What's for Dinner Wednesday?

Ok, I seriously almost forgot about today's post...whoops! Doesn't help that tonight's dinner is very boring and not exciting...Chicken, Rice and Veggies...hmmm...so I consulted my binder of recipes that I have collected over the years...nothing...I am so not going to the grocery store and I am out of at least one thing for every chicken recipe...so I am pulling out the standby and in reality, my standby isn't all that bad and it's easy.

I may not remember to pick up soy sauce and garlic when I am out, but I always have extras of three things in my fridge.

CHICKEN
RICE-A-RONI
STEAM IN BAG VEGGIES

Having these items ensures that your family at LEAST gets a warm, home-cooked, but only half home-made meal. Better than ordering pizza or giving up and spending too much money going out to eat :)

Also make sure you have a decently stocked spice rack. The right combo of spices makes even a boring chicken meal fun. My favorite for juicy, flavorful chicken is simple. Seasoning salt and thyme. I don't know why but it is SO GOOD. Toss your steamed veggies in some butter or EVOO and thyme and you have a nice meal. And come on, EVERYONE loves chicken Rice a Roni!

So, while it isn't anything life changing like Apricot Glazed Chicken...it is saving us from pizza night :)

Stay Warm and be Crafty

I hope everyone is staying warm in Sunshine-y Florida and everywhere else! It is COLD, this old house just ain't cut out for this weather.

I have had a few free evenings this week to work on some craftiness, which hasn't happened in a while so I have been having lots of fun!

I made a couple of these to put some gifts in. I didn't use Christmas-y fabric so they can be re-used for anything.

I got the idea for these fun gift tags from Lola Nova, what an awesome blog!

I couldn't figure out how to get a good picture of this headband I made. I have like a MILLION little fabric roses that I need to use on something so here it is. It is much cuter on a head...

THIS is today's creation which I am in love with. This will probably be under the tree for Bela. I have seen so many stuffed owl things and I LOVE owls so I just sorta made my own pattern and I cannot believe it turned out so cute!

My kids love playing with cell phones. We have a bunch of old ones and the kids are so cute playing with their phones. I just wish they weren't sitting on the ugly spot of the floor where our bookshelves used to be!

This is about the only use the training potty has gotten. It is a stool and a chair to sit on while playing at the train table...go figure...

Hope everyone is bundled up and warm! Have a great day!

Long overdue

So it has been a bit of a weird week and I completely forgot to update on the Apricot Glazed Chicken. It was totally amazing :) Even better the next day :) Definitely going in the rotation for sure!

Ok, so my Pilates instructor told me about this website for more help on getting organized and running your home more efficiently. A new year is around the corner and I think most moms resolve to be more organized, etc. So let's do it this year!

I have started doing the 15 minute declutter and I tackled my closet first. Which, if you live in Riverside, you know is the size of well...a very tiny person's closet.

OH. THE. HORRAH.

Now if you are in the middle of a renovation in Riverside you also know that there may be missing doors in your house...I don't keep many of my clothes in my closet, it is really craft storage and whatever will fit. So there it is. My horrid closet for all the blogosphere to see.

Now for the challenge.

15 Minutes - Twice a week

Set the clock and tackle a problem area.

STOP after 15 minutes.

Take a BEFORE and AFTER photo.

Post on your blog, Facebook or whatever and leave the link in your comment.

Here's my closet

Now it isn't perfection yet by any means, but I can find my stuff and I was able to finish filling another 2 bags for Goodwill. And seriously, all in 15 minutes. Now I totally embarrassed myself showing my ugly closet, so you better show me your clutter too!

What's for Dinner Wednesday?

So today's post will actually spread out over TWO days, yay! I am making a recipe from Weight Watcher's Now and Later cookbook so I will make one recipe today, and then use the leftovers for another the next day. I also have never made this, so I will have to do a review on the recipe :)

Here's what you need:
1/4 cup all fruit apricot preserves
1 chipotle en adobo, minced
Grated zest and juice of 1 small lime
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

I am omitting the chipotle, in order to make it kid friendly and not too spicy.

1. Make the glaze - mix the preserves, chipotle en adobo, lime zest and juice and honey in a bowl.

2. Mix the cumin and salt in a small bowl; sprinkle over both sides of chicken.

3. Spray grill pan (or skillet) with nonstick spray and set over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook 12 minutes, turning and brushing with the glaze every 4 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer two of the pieces of chicken to a container for tomorrow. It can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Thats basically it. I am serving with some rice and a veggie. The chicken is 5 points, so if you are counting points, with rice and a veg will probably round out to a nice 8-10 point meal.

Seems pretty easy. I'll deliver the verdict tomorrow when we make Chicken Cubano Paninis with our leftover chicken. Sounds delish!

The Organized Momma

I would by no means call myself an expert on the subject of home organization, BUT I have found some tools that have really helped us, especially living in an early 1900's home with no closet space. I had been off the plan for a while and just got back on it, and I realized how much easier life is! Hopefully this will be the start of a weekly post where I will post the cleaning tasks I accomplished, complete with before and after photos. Here's hoping. Sorry if this is long and wordy, but do read it!

I have shared a few times about the Just Mommies Home Organization Plan but I am going to go into a bit more detail as to how it works.

When I became a SAHM, I knew that if I let myself, I would spend the entire day cleaning. I can thank my Grandma Janet for my slightly OCD cleaning habits. Even as a teenager I would do strange things like clean ALL of the grout on the kitchen floor with a toothbrush and bleach. I would delight in polishing the silver...and when I learned to iron embroidered linens so that the embroidery would "pop" out (thanks Martha Stewart), I scoured the house looking for every linen that was embroidered that I could find...

I really wanted to enjoy my time with my kids and the Justmommies plan has worked GREAT for us! Its super easy, just print off the month and stick it on the fridge.

Here is an example of how a day works.

Morning- make bed, wipe down bathroom, set out dinner.
Afternoon - Work on Weekly or Monthly tasks. Afternoon tidy.
Nighttime - Kids bath, brush and bed. Clean kitchen.

I do most of my afternoon work during naps or while my son is eating lunch. Some days may be a little more work than others and you even get catch up days for your monthly tasks. It may be something easy little cleaning the dishwasher, which just requires running it with some vinegar, or a little more labor intensive like cleaning the baseboards in a room. Like yesterday was wipe down kitchen chairs...you have no idea how gross those get!

Once you get the hang of it, you realize you have MUCH more time to enjoy your kids and when you get off the plan...well you realize you need to get back on it!

There is also a decluttering challenge every month. Somethings may not apply to you , so just cross off what doesn't apply. It's just a challenge so you don't have to do everything.

So everyone print out your calendars, you can do it! Also, post your home organization tips, we got some smart mommas out there!

I'm Still Here :)

I haven't had a whole lot to post lately since I dropped the camera on the pavement and it shattered (yes shattered). Totally no $$ in the budget for a new camera so I am having to rely on my Iphone, which really doesn't take the best pictures. Here are the photos I took right before the camera hit the pavement. It is really quite depressing...

Also, the majority of my crafting is for gifts right now, and since my family does read this blog (well I hope they do) I haven't been posting what I have been up to lately so AFTER the holidays there will be lots of photos of fun stuff.

Note to self...do not decide to make multiples of a project that takes more than 3-4 hrs to complete...

Anyways, I did get around to a project that I have been wanting to do for A WHILE. Recovering our dining room chairs. They turned out REALLY great and the best part is the fabric was only $10 at Joann. My lovely friend Bobbie actually bought me the fabric. I totally love it!
The color looks really off in this picture (the iphone), no its not seafoam blue, but a very light blue green color. Our mismatched chairs look quite dapper now! I only have 4 chairs, but I didn't even finish my episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills before I was done. It also only took ONE yard of fabric, which ROCKS. Anyways, I am very happy and my chairs are fugly no more :)

I will be back with dinner tomorrow :) Now to figure out what that will be...

What's for Dinner Wednesday?

Today I am using Rachael Ray's awesome Yum-o: The Family Cookbook again for Creamy Tuna with Marjoram and Egg Noodles. Basically kicked up Tuna Cassarole. No cans of condensed soup for this recipe! It is actually done with fresh Tarragon, but I am not in the mood to peel little leaves off of little stems and chop them, so I'm using Marjoram (plus there are 3 half filled jars in my pantry...). Oh and if you do not have this cookbook, please go get it! (Where's my promo check RR?)

Here's what you need!

3/4 lb of extra-wide egg noodles
1 tblsp of EVOO
1 small onion or large shallor, finely chopped
2 tblsp butter
2 tblsp flour
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 half and half or whole milk
1 tblsp dijon mustard
1 tsp of marjoram (or leaves from 3-4 sprigs of tarragon, chopped)
2 cans of tuna in water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Black pepper
1 slice of whole wheat bread (or some breadcrumbs)

It does seem like a lot of ingredients, but this comes together REALLY fast and you could even make while the kids are napping, pop in the fridge and heat it up for dinner (I do that a lot).

Cook your egg noodles in a large pot of salted water, cook al dente with a bit of bite to them.

While waiting for the water, heat up the EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add butter to the pan. Once butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour and stir, let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Whisk in stock and cook until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and the mustard and bring to a bubble. Turn to low and add the marjoram, tuna and peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain your noodles and combine with sauce. Adjust your seasonings if you need to, top with breadcrumbs made from your bread (just toast bread, let cool then blend in food processor or blender). If you use store bought bread crumbs, pop it in the oven at 350 for a little bit to make the breadcrumbs toasty. But really try making the crumbs, its fun and cheap!

The dish comes together very quickly so remember to:

1. PREP - organize your ingredients beforehand and have everything you need within reach (ingredients, utensils, measuring cups, etc.)

2. KEEP IT TIDY - use your trash bowl :) Toss used dishes in the sink. My theory is if the counter is clean, the kitchen is (mostly) clean.

3. HAVE FUN making your family a wonderful meal from SCRATCH!