NEW GOALS

Hello!

I have new some new goals...that I want to share with you!

So, first thing.  I want to lose my mom pouch belly.  Maggie is quickly approaching ONE! (AHHHH! give me a moment to freak out with excitement and wonder at how that happened so fast!), and although I've been back to my pre-pregnancy weight since she was like two or three months old, my body is totally different now (obviously).  So, with thoughts of Wauhop baby number 2 starting to sound like an exciting thing - I don't want to go into that with any extra fat...for a lack of a nicer way to put that.  SO - I am committing to Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30!  I'm not going to do any weird diet or anything, but I just want to kick my booty into gear and shed a little extra fat.  Then I'll go back to my regular 3 or 4 (most likely less intense) workouts a week.  So, that's the first thing.

Second, on the other end of things - Meal Planning!  This year, a goal of mine was to cook something new every week.  And honestly, I've succeeded in that area pretty well thus far - and, I have loved it!  Now, I want to start being both more organized and more frugal with my meal planning.  I want to plan two weeks of meals (8 meals), and do pretty much all the shopping at the beginning of the first week!  This week's menu (in no particular order):

Chicken and Dumplings (crockpot)

Cilantro Thai Chicken and Rice

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

Mustard Chicken and Red Potatoes

Fried Egg Quesadillas and Chips and Salsa

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Grilled Shrimp Stir fry with Potatoes

Tortellini 

Yum!!  Can't wait to eat all of this up!

Next, writing!  I have about three children's books "in the works."  I've always wanted to be a writer.  I studied English in school (should have studied journalism, but O well).  And I really want to start writing now.  Robert is super busy with school and work and everything, so it's really a great time.  Mags goes to bed at 7 and I need to utilize my time and get writing!  I'm excited and also a little nervous about this venture...but mostly excited!  *Let me know if you want to be a proofreader (especially those of you who read a lot to your little ones)!

Lastly, I want to read more.  Plain and simple, I want to make more time to read good books.

So, if you see me, ask me how those things are going!  I'd appreciate it :)

Have a wonderful day!!

**(O. Also, I changed my blog format because some had said they couldn't leave comments...?  so, I think that might work better now!)

Chickpea Chicken Soup for my Chica

Lately I've been trying to bring a lot of variety into Maggie's diet.  I'm always trying new combos of fruit and it's exciting every time we can add new foods into her menu - like CHEESE!  It's a favorite of mine, and thus far proved to be a favorite of hers.  She will eat almost anything if I melt some cheese on the top!  To be honest, though, I usually just make stuff up for her, like whatever sounds good or what might go ok together or what can I add to make it more nutritious (like some sneaky spinach!)...  Last week I blended sweet potatoes, avocado, and a small apple and she totally loved that random conglomeration!  But, this week I thought I'd try an actual baby food recipe.  I ended up tweaking it a bit to fit what I could find at my TJs/what I thought would be good, and Maggie loved the result!  So, if you have a little one, you should try it!  It's yummy (to a baby), nutritious, and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 can of organic garbanzo beans, drained (15oz)
1/2 clove of garlic, minced (*I used a whole clove, but I think it was a little too much)
2 small or 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 small onion (or less) chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
3.5 cups of water
1/2 cup of boiled organic chicken, shredded

Directions:

Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil for a few minutes.
Add in the beans (drained) and the potatoes.  Then add in the water.
(You can add the chicken now or just add it straight into the blender with the soup [gross. i know.])
Simmer for 15-20 minutes/until the potatoes are soft enough to blend.
Blend it up.  Yum?

Let it cool and it's ready to go**.  I served it to Maggie with a slice of wheat bread.  And, from what I can tell she definitely enjoyed it!  So, try it if you want!

[**cottage cheese or whipping cream/milk is optional.  I added a smidge of cottage cheese to bring some creaminess, and also to make it less watery (you also might need to add some other thickening agents such as oatmeal cereal, depending on the consistency).  ALSO, if you are going to freeze it, do so sans "cream" and add the cottage cheese or what not as you serve it.]    

Easy New FAVE!!

This is an easy and DELICIOUS new favorite meal in the Wauhop home!

The first, is Crock-pot BBQ Chicken (taken from here - and actually this whole blog post is really helpful for crockpot meals in general)!  So good and juicy and tender!

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (i threw them in frozen... even easier! and, I used tenderloins instead of breasts.)

1 bottle BBQ sauce 
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. place chicken in crockpot. pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. you pretty much don't even have to stir it... how easy is that!? 

Then, I served that with these AMAZING Sweet Potatoes (...recipe found here)!  Robert practically inhaled these!  They are apparently a copy cat of Ruth Chris, where I've never been, but trust me, these are to die for!  And, SO bad for you ;)  {I cut the recipe in half, FYI, and there were more than enough for leftovers the next day.}

Crust:

1 cup brown sugar 
1/3 cup flour 
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted 

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside. 

Sweet Potato Mixture 
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes 
1 cup sugar 
½ teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 eggs, well beaten 
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 
(splash of milk if needed)

Note: To cook sweet potatoes first wash and dry them carefully then you can either: 1) Bake them at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes 2) Boil them for 30 minutes or 3) Pierce them with a fork and microwave them for about 15-20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray. 

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture. Add a splash of milk if needed and mix.

Pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated for a couple of days.

Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. 
The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy. Makes 12 servings.

And then, most importantly ENJOY (and don't even think about the calories)!!!

Chicken Broccoli Supreme

YUM!  This is cheesy and delicious and not too hard and it's a lot of food.  It's probably not that good for you...but there is a lot of yummy broccoli in it!  Enjoy, if you'd like!

Ingredients:

 1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes.

3 cups cooked chicken breasts  – Break up in small pieces (I used the pre-made chicken from the previous "on the menu" post...)
3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided (I used sharp cheddar)
2 tubes Ritz Crackers
1  stick melted butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (I didn't find these at TJ's, so I didn't use any)

  SAUCE: 
1/3 cup Butter- melted
1/4 cups Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup COLD Water
1/3 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 cups of the above Cheddar Cheese

 Directions:

In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.

Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.

Eat and enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Alfredo

So, like I previously mentioned I have been trying to cook at least one new thing a week, and this was on the menu for last week - and it is definitely a new fave! (especially for Robert!)  It's really easy and inexpensive and there were enough leftovers for Robert to take for lunch the next day!  So...

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves (I didn't do quite that much, i just used 3 cloves because i'm not a fan of food drenched in garlic)
  
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained (they are pretty cheap at Trader Joes)
  
• 4 ounce can of sliced mushrooms, drained
  
• 1/4 cup white wine
  
• 16 ounces Alfredo sauce (I used Ragu brand, but homemade or any other kind will work)
  
• A box of your favorite pasta
  
• 2+ chicken breasts

Directions: 

• Saute tomatoes, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil for about 3 minutes.
  
• Deglaze the pan with wine, then add Alfredo sauce. Cook for another two or three minutes, stirring regularly, until sauce is heated through.
  
• Serve with chicken breast (it's really nice to have cooked chicken on hand, and actually this link will show you how to easily make that happen) over pasta.
  
• Enjoy!
  

*I would say that this feeds 4 people, so adjust accordingly (Robert and I do eat kind of a lot, though.)