Sesame Chicken and Veg

Uhm, yum.

Seriously, guys, this stuff was delish. Usually, when I cook, the kids like it, but pick and choose what they're feeling. Matt eats it, I eat it, and there's still some left over.

Today, so not the case.

(Granted, we were all starving after an impromptu trip out to the runner's market. And, after an Insanity workout, a smoothie to tide you from breakfast to almost two o'clock--just not going to cut it.)

Anywho, I digress. The point is, I almost didn't make the planned lunch. We almost cheated huge and went out to eat, because it was easier and would at least feel faster. Thankfully, the kids were already crying for a nap in the backseat, so we decided going out would be too risky and instead headed straight home.

This meal--sesame chicken with rice and vegetables--was super, duper easy. The ingredients were simple, the steps were well laid out--from start to finish, it's thirty minutes of cook and prep time. So, all in all, not so bad.

And, I mean, seriously. Just look at it. It's delightful. It's got just a little bit of kick and a hint of tang and...yum. Go make it. Seriously. Like, today.

In fact, here's your link:

http://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/2016/10/honey-sesame-chicken-lunch-bowls.html

That being said, a couple of notes I'd add:

First, this recipe is not laid out to cook for a meal right then. (Obviously, right? It's a meal-prep lunch bowl.) I didn't think about that, though, and so my veggies were just a hair on the cool side. Next time, I'll use two pans and make it at the same time so that everything is hot and fresh.

Secondly, I reserved a little of my sauce and stirred it into our rice for added flavor. You can choose not to, but I think it really made everything go together well.

Lastly, I didn't add salt and used low sodium soy sauce and chicken stock. Trust me, this stuff doesn't need it. (And, of course, we're trying to watch sodium intake.) It's still got quite a bit of salt, and, personally, I think adding salt to any part of it would make it a little like licking a salt lick. Without added salt, it was perfect! (I did put some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning on the veggies.)

And that's it! Give it a shot! Tell me what you think!

Better Together

You guys. I've said it before, I'll say it again:

My husband rocks.

Absolutely rocks.

Over the last several months, I've developed something off a passion for getting more healthy and more fit. (I mean, you guys have seen the posts: the billion recipes, the new-found love of green and growing things, the Insanity workout program. I'm not-so-secretly obsessed.)

And, various things have given me little "highs" that keep me reaching for that goal--not necessarily a body weight goal (though I have one), but that desire to be healthy and fit and strong. When I see results, it keeps me motivated.

In this one week of Insanity, I've lost several inches off my body. In a week. That'll keep you going back for more!!

When I started, I couldn't make it through the very first part of the warm-up without a break. Doing some push-ups was right up there with being placed on a torture rack, and, though I've never thought of myself as a heavy sweat-er, my daughter picked my bra up out of the floor while I was showering and asked, "Mommy, why's this so wet?" I, still gasping for breath, informed her that was Mommy's sweat. She nodded sagely: "Yeah. That's shoo. Shoo." And dropped it back to the floor. Yesterday, I made it through the first AND second parts of the warm up without even a pause. Heck, yes!

My kids are another little shove in the right direction. I have spent most of my life worried about my weight. Sometimes I was up, sometimes I was down, but I don't think there has been one day that I was comfortable in my own skin. I want pictures of myself with my kids, but I wind up deleting most of them because I can't handle the way that I look. I hate to go clothes shopping anyway, but especially when I go and everything on the rack looks like it was made for one of Madelyn's dolls in comparison to me. I do not want my kids to suffer with body image like I have. How miserable!

And yet, the only real way to do something about that is to show them, every day, what being comfortable in your own skin looks like. It's to show them that working out is as much a part of our routine as breakfast or combing their hair. It's to live out exercising as a joy instead of a drudge. It's being excited in front of them about healthy foods and good, clean sweat, and changing, stronger bodies.

Nothing makes me prouder, of myself and of my girls, than having them squat down on the floor beside me and attempt to go through motions that they've watched Mommy do. When they succeed, Madelyn jumps in the air, laughing, and yells, "I DID IT! Li did it, too! Yay!" ( I assure you, sometimes the girls do it better than I do!) When I love my exercise and I love my good, clean foods, I'm teaching them that those things are of value and something to find pleasure in. It's not something that we do to approach a number on the scale, or get a certain look--it's joy in taking care of the body that God blessed us with. It's remembering that, though my "temple" has gotten saggy and a little rough around the edges, I can whitewash it and sweep out the cobwebs and patch up some boards. And, then, watching my kids get excited right there with me--what a thrill.

You guys, I've even caved enough to let Mads help me cook. This is a huge step, and I wash her hands up to her armpits first and am still really paranoid, but once she helps cook it, she's excited to try it. And I want veggies to be exciting for her! So. Big deal there.

Anyway, I digress. The point is, that I'm LOVING this life-change. It's not a diet, and it's not one exercise program: when I'm finished with Insanity, I plan on looking into Insanity: Max 30 and TurboFire. I love the push, the intensity. I. Love. It. And, my wonderful husband has watched me love it.

He's graciously allowed me all the freedoms in the kitchen that I want, to change our whole family's eating habits.

"What? You don't want to buy soda anymore?...Ok, we'll drink water."

"Cutting back on carbs and processed sugar? Alright, sounds like a plan."

"No dairy?? Uhm. Well, if you think so. I trust you."

Guys, who does that? Who literally says, whatever huge changes you want to make in the kitchen--even though when we got married you couldn't so much as plate a grilled cheese sandwich--you go for it. I've got your back, I'm great with whatever you want to do. ???? Is this man trying to apply for sainthood or what??

And,then, the kicker.

Insanity.

"Matt, if I finish Insanity this round, will you do another round with me?"

"Why?"

"I want our kids to see healthy living as something we both do and love and are excited about...." Cue about a thirty minute long discussion, which was mostly me rambling about all the reasons I've become passionate about this subject. (Hint: There are a lot of reasons. I'm keeping this post relatively short. He patiently listened to them all.)

"Ok," he said when I was finished, "But, if I'm going to do it, let's do it together from the start. You're already a week in. Would you mind starting over with me, so we can do it together?"

WHAT? Uhm, YES, totally!!!

So, today, instead of being the start of Week Two for me, is going to be the Fit Test to start Insanity for both of us. I love my husband for a million reasons, but not the least of them is that he takes my passions, and he doesn't just encourage them from a distance. He grabs hold and helps me succeed. He stays alongside me
to make goals seem achievable. He doesn't complain about the logistics. He just finds a way to make it happen.

We're going to get healthier, fitter, more active, together.

We're going to be good examples to our kids, together.

We're going to fall in love with being healthy and fit and strong, together.

We're just better, together.

Tuscan Chicken: DO IT

Ok, so another killer recipe.

 Because. Hello? Food.

Like I mentioned before, we've started being dairy free. Honestly, (I know we're only about a week in), I haven't found it just terribly difficult. In fact, Matt told me just yesterday, "I think I had a harder time switching to eating healthier foods, when we first started that, than just cutting out the dairy."

Now, I don't know if we'd still feel that way if we weren't trying new, delicious stuff all the time, but...so far, so good!

The other day, I stumbled on a recipe for Tuscan Chicken. I know that, traditionally, this recipe is fairly heavy on the dairy aspect. In fact, the blogger that I jacked the recipe from started her post with:

              "There are some original recipes that are so laden with dairy, that I wonder if I’m a pure lunatic to even try replacing them."

But, trust me, here, guys. This recipe is a definite win. 

It has sun dried tomatoes, swimming in a (miraculously dairy free) cream sauce, along with spinach, and tasty chicken. Garlic gives it another little boost of flavor, and that SAUCE. Gravy sakes, that sauce is out of this world. 

Madelyn, who I never expected to care much for tomatoes as everything new is a challenge--actually picked them OUT to eat them first. Shocker, I know. 

Lilah didn't have a favorite part, she just dug into everything in front of her with gusto. She loved every bite.

Matt insisted that this recipe be in our usual rotation, almost as soon as the first bite hit his tongue. 

I LOVED it. 

And, it was super easy!! (In fact, it was easier than the side I paired it with--Scalloped Potatoes. Though, those were delish, too!! You honestly never even missed the cheese!) 

Isn't it gorgeous?? And, to think, it tastes even better than it looks!! Quick note: That picture is not mine. That is courtesy of the original author. No copyright infringement intended, all credit where credit is due!  

The only thing I changed with this recipe was that I used low-sodium chicken broth. And, I opted for their optional choice of spinach instead of romaine. Oh, and I used about a fourth of a cup of the sun dried tomatoes instead of a half, on the grounds that they aren't cheap and I have other recipes I want that bottle for!

Here's the recipe:

http://www.allergyawesomeness.com/30-minute-dairy-free-creamy-tuscan-chicken-gf-df-egg-soy-peanut-tree-nut-free-top-8-free/?platform=hootsuite

You guys have got to try this one. Dairy free or not, it doesn't matter. This is straight up gold when it comes to feeding your family something that makes their bellies smile. It's easy and straight forward and delightful--no excuses!! :)

 Let me know what you think after you've given it a shot!!

Insanity

   Around Easter, quite a few years ago, my husband and I got engaged. I looked down at myself and decided that I needed to lose some weight--fast. In my search, I stumbled on the Insanity program. It looked like an effective means to lose, so I started.

I lost alright. But it was a beast. I mean, killer. I didn't finish the full sixty days, but I did it fairly consistently until not far off of our wedding day.

Now, back then, I worked out, but I never changed my eating habits. I still drank soda, ate a ton of processed sugar, and vegetables were unidentifiable oddness that took up an unreasonable amount of the grocery store--space that would be better spent on Oreos and Hot and Spicy Potato chips. These days, I'm losing slowly but surely, even without consistent exercise, just by cutting out the crap. But I'm ready to move it along!

Fast-forward. I'm considerably larger than I was back then(as in, a good fifty pounds bigger--EEK!), and my gym visits have been somewhat sporadic, related to kids' illness, general busyness, that sort of thing. Today was one of those days where it was going to be difficult to carve out enough time to drive over there, workout, and get back in time. Then, I remembered.

Insanity.

(The name is so, so apt.)

Excited, I threw on some ok-to-sweat-to-death-in clothes, cleared a good space in the living room, and put the Fit Test video on. Madelyn wandered over and sat on the couch, Lilah not far behind.

"What'cha doin', Mommy?" she asked me.

"Mommy's tired of being fat, honey," I informed her. "I'm going to exercise! Eating right has helped, but Mommy wants to get fit and healthy again." She didn't look noticeably convinced. In her sweet little drawl, she said,

"Oookkkaayyyy." I nodded, taking that as encouragement, and hit play. By the middle of the warm up, I was ready to collapse into a puddle in the floor. Both girls stared. Then, Madelyn hopped down off the couch.

"'Mon, Lilah! Exer'ise with Mommy!" And, the next thing I knew, Mads was jogging in place, jumping, and giggling her way through the various exercises.

At one point, I paused, doing all I could to draw breath. I swiped a forearm across my sweaty head, shoving back unruly hair. I dropped my hands to my hips and sucked in air as best I could.

Beside me, Madelyn used a palm to push back her--still in place--hair, put her little hands on narrow hips, and let out a breath in one big gush. "Whooooooo!" she said, mimicking my panting. Then she laughed, little rotten thing! If she were any older, I'd think she was making fun of me!!....I'm still not totally convinced she wasn't!

I dropped down for plank obliques. Madelyn laid face down on the floor, cheek pressing up against the cool hardwood and watched me. Lilah laid on her back, then scooted underneath me, so that her nose was an inch from mine. She clapped and laughed and thought my struggle was so funny--what new game was Mom playing with her, here in the floor? (I didn't have the heart to tell her that Mommy wasn't playing--she was dying.)

When the workout finally finished, a mere million years after it began, I laid on the floor myself for a few minutes. When I almost had my breath back, I sat up.

"Well, girls," I told them, "I think that deserves a high-five." Both of the kids obliged. "Let's hit the showers!" Madelyn nodded.

"Hit shower, Mommy!" And we were done.

For today.

Tomorrow, be watching, here we come! I've got cheerleaders/helpers, now!

It's Finally Here!

Guys, this is it.

Today is the day.

Today is the going-all-the-way-dairy-free day.

For the last several weeks, I've tried out some recipes, not used as much milk, as much cheese--basically, we've been nervously dipping our toes in the water, checking it out.

But, today, March the first, is the day that we quit that nonsense and cannonball on in!!

I'm super excited about the switch; I really, wholeheartedly believe that it will be a game changer for us. As I've studied up on it, I've found the health benefits to be amazing and the literature to be absolutely inspiring.

Already, we've found some recipes that we've loved: Ham and Potato Soup with Leeks, for one.

Some recipes that will probably be even better with some modifications: I'm gonna have to put Butternut Mac (As a replacement for Mac and Cheese) pretty firmly in this category.

And some recipes that we will never, ever try again: Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta--wow. Matt said whatever we did to that dish caused it to kill flavor. No matter what you added, no matter how much spice, and even with the pretty powerful taste of asparagus, that dish pretty much tasted like straight up wet cardboard. It never developed a flavor at all. Which was sad.

But, I digress.

Wish us luck, and send us your recipes!! (Or jump on the bandwagon with us, and I'd love to hear about it!!)

"Girls, Mommy's Maced Us!" or Delish Mexican Quina Dish

Sooo....

I basically pepper-sprayed my house the other night.

Don't worry, the end result was still delicious, and, once we opened the doors, we all quit coughing and choking fairly quickly. My eyes stopped watering a few minutes later, and all was well.

And all of this in my quest to find healthy, wholesome foods to feed the fam!!

Matt is a pretty easy to please guy when it comes to food. Really. Pretty much, I can say, "Matt, I'm going to try ___", or "I think we should cut _____ out for a while and see what happens" or even, "I know this doesn't LOOK good, but I got the stuff to try it at the store..." and he's all, "Ok. I'll give it a shot."

That being said, he does have some preferences--one of them is Mexican. Which is pretty unfortunate because that's one of those foods that I just don't like. Not even a little bit. But, since he's always sooo agreeable, occasionally I get a wild hair and want to try something special that he'll really like. Such was the case with the Mexican Quina dish from DamnDelicious.

When I looked at it, I thought, "Ehh...we can see how it goes. Matt would dig it. And I can just close my eyes. Remember, you like everything, now. You. Like. Everything." So, I pinned it to give it a shot.

It called for you to start the dish by cooking a jalapeno and garlic in hot olive oil for one minute. We're a family with a great love of spicy foods, so I thought to myself: "I'll see your jalapeno and raise you one habanero!"

Funny thing about that. When you cook those ingredients in oil that way, the steam/fumes/whatever that they give off is...well, it's intense.

Choking, eyes watering, even-the-dog-is-coughing kind of intense.

We opened all the doors and desperately tried to air out the kitchen(let's be honest, in my tiny home, the whole house!).

Matt declared to our coughing, hacking girls, "Girls, Mommy's maced us!"

Thankfully, in the aftermath, it was actually pretty funny. (Mostly since, again, due to our house's size, it aired out close to instantly.)

And, the food? Delicious. (I still had to close my eyes, because my brain was reminding me that I don't actually like: jalapenos, corn, tomatoes, or avocados. But, when I didn't listen to that and just put it all in my mouth and chewed--my tongue was singing a different story!)

I am LOVING the versatility of quinoa! From breakfast to dinner in one fell swoop!

Note: I modified in the following ways:

I left out the salt, and instead doubled the cumin.
I used the juice of 1/2 a lime, instead of a whole one.
I was out of cilantro, so I just nixed it.

You guys, this is totally not my picture. It belongs to the creator of the original recipe. But, isn't it gorgeous and bright??

As always, here's your link:

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

Give it a go, and let me know what you think!

The Super-Hero Hiding on Your Dryer

     First off, let me start by saying that this post isn't about food. I know, I know, I was shocked, too, considering that's my newest obsession.

   It's about the miracle weapon you hoard on top of your dryer. (At least that's where mine sits. You might keep them on a shelf, under a counter, how would I know?) You may innocently toss this weapon in with a load of laundry to dry, not understanding its true, unbelievable powers.

So, I'm here to educate you.

This weapon?

It's a bounce dryer sheet.




I know, my mouth fell open the first time I was faced with this fact, too. But, I assure you, this knowledge is life-changing. (Especially if you're like me, and housekeeping is a daily battle.)


Off the top of my head, I can name three unbelievable feats of house-cleaning prowess I can attribute the Bounce sheet.

The first is the microwave. My mom is a microwave saint, I suppose, and she never forgets to cook her food with a cover. Thus, she never has a mess. I can't claim the same. And I had gotten to where I dreaded putting anything in there, because, hello: huge mess that takes forever and a lot of elbow grease to clean up.

Then, came the Bounce sheet. (And, in this case, Bounce's trusty side-kicks.) I learned that if you pop a Bounce sheet into a bowl of water with a sliced up lemon and a dash of vinegar and cook it for three minutes, then let it sit for one minute, the gunk wipes off. No elbow grease, and hardly any time.

Like, it literally wipes off.  Miraculous.

Not too long after that delightful discovery, I was informed of another grease-cutting miracle that the Bounce sheet was capable of.

First, let me say that I really do try to wash my dishes every night. That keeps the job from getting overwhelming. However, sometimes, I just don't. Or, I use my crockpot for things that cook to the sides, and I'm left with a bear of a dish to scrub. Or soak--for hours and hours, and then a little bit of a scrub.

Enter Bounce.

Fill your dish with warm water, a little bit of Dawn dishsoap and a Bounce sheet. Let it soak for 1--that's right, only ONE--hour, and the nasty pours right out of the pot! Go figure! No scrubbing required!! (Obviously, I still wash the dish after, but it's super duper easy. And since I hate house-keeping, I prefer the super duper easy way.)

And, thirdly, the biggest wonder of all--

Meet Bounce's third Super-Hero Identity: Bounce, The Soap-Scum Buster. My personal fave.

My shower doors are glass. And yuck.

Like, super yuck. You couldn't even see through the bottom.



I've tried Soft Scrub.



I've tried Windex.



I've tried a lot of scrubbing.



In fact, I've tried a lot of things.



And, nothing made a noticeable difference.



So, I gave up.



Then, lo and behold, I heard that a damp Bounce sheet could remove the soap scum from my shower doors....





"Could it be?" I asked myself. "Could it really be?"


I mean, I'm not the best house-keeper, but I at least like to fake it well. And with yucky, gunky shower doors, a really clean looking bathroom is rough to come by.

Armed with hope, a few damp dryer sheets, and a little bowl of water, I tackled the shower door.

And, would you believe it??

It worked.

Like, really worked.

Clear as a bell worked.

Guys, if you don't already have some Bounce dryer sheets, go to the store and get some.

Don't walk.

Run.

These things are game-changers.