On The Menu: Roasted Chicken Cherry Nachos

Roasted Chicken Cherry Nachos (1-2 servings)
3-4 oz of Roasted Chicken*
1/4 cup of Dried Cherries
2 Tablespoons of Slivered Almonds
1/4 cup of fresh Spinach
12-15 Multigrain Tortilla Chips

Lay the tortilla chips around a small plate. Place warm roasted chicken over the chips; add Spinach; top with cherries and almonds.

*I purchased a whole chicken and roasted it one afternoon, having a meal for that evening and then saving the rest to use throughout the week. This has proven to be such a help through the week that I will more than likely be adding this to my weekly routine.


I've been trying to eat Dairy-free and Wheat-free since the beginning of February in hopes that I can figure out some things and get systems working correctly once more. Neither have been really hard to let go most days; some days I tear through the house throwing everything in sight just wanting to eat something without looking at the label or questioning the server about the ingredients.

I would say that a good 95% of my diet had some form of cheese or butter in it.

Um... I love, LOVE bread and butter. My little Grandma loves bread and butter. One of my little ladies could live on bread and butter. So, see I'm fighting my genes here!!

I've also been reading the book, "French Women Don't Get Fat" and before you stick your nose in the air at the French, it really has been a very eye-opening read for me. It's written by a woman who is French but lives in America. The book really just points to the fact that French women don't diet and they eat the things that they really want to eat. They do it in small portions; they skip the bread if they want the dessert, little choices like these allow them to eat pleasurably.

One of my favorite parts of the book was where she was speaking of how in the late eighteenth century a new code was fashioned in France, les arts de la table:
"The table became a spectacle. Standard dishes received their classical names, and there followed a rush of innovation, imitation, and, indeed fashion. Few Americans, even Michelin-guided gastrotourists, really appreciate the extent to which our cooking is like our couture."

I related to this very much as I feel that the cooking of and presentation of the meals I prepare are just another creative outlet for me. I'm looking forward to finishing this soon, but have already begun implementing a few ideas that I've taken away so far.

So, having new ideas and some new limitations, I've had the opportunity to introduce some new tastes to my palette and be creative pairing different ingredients together. These Nachos were definitely a huge hit for my taste buds! Please enjoy!

One Wall Down...

Sure, it may be the smallest space of wall to cover

in our home...

but it's complete!

To some of you, 

this may seem like small potatoes...

however, it is a major feat in my book.

Here's a view of how it fits into the room:

See those curtains??

They're gettin' the boot!

Who knows when though... 

(I DO at least have all the materials needed to

make new ones;

it's just a matter of cutting, piecing, pinning, sewing...

you know, things that don't take much time at all.)

But, at some point...

I WILL CONQUER THEM!!!

Also,

I just would like to point something out:

see the shade of gray in the top picture

compared to the shade of gray in the bottom picture??

This drives me crazy.

Most of the time,

with the way the lighting is in our house,

it's the top shade of gray,

which I love.

There is a certain time of day

in which the light creates this

blueish-gray shade,

and I am not a fan.

I just needed to share that.

I have one other wall that is ALMOST complete.

It's been ALMOST complete for some weeks now.

It's just waiting for one more piece in order to

go from ALMOST complete

to officially complete,

but I just can't quite figure out what I'm wanting there...

it'll come to me, I'm sure.

What are some of your favorite pieces in your home??

Just a few lists... no big deal.

I lived to tell of the organizational frenzy...
now to implement it.
Eee... yikes!

I consider myself a pretty efficient person 

in every aspect of my life...

except home keeping.

I don't feel like I was ever really taught

how to keep a home running efficiently.

This can be no more.

There are five of us nesting in a home

built more for two.

To motivate myself,
I checked out Martha
and read through "Large Family Logistics"

and put together some lists.

WARNING:

There are some MAJOR 

OC tendencies to follow,

so proceed with caution!

However, 

I know myself very well

and know that I need every single thing

listed out in order
IN MY FACE
for me to accomplish it.

So, this first list is a daily task list.

Each day has the tasks that I would like to be accomplished.

And it gives me an idea of how I can 

schedule things throughout the week.

Obviously, I can rearrange things as needed.

Oh, yeah also if my list looks pretty

I'll accomplish more.

I've printed these off and laminated them.

I'll keep them in a notebook

and each day take out the necessary one,

hang it up and use a whiteboard marker

(because obviously I also now have a whiteboard!)

to cross off the list.

If you'd like to join this madness,

you can use this PDF as a starting point for your own daily task list.*

On Friday's list,

there is a task that reads

"Cleaning Morning: see Weekly Cleaning List".

This is an actual list of EVERYTHING

I need to clean, dust, sweep, mop and scour

around our home.

I've laminated this one as well,

so I can cross off as I go.

You may also use this PDF as well.*

I'm also planning on getting a little whistle to use,

similar to that of Captain Von Trapp

but continuing to sing and dance more like

Fraulein Maria throughout the day.

Okay, not really about the whistle;

but, really, about the singing and dancing.

*Please only download and print these for your personal use.

Commence organizing, friends!

A little change never hurts...

I changed it up a bit.

That last font was always a bit too busy for my taste,
but I kept it around for some reason.

I'm loving this crisp, clean look though.

And that's me laughing up there... 

not some model I hired to pose for my blog... 

just in case you were wondering. 

HAHAHAHAHA

Sometimes I'm just funny.

Change something for the better today.