cooking up a storm.

hey there! hope your tuesday has been all you hoped for and more.  i don’t have a lot of time on my hands for rambling, but you know how i like to check in ;)

i want to share last night’s and tonight’s dinners!  now that i have my very own kitchen, i am fully embracing the situation.

last night i made one of the mister’s favorites: chicken broccoli casserole.

this is a simple casserole that requires little work and even less baking time, since you pre-cook each ingredient before combining them in the casserole dish. 

ingredients:

• 4 – (6 oz) chicken breasts, diced into 1” cubes
• 1 medium onion (color of your choice, i used yellow last night)
• 2.5 cups chopped broccoli
• 1.5 cups (volume when cooked) brown rice
• 1 can campbell’s healthy request cream of chicken soup
• 1 can campbell’s healthy request cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup 0% greek yogurt (i used oikos)
• 3/4 shredded cheese (i used monterey jack & mild cheddar)
• salt, pepper & TJs everyday seasoning blend (all to taste)

directions:

1. in a saute pan, combine brown chicken & onion and cook through.
2. steam broccoli.
3. cook rice.
4. combine cooked chicken, onions, broccoli, rice and remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. mix well.
5. pour mixture into casserole dish. sprinkle with cheese.
6. bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes (since all ingredients are already pretty warm from cooking them).

alternatively, you can make this ahead of time and keep the casserole dish in the fridge for up to 24 hours. you will need to bake it longer (maybe 35-40 minutes) in order for it to warm through.

prebaked:

postbaked:

closer…

douse with cholula and enjoy!

(photo is pre-dousing)

this makes 6 LARGE servings. nutrition info per serving:

ratio breakdown:

totally BFL friendly!

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last night marshall really wanted me to bake my chocolate chip cookies. you don’t have to twist my arm.. i LOVE to bake and, even better, i LOVE to bake with nice, new kitchen gadgets.. in my new kitchen.

i whipped up a batch of my chocolate chip cookies..

 

(that is our cute new dog treat jar from crate & barrel!)

i got to use my new baking sheets..

store my brown sugar in my new airtight container (from kristen’s mom!)

and cool the cookies on my new cooling racks!

YES.

 

i ate two. with almond milk.  in addition to mass amounts of cookie dough while baking.

hooray for my first batch of cookies in the new place!

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this morning i made an effort to wake up a bit early to throw things into the crock pot.. which ultimately led to a lot of saved time tonight when it was time to eat!

taco soup!

my favorite crock pot recipe! click here if you’d like the recipe/nutrition information.

the only change i made this time was i used ground beef (94% lean). and now i have a nice, fancy, new crock pot.. way better than my old dinky, dented one!

yum.

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i did insanity today after work.

the workout i did:

Cardio Power & Resistance:
Build lean muscle and upper-body definition with strength-training and insanity workout power moves.

[source.]

we don’t have a couch yet and we have a pretty large living room, so i had a lot of room to jump around. i figured i would take advantage of the situation before the couch comes next week.

i love this circuit because it uses a ton of body weight strength training moves, like V pushups and squat jumps.

i am toying with the idea of doing a full 60 days of insanity.  i never have, as i wasn’t able to complete it when i first purchased the DVDs due to not having a TV of my own.  now that i am able to do it.. i think i may commit. i will keep you posted.

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tonight we went to my sister’s house for cake & ice cream. it is my nephew’s 7th birthday! happy birthday, buddy.  we gave him a card and $7.  that is what i have started doing for my nieces and nephews.. just giving them a card and a dollar for each year they are old.  it is easier for me (both physically and financially) and i know it is super cool to get money when you are a kid. i will continue this tradition on for as long as i live.. or until i go broke ;)

i had a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. it is leftover from the wedding. everyone had to take leftover ice cream home from the wedding!

speaking of the wedding, i finally got to see my online proofs from the photographer, but am still waiting on the disc of photos.  i will be doing a wedding post sometime soon…

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after cake & ice cream, marshall & i came home and immediately took the dogs on a very long walk. almost a whole hour of walking and running. they loved it. i loved it. while we walked, i thought a lot about this post of holly’s.  it is a good read and i think everyone should check it out.

and then take a moment and unplug. technology is too present in my life.  well, i should say it was too present. i have made leaps and bounds and have backed off on the whole internet/social networking/blogging & blog reading thing ever since the wedding. life is meant for living, right? and that is what i am doing.

so go read holly’s post.. i have a little family to attend to ;)

night!

Qs~

1.  what is your favorite body weight strength training move? i love squat jumps and i also am a fan of the good old pushup!

2. what is your favorite casserole combo? i love casseroles. they are packed with flavor and so easy to throw together! i think my favorite one is my garbanzo bean bake.
xo. janetha g.