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!

I'm ALIVE.

Last Tuesday, I wasn't so sure. I have been SICK. I laid in bed last Tuesday, staring at the ceiling and called a priest to come read me my last rites (I'm not Catholic, just dramatic). It was SO terrible. It was horrid. It was by far, the most horrifying state of sickness my body has ever been through.

It was, however, much needed.

I'm not one that... um, slows down. I get going and going and usually that works for me. Until it just doesn't.

After the Fall Red Barn Outdoor Market, I was still doing pretty well. Okay, laundry would get washed... but never put away. Meals were kind of planned... but not really. To some, this may be your everyday, and that's okay. It's not okay for me. I just don't function well in this environment. I need a routine, I need a schedule.

And my hormones were off... like really off. I just wasn't functioning as my normal self. So, I decided to do a cleanse and see what happened. It worked great, I wrote about it. There was, still is, more than a week could cure though. That's still in the works. However, having my hormones off just did not add to already being out of sync.

Then December came. Birthdays, Christmas, Anniversary, just a lot going on. After our anniversary, I just felt tired. I was looking forward to my birthday, and how I could just spend the day by myself, relaxing, doing whatever I wanted to. One week before my birthday, I started feeling REALLY tired and like I was trying to fight something. The next day, I woke up feeling fine. That evening (New Year's Eve) I laid on the couch wrapped up in a blanket most of the night. Tuesday morning, I could not move. Thankfully, Jacob was still off work and cared for me.

Actually he didn't just care for me. He saved me. He, along with the One who knows my every need even before I do, saved me. I needed to shed that independence of just being able to handle everything. I needed to be completely dependent on him... and knocking me down physically was the only way that was going to happen. I really did just lay in bed staring at the ceiling with tears streaming because I was in so much pain, and so utterly helpless. And my Love loved me. He embodied LOVE in such a way that it just humbled me. He ended up staying home for two extra days that week, as I tried to kick it and as my little ladies began to get it.

The day that he did go back, I asked my Book Club girls to be lifting me up throughout that day as I was still so sick, and was scheduled to take pictures that day. Within minutes of posting that request, one of them was headed to my house with tea, Emergen-C, homemade chicken broth, and other flu fighting sources. This act of love from a friend brought me to my knees. She packed up her three children just to care for me. Who does that? Sure we all throw out there the "If you need anything, just let me know!" phrase, but seriously... I'm not going to just let you know if I need anything. Because I don't want to feel as though I bothered you or inconvenienced you in any way. I don't want to have to place dependence on you. She heard my need and just took care of it. Another friend saw the post and brought us a meal. It was made up of morsels of mercy and grace. And it was kind of hard to swallow.

While my body was physically battling a nasty little virus, my soul was battling... itself. A scary battle to be in. Yet each time I thought I was being knocked down, I was actually being lifted up. Each act of love and grace that was shown to me was used as a band-aid to heal something that I hadn't even known was wounded... because I just kept moving and never took time to feel.

Each night when my husband comes home he makes his way to me (usually in the kitchen where I'm preparing dinner chaotically) and kisses me. I've asked him to not only continue doing this, but also to make me stop what I'm doing and embrace me. Hug out all the independence that was placed on my shoulders throughout the day of running a household and caring for and training the Littles. In this physical act of leaning on him, it triggers something in me to mentally let go and distribute some of the weight of life.

So, when I say "I'm ALIVE.", I feel it. I feel life again. I feel freedom. And I'm excited to see how this freedom will be used.

Lately...

It's been an interesting few weeks here lately...

For the last several months I haven't really felt like myself. I wasn't handling things the way I would normally handle things and just felt like a completely different person. So, I finally went to the Doctor. Blood tests came back fine, nothing too out of the ordinary except... oh yeah, he felt a mass on the right side of my abdomen and scheduled a sonogram to figure out what it was. The sonogram was almost a week later, and then the results weren't given to me until many days later than that. It was agony. However, the results came back fine with the sonogram as well. So, we figured out what it wasn't... but still no word on what it IS. I'm scheduled to see a specialist this next month to figure some things out, and hopefully we will. In that time though, it's as if a little reset button was pushed in my head and I all of a sudden was just back. It's very strange and so very interesting how our bodies work.

Through it all though, we were still working and creating and enjoying the beautiful Kansas days (which at times were slightly too warm for my taste in October)...

The girls are loving their school work and their minds are amazing to me. It's incredible how much they soak in... I am loving it as well.

My friend, Erin, made an Asian Coleslaw for Book Club and it was unbelievable. I loved it and gave it my own little twist (and by twist, I mean I put it in a egg roll wrap and flash-fried it to a golden, crispy beauty!) and I crave it daily. Perhaps a recipe will be shared soon.

That sandwich is just pretty. Those tomatoes are from my Grandma's garden and were the juiciest, most perfect things I've ever tasted.

My beautiful camera bag that my sister made me was also one of the things stolen in The Great Thievery and the one that I would like to replace it with is still over $300. So, needless to say that is still not an option when I can easily make something just as practical... but even more beautiful. That's an old purse that I had in my in-house Thrift Shop, aka the basement, which was given new life with some foam and Chevron stripes.

DIY Mercury Glass... coming soon... possibly.

So much to catch up posting about: a Baby Shower where it was revealed that I am having another NEICE!!!, a beautiful family photo session, a HANDMADE SWAP, and more to come this next weekend!

The Ticket.

The Little Mister and I getting our book signed by The Pioneer Woman.

About a month ago,

my sister-in-law was given a tip

that Ms. Ree Drummond

was going to be making her way here

for a book signing of her most recent cookbook.

She also heard that you HAD to have a ticket to get in.

Upon hearing THAT information, 

she literally dropped what she was doing,

jumped in her car and drove to the little book shop down the street

which was going to be holding this event

and picked up four tickets...

one of those being for me.

Yet just another reason why sisters are 

SO AWESOME

to have around.

Once I heard about this,

I immediately was on the phone with 

one of my other sisters

because I knew she would hate me for life

if I had this information and kept it from her.

She was able to get some, as well

(so all is fine on the sister front).

And so the night arrived.

We packed into the car and made our way over

to the renovated church-turned-theatre

which the book shop so wisely rented for the evening.

I've never been to a book signing.

And honestly,

I'm not one to get hyped up over someone or something

so much that I'll go stand in line to get in to take part in it.

But...

I frequent P-Dub's blog,

I've adapted some of her recipes on here,

it sounded like fun,

so I did.

Doors opened for seating at 5PM.

We arrived at 5:06 and the line was already down the street.

It was crazy, people, crazy.

As we finally were able to walk in,

we were told that the number on our ticket was our

signing number:

I looked at my number and was pretty happy about it.

Then I overheard someone say that their signing number was 1000...

and then I was REALLY happy about it.

Are you kidding me???

So, after a short presentation about how she began blogging,

and really all kinds of funny things

(she IS really funny)

I stood in line,

had my book signed,

had my picture taken,

and made my way out.

So, my first book signing was hit.

Thank you, Ms. Drummond.

And thank you for bringing your life to a halt

to get me that ticket, Sister.

AND thank you to everyone who rode with me for choosing

Chick-Fil-A for dinner.

A grand evening indeed.

September: The Help

Last night was Book Club.

I've been a part of my book club for almost three years now.

It has evolved so much over the last three years; 

when we started, about half of us had kids or were pregnant, and we even had one who wasn't married.

Everyone is now married;

over a dozen babies have been born; 

we've taken each other dinners on numerous occasions for numerous reasons; 

we've agreed on things; 

we've disagreed on things; 

we've attended weddings together;

we've attended funerals together;

we've laughed and cried together... a lot.

We've lived life together.

And it's only been three years.

But these girls will be a part of my life as long as I have life.

This month's book was "The Help", by Kathryn Stockett.

And the really important part...

There were two who had read the entire book, four still reading, and two of us had seen the movie (which is currently playing in theaters) and we were missing four people.

I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago and am still reading through the book.  

They seem to parallel each other pretty well for the most part from what I've read through.

I can usually get through a book pretty quickly, but this has been a little harder for me only because it's written in the Southern accent and it takes me a few chapters to get myself back in that place once I begin reading again.

I'm still in the first half of the book, so not too much of the plot has really taken place, however since I've seen the movie I already know what happens... so I'll talk about that.

I LOVED this movie.

There were moments that I felt so overwhelmed by emotion, I could not keep the tears from streaming down my face. There were moments that were SO funny, I busted out in laughter.

I love stories that emphasize love in ways that you don't often imagine.

The message throughout the movie was one of loving your enemy and having courage to do the right thing allowing truth to set you free.

It's just so good.

I definitely recommend this book/movie.

Oh yeah, and I tried Brussel Sprouts for the first time and I recommend those, too.