I've got three words for you... coffee intravenous drip. WAIT, no, that's not it... oops... (but really, Christmas wish list, anyone??)
andddddd it's Chicken Tortilla Soup.
I seriously love this stuff... it's so good! Chicken, beans, tomato, corn... add in some cheese and tortilla chips; and voila! Delicious and nutritious (Relatively...just stand while you eat it and the cheese and tortilla calories won't count ;-) ). PLUS it helps that all the ingredients are 'staple' and so I'm typically well stocked for the end-of-the-month-getting-tight-on-my-grocery-budget-blues. I've found several recipes for this fill-your-belly comfort and have combined them to suit my family's tastes.
Stuff you need:
-Chicken (imagine that... but really, I typically use a chicken breast per person or a bunch of tenders)
- Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
-Olive oil (I prefer the extra virgin variety)
and then for the soup:
- Carton of Chicken broth (homemade or not;; my go-to is the Aldi brand! Yummy AND affordable)
- Can of diced tomatoes (or 2... one of the recipes I saw used 2, but I like to switch out one with a can of rotel... cause green chilies make everything better!)
- Can of Rotel (Again, I go with Aldi... it's substantially cheaper and still delicious)
- Can of black beans (Or 2... we LOVEEEE our beans. )
- And a good bit of corn (I kinda just open the bag and pour until I'm satisfied)
And that's it. That's all the ingredients. You simply rub the chicken down with Tony's, a little olive oil, and bake it on a pan at 400 degrees for 20 or so minutes. When the chicken isn't pink on the inside, it's done. Side note; while I do most of the cooking, I often make my hubs check my chicken. He worked for Chickfila and I recognize his astuteness at chicken-making. :-) Then shred your chicken into a pot, toss in the diced tomatoes, rotel, beans, corn, broth, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve up with shredded cheddar and chips!
Quick note:: My hunk of sweetness isn't a big fan of chunks of tomatoes, so I usually blend the diced tomatoes (but not the rotel) so they're not as chunky and cook down a little more. OH! If you don't have Tony's for the chicken; it'll still taste great with just salt and pepper... but really, you should try it. Come to my house, and I'll share mine! I married a man who's lovely mama is a cajun and so he's grown up with it. I tried it once, and I was hooked.
I posted a picture of it on facebook with my blog link (sans the cheese... cause you don't need to know EVERYTHING about me.)
xoxoxoxo Mrs. Pickles
Reasons I love MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
- I get to drink coffee and eat breakfast foods. (Getting to enjoy an entire cup of coffee while it's actually HOT ??.. it's a beautiful thing in mommy world.)
- Chatting with other ladies who are in the same phase of life. (Your 2 year old JUST started sleeping through the night?? I thought 11 months of constant wakings and sleep deprivation was rough....)
- And of course, doing those two things while a wonderfully fun and responsible adult takes care of my child. For free. (I had to search around for one that had responsible free childcare.... but they're out there!)
Seriously though, if you're a momma of youngons and haven't found an avenue of support from like-minded mamas, check out your local group-- it may be well worth it.
SOOOOOOO... my 'confession' of motherhood?
This past Thursday I had MOPS. I had an awesome time connecting and chatting with ladies about everything you could imagine while slowly sipping on my *hot* coffee and enjoying every precious second of it. (I also enjoyed **cough, cough** like 3 donut holes from Dunkin.... okay it was 4. I had 4. And they were delicious. Every single one of them.) It was wonderful. I left feeling refreshed, encouraged, and ready to tackle the rest of my day. That is, of course, until it all came crashing down.
The details of the situation aren't as important as just to say that I had words spoken to me about my parenting that just slapped me in the face (and the back of my head, and my arms, and legs, basically blue all over) like a MACK truck barrelling down the wrong side of the highway. (Yea, so maybe that's overdramatic, but you know you've also been there when just a few simple words hurt you to your core.)
I went from feeling encouraged and excited, to tears streaming down my face as I called my husband asking him if I was really that terrible of a mother. Naturally he tried his best to lift me up; but let's just be honest, the damage was done and a few sweet wonderful words from my hubby weren't going to be enough. (Although seriously, he's the best thing ever.) What was going on with me? Why was I letting something so silly bring me down so much? And why did I at all care what someone else, who doesn't live with me, who isn't parenting my child, who has absolutely no say in how we raise her, had to say? I don't know. Maybe because they were right? Nah... probably not. Maybe because I'm insecure in what I'm doing? (Well, let's be honest, sometimes parenting is just going through an arsenal of ideas and tips and tricks... but that still wasn't it)
I sat there trying to compose myself while baby girl just stared up at me with those pretty little eyes. She's got the prettiest little eyes- and that smile? Oh...it can just light up a room.
And that's when it hit me. I was once again reminded, God picked ME to be her momma. I tell myself this often when I'm struggling in mommyland. The Lord knows all. He knows all my insecurities and doubts in parenting. He knows my occasional wins and pretty constant struggles. He knows my heart.
He also knows the areas where I still need work. He knows where I need to be refined both as a mother and a wife......and a believer. He knows my heart... all of my heart. Which reminds me of the things I know.
I know I need the Lord. I know that without His guidance, I can't be the mother and wife he has called me to be. I know that I am a sinner and need grace. Truly though, morning by morning new mercies I see. I recognize how faithful He is, and how faithless I can be. I know that I need to constantly and consistently seek my identity in HIM and not in motherhood, or parenting, being a perfect wife or any part of this earthly life. It sure can be tough sometimes to remember that. However, I am finding that the more completely I seek Him in all aspects of my life, the more I turn to Him first before turning to emotions and reactions, and the easier it actually does become to turn to Him sooner and more thoroughly.
So. Confession of motherhood?
Sometimes mommyhood can be truly disheartening; and I have to just choose not to let it define me. I have to choose not to fall prey to satan's whispers of failure and doubt, but rather lift my eyes and keep them focused on the Lord from the very beginning.
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo.
~Mrs. Pickles
