. Babies apparently don't understand that the dolphin show starts in five minutes, or that it is one in the morning and screaming is not really allowed.
After four wonderful years of marriage I still feel like a very lucky girl! My husband is an amazing father, partner, and provider. He also is accident prone, which is a new thing. In the past month he has be in a car accident that hurt his back and shoulder, fell down in a parking garage and hurt his wrist, and most recently hurt his toe while chasing Ella. Yikes! Despite his less than graceful self, I love him! In honor of our belated anniversary here are some wedding photos! I always love wedding photos!

Pork Chops and Apples

So I have been slacking on posting my cookbook updates. I also have been bad about taking photos of the food I make. I just want to eat it! NOW! Ha!

So I'm going to try to get back on the wagon. Last night I made Pork Chops and Apples from Betty Crocker's New Good and Easy Cook Book

Pork Chops and Apples p. 71

6 Pork Chops

3 or 4 unpeeled apples, cored and sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs butter

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown chops on all sides in hot fat (I used olive oil). Place apple slices in greased baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter and place chops on top. Cover, bake for 1.5 hours.

Okay here is the deal, I didn't have 1.5 hours and my chops didn't seem thick so I browned them, used my Pampered Chef apple slicer thingy (if you want to order this please let me know, Brentt Roberts is my Pampered Chef dude and would love your business...shameless plug). The apples were thin and peeled so they cooked fast. I cooked it all for about 30 mins and it was perfect. The apples make a yummy addition to the pork chops and it has a buttery cinnamon sauce you can put on top. We had corn on the cob, tomato slices, and rolls too. It was a very yellow looking dinner, but whatever it was good. No photos because we ate it all up!

Now a little note about this cookbook. It is super old, 1962 apparently. The book is actually made into meal plans so you can pick a main dish and it shows what sides and even desserts to serve with it! I didn't use it that way because since it was from 1962 the sides were weird (what are pickled crabapples anyway? people ate that?!). One of the fun things is it shows you how to garnish your meals. The good ol' days where housewives would spend time making the meal look pretty. So fun!

Mommy and Me!

For my own Mother's Day gift I decided to get professional photos of Ella and I together. I don't have many photos with my mom because she always hated the way she looked in photos. The ones I do have I love, especially the ones when I was little. Ella is growing so fast and I want to make sure that I have photos of both of us throughout her life.

I went to Memories By Aly for a mini-shoot with just the two of us and it was fun! We were freezing because of course it was the only day that week it rained. Ella is not a smiler, so a lot of the photos she isn't smiling in them but looking a little annoyed/mean mugging. Oh well - memories!

Here are a few photos:

My little girl is growing up so fast! It was around this time last year we found out we were having a girl. It was a shock since I had convinced myself she would be a boy. I believed that I would spend my life with dirty boy socks and Thomas the Train toys. In one happy moment dolls, bows, and pink came into my life and I have never been so happy! She is a pill sometimes, but I could never ask for a better gift!

Swimmy Lessons

We have been very busy lately and I haven't been able to write! I wanted to make sure that I wrote down our swim lesson experiences!

I never had swimming lessons growing up. Of course I had two lake cabins and grew up around water so swimming was just something you did. With Ella I wanted her to have that same sense of security around water so we started swimming lessons at the YMCA. I call them her "swimmy lessons" and we go every Monday.

The first lesson was less than fun. Going by yourself for with a small child is not only a little scary, but it was exhausting. When we first started she couldn't crawl so I could change her into her pink poodle swim suit and plop her down. Now that we are on our second session she has learned to crawl, therefore she has learned to CRAWL ALL OVER the gross disgusting floor. I have learned to corner her with the dressing stools on a towel. My poor child is in swim jail!

So far Ella has learned to reach for foam letters, "jump" into the pool, dunk under water, float on her back, and stare at the other kids laughing like they are nuts. She always seems so unenthused, but at the same time she doesn't act like she hates it so we keep going! My child is just very serious. Swimming is a serious activity in this household.

Here are some fun photos that we finally were able to get taken thanks to daddy taking a day off of work!

Here are the things that swimming lessons have taught us:

1. Mommy is more afraid of baby in the water than baby is.
2. Swim diapers are not made to hold pee...
3. Three towels is a must
4. Just because your child isn't smiling doesn't mean she isn't having fun
5. Do not place your child in car seat in swim diaper (see #2)
6. No one is looking at mommy in her swimsuit if you put baby in a pink poodle suit. Trust me, they aren't.
7. Naps before swim are very important. VERY important.
8. When it is cold outside the pool is warm, when it is warm outside the pool is ice cold. Go figure.
9. Babies do not mind getting a mouth full of water
10. You will look like an idiot singing in a circle with your baby, but see #6

So fun! I highly recommend swim lessons. People always look at me strangely when I saw we take swim lessons, but it is really just something for mommy/daddy to do with baby and a good way to get baby to get used to the water. Plus, HELLO pink poodle swimsuit!

Sleeping is for losers and other fun times...

Ella would like to say that sleeping is for losers. All cool kids know that waking up all the time is awesome. You should all try it sometime. It makes for a super grumpy mommy, squealy baby, and a frustrated daddy. Or you know...be a loser...and sleep. That's cool too.

So needless to say, sleeping is not really happening in our house and hasn't been since about February. Fun times. I've read a ton of books and blogs and asked for what other people have done and then I came to the conclusion that I have no idea what I'm doing so I'll just wait it out a little bit longer and try again. That's all I'm going to say about that, and I feel that helps to describe why I haven't been blogging lately.

Since Ella is now HALF A YEAR OLD I thought it would be fun to do a list of her top 10's. Here they are, Ella's top 10 things!

10. Bouncing up the stairs at night time.
9. Singing head and shoulders
8. Playing in the exersaucer
7. Jumping up and down on the bed
6. When daddy comes home
5. Bath time aka make a big wet splashy mess time
4. Daddy kisses on the tummy
3. Chewing on things - everything really
2. Rolling around the floor
1. Boobs

So yeah...boobs still win out. Here are her least favorite top 10 items

10. Getting in the carseat
9. Socks
8. When something inhibits rolling all over the floor
7. Those bumpy things on the cement in the doorway of Costco (the cart going over that is not cool)
6. Pickaboo that goes WAY too long
5. Putting on a onesie
4. Getting out of the bathtub
3. Whenever mommy leaves the room
2. Feeling hungry
1. Sleeping at night

So that is what is happening in baby land! Hooray for this kiddo!

Angel Baby Easton

Last night my online mom group was rocked by the loss of one of the babies - Easton. He died in day care during his nap. It is one of the hardest things being a mom knowing how much this mom's heart must be breaking. Before I was a mother the loss of a child was sad, but I was incapable of knowing the devastation. I haven't been able to stop crying or holding Ella tight. We just don't know how long any of us are here, or how long our loved ones will be in our lives. Please all of us give our sweet loves hugs today, Valentine's Day as today is not just about romantic love, but about appreciating those that have enriched, lightened, and touched our lives each and everyday. I know some are anti-Valentine's Day saying it is a made up holiday by the card companies, but to me especially this year, it is more about taking a small moment to thank heaven for those people who we have and who we have lost.

Sending my love and prayers to Bridget today.

Here is my sweet love - who I am holding on tight to today and always.

Valentine's Day Game!

I found this blog that has a game to play for Valentine's Day, so here we go!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Let's see...we started dating when I was 17, took a few years off, so probably 8 years.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

We were both in band in High School so we met in class. I remember the first time I really "saw" him was at a band concert when he was wearing a red island print shirt and a thick metal necklace right before the steel drum band performed. He was cute and super cool and I was super dorky. We were really just friends at first, I thought he liked my friend Lindsey. He asked her to the homecoming dance and I didn't have a date so I convinced Chris Parkin to ask me. We double dated and we realized that we liked each other better than our dates, even though Chris was super cool, funny, and seriously the most talented person I know, he was just not "the one". I put that in there because he really is cool...and now a professional musician and I think I sort of made him hate me after this whole double date disaster. I'm sure he is over it...

Here is the great photo of that night.

3. If married, how long have you been married?  {do tell}

We got married June 14, 2008, so 3 years!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? 

We got married at Fort Wright Mukogawa in the Chapel. It was semi big, 200 people invited. It was much bigger than we wanted and we had to cap it because of seating in the small chapel.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Ugh no I actually hate nicknames. Sometimes I call him Husband and he calls me Wife. So maybe that is nickname enough...(this photo has nothing to do with this I just like it...ha!)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

           1. He is funny, and thinks I'm funny. We are just funny people! (see photo!)

           2. He is really smart - he is a doctor after all! He just has this ability to learn and interpret   

               things that amazes me. He also teaches me things like sports and spelling. I suck at spelling.

           3. He loves me. This sounds weird, but the way that he loves me is amazing. I am somewhat 

               emotional and crazy at times and he is so grounded in his love that it brings me back and 

               makes me feel safe.

7. Tell us how he proposed?

I don't really have a good proposal story. We were buying a house and I was kind of freaking out because I just never envisioned myself buying a house without being married. After signing the papers which took twice as long because we weren't married, he asked me to marry him. It was sweet and real, not all puppies and rainbows.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Um...is there another option? Ha! I guess flowers but no teddy bear, since I'm not five anymore. I'm not a super big Valentine's Day person, but diamonds are always nice. (wink wink) This photo has nothing to do with this, I just don't have a photo to match and you can't go wrong with baby photos...best gift he has given me!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

I'm a sunset dinner on a beach person, but more often then not we are a watch 30 Rock reruns type of couple. It's all good - you can't go wrong with Tina Fey!

Or maybe a Mariners game with a Ichidog...

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

I want to go back to Europe with him, sooner rather than later. We had a great time, but missed Ireland and Wales which were on our list of to do's. I also would like to tour more of England. We had such a good time last time and are the best travel buddies! After that Brazil, Australia, and Italy. Of course we do have on the list Boston and New Orleans so we'll see how much of this traveling gets done with a little one.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

Stay home with the Bean. I am going to make homemade Fettuccine Alfredo and maybe cheesecake or something. Oh and some wink wink...HA!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Not really, just some time with my family. Maybe a nap if possible since this doesn't have a snooze button...oh how babies change things!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Laugh and laugh often. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, and sometimes it is hard, especially as a first time parent. Just try to remember that it is supposed to be fun. Oh and it helps if are the same political party so you can watch the Daily Show and not get in a fight, you both love
"good" beer, and root for the same college team.

 

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

(ps I don't LOVE the way I look, but the feeling is total love)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Playtime

Before I was a mom I would get really hurt when my friends would refer to their "mommy friends". What was I "childless friend" "married but not procreating friend" "selfish career working friend"? Why the categories? It wasn't until I was a stay at home mom, lonely, and in desperate need of someone who knew what I was going through to talk with. I tried with my other "childless friends" but it is hard. I think looking in you think that being a parent can't be that hard. Sure there is poop, crying, throw up...but the emotional toll it can take is something very different. I can't really describe it, but at the same time my "childless friends" are actually the people I like to spend more time with. It reminds me that I once was a normal person that did not have to worry about smelling like sour milk. Oh and also it is nice to NOT talk about babies for once...go figure. So even though I enjoy my time with my "childless friends" I know that I need to branch out if not just for my sanity but for Ella to meet other kids.

Well in my attempt to find "mommy friends" in the community known for their social freeze (Seattle is very well known for not being openly friendly...just trust me on this), I joined a mom group.

Yesterday Ella and I attended our first playgroup. It was at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. It was a zoo. Tons of kids of all ages and moms, dads, grandmas, pretty much everyone! I was going to be a part of a mom group in my area, but when I got there I had no idea where I was or who to talk to. I felt like the first day of school.

In 6th grade I moved to a new school and that first day was one of the most frightening things I've ever done. You don't know anyone, and at first it is okay because you have assigned seats and everyone introduces themselves, but then recess and lunch happens. I skipped the assigned seats at the mom group and went straight into recess but now I had a small child attached to me. I'm not saying people weren't nice, but if it weren't for the fact that my child has only been around two other children, each for only a few hours, I would have ran away.

I found a spot next to two moms of similar aged babies, but talking was impossible with the loud and busy children running around. I kept looking at Ella because the other babies were fussy or unhappy. What was my Ella doing? She was sitting there smiling. She apparently loves other children. This is a blessing and curse, because while mommy wants her to be social, mommy herself had a slight panic attack with the sticky and smelling toddlers that were rushing around her.

Story time and songs then started, which is always Ella's favorite things. I moved her hands with the songs and she smiled and laughed as little my little the other small babies left to go home. We were there the whole time and Ella was happy and excited. I have a little social butterfly I guess!

I met the organizer of our mom group, but when I introduced myself she had a blank look like she had no idea I would be there. The 6th grader in me wanted to run and hide, she wasn't even expecting me? Ugh. I think it must not have been the best first time mommy experience. I'm proud that I forced myself for Ella's sake, I just know that mommy herself needs to learn to let go of the scared 6th grader and learn to find friend at recess.

Needless to say...I think we have a lot more baby dates in the future.

A Day in the Life

So the mommy group I am apart of suggested everyone write a "Day in the Life" post of what you do. It was supposed to be last Wednesday, but since that was Brad's birthday and Ella's 4 month shots I decided to wait. I picked yesterday.

It was Monday, which is a pretty typical day for us, plus it is grocery day! Woot! So here is our day in pictures when I remembered...okay I'm super bad at remembering to take pictures!

6:50am
Ella wakes up with Brad's alarm. She tries to go back to sleep but just couldn't. I got up to feed her and just when she finished she passed back out so I put her back in her crib and also passed out. No photos because we are not morning people. Glad my baby is not a morning person....Ha!

9:00am
We wake up for the day. Yes I know, be jealous. Ella nurses and then it is mommy's turn for breakfast. Yesterday I made some killer blueberry muffins so I munched on those with my coffee while Ella played with her BFF the doggy her Great Grandma gave her for Christmas.

10:30am
Time to figure out what's for dinner. I get out some cookbooks that I haven't used yet and Ella helps mommy pick out what to make. Yes that is my coffee cup on the ground and my baby's perfect toes. That's how we roll people.

11:00am

Ella goes down for her nap. This sounds like she just happily rolled off to dreamland, but in reality falling asleep is a very rough, tear filled and kicking screaming affair. She then passes out in my arms after rocking and then I sneak her into her crib. I take a shower and peak in on her. She is awake so we get dressed and then start going through the paper and our coupons to see what deals we can get!

12:30 - 2:00pm
We get ready to go and take off to the store. I went to Safeway and then Walgreen's. There are no photos of this because I forgot, but we were very cute and Ella had a wonderful time talking to people in Safeway. Talking or yelling, in babyworld it is all the same. Some people smiled, some gave me dirty looks because they think she is crying. Eh - she is just a talker. She falls asleep in Walgreen's so we hurry home and she goes down for her nap.

2:00pm
I realize I forgot to eat lunch so I had my favorite - cereal! This Kashi stuff is delish!

I then make pizza dough for our BBQ Chicken Pizza.

I also vacuum, clean the downstairs bathroom, do the dishes, check on baby, do the laundry, check on baby. Now I'm weirded out because she is still asleep. I then watch some DVR shows and finally baby wakes up.

4:30pm
Prepping dinner with my little helper!

5:00pm
Ella has a little mini-meltdown, as you can probably see coming in her frowning helper photo. We then play on the floor, in the Exersaucer, singing, dancing.  Yeah. That is Once Upon a Time in the background which is why she is faced away (please don't write hatemail about how I'm letting my child watch TV so I'm an awful person.)

6:00pm
Daddy gets home and dinner is just about ready. I then make everything for dessert - Blueberry Gallette. One of the things that totally rocks about preparing before you go to the store is that you learn that blueberries are buy one get two free so you can make yummy things...I always have a frozen pie crust handy so this was a no brainer. The second photo is the pizza. For some reason the cheese looks like apples. It is cheese. I don't know...

7:30pm
Daddy and mommy watch jeopardy. Daddy rocks it while mommy just says she likes Bob the best. Bob loses. Boo.

8:00pm
We try to watch Todd Margaret (show by that guy from Arrested Development). It sucks so we turn it off.

8:45pm
Daddy has a show down on his football game with his best friend - he scouts out the opposition and tells me all of the secrets to him winning. I pretend to care...then my friend Becky calls me (hooray!). She talks about her mother in law who is very sick, her kiddos, and pretty much everything girls talk about. I haven't talked to her in four months so we had a lot of stuff to talk about together.

10:00pm
Daddy gets Ella ready for bed and tells me he lost his game. I say that I don't marry losers. He says it is too late. We laugh and then go to bed. Ella sleeps like a champ all night.

The end!

Scarborough Fair Chicken

My dad bought me one of my most prized Christmas gifts - a red dutch oven. I love it so much because it makes me feel like a cook. Oh and it makes good food. But the whole feel like a cook thing is pretty much awesomeness. I've made a lot of things in it - chicken noodle soup, chili, and roast chicken but all of them were from my one cookbook that I always use and to be honest is the greatest thing in the whole world - the good ol' Betty Crocker cookbook. He bought me this book - Glorious One Pot Meals to go along with my new obsession so I wanted to make something easy to start out with since some of the recipes are tricky and very bold flavors and I wanted to slowly get Hubby into the idea of how awesome this pot really is without freaking him out.

Photo from Amazon linked above.

I made Scarborough Fair Chicken p 149 to start with. Now I forgot to take pictures and we ate it up right away so use your imagination here...

Ingredients
Olive Oil Spray
1 cup rice
1 cup plus 1 tbs brother or water
1/2 to 3/4 lbs chicken breasts
Sea Salt and ground pepper
3 to 5 garlic cloves
3 to 5 shallots
1 medium zucchini cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium yellow squash cut into 1/2 inch slices
5 fresh parsley sprigs
3 fresh sage leaves
4 fresh thyme sprigs

So here we go - spray the heck out of the top and insides of the dutch oven. Put in the rice as a thin layer and cove with the liquid. Place the chicken, then the garlic and shallots all chopped up on top. Then layer in the zucchini and squash and finally poke in the herbs where you can. Put the lid on top and bake for 45 minutes in 450 degree oven. Serve all mixed up and delish!

Now Hubby was a little scared of this one. He took a bite and then declared "It is much better than I thought it would be!" Gee...thanks. It was really good. Just take my word for it, the herbs and chicken yummers! I used brown rice which was a little more chewy but since I hate rice I was cool with it!

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

While I was on my blog-cation I made a few cookbook recipes and now that Ella is napping I'm going to add them in!

This cookbook is the Favorite Brand Name 4 Ingredient Cookbook. I am going to list the ingredients with the "brands" but I use so many generic brands that I don't think I actually used any of the ones on here...whatev!

Parmesan Chicken Breasts p 96

1/2 Cup KRAFT 100% Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp each dried oregano leaves and parsley leaves
1/4 each paprika, salt and black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken brast halves (2lbs)
2 tbs butter or margarine, melted

Mix the cheese, crumbs, and seasoning together. I make my own bread crumbs with toasted wheat bread because that is how I roll.

Dip chicken in butter, coat with cheese misture and place in 15x10x1 inch baking pan sprayed with no stick spray. I usually line with tin foil because I hate cleaning up pans.

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

My spin - I cut this in half because we are only two solid food eaters in the house right now. It was super good, but a little bland. I think next time I will add more spices. The book recommends ground red pepper flakes, but even a little lemon pepper seasoning would be yummy!

Here is our meal with broccoli and rice (not white rice because I hate rice...this is that whole grain kind that actually has flavor and texture. Did I mention I hate rice?)

Doctors Appointment and Shots - oh my!

Ella had her four month appointment earlier this week which is always a very difficult thing for me. Our doctor is a wonderful Russian woman and I love her dearly, but Ella is not so sure. This appointment she was 14lbs 6oz and 25 inches. She is long and skinny, just like her daddy! She may actually surpass my height one day! At the appointment she cried and cried and the doctor said that she is showing signs of separation anxiety which is very normal, but apparently three months ahead of schedule! The whole time the doctor held her Ella just started at me and cried. I wonder if other stay at home mothers find their little ones have the same issue?

She received her four month shots after the appointment. Brad was supposed to take a number and ring the little door bell. He didn't ring the door bell so we were sitting there for a half an hour before someone else came and took a number and rang the bell. Good to know...

Ella of course hated her shots and cried and cried, but then was fine and took a nap on the way home. We thought she did really well until she woke up at 2am with a very high fever. She was crying and very upset so Brad gave her Tylenol and she went back to sleep.

Due to the crazy snow storm we had Brad went to work later in the day, but by noon I was calling him because Ella's fever was back. Here is the thing. I'm not good with sickness, not even my own. I think it is a result of my webmd addiction. I think everything is extremely awful and we are all going to die. That is rarely the case as my level headed Pharmacist husband has to remind me. After waiting on hold with the nurse hot line, Brad looked up what to do and I changed her into lighter clothing and then gave her Tylenol.

Now this would be the end of the story if I were a normal person, but unfortunately I am a scatterbrain clumsy person. While giving her the Tylenol I had her on the floor in the living room and put the bottle next to me. In inevitably knocked over said bottle of bright orange Tylenol. On the carpet. Hooray. So yesterday my living room carpet got a nice steam clean. There is still a little spot but since my carpet is dark I am the only one that is staring at it constantly. A nice reminder that giving a child liquid Tylenol should be done on a solid surface. Boo. Brad needs to buy more Tylenol since an entire bottle is now making sure that my living room carpet is fever and headache free...oh motherhood!

Snow!

It snowed yesterday, and this morning it SNOWED. It is so pretty and fluffy that it reminds me of when I was little waking up to the bright morning light that only can come from a heavy dusting. Ella watched the thick snowflakes fall in amazement and it was wonderful and fun! She showed her the snow and let her feel it. She cried. Yeah, mom just likes to look at it and not touch it too.