Indian Chicken and Rice

The other night, I asked Hubby what sounded good for dinner. He was craving Indian food and wanted  brown rice and slightly crisp vegetables. With that in mind, I came up with this.

Indian Chicken and Rice

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, cut into half-moon slices
2 medium zucchini, cut into half-moon slices
3/4 cup of chopped mushrooms
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups shredded chicken (from the freezer)
Big splash of soy sauce
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp onion powder (or a small onion, chopped)
3 cups cooked brown rice

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes. Add other vegetables and garlic and cook for 3 minutes more. Add chicken, soy sauce, and spices. Stir and cook until vegetables are at desired tenderness. (I cooked it for about 8 minutes.) Mix in brown rice. Serve warm.

I was amazed at how much the boys liked this. They each had 2 plates full and cleaned their bowls at lunch the next day!

Meal Plan 9/30/13

     Since I began my internship, the boys have started daycare. This means I have to have 4 lunches packed and ready to go before I leave each morning. In the chaos of the first month, I completely neglected meal planning, and our budget and health paid the price. Way too much over-priced, over-processed junk for my liking, and I had way too many mornings of stressing about what the heck to pack for lunches. Last week, we got back to meal planning, and life's gone much smoother because of it.

Monday:

Breakfast:  Cereal and bananas

Lunch (Kids): Leftover Indian Chicken and Rice, sliced apples

Lunch (Adults): Leftover Indian Chicken and Rice, celery sticks, peach

Dinner: Spaghetti with mushroom sauce, salad


Tuesday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins

Lunch (Kids): Ham roll-ups, Annie's bunnies, celery sticks, peach slices

Lunch (Adults): Leftover spaghetti, carrots and celery, hummus cup

Dinner: Steak, couscous, broccoli, and carrots


Wednesday:

Breakfast: Sausage, grits, and apples

Lunch (Kids): Quesadillas with black beans, bell pepper strips, Craisins, and tortilla chips

Lunch (Adults): Quesadillas with black beans, bell pepper strips, Craisins, and tortilla chips and salsa

Dinner: At Mimi's


Thursday:

Breakfast: Cereal and mandarin oranges

Lunch (Kids): Cream cheese crackers, celery sticks, raisins, bunnies

Lunch (Adults): Tuna salad sandwich, celery, chips and salsa

Dinner: At Mimi's


Friday:

Breakfast: Cream cheese toast, apple slices

Lunch (Kids): Ham wrap, zucchini sticks,  and applesauce

Lunch (Adults): Salad with cannellini beans, mandarin oranges, and beets

Dinner: Mexican black bean casserole with a salad


Saturday:

Breakfast: Baked oatmeal

Lunch: Grilled cheese and salad

Dinner: German Lentil Soup


Sunday:

Breakfast: Pancakes, sausage, and fruit

Lunch: Ham sandwiches, apples, and carrot chips

Dinner: Spinach lasagna and salad

Italian Chicken Casserole

Dinner has become more stressful since starting my internship. I've found myself compromising my ideals for our diet for just getting something on the table. I've let it slide for the first month until we get into our new routine, and that's fine, but it's time to get back to "real food." My new challenge is to make real food, real fast. Casseroles are the ideal weekday supper. They're delicious and require few pots and pans. Once mixed, they get put in the oven for about 30 minutes (enough time to get kids transitioned, bags unpacked, and the table set).

Here is a casserole I came up with on the fly using what I had on hand. (Sorry about the lack of pictures. It was a crazy night, and I didn't know it would be so good.) It's not a prefect dish, but it's darn good and more "real food"- like than what we've been eating. Fair warning, this makes a big casserole. We had leftovers for both Hubby's and my lunch for 2 days. Next time, I might make it 2 casseroles; one for dinner and one for the freezer.

Italian Chicken Casserole

1 box of whole wheat pasta (rotini, penne, ziti, or some other short pasta)
3 cups shredded chicken (from the freezer)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped (I had a red and a yellow on hand, but any color will do.)
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 jars of pasta sauce (I'll use my sauce from the freezer in the future.)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta, leaving it slightly undercooked.
2. In a separate pan, cook the onion until it begins to soften. Add the peppers and the mushrooms to the pan. Add chicken. Season with salt, pepper, oregano.
3. Add the sauce to the chicken and vegetables.
4. Drain the pasta and combine with the vegetable mixture.
5. Pour into a 13X9 that has been sprayed with oil. Top with mozzarella cheese, and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Babyzilla and I made a quick salad (I cut the vegetables, and he added them to the bowl), and dinner was ready. It was a huge hit with the kids and the adults! The leftovers were great, even cold.

Did Your 2-year-old Do Your Hair?

"Did your 2 year old do your hair?" M, the one making the rocket shoes, asked me this this morning. Apparently, I looked rough, ever rougher than I imagined. So let that be a lesson to you all. Don't wake up with 15 minutes to get ready when you haven't picked out clothes, packed lunches, and had a shower the night before.

Internship: Month #1

      The pre-planning week, my supervising teacher was in trainings all week, so I was in charge of setting up the classroom. At the beginning of the day, she'd make a list for me to complete by day's end.  
I'd turn on some music, have it done by lunch, and get to read a book (a rare treat for a mom of two littles) until I could leave. I learned how to make bulletin board on bare walls, how to build cubbies, and how to scale filing cabinets to hand letter cards. It was a lot more fun than it sounds, I promise.

      Yesterday began the 4th week of school. I knew that teaching is not for the faint of heart, but dang. According to my supervising teacher, this is the craziest class she's ever had. The first day of school, we had to call parents and send students to their own "islands" away from the rest of the class. The third day, we had to re-do the seating chart completely. We exhausted our "bag of tricks" in the first 2 weeks. Being nice didn't work, bribes didn't work, yelling and screaming didn't work.

     These kids are characters, I tell you. One is designing rocket shoes, and she's taking it very seriously. Every spare second of the day is spent doing research on aerodynamics and jet propulsion. This kid is going to do big things with her life, I can tell. We have a student who's so witty that it gets him into a lot of trouble. My absolute favorite kid (I know, I know. We're not supposed to have those, but if you were here, he'd be your favorite, too.) is A. A is an average to slightly below average student. He comes from a crazy home life and doesn't get a lot of positive attention, but dang it all if he doesn't work his butt off for me. And he's hilarious. Puts me in stitches every single day. For example, we were checking math homework, and every time he got an answer right, he yelled out, "BINGO!" I told him, jokingly, that we aren't playing bingo, we're playing "check the math homework." After that, he'd yell out "Checked the math homework!" and do a dance when he got a question right. My teacher and I were dying laughing. If we can get his to harness his charisma for good, he'll be set. He probably won't go to college, as is the case with most of these kids, because of less than stellar grades and test scores, but he's going to make the world a better place, just by being himself.

     Then there's J, bless his heart. The first week of school, his hand shoots into the air, and he's waving it and hollering for me like his leg just got bitten off by a coyote. I come rushing to him. I kid you not, this was our conversation:

Me: What's wrong?
J: I dropped my paper on the floor.
Me: ... so pick it up.
J: Okay.

He then begins to lean over to reach the paper that is clearly out of reach. I have to tell him to stand up to go get the paper. He's a B+ student. It's not that he has a mental difficulty. He just has absolutely no common sense whatsoever. I gave him an eraser to put on his pencil, and, I kid you not, he couldn't figure out what to do with it.

    Then there are the kids that make my heart break. C can't tie his shoes in the 3rd grade, and K doesn't know her letters. A "normal" reading rate for third graders is 77 words per minute. These two are below 10. They are prime examples of kids failed by the school system. We're working with them as much as possible, but K doesn't come to school (already missed 8 days), and C gets frustrated and gives up easily. Honestly, I can't blame him. If I couldn't read, at all, in the 3rd grade, I'd be upset, too.

     Last Friday, my supervising teacher was out of town, so it was just me (with substitute supervision). By 10:30, I was spent. Normally, there are 2 of us trying to keep them from swinging from the rafters. It was crazy. I'd used up my tricks, so I just broke down. I was completely honest. I told them how sad I was that we can't do fun things. That I have a Pinterest board with 100 fun things that I want to do with them, but we can't because they won't be quiet and follow directions. I told them that I've given up hope of being able to have fun with them this year. Although it was not my intention, my honesty turned on the lightbulbs. For the rest of the day, they were a normal class. They walked in line, listened to instruction, and got rewarded with a dance party because we got done with our work early. I really wish it hadn't come to me losing my mind, but I'm glad something clicked, finally.

World Breastfeeding Week 2013

It's World Breastfeeding Week. People have asked me why I care about breastfeeding so much. The answer is, oddly enough, because my older son was formula-fed. There are mothers who choose to use or need to use formula for whatever reason. That doesn't make me mad.

What makes me upset is that misinformation (e.g. breastmilk has no benefit after ___ months) robs women of the choice to breastfeed and that doctors and nurses have little or no training when it comes to breastfeeding but still give "advise" (a.k.a. tell moms to supplement when it isn't necessary or put baby on a feeding schedule, which will destroy milk supply).

What angers me is that formula companies send home samples with the intent to sabotage breastfeeding, and that the act of feeding one's child is treated as something to be ashamed of or a sick fetish. Would you ask a mother giving a bottle to "do that in the bathroom"?

What make me sad is that mothers who breastfeed often feel alone and isolated. When a minor problem comes up (as they often do), well-meaning people immediately insist on supplementation rather than solving the minor issue before it becomes a major issue. I feel sad, honest to goodness sad, for mothers who use formula (be it by choice or necessity) because there isn't a better product on the market. Even after all these years, formula is still, basically, processed milk with sugar and oil with some added vitamins.

I know what it's like to struggle with breastfeeding. It's heart wrenching. No woman should have to go through that because of misinformation, sabotage, and/or societal hang-ups. So, mamas, keep on keepin' on whether it's with a breast, a bottle of breastmilk (yours or a donor), or a bottle of formula. If it's YOUR best, it's awesome.

Hamburger and Potato Casserole

This is one of Hubby's favorite dishes from his childhood. I made a few changes from the original to make it more health and budget friendly. Serve it with a salad or some green beans for a complete meal. This recipe makes enough to feed 2 adults, 2 hungry toddlers, and leftovers for lunch.

Hamburger and Potato Casserole


6 medium gold potatoes, cut into 1/3-1/2 inch slices (Any kind of potatoes should work, but we use golds.)
2 cups cooked ground beef (from the freezer) OR meat-free crumbles if you don't eat meat
1/2 pound (2 cans) of pinto beans or white beans, such as cannellini 
2 cans of tomato sauce - 14.5 oz each (I get organic tomato sauce from Costco.)
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 13X9 dish, layer potatoes, then meat and beans. Top with tomato sauce. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese. The heat from the casserole with melt it. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes to let it set and cool slightly.

Rise and Shine

I have a confession to make: I hate waking up before 9 a.m. Since having kids, I've clung to sleeping until 7:30 for dear life. My resistance to getting out of my warm, comfy bed was one of the major reasons I love (safe) co-sleeping. Bulldog moved into his own room, right next to ours, when he was about 7 months old, but still comes into bed with us if he's sick, going through sleep regression, etc. Same thing with Babyzilla. If he has a bad dream or doesn't feel well, we welcome him into the space between us, but for the most part, he sleeps in his bed. Mercifully, the boys have little issue sleeping until 7:30 or later, especially if they're snuggled up next to me.

A week from today, I start my internship and the boys start daycare. In order for us to be where we need to be on time, I have to get up by 5:15 a.m. That's over TWO HOURS earlier than I'm used to. Needless to say, I'm not happy about that. Hubby's been after me to start getting up earlier to "train" for the earlier ringing of the alarm clock, but we've all been sick. Now that I'm feeling better, mostly, we've agreed to do dry runs this week. We're going to run through our morning just like we will for the next 4 months.

The Plan:

Hubby will wake up and go to the gym and be back by 6:30. After he gets back, he'll dress the kids and take them to daycare. I'll get up by 5:15, get myself ready, pack lunches for all of us, wake up the boys, and feed them breakfast. I have to be out the door by 6:45 in order to be to the school by 7:15.

Today was the first day of training, but Hubby didn't go to the gym. I don't think he believed I'd actually get out of bed. By placing a second alarm clock across the room, I have to get out of bed. (Brilliant idea by the Hubby.) It worked! I was up and dressed by 5:30. Not bad considering we had two kiddos in bed with us all night. I got Hubby's breakfast and lunch packed while he showered. We tried to wake up the boys for 20 minutes, but they were having none of it. I think they might still have a touch of the bug, so we decided to let them sleep. Of course, 10 minutes after we made that decision, they were up and playing.

I learned 3 things from today's experiment:

1. Clothes need to be picked out the night before.
2. Anything that can be prepacked for lunches needs to be prepacked. We buy raisins from Costco and bag them in snack bags. I'll do the same with carrots, pretzels, hummus, crackers, and anything else that can go in lunchboxes.
3. I don't need to worry about disturbing the boys when I'm getting ready. They'll sleep through anything.

Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup

Our house has been plagued by a nasty summer bug. At least one of us has been sick for over two weeks. (Mostly me.) Chicken soup always makes me feel better, but I didn't want to go through all of the hassle of boiling a whole chicken and working for hours. I just wanted a bowl of soup. A bowl of this soup was delicious, comforting, and full of nutrients. It was easy and quick because I had shredded chicken, broth, spinach, and ginger in my freezer.


Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
3-4 cloves of garlic, either grated or finely chopped
2 tsp grated ginger root 
Salt and Pepper
1 package of frozen spinach (10 oz)
4- 6 cups vegetable broth or water or a combination of both
1/3 cup of rice

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for about a minute. Add broth and bring to a low boil. Add rice and stir. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add spinach and stir. Cook until all ingredients are heated through and rice is tender.

Project Sorghum Part 2: The Briquette

Remember that 40 pounds of sorghum we were given? It's still hanging out in our kitchen. The other day I decided to get real about using some of it. One of the uses for sorghum that I found online was to pop it like popcorn. The instructions were pretty simple: A little oil in the bottom of a pot + sorghum grains + heat + some stirring = popped sorghum. Easy right? Wrong.

As I was popping the sorghum, Bulldog started crying, so I turned off the stove and went to figure out what happened. In the 4 minutes it took me to calm him down, the pot of sorghum went from oily kernels to smoke machine. The whole apartment filled with smoke. I got the kids outside and got the pot off the stove. I opened the doors and windows to vent the smoke. I added water to the pot to prevent the kernels from igniting. The contents of the pot had transformed into a large, black briquette. After a minute of hacking because of inhaling the smoke, I shut the doors (leaving the kitchen window open), grabbed the diaper bag, and decided to go for a drive. I took the kids to the park to calm them down. I called Hubby to let him know what happened and that we were okay.

My clothes and hair wreaked of sorghum smoke, so I took a long shower that night. I'm still trying to scrub the charred residue out of my pot. The apartment still has a smokey smell, but it's not as bad as it was. I'm not sure if it's fading or if I'm just getting used to it. Either way, I won't be popping sorghum for a while.