I've Made a List . . ..

So, we are one month away from major back surgery on this guy, my husband.  Yes, he just went through hernia surgery - something that totally caught us off guard but it is done, he's healing, and everything else is on track.   With this is mind, I recently sat down and made a list that is, ironically, called "My List to do before Surgery" :-)  I'm trying to get some things done and checked off my list so that the time frame around the surgery can be less stressful AND I can have time to do  things I actually want to do (not cleaning HA)   My list currently contains 38 things.  I've already crossed one thing off - Our garage door opener is fixed.  The dad of the kids I babysit reset it for me today thanks to his wife who asked her dad how to fix it!  How great is that???  It's been months since the opener worked and just like that, it's done. Another item in the process of being crossed out is learning the fate of my piano.  The tech came out this past Wednesday and I learned that the mother board is damaged due to the small little (weird named) battery that corroded and leaked.  He took the board back to his shop and, if he can find some hairline trail of stuff on it and fix it, my piano will work again . . .if he can't, well then I have to start looking for a new piano! 

What else is on the list?  Things like cleaning out some cabinets, lots of planning from scrapbooking to homeschool things, prepping some freezer meals to use after surgery so we don't eat out every night, planning the budget for the next few months and more.  This list will hopefully get close to finished by the end of June because I know that July will be busy with recovering and taking care of the kids :-)

I guess this is my "June Goal" post!  Lots of misc things to get done!

Food Friday - Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry
adapted from Skinny Taste.com

I was looking for something new and simple to make for dinner one night and came across this recipe.  It really was just that, simple, and my husband loved it.  It came together fairly easy but I did end up with a lot of dirty dishes with this one for some odd reason!  


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium shoyu or soy sauce (or Tamari for GF)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil, divided
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Lightly season the chicken with salt. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and soy sauce. In a second small bowl combine the cornstarch and water and mix well to combine.


Heat a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat, when hot add 1 teaspoon of the oil, then add the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Increase the heat to high, then add 1 teaspoon of oil and half of the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside and repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. Set aside.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil and cook about 1-1/2 minutes. Add lemon juice and cornstarch mixture and stir well, when it simmers return the chicken and asparagus to the wok and mix well, remove from heat and serve.
 

Weekly Menu

It's June, well almost but it is close enough to say it is and this weeks menu crosses over into June.  That is just crazy.  Not much to add this week so I'll get right to the menu.  Now that my husbands stomach is doing better, I went through my recipe binders, cleaned them out and put everything back where it belongs.  As I was doing that I had an idea of creating a "Summer Cooking" binder which will hold the recipes we just use in the summer (or maybe I should say would not hold any recipes we DON'T use!)  It is something I could create this summer as I cook and then have on hand for next summer and years forward.  Just an idea in my head.  I also need to get working on those freezer meals - Freezer Jams count as freezer meals, right? :-) hahaha 

Friday - Tacos.  Plain, old fashioned tacos with all of the fixin's!

Saturday - Beef Drip Sandwiches, Chips and Mac and Cheese

Sunday - Now that the weather is warming up, I don't like leaving dinner in the oven during church - my kitchen gets so hot!  Grilling after church doesn't really work either since it takes so long to get food on the table.  So, what to do, what to do?  I'm leaning towards going to get burgers somewhere like Smashburger, or Red Robin.

Monday -BBQ Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad and Rolls

Tuesday - Brats, Beans, Potato Salad YUM! 

Wednesday - Breakfast!  I think I'll pull the Waffle Maker out and make homemade waffles with bacon and hashbrowns.


Thursday - Soccer is still happening so grabbing dinner after the game is our little "tradition".

A Summer Beverage

Recently I mentioned to my husband that, in this household, no one will ever, ever, EVER go thirsty.  It is possible we could run out of food but we will never lack for a beverage HA!  I think I spend 1/3 of my make believe grocery budget on things we drink.  Whether it be milk or water or Kool-aid "supplies" . . .we enjoy not being thirsty! 

With that said, I thought I would share a refreshing "mixed" drink that quenches my thirst after working up a sweat working outside.  If you have followed this blog for long, every summer I talk about refreshing drinks but so often they require more ingredients than I keep on hand and I like simple!

Just two simple ingredients!  Pick out the class of your choice and add some Ice (because everything is better when it is ICE cold!)  Fill your cup about 1/2 full with lemonade and then add Sprite Zero!  That's it!  To keep this drink as light as possible, I've found that the Minute Maid Light 15 is good plus it isn't quite as sour as with true lemonade which I have also used.    Another twist on this is to get Simply Limeade and mix it with Faygo Cream Soda - yummy! 

Precious Moments

I think I've mentioned a few times that my boys love Papa and Nana.  The night before Darryl's hernia surgery, my parents came over to stay the night.  First of all, I did not tell the boys they were coming so when my parents quietly walked into the house and my mom stood at the door of their room  . . . .and Josh saw her . . .well, to say there were shrieks of joy would be an understatement!  Once everyone settled down, we ate dinner, and let the boys stay up a little later they wanted Papa to read them bedtime stories.  I couldn't resist the photo opportunity!  It is just priceless, isn't it?  Once Story time was done, Darryl and I were kindly told that we could stay out in the living room - Papa and Nana would lay down and sing songs with them. 

I am beyond thankful that my boys have fabulous grandparents who love and adore them and, in return, those boys love and adore their grandparents!

I hope you all have a wonderful

 

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Happy Birthday to my fabulous mom who turns 70 years old today.  I figured, if you reach 70, you deserve to have it shouted from the mountain blog-tops!!  

My mom is one of those hands on moms.  She was at home with my brothers and I making sure we all made it on the bus . .. AFTER we made our beds HA!  We used to tease her because she would clean the house before we went on vacation (and I mean CLEAN) or before a big storm was coming because she didn't want burglars or tornadoes to hit if the house was dirty!  One of our favorite things to STILL do is to rearrange little things and see how long it takes for her to notice - one time, Darryl and I turned furniture backwards and hung pictures upside down just for fun!  Really, all of this shows what an extremely hard worker my mom is - she doesn't quit until the job gets done even if it almost kills her! 

My mom loves her grand-kids.  I've watched her through the years with all of them, especially when they were little, and she spoiled them as much as she was able (and trust me, I let her spoil my boys TONS).  She is a kind, caring, loving Nana.  Just recently we were driving away from Papa and Nana and Josh said it best when he yelled out the window, "Nana, I love you SOOOOOOO Much!" 

My mom WAS a great cook ;-) LOL  This is now a family joke because my mom doesn't (hardly) cook anymore.  For real.  You know how I joke and say I don't cook when the kids are gone - she says she doesn't cook when the kids are gone either (and it's true - she doesn't HA!)  Growing up though, she always had dinner cooking when we got home from school and made sure to make our favorites even if my dad was not a fan (which he never confessed until years later).  She does have a few great meals like BBQ ribs, Steak on the Grill, Burgers . . .oh wait, my dad cooks those :-) hehehehe  She really is a good cook but, again, at 70, I think you are allowed to quit cooking :-)

So, happy birthday Mom - we are glad we get to spend the day with you!