Are you a fan of white chicken chili? I have another simple and delicious recipe to share. This white chicken chili has great flavor and is healthy. I made this chicken chili a couple weeks back and have been meaning to post it. As you can tell, I like simple. You can throw these ingredients in a crock pot in the morning and be done with it. By evening, it's all ready to go. Plus, there is usually plenty left. That's another thing I like, having leftovers. Ingredients: 3 cans of Great Northern Beans (drained) 2 medium onions chopped 3 (4.5 oz) cans of chopped green chilis, undrained 3 cloves of garlic 3 tsp cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 6 cups of chicken broth 4 chicken breasts 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese Directions: The directions are as simple as can be. Put all the ingredients in a crock pot in the morning, allow 4-6 hours for it to cook. If you don't have a crock pot, you can pre cook the chicken breast then put everything in a pot and boil. Serve chicken chile with chips, sour cream, salsa, avocado or whatever else sounds good to you. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
When you're craving something sweet but are trying to eat well, these healthy oatmeal cookies are the perfect treat. I didn't know I could make delicious tasting cookies without using butter, oil, or loads of sugar. Wet Ingredients: 3 Ripe Bananas, 3 eggs, 1 Tbsp. of Vanilla, 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil, 1/2 Cup of Honey Dry Ingredients: 1 Tsp. of Baking Soda, 3 Tsp. of Cinnamon, 2 Tsp. of Nutmeg, 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar, 3 Cups of Flower, 3 Cups of Old Fashioned Oatmeal 1 Cup of Craisins, 2 Cups of Chopped Walnuts, 1/2 Cup of Chocolate Chips Directions: Preheat your oven to 350. Mix all wet ingredients together (I used a mixer to make sure I got the bananas mixed thoroughly). Add the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Mix in the flour thoroughly followed by the oats, craisins, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Place heaping spoons of mix on greased pans and bake for 8 minutes. Don't over cook, eight minutes is the right amount of time. After 8 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy. These are addicting! … [Read more...]
Chicken Divan
This is a recipe Sophia's grandma, Crystal sent me. It was easy to make and came out great. Plus, it's always nice to have leftovers you can heat up another night you don't feel up to cooking. This recipe serves 4 people. What You Will Need 1. 2 whole chicken breasts 2. 2 bags of frozen broccoli 3. 1 can cream of chicken soup (I used the 98%fat free for a lighter version) 4. 1/2 cup of mayonaise (I used light) 5. 1 tsp lemon juice 6. 1/2 tsp curry powder 7. 1 cup of shredded cheese Steps Cook Chicken- remove skin and bones and cut up Cook broccoli, drain and put in bottom of 9 inch casserole dish Place chicken over broccoli Mix soup, mayonaise, lemon juice, and curry powder Pour over top of chicken Sprinkle cheese over the top Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes … [Read more...]
A Great Parenting Article: Please Don’t Help My Kids
This is a great article that talks about the disservice you do to your children by doing things for them. It uses helping them climb up the ladder to get to the top of the slide as an example. It talks about the importance of kids learning to take the little steps and or falls to learn how to climb and uses this as a metaphor for life. If we just lift them up, they will never learn the effort, the challenge, the falls, the pick myself back up, the reward, etc involved in overcoming what it takes to get through the obstacles in life. A great article from Kate Bassford Baker's Blog Please Don't Help My Kids I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up and help them climb the ladder. I brought them here so they could learn to climb it themselves. Dear Other Parents At The Park: Please do not lift my daughters to the top of the ladder, especially after you've just heard me tell them I wasn't going to do it for them and encourage them to try it themselves. I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up. I am sitting here because I didn't bring them to the park so they could learn how to … [Read more...]
Driftwood Crosses
Last time I was at the beach I collected a bunch of driftwood. I was thinking about framing a mirror with layered pieces of driftwood. I didn't have enough to do this though. Maybe I'll make one in the future. Anyway, I like simple so I came up with driftwood crosses decorated with sea shells. These are very simple to make. I feel like I say that with almost every project I post on here. It's true most of my projects are simple and these crosses definitely fall into that category. What You Will NeedDriftwood, Seashells, Rope or Twine, Glue Gun There isn't much to this. Just cross two pieces of driftwood and tie the rope around the middle to hold the 2 pieces of driftwood together. Tie a knot in the back or create a loop for hanging purposes. Use a glue gun to attach shells to the center. You can use store bought shells and coral as seen in this one above. You can use a bunch of shells and layer them or just lay a few shells across the front. I think they came out pretty and would make a nice gift. What do you think? … [Read more...]
Drop Cloth Table Runner
Would you like to make a drop cloth table runner that looks just like linen? The drop cloth material that painters use is great fabric when you want the look of linen. It is inexpensive and durable. You can purchase a 6x9 piece at Lowe's or Home Depot and get 2 or 3 runners with this amount. To make a table runner, lay out the material on your table, measure and cut to the width you would like it to be. After you have cut it, wash and dry it. When you pull it out of the dryer, it is kind of a mess. There will be strings all over the place. Use scissors to cut the wound up strings. Pull the strings from the edge to create a frayed look. Pulling the strings out takes a little bit of time but is simple. Put a good movie on to get this part done. Once you have created the frayed edge, iron it out and lay it on your table. I purchased this package at Home Depot for $10.99 Lay fabric out on your table. Measure your desired width and cut. This is what is should look like after you cut it. This is what it looks like when you pull it out of the dryer. Pull the strings out along the edges to create fray. Iron your runner out and lay it on your table. - … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Graduation
Kindergarten graduation, where has the time gone? When Sophia came into my life, I felt like she would be my sweet little baby girl forever. Having Sophia was life changing. Being a mom was my calling. She gave me the purpose I had been searching for and I felt on top of the world. I remember my mother's friends saying, "Enjoy it while it lasts. This sweet baby stage will go by so quickly. Before you know, you'll be attending her Kindergarten Graduation!" The saying, "Time waits for no one" couldn't be more true. Sophia just completed Kindergarten and it feels like yesterday I was bathing her in the kitchen sink. Although I miss the little baby who used to crawl around, I couldn't be more proud of this little six year and enjoy every minute spent together. My sweet little Kindergartner is moving on to first grade. Kindergarten graduation 2018 These little graduates are too cute. Such a sweet group of Kindergarten Graduates. … [Read more...]
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These healthy chocolate chip cookies will not disappoint you. They are simple to make, delicious, and healthy at the same time. All the ingredients are good for you (besides the chocolate chips). I crave sweets and these cookies do the job. They satisfy my sweet tooth and there is no guilt. If you love chocolate chip cookies, you will most definitely love these! If you like these cookies, you will probably like my healthy oatmeal cookie recipe you can get here. Ingredients: 1 1/3 cup ground oatmeal {use a food processor or blender to grind up quaker oats to a powder like texture) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 4 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp raw agave 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp coconut oil 5 tbsp nonfat milk (add more if needed) Preheat oven to 380. Mix all dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients and mix well. A big ball will form- make little balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. The cookies will look undercooked. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes while they continue to cook. I think they come out great. Let me know what you think. … [Read more...]
Sophia’s Baptism
Sophia's baptism was a monumental event in her short little life we will always remember. Most Catholics are baptized as infants. I'm Catholic and decided I wanted Sophia to be baptized Catholic.Having Sophia baptized was on my mind once she was born. I was baptized as an infant. My brothers were baptized as infants. Most of my cousins and relatives were baptized as infants. To the Catholic Church, original sin isn’t a personal sin of the unborn, but a sin transmitted from generation to generation by birth. All men and women are born with original sin, and only Baptism can wash it away. Baptism can be regarded as a vaccine against sin. I didn't marry a Catholic so it wasn't a priority to have Sophia baptized as an infant. He wasn't opposed. He actually didn't have much of an opinion. Lucky for me, when Sophia's Dad and I split up, he went along with my decision to have Sophia baptized in the Catholic church. When I decided to enroll her in a Catholic School, I made up my mind that it was time to have her baptized the Summer before she started Kindergarten. It seemed a little old to me but she actually fit right in.There were many other children her age being baptized. It was … [Read more...]
Fabric Covered Diaper Wipe Cases
Yesterday I realized it had been days since my last DIY project. I know this sounds kind of silly. I can't imagine saying something like that a year ago. I was never really into craft projects until Sophia. Anyway, I've mentioned this before that these simple little projects I do on here really do something for me. They are fulfilling. It's fun creating things and I like sharing my projects on here because I hope to inspire others to create as well. So yesterday I felt the need to create. I came up with these fabric covered diaper wipe cases. I didn't have any expectations. I just thought I'd give it a shot. I really like the way they came out. And very little effort was involved. I think that's what pleased me the most. It was a quick and easy project with pretty good results. Anyone could make these, seriously. You should give it a shot and let me know how they come out. A Few Supplies Needed glue gun, scissors, fabric, travel size diaper wipe case, and some sort of trim like ribbon.I forgot to take pictures of the first step but it's basic. Cut 2 pieces of fabric about 9 in x 4 1/2 in. As you can see in the bottom left picture I made the pieces a little bit smaller. They … [Read more...]
