Greek-inspired Crock Pot Chicken and a whole lotta other stuff you can call "food for thought"

Trying to keep things interesting (food wise, you sickos!) on a budget, with a family of 6, isn't all that easy. Recently I participated in a "pantry challenge" for 30 days where all I could use to create three meals a day were the items already in my pantry, freezer and 'fridge, with the exception of perishable that needed to be purchased like veggies and meats as needed. It became more like a pantry raid and each meal - especially dinner - became something along the lines of an episode of Chopped. Well, Chopped minus items like gummy brains and lamb fries but with the added challenges of screaming toddlers, bat-sh!t crazy cats and dogs and a cranky teenager congregating in the kitchen while you try to work.

Come to think of it, that would be an AWESOME episode idea. I'd love to see seasoned chefs do what we SAH-ers do every night!

I digress. The challenge had me looking at two things very differently: 1. The amount of processed food I had in my stores that had a shelf-life of "yes, it's good for eternity" and 2. The lack of want in this house. In both cases we are very blessed because we had enough in the pantry to last us the entire month of January. I also gave myself a chance to really look at what I had put away and come up with new ideas to re-purpose a lot of what I had and to research idea on how to recreate many of the packaged spice mixes, pastas, etc. to save money and cut out a lot of the preservatives. I HIGHLY recommend doing a similar challenge of you can. Involved a group of friends - you'll be amazed at what group-think can do when it comes to dinner!

Now, let me be serious here. Before you all start to think I am one of "those" people who is a no-preservative-processed food-refined flour and sugar-nutbag I need to say this: I'm not. I am NOT about to start making my own cranberry juice. Sometimes you just HAVE to have the Kraft Mac & Cheese with all its delicious yellow cheesiness and Spongebob shapes. There are times when you NEED MSG in your life. That being said, all things in moderation, right? If I can avoid MSG and its ilk in every meal than the occasional indulgence makes me feel less Mom-guilt. I am all about lessening the Mom-guilt as I am kind of an expert in heaping it on myself.

So, back to making things interesting. We eat a LOT of chicken here. Like, I buy two of the big bags of BJ's frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (BSCB's) every three weeks. I don't know about you, but BSCB's lack a lot of things besides bones and skin... like flavor and moisture. I also don't have a lot of time to get crazy in the kitchen without running the risk of injury to myself or others so I am trying to become besties with my crockpot. Creativity is a must. So I have made my own taco seasoning and used it on the BSCB's and on fish sticks for tacos (another post for another time) and today I decided to try my hand at creating something more along the lines of a Greek-style chicken in the crockpot for dinner tonight. You never know how things are going to turn out at Casa de Stewart and, thankfully, we have had only a few missteps. I am equally thankful for the fact that I have some very adventurous eaters in my family!

The kitchen right now smells amazing and the sauce I created for the chicken tastes pretty darn delicious. Here is what I am looking at and I can't wait for dinner:

I built a batch of dry seasoning and put it in a shaker for the future, as an FYI, because I happened to have the herbs here in the kitchen already. So, here is my recipe for "Greek-inspired Crock Pot Chicken." I will be serving this with hummus, pita, crumbled feta, chopped romaine and Roma tomatoes to let la familia make their own salad or wraps (the toddlers are very fond of wraps and dipping sauces). Let me know if you decide to try it for yourself, how you liked it and if you made any changes.

Dried seasoning: 

2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp EACH garlic powder and onion powder
2 tsp EACH ground black pepper, dried parsley and smoked paprika
1 tsp EACH iodized salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and thyme

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Makes about 1/2 cup of seasoning

Greek-inspired Crock Pot Chicken:

3 large BSCB's, cubed (not too small, this is going into the crockpot and you don't want it to fall apart completely)
1/3 c. dried seasoning
1 1/2 c. chicken stock (homemade, boxed or a tub of the Knorr chicken stock mixed with 1 1/2 c. water)
1 lemon zested and juiced

Cut up chicken and place in a bowl. Toss with dried seasoning and set aside. Mix together stock, zest and lemon juice in crockpot. Add chicken coated in spice mix. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours or until cooked through if your crock runs hot like mine does.

Serve warm or cold with your choice of sides. Rice, quinoa, pita, etc. Make it fun. As I  mentioned before, we will be having ours with thick pitas warmed in the oven and topped with hummus (store bought this time), tomatoes, feta and romaine lettuce.

Enjoy - I know we will be!!

-- TAM

sim·pli·fy (/ˈsimpləˌfī/)

verb: 1. Make (something) simpler or easier to do or understand. 2. Clarify

New Year’s Eve. It’s when people think about a clean slate, making changes and making the start of a new year great. It has occurred to me that I need to look at things differently and simplify. 2013 has not been a great one, although it certainly has been one for the books. The most poignant event of the year occurred early in 2013; on January 9^th, around 12 noon, in a hospital room filled with machines, lights, doctors, nurses, family and a bed. Mom’s final resting place, if you will. The moment her soul became free and unburdened and healthy again… well, she was no longer with us. 2013 was off to a rough start and not with a BANG but with a quiet whisper and a whirring of mechanics.

Mom being gone has literally been a year-long process of saying goodbye. It’s been a year of feeling like something has been forgotten – similar to the feeling you get when you walk into a room and think, “why did I come in here again?” Twelve months of sorrow, guilt, apologies, promises kept, promises broken, promises unspoken, grief, prayers, anger and silence. The silence is the most difficult, I believe. The silence is the absence of Mom telling us to knock it off and start living again. If it is true that our loved ones periodically check in on us… Mom is really annoyed. So it’s an angry silence, I can tell.

Now see what just happened there? This was supposed to be about simplifying and making 2014 different from 2013. That was my intention and I’ve hijacked myself with the singular defining moment of 2013, losing my momentum and my point – as have all amazing moment of the past year been lost to that one moment in time back in January. I’m scattered. I’m rambling. I’m losing focus. I’m complicating things. I need to simplify and get back on track. That is my goal for 2014. To simplify. To clarify. Even to exemplify.

Last night I had myself a wake-up call of sorts. As a mother of 4 in a family of 6, I find myself pulled in a million different directions at all times. While it all gets done NOTHING gets done well. For a Type A personality such as myself this is very stressful and distracting. After a full day of trying to fend off the three toddlers (Yes, we have 3 under age 3 here – twins and “the new guy” who will soon be 3, 3, and 2 in the next few weeks), figure out why the 13 year old hates us, pay the bills, manage the household budget and plan out lunches and dinner I found myself having blurry vision, a splitting headache on one side of my head, heavy limbs and slurred speech. All of these symptoms presenting within the same half hour led my husband and I to think that heading to the local walk-in medical center would be prudent. Fast forward and I’m in an ambulance (staffed by some rather attractive firemen and paramedics – Cranston FD: you’re doing it right!!) on my way to Rhode Island Hospital for a stroke evaluation. Long story short – TOO LATE – it was not a stroke but something called a “complex migraine” which can mimic a stroke. Even my migraines are complex, I thought – why can’t anything be simple? Simple. Hm.

When I woke up this morning the first thing that I thought of was that I needed to simplify. I needed to make things plain, ease the clutter, make life easier. When I went to take a shower I caught sight of my make-up bag and it came to me that for many of us – including myself – our lives are akin to our make-up bags, purses, wallets, medicine cabinets. Forget the eyes; THESE are the windows to our souls!

Mine are a mess. Full of old things, half used things, useless things that seemed like a good idea at the time, things I love but can’t give up yet, things that are really bad for me if I keep using them and things I don’t need but hold on to “just in case” and so they take up too much space. Even the stuff I do need is in such disarray that I don’t take the time to find it and appreciate it. How many of us have all of this and more in our lives beyond the medicine cabinet? How many of us have feelings, people, relationships, burdens, angers, sadness that do us no good but we can’t seem to sift through or get rid of them to see the good stuff we DO have with us? For me, simplification started with tossing out the old mascara and totally not needed pregnancy tests and ended with the following list of things that I am pledging to do this year to simplify. It’s a work in progress, as I am a work in progress, but it’s a start. I am sharing this in the hope that some of you will join me but also that it helps you to know that someone else is struggling with “life clutter” and the realities that come with is. In 2014 I will:

§  Stop hating my body for what it isn’t and start appreciating it for what it is.

o   This means that I need to also appreciate what it CAN do as opposed to what it CAN’T. So I don’t look like a super model? I can still carry three babies when they need me, remember that 11^th grade algebra when homework puts me on the spot, sing a silly song or cook a damn good meal. I am choosing to make my mind up and create a home with my full self and not build a chopping block for my self-esteem.

§  Clean out my closets

o   ALL of them. No more feeling bad about myself when I try something on that just doesn’t look right on me anymore. This goes for shoes and **gasp** purses. I have to be honest with myself: I’m 36 and the mother of four. I DON’T need or have time for strappy stilettos. My husband may disagree… However, should I bring this stuff to my church there will be some very well dressed sisters out there and who knows? Maybe one of those dresses I have been holding on to (because they remind me of my time as a woman with a paycheck career as opposed to my new PLAYcheck career) may give someone the confidence to nail that job interview they landed after being out of work for months and months. Karma out, karma in, right?

§  Evaluate and eliminate.

o   I have been working on this for a while. I really need to be better at it. I also need to apply this to not just items but RELATIONSHIPS. Is this person making me better at being a mother, friend, woman, person? Is this relationship keeping me from the thing that are important to ME? Am I just fueling a toxic situation by trying to be nice and keep the peace? As a Christian, this one of the harder ones for me. I mean, we are all supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves, right? Well, I would like to think that even Jesus realized that sometime people just aren’t able or willing to accept that love and so we need to take it someplace else because it’s not doing anything positive for us and our spiritual health. To sum up: Jesus loves you but I kind of think you suck and I’m just going to move on with my life. It’s not me – it’s you.

§  Take time out to play.

o   These little weirdos aren’t getting any younger. Soon they will be looking at me with the same level of distain my stepson does (the 13 year old). Or maybe not? Simple play with a car, a song or a dance could make all the difference in the angst they are sure the feel when puberty hits. Maybe if I can teach them now that there is nothing more important that being happy with one another and that being silly is a good thing I can keep at bay the sadness lurking on the horizon. Even if that isn’t possible at least I can teach them that living in the moment is a beautiful thing. This also means taking time for myself. I need to write more. I need to play in the kitchen more. I KNOW I need to laugh more.

§  Take time to BE in church, not simply GO.

o   Maybe it’s not church for you. Maybe it’s the local nature preserve or temple or Taze group. For me, it’s most certainly church. No more feeling guilty for leaving the Thee Amigos in the church nursery. I need to remind myself that it’s OK and they won’t think I have abandoned them. I need to center myself spiritually and ground myself so that I can be clear headed and light of heart throughout the week. All of this will lead to me being a better person which = better Mami = better Wife = happier Family

§  Follow the Sun and listen to the animals – they know what they are doing.

o   My BFF Jenn and I like to watch horror films and one thing we always say when we see all of the dogs/cats/forest creatures running away or going BANANAS is “ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE ANIMALS!!!” Notice how very rarely bad things happen in the daylight with these films? Hmmm – interesting.  I digress. New attitude: if it’s not done by sundown, it’s not getting done until sunup. My evenings need to be about winding down, resting and enjoying the events of the day. What they don’t need to be is about the ten baskets of laundry to be folded (matched by the 10 in the basement to be washed), the floor that needs to be vacuumed, the shelves that need dusting. We have three dogs and three cats. The dogs spend their nights (and yes, most of their days) napping and they seem so much nicer than the cats who are nocturnal. No offense to cat people, but I think we can all see where I am going with this.

This is how I am going to simplify. I also simplified my list; 6 is a good number and it’s manageable (hey, my family has six and I’m hanging in there so far!). What are your plans for the new year? I’d love to know and see if I can incorporate them into my new plan.

So, here is to a better 2014 with a focus on what we have and not what could have been.

With many blessings from my family to yours,

TAM

A little March Madness, A little Clean Livin'

Looking back I see that October was my first - and last - posting. Seems like an understatement to say that life has been really hectic and many changes have been made in the Stewart Six's world. 

On January 9th 2013 my mom passed away after a long battle with an autoimmune disease called scleroderma. There seem to be so many people I know who have Lupus, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, food allergies, etc. Not being a scientist I don't know if there is any kind of a link but I started thinking about food and its relationship to our over-all health. Is there the possibility that something we are ingesting is causing our bodies to revolt? I don't believe that preservatives, GMO's, artificial sweeteners or other additives CAUSED my mother to have an autoimmune disease but I can't help but wonder if those things may have exacerbated it or hurried it along. 

Recently I posted on Facebook that the more reading I do about nutrition the more I feel like I need to start eliminating a lot of the processed food we have in the house, for my health as well as the kiddos. Now, this isn't to say that eating processed food is a bad thing. Hell if it weren't for Devil Dogs, Ramen noodles, bad takeout and strong coffee I never would have graduated college! That being said, I can't help but feel guilty giving the twinados and the new guy chicken nuggets (the box says all natural but I have a feeling that the chicken didn't NATURALLY appear from the sky in cool dinosaur shapes... but I could be wrong) at lunch time. The guilt. Oh the guilt. It's a freaking cycle. Example:

*looks in fridge* 

Hmmm. 

All Natural Dino Nuggets or Turkey dogs.

Maybe grilled cheese?

I really should be making something more wholesome but DEAR GOD, how am I going to manage that with the *ample* amount of free time I have... but if I don't make the time am I putting their health in jeopardy... but how do I find the time to make clean foods without sacrificing time with them... But I'm a SAHM, I *should* be able to do this because if I can't then I am a super-mom-FAIL... But I have three toddlers and a super-angsty 'tween... But I need to do this for them...


*cooks up nuggets AND hotdogs and eats them, too*


And so begins the mother's-guilt-cycle. In the Guilt Olympics I have medaled in Culpability Cycling and Marathon Mental Self-Flaggilation. I am THAT good at this. 

It is very clear that this is going to have to happen in steps as I start out making the time to cook more "clean" and to reduce the "OMGit's4pmthekidsarescreamingthedogsaremoochingweareoutofnewDoraTheExplorerepisodesontheDVRandIhavenoideawhattodofordinner" stress. 

First step was to plan out the month's meals. HELLA BIG CHECKMARK!

A major part of this step and meal plan is to shop weekly on Saturday mornings for the week's meals. Monday is "baking day" where I will be baking the week's bread and treats. My stand mixer and my crock pot are about to become my new best friends. If I am feeling crazy the food processor will make an appearance. The Dutch Oven and I have agreed we needed to take a break. We are seeing other cooking vessels. 

Next step is to stick to it and write about what worked and what didn't. This is the accountability portion of our program. I am hopeful that the reduced stress will allow for more free time to work this last step out. 

Keeps your eyes peeled for updates. Comment often and let me know: Are you a meal planner? Has it worked out for you? What are some of your favorite go-to recipes?

March Madness, the Stewarts are ready!!

XOXOX -

TAM

Tuesday is really a Monday when there is a holiday at the start of the week. And OH! Did we have a case of the Mondays.

09-October-2012's offering is from www.marthastewart.com and yields 6 large servings:

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Olive-oil, cooking spray
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
3. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.
4. Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.

*****

Nothing like a Monday-feeling to make dinner time extra interesting. Monday's tend to be easier days for us because there is only one activity in the morning for one twin and none in the evening - leaving me plenty of time to figure out dinner and make it. Only a few problems with yesterday:

1. Oops. It's Tuesday.

2. That means swim lessons for the other twin at 10am. Swim lessons for the 12 yr old at 5pm.

3. Every last baby in this house has refused a nap. Morning or afternoon.

4. Hubby has a man-cold.

3. It's now 3pm and I have no plan. Crap.

Naturally this is a perfect time to look up a new recipe and run to the store for those items I don't have. I am a genius.

So, remembering the twinadoes are mac & cheese aficionados (AND extremely sleep deprived and hungry at this point) I decide to look online for a good M&C recipe that is kiddie approved. Instead, I happen upon M&C made with butternut squash and ricotta cheese. I wasn't totally sold but the picture sure looked good:

So, it looked like the M&C the wee ones are used to (due to the orange squash) AND it has the added benefit of hidden veggies. Seemed to me that we couldn't go wrong here. Plus there was cayenne pepper for a kick. I like kicking things: balls, people who annoy me, etc. My cooking style isn't much different. Didn't seem too difficult, either, so I figured that this was dinner tonight! So, here is a rundown of how the meal prep went and how it was received:

3pm: realize you are missing ground nutmeg, shredded sharp cheddar,  breadcrumbs and all-spice (for tomorrow's meal). Announce to Hubby (with man-cold) you are leaving for the store. Wave happily to the 3 screaming babies with runny noses. Nod to 12 yr old as he comes home from school and toss a "do your homework!" over your shoulder as you bolt for the door. 

3:05p: stand in Shaw's produce isle trying desperately to remember what it was that you needed because you forgot the list at home. Pull up recipe on iPhone. ("Why did I need all-spice, again?")

3:55p: smile (growl?) at the sweet checkout lady while she rings up your purchase. Blame your supermarket ADD because you have more than you came in for. Ugh. 

4pm: Pull up to house and, from the street, hear screaming coming from inside. Rush in with your  bags  because you think someone is on fire. Realize that Hubby is missing (had to take a work call and moved upstairs to do so), the babies are screaming because Barney is no longer playing on TV and the poor 12 yr old is trying to entertain the 7 month old who is crying for a bottle. 

4:01p: drop bags. Open baby gate for twins to come into the kitchen and "help." Mix up bottle for baby. As 12 yr old if he has all of his things for swim. Take baby so he can get his things. 

4:02p: stop twins from emptying bookcase in front room while quickly peeling and chopping squash and throwing in pot with other ingredients as directed. Distract twins with a fun whisk/saucepan song and dance number while filling another pot with water and setting it to boil for the macaroni. Almost forget to add salt, but remember! Oh, and you are still holding the baby.

4:05p: while pouring macaroni into pot of boiling water, break up twin fight over whisk and pan. Banish everyone under 3 feet tall to the living room. Run back into kitchen and pour milk into 2 sippy cups and return to the living room with them and the baby. Sit and feed the baby his bottle.

4:10p: Hear the timer for your squash. Put baby in his "ring of neglect" (aka jumperoo). Ask 12 yr old to keep an eye on things while you're in the kitchen. Turn Spongebob on TV. Run. 

4:11p: mash squash, drain macaroni, mix with other ingredients, spray pan, pour in M&C mixture, cover with foil, throw in oven, set timer, shout for 12 yr old to stop watching Dragonball Z because the twins are screaming due to Spongebob not being on anymore, notice you forgot to preheat oven. Pull dish out of cold oven, set to 375. Resume breaking up twin fight over tin lunchbox, finish feeding baby his bottle. 

4:30p: Suddenly remember turning the oven on. Run to toss dish into oven. Set timer for 20 minutes. Let dogs out, while reminding 12 yr old that he still needs to get his stuff together for swim. Take dogs outside to do their business. 

4:40p: text hubby (who is still upstairs) that he needs to come down NOW so you can take the 12 yr old to swim practice. Announce to 12 yr old that he needs to "GET YOUR STUFF FOR SWIM NOW OR YOU'RE NOT GOING!" Wave to Hubby as you sneak out of the door, hoping the little dictators don't notice your exit. 

4:50p: Drop 12 yr old off at the Y. Tell him you'll meet him outside at 6p and that you love him. Drive off. 

5:00p: arrive home. Hear screaming from inside again before you have even gotten out of your car. Make plans to run away from home. Snap back to reality and man up, go inside and make it work.

5:01p: pull foil off of baking dish, return to oven and reset timer for 30 more minutes. Realize that the poor kiddos are so nutty because they are hungry. Throw Easy Mac in microwave for 3:30 and then cook 2 hotdogs for :45. Clear off table and set for little hands. Collect twins and "wash, wash, wash" their hands. Wipe boogers. Ask Hubby to help with feeding time. 

5:15p: Set delicious prepared food in front of twins. Watch them eat the heck out of it while you feed the baby his apple sauce and oatmeal medley. 

5:40p: Wrap up dinner with the babies. Give chocolate milk for dessert and win toddler award for Mother of the Year! Check on M&C in the oven, see it is getting brown on top and bubbling. Good. Smile. 

5:45p: Tell Hubby *HE* is giving the babies a bath. Hand him the baby. Run to get the 12 yr old from practice.

6:00p: Pick up boy. Text Hubby to please turn off oven. 

6:10p: Pull up to house. No screaming this time. Get txt from Hubby that he needs towels, diapers and diaper cream. Go into house, pull out M&C from oven. Grab twins and head upstairs to put on pj's while Hubby bathes the baby. Begin bedtime routine. 

7:00p: sit down to M&C with butternut squash. Decide that it's a little dry but good and make plans to do it again, maybe with bacon. The 12 yr old has no idea there was squash in it and the Hubby commented that he liked the sweetness of it. I thought it was delicious and the topping was perfect. 

***

Wow. I am tired just reading that. Anyway - The twins got a chance to try the M&C this afternoon for lunch. At first they seemed to like it:

 Interest waned quickly:

I blame 1yr old attention spans and not the taste of the meal itself. 

All in all this got a big ole HUZZAH! from the Stewarts and we are planning on entering this into our regular rotation with the aforementioned bacon. Enjoy and let us know what you think of it, too!

Yours, 

TAM