Banana Balls

So far, the month of clean eating has been a challenge.  Our schedule has been a little crazy with little time to prepare for the unexpected.  Mr. J's grandfather passed away last week so most of our week consisted of traveling back home to be with family.  But we are still trying to stay on track as much as possible and I will have to say we have some new favorites.  Sweet potato chili was a huge hit in the house.  Miss A actually wanted more and then asked for it the next day.

The problem I have when trying to eat clean is I am a snacker.  And I want a snack normally at night, after dinner.  Mr. J and I have found a new love for grapefruit and we have eaten an embarrassing number over the last couple of weeks.  But sometimes, you need something more than a piece of fruit.  These banana balls were loved by everyone in the house and satisfied the craving for something a little more than grapefruit.

Banana Balls

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• 1 T all-natural nut butter (Use your favorite)
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 6 T unsweetened, shredded coconut
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until a dough begins to form.
Drop balls, teaspoon size, onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Enjoy :)

I will say, that we gobbled a lot of them down after baking them, but with the extras, I placed in the refrigerator and then re-warmed the next day on 400 for about 5-10 minutes.  I preferred the texture the next day.  They were even more awesome!

A Month of Clean Eating

Pregnancy...oh pregnancy.  Between being sick, sick and sick and then the exhaustion and the cravings...let's just say that eating hasn't been the greatest in our house.  Don't get me wrong, we didn't go just crazy, but I can tell my eating has been off, for a while. Mr. J and I both can tell our bodies are begging for us to get back to clean eating.  At first I decided we should just do the whole 30, totally cleanse ourselves.  And then I decided we should go strictly paleo.  But there are just some things I am not willing to give up yet (black beans, greek yogurt (check the package for sugar!), and some dairy).  So we are just cleaning up our eating for the next month.  When I posted on FB about meal planning, many asked that I share the menu.

So, below is the menu we will be using for the next month.  I have not tried many of these recipes, so this could be interesting.  Also, I get really bored eating the same things, over and over, so there are many different recipes!

Want to join us? Let me know if you do! I would love to know how it goes!

30 Days of Clean Eating

Day 1- Roast and Potatoes

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/easiest-delicious-crock-pot-beef-ever/

Day 2- Chicken Fajita Bowls

Day 3- Coconut Green Chili Soup

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/creamy-coconut-green-chili-chicken-soup-dairy-gluten-free-slow-cooker-recipe/

Day 4- Apple Pork Chops & green beans

http://www.bestfoodcloud.com/2013/09/apple-spice-pork-chops.html

Day 5- Sweet Potato Nachos

http://paleogrubs.com/nacho-recipe

Day 6- Burger Balls and fries

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/10/bacon-jalapeno-burger-balls/

Day 7- zuppa toscana

http://whole30.com/2014/11/best-whole30-recipes-baby-cold-outside/

Day 8- Best chicken Ever and mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 9- Stir Fry

Day 10- Mushroom Bake

http://popularpaleo.com/2012/12/04/paleoitalianmushroombake/

Day 11- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Sweet Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 12- Stuffed Peppers

Day 13- Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Baked Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2014/03/30/crispy-buffalo-chicken-fingers/

Day 14- Sweet potato Chili

http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2014/09/24/paleo-sweet-potato-chili/

Day 15- Chicken fajita Bowls

Day 16- Chicken Zucchini Bites

http://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-zucchini-poppers-gf-df/

Day 17- Stir Fry

Day 18- Best chicken Ever and Mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 19- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 20- orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 21- Roast chicken and Baked Sweet Potatoes

http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/01/09/easy-slow-cooker-roast-chicken/

Day 22- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Green Beans

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 23- Stir Fry

Day 24- Slow Cooker Curry

http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2014/01/coconut-chicken-curry-slow-cooker-paleo.html

Day 25- Beef and mushroom Stir Fry

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/ginger-beef-mushroom-kale-stir-fry-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+gimmesomeoven+(Gimme+Some+Oven)

Day 26- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 27- Chicken Wings and Fries (See Burger Balls Recipe)

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/12/15/jalapeno-lime-chicken-wings-paleo-ranch-dressing-meatified/

Day 28- Slow Cooker Thai Beef Stew

http://stupideasypaleo.com/category/whole30-2/page/2/

Day 29-Orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 30- Stuffed Peppers

2014 Review

Hello again blog world! Can someone please tell me where 2014 went?  I had big expectations on sharing diy tutorials, healthy recipes and many other things with y'all, but honestly, 2014 flew by without me noticing, life was insanely busy, and many of the diy projects I had on the list, well, they were just a vision in my mind.

But 2014 was filled with excitement, joy, and a new addition to our family! 2014, you were a good year.  Let's review with picture overload!

I did my first inbox competition for CrossFit. I PR'd on some lifts.  That was exciting, but it was also a very humbling experience. 

We celebrated the resurrection! And dyed eggs for the first time with A! 

Two days after my CF competition, and a day after Easter, we found out we were expecting! Truly a gift from God!  I wish I had the video of telling Mr. J! To say he was surprised would be an understatement.

We took some fun, short trips over the spring and summer.  Discovery Park, the zoo, the science museum and the magic house.  A found a love for hotels.

We went sailing with Cappy. 

This guy.  We celebrated our 7th anniversary.  Mr. J surprised me with an overnight stay at a B&B. It was a first for me.  And I would do it again!

A found out she was going to have a little sister, and we found out there would be more drama and sass added to our lives! :) 

A turned 3! And we celebrated with a mermaid party! 

A got a "Big Girl" Room.

A also started pre-school and gymnastics!

We went to a pumpkin patch and A had her first ride on a combine.  Daddy was proud.

A was "little red hoodin" for Halloween. This is the first year I made her halloween costume. And I was the big bad wolf.  

We prepared for little L.

I kept crossfitting. Until 36 weeks pregnant.

Mr. J finally decided to start a blog.  You should check it out. And let your guy friends know about it too!

Southern Antiquity

And then we welcomed sweet, sweet little L into our lives.  December 18th was a sweet day! 

And then we of course celebrated the birth of our Savior.  We also rang in the new year by going to bed early and snuggling with two sweet little girls.

2014, you will be a hard year to follow!

Meatballs with Curry Sauce

I tried to think of some witty title for this post, but I can't.  Because, seriously, it is all about this dish. Meatballs+curry sauce= major love in this household.  So, without further ado, here is an excellent recipe, that you should make, tonight.

Meatballs with Curry Sauce

Meatballs

• 2 lbs ground pork (use whatever protein you like here, but we really like the pork!) 
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• Salt and Pepper 

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients.  Mix well.  I have found the best way is to just get down and dirty and mix with your hands. Form into balls.  Mine were probably between 1 and 1.5 inches.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet.  (I also spray my foil with cooking spray)  Cook for 10 minutes and then flip meatballs and bake for 5-10 more.  I probably cook my meatballs a little on the long side, but I love the nice crunch that they get on the outside.

While the meatballs are cooking, make your Curry Sauce.

Curry Sauce

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup onion, very finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (if you want, use more! I do!)
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs light brown sugar
• 1 can coconut milk 

Prepare the curry sauce in a medium/large saucepan by sauteing the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat in the oil.  Saute until onions are soft.  Stir in curry powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar.  Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

When the meatballs are finished place the meatballs in the curry sauce. Simmer over low for about 2 minutes.

Serve with rice.  Or eat alone.

Enjoy! :)

Nutritional Challenge Drop Out

The nutritional challenge started out great.  The first 2.5 weeks was good.  After that, I could not figure out why in the world I have developed this hatred for eggs.  I thought it was because I just had eaten so many of them.  But as days went by, the struggle became real. I couldn't even cook them because I couldn't handle the smell.  I had no idea what was going on.  Then, we figured it out. Food aversions. Sickness.  And that lead to the end of my nutritional challenge.

That is also why I have been MIA.  Between the sickness and tiredness, I am doing good to keep up with feisty little Miss A.  But, I am excited to be feeling a little better.  I have started CrossFit back this week and am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.  I also have big plans to attempt whole30 second trimester (or at least a modified version), so be expecting new recipes!  Also! We can't wait to find out what "baby b" is!  There will be tutorials and how-tos when we start nursery prepping! We have a lot of diy projects lined up for the summer, and I can't wait to share them with you! 

I hope you all have a great weekend! Make sure and remember this isn't just a holiday weekend to kick off summer, but a holiday weekend to remember those who have lost their lives serving our country! Make sure to hug a veteran or active duty service man/woman this weekend and thank them for their daily sacrifice!

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Day 1, Week 1

I am a firm believer that healthy food does not have to be "bland" or "boring".  I do not do well with eating the same things over and over and I knew this would be one of my biggest issues with this nutritional challenge.  But I refused to let boring food be the thing that made me back out of doing this challenge! So I have made it my mission to make fun, flavorful food!  

We really enjoyed this meal!  They were full of flavor and satisfying.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from: BevCooks

Enough for about 10 good size wraps

• 2 Tbs EVOO
• 3 large chicken breast
• 2-3 chipotle peppers with sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/8 cup green onion, sliced thinly 
• Romain or Butter Lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated 
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season your chicken with your salt, pepper and garlic and sear for about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through and is browned.  Move to a cutting board and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Chop chicken into small bites.

In a food processor, my favorite kitchen appliance, combine the chipotle peppers in sauce, lime juice and cilantro.  Process until mixed well and peppers are in very small pieces.

Place the red peppers, beans, and chipotle mixture into the skillet. Let cook for about a minute or 2 just to get warm. Add chicken back in and mix well. Toss in green onions.

Top those lettuce leaves with that yummy mixture and enjoy!

Things are Changing

Disclaimer: This is a random, thought vomited blog post! :)

The last 5 weeks have been insanely busy with us! We have been extra busy with our students and activities.  Then,  I was peer pressured signed up for the CrossFit Open and it has been 5 weeks of crazy workouts.  Mr. J has been judging the open workouts so he has been busy too.  And now, I have (willingly) signed up for a nutritional challenge.

This is where things are changing, y'all! Our family diet is getting a major overhaul!  I think I have talked about how much our family diet has already changed since starting CrossFit, but I still have not been happy with it. As much as I love the "Paleo Diet", because of the clean eating aspect, I have a lot of issues with it. So for this nutritional challenge, we are doing Zone. Zone takes the 40/30/30 approach.  I actually did the zone diet back in my pageant days, but that has been a while and it is taking me a moment to wrap my head around this concept again!

This morning I made breakfast according to what I am to eat. I am trying to get the concept down before the actual start date of the challenge (Monday).  Y'all! This is a lot of food! I don't think my problem will be being hungry.

If you were around when the blog was "Life in Camelot", you will start to notice the recipes around here will be a lot different.  I still fully believe that you can enjoy food and be healthy too!

I can't wait to start this journey! I believe that our minds are often our worst enemies! And I am excited to say, that I am finally in a good place to start this journey, mentally! I will be tracking progress on here, updating you on some good, healthy recipes and I hope to learn a lot over this next 6 weeks!

Oh yeah, Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend!

Word to "Da Mudd'rs"

Our sweet, sweet A loves to throw parties, parties for all da mudd'rs. I wish I had it on video for all of you to see because the way she says it is just too cute! But since I can't throw all of you sweet mothers a party, today I have a little note for you.

Word to da Mudd'rs (sorry, it just doesn't get old!)
Our sweet baby A was a sweet little thing, but she hated to sleep. Actually, she just refused. There were many hours (and calories burnt) by Mr. J and myself trying to get the kid to sleep on any given day. To be honest, there were probably tears too. In order to make her even think about sleeping you would have to bounce her. And by bounce, I mean full body motions. And this could take a hour or two. Once the kid went to sleep, don't even think about putting her down. The moment you did, those eyes would pop open and there was no hope after that.

The first year of A's life, I wondered what in the world we were doing. I read every book I could, had every mom tell me their advice, and waited to hear some type of encouraging word along the way. But mostly I heard:
"Enjoy this phase, it is precious and it will be gone in a blink of an eye"
"It only goes downhill from here"
"Wait until she hits 2"
"Wait until she hits 3"
"Wait until she talks"

And now we have hit the 2's. And y'all, it is a battle! A daily battle! Some days, the hardest thing is not laughing while discipling while other days are battles of tears, sweat and blood. Parenting is no joke. A is a very independent, free spirit, strong-willed, dance to her own beat kind of girl. Her favorite activity is "pushing mom and dad's buttons". (She actually told someone that last night). And when people ask about her, the comments I hear are:
"Wait until she hits 3"
"Wait until she is in middle school"
"Wait until she is in high school"

 Moms, why do we make parenthood sound so terrible? Like each phase in life only gets worse? I too am guilty of this.  I believe it is because it is hard.  I believe it is because we are tired.  Physically and emotionally.  But moms, we are at battle. A battle that we are fighting to change lives. To mold little human beings. And we are in this battle together!

The first year was hard. I was sleep-deprived, had no clue what I was doing, and was trying to keep a small human alive.

1-2.5 have been extremely hard as well. While we are getting sleep now (see, it does get better!), A is trying to figure out who she is becoming and it is a battle daily to help guide her along that way.

My point is, every stage is going to be hard. Parenting is no joke. Let's just go ahead and all admit that one! But, can we just come together and encourage each other, to remind each other of the good along each way? For mom's who have been there, to hug those mom's struggling and say, good job! Because we all know, for every hard moment in motherhood, there are about 30 joyous moments!

I am so thankful for some encouraging women in my life. Women who have come along, who have fought the battle,  and who send words of encouragement along my battle. So if you don't have someone like that, find them! Find them fast!

And all da mudd'rs Good job! Good job momma's! I know this battle is hard! But today, look for the  hugs, the smiles, the kisses, and the sweet, sweet "I love you's!" Find the joy in each and every phase! They do pass quickly!

(Please note, this post is from my heart, and is basically written to myself.  So I can look back and be reminded to find the joy in each phase! Because most days, the feeling of defeat and exhaustion take over my mind and I want to make sure that I encourage my momma friends! To help remind them to find the joy!)

Whisk & Tread! And Zoodles!

Welcome to Whisk and Thread! I truly believe that the kitchen is the heart of the home and it always seems to be where everyone gathers.  I love all things homemade and I hope to share many hand crafted goodies with you! I hope to share some of my favorite diy tutorials and many recipes!

There are still many changes coming to Whisk and Thread, but I couldn't wait to share this recipe with you.  Mr. J and I are really into CrossFit and since we have started our CF journey, our eating habits have changed drastically. While I am an avid cook, and we both love food, I love to try and recreate some of our favorite recipes into much healthier versions.   We had this recipe last night, and let's just say, We LOVED it! I hope you guys enjoy it as well!

Shrimp Scampi and Zoodles
(Served 2 in our home..plus a picky toddler who refused to eat)

3 medium to large zucchinis
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt (I prefer Kosher)
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 fresh lemon, juiced
Parsley (Optional)
Lemon Zest (Optional)

Directions

Zoodles
Peel and julienne zucchini.   I have a handy little julienne slicer and it works great.  I have also learned that there are cool spiral cutters out there for around $30.  I may be looking into getting one of those!
Place in colander or strainer and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for 20 minutes then squeeze moisture from the noodles.  Place the noodles between paper towels and squeeze.  Then pat dry and place in bowl.

While the zoodles are sweating, pat the shrimp dry.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper.  Add the butter to the skillet.  Cook the shrimp, in one layer, without moving them, for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Turn the shrimp over and cook for a couple more minutes.  Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Return the skillet to the heat and pour the wine/chicken broth and lemon juice.  Boil until the liquid has slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.  Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. (Because you know that is the good stuff!)  Throw those noodles in that yummy sauce and toss them around for about a minute to get them good and warm.  Add your shrimp in with the zoodles.  Remove from heat.  Top with parsley and lemon zest. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! :)

Coming Soon!!!!

The blog is going to be undergoing some major changes! Whisk & Thread is coming soon!

GCC- Steak Pizzaiola

This week's Gutsy Cooks Club challenge was to make Steak Pizzaiola.  It called for a chuck steak and I had no clue what this was.  I also could not find it in our grocery stores, so I went with sirloin.  Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  We served ours with a large bowl of rigatoni, but next time I will serve with mashed potatoes.  Overall, I believe this recipe is a keeper. Make sure to head to SweetBites and get the recipe!

Recipe

Getting Gutsy- Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze

I am always looking for new ways to challenge myself in the kitchen.  I love to cook and have tried so many different recipes and am always looking for something new.  I stumbled upon The Gutsy Cooks Club and knew I had to try it!

Sweet Monica at Sweet Bites Blog host it and this was our first week.

This week we made Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  While this recipe was not that different for me, or that challenging, it did call for chicken thighs.  I have not cooked with them in the past and I will have to say Mr. J and I loved them, but sweet A adored them!  I found a great sale on boneless, skinless chicken thighs and so that is what we used.  While I am sure the skin would be delicious on these, it was not in my weekly budget to splurge (and we try not to eat the skin).  I would cook these again! Not only were they tasty, but super easy as well!

Make sure and jump over to Monica's blog to get the recipe!

From the Little Red Book

The first Christmas that Mr. J and I spent together he bought me this cute little red cookbook journal.

It is used for my favorite recipes and most of the time they come some where other than the internet.  Some are passed down from sweet family members, some from special friends, and some are my random, crazy creations! But, if the recipe makes it to the prized red book, it is for sure a family favorite!  This recipe, I believe, came from a previous co-worker and it has become a family favorite.  I hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do!

Bow-tie Chicken Pasta

• 2 Chicken Breast, cooked, diced or shredded
• 1 box Bow-tie Pasta
• 1 can Rotel, drained
• 1 jar Alfredo Sauce
• 1/2 jar of Basil Pesto (I use the Bertolli brand...just so you know for size reference)
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

-Cook your chicken and dice or shred it.  Last night I used diced chicken that I cooked in the skillet.  Before I have used a rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, you could even use canned chicken if you are into that kind of thing! Which ever way I do it, I always add some of my favorite spices (and those change on a daily basis, but always include italian seasoning and garlic)
-Cook your pasta according to the box, but 2 minutes less.
-Drain pasta.
-Add your Alfredo sauce, pesto, rotel and chicken to the pasta and mix well.
-Place mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
-Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of pasta mixture.
-Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is good and melted.
-Enjoy!

Lessons from Sweet A

It is so true that they grow up too fast!  I can't believe our sweet baby A is now sweet toddler A with a sassy little attitude and lots of spunk! With sweet A about to be 2 this summer, I have been reflecting on what I have learned since becoming a mom.  Sweet A has taught me so many lessons and I feel like even though I am the one that is suppose to be teaching her the ways of the world, God is using her to teach me so many things.  Here are just a couple of things that motherhood has taught me.

1. You can function with very little sleep (even though it may not seem like it).  I am so glad sweet A taught me this lesson! This lesson is coming in very handy for youth ministry!

2. I have more strength and courage than I ever thought I could have.

3. I am learning that my mom and dad are a lot smarter than I thought they were! (If y'all are reading...please take this as a compliment!)

4. Getting ready to go anywhere and be on time is a huge accomplishment!

5. A hot shower, alone, with no small toddler pulling the curtain or throwing things across the bathroom is almost as glorious as a spa retreat!

6. Nothing is better than a hug and "I love you".

7.  Motherhood is not a joke.  It is tough, exhausting and most rewarding!

8. I have learned no book, other mom, blog or anything or anyone else knows my child better than I know her. Listen to my gut.

9.  Be a mom, not a friend.  This one is so hard, because I want Annie to love me and like me.  But I am called to be her mother. Not her friend.

10. God loves me...SO MUCH! This has just been a constant reminder as I look at how much I love sweet A.  God loves me so much more!

Happy Tuesday! I am going to love on a spunky little girl who woke up WAY too early form her nap!

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

I am not a huge slow cooker fan, but there are those days I am so thankful for them!  Tuesdays are extremely busy for us and yesterday was one of those days I was SO thankful for my slow cooker!  I think one of the reasons that I am not a huge fan is because I have such a hard time finding recipes that I love that!  I found a great one and it will for sure be a keeper!  

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Adapted from: Food&Family Finds

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen Chicken Breast
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced
• 1 Small Onion, sliced
• 1 Package Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• McCormick's Steak Seasoning
• Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning 
• Garlic
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Sliced American Cheese
• Hoagie Buns

Place 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place frozen (or fresh) chicken breast on top of butter.  Sprinkle chicken with garlic, essence seasoning, and steak seasoning.  I do not use measurements on this, I just go to town and shake until my hand gets tired. Also, feel free to use any type of seasoning you would like.  I just had these in my cabinet and they turned out great!  Add your onions, mushrooms and green peppers next.  Pour in your chicken broth.  Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  After about 5 1/2 hours take chicken out and shred it.  Place back into slow cooker and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Mr. J and I like to toast our hoagie buns before we place the chicken on them.  I just stick them under the broiler for a couple of seconds until they start to brown up.  I also like to use a slotted spoon to get the chicken mixture out to help get rid of some of the juice.  Place your chicken mixture on your hoagie bun, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of american cheese on top and place under the broiler to melt the cheese.  Place that other half of the hoagie bun on top and enjoy! :)

This crazy, beautiful thing called life

Life has been CRAY CRAY! I am giving you guys the quick update on life, why I have been missing, and a glimpse into the new normal for us.

Let me start back in the fall.  In the late summer/early fall Mr J and I decided it was time to put our sweet little house up for sale and start to look for a larger space.

Our sweet little first home

We listed our house right after placing an offer on another house that had immediate possession so when we listed ours we also said we would allow immediate possession. After the appraisal on the house we had placed on offer on came back we decided to back out of the deal (long story), but we had already accepted an offer on our house and had a closing date.  Needless to say, we had to find a house pronto, stat, ASAP! Thankfully, my gracious parents hosted us in their beautiful basement for a couple of months. Soon after we found a house and it couldn't be more perfect We moved into our home in January, while battling 4 cases of the flu (each of us in the house had it...plus I got it a second time).

Our new home

I know I do not talk about my faith a lot on this blog...well to be honest..I am doing good to get a post up once a year! (Yes, I am working on this! For real this time!) But my faith is a HUGE part of my life.  Well, it is my life.  Mr. J and I love Jesus.  With a big, fat, I heart you, Jesus! As long as we have been married we have known that serving in full-time ministry would be some part of our future.  We had no idea what that looked like, what that would be, when or where.  Little did we know that God was paving our way the whole time.  One day I hope to share the full story on this blog just to show how awesome and how faithful God really is, but today I am trying to give the quick update.  Long story short... while the house crisis, selling and buying was going on, Mr. J went from being a Project Manager in the construction world to being a full-time youth pastor and me being a full-time pastor's wife (if you would have asked me for a list of jobs I would do in my lifetime, this would not have been on it!) Our life is now filled with a lot of teenagers, long nights, early mornings, and a very loud, active toddler! We could not be happier, more blessed, and living a more crazy life!

Mr. J and our sweet A

We have accepted that life will never be the same again, and we couldn't be happier! Times have been rough in the last couple of months, but there is so much joy in serving the Lord.

Sweet friends, expect to see much more of me and to hear much more about our life.  Also, we are in the middle of a remodel and once I have an operating kitchen, expect more recipes, fun remodeling tutorials and more! I look forward to sharing our future with you!

Just like I promised...I am coming back!

Hey y'all! It has been a while! Mr. J and I have had a whirlwind of events that have turned our lives a little crazy! But we are getting settled in our "new normal".  I feel like life will never be the same, in a great way, but we are finally getting to a place where we can say, this is how it will be.  We are in the process of remodeling, but hopefully will be wrapping that up next week.  So...be expecting to see me back soon! I will give y'all an update on life!

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!