Recipe Tuesday-Black Bean Chicken Salad

Even though the temperatures here on the mountain have cooled a bit, it still can be too warm in the afternoon to put the stove on, so I have found some wonderful "put together ahead of time" recipes to keep me out of the kitchen during the heat of the day.

This recipe is especially easy because I made extra chicken last night and all I really had to prepare was the dressing and the pasta.

First the dressing, combine 1 1/2 C Chopped Cilantro with, 1/2 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese, 1/3 C Pine Nuts, 1/3 C Olive or Vegetable Oil, 1/4 C Heavy Cream, 1 t Lemon Zest, 1 T Lemon Juice, 1/8 t Cayenne Pepper, and 2 Clove Garlic, Minced.

Chop or shred 1 LB. of Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts and set aside.

Then prepare 6 oz. pasta of your choice according to package directions, I used Mini Rotini but we also like to use Bow Tie or Orecchiette.

Then rinse 1 15 oz. can of Black Beans and set aside.

Combine Pasta, Chicken, Beans and Dressing with 1 Large Tomato (1C), 1 t Chili Powder, and 1/4 t Garlic Salt.  Toss well and refrigerate until serving.

I waited to add the tomatoes to each individual plate and them topped each plate with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.  Absolute YUM!


This recipe is featured on Walking on Sunshine and Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party.

Manic Monday-Back on Track

Hello Friends!  Today was the day to get back on track.  Many of you know that I am on a decluttering journey and I am working to take my house back from the chaos of clutter.  Well, there have been many ups and downs on this road, but every accomplishment is a tiny victory. Monday's are very busy days because in addition to our regular morning routine, we have to collect every scrap of garbage and recycling and get it out to the curb before the trash men come to pick it up.  We never know when they might show up, it could be 8:30 am as easily as it could be 3:30 pm, which makes Monday mornings a furious, chaotic race against the clock.


Today was different.  I got up a bit earlier than usual and got my day off right. I have tried to this many times but it seems like every time I do, something always happens to muck up the works, the boys wake up earlier than me, someone is in the bathroom so I can't get started, I am up all night the night before...but this Monday it was like all the stars were aligned.

While the boys slept in, I prayed, read my bible, got dressed head to shoes and headed into the kitchen to clean out the fridge and start collecting the trash. It was brilliant!  It worked so well that once the boys got up, I changed diapers, did the potty run and got them breakfast complete with daily vitamins and allergy meds.  Then I got them dressed and into the family room to play, all like clockwork.  


Having a morning routine really works!  Now, here's to hoping that the rest of the week will flow as nicely!

Saturday-Family Fun Day-Fun, Free Kid Friendly Activities

Family on a budget?  Looking for fun things to do with your kids that cost little to no money?  Well, this is the post for you!  We are a family on a budget, a STRICT budget, and I am always looking for creative, inexpensive ways to keep my boys occupied and have fun doing it.

Did you know that Facebook has a page about finding free family fun time?  The page is called Make Everyday Count.  So far it has some interesting posts. I will continue to check it out.

I also found some great ideas on Familyfun.Go.com,  Crafts by Age

 and some wonderful Summertime Desserts.

 Been finding lots of great homemade craft materials too.  Like

homemade bathtub paint.  And

Homemade Edible Fingerpaint.


It is always great to visit your local library and check out your community calendar to see what great activities may be going on in your area.  Oftentimes, these community events are free.  Well, I hope this helps.  Please, leave a comment to let me know what you like to do with your children.  All input will be greatly appreciated.

Foodie Friends Friday-BBQ Pulled Chicken

It's Foodie Friends Friday again.  I am joining Lois from Walking on Sunshine again for her Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party # 4. 


This week I am entering my BBQ Pulled Chicken. Please be sure to check it out and don't forget to return on Sunday to vote.

Tech Thursday-Adding Pages To Your Blog

Well, here we are again, playing catch up.  Today's post is all about adding tabs or pages to your blog.  Pages can help a reader find posts on a particular subject.  I found some wonderful instruction on how to this from Karen on Sew Many Ways.  Love her blog, it is full of valuable information on much more than sewing. 

Although her pictures were a little different from what I am seeing, perhaps because I am using Firefox as my browser, the steps were quite easy once I got the hang of it.

My pages are currently under construction, as is this post, and I will continue to work on them in the coming days and weeks.  Let me know what you think.

Random Thoughts-Upcycling

I love this new word, Upcycling.  I think it's fantastic and I have been really inspired by seeking out images of things people have re-purposed.

Check out this vertical garden from Curious Robyn.  How many of us have had to stare at a less than perfect view in our lives?  What a great solution!

 I thought this one from Dishfunctional Designs was beautiful.  While

this one from Michelle Kaufmann.com was truly inspirational. And

this idea from The Greenbacks Gal.com is something I really would like to try.

I really love the idea of up-cycling.  It not only helps us do our part to help the environment but it also can stimulate our creative minds and help us to see things in a different way.  I bet many of us may already have the materials we need to create any one of these projects right at our fingertips without even having to get into the car.

OK readers, get out there and CREATE!  Again, I would like to thank Yahoo images for the loads of inspiration I have been getting lately.

Recipe Tuesday-BBQ Pulled Chicken

I have to say, this recipe was so easy and delicious, I will be using it with slight variations frequently.

I started with preparing the sauce.  Combine one 15 oz can of tomato sauce, one 4 oz can green chillies, 3T cider vinegar, 2T honey, 1T sweet or smoked paprika, 1T tomato paste, 1T Worcestershire sauce, 2t dry mustard (I used 2T honey mustard), 1t chili powder, and 1/2t salt in the bottom of your crock pot and stir well.

Then add 2 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs.

Then add 1 medium onion chopped and 1 clove garlic minced.

Stir well.  Cook on low until chicken can be pulled apart, in my case 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred with a fork.

Transfer sauce to blender or food processor and puree.

Then return shredded chicken and sauce to crock pot, stir well and heat on warm until ready to serve.

Absolutely YUMMY!

This recipe is featured on Walking on Sunshine and Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party.