Salsa Chicken over Rice

Prep time = 15min
Cook time = 15min
Stand time = 5min

2 C cooked white rice, kept warm
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 sm red bell pepper, sliced
1 jar (16oz) salsa
1/2 C (2oz) shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-heat. Add chicken, onion, & bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in salsa; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; sprinkle w/ cheese. Cover; let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve over rice. Garnish w/ sour cream & cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 363 calories, 10g total fat (3g sat fat), 78mg chol, 986mg sodium, 34g total carb, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 32g protein.

What sustains me at this moment in my life

Isaiah 55:9

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than you thoughts."

Life is crazy at this very moment and it all began several weeks ago. Ironically it began on a day in which I didn't feel settled inside (a good unsettled), I felt like something big was going to be taking place and God was saying "HOLD ON". So much had happened the weeks prior and my husband and I were wondering what was going on. One day, I happened to read my home page when I sign on to the internet and this was the bible verse. I looked the verse up in my Charles Stanley Life Principles bible and re-read the verse. My fingers happened to to be holding some other pages and when I turned to them it was on his Life Principle #14 God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. I sat in awe, it is what I needed to read. It was days before I knew what the unsettled excitement ("Sit down and hold on" feeling) was all about. Here we are now, just a few weeks from those moments, in the process of finishing our basement to sell it quickly and move back home to ID by July. Crazy!!! It is every day that my husband and I are taking steps of faith for this move. I won't lie, there are days where we just don't understand what is going on and how it's all going to work (there are many details in this decision). But there is never a day where there is no peace with the decision to still go at this time. That brings me back to why Isaiah 55:9 is what I hold onto everyday. I don't know what the details are and what God is doing right now, but I trust Him. And just to add, never in my heart, did I think that the changes that have taken place within my husband (wanting to move back, etc.)would take place. God is amazing and He has done some unbelievable work within my husband in several areas, including me. That is my thought for today!

Literally, 1 dish meal

From the kitchen of my bro's wife

Don't know if there is a name for this, she likes to experiment.

Ingredients:
4-5 Chicken breasts (thawed or frozen if you're really lazy-like us:) )
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Ground Sage
Shredded Cheese
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 box Low-Sodium Chicken Stove Top Stuffing
1 Can Chicken broth

Place chicken breasts in baking dish, season to your liking. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of chicken breasts, amount depends on you. Spoon entire can of cream of chicken soup on top of chicken breasts, straight from can. Meanwhile, in separate bowl add stuffing and 1 can of chicken broth, microwave for 2 minutes. Spoon stove top mix on top of chicken mixture and place in oven on 375 degrees for an hour, or until chicken is cooked. I start with frozen breasts and cook in 390 degree oven for approx an hour and 15-20 minutes. Then I serve it next to steamed broccoli. Enjoy.

1 Fish 2 Fish

A few days ago we mourned the loss of the family's first pet. Yes, Nemo passed away late one night after a long day of struggling to stay alive. There was no question that he would be replaced, and quickly! The following morning I sat my daughter down and explained. I decided not to lie and gave her the whole truth. She took it quite well and was more than excited to get a new fish (Nemo's memory was already gone). So now we have Nemo Jr. Both kids are happy and that's what matters.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis "Everyday Italian"





Ingredients:
1 C pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 C cubed chicken breast (1" cubes)
1/2 C diced onion (abt 1/2 a sm onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 C shredded mozzarella
1/4 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/4 C grated Parmesan
1 Tbs butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8x8x2" baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top w/ small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Broiled Zucchini & Potatoes w/ Parmesan Crust

Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis "Everyday Italian"





Ingredients:
4 sm new potatoes (red or white, about 1.5" diameter)
2 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (I used dried, cut amt in half)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (used dried, cut amt in half)
2 sm zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise (abt 1" wide x 5" long)
Pinch kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 C grated Parmesan

Instructions:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool. When cool, cut the potatoes in half.

Place a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, thyme & rosemary and let cook until the butter melts, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season the cut sides of the zucchini and potatoes w/ salt and pepper. Carefully place the zucchini and potatoes cut side down in the melted butter. Let them cook until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet w/ foil. Place the browned zucchini & potatoes on the baking sheet cut side up. Sprinkle the tops w/ the Parmesan. Place in the broiler until the cheese is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and serve.

Yesterday

Okay, I have to write about this. I can laugh about it today, but yesterday I wasn't. This is a short version of my day yesterday. Woke up, getting ready, my daughter comes upstairs telling me she was sorry for the accident in the kitchen. So I proceeded downstairs to find orange juice all over the floor, my kitchen mat, fridge, and cupboards. Later that day I go and get my son from his nap. Walk into his room and he's sitting in his crib with his legs hanging out over the edge. I can tell he has a poopy diaper the moment the door opens. I notice the rocking chair moved and his crib, while fixing those I look at him and realize he has no diaper on. The poopy diaper is in the middle of the floor and he's sitting on his freshly cleaned crib sheet with a poopy bum (removing own diaper, sure sign it's time to potty train-officially). So I clean that up,throw bedding into laundry and him in the tub. Thankfully it didn't get anywhere else. After that ordeal, I decide to work out. The kids are working out with me and the next thing I notice my son is crying and my daughter is saying sorry. He calms down and I proceed to work out. Then I notice a spot on my couch pillow, upon turning the lights on, I realize it's blood. My daughter accidentally ran into my son giving him a bloody nose. Blood on my couch, blood on his clean shirt, blood on his freshly cleaned Tonton (stuffed bear). So I had to take care of that. Then finally it was dinner time. My hubby showed up with 2 of his boys from the home while I was getting dinner for the kids. Gave my daughter her plate, next thing I hear is "Oops, Sorry." I turn to look and she had spilled her green applesauce all over the floor (carpet). Nice. My hubby took care of that thankfully. So that was my day. Never ending accidents. Those types of days are few and far between. They're no fun in the midst of it, but looking back, I can't help but laugh. Kids!

Good Morning

Woke up this morning with the light coming in the window nice and bright. You can feel spring! I love it. I looked at my clock and thought 830am, not too bad, kids aren't even awake. Then I realized it was actually 930am, I completely forgot to set my clocks ahead. Whoops! Still a good morning though. Today should be in the 60s, a great day to finally whip out the scented bubbles my daughter wanted and go outside and blow them. We've had a lot of wind and not so warm temps for awhile. Things are finally taking a turn. Now if only I could muster up the energy to finally wash my car. Garages aren't too popular around here in VA so your car is exposed all year long, and with the amount of rain we get, it's impossible to keep your car clean. Needless to say, my cars paint in chipping. If we decide to keep the thing, that will definitely be a paint job for the future. Well, tune in for tomorrow. I tried out a new recipe from Everyday Italian (Food Network) and it was awesome! Easy to make, cheap, and great tasting. I'll post it tomorrow.

Stromboli

Recipe given from close friends w/ Italian background.

2 frozen loaves of Rhodes bread (white), or pizza dough recipe (enough for 2) or pre-made dough you can buy at the store
10 thin slices of VA Baked ham (or equivalent)
10 thin slices of hard salami
10 thin slices of provolone cheese
10 thin slices of mozzarella cheese
Mustard
Oregano
Butter-room temp.

Roll each loaf or each pizza dough out to form long rectangle (usually the length of a cookie sheet) and wide enough to fold top over ingredients (usually ends up the width of a loaf of french bread). Spread thin layer of mustard on bottom half of dough and sprinkle oregano over mustard. Lay down a layer of 5 pieces of VA ham over mustard/oregano, then provolone, then hard salami, followed by mozzarella. Fold top over and roll bottom dough over top to form a lip and pinch shut. Spread thin layer of butter on top and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for approx 15 min or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cut width wise (usually can get approx 6 good size pieces). Recipe makes 2 long loaves of Stromboli.

I've added green peppers, onions, and olives to mine before. You can add whatever you like or just keep to original recipe, all is good. Marinara is a good dipping sauce also. Enjoy.

A glimpse of my morning

Sorry this seems so choppy, but have you ever noticed that when your busy or concentrating, your kids love distracting you? I've been bombarded this whole time. Today is my daughter's 5th birthday and all morning she's been asking to buy a stuffed snake toy. Why? I have no idea. I have a daughter who is more interested in dinosaurs and reptiles than girly things (not that I'm complaining-in fact I was the same, not girly in any way). My son, straight up CLOWN who loves cars! He just turned 2 about a week ago and I can't believe how much of his personality is coming out. He's hilarious. I think he's going to take after his father's personality. I love my kids, their both goof balls with a lot of spunk. They can be very frustrating and draining too, but their mine and I wouldn't have it any other way! Sadly my hubby is working today and can't be with us on our daughter's birthday, so we will officially celebrate it tomorrow. I will be treating her to something today though. Not sure what, but I will. I guess that means I should probably finish getting ready. Some days I wish I had someone to do my makeup and hair. Wouldn't that be nice! Then I could just sit back and enjoy my cup of coffee without it getting cold and me having to reheat it about 3 times. By that time I forget to finish it, brush my teeth, then when I realize my cup is still half full with a "good" cup of coffee, I dump it. What a waste. Well, hope today is a beautiful day for everyone. I'm off to the factory to make myself over.