Food

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Getting ready for our day

On the schedule today:

* Write in Charlotte’s baby book!! I really need to do this. I had every intention of writing in it every week from birth to catalog her milestones. That didn’t happen, obviously, as she is now almost 6 months old and her book remains in the package. My sister even gave me an adorable milestones calendar for recording and I didn’t make it past 2 weeks 🙂 Fortunately, many of her milestones have been recorded here on this blog so I won’t have to think very hard to remember the past 6 months. I do want her to have an actual baby book that I have written in though, and not just cyberspace memories, because that is something that is very special to me that my mom did and if Charlotte is even an ounce as sentimental as me then she will appreciate it when she is older.

*Grab some in season, organic fruits and veggies from the grocery store to make her more food. In season = cheaper and can be found from local farmers, organic means no pesticides on the food = no pesticides in the baby.

* Make cloth wipes. I know it sounds totally crunchy granola but I’ll explain in a later post about why it makes so much sense {if you also cloth diaper}.

*Go through and purge magazine pile. Even after reading one and tearing out anything I want to keep for reference I always save the magazine, which is pointless and a waste. Anyone interested in my  Better Homes and Gardens and/or Every Day with Rachael Ray {and a few other random parenting, remodeling, organizing, decorating magazines?} once I am done with them? Chris also gets Golf Digest {a gift from his boss} so someone is welcome to those as well. If no one is interested I will just take them to the library and donated them.

ok, now that the to-do list is out and others can keep me accountable it MUST be completed!

And, for your viewing pleasure: Charlotte giving her binky a ‘talking to’ while waiting for her breakfast this morning {sweet potatoes and cereal}

 

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Early morning confessions

Yesterday I ate TWO Little Debbie Swiss Rolls.

swiss-2

Actually, 4 if we’re getting technical. TWO packs with TWO rolls in them.

And they were amazing.

I had one at work between seeing some patients. The other was as I was leaving work. Here’s the confession part 2, I guess: It was so yummy and I was trying to savor every last bite because I knew I was going to feel bad later about eating two packs; Then I came to a busy intersection where two homeless men {maybe homeless… at least that’s what their sign says} always walk down the line of cars waiting at the light holding their signs. Gah, one was already at the car in front of me and was walking my way! For some reason I didn’t want to be gnawing on a tasty snack in front of him so I quickly crammed the rest of the roll in my mouth. By that time he was walking past my car at a slow stroll so I could read his sign and then dig around for some cash, I guess. “Do I look at him?”  “Do I look the other way?”  “Do I look at him?” “He knows!”   I didn’t have any food other than the ball of fluffy chocolatey cake I was hoarding in my cheeks like a chipmunk, not even chewing it because that would be a dead giveaway that I was eating something and not sharing with him. I opted for ‘look at him and smile’, but lips closed smile as to not alert him of the snack that was quickly absorbing all the moisture in my mouth. Once he had passed I tried to swallow the obscene amount of cake that was in my mouth but it had taken on a different form and was no longer fluffy cake. I was eventually able to clear my mouth, the light turned green, and I proceeded on my way home.

I’m sure he went back to, er… the place he sleeps {almost just typed ‘home’ there} and had a good laugh with his friends about the crazy girl binge eating cake in her car.

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Lessons in the kitchen {Cajun Chicken Pasta}

This recipe is awesome: Cajun Chicken Pasta.

It’s one of The Pioneer Woman’s “Tasty Kitchen” recipes and can be found HERE. The photo above is hers too {gotta give credit where credit is due!} I made this for dinner last night and learned a few things along the way.

1. My 2 month old can sleep through not one, but TWO smoke alarms going off in the house. Didn’t even stir.I actually had to hover and look for breathing after I took care of the ‘smoke’ situation because she was in such a deep sleep.

2. White wine vinegar is NOT the same as white wine {even though they share 2/3 of the same words!!!} – who knew?!

Just sayin’.

 

- Oh Happy Daze

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I Know, I know… I am equally surprised that I’m posting a recipe on my blog. And one that I have actually made, to boot!

I’m not sure how or why but something changed when I had Charlotte. Well, lots of things changed actually, but I have noticed a few new things about myself that I am really starting to like.

First off, I suddenly have very little interest in spending money on myself. This came as a big shocker to me! What?! Polka-dot rain boots on clearance? Just kept walking right on past. New fall nail polish color? Nah, I’ve got plenty of other colors at home. New curly hair miracle product? That’s alright, I’m ok with my frizz. My priorities have definitely shifted. I also know that if I want to be able to go back to work only part-time then Chris and I really need to reign in our spending. Don’t worry, we are big savers too, but until now we have been able to splurge on extras (like yummy DD coffee <3 ) without really worrying about the bottom line. In the long run, I’d much rather give up things for myself so that I am able to be home with Charlotte, as I’m sure every parent does. So… that means trying to cook more meals at home.

Secondly (is that a word?!), I have become quite the homemaker over the past few weeks. Now that I am finally feeling better I have started to enjoy doing more around the house. Up until now I was usually too exhausted after a 10 hour work day to do any substantial house work. I would typically just come home, eat dinner, watch some tv, then crash for the night (especially when pregnant). Fridays were my day off and the day I would typically try to get things done around the house, but that usually resulted in me feeling completely overwhelmed with my long to-do list. Or I would start a project that would somehow result in creating even more of a mess.

Let me just steam this work shirt for Chris… hmmmm the steamer isn’t working… commence hour long attempt to de-calcify the steamer…that doesn’t work so I track down some tools and take it apart… find nothing… put it back together… get out the iron… ironing board crashes down on my toe… I get out the clippers and trim my toe nails… then paint them… then organize the drawer that the clippers are in… find something that belongs in another room… take it to that room… probably the kitchen where I decide I need a snack. WHAT?! It’s 5:00. oops, I didn’t cook dinner. or, um, finish any task today for that matter.

It’s all very “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” now that I think about it.

Now, the cleaning and organizing I’m still working on but I HAVE been cooking dinner quite a bit. And if you know me at all then you know that this is quite a feat! I never cook. Except for the occasional mac & cheese and spaghetti when we are desperate.

ok, all of that to say –> I’ve been cooking. here is a recipe that is yummy. you should try it.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Cooking time: Not really sure… let the crock pot do the thinking. (man, writing a recipe is difficult)
Serves: at least 6? at least. Chris and I have been eating this meal for several days now (and Chris eats about 4 tacos per meal, I eat about 2).
Ingredients
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts – frozen or thawed. (side note: I bought Tyson frozen boneless skinless chicken breast from Walmart and was pleasantly surprised that they were individually frozen. At first I was like “what the heck?” but it actually made it easier to thaw without getting chicken juice everywhere – You just stick the number of breasts in a warm water ‘bath’ (which also cuts out the whole ‘microwave defrost’ thing), then open up each individual packet and get cookin’. Also, this recipe is so flexible – you could easily add more chicken breasts and increase the amounts of the other ingredients to cook for a larger group.
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning – (I used an awesome recipe for homemade seasoning that I found here. It was SUPER easy to throw together and cuts back on the preservatives found in the packaged kind. If I can do it, you can do it). If you choose to make your own taco seasoning using the recipe on the link, use 1/2 of it for this recipe.
  • 1/2 jar of salsa – spicy level of your choosing (I used what was left of an already opened jar in the fridge since we were out of chips anyway)
  • Whatever fixins you like for your tacos – tortillas, cheese, sour cream, guacamole , lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
Instructions
  1. Set your crock pot to high and put the chicken at the bottom. Then throw the taco seasoning and salsa on top, covering the chicken.
  2. Set it and forget it! 6 hours if chicken is frozen, about 4 if it is thawed. I cooked the chicken from frozen and I’m pretty sure it was done way before the 6 hours (especially since I put it on high) – you are probably better at this than me so use your best judgement depending on how quickly you want it to be done… or use a meat thermometer 🙂 Also, even though I cooked it for a really long time, it was still very juicy. Also, I didn’t really “set it and forget it” – I turned the chicken breasts over about 3 hours into it, just for good measure, but I don’t know that this was necessary.
  3. Take two forks and shred the chicken – mix into the awesome juices at the bottom of the crock pot and assemble your tacos!