Racing Baby

 I received what I found to be a funny flyer from Little Dude's school last week.  They are hosting a "Fund Run" in October where all of the students run to raise money for the school, a great idea for a fundraiser in my option; people love sponsoring kids to do active things and it has low overhead for the school; but the funny thing was when I realized there is a heat for Little Dude's infant classroom 🤣

So I obviously did the only thing I could and registered him to "run".   I hope that the teacher sends me pictures because I'm sure it will be cute, unfortunately I won't be able to go watch. 

Starting a New School (Daycare) During a Global Pandemic

 Since a lot of kids are in the process of going back to school right now and I know that looks very different from last year for all of them wether they are going back for in person instruction or virtual learning or some sort of hybrid model due to the current pandemic I thought I would take a moment to talk about our decision to not only send Little Dude back to daycare but to start at a completely new facility in June during what we thought at the the time was the height of the pandemic for our area.  

The daycare that Little Dude attended in Virginia Beach from the time he was 11 weeks old until he was approximently 8 months old (with a brief hiatus when we had to go back to Kentucky to help my mom while she recovered from surgery) was perfectly fine.  I loved the diversity in students and staff and very much liked the way they were set up for infant care.  They allowed me to use cloth diapers and glass bottles and gave great daily reports about how Little Dude had spent his day.  

However there were 2 things I really did not like about this center - first and foremost they had an open floor plan with all ages other than infants separated by half walls at most and with 4 year olds and up in the same area together (the center also offers before and after care so there were 4 year olds in the same space as 7 or 8 year olds).  While not an inherently bad thing it is not a set up I would choose for my child to be in daily; specifically I would walk in sometimes and a child who had learned a new 4 letter word would be using it loudly so that all of the other children were now learning a 4 letter word, while my husband and I certainly drop our share of F bombs I don't want my child to learn those words sooner than necessary.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, the center does not allow parents to provide their childs food, all children must eat the food provided by the center.   While the center serves a perfectly fine USDA menu similar to what I had when I was in school my husband and I don't necessarily agree with these guidelines (more on that later) so for these two reasons we had left Little Dude on the waiting list at a couple of other daycares that we like more than the one he was at in VB in hopes that something would open up before he was too far into solid foods.

Luckily for us a global pandemic happened and Little Dude was home with me starting in mid-March before he was really eating more than vegetables at daycare and I had full control over the food he ate daily.  

Working from home with an infant is not easy, even though he was only really army crawling and not getting into things yet it was tough juggling giving him the attention he needed and getting my work done.  Many nights I would log back on after putting Little Dude to bed or be feeding him dinner in my office while I continued to work because trying to juggle being a full time single mom (remember hubby was deployed until mid June) with being a full time work from home employee was tough.   

In the beginning of May I realized that Little Dude was starting to need more hands on attention than I could provide and still get work done, so I called in reinforcements, my mom came to stay with me for a little over 2 weeks and I was able to bust my butt and get reasonably caught up with my work.  I knew it would still be tough working from home once she left but we had a general idea that hubby would be home soon and I knew once he came home worst case I could make up the time I needed to stay caught up with my job in the evenings after he came home from work.  

Luck was on my side though.  The day my mom left my phone rang and it was Lincoln's daycare, they had a spot available for him if I wanted it.  I didn't have to take it and I could keep my spot on the wait list until another spot opened up but I could start as early as the next Monday if I wanted.   

I talked with the daycare director about the steps they were taking to mitigate COVID-19 risks and decided that the best option for my mental health, Little Dude's development, and our family as a whole was to send him to daycare.  While there was certainly a higher risk having him at daycare than having him at home I was impressed by the steps the school was already taking and decided that it was worth the risk for us.  

Little Dude has now been at daycare for almost 3 months and there hasn't been a single red flag.  They center has not had any cases of COVID among the students, staff, or had any reported related to the immediate households that any students are part of.  I am a little extra concerned right now as school is starting back up since the center is integrated with a K-12 school but they are even taking extra steps to protect students there by limiting interactions between grades, using different entrances for various grade levels and keeping staff assigned by age range (daycare, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) and keeping lunches in classrooms.  

Overall I think that it is a tough decision that parents are having to make and that each of us has to make the best decision we can for our families while balancing the risk of exposure against work obligations, technology access, developmental and social needs of the child, and mental health of all involved.  I even have one friend who has enrolled her youngest in a private school so that he can attend in person starting day 1 this year while keeping her daughter home for virtual learning through the public schools simply because the children have different personalities and needs and she felt that was the best option for each kid.  

It's tough being a parent and I want all of you to know that as long as you make the best decision you can with the information available in the moment you aren't doing anything wrong and you are a great mom/dad for your kid.  

 

Writing a birth plan

During my last visit with my doula she encouraged Hubby and I to start working on our birth plan.  She said most people's birth plans are these giant long narratives that doctors may or may not read so she recommended if we take that route that we give the long narrative to our doctor in advance then take a bullet point one page list and/or visual birth plan with us to delivery.
I of course am totally not the long narrative type of girl - So we are starting with bullet points and planning on having a visual birth plan in the delivery room.

What is a visual birth plan was my first question - a visual birth plan is this amazing one page picto-graph with images that represent the different interventions you do and do not want to incorporate in your childbirth experience baring any unexpected complications.   I had never heard of this magic before but I am so excited to incorporate a visual birth plan into our delivery experience.  I am such a visual person and not a narrative person I think this is exactly what I need. 

I'm still researching the different visual birth plan templates to figure out which one offers me more of what I want but I do plan to post my actual plan on here once it is done.  For now these are the different templates I am looking at.

http://www.visualbirthplanbuilder.com/

https://visualbirthplanner.com/

https://www.mamanatural.com/birth-plan-template/

I'm leaning towards the Mama Natural one because I love her book and other resources.

So what about you? Have you ever heard of a visual birth plan? Did you have a birth plan? What kind of birth plan did you utilize? Did your labor and delivery go according to the plan? 

So confusing

So I started doing some research last night trying to figure out the best place to start putting together a household binder.  I thought I would be able to find some cute fun printables that I would like that I could use but as many of the bloggers who had printables available for download stated...One size does not fit all...So instead I'm going to work on creating my own in the coming weeks I am by no means a design artist so I'm sure they won't be the cutest things in the world but for now I'm going for functionality over fun so wish me luck.

What are some things you think I should include in my binder?

My New Love

I love bubbly drinks, I love diet coke, I love sprite, I really love ginger ale…but for the most part I have stopped drinking Cokes since discovering the deliciousness that is Advocare Spark (https://www.advocare.com/15044147/mobile/store/itemdetail.aspx?itemcode=a7093) …However sometimes you just want bubbles…

I’ve bought sparkling water in the past, I know that I like it so I’m surprised with myself for not thinking of keeping it on hand to satisfy my bubble craving sooner,  but alas I have failed at life…

Then someone on  Facebook Group I am a member of mentioned mixing their spark with carbonated water…O-M-G it is amazing.  

And the Kroger here had Perrier & Deer Park  bottled water on sale this week (and La Croix cans) so I may have gone a little crazy on my lunch break today and spent $25 on bottled sparkling water…I cleared the shelf of 1-liter Perrier Lime and Deer Park Sparkling water and bought 3 12 packs of the La Croix flavored sparkling waters…

Yummy!!!

Sriracha Fish and Sautéed Asparagus with Tomatoes

This is one of Hubby's favorite quick dinners.

Ingredients:
1 white fish filet for each person dining.  (note this doesn't keep well so only make enough for one meal!)
5-10 stalks fresh asperagus per person (or more, this is good reheated or cold)
5-10 cherry tomatos per person (also good reheated or cold)
Minced Garlic (to taste)
Butter or olive oil
red pepper flakes (to taste)
Sriracha (to taste)

If using frozen fish, thaw before cooking.  Swai fish works great, Tilapia and Cod are also good.

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter (or use 1 Tbsp olive oil but butter taste better!) in bottom of sauce pan.  When pan is very hot place fish in pan.

Rub a small amount of sriracha onto top of fish filet, I use rough 1 tsp, hubby uses significantly more.  After fish is about 1/2way cooked flip, making sure there is still oil in the pan, if not add more before setting fish back in pan.

Allow fish to finish cooking then serve when cooked through.

While fish is cooking--
Sauté asparagus & tomatoes in saute pan with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes until crisp but tender.

Serve with rice, couscous, or pearled barley (my favorite!)

Quick and delicious greek salad

This is a great dinner, or easy to pack for lunch at work, cook the chicken in advance and pack the chicken and dressing separately from other salad ingredients.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

Cucumber (diced)

Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

Kalmalata Olives (sliced)

Feta Cheese (crumbled)

Red Onion (diced)

Romain Lettuce (chopped)

Dressing:

1/4c Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Fresh or dried oregano

1 Tbsp Fresh or dried basil

1 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Pepper

1/2 Tbsp Garlic powder

1/4c White vinegar

2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese (the smaller the crumbles the better) (optional)

Cube chicken and toss in oregano and basil, cook on hot pan with oil until cooked through.

Assemble Salad (per serving):

1 C lettuce

1/4 C cucumber

5 cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp Olives

1/2 Tbsp red Onion

2 Tbps Feta Cheese

2 Tbsp dressing

1/4 C Chicken

For added yumminess serve with whole wheat naann bread, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt then toast/grill on hot pan for added deliciousness.  

Surgery Update

The surgery was a success.  The polyp has been removed and I'm healing well.  I had my followup with my doctor and he was very impressed, he said has never done a more straightforward polypectomy, it was easy to access and remove the pathology was all clear and no reason to be concerned.

Since then I can tell my body is getting back to itself, I can tell that things are starting to level out, weight is starting to fall back off.  I started a new Advocare 24 day challenge last week, today was the last day of the cleanse phase, and it is going great.  I'm feeling like myself again.  I had a couple of draggy days but I grabbed a steak (the one I wrote about on Tuesday night) and was feeling better on Wednesday so I'm sure I just needed some iron or protein.

Once I finish the challenge we will be well on our way back to family planning and hopefully soon there will be a pregnancy announcement on the blog :)

Chicken Pot pie

This is another not exactly 100% clean but really delicious and mostly healthy comfort meal.   I made smaller pot pies with the crust wrapped around them verses traditional style ones covered with a second crust so that we could get 1 or 2 meals out of each pie instead of 3-4 that we would if I had made these the traditional way.   I used the cheap-O metal carry out containers I found at dollar tree for these instead of a pie tin also since the carry out containers had lids and were so cheap.   

Next time I will probably use 1/2 as much of the has browns and add an extra 8 oz of frozen vegetables...It was kind of heavy with all of the potatoes with the crust given how few carbs we eat in this house.   

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken 
• Homemade Gravy made from homemade chicken stock preferred or use (2) Campbells chicken/turkey gravy in jar
• (2) Top & Bottom piece Pie Crust
• Frozen Hashbrowns (diced) 16 oz. bag
• Frozen Peas & Carrots combination 12 oz. bag (or any frozen vegetables you like)
• Onion, ¼ cup diced small (optional )
• salt & pepper to taste
  Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take pie crusts out of package. If you have purchased the ones in the tins take one tin out and thaw on counter. Turn the second tin upside down as it thaws.
3. While that it thawing mix together in a large bowl the shredded chicken, hashbrowns, peas & carrots, onion (opt) and gravy.
4. Add salt & pepper to taste.
5. When pie crust has thawed (15 minutes usually) add pot pie ingredients into pie tin with crust.
6. Then take the upside down crust and gently place it on top of the pie carefully. Spread it out and pinch the two pie crusts together on the seams.
7. Poke a few holes with a knife or fork on top of pie.
8. Cover and FREEZE if you want this as a freezer meal, or place in oven at 350 degrees and cook for 35-45 minutes until top is golden brown and you can hear the inside is bubbling.

Baby-Making Update

This infertility thing really sucks....no really, it just plain sucks.   I had an ultra sound done in December to take a closer look at my uterus and they "thought" they saw something, so a couple of weeks ago I went back for a more detailed ultrasound (called a Saline Infused Sonogram for those of you who know the terminology) and determined that I have a uterine polyp.   This isn't my first rodeo, about 4 years ago (yes while hubby was deployed) I was having some issues and they discovered a polyp that was causing them, so I'm not at all surprised that this time around we are taking the same treatment route--surgical removal.  
Say an extra special prayer for me on Feb 26, one week from today.  I am really not a fan of anesthesia or painkillers but given my family history of uterine cancer (not a high risk at my age but present all the same) I would be going through the surgery even if we weren't wanting to have a mini-me soon.  Hopefully this polyp is the cause of our problems and after the surgery we will be able to move forward with having a baby to spoil. :)

Chicken Cabbage Soup

I can't remember where I found this recipe, however the sliced cabbage noodles are really fun and it is a delicious chicken soup.  Perfect for cold weather like what we are having currently (it's 20 degrees here today).  It really does warm the soul.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced or sliced
• 2 ribs celery, diced (leaves included)
• 8 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock (I used homemade chicken stock)
• 2 cups diced chicken meat, cooked (I used meat from the bird I cooked to make my chicken stock, you can omit the meat for a vegetarian version.)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
• generous grating of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions soften. Add the water or stock and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast and parsley. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender and broth is flavorful (at least 30 minutes).
3. Stir in the nutritional yeast and parsley.  Add salt to taste and serve.

Number of servings (yield): 6

More Recipe Craziness

So I've noticed that my blogstats claim a lot of people are reading my recipe posts...so while I am by no means a gourmet chef/cook I am going to do my best to post one recipe per week on Wednesdays. I usually try not to schedule posts out too far in advance (I will occasionally go on a blogging binge and schedule a few posts out at a time to keep from posting 5 or 6 times in a day) but in order to do my best to keep the recipe posts going I am going to schedule them out as I write them for the next available Wednesday.    I will also do my best to make sure that as many of them as possible are Advocare 24-day challenge Friendly for those of you out there who need ideas.  

Bon Appetite!  

Quick Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

I made this as a freezer meal but after seeing how easy it was I think it could be made just as quickly from scratch as from the freezer! (really the prep time was less than 10 minutes...amazing!)

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can peeled, whole tomatoes (including liquid)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (water will do, in a pinch, or chicken broth if not vegan)
• 3 large garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
• 1½ lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh basil chopped or 2 TBSP dried
• Splash of soy milk (or cashew cream)
• Salt and pepper
  Directions

1. Place tomatoes, broth, garlic, nutritional yeast and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. If you’d like the soup to be warm, transfer to a medium-sized pot over low- to medium-heat, and warm to desired temperature. Alternatively, if you are using a high speed blender, simply let it run in the blender for a couple of minutes until desired temperature is reached.
3. Serve garnished with fresh basil and a splash of soy milk or a dollop of cashew cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

We had this for dinner with grilled cheese made on homemade, high protein, relatively clean bread and it was a perfect comfort food. 

Chicken Piccata

I was surprised how easy this was to make.  The idea of pounding the chicken breast out so thin was a little intimidating at first but once I got started it was really fun!  We haven't eaten them yet but I'll post an update about taste once we do :)

Serves: Makes: 4-6 servings, depending on size of chicken breasts

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 extra-large eggs (preferably organic or local)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1½ cups panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
• Good olive oil
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
• 1 cup dry white wine (choose one that you'd drink)
• Sliced lemon, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
  Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water together. Pour out the bread crumbs onto a third plate.
4. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
5. Coat the bottom of a large saute pan with a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium to medium-low heat. Add two of the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan. Wipe out the pan and add more olive oil to coat the bottom. Saute the remaining two chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side. Place on the sheet pan with the others.
6. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce. (Check for doneness by making sure there is no more pink inside the chicken breast.)
7. For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2-3 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine.
8. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
   Freezer Directions:
   Freeze the uncooked, breaded chicken breasts and fully cooked sauce, separately. When you're ready to eat it, thaw in the fridge over night and saute and bake chicken as directed, starting with step #5. Warm the sauce on low heat.

Gourmet Marinated Chicken Breast

We are having these chicken breast grilled on salads tonight for dinner but they could just as easily be used to make a great sandwich.  

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  
  
  Instructions

1. In a gallon-sized freezer bag, combine the oil, the vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, ginger and paprika. Gently shake the bag to mix. Then set aside.
2. Carefully cut the chicken breasts lengthwise through the center to create two thin halves out of each breast. Place the six chicken cutlets in the bag with the marinade, seal the bag and shake to ensure the meat is coated. Set in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to several hours to marinate.
3. Preheat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat.
4. Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray (if cooking on the stovetop), and then add the chicken to the pan or grill. Discard the marinade. Grill until there are prominent marks on the bottoms, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pan or grill and grill for another 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Chicken is done when juices run clear or the internal temperature is 165 F.

To Freeze:

Place chicken in the marinade, seal bag, and freeze immediately. Thaw in refrigerator before cooking, as the chicken thaws it will soak up even more marinade 

(I froze each breast individually and divided the marinade between freezer bags so that we could easily grab single servings)

Taco Chicken Bowls

Ingredients:

1½ lbs. chicken breasts

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn

¼ Cup water

1 Tbsp chili powder

½ Tbsp cumin

½ Tbsp minced garlic

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp salt

cracked pepper to taste

Serve With:

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Diced Avocado

Sour Cream

½ bunch cilantro (optional)

Instructions

·       Add ingredients to slow cooker, making sure that chicken is covered by mixture.

·       Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

·       After 8 hours of cooking stir with fork to shred chicken. 

·       Prepare two cups of rice according to instructions on package. Fluff with a fork before serving.

·       Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

If freezing-either freeze ingredients before cooking then thaw before cooking or freeze after cooking and heat while rice cooks for serving.

I froze my ingredients before cooking.  This makes 8-10 servings and is 100% 24 Day Challenge/10 Day Cleanse friendly if you serve it with brown rice and omit the cheese & sour cream.  

Tuscan White Bean Soup

This soup is delicious!  Make sure you let the beans soak long enough and cook long enough if using dried beans (just knowledge from a history of making bean soup) but it is absolutely delicious.  The beans are tender and the cashews let a nutty/meaty note to the flavor that makes you not miss the pork traditionally found in bean soups in the southern/Midwestern US like the ones I had growing up.   

Ingredients

• Drizzle of olive oil (I used the oil from the sun dried tomatoes!)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1½ tsp dried sage
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3½ cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups white beans, such as Cannellini or Great northern
• 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I prefer the ones packed in oil)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup water
• 5 cups shredded kale
• Salt & Pepper
• Optional: Roasted red pepper flakes
  
  
• Directions

1. Soak cashews in water for 6-8 hours (or in hot water for 1-2 hours). Drain, rinse and set aside until ready to make the soup.
2. If using dried beans soak beans in water according to package instructions.
3. Drizzle a little olive oil (or the oil from your sun dried tomatoes) in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Add the basil, sage, salt, broth, beans, and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the soaked cashews and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Add the cashew cream and kale to the soup and mix to combine. Cover and turn the heat off. Let sit for about five minutes. Soup is ready to serve once the kale has started to wilt.
6. To serve, spoon the soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with extra salt and pepper, as well as red pepper flakes, fresh basil and/or fresh sage, if using, to taste.
   
   

Pumpkin Chili

This is a recipe I make all the time.  For that reason it is very fluid and every time it turns out slightly different but it is also delicious and hubby and I LOVE it.

1 can diced tomatoes

1 lb ground meat

1 large can pumpkin purée 

1/2 onion chopped

1 can rotel (or another can of tomatoes depending on your preferred spice level)

1Tbsp cinnamon

1-2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp nutmeg 

Salt & Pepper to taste (I omit) 

Brown meat & sauté onion with meat.  Drain fat and add all other ingredients.  Simmer until heated through or cook in crock pot on low 6-10 hours. This is a recipe that really gets better with the more time the flavores have to meld together.  

The pumpkin gives this recipe a great smoothness that makes it super yummy and makes it so that you don't need cheese or sour cream! 

Here is a picture of my bowl of chili from lunch yesterday!  

Honey Lime Chicken

Last night (and again tonight) for dinner hubby and I had this delicious Honey Lime Chicken.   I gave it an Asian flare by serving it in bowls with stir-fried vegetables (cooked with soy sauce, sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar).   It was delicious.   This is a recipe I will be keeping in our freezer meal rotation and making again in the future.   It has a comfort food feel and would be great on a cold night with rice and vegetables, so it would be great in summer since it is so light that would be great with a summer salad as a side.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (I cut mine into bite sized cubes)

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 Tbsp Oil (I used sesame)

1 20-oz can pineapple tidbits (reserve the juice)

1/4 C honey

3 Tbsp lime juice (about 1lime)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions:

Cut the chicken into strips or bite sized pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high and add chicken.

Cook chicken until golden brown

Drain the pineapple, keeping the juice.

Add ¼ cup of the pineapple juice to the skillet.

Cover and simmer 6-8 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan.

Add honey, lime juice, soy sauce, cornstarch and remaining pineapple juice.

Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Cook and stir until thick and clear, about one minute.

Add chicken and pineapple tidbits last and heat through.

To freeze: cook as directed, cool then freeze and reheat on stove in sauté pan after thawing.

Serving Suggestions:

Rice

Chow Mein noodles

Lime Wedges

Stir Fry vegetables

Summer salad

Poor planning

Today I went to the eye doctor...on December 30 I decided to go to the eye doctor...What a silly idea, At least I had an appointment and my doctor is a friend so I felt like slightly less of a jerk.

The downside of my silliness, I'm going to have to go at lunch tomorrow to fill my contact prescription and get my lenses ordered for my glasses if I want to use my VSP this year because the office was so busy ordering them this evening was out of the question.

Now to practice proper planning and get to work figuring out what freezer meals I'll be making this weekend :)