WFD: Baked Pizza Chicken

A twist on chicken parmesan, this is a favorite comfort food recipe of mine.

Ingredients 

• 2-3 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 2 tabelspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup Prego veggie smart pizza sauce
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp oregano 
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp parsley
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• optional (remember, we like it spicy)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix bread crumbs w/ seasoning mixture.
3. Spray chicken breasts with olive oil mister (or coat with 1/2 tblspn and use brush to spread).
4. Season chicken breasts as desired (I used oregano and garlic powder).
5. Dip chicken breasts into breadcrumbs until coated.
6. Fry chicken on the stove with olive oil (use mister to coat or 1 tblspn) 2-3 minutes each side.
7. Put chicken breasts into baking pan and top with shredded mozzarella.
8. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
9. Remove from oven and top with Prego pizza sauce and a dash of oregano.
10. Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until juices run clear / chicken reaches internal temp of 165.

Attention Photogs, Momtogs, and Collectors of All Things Old: A Contest!

Time to dust off those old photos! Want to win an iPad 3 or one of 15 fantastic scanning packages? "Like" FotoBridge on Facebook, and then upload your picture to enter their Foto Flashback contest.

The funnier and more unusual the picture, the better! Entries will be accepted until June 22nd. So upload those old pics, then ask your friends and family to vote for your photo. All individuals who enter will receive a 15% off coupon toward FotoBridge services.

http://www.facebook.com/FotoBridge/app_317560558322868

The Downside of Trying to Concieve: A Top Ten List

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive or maintain a pregnancy within a certain period of time. For couples under the age of 35, infertility is diagnosed when they fail to conceive after 1 year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. In addition, couples who are able to conceive but experience repeat miscarriages may also be considered having infertility. If she is over 35 years old, it is diagnosed after 6 months of unprotected, well-timed intercourse.*

According to this definition, I've now been faced with infertility issues twice in my life. It took me and my husband a little over a year to conceive Abbey. Now we find ourselves trying for number 2, and facing similar circumstances.

I'm usually very private about this issue; I don't like to put our "private" matters out there, ya know. (I could make a joke about being a good Catholic girl, but I won't.) However, over the past few years I've been quite blessed with a very unique support group, and they've given me the voice to talk about it, and the courage to find the humor in my situation. In my humblest of opinions, humor is the best ally a girl can having when facing issues trying to conceive. I just wish I had realized that sooner! And so with that, I present to you The Downside of Trying to Conceive: A Top Ten List.

10. Listening to helpful advice about "not trying" or "just relaxing".  (As if I could ever really relax.)

9. Practically speaking in code. AF, BBT, 2WW, EWCM... you know what all of these things mean. And honestly, you wish you didn't.

8. Pregnancy symptoms mirror PMS symptoms, and your brain has the power to create symptoms all on it's own. This is truly an evil side-effect of ttc.

7. Peeing on sticks. And peeing on sticks. And peeing on sticks.

6. Charting. And Temping. And that damn thermometer beeping at you every morning.

5. Stalking the calendar. (Is it time to pee on a stick yet!?)

4. Hearing, and politely digesting with a smile on your face, such wisdom as "god's timing is perfect!" or "everything happens for a  reason!"

3. EVERYONE around you is suddenly pregnant. Even the neighbor's daughter's friend who swore she was done after number 5.

2. Sex suddenly becomes more regimented than your job.

1. Realizing you just peed on your last stick. At Midnight. And it's negative, again.

And as a bonus:

A chicken and the egg scenario... Sore boobs. If they're sore, I must be pregnant! Right? Or are they  sore because I keep pushing on them to see if they're sore? Discuss. Or, rather, let's not.


*From the Center for Human Reproduction; New York.

Memorial Day and Beyond

Memorial Day weekend was... a lot of things. My emotions got the best of me at our local parade, watching Abbey as she waved at soldiers who fought in wars she'll only read about in History class. Soldiers who fought in wars I've only read about in History class.

My own Grandfather served in Asia during WWII. My husband's Grandfather served as well, and it's just so incredibly humbling to think that without them, we may not even be here today, let alone living in a a time and place where our greatest worries include a failing Facebook ipo.

Very humbling indeed.

So we gave thanks this weekend, and honored those men and women who served yesterday, today and will serve tomorrow too. Long after the hot dogs have been consumed and the beer keg emptied, they will continue to make sure we live life among the free.

Now we look ahead to the next big summer event. No, not Independence Day -  but that's a good one too. No, here at the Chaos home, we're already gearing up for the 2012 Summer Olympics! For me that means following swimming, gymnastics and sailing. For the hubby, it means just 4 more years until GOLF becomes an official Olympic sport (again).

What is YOUR favorite Olympic sport?

WFD: Garbage Steak

Every Wednesday we receive a box of yummy, organic goodies from a great company called Door to Door Organics here in Michigan. (They also serve several other states.) Door to Door takes all of the guesswork out of eating healthy for our family.

Each week I get a box full of all-natural, fresh fruits and vegetables delivered right to my door. All for less than what I'd pay at the supermarket finding barely fresh, picked-over items! This week we even got a coloring page for Abbey to showcase her talents on. It's always a treat finding out what's in store for us from Door to Door!

By the following Tuesday, it's always fun to see what I can throw together using what's left of that week's veggies. Here's what I came up with this week, using potatoes, onion and a cheap cut of steak I had frozen.

 

Garbage Steak

 

Ingredients 

• 3-4 medium potatoes, halved and cut into slices 
• we used a mix of yukon gold and red potatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
• 1 small onion, sliced thin 
• 2 tablespoons Safflower oil, divided
• extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil would work as well

• Steak Sauce for dipping

Directions

1. Place sliced potatoes in skillet with enough water to cover (about 1/2 cup) and add salt.
2. Cook covered on high for about ten minutes.
3. Drain water and add 1 tblspn of oil, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
4. Stir-fry over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.
5. Season beef with pepper and garlic powder. 
6. In a large skillet, stir-fry beef 1 tblspn oil for 5-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. 
7. Add beef to potatoes & onion - serve over rice or with garlic bread & salad. 

What's For Dinner: Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

I found this awesome recipe on Real Mom Kitchen's blog, and modified it to meet our needs. We like things a little spicy in the Chaos home. The original recipe can be found here.

(Spicy) Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 small can of green chilies
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• Flour tortillas
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased baking dish.
2. Combine oil and seasonings in small bowl.
3. Drizzle the seasoning mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Add chillies, onions and peppers to the dish and stir to combine, add more seasoning as desired.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

WBW: Down on the Farm

This week Bear found himself becoming one with nature. This beautiful piece of land in Mid-Michigan belongs to my awesome sister and brother in-law. They were kind enough to host us for lunch and fun at the farm last Saturday. Now, I'm a city (okay, suburbs) girl at heart; I've never not lived within 5 minutes of a Starbucks. But there really is something so incredibly peaceful about being there on the farm. Instead of traffic, they hear roosters and pheasants. I could get used to that.

Abbey and Bear had fun meeting the hens and the rooster. There's nothing funnier than a toddler cock-a-doodle-doo'ing.

Now if I only knew how to keep her entertained on the 2 hour car drive!