neighborly love

truth

bb gun fun

words of wisdom

from luke:

day of hockey

luke got to play at van andel! such an amazing experience. he played SUPER well. got a few goals. the griff's played great in the evening. he had a great day!

tradition

my year to surprise mom b and sarah--we saw cirque du noel :)

this one holds my heart too

date night with this growing to quickly young man

he holds my heart

ponder

happy 5th birthday nephew O

cousin love

reflection

picture says it all

beautiful
grandma reading with thomas
mama lj patiently waiting for "pedro" to make an arrival

thinking

i'm thinking i am ready
mentally prepared
josh will be gone for the next 7 days
ready to be the rock
the one for the boys to lean on
man i'll miss my man

ready?

my eyes are watering, my nose is runny but............ i've been busy

are my meals ready for the week?

Preparation Sunday: Eggs boiled for breakfasts, Chopped Thai Chicken Salad ready to mix (chicken grilled, cabbage and other veggies cut, pb vinaigrette prepped), pork roast into crock pot for tomorrow, taco salad ingredients ready for tonight's dinner, chicken and dumpling base ready for "skinny" dumplings smile emoticon Here's to a week of good for you food!

big boy

tj wanted to play with the boys so bad!!!!!!

crafting hockey player

scouting night

what an amazing night--luke's cub scout troop got to go out with a giant American flag on the Griffin's ice! WAHOOOOOO. a good game even though they lost. felt so magical. 

number 1 in my book!!!!!

means so much to me

this kid is amazing

oh too serious!

these poker players mean business!

love

date night with the love of my life

dinner and drinks out. we planned to follow up with a few tv shows but ended up having super intense discussion--guess it was needed. feeling better today.

chicken and dumplings

Chicken N Dumplings

By Renee's Kitchen Adventures 

Silky chicken soup-like broth with dense chewy dumplings! So easy to make!

Ingredients

• For the broth:
• Approx. 1.5 pounds bone-in chicken breasts
• 64 oz. fat free, low sodium chicken broth ( I used Kitchen Basics brand)
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 - 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• juice of half a lemon
• For the dumplings:
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for board
• 1 cup milk (skim)
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

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1. Spray bottom of a large (6 quart) stock pot or dutch oven with cooking spray. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and salt and pepper. Cook on med-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down.
2. Pour in the broth and add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Once boiling, turn down to simmer and partially cover, allowing it to simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool enough to handle. Remove the bay leaves. Add the parsley and the lemon juice and if there is any scum on the surface, skim it off. Allow broth to continue to simmer, partially covered, while you prepare the dumplings.
4. To make dumplings: In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder with a fork. Pour milk into center and combine with flour just until a soft dough forms. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, press the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1- 2 inch squares. Drop the dough into the simmering broth one at a time. The dumplings will first swell then slowly shrink as they dissolve into the broth to make a thick gravy.
6. Continue to simmer the dumplings in the broth, stirring often and carefully, for 20 - 30 minutes with the pot partially covered.
7. While the dumplings are cooking, remove the meat from the chicken breasts (discard bones and skin) and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Once the dumplings are done and have thickened into the broth to desired consistency. Add the chicken back in and stir.
8. Serve warm and garnish with more parsley or chopped chives, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings 
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 01 hrs. 00 mins. 
Total time: 1 hrs. 10 mins. 
Tags: chicken, dumplings, comfort food, dinner, carrots 

Servings - 8      Serving size - approx 1   1/2 cups  

pinch of yum chopped thai chicken salad

chopped thai chicken salad

serves: 4-6

 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1 small head green or white cabbage (2 cups shredded)
• 1 large carrot (1½ cups shredded)
• 1 green papaya (1½ cups shredded)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• ½ cup green onions
• ½ cup chopped peanuts

Dressing

• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 bird's eye chili peppers (sub ½ teaspoon minced hot pepper)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup water

Cook Up Some Easy Turkey and Rice Tonight!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove from heat, drain water, let cool, and shred with two forks.
2. Chop the cabbage into very thin pieces, like it would be for coleslaw. I did this by rolling up several leaves together and making thin vertical slices across the roll and then chopping them once horizontally. Peel and grate the carrots. Cut off the skin, remove the seeds, and grate the papaya. Roughly chop the cilantro and green onions. Toss the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and keep chilled.
3. Mince the garlic and chili peppers. Place garlic and peppers in a small mixing bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, oil, and fish sauce. Whisk until smooth. Add the peanut butter and water and whisk again until smooth and creamy.
4. Toss the salad with the dressing. Add the crushed peanuts. Serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to one day. For best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.

NOTES

Nutrition information is for 6 servings.

bruchetta chicken

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Ingredients
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup KRAFT Sun­Dried Tomato dressing (TRYING balsamic vinegerette)
divided 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded part­skim mozzarella cheese
 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1. Place a large sheet of heavy­duty foil over half of grill grate; heat grill to medium heat. \
Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plastic bag.
Add 1/4 cup dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 minutes (I marinate it all day if I remember in time).

Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

2. Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.

3. Turn the chicken over and place cooked­side up, on foil on the grill.
Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

 4. *Sometimes we add a splash of balsalmic vinegar to give it a bit more zip.

skinny enchiladas

SKINNY CHICKEN ENCHILADA STUFFED CHILIES

PRINT

PREP TIME

30 mins

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 5 mins

These Skinny Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Chilies have all of the flavor and none of the guilt. Zesty enchilada flavors are merged with the classic chile relleno to make this dinner you won't soon forget.

Author: Mariah Mercurio

Serves: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Poblano Chile Peppers
• 3 Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded
  
• 1 Small White Onion, diced
• 1 Can Yellow Corn
• 1 Tablespoon Low Sodium Mexican Seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime)
• 2 Teaspoons Black Pepper
• ½ lb Monterey Jack Cheese, grated (I used Reduced Fat)
• 1½ Cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce or 1 (10 oz.) Can Red Enchilada Sauce
• Toothpicks

Make a Rice Pudding just like Grandma's!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Over a gas burner on high, char the chiles two at a time directly on the burner grate, turning with tongs, until blackened all over. About 2-3 minutes.
2. Transfer the charred chilies to a large plastic ziplock bag and allow them to steam for 7-10 minutes. Once the chilies have steamed, rub them down gently with a paper towel to remove the skin. If a few charred pieces remain that is okay.
3. Remove the seeds from the peppers by slicing them open along one side with a pairing knife. Slice two-thirds the length of the pepper. Remove the seeds from the chile with a spoon. Set peppers aside.
4. Preheat oven to 425°
5. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, white onion, yellow corn, mexican seasoning, and black pepper. Stuff each pepper with ⅛ of the chicken mixture and a tablespoon of shredded cheese.
6. Place the stuffed chiles in a 9x13 pan. Secure 3-4 toothpicks widthwise in each chile to secure the stuffing while baking. Top each chile with an additional tablespoon of cheese and pour 1 cup of the prepared enchilada sauce over the tops of the chiles. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the chilies are heated throughout. Serve with additional enchilada sauce.

new soup :)

Lo Carb / No Carb Tomato Basil Soup - 2 servings approx 2 C each 2 C homemade chicken broth 2 C tomatoes 3 oz organic tomato paste 1 T basil 2 cloves minced garlic 1 t garlic powder 1/4 t oregano pinch marjoram salt pepper to taste Puree altogether. Heat until it starts to boil, then reduce and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

stromboli

STROMBOLI:
**Preheat oven to: 375 (350 longer time/400 less time and a bit crunchier...I actually did 350 for a while and turned up to 400 at the end)
***Need:
1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed over night in the fridge)
Olive Oil
Seasonings (pizza seasoning, or oregano, thyme, etc. I usedPenzey's spices Pizza Seasoning) 
Mozzarella 
1 Egg white
Garlic Salt
Toppings (I used pepperoni, black olives and ground beef however, fresh mushrooms, etc are tasty)

**Do:
Spray a cookie sheet with "Pam" and roll out dough into a rectangle on it
Poke the dough all over with a fork
Brush dough with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings
Layer toppings down the middle of the dough--leave room on the ends and sides
Sprinkle with Mozzarella (and more seasoning if you want--I did)
Fold the dough up into the middle and pinch together. Pinch ends tight--kind of crinkle them up and fold.
You will have a "tidy present" :) Wisk your egg white a tiny bit until it is "loose" and easy to brush. Brush on the egg white (I used my hands instead to get the egg white all over the dough)--make sure it is covered well. 
Poke holes all over the dough with your fork
Sprinkle with garlic salt (can do Parmesan cheese too) 

**Bake for 30-40 minutes until beautiful golden brown :)

**Serve with pizza sauce on the side

pulled pork

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 3 oz pork + 2 tbsp sauce • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pt*
Calories: 206 • Fat: 5.5 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 0.6 g • Protein: 26.4 g • Sugar: 10.2 g
Sodium: 554.1 mg

Ingredients:

2.5 lb boneless pork loin roast (center cut, trimmed of all fat)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Hickory liquid smoke
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup Homemade Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Place pork in the slow cooker and season with salt, vinegar, garlic powder and liquid smoke. Cover and set to high 6 hours. Remove pork and transfer onto a large dish; reserve all the liquid into a cup and set aside.


meat calories only--add the bun and slaw :)

scampi

new recipe :)


*1 lb. medium shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined
*5 tablespoons Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil*
*4 teaspoons Wildtree Scampi Blend
*1/2 lb of linguine or other type of pasta
*Dry white wine (optional)

Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside.

Place shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons Scampi Blend and 3 tablespoons Natural Grapeseed Oil in a cold skillet. Toss and bring to a low heat, cooking until the shrimp are pink, turning often. Remove shrimp from the pan leaving the cooking juices behind. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of Natural Grapeseed Oil, 1/4 cup of pasta water reserve (or wine), 2 1/2 teaspoons of Scampi Blend to the skillet. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss on low heat until the juices are absorbed. Toss with the shrimp.

grandma h

great grandma hudson came to visit from mo :) turns out she loves hockey as much as lukers!

Deep breaths

Anxiety rears its ugly head. Luke is not feeling well.... Jack had the stomach flu during the week. Luke informed me tonight he'd been feeling pukey for quite a while.... But didn't want me to worry so he didn't tell me. Ummmmmm epic mom fail. Damnit!! He senses my worries. My terrible anxiety over something so stupid. I held him tight. Thanked him for loving me SO MUCH and having a tender heart. But, I don't need to be protected. I've got this. By the way, what's the worse that could happen???? I did tell him if we were in a public place, Luke tonight, that telling me is better than not so we don't have a big mess to clean up.

But truth is anxiety is rearing its damn ugly head. I'm laying on the floor next to my sleeping lukers.... Writing on my cell phone.... in case he needs me. Or is it that I need him?

mini medical lab

thank you gps for putting on a mini med lab for fifth graders at baldwin heights and lincoln heights

jack loved it. luke envied it. please do it again in two years :)

halloween 2015

so absolutely cold and rainy that luke, owen and addie trick-or-treated inside two local churches. jack was tooooooooo cold and wet from his NASTY TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR game that he and josh met us at grandma's house later.