Best Chicken Sandwich EVER

Whew! This last weekend was a complete whirlwind! I never got around to blogging, but there wasn't much to talk about. The whirlwind was because I had to work all weekend, not because I was doing so much fun stuff. Well, I guess some of it was fun. The time that I got to spend with my family was good.

Before work on Saturday, I took Kennedy fishing after I made breakfast for everyone. Then I paid Kennedy $5 to babysit Ave so Bryan and I could hang out for a few minutes. I feel like I don't get to spend any quality time with any of my family anymore. Then Sunday we went to church and then had brunch and hung out a little while. The rest of the time was work. Bryan and Ave came to have supper with me at the hospital Sunday night. That was nice. Except Ave was really upset when they left. She's always sad when I leave. Most of me hates that. Part of me loves it. ;)

Monday was my day off, so I spent all day with Avery. We made PB&J Blondies (YUM!) and watched TV and played. Then later on we went to my little cousin Aiden's 6th birthday party. It was such a cute party! It was Super Mario Bros themed and the cake and decorations were great!

Ok ok...most of the people who read my blog have told me that they like the food part the best, so I'll just get on with that. On this week's menu:

Grilled chicken sandwiches
Chili
Lasagna
Tacos
B's & G's (HOLLA!)
Enchiladas

Now if you remember, I make dinner in the late morning/early afternoon before I leave for work so Bryan doesn't have to worry about it later. Last week the only dinner that Bryan made was pizza because it only takes 15 minutes to make the crust. I'll have to post the crust recipe sometime. It's delish! Anyway, my goal is for Bryan to not have to make dinner at all this week.

Monday I made Grilled Chicken Sandwiches for Bryan and I (the girls had eaten at the birthday party). ERMAGERD they were FAB. I had one for dinner last night at work too. Mmmm...

The original recipe can be found at the link above, but here's what I did:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tsp. dried thyme leaves, divided
• cooking spray
• 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 3 small (4 oz.) chicken breasts
• French steak rolls
• 8 oz. brie, thickly sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, and half of the thyme leaves. Set aside.
2. Spray the cooking spray to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook a few minutes or until wilted. Add the mushrooms and the remaining thyme. Stir together well, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the onions are caramelized and the mushrooms and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning occasionally, until done.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Assemble the sandwich:
4. Slice the bread through the center. Remove most of the soft interior of the bread leaving a thick wall around the outside edge. Generously spread the cut sides of the bread with the mayonnaise mixture. Top with the thick slices of brie, sliced chicken breasts, and the caramelized onions and mushrooms. Place the top on the loaf and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on center rack of oven and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the brie has begun to melt.
5. Remove from the oven and cut in half.

I didn't have any regular bacon, and I didn't think turkey bacon would do the sandwich justice, so I opted to leave that out. But this sandwich is DELICIOUS. I don't think I even chewed mine, that's how long it lasted on my plate. I'm excited today because I get to have chili for my dinner (that's what I made for the fam yesterday). It's pretty basic: hamburger, chili beans, pinto beans, chili tomatoes, onions and tomato juice. I use McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning packet on the meat, then I add a little extra garlic powder and cumin. Throw the cooked/seasoned meat in a crock pot with everything else and cook it on low. Done. Easy Peasy. I love chili and right now, it's the perfect weather to have it.

 

Well kids, I'm gonna go hang with The Aves since I won't get to see her again until tomorrow :(

 

Kdub

GLEEEEEEEE!!! *Caution: Spoiler*

Today was my first weekday off since starting at the hospital. I spent a glorious lazy day with the Aves and ran some errands, we ate lunch with Kennedy at her school and then took a nap. It was a short nap, but a nap is a nap! I jokingly posted my status update as "My day off is the day of the Glee season 4 premier. Jesus loves me this I know, for my schedule tells me so." I was really upset because I thought I was going to miss it and have to watch it the next day online. But, crisis averted.

I would just like to say that the new girl on Glee (Marley) is SO adorable. Also, Brittany still makes me laugh out loud. I was happy with the song choices for the week, except for the Adele song (Chasing Pavements) at the end. I like it ok, but I'm kind of Adele'd out. However, the new girl sang it well. And I was super psyched when Kurt surprised Rachel in NYC. I just loved the whole thing! Can't wait for the rest of the season, even though I'll have to watch the rest of the episodes online the day after. *frowny face*

Last night was leftover night. we have SO much pulled pork and Caesar salad left! So since I didn't have to make tonight's meal ahead, and since I didn't want something with a ton of leftovers, I made chili-rubbed swai. Swai is similar to tilapia...a flaky, mild white fish. I thought that I got the recipe from Paula Deen, but when I tried to search for it, I couldn't find it anywhere. So just know that I can't take credit for this recipe, as it is not my own.

For the rub:
2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil

Mix seasoning together in a shallow dish and dredge 3 large fillets through it. (The fillets I had made 2 sandwiches each, so they were big.)

Pan sear in a skillet with olive oil, 5 minutes per side. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

I cranked up the broiler and toasted up some buttered buns (careful not to burn them!), and then smeared on cilantro lime Mayo.

Cilantro-lime Mayo:
2-3 Tbs Mayo (we're actually a Miracle Whip family, so that's fine too)
Juice of 1 lime
A handful of chopped cilantro

I just add juice and cilantro until it tastes good to me, so how much you use is totally according to your taste.

On the side, we had some Zatarain's Yellow Rice. I would just like to give a shout out to this rice right now. It is SO good. We always get the family size box so we can have some for lunch the next day. We heart rice in our family.

So that was it. Simple, and to the point. Nothing fancy, just tasty. Kennedy always asks for more fish (and rice) and Ave...well she's unpredictable. Last time I made it, she gobbled it down. Today she only took a few bites.

I also made some Breakfast Cookies (there is NOTHING wrong with that!), recipe courtesy of my co-worker Ina. They are so full of good-for-you stuff that it's totes acceptable to have one for breakfast with some fruit on the side. And coffee, of course!

Breakfast Cookies
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 large banana)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup milk powder (I just used an equal quantity of milk)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix it all up, drop 1/4 cup of dough 3 inches apart and bake at 350 for 14-15 minutes. Makes approximately 10 cookies.
 

Chicken Cesar Salad

My heart is broken. Last night, my oldest told my mom that me working 2nd shift makes it feel like her parents are divorced. Ouch. It's not like I can go to my boss and say, "Hey, I don't think this is going to work for me. I need to go back to first shift." It doesn't work like that, unfortunately. I know that it's going to take some adjusting and some getting used to for all of us. I hope that Kennedy starts enjoying her time with her dad so it's not so hard on her.

Anyway, here's what I made for my family yesterday before I went to work:

Chicken Ceasar Salad ( Cook Yourself Thin )

Serves 2
Calories per serving: 445

For the salad
8 ounces chicken breast, skinless
Olive oil to brush onto the chicken and on the toast
4 thin (melba thin) slices baguette on the diagonal
1/2 medium garlic clove
2 heads baby romaine lettuce
1 large, free-range egg
One handful of arugula and mustard cress
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

For the dressing
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon malt vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush the chicken with a little olive oil.
3. On a hot grill pan, sear the chicken breast for 4 to 5 minutes before flipping over and doing the same on the other side.
4. While the chicken is searing, prepare the baguette toasts. Slice the baguette on the diagonal and place on a baking sheet. Brush on a little olive oil. Toast the bread for about 10 minutes, until crisp. Rub with the garlic clove.
5. Once you have strong grill marks over the chicken breast on both sides, cover your pan with foil and place into the hot oven on the higher shelf for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce and spin dry.
7. Carefully drop the egg in boiling water and boil for 5 minutes exactly. Empty the boiling water out of the pan and replace it with cold water. Let the egg stand in the cold water while you finish the recipe.
8. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Taste and season before setting aside.
9. Put the washed and dried salad leaves into a big bowl with the dressing. Toss for a couple of minutes to make sure that all the leaves are coated. Add the shaved/grated Parmesan and arugula. Toss once again.
10. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool down enough to handle before slicing on the diagonal.
11. Plate up the salad, making sure that the chicken is evenly distributed.
12. Tuck the crispy baguette toasts on the side of the salad and add half the soft-boiled egg. Finally, grind over some black pepper, scatter the sunflower seeds, and serve.

Of course I tripled the recipe so there was enough for everyone and leftovers. I never use the sunflower seeds, though. Both of my kids love this meal, surprisingly. I cut up the romaine and put it back in the bag it came in, mixed the dressing in a big salad bowl, covered it and put it in the fridge. Then I seasoned the chicken with Weber Grill Kickin Chicken and the grilled it. Those are the only changed I really made. If you like Ceasar salad, you'll love this!

Kristen

Three times this week? You are so lucky.

Hey all! Tuesday is here! Which means Monday is over. Score.

Second shift wasn't so horrible. It was a lot like first shift, except quieter. The last hour dragged by pretty slow and I was SO ready to get home, take a shower and konk out. The worst part is that I can't tell Avery goodnight (she goes to bed before I go on my break) and I have to tell Kennedy goodnight over the phone. I feel really far removed from everything Kennedy is doing at school too. So that part is no good. On the upside, I was SO productive before going to work yesterday. If you keep up with my posts, then you know that already. If not, just take my word for it. :)

This morning I was up at 7:30 (despite the fact that I didn't get home until after 11pm last night and didn't get to go to bed until 12:30 this morning) to get the girls ready for their 9am doctor's appointment. Things went fine until we hit traffic. Avery kept telling me her belly was scared. It's so cute when she says that. "Mommy my bewwy scawed." So cute. Anyway, she wanted me to kiss it, but of course I couldn't because I was driving. So I twisted my arm around so I could hold her hand. Then she puked on it. Awesome. Upside: She said her belly wasn't scared anymore. I just thought she was nervous about the doctor, but apparently she needed to explode her stomach everywhere. Great.

Anyway, doc's visit went well. Kennedy is SUPER tall for her age (duh) and Avery is right on track for her age. Flu shots were received (fun times, let me tell you) and suckers we given. After the doc, I dropped K off at school and took Ave to the park for a few. She LOVES slides. I mean L.O.V.E.S. them. So we went down all of the slides that we could. When it was time to go to daycare, she didn't want to go. Secretly I was happy. Usually she picks Sonia (best day care provider EVER) over me, but since we have been getting to spend 1 on 1 time together, she wants to be with me more. I guess she has realized how awesome I am.

Ok so here's what I made for dinner before I left for work yesterday. (Again, I'm posting the substitutions that I made. For the original recipe, please click on the link below!):

Pop Pulled Pork (Courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Pork Roast (I used one that was 3 lbs)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 of a 7.5 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce  
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper
• 4 Tbs brown sugar

Preparation Instructions

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a crock pot.
Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pot.
Pour the chopped chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.
Place lid tightly on pot, setting the temp to high. (I let it cook on high for 2 hours, then I turned it down to low for another 6, but you could probably just to on low for 8 hours). Turn the roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.)
Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.


I serve mine on buns (duh) with cole slaw. (Slaw: 2 bags of slaw mix, one container of Marzetti's low fat slaw dressing. Easy Peasy.)

Interesting tip: This pulled pork is GREAT on a Saturday morning with scrambled eggs and a little monterey jack in a tortilla or on buns. I know it sounds bizarre, but it's my FAVORITE breakfast sandwich!

I am having this meal for my dinner tonight at work. I know for a fact that the meat warms up well because I've made this several times. It's an easy meal to put together and throw in the crock pot for your family. Even on a hurried schedule. You can freeze the rest of the chipotle peppers to use later for chili, taco meat or to add to bbq sauce, if you like to make your own. Caution: those peppers are pretty spicy!


So have a happy Tuesday, everyone! Think of me, when your work day is almost over, and mine is just beginning. ;) Oh, and here's a cute picture of the Aves for your viewing pleasure. It's a little blurry, but she looks presh.

Kristen

 

Potato Pie

I gained about 20lbs in the first three years of being married. Add in the fact that I was already overweight when I got married....Gross. Anyway, about a month after I had our youngest girl, I had lost about 25lbs. I had lost 20lbs when I was pregs. I know...I'm not sure how that happened either. Anyway, I was all excited, then I gained about 15lbs back. Don't ask me why or how. I think I got too comfortable with the fact that I had lost a little bit that I thought, "SURE I can eat junk food several days a week! I've lost weight!" So I was almost back at square 1 back in July.

Cue my full time job in a busy hospital lab. By the end of August, I was down 8lbs and within the first week of September, I was down a full 10lbs. I'm really workin for the weight loss now. The declining numbers are way better motivation than anything else. I'm trying to incorporate healthier food and more exercise (on top of the MILES that I walk while I'm at work). So today, the first day of second shift, I decided to exercise before I went to work. I biked to Ave's daycare to drop her off. I thought, "It's only a mile and a half, this will be a piece of cake!" Fast forward to me, stumbling through the door dripping sweat. Yeah that was more of a workout than I had planned. But that's ok. It's good for me right?

I'm not sure how healthy this recipe is, but it's pretty delicious and it's fairly light. We had it last night for dinner, and I'll eat the leftovers for my dinner tonight. Paired with a mixed green salad, it's a great meal!

The original recipe can be found here (Ten Dollar Dinners) but I made some changes to suit my needs.

Potato Pie (Potato Torte)

Ingredients

• 4 strips turkey bacon
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts
• 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices swiss cheese
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.
Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator and place in a pie pan sprayed with cooking spray. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon and a slice of cheese (I cut the slices up and sprinkle some in each layer of potato/bacon). Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Pour milk around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the milk.)
Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

I tried to make it healthier by substituting the turkey bacon and using 1% milk instead of cream. If I could find a reduced fat swiss cheese, I might try that as well. We usually pair the Pie with a salad, but last night we had mixed veggies. The pie can be made ahead and then reheated in the microwave or covered with foil and popped in a 350 degree oven until it's heated through.

Now, when all of your workdays are half over, I have to get my scrubs on and go to work. Blech. ;)

K Dub

Second Shift

The other night I asked Bryan to say something nice to me. Actually, I told him to. Usually I don't like to fish for compliments, but I needed one. I thought that he would say something like, " You're amazing" (and he did, but I made him give me something else because that was too vague and uninmaginative). Then he said, "You're a really good cook." I was about to be annoyed (because this is common knowledge and I wanted him to really try), but then he continued, "You put so much care into the things that you make for our family to eat. You care about how nutritious it is, how good it tastes and how long it takes to make. You really care about the details and that really means a lot to me."

I was FLOORED. That is far and away one of the best compliments that I have ever received! Knowing that someone notices how much you care about the little things that you do for your family is a big deal! Well to me it is anyway. I can't do big extravagant things for my family, so when someone notices the small things that I am able to do, it means a ton.

The next day, my euphoria came to a screeching halt. I start second shift this week at the hospital. How am I going to take care of my family's nutritional needs? Most people would say, "Leave it to Bryan to throw dinner together", or "They can have pizza or PB&J some nights". While there's nothing wrong with that really, internally I'm apalled at the thought. Don't get me wrong. We have pizza for dinner a couple times a month, and about once a month we might go out to dinner on a weeknight (HELLO EL J'S!)*. But I try not to make this a habit. I like to have dinner at home as a family with a homecooked meal as much as possible. I believe in the idea that sitting down to a meal together, whether it be spaghetti with sauce from a jar or a four course meal, positively influences your children to make good decisions.

So I came up with a plan: I don't have to leave for work until 1:15, so in the mornings I will prepare a meal so that all Bryan has to do is warm it up or throw it in the microwave. I will (try to) document this whole process, mistakes and all, so if any of you out there are in my same situation, you can see what works and what doesn't without having to make the mistakes for yourself. :) I will try to include recipes as well, if I remember...

On the menu for this week:
Monday - Pop Pulled Pork (Courtesy of Pioneer Woman) and cole slaw
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad ( Courtesy of Cook Yourself Thin)
Wednesday - Pepperoni Pizza with Whole Wheat dough
Thursday (day off since I have to work the weekend) - blackened tilapia sandwiches with cilantro lime mayo and rice
Friday - Tuna Casserole (this oldie is seriously my 9-year-olds FAVE)

I really hope you all like this little experiment of mine. If it's not helpful, I at least hope it's a little entertaining!

* El J's is El Jeripeo. It's the best Mexican restaurant in our area. There are only 2 Mexican restaurants in our tiny town, but this one is by far superior.

Before you go, please enjoy this picture of my sweet babies! :)

 

K-Dub