Deva by Definition

A Simple Recipe for Chicken and Noodles

As soon as the weather begins to get cold, The Boy and I start craving hot and home style meals. One of our favorites is chicken and noodles. It's warm, comforting, and delicious. Being easy to make, it stays in our meal rotation throughout the winter months. I love to serve it on blustery cold days in the dead of winter’s cold, but it is also perfect during those crisp and bright days in October, just after the leaves have begun to change.

This recipe is simple, and you can make it as soupy or noodle-filled as you would like. I like to add peas and carrots to mine, but you can add any vegetable you feel would be at home in a bowl of hot chicken soup. The recipe as written makes six servings, or four with leftovers.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
3 14-ounce cans of chicken broth
2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2-4 cups dry egg noodles
black pepper, to taste.

How-To:
1. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, combine your chicken, sliced carrots, garlic powder and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten to fifteen minutes, until the carrots are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add your noodles - up to 4 cups, depending on how soup-like you want your dish to be. Remember the noodles will absorb the broth as they cook, so ensure that all of the noodles you add are able to be submerged in the broth. Allow to simmer until the noodles are cooked through, approximately five to seven minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add pepper to taste. Serve hot with a side of buttered rolls or crusty Italian bread. This is fantastic on frigid days, or after an afternoon spent playing in the snow.

Enjoy!

It’s Been a Week Since Our Stove Died…

Ever since our stove decided to stop working in a spray of sparks, we’ve been having to get creative with our cooking and our meals. I’ve used our toaster oven more this week than I have all of last year, and our grill is seeing more action than it has since October.

I’ve discovered that a lot of our favorite meals can be made in the crock pot, and have already made a couple yummy soups. I was really impressed with how this potato soup recipe turned out. It was creamy, delicious, and rich. We added the bacon to our individual bowls of soup instead of to the crock, and I omitted the onions – but it was amazing!

I’ve also tried my hand at making some chicken and noodles using the crock pot, and ended up with some of the best chicken I’ve had in quite a while. It was tender and broke apart easily, and was juicy and full of flavor as well. Along with the noodles, we had a yummy, protein – dense dinner, and have leftovers to eat later this week.

Our microwave has also been getting quite the workout, with leftovers galore. There have been a few nights where we’ve enjoyed sandwiches or have gone out for dinner, but for the most part, we’ve been exercising our creativity by using the equipment we have. Tonight we enjoyed one of our favorite heat-and-eat meals: loaded baked potatoes – made in the microwave, and later this week we’ll be trying out recipes for jerk chicken and carnitas in the crock pot - two of my favorite meals!

Granted, I would love to enjoy some homemade, iced, sweet tea. I also want to bake a cake - which my toaster oven cannot handle. Maybe an Easy-Bake Oven-sized cake, but not a full-sized, layered, birthday cake. For now,though, I am glad to have the opportunity to exercise creativity in the kitchen, try out new recipes, and learn new ways to fix some of our favorite stand-bys. I really hope we get back in order soon, but until then, I'll keep doing what we have been doing, and trying new things. Maybe we'll find some new favorites and new stand-by meals while waiting for our oven to be repaired (or replaced). 

What is your favorite slow-cooker or microwave recipe?

Goal-Setting: February

It seems like it was two months ago when I set out to write my goals for January. Amazingly, it was not - January went by slowly, it seems, and now it's time to set out my goals for February. It's a short month (but this year we get that leap day), so my goals may seem small, but I hope they're relatively attainable.

Looking back on my January goals, I'd say I did well with them all. I stuck with my half marathon training plan, missing one run, and rearranging two. Housekeeping was kept up and our house has been kept at "company ready in thirty minutes" since the first weekend in the month. Reading the news once a day became WAY easier when I discovered Zite. Now, I'm moderately informed about what is going on in the world, locally, and in politics.

Goals for February have been hard to determine. Between running, house upkeep, and other things, it seems like I hardly have time to sit down, read a book, or plan things out! So, with that being said, my goals for February are:

Make time to relax. I've been pushing myself to the max the past month or so, and I'm finding at the end of the day, when all I want to do is curl up with The Boy and watch "Rome," that I am finding more and more little tasks to fill my time. When bedtime comes, I've barely had a chance to sit down and decompress. So in February, I am taking time out every night to sit down, read a book, watch TV, or see what is new on the internet.

Get A Library Card. I love to read. So much, in fact, that it doesn't surprise The Boy when I start a book and finish it just a few short hours later. What does surprise The Boy is that we've lived in our house for almost two months, and I still have yet to get a new library card. I'm quickly running out of books in my shelves to read and have made it my goal to get to the library this month, get a card, and check out a nice stack of books. I already can't wait to explore my new library.

Eat More Protein. I know that running for endurance, I need to keep my glycogen stores up, but I also know that for muscle recovery, I need to ensure I am eating enough protein. As I mentioned in my Top Five post about fueling to fend off post-run hunger, I've found that higher-protein snacks keep me satisfied for a longer period of time, especially after a long run. My goal is not to eat a specific amount of protein each day, but to ensure that my meals include a protein along with my carbs, fats, fruits, and veggies. I anticipate a lot of Greek yogurt and eggs in my future.

What about you - what are your goals for February?

Top 5: Foods While Half Marathon Training

All of the running involved in my half marathon training is making me hungry. On days I run, I often find myself looking to eat the contents of my refrigerator, and this has meant some higher grocery bills in an effort to satisfy my hungry runner's appetite. If you looked in my refrigerator and pantry right now, you would see a variety of foods intended to keep us both happy and full. Some of my favorite snacky foods are ones that are high protein, but I'm enjoying my cookies, granola bars and chocolate as well. That being said, here are my top five foods (and drinks) for keeping post-run hunger at bay.

1. Greek yogurt. I love Greek yogurt, especially Fage 2%. It's creamy, thick, and high in protein, and is delicious mixed with some cacao nibs, honey, and shredded wheat. I like to keep this on hand for breakfast, snacks, or as part of lunch. The combination of fat and protein definitely help keep me full and it's versatility (I love using it like sour cream), keeps me from getting bored!

2. Cottage Cheese. I tend to be hit-or-miss on cottage cheese. When I want it, I really want it, and when I don't, I really don't. Lately, I've been on a big cottage cheese, especially as a snack. I buy the lowfat kind and enjoy some whenever I feel like some cottage cheese. I like it plain, but I've also used it combined with or in place of ricotta in lasagna and stuffed shells!

3. Almonds. I used to keep almonds or walnuts on hand all the time, and stopped. I don't know why I did, because almonds are one of my favorite snacks whether I am training or not. One ounce is really portable, and a small handful holds me over when I get hungry between breakfast and lunch.

4. Mini Pretzels. I love pretzels. They're salty, crunchy, and fun to dip into melted cheese, peanut butter, and hummus. On days that I want something salty, pretzels are my first choice. Tortilla chips are my second. I love them!

5. Gatorade. I know it's not necessary, but as someone who sweats a lot while running, I find that having regular Gatorade or G2 available - especially while training - is essential. It helps to keep me hydrated, and I can definitely tell a difference after runs when I don't have some Gatorade, compared to when I do. My beverage of choice is water, but after a long or a particularly grueling run, I reach for Gatorade.

While I know the list is a little dairy-heavy, that's what I've been reaching for most since starting to train. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese help keep me satisfied after a run, without making me feel weighed down or sluggish. I reach for the others less often, but still frequently enough to include them on our weekly grocery list, where they weren't before.

What are some of your favorite snacks to help with post-workout hunger?

Playing Catch-Up

It’s been a while! I decided to take a break from blogging while I was at home for Thanksgiving. My grandparents were in town, and I wanted to soak up every moment I could with my family while I could, especially since I don’t see them as often as I’d like.

Thanksgiving dinner was AMAZING. My parents really outdid themselves this year and everything was delicious. My dad brined the turkey and roasted it along with sixty mushrooms (yes, they did count them), and several carrots, which came out delicious. The turkey was tender and filled with flavor and was complemented nicely by the accompaniments: roasted homegrown butternut squash, roasted brussels sprouts and grapes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade rolls, and homemade cultured butter made from local cream and buttermilk. Each bite was full of flavor and texture. I loved the tang of the cultured butter and the sweetness of the caramelized butternut squash.

This was only part of what I enjoyed on Thanksgiving, I definitely went back for seconds – and pie!

I was glad to be able to spend Thanksgiving at home this year, and spent a good bit of time snuggling and petting my dog. I hadn’t seen her since last Thanksgiving and was happy to be able to pet and spoil her a bit while I was home.

I also got to take my younger brother ice skating on Thanksgiving, which was a blast! He plays hockey and is quite the awesome skater. I had to work to keep up with him!

While home, I actually stayed at my sister’s place in town. She’s a student at the university and has a very cute apartment. It was nice to get to sit and watch movies with her late at night, to catch up and talk about boys and other fun stuff we have going on in our lives, and of course, to be able to walk with her to donkey coffee in the morning for my much-loved lattes.

I, as always, bought a bag of beans to bring back with me. It made my car smell like a coffee house while I was driving home Sunday night, which made me smile.

There was a lot of conversation and joking this weekend, as well as a family trip to see The Muppets. We are a Muppet family, and I’ve loved the Muppets since probably before I could talk. I was thrilled to be able to see this latest installment into the Muppet genre with my family. At least half of our group of six was singing “Rainbow Connection” at the end of the movie – my favorite Muppet song.

All in all, it was a great, relaxing, fun weekend. I was sad to leave on Sunday and am already thinking of when I want to go visit again. I felt very thankful for my family this holiday, and I am already eagerly awaiting the next time I get to see them.

What did you do for Thanksgiving?

Less Crazy, But Still Busy

It has been a crazy busy couple of weeks ‘round these parts, and I am very grateful that we have a long weekend to enjoy!

For starters, our flooded apartment situation has been thoroughly resolved and we are pretty much entirely back together- furniture in place and everything that belongs in the shelves we had to move is also back to where it needs to be. It has been so nice to be able to enjoy my living and dining rooms and not have to worry about eating dinner in bed!

We have also been making a strong effort to enjoy the warm weather and to get outside whenever possible. This has meant for a lot of games of catch with The Boy over the past week and a half, and it has been nice to get outside, get moving, and chat.

In addition to playing catch, I set a goal this past weekend that I wanted to workout and engage in some sort of physical activity five days a week. I know it may seem lofty, but I know that I am not a hamster, and that some days are going to be a little less intense than others. I must say that I was exceptionally proud of myself for meeting my goals for the week – hitting the gym four times, twice to lift and twice to use the elliptical, as well as enjoying a day where I walked over two miles over the course of the afternoon. I’ve felt amazing all week, especially with the combination of active living and healthy eating.

Of course, all the activity has led to a lot of creativity in the kitchen. I workout in the morning so when I get home, I want something quick and simple to enjoy for breakfast, and have found a new favorite post-workout breakfast: green proteiny smoothies!

I know, it’s green, but SO delicious! My go-to formula this week has been:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 serving of GeniSoy protein powder
• 3 big handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• a few frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup of oatmeal (occasionally) for extra sticking power

These have been cool, refreshing, and exceptionally filling. I end up filling my glass with my smoothie and then drinking the rest of it from the blender – they’re huge! I’ve been adding oatmeal to some of the smoothies to help give them some additional staying power, and may try experimenting with adding peanut or almond butter in the coming weeks. The vanilla protein powder and banana combine for a smooth, slightly sweet flavor, and the spinach CANNOT be tasted – yum!

There has been some other creativity in the kitchen, though it has been limited to salads and lunchtime fare. The majority of our meals lately have been pretty traditional summery meals, like burgers, hot dogs, beef au jus sandwiches, and grilled chicken. I’m loving the warm weather and the ability for us to use our grill, and I think this coming week I will be grilling some veggies to enjoy on my lunchtime salads throughout the week.

So, as you can see – just a bit busy here! How is your summer going so far?

Active Hunger

We spent our weekend visiting with The Boy’s parents, and while he helped them with some work around the yard, I kept their yellow lab busy. What could have been two hours playing fetch, turned into something resembling a boot camp. We ended up playing tug of war, fetch, and ran around the back yard until we were worn out, and when we got home last night, I was sore and hungry. Dinner was at Steak ‘n’ Shake and I downed a burger and onion rings before I had a chance to take a photo.

Of course, all of that activity last night meant that even with a big dinner, I woke up just as hungry as I’d be if I’d gone running the night before. I knew a light and simple breakfast wouldn’t do it, so I decided to fix something a little more substantial.

Whole wheat French toast. I took some whole wheat bread, dunked it in egg whisked with milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and fried it until it was hot and crispy. I covered it with a hefty bit of butter and ate it dunked in some delicious pancake syrup. It was delicious and hit. The. Spot. I loved every bite of it. Of course, I love any hot breakfast that you dunk in syrup: French toast, pancakes, waffles, you name it! It definitely satisfied my hunger and kept me pretty full throughout the morning.

What do you eat when you’re hungry from a hard workout or an active day?

On a Kick

I have been on a serious Mexican food kick lately. In my lunch today there are enchiladas and tortilla chips, ready to be doused in lots of medium-hot salsa before I dig in to savor every chickeny, cheesy, spicy bite.

Over the weekend this craving manifested as a desire to eat at Moe’s. I have a great appreciation for their queso dip, which is always delicious: creamy and cheesy with a zing from jalapeno peppers that really complete the dip. I also really wanted some of their marinated and seasoned tofu – which is AMAZE.

Of course, I got a junior burrito.

Wrapped in a whole-grain tortilla and stuffed with all the good stuff: tofu, black beans, guac, pico, and black olives. Each bite was full of flavor and really hit the spot. The Boy enjoyed some tacos, and we shared some of Moe’s delicious tortilla chips dunked in queso and salsa.

It was an incredible Sunday dinner – simple, delicious, and filling without being heavy. It was amazing, and I can’t wait to do it again.

What foods are you craving right now?