A Great Week Night Meal

Y'all! I have asked myself many times in the last couple of days, "Why in the world have I not shared this recipe?!". This meal has become such a staple in our weekly menu. We LOVE these chicken tacos! And the best thing, you cook them in the crock pot. I originally saw this recipe being tossed around pinterest, but it wasn't until I saw my sweet friend, Brittany at This Sassy Salmon (follow her! She has the cutest twins, ever!) blog about this awesome recipe, that I tried it. Now, I did make a few changes, but that is what I think is so great about this recipe. You can adapt it to fit your family's taste. Grab some chicken and get cooking. And most of all, enjoy!

Crock pot Chicken Tacos 

• 3 Frozen Chicken Breast (or thawed, just adjust time)
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can chicken broth 
• 1 can rotel 
• 1 package taco seasoning 
• 1 package ranch dressing mix 
• Toppings you enjoy

Place all ingredients in the crock pot, chicken being on the bottom. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until chicken is finished.

Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken breast and shred the chicken. If you have a kitchen aid mixer, or a large mixer with a paddle attachment, throw the chicken in the mixer and it will shred it for you! If not, two forks work great.

Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot for 30 minutes.

Dress your tacos and enjoy! I enjoy sour cream, cheese and avocado on mine. Mr. J loves sour cream, cheese, lettuce and corn salsa on his. Get creative!

Mr. J and I love these with crunchy taco shells, but we are sure they would be good with tortillas as well. Also, we always tend to have left overs and on the second night we have been known to skip the taco shells and eat over rice. It is just as good!

Happy Eats!

It's a crazy life!

Life is crazy! That is all I can conclude. Since last time ( which I believe was 4 months ago..eek!) we have had a little one turn 1, Mr. J turned 30, we are in the process of closing on our house and now we live with my parents. The last 4 months have been a whirlwind but have been great. With the upcoming holidays I hope to have more time to blog (holidays=more time? Am I delusional?) I hope to post some fabulous recipes we have had recently and share some of my favorite holiday goodies with y'all!

Recreating Our Favorites...part 1

Life has been busy! My brother, sister -in-law and sweet niece came in for a visit.  While they were home we celebrated two very special little girls birthdays.  (My niece, Mads, and sweet A!) I can't believe Mads is 4 and A is 1! They don't kid when they say they grow up quickly! It was so great being able to celebrate the girls together!  It was a really special week.

Since they have left, Mr. J and I have been working so hard to "get healthy".  With my love of cooking I am trying to re-create some of our favorite foods into a "healthier" version.  Tonight...Burgers.

Mr. J and I like our food spicy (and so does sweet a!).  These burgers had just the right amount of spice and a whole lot of flavor.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Jalapeno, Black Bean and Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey meat
• 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg white
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon taco or southwestern seasoning (or both) 
• Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Drain black beans and rinse.  Seed and dice jalapeno.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pat out into 6 patties.  Grill around 5 minutes on each side.  Enjoy!

I did place a little bit of guacamole on top of mine and it was fabulous! Mr. J turns green at the thought of guacamole so he passed but still loved the burgers just as much as I did.  We ate them on 80 calorie buns and paired with some broccoli . It was a great meal and we are looking forward to left over tomorrow night! 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! 

Motivation

I believe that anything you want to do is 1% physical ability and 99% mental.  Before Mr. J and I were married, we were both active people.  Mr. J constantly worked out and I ran and would go to the gym.  After we first got married, we still tried to remain active.  When he was deployed for almost 9 months we both put a large amount of energy and time into working out and staying fit.  Then he came home.  We both had jobs and were working crazy hours.  I LOVE to cook and LOVE to cook for Mr. J.  Things other than the gym and our bodies became priorities.  I hate to even admit this to myself, let alone the whole world...but over the course of the last 5 years I have managed to put on about 20 lbs. I am now in a mental state where I am ready to get this off! I not only want to lose weight to look better, but to feel better and be healthy for sweet A.  I want to set an example of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle but not stress over your body and being skinny.  With so much negative media about how women are suppose to look, I want to make sure and be the example for A that we should not worry about our size, but our health and wellness.  My running shoes are still in my closet and I am waiting for a break in the heat to really start running again, but have made huge changes to our diet and exercise is now a daily activity.

Now...why has it taken me 5 years?  I have no clue?  Life?  Lack of motivation?  Lack of time?  Lack of motivation? Convenience? Lack of motivation?  I believe it is all of these things, but really my lack of motivation!

So...what motivated me?  It is a funny story really...and maybe too much information.  Last week I was at my parents' house after a day out on the lake.  My parents have this HUGE shower (I call it a party shower, because I really think you could fit about 15 people in it).  I have been DYING to take a shower it in because of the wonderful rainfall shower head.  Well, not only does this shower have glass doors, but also a HUGE mirror across from it.  I literally screamed when I saw the lady in the mirror...not even recognizing myself. True motivation hit right then.

What motivates you to live a healthy lifestyle?  Not currently living it?  Join along with me!

Running and Fish

Well y'all, I have made a decision.  I am getting back into running.  No questions.  I started running a couple of years ago and got really sick before my first half and got so bummed that I just kind of gave up.  I picked it back up in the fall and then found out I was pregnant so I hung up my shoes once again.  After sweet a made her appearance, I tied up my laces and headed out again.  Winter came, days shortened, Mr J worked longer, and once again... I think you get the picture.  I have used many excuses, but this time,  I am for real.  My goal is to run the Nashville Half in April.  That should give me plenty of time to train.

Also, I have made the decision that starting next week, our household will start eating fish.  I hate fish, but am determined to make it work!  Wish me luck!

Any tips for running? Any tips for killer shin splints?  Any great fish recipes for non fish lovers?  Hook me up!

Have a great Thursday!

Homemade Gift Exchange.. squeal!

I am a serious craftaholic!  I love all things crafty!  Even if I am not that great at anything crafty...I love it!  So when I saw that Linda @ Craftaholics Anonymous was hosting a homemade gift exchange, I knew I wanted to participate at once! I drew a girl named Jaimee and saw on her wish list this super cool mail organizer.  I knew I wanted to attempt it!  You can for sure tell it is homemade, but I promise it was made with love! I hope Jaimee enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Sorry for the horrible pic, but seriously..it is the only one I really got before I sent it out. 

If you would like to make one of these yourself, here is the tutorial: We All Sew.

If you think a homemade gift exchange sounds fun, Linda is hosting another this fall! It starts on November 1st!  Join along!  

I will post again when I receive my gift! I am super excited to see what someone has crafted up! 

Happy Saturday! 

The Little Things

So I follow a sweet blogger named Lindsay over at Hello Hue who does a little things linkup party.  I have never participated before, but I thought, why not!  This is my first linkup party and I am excited to reflect on the little blessings God provides us with each and every day!

Homemade Gift Exchange- I participated in a homemade gift exchange that Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous is hosting and I finally finished my gift.  I made a mail organizer for a sweet girl named Jaimee.  I am excited for her to get it. (more on this later!) Also, while mailing it, I met a sweet man named Darrell who worked at the post office.  He was so helpful and a real joy to be around.  I am pretty sure they should give him a raise!

Swimming with my bug- Our sweet A loves the water!  I think it may be because I swam so much with her when I was pregnant?  Maybe?  But no matter what has caused it, she has a pure love of the water. It is so much fun to see her splash and kick.

Quiet/Study time- My quiet time and study time is one of my favorite times of the day.  It is so refreshing to spend time in God's word, reading and listening to what he has to say.  Yesterday A went to mother's day out and I got to soak up the Word and some sun.

11 months- Wow! Our sweet A is 11 months old.  Pictures are hard to capture, as she NEVER sits still!  A is such a blessing in our lives and we can't imagine life without her!  It has been my joy to watch her grow over these last 11 months and I can't wait to see continue to grow.

God provides us with little blessings all the time!  I pray you enjoy the little things this weekend!

life...

Life has been crazy the past couple of months.  I am not sure what it has been crazy with...I just can tell you it has been crazy! Mr. J has taken on a huge project at work and that has left little extra time for me to sit in front of a computer other than when sweet baby A is napping and that is normally when I do my quiet time. When Mr. J gets home and little A is down, all I want to do is spend time with him (all 30 minutes of it before we head to bed) So therefore, my blogging has been lacking (that is an understatement!).

Speaking of quiet time, I have been following along with SheReadsTruth. I would highly recommend it if you are needing a devotional/study to follow along with. We start a new one tomorrow so it would be a great time to start!  I tried to add the little picture/link thing, but obviously I need to brush up on my html skills.  So...check it out here: SheReadsTruth

Sweet baby A is about to turn one! I can't believe it!  In less than a month we will have a sweet 1 year old running around!  On one hand it seems like just yesterday we were headed to the hospital for her arrival and on the other hand, it seems like she has been with us for ever!  We are planning for her party and excited for her "Tweet to be 1" party.

Mr. J and I both got to celebrate our first mother's and father's day this year.  Mr. J made sure to make mother's day extra special and Sweet A and I tried to make sure and do that for dad.  Below is a sample of what we did for Mr. J.  I wish I had a picture of the actual picture frame and pictures, but it is already proudly displayed in his office! :)

I hope that everyone has a great Wednesday!  The weekend is almost here! :) 

I'm back!

So, I took a little hiatus from blogging...but I am back!  I will post a little life update later...but right now, I am just letting the world know...I'm back!

My new love: Quinoa

Tonight while cooking dinner I was thinking I needed to write a new post.   I thought about doing a post on my favorite kitchen gadgets, but then while eating dinner tonight I quickly grabbed my phone to take a quick picture of our meal and knew that was what I had to blog about!  Tonight I cooked chicken and quinoa stew.  I have had quinoa salad once before, but I was not super impressed.  But tonight, the quinoa in this stew was really amazing.  I am now searching for new Quinoa recipes as it is going to become a staple in this house.  I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Adapted from: The Sisters Cafe

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 sweet peppers, I used one red and yellow
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I used 1/2 cup uncooked and followed the directions on the package)
• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.
• 2 T Dijon Mustard
• 1 T Hot Sauce
• Kosher Salt and Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  

Saute onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini, squash and garlic until all veggies are softened.  

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and potatoes.  

Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.  

Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard and hot sauce.  

Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.  

Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!:) 

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

There is a famous little restaurant, Patti's 1880s Settlement, close to where I grew up.  They are known for two things: pork chops and pies.  My favorite pie there is the Boo Boo pie.  A brownie like pie with coconut.  It is amazing!  I have been making brownies in a mug for some time, but had the bright idea to "spruce" up my recipe by adding a few things and adding coconut!  And the best part is, you cook it in the microwave and can whip this little bad boy up in 2 minutes!

Now, I have sweet friends who do not like coconut, but do not run yet!  Get creative.  Leave out the coconut and add your favorite add-ins, or just eat it brownie style.  I don't think you will regret it!

But I warn you, these are so easy and so good, you may have them every night!

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut (or your favorite add-in) 
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons milk or coffee (i use milk)

In a coffee cup (or mug ), stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. 

Stir in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
Cook for 1 minute (check around 30 though. Different microwaves cook differently.) 

It should be a little gooey when finished. 

Top with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream.

Enjoy! :) 

(Mr J and I share one mug!)

A Happy Compromise

Mr. J spent two tours in the West Pacific and while there he grew a great love for Curry.  I on the other hand, am still trying to like curry.  Let's just say I am having a rough time.  It doesn't help that I had a bad experience while pregnant with our sweet baby a.  Let's just say baby a does not like curry.

While planning our weekly meals via pinterest, I saw this recipe and immediately knew Mr. J would love it.  It looked just like curry.  I being the loving wife that I am :) decided we would give it a try.  What a great compromise!  It is almost like curry, only there is no curry!  It was great!  We loved it!  And will for sure being keeping this recipe!  I know that this recipe looks like there are a lot of ingredients, but it didn't seem that way when cooking it. Don't let that scare you off!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables

Adapted from: Simple Bites

Ingredients 

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 inch cube of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled, quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 chicken breast, cubed (I used two very large)
• 2 cans coconut milk, not shaken
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 can of baby corn cobs
• 1 cup of frozen stir fry vegetables of your choice

Spice Blend

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Combine ingredients from the spice blend together and set aside.
• In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.
• In the bottom of a dutch oven, or large pan, heat olive oil and melt butter.  Add pureed aromatics and stir well.  Cook for a few minutes, then add spice blend.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.  
• Move aromatics to one side of the pot and add chicken cubes.  Cook until chicken is cooked through.  Stir to mix well with the spices that are on the side of the pot.  
• Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a spoon.  You should have about 1 cup.  Set aside.  Pour both cans of the coconut milk over the chicken.  
• Drain the corn cobs and chop in half.  Add to the pot.
• Place lid and good on medium-low for 30 minutes.
• Whisk cornstarch with the coconut cream until smooth and then add to chicken after 30 minutes. Stir well.  Add the frozen stir fry vegetables.  Stir.  Cook for another 30 minutes.
• Enjoy! :)

We servered with a side of rice.

Happy Monday!

Dear Experienced Mothers...Part 2

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog!  I seriously mean that! I had no idea so many of you read it until writing the "Dear Experienced Mothers" post yesterday.  I have had quiet a few people call me and come up to me apologizing and asking if this post was about them.  I can assure you, it is not.  My own mother called thinking it was about her.  Mom if you are reading this, thank you for allowing me to know when to let me learn on my own, and when to give loving and encouraging advice!  It really means a lot to me!

I hope that I have not hurt anyone or offended anyone.  That was not my intent.  My intent was to encourage the experienced mothers to love on new mothers.  To give them support.  To give them heartfelt advice without judging or critiquing their style as a mother.  Trust me experienced mothers, us new moms need you!  I am so thankful for the wonderful women I have in my life.  If it wasn't for a very special lady whom I think the world of suggesting that baby a may have an ear infection, we would probably still be trying to figure out what was going on.  And because of some great advice from some lovely ladies this weekend, I will now be trying alcohol when cleaning out her ears and a trip to the chiropractor.

Being a new mom is a daunting task.  I am constantly learning as I go and without you experienced mothers, where could I turn?  I value you, your opinion and your advice.  But there is a difference in those of you that encourage, support, uplift and give heartfelt advice and those of you that judge, criticize and make us new moms feel like we are horrible parents.

So experienced mothers, I love you!  And I love your advice and support!  And please! please! please!  Keep it coming!  And thank you so much for your love, support and heartfelt advice, without the judgmental tone and eye! I strive to be an "experienced mother" such as you one day!

Happy Sunday!

Dear Experienced Mothers, I appreciate your advice, but...

STOP JUDGING ME; ENCOURAGE ME! 

First off, I want to say I am typing this in a loving manner.  Being a new mother, there is  A LOT to learn!  And I will gladly take loving advice.  But please do not give me the evil stare because you do not agree with something I do, or do not be hateful when giving me advice, thinking it is the only thing that works.  Have you thought I may have already tried that?  Have you thought maybe that worked great for your child, but not mine?  Could you please give your advice in a loving manner?  Could you please be encourage me, instead of belittling me?

I think we as women have to be careful of this in every part of our life (me included!).  Let's stop judging and start loving and encouraging.

With that being said, seriously, I will take all the advice I can get.  Just please in a loving manner, not a judgmental one. :)

A Mexican Food Kick: Roast Chicken Chimichangas

Before I tell you about this seriously amazing dish, I must tell you about a product that has changed my life cooking life.  I sell pampered chef and because of it, I was introduced to their Deep Covered Baker.

You can do so many things with this dish, including cooking chicken breast in the MICROWAVE for about 8-10 minutes!  They turn out so juicy too.  I really believe that every mother, working parent, working spouse, college student and everyone else that wants to have a great meal in a short amount of time needs one!  Seriously...you need to buy one today!  I can share all kinds of good recipes with you. (Lava cake in the microwave in 10 minutes!)

Okay on to this recipe.  You do not have to have a Deep Covered Baker to cook this meal, but it will make it go faster! :) Also, if you have a KitchenAid mixer, which is also one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, you can use your paddle attachment to shred chicken!  It works great!  Such a short cut.  Thank you Pinterest!

Now, seriously, we will get to the recipe.

Roasted Chicken Chimichangas 

adapted from: myrecipes.com

• 2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese (if you cannot find this you can use monterey jack, but if our Wal-Mart has it, I am sure you can find it!)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small can chopped green chiles
• 6 (8-in) flour tortillas
• Cooking Spray
• 7 oz can Salsa Verde

Preheat oven to 475.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  You do not have to do this, but it helps keep the bottoms from burning.  Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

Spread 2/3 cup chicken mixture on each tortilla; roll up.  Place rolls seam sides down on prepared baking sheet.  Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray.  Bake for 7-9 minutes. Serve with Salsa Verde.

Enjoy! :)

My Mamaw would be proud!

I love my mamaw!  And I would love if she was still around!  One thing I remember about her is spending time with her in the kitchen.  She was a fabulous cook.  She was from Arizona and could cook some of the best Mexican food around.  It is still hard for me to truly like the mexican food around here because it taste nothing like hers!  This weekend I made Carne Asada.  A staple to mexican cuisine.  I was excited and nervous about making this.  I found the recipe on pinterest (I know you are probably surprised!) and it was a crock-pot recipe!  Mr J also has a love for mexican cuisine and a love for true carne asada.  While in the Marine Corp, Mr J spent a lot of time in Yuma, Arizona and still to this day talks about some little street joint that "cooked up" carne asada.  Talk about pressure!  My mamaw was a fabulous mexican cook and my husband loves "true" carne asada.  I am not sure if this recipe is "authentic" but I know it was well liked loved in our house!  This will for sure remain in my recipe box!

(I am horrible, I forgot to take a picture again!  I promise in 2012 to do better about that!)

Recipe and Picture Source: Cheeky Kitchen

(Her pictures are so great!  You can for sure tell they are not mine!)

Recipe slightly adapted from: Cheeky Kitchen

Crock-Pot Carne Asada

1 (3-5 lbs) lean roast

1/2 container of frozen, concentrated, margarita mix

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup oil

1 onion, quartered

5 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, stem removed

2 tablespoons Knorr mexican beef bouillon, granulated (I could not find this, so I used beef bouillon and some mexican seasonings that Mr J mixed up)

1 (7 oz) can salsa verde (green salsa)

1 teaspoon cumin 

1 tablespoon chili powder

You will want to place your meat in a crock-pot early in the morning.  In a blender, combine frozen margarita mix, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno, bouillon, salsa verde, cumin, and chili powder.  Blend well until it is pureed. Pour the sauce over the meat, making sure it is well covered.  Cover crock-pot with a lid and cook all day on low heat (8-10 hours).  After allowing the meat to cook 8-10 hours, shred the meat, then return it to the crock-pot.  Stir and let set for at least another 30 minutes.  Spoon over your favorite tortilla, top with grated cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, lettuce, whatever toppings you feel and most of all...Enjoy! :) 

Blogging is hard work!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's! I realize it has been a while since I have posted.  Life has been pure chaos in Camelot!  First family was coming so that meant I had to get everything for Christmas finished before they got here so I could spend a ton of quality time with them!  (I only see them about once or twice a year and loved soaking up every minute I could with them this year)  This meant I spent a lot of long nights working on projects to make sure everything was completed, wrapped and ready to go.  After a week of hardly no sleep, our sweet baby a stopped sleeping.  She would sleep for 10-15 minutes at a time and then get up.  Other than her sleeping being off, she was still her happy, hyper self.  After speaking with a couple of people about her lack of sleep (and mom and dad's lack of sleep) we decided to take her to the doctor.  Poor little thing had a double ear infection.  Shortly after finding this out, I came down with something.  I really think it was my body's way of telling me I was passed exhausted.  All is well in Camelot now.  Christmas is over, family is gone, baby a is sleeping, mom and dad are sleeping, and mom is all well!  So it is back to life and blogging!  I am so excited for 2012. A few goals for this year:

-Spend more time reading the bible than on the computer or watching tv.
-Blog at least twice a week
-Complete some type of race (5K, 10K or a half)
-Workout at least 3 times a week
-No sodas for the whole year
-Create a lot of cute sewing projects
-Post tutorials of those sewing projects

These are just a few of my goals for this year.  What are some of yours?  Let me know! :)