My go-to meal

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NatureRaised Farms, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SCNRF  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

With Noel being in law school, 3 little boys, church callings, and all other responsibilities that come with daily life, dinner is always the last thing that comes to my mind.  

I don't have a ton of time to prep meals, but don't want my boys eating garbage every night. Because of this, I try and come up with simple meals that the boys will enjoy and that will help them stay healthy and grow up strong ("vegetables give you big muscles, boys!!")  Also, we're trying to work on sports scholarships for the future...so there's that. ;)

I always have the ingredients in my pantry for my mom's chicken casserole.  It's easy (I know the recipe by heart), it's simple (few ingredients and usually ones that you already have), and it's filling (chicken and vegetables...oh yeah!).

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of NatureRaised Farms® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Portions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can of evaporated milk
1 can of garden peas (drain)
1 stick margarine or butter
1 box of cornbread stove top stuffing

Instructions:

Spread cooked chicken in dish. Mix cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, and garden peas. Pour mixture over chicken. Melt butter and mix in stove top stuffing. Spread on top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.


And that's that! This is also a really great meal to take to people in a disposable casserole dish.

Sam's Club offers NatureRaised Farms® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Portions in their freezer section. I really like this chicken because it's so easy to quickly take out to thaw or to throw in the slow cooker. It's also 100% natural* and has no antibiotics, hormones, or steroids**. So I know what me and my family are actually eating!

Life gets busy, and that's why it's so important to sit down with loved ones at the end of the day. Studies show that eating meals together builds stronger families...and that's my goal!  I don't have time in this stage of my life to make gourmet meals, but recipes like this limit my time in the kitchen and maximize my time with family! 

*No artificial ingredients, minimally processed

**Federal regulations prohibit the use of added hormones or steroids in chicken

Friends

I've seen all the episodes of Friends in random order, but I've never watched them starting with the 1st episode.  I recently did that (thank you, Netflix for making that available in January...perfect timing with a newborn!!), and I noticed a few things I've never noticed before.  I want to sit down with a bunch of Friends enthusiasts and have a long conversation.  Let me know if you're available to do that.

*My favorite season by far is Season 5.  Episode 1 starts with the aftermath of Ross saying Rachel's name at the wedding and ends with the episode in Vegas.

*I love seasons 6-10, of course, but I could definitely tell that that's when they became famous.  Things changed a little bit.  Rachel went from wearing pjs and her hair up like this

to wearing her hair and outfits like this

Super cute, of course, and yes she started working at Ralph Lauren...but I never noticed a moment after season 5 where the actors' hair wasn't done or when they wore a super casual outfit.

*I really love the mismatched colors and designs of the kitchen chairs in Monica's apartment.  I'd like to do something kinda like that one day.  But it probably will never happen because my brain is too Pottery Barn symmetrical.

*All the characters had great moments, but the BEST moments were with Ross.

     -Pivot!!

     -Tanning Bed

     -Jurassic "parka"

     -The routine

     -Fist pump together (and elbows) in place of the finger...hah!

     -Sandwich drama

     -Leather Pants

*Each episode featured a different character in the earlier seasons.  After season 6, the plot shifted to focus mainly on Rachel's character.  I missed a lot of Monica's spunky personality towards the end.

*I find myself to be a little...."Monica".

*I actually wish Rachel ended up with Joey.  I never thought that before watching it all the way through.  They were so good together.

*I realllyyyy want a mug like the ones they used at the coffee house.  These polka dots need to be in my cabinet.

*And I seriously considered painting my pantry door purple and putting a gold frame on it.  Too much?

After finishing up the seasons, I watched interviews online with the cast, and read all the "Things you didn't know about Friends" articles I could find on Pinterest.  I knew them all, by the way.  

And yes...I'm slowly coming out of my obsession.  I don't need an intervention.

Talk to me about Friends!!!

Kindergarten Orientation

Top, Jeans, Shoes: Gap similar here, Bag

I wore this a few nights ago to kindergarten parent orientation.  Kindergarten!!!!  

Tears in the parking lot. Check.

Tears walking in the school. Check.

Tears rolling down my cheek hearing about the kindergarten curriculum. Check.

Whatever...I'm a mess.  

It was comforting, though, that the principal and kindergarten teachers were amazing.  There was a great feeling in the school, and I felt assured that my Charlie would be loved there.

The only thing that I thought Charlie needed to do was learn the Pledge of Allegiance...how could I forget that??!  I came home to tell him about it, and he put his hand over his heart and said, "I pledge allegiance...."  What??!  How can this kid be even more of a rockstar than I thought he was before?  (And a big thank you to his preschool teachers for doing the pledge everyday...a detail I somehow missed!)

I'll officially be a school mom in a couple of months.  How did 5 years fly by so fast?!

Linking up with Shanna and The Pleated Poppy

Walker boy

The other day, Charlie and I were sitting on the couch while I was feeding Crew, and I noticed that Walker was being really quiet.  My first thought was how I was probably going to have to break out the Magic Erasers, or maybe clean up an experiment (he loves doing experiments upstairs, which I encourage... but sometimes things get a little messy).  

Instead, I found him fast asleep on his bathroom rug, looking just as cute and adorable as humanly possible.  That beautiful hair!!  I brush it for so long every night after his bath.

My Walker boy is going to make a great leader one day, I'm sure of it.  Recently, at a birthday party, the other kids ate a bite and then left the table to go play.  Walker stayed and finished all of his food.  He was hungry so he ate (!) and wasn't persuaded to go play just because everyone else was.  When he gets tired, he finds a spot to sleep!, even if things are going on in other places. 

His teacher (he has THE best teachers and I love how they give me a glimpse into his time at preschool) told me that Walker is going to be the President's Chief of Staff one day...keeping everything and everyone in line.  I believe it...and I hope he never loses that quality. Love that feisty Walker boy of mine.

1 outfit, 2 ways

Boots: c/o Rack Room Shoes, Favorite jeans of all time: Old Navy, Top: Old Navy

I do love a good chambray/jean combo.  So many ways to wear it....dress it up, dress it down....accessorize, don't accessorize.  I wear this combo often, and had a great time this go around styling it with a pair of fun cowboy boots from Rack Room Shoes.  

Also, let's chat for a quick second about this lip color.  The only thing I liked about this past season of the Bachelor was the amazing lip colors I was seeing on all the girls.  The season was a snooze fest, for sure, and super funky, but the bright, bold lips!!!  I immediately talked to Hannah about it, and she sent me some fun color ideas to try (more on that later!)  

The color I'm wearing now is Exotic Orchid from Mary Kay.  Bright purple and so different from my normal pinks and reds...but so much fun.  The bolder, the better! :)

Linking up with Shanna and The Pleated Poppy

3 months of sweetness

The Crew man turned 3 months old yesterday.  When I tell you he's the most amazing baby in the entire world, I'm not exaggerating.  He really is.  He's also the chunkiest and squishiest baby, which makes him extra sweet.  I love how his entire face lights up and his mouth gets so wide when he smiles (toothless baby smiles are the absolute best.)

As I'm pulling out bigger clothes for him to wear- the onesie in this picture is 24 months (they do run small, but still!)- I realize how much I just want him to look like a baby for as long as possible.  No little mini man outfits or things like that...baby outfits!!  

Crew sleeps well (tender mercy, for sure!), he laughs at and "talks" to his big brothers, he loves his daddy but is a momma's boy, of course, and he came at the most perfect time....a time when I so desperately needed him.  

We love our Crew boo!

Book Exchange

Jeans, Top, Bag, Shoes-Target

Not that you can tell, or that it even matters, but I'm wearing perfume in this picture.  I haven't worn perfume in five years....five years!  Charlie's skin was too sensitive for it, and I haven't worn it since he was a tiny baby.  These pictures are super awkward (even more so than regular outfit pictures), because my neighbors were out and about.  It's weird trying to pose for the camera while trying to look like you aren't having someone take pictures of your outfit.

I was going out for a book exchange night, and it was a great evening.  If you're looking for an idea for a fun girls' night, do this! Everyone brought one of their favorite books, and after drawing numbers, each person took home a new book to read.  I brought this one.  

What book would you take to a book exchange night?!  I love adding new ones to my library queue. 

Linking up with Shanna and The Pleated Poppy