Going to make muffins

Today after I dropped off my daughter at school, I decided that I am going to make some chicken broccoli mini muffins.  I am so tired of fighting my daughter on getting her to eat something.  She used to eat so well, too.  I used to be able to give her anything and she would eat it without fighting me.  I used to struggle to get my son to eat because he would put the food I gave him in his mouth, and then proceed to spit it out.  

These days I struggle getting her to eat.  She eats cereal (dry), cookies, and just random food that are all just not healthy or provide her with enough nutrients.  She also drinks way too much milk, and diluting it or giving her water or juice is not an option.  So I usually just distract her with something else when she wants milk.

I don't struggle on feeding my son anymore.  He eats pretty much anything I hand him.  He mostly eats chicken nuggets, rice, baked chicken, cheese, and oatmeal.  I am so grateful he is finally eating.  I hope and pray that he will continue to eat this well when he gets older.

So, between my daughter barely eating and my son being an excellent eater, I have decided that I am going to make them chicken broccoli mini muffins to eat.  If that goes well, I will start researching for more kid friendly meals I can make into a muffin for them to eat.

I haven't done anything crafty lately.  I am in the process of making the family's Christmas cards this year.  I have to start early, otherwise it will never get done.  This weekend I am going to start working on making a Thanksgiving goodie box for my husband's co-workers and a few of the mothers at my daughters school.

Chilly day Monday

It's a bit cold outside today and a little overcast, like it is going to rain, but it doesn't smell like it is going to rain.  It's days like today that I wish I could lay in bed, under my comforter, and have a movie marathon or read a good book.  But unfortunately, today I will be blogging, cleaning, and before I pick up my daughter at school, I will be going to the post office to mail my customer's order that she placed last week.

Last night for dinner I made chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  My kids only liked the mashed potatoes and wouldn't eat anything else.  Today I have no clue what to make.  Maybe tatertot casserole.  We'll see.

Next week is Thanksgiving!  Yay!  I love turkey and all the yummy fixings!  My dad is coming to our house this year since my mom is working.

I need to do some cleaning now.

Almost Friday

I hope and pray that tomorrow I can get some stuff done while the kids are napping.  We had a very difficult time getting our daughter to take a nap yesterday.  But in her defense, she did wake up a little later than she usually does on a Wednesday.  I just hope tomorrow she wakes up at a decent time and naps easily for me.  Getting both kids to nap at the same time is the hardest challenge I go through on a daily basis.

My other challenge lately has been trying to get her to eat.  She used to love eating my breakfast when I had eggs and turkey bacon.  Now she will eat my eggs but won't eat my bacon.  She won't eat chicken nuggets, she only eats cereal and sandwiches and eggs.  But I am going to keep trying to work with her.

Yesterday off and on, I was communicating with a customer who wants to order something from my Etsy page.  I am hoping I can get her order somewhat started after I finish this so I can finish the whole thing today when the kids are napping.

I am so excited about Thanksgiving coming up!  My dad is coming over to our house and we are going to cook him some good.. plus, he will get to spend some time with the kids which is always an added bonus!

I love the holidays!

Happy Veterans Day!

It is hump day and both my husband and daughter are home from school today.  I love when my husband has a day off because it is nice to spend time with him and it is nice to have a little extra help.  Today my main goal is to finish folding the mountain pile of clothes that I washed yesterday.  I didn't get to finish putting them away yesterday.

I have not made anything crafty since the Halloween goodie boxes.  But I plan to make some goodie boxes again for Thanksgiving coming up.  I haven't decided on what kind yet, but I will probably make some for the moms at my daughter's school and some for my husband's co-workers as well.

I have no idea what to make for dinner tonight.  We are almost out of chicken so there goes that idea.  But we do have ground turkey and veggies, so maybe something with that.  I thought we had more chicken left so I was planning on making chicken with gravy, but I guess that is out of the picture.

Rainy day Tuesday

I love rainy days.. but with two little kids, rainy days are no fun.  After I dropped off my daughter at school today I had to make a pit stop to Target.  I would much rather go to Target, or any other store for that matter, with just my son.  No offense to her but it is just so much easier going to a store with one kid versus two kids.  Sometimes I feel guilty going to the store with both kids and my husband because my husband has to make sure our daughter doesn't cause a ruckus.  So, today I went to Target and got some stuff that we needed.  Before I left the store I looked outside and it looked very dark and cloudy, like it was going to rain.  So I quickly exited the store and got my son in the car.  Just as I closed the car door, it started to pour.  What perfect timing!

I don't know what is going on but for the past week and a half, my daughter hasn't been as excited going to school as she usually is.  I always ask her in the morning she has school, "are you ready for school?"  And her response lately has been no.  When I take her to school and we walk up to the school, she looks very sad.  She's been pouting and weepy looking when we get to school.  It literally breaks my heart to see her so sad.

Tonight for dinner we are going to have Creamy Italian Chicken over Rice.  I think.  I'm not sure if I want to cook rice or pasta.  But we are finally all done with the Chicken Stroganoff.  I love how that recipe lasted us four nights of a meal and I only used two chicken breasts with it, too!  I love when a meal is very cost efficient.

Chicken Stroganoff

So, over the weekend I made a chicken stroganoff.  I have never even heard of a chicken stroganoff, much less even try it.  But I saw this recipe somewhere and I just had to make it since it involved using a crockpot and I want to take advantage of my crockpot before I put it away when the warmer weather gets here.

The weather has been getting slightly cooler here finally.  So in about a week or so I will start making casseroles and putting my crockpot away.  Anyway, here is the recipe for the chicken stroganoff.  It is really good!

Chicken Stroganoff

4 to 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream
egg noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

Spray slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray.  Add frozen chicken breasts and top with cream of mushroom soup.  Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the chicken.  Add salt and pepper to your preference.  Cook on low for six to eight hours.  Stir once or twice during cooking to make sure ingredients are all combined.  About twenty minutes before dinner, cook the egg noodles.  While the noodles are cooking, add about 3/4 of the container of sour cream in the crockpot.  (I usually shred the chicken then put the sour cream in.)  Drain the noodles and mix well.  Just before serving the plate, add a dollop of sour cream.  Serve.

It is soo good!  It makes a lot and we have leftovers still after eating it twice for dinner already.  We just might have it again tonight because we have some left.   

Hope you all enjoy!

One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

This is one of our all-time favorite meals.  It is so delicious!  I think I found this recipe on Pinterest when my husband actually saw it and sent it to me and said, "This looks good, can you make this for me, please?"  One day I was struggling on what to make for dinner and I went on Pinterest and searched chicken broccoli.  Because I had chicken out and I wanted to cook with broccoli that night.  And this meal came up.  Inadvertently not knowing this was the recipe my husband sent me.  Here is the recipe!

One Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice

3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced finely
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic, mined
1 tsp. kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup uncooked extra long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, or pan, saute onion in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Season onions with salt and pepper.  Once the onions are softened, increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken to the pan.  Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic.  Cook for one more minute.  Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the additional tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the other side.  Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring mixture to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook chicken and rice covered for about twelve minutes.  Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.  Continue to work covered another eight minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.  Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for one to two minutes or until cheese has melted.